A/N: The Rangers deal with the aftermath of the battle, and Adrianna begins to plan her next move.

A/N 2: I own nothing. Power Rangers once belonged to Saban, then they went to Disney, now they belong to Saban again.

A/N 3: The Freedom arc is officially over. The next chapter is the start of an evil Ranger arc. As to who it is, sorry, no dice. You just have to read the next chapter to find out who it is.

Chapter 20 – The Aftermath

Sept. 4, 2004

9:30 a.m. PDT

1492 Valencia Drive

Reefside, CA

The first thing Dr. Thomas Oliver came home to when he teleported from the Zords into his Dino Thunder basement was not only a horde of rescued captives, but a ridiculously pungent smell.

By the reactions he heard from his girlfriend and his teammates, they smelled it too.

"Eureka, it stinks in here!" Kimberly groused. "Somebody needs to get an air freshener in here and do it right now!"

"Well, I can see why," Jason said. "Look at these guys, I would bet that they haven't had a good shower in weeks, maybe months."

"Easy, Jase, they've been captive for three months or whatever, I'm sure that slimeball Adrianna wasn't going to give them so much as a nice hot shower to clean themselves off," Tommy said. "That place just by the looks of these guys seems disgusting. I can only hope we never have to go in there."

The chatter immediately stopped though when Shawna Hilton, one of the newly rescued captives, cleared her throat as if to get everyone's attention. With that, the Dino Thunder basement went suddenly quiet. The Rangers gulped and knew there was no other choice in the matter.

"Uh, guys, I don't think there's any way around it," Aisha said. "They know who we are."

"Right," Tommy said, signaling for the teams gathered together to take off their helmets. As one, they all complied. Around the room, the reactions varied.

Ernie and Lt. Stone were the least surprised of those captured; from the very beginning they'd suspected who were behind the original masks. The habit of wearing the same color about 95% of the time was a dead giveaway as was them running off at all hours of the day. They'd wisely kept their mouths shut, knowing that the less publicity Ranger teams got, the better.

Miss Appleby's reaction was one of acceptance, and partial guilt; she still remembered the day that she'd kept Tommy in detention during a monster attack during his Green days. It had almost cost the team dearly in its fight against the Soccadillo monster.

Shawna for her part nodded in acceptance though she was still decidedly surprised that Aisha and Kimberly were under the pink and yellow Morphin helmets. Her face was also laced with confusion; she didn't know the identity of many of the Rangers currently in uniform. Tommy looked at Shawna and decided introductions were in order.

"Dr. Thomas Oliver, from the reservation outside Angel Grove and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and Scottsdale, Arizona, Green and White Morphin, White Ninjetti, First Red Turbo and First Black Dino Thunder Ranger. I'm White Ninjetti again now," Tommy said as mouths dropped open at the knowledge that Tommy had held the Power for so long. Meanwhile, Tommy (as he was holding Kimberly like his life depended on it) was looking at Rocky next.

"Rocky DeSantos, Encinitas, California and raised in Stone Canyon; I was the second Red Morphin, Red Ninjetti and Blue Zeo Ranger," Rocky said as he interlocked fingers with Aisha.

"Aisha Campbell, soon to be Aisha DeSantos, from Plano, Texas and raised in Stone Canyon. Second yellow Morphin and Yellow Ninjetti Ranger," Aisha said.

"Kimberly Hart, Angel Grove; first Pink Morphin and Pink Ninjetti Ranger. Former Pan Globalist and Olympian in 1996 and competed at LSU," Kimberly said.

"Adam Park, Incheon, South Korea and raised in Stone Canyon; second Black Ranger, Black Ninjetti, Green Zeo and first Green Turbo," Adam said.

"William Cranston, Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Angel Grove; first Blue Morphin, Blue Ninjetti and technical advisor to the Zeo incarnation of Rangers," Billy said as he squeezed Kat's hand.

"Jason Scott, Angel Grove; first Morphin Red Ranger and first Gold Zeo Ranger of Earth. Now the Gold Ninjetti Ranger," Jason said.

"Trini Scott, Hanoi, Vietnam but raised in Angel Grove; first Yellow Ranger of Earth and now the Silver Ninjetti," Trini said. The freed captives looked at one another; they hadn't been surprised to hear that Jason and Trini had tied the knot.

"Katherine Hillard, Melbourne, Australia; second Pink Ninjetti Ranger, Pink Zeo Ranger and first Pink Turbo Ranger, now the Orange Ninjetti," Katherine said.

"Tanya Sloan-Park," Tanya said, as the freed captives looked at one another at the implied reference that Tanya and Adam were married, "from Nairobi, Kenya and came to Angel Grove during the Orb of Doom crisis. Yellow Zeo, first Yellow Turbo and the Purple Ninjetti currently."

"Zack Taylor, Los Angeles and raised in Angel Grove; first Black Morphin Ranger of Earth and currently the Beige Ninjetti," Zack said.

"Justin Stewart, known to some of the guys as the Kid Power Ranger, originally from San Diego; Blue Turbo Ranger of Earth and currently the Turquoise Ninjetti," Justin said.

"I am Dulcea and I am from a planet called Phaedos, light years away," Dulcea said. "I'm responsible for the powers that belong to many of the people you see. With the exception of some of the people who stand before you, my race, the Ninjetti, is near extinction."

If the former captives thought that was a surprise, then what they were about to hear next was going to really blow them away.

"Rita of Eltar," Rita began, "and my alter ego was the first villain to attack Angel Grove in 1993. Now the Lavender Ninjetti Ranger."

"Zedd of Eltar, and I'm her husband," Zedd stepped forward next. "If you're thinking it, yes, I was villain number two, in 1994. My Ninjetti color is green and my animal is the dragon."

"Selena of Eltar," the woman dressed in white said next, "and my alter ego was Scorpina. If you're wondering, Goldar was and is pure evil. I thought he was dead but I guess not. I'm one of two White Ninjetti and my animal is the Tiger."

"You know the Space Rangers," Tommy said as he looked at the young man who was holding onto Jen like she was his life, "Wes, go."

"Wesley Collins, Rancho Bernardo, California and raised in Silver Hills. Red Time Force Ranger from the year 2001," Wes said.

"Jen Scotts, Pink Time Force Ranger from the year 3000," Jen said.

"Eric Myers, Compton, California and Quantum Ranger from the Time Force era," Eric said.

"Dustin Brooks, Poway, California but trained in Blue Bay Harbor, Yellow Ninja Storm Ranger and wielder of the Power of Earth," Dustin said, as he looked over at Tori, who was noticeably intimate with Hunter just as Dustin was being with Marah.

"Tori Hanson, Santa Barbara, California but trained in Blue Bay Harbor, Blue Ninja Storm Ranger and I wield the Power of Water," Tori said.

"And from the smell in here certain people could use it," Conner said.

"Conner knock it off," Tommy said sternly, although he knew Conner was correct. The stench was pretty bad.

"Hunter Bradley, and both Blake and I are from Blue Bay Harbor itself. He's navy, I'm crimson. Both of us wield the Power of Thunder," Hunter said.

"Shane Clarke, Anaheim, California but trained in Blue Bay, Red Ninja Storm Ranger and leader and I control the Power of Air," Shane said.

"Cameron Watanabe, Osaka, Japan but raised in Blue Bay Harbor. Green Samurai Ranger, and my father over there who apparently just got in is Kanoi Watanabe," Cam said, looking at his father who was near the back.

"Hayley Ziktor, Auckland, New Zealand but raised in Crossworld City. Yes, that's the former home of the VR Troopers," Hayley said as she emerged from the back of the room, where she appeared to be standing with someone. "I'm the technical advisor to the newest Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Thunder."

"Conner McKnight, Pasadena, California, and Red Dino Thunder Ranger for a second time," Conner said, arm wrapped around Kira. "I'm on scholarship to play at Loyola Marymount for soccer this fall."

"Kira Ford," Kira said, "originally from Hollywood, California, and Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger."

"Ethan James, from right here in Reefside, Blue Dino Thunder and I'm enrolled at Reefside Tech this fall," Ethan said.

"Trent Fernandez-Mercer, Newport Beach, California and raised in Reefside, White Dino Thunder Ranger. I'm going to art school in the fall. My father is Anton, who was captured with you guys for a while," Trent said.

"And that place is a hellpit," Anton said, earning a laugh from everyone in the room.

"David Trueheart, from the reservation outside Angel Grove, and I'm the second Black Dino Thunder Ranger," David said. "Also Kimberly Hart's lawyer, she's having some...uh, problems which I'll talk about another time."

"God and I remember when the original Rangers were running around," Shawna said, looking in awe at the 36 Rangers assembled in Tommy's basement, "It was on all the time, on the news. It's hard to believe we've got Ranger teams now in several cities."

"It's even bigger than you think or realize," another voice said from the back of the room, as Hayley and the person she was standing with stepped forward. None of the recent captives knew who it was, but just from looking at him, he seemed to exude power and knowledge.

"Hello, my friends. My name is Zordon and I too hail from the planet Eltar," the man robed in white said as he addressed the group of new arrivals. "I've been called a lot of things, but most notably I'm the one who started the legacy of Rangers on this planet; when Rita attacked in 1993, I recruited Jason, Trini, Kimberly, Zackary and Billy to fight her off."

"I assure you that I wish with all my heart that the attacks on the Earth and Angel Grove would not have happened, but sadly I knew they would, so I knew when the Alliance came back that I'd have to be ready," Zordon continued. "What all of you need to understand right now is this is not some game. Earth is the most primary planet that the United Alliance of Evil has never conquered and the Earth is rich with resources they could use. If Earth gets conquered at any point, then the rest of the galaxy would likely fall soon after."

"Please don't blame these three over here for what they did in the 1990s," Zordon added, pointing to Rita, Zedd and Selena, "they are all from my home planet and had no control over their actions. They were under strong mind control for many thousands of years thanks to Master Vile and his widow who held you all captive."

"God she is disgusting, Master Vile was ugly too when he attacked," Lt. Stone said, almost emitting a gag right there. "I can only guess her entire family is pretty ugly too."

"Trust me you only saw a taste of her ugly family," Rita said. "It goes far worse than that. The only thing they are good at is making us villains ugly to look at."

"Hey I dunno, Scorpina's butt was pretty nice to look at," Ernie said emitting a roomful of laughs.

"It's nice to know that I'm still considered hot by the general public whether it's me or my alter ego," Selena said as she wrapped her arm around Trent's waist. "Thanks but I'm already taken."

"Anyways, I am glad you are all safe and sound, but what I need from you most of all is to keep supporting these fine young men and women day by day. We have enough problems on our hands and Adrianna is far from finished attacking," Zordon said. "In addition we have to deal with Kimberly's mother down the road too."

"Caroline being a bitch again...least surprising thing in the history of the world," Ms. Appleby said. "I hated her and still hate her I guess. Let me guess, she kept Kim from seeing her friends for many years."

"Yep, you guessed it; long story short, now that Kimberly is home with us we have to go fight her and her lawyers in court," Aisha said. "If Caroline wins, we lose Kimberly and she goes to Paris...and we may lose the war if that happens. Tommy and Kim's reborn relationship (this got a roomful of cheers) is central to the powers we possess. That's why when Kimberly left and the two had their relationship ended, we weren't as strong."

"Not a surprise, I met her once and it sounds like she's still a total diva," Shawna muttered. "I always had problems with my family too. When is the trial scheduled?"

"Late February," Tommy said. "That sounds good but it's also plenty of time for Caroline to plot everything in the book with her expensive lawyers. I was really hoping to deal with her in quick fashion but she's really smart, sadly."

"We'll support all of them, Zordon," Lt. Stone said. "In addition, we'll keep the secret. We owe them a lot for them protecting Earth. Thank you for teaching them what being a team is all about...you taught them lessons I don't think we could have taught."

"I assure you that the privilege and honor of teaching these fine young men and women is one of the things I have enjoyed most about this life," Zordon said. "Don't doubt yourselves, you all have done a fine job as well. I assure you that though you don't possess powers like they do, you are just as valuable as they are. In the meantime, I think you guys need a shower. Tori?"

"Oh come now, Zordon, you don't want me to use my powers for personal gain, do you?" Tori said.

"That rule does exist, yes, but there are times I'll make exceptions to that rule. I can't stand the stench in here so I give you full license to take them outside and douse them," Zordon said.

"I must agree, Tori. I can't stand the stench myself. Do whatever you have to do," Sensei Watanabe said.

"Fine, let's go outside," Tori said as she ushered the guests out. Wes decided to go with them so he could be with Jen.

As soon as the guests left, the rest of the Rangers stood at attention. Zordon looked at all of them and especially gazed intently at Tommy and Kimberly.

"Do you two now fully understand why you two have always been the targets?" Zordon asked. "Even more than the other Ninjetti do you fully understand why they want to destroy the both of you more than anyone else?"

Tommy swallowed hard. He knew what Zordon was referencing; the Metallic Armor being a permanent thing had never been a part of their arsenal before, and it had only come to its full potential with their union...or reunion.

"Yes, Zordon," Tommy said softly. "It's one thing to be teenagers blissfully in love and not see the potential we possess, but as adults it's that much more magnified."

"Yes, and it's only going to get tougher for the both of you. This isn't fun and games anymore. When you all went to fight I noticed both of your power levels were off the charts. I'm sure Adrianna can feel it too," Zordon said. "You unlocked the full potential of the Metallic Armor right in front of Adrianna's face, Goldar too. Both of you are going to have to be very careful from now on. The permanent Metallic Armor is just a fraction of the new powers the both of you possess."

"How powerful are we talking here?" Kimberly said.

"Powerful enough to destroy every evil creature that has ever existed, if the circumstances happened just right," Rita said. Tommy gasped; he knew the both of them were powerful, but THAT powerful?

"Let's just put it this way," Divina said as she stood up from the back of the room, where she had otherwise been minding her own business. "If I had not sacrificed Kimberly to Maligore, and if you both had been working together as one, the two of you could very well have made me a scorch mark. I would have been no match for your combined power."

"Adrianna knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote those letters," Dulcea said. "She was angry about Vile's failure to be sure but in the end that was about one thing and one thing only; keeping the two of you from tapping into your potential. She wanted to get back at Zordon, but more importantly she knew she had to keep you from unlocking your full power potential."

"And heaven forbid if you two have a child some day, which I know you will," Zedd added. "That child is going to be extremely powerful and every evil creature in existence will want that child."

"We're honestly not trying to scare the both of you; we're just trying to make it clear that whether the both of you like it or not, you two are the targets," Hayley finished. "That's the way it's always been and in a very big way, that's how it's always going to be."

"Understood," Tommy said solemnly. His face said it all; the battle had been won today, but as long as evil was out there, there was a cold harsh reality in place; the Falcon and Crane would always be THE target.

"Don't let it ruin your day, today is a day that should be celebrated. Just always be ready for whatever comes," Divina said. "There will be ups and downs in your journey just like anyone else. But as long as you two have each other, love can always overcome."

"If anything, the two of you should be very proud of yourselves," a female voice interrupted their thoughts as Jen Scotts came through the entryway, noticeably looking a lot better with Wes right behind her.

The grime from the "hellpit" as Wes called it was mostly gone thanks to Tori's water powers and the "bath" she had given Jen and the others; Wes had been prepared for the occasion as well and had Jen try on some new clothes, which had fit her like a glove.

"Excuse me for being someone akin to a fangirl right now, because I'm standing in the midst of my heroes as we speak," Jen said, tears pricking the sides of her eyes.

"The thing you have to understand is, I grew up hearing about you guys. In our world, we knew who every single past Power Ranger was and it was a heavy part of our training to get into the Academy," Jen said. "I had my favorite subjects but I loved studying about the Ninjetti and the Winged Lord and Lady of the Skies in particular. The two of you were my heroes growing up and I only wished I could meet the both of you some day."

"That you both helped Wes and I see each other again makes me love you both even more. It warms my heart. I apologize for the extreme adulation but I feel it's warranted," Jen finished, tears gushing out of her eyes as Wes pulled her into a loving embrace. "I know it's going to be tough but I know the both of you can get accomplished anything you set out to do. True love always survives."

"And I'm truly honored to meet the only Pink Ranger who has ever led a team," Kimberly said. "I'd personally love to have you and Wes help us whenever we need it."

"You'll always have it, Kim...forever," Wes said. "By the way, our friends are still outside. Let's not keep them waiting."

Adrianna Repulsa's War Zord, some time later

Hours after she'd lost the battle, and lost her trump card, Adrianna grunted to herself in frustration.

It seemed that nothing she tried was working at this point; those bastard Ninjetti were reborn, had greater strength in numbers and were more powerful than ever.

Letters? Didn't matter. It had taken eight years, but the Falcon and Crane had overcome that.

Trump card? Didn't matter. The Rangers had avoided the temptation to go rushing in (which she'd been counting on) and had out-thought her, executing a flawless rescue and leaving a lot of egg on her face and some of her main soldiers wounded.

Even the Eltarian solders she'd seduced to the dark many thousands of years ago had returned to the Ninjetti. They were 16 in all, and stronger than ever before.

The trial to be held down the road could still split Tommy and Kimberly up, but that was seemingly eons from now (which, in her time frame was pretty much true). She needed SOMETHING to keep the Rangers occupied for some time.

As she looked for anything that could help her in her quest, she smiled.

She knew just what she was going to do next, and she knew just how she was going to execute her plan. She just needed to get the Rangers' guard down and get home and then she could put her plan into action.

By the time she got done, the Rangers and in particular the Dino Thunder team would never know what hit them.

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