A/N: The evil Ranger part of the story begins. I will warn readers, things are going to get very, very dark in future chapters. In fact, some of the things that will happen to one particular Ranger in this arc may scar him for a long time to come.

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

Chapter 20 – Red With Evil I

Sept. 18, 2004

4:00 a.m. PDT

Conner's State of Mind

Reefside, CA

The nightmares had wracked his mind for three straight days, and they had gotten worse every time.

This one however, was more than he could take. And it was something he did not need with him starting at Loyola Marymount in two days, and starting the college soccer season very soon.

In his mind though, he could see it. He tried his best to block out the visions, but like any train wreck he just couldn't look away.

The carnage was everywhere.

Bodies were littered throughout Reefside, like rag dolls.

Even worse, and what really raised the bile in his throat, was the state his friends were in.

They were all dead.

The Ninjetti, as powerful as they were, had been no match for the hellacious army in front of them. Tommy and Kimberly had, of course, been saved for last, and as powerful as they were they hadn't unlocked their full potential in time. They had been skewered just like everyone else.

Even worse was Kira.

Oh God, Kira.

She had been brutally beaten and killed, and the worst part about it...

Was that he had done it.

Because of him, and everyone else who served the forces of evil, the entire universe was in peril and evil had finally won.

Conner's Apartment, Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed in bed, so loud it startled Kira, who had buried herself in his body.

One week earlier, Kira had her final tryout for Tanya, and while she was impressive, she had come up just short. In some ways, it had been a blessing. Had Kira been on tour, Conner would have had to deal with these dreams alone, but here and now, she was with him, helping him every step of the way.

"Conner!" Kira exclaimed. "Are you OK? It's 4 a.m. in the morning?"

"Awful dream, terrible, Reefside, destroyed...I killed you..." Conner sobbed as tears rained down his shirt.

"Shhhh, Conner, I'm right here, it's OK," Kira said, her voice calming. "Why would you ever do that? We all know that's the last thing either of us want."

"I don't know, but I saw it, clear as day. This has been going on for three nights, Kira, I'm scared..." Conner said shakily.

"There's nothing to be worried about, Con," Kira said. "Dr. O and Kim are the targets, remember?"

"Kira, I have a bad feeling something's about to happen. These dreams are a warning, I think," Conner said. "Promise me one thing."

"What's that?" Kira said. "You're scaring me Conner."

"Promise me you'll always be there for me, when things are good and when things are at their worst," Conner said.

"Always, Conner; you are my life and without you, I'm not half of what I am now," Kira said. "I still don't get why you're so scared, though."

Adrianna Repulsa's Palace

M-51 Galaxy

"Ha, that little girl doesn't understand what's about to happen to her precious lover. My nightmares are causing that boy paranoia and the girl doesn't see the danger that's right in front of her face," the female voice of Adrianna Repulsa said, as she spied on the both of them. "This is so perfect. Enjoy your time with that boy, Yellow Ranger because it won't last. Soon, little girl, you're going to have to deal without your heart and soul."

Adrianna then turned to Goldar and Klank.

"You two, how are Gasket and Archerina coming?" she asked. "And how are repairs to my battle machine?"

"Archerina and Gasket are almost finished, your Highness," Goldar said. "As for your war machine, there are some kinks I found that I will have Klank and Orbus look at once they finish repairs on those two."

"Good job, Goldar. Those two wild cards are something we will be able to use down the road. In the meantime, I want that Red Dino Thunder Ranger and I will have him," she smirked.

"What would you want with that boy, I'm just curious," Goldar said. "He's good, there is no doubt. But, how is that going to get us any closer to the Pink and White Ninjetti Geeks?"

"It's a good question, Goldar and it's something I've mulled over in my time away," Adrianna said, scratching her chin. "The way I see it though, is first, I need to buy us some time before Kimberly goes to trial with her mother. An evil Ranger would at the very least buy us some time."

"As far as the Ranger goes, my ideal would be to have either the Falcon or Crane with us but I know they will never leave each other because they are the targets," Adrianna said, a wicked smile creasing her features. "But if I can't hurt the original Pterodactyl directly, then I could hurt her indirectly by taking her co-holder's heart and cause some turmoil within their team. Besides, I need someone to have some fun with."

"In the meanwhile, why don't you keep yourself busy and make sure our repairs are going smoothly?" Adrianna said, indicating that the conversation was closed.

"Soon, Conner McKnight, you will be mine," she said.

9:00 a.m.

Reefside, CA

"OK, Kira do what you can," Tommy said as Kim finished preparing breakfast while Tommy was in a pointed conversation with Kira. Zordon was also nearby, intently listening to the conversation on the phone. "Though I still can't make sense of things yet. Conner having nightmares while the rest of us are not is really strange."

Though Tommy seemed confused by everything, Zordon knew exactly why Conner was having nightmares while the rest of the Ninjetti were not. He had to admit, Adrianna was smart; it would have been easy to torture the Ninjetti directly, but that wouldn't have been the smart play and he would explain why.

He wouldn't say it, but he knew what was about to happen; it was an event that couldn't be helped. He knew that the next few weeks would test the Rangers to their very limits and knew that Conner would need help, a lot of help after what was coming up.

"OK, Kira, keep me posted. Talk to you later...bye," Tommy said, right as Kimberly finished bringing out a huge stack of pancakes.

"So let me get this straight," Kim said looking pointedly at both men as she set a huge plate of pancakes in front of all of them. "From what I just heard, Conner's having nightmares, but the rest of us aren't. What's the deal? Can't we feel each other's pain?"

"It's because Conner isn't connected to all of you like he is the Dino Thunder team," Zordon said. "I mean, we can all feel emotions and fluctuations, but not like the 18 Ninjetti can with each other. It would be easier to diagnose the problem if Conner was Ninjetti like you are. His pain can be felt more easily felt by his Dino Thunder teammates."

"You're scaring us, Zordon," Kimberly said. "Do you know something we don't?"

Zordon sighed as he bit into a piece of bacon. Of course, his Rangers would pick up on things he was saying. He didn't want to say a whole lot but didn't want to lose the Rangers trust that he'd gathered over the years.

"I'm not going to say too much so as not to tip off the future, but there are things that are coming up that can't be helped...fixed events," Zordon said sadly. "I do believe however that an evil Ranger is on the near horizon."

Tommy and Kim both shuddered. They'd been under evil's influence and Tommy had seen what Trent had done to them both.

"Not if we can help it, Zordon," Tommy said.

"Be careful of making promises you can't keep, my Falcon," Zordon warned.

September 29, 2004

3:30 p.m. PDT

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Over the last week or two, things had settled down quite a bit since Kira had called Reefside for help on how to handle Conner's problems.

Conner was still having nightmares, in fact they had intensified, but because Kira had been by his side the whole time, he was holding up about as well as could be expected. If it was possible, the nightmares Conner had been going through had drawn him and Kira even closer than before.

As Conner walked out to the practice field to join his teammates in preparing for their next match, which would be Friday, he had no idea how much trouble awaited him...and his upcoming troubles would have nothing to do with soccer.

Adrianna Repulsa's Palace

M-51 Galaxy

It's been a while since I've heard from you, dear sister-in-law," a red and gray alien said as she spoke with Adrianna. "You must have called me for a specific purpose."

"Yes, indeed I did, Dischordia," Adrianna said. "I'm trying to destroy those Ranger runts that you and Vile tried to destroy many years ago, and I need your help with one small item."

"One small item? You don't want me to destroy them right now? Because I'm really itching to get back at those Rangers," Dischordia snapped, her voice rising several octaves. "I had them beat and they somehow slipped through my fingers!"

"Yeah, Join the club. Worst part about it is, you lost to them with the Crane gone to chase her dream," Adrianna scoffed. "No we don't destroy them right now. That would be great if we could but I need someone who can give them a fight. I need you to go capture this one," she said pointing at the figure of the Red Dino Thunder Ranger, who was with his teammates practicing soccer.

"You want to turn him? Make him yours? I don't blame you, he's kind of cute. If I wasn't married I might," Dischordia said. "OK, I'm in. As an added bonus, I have a little extra surprise for the Rangers."

"Do tell," Adrianna said, rubbing her hands together in glee.

"My daughter, Croonia," Dischordia said as she pointed to a tall, female alien in a black dress tinged with red stripes, "whose voice is almost as terribly good as my voice. With me, Croonia and the Tengas, this mission should be no problem."

Shortly after she'd fought the Rangers, Dischordia had returned to M-51 to her relationship with a high ranking M-51 alien, Xochipilli, which had become marriage while the Rangers were fighting the Machine Empire.

That union had produced a child, Croonia, who had already acquired a reputation as one of the most cunning female villains in the galaxy. When she was born, she was nearly at full bloom and the party that had taken place for her birth had received almost as much attention as Zedd and Rita's marriage.

"Wait till he's alone first," Adrianna said. "Take no chances. I'll send Goldar and Rito to Angel Grove to try to distract the Ninja Rangers."

"Promise me that if we capture the cute boy that I and my daughter can have a shot at the Ninja Geeks?" Dischordia said. "You have no idea how much I am clamoring for a rematch with them!"

Adrianna mulled things over in her head. Normally, she wasn't into deals, but what Dischordia was proposing happened to fit right into her plans.

"I can see that," Adrianna said. "You have a deal. Capture this one and you and Croonia can have your shot at the Ninjas."

Two hours later

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

With practice done for the day and LMU getting set for a big soccer showdown in two days against Gonzaga in Los Angeles, the team was in top form, and Conner felt good about his state going into this matchup, as well as the team's.

He had called Kira and she was on the way to pick him up at the athletic complex, and it just so happened that he was ready just as she arrived.

As he grabbed his bag and headed towards where Kira told him she was parked, he noticed a shadow moving along the wall, which seemed to be following his every move.

Quickly, Conner put his communicator to his lips.

"Kira, I just saw a shadow moving along the wall and it seems to be following me," Conner said. "I have a feeling we've got trouble."

"That's ridiculous Conner, I don't see anything," Kira said. "I'm sitting right outside the door and there's nothing there."

"OK, maybe I was seeing things," Conner said. "I'm on my way."

The second Conner stepped out the door, three Tengas jumped out from a nearby trash can and grabbed a hold of him. Conner attempted to free himself by elbowing two of them in their chests, but their grip was strong and they wouldn't let go. Elsewhere, Tengas were terrorizing LMU athletes as they ran across the parking lot.

"Ha, that was way too easy, Mom!" a female voice stated as two female aliens stepped into view, one clad in scarlet and silver, the other in red and black. Conner instantly knew who one of the aliens was; Tommy had briefed the Dino Thunder Rangers on many of the aliens of yesteryear.

"Dischordia!" Conner stated. "You're as ugly as Dr. O made you sound!"

"I see my reputation precedes me," Dischordia stated. "It's no use trying to struggle, human. Adrianna Repulsa wishes to have an audience with you. It's time to take a little trip!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a fist connected with the Tengas' heads, freeing Conner as he struggled to stand.

"You OK, Con?" Kira Ford said as she knelt by him.

"Yeah, LOOK OUT!" Conner shouted as suddenly Dischordia released her sound waves. Kira was ready for it though as she released her Ptera Scream. The two attacks canceled each other and there was a massive midair explosion which staggered Dischordia and her partner.

Conner took the brief moment to raise his communicator to his lips.

"Zordon, anyone, Kira and I need help! Dischordia's back and she's at LMU! We need serious backup!" Conner said.

"Backup is on the way, Conner. Be careful; you are aware of what Dischordia can do. I have no idea of the entity that is with her. May the Power protect you," Zordon said as the message was cut.

"Now we've got to hold on until the others get here," Conner said as they ducked inside a side door so as not to be seen.

"Easier said than done," Kira said. "Ready?"

"Ready. Dino Thunder Power Up, Ha!"

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