Chapter 2: Two Down, Monsters Found

"I could just kill the three of you!" Kim snapped as the three youngest former Rangers walked through the door. Her arms were folded and Conner hadn't seen that look on her face since their final battle the year before. Only, instead of just facing Kim, they were facing down all of the former Rangers minus Trini and they were pretty sure that Hayley, Elsa, and Dr. Mercer would hear about it as well. Ethan and Kira looked remorseful, similar to how they had in the car, but Conner matched his mentor's stare perfectly and was standing similar to how she was.

"Probably, but that doesn't mean we didn't do the right thing," he argued, stepping up to the plate. He knew that Kira and Ethan wouldn't really abandon him like they said they would in the car, but he wasn't about to let them take the fall with them. "We were already heading that way when Kira called and we could handle it. Besides, we called to let you know, didn't we?"

Tommy stepped up next to his fiancé, his own arms folded with the look that Conner even feared. The younger man was putting up all of the bravado that he could so that Tommy didn't see it, but he knew that Kira and Ethan were probably ready to back down at this point. It was loyalty that he'd earned as the red Ranger that kept them standing behind him. Tommy's gaze leveled on Conner, ignoring the other two completely. Conner was a red Ranger which Tommy had been so he knew that the entire plan had been the young man's idea. "More of us would still have been better. Suppose you would have gotten Kira or Ethan killed?"

Conner's look darkened. "Unlike most of you Reds, I actually have faith in my team to make it through it. They both did their jobs and Ethan's quick thinking helped us stay alive. And before you get even more on Ethan and Kira's cases, it was my idea to do it," he added. "I'm not letting them get in trouble because I made a choice."

Both Kira and Ethan tried to protest, insisting that they were just as involved, but Conner gave them both a quick look of reassurance as he pushed his promise. He wasn't going to let them get in trouble for it. Still, both tried to dampen the anger of their mentors. "We called," Kira offered. "That was Conner's idea."

"And he made sure that when we knew what it was we should call you," Ethan pushed. "And we didn't mean to upset you guys."

Tommy looked at them seriously. "Ethan, Kira, can you excuse us please. Kim and I need to have a chat with Conner."

The two other younger Rangers looked at their leader who just nodded. They both looked reluctant and Ethan looked at the other former Rangers. "We will if they will."

Kira nodded in agreement and soon the room was void of everyone but Tommy, Kim, and Conner. The youngest sighed, looking at his mentors. "We really don't have time for this. We need to start figuring things out."

"Billy will be starting to. Probably with Ethan's help," Tommy answered. "We won't be able to do much more tonight anyway. Which gives us time to talk about this."

"There was a job, we did it, the end," Conner answered and Kim shook her head.

"This isn't like you, Conner," she said softly. "Last year, you led but you weren't this hard-headed or distant. You were willing to listen to us. What happened?"

"Nothing," Conner answered. Kim sighed and let her arms down.

"Conner…"

"Fine!" The exclamation shocked both of them and they didn't interrupt. "Let's see… My head mentor got kidnapped because I wasn't paying attention as to whether she was there or not while I was fighting Trent. My best friend and I nearly got killed in the Zords before they were destroyed, which Ethan still hasn't gotten over by the way and then I nearly died again fighting Mesagog. My parents moved as far away as they could from here and in turn, me. And my mentors don't even think I'm able enough to go on a scouting trip which, by the way, if the roles were reversed you would have done it the exact same way. I might not have as many years as a Ranger under my belt, but goddamn it, I'm still a Ranger, I'm still a Red, and you need to let me grow up!"

They were both quiet at that, not quite knowing what to say. Fortunately for them, Conner wasn't done. "We're partners now. Junior partners maybe, but still. How am I supposed to trust myself when I've messed up so much if you won't?"

"You didn't mess up," Kim assured him. "You're just… a Red."

Conner made sure that neither of the other two Dino Thunder Rangers were anywhere near them before he sighed and looked tired. He kept up two masks: one of strength and one of his normal, happy self for them. When they weren't around, which wasn't often, he could drop them both. "Look, unless you can learn to let us do what needs to be done without needing to come with every time, we can't do this. I want to help. Hell, that was one of the reasons I stayed, but no self-respecting Red is going to take my advice if you question me constantly."

Both Tommy and Kim looked at each other quietly, trying to figure out a way to answer. Fortunately for them, they were interrupted by Ethan's "Holy Shit!"

"That's not good," Conner said as the three of them poured down to join Billy, Ethan, and Kira in the Lair. Conner looked over his friend's shoulder, masks back in place. "What's up, dude?"

"Okay, see the dots that are moving? Those have the same type of genetic blueprint as that thing we killed earlier," Ethan told him. "There's nine others."

"Are they headed for the city?" Kira asked and Ethan shook his head.

"Not yet, but they probably will be soon. What do you think, Conner?" Ethan asked, glancing at his friend. Conner looked pensive for a moment and then looked at his mentors.

"If it's alright, can we sleep in the Lair tonight? If those things start to go after people…" Conner started and Tommy nodded.

"It makes sense," he agreed. "Billy, Ethan, do you know if there are any others?"

"Not yet," Ethan answered. "But I wouldn't be surprised if more showed up. We're not even sure where these other nine came from. Honestly, there might only be nine or there might be hundreds."

"Considering that we were able to take down one without running, that doesn't sound great," Kira mentioned. Ethan shrugged.

"They didn't have an exoskeleton. But the extra legs will make them quicker," Ethan decided. "And they're probably pretty strong too."

"Billy, you and Ethan keep looking that information up. Take turns. I'll get a hold of Hayley to help you. Kim, call Elsa and Anton. They're going to need to know about this too," Tommy instructed and turned to Conner. "We'll come up with a better plan, but for now, can you guys handle them?"

Conner nodded. "Yeah. We can do it," he answered, glancing at Kira and Ethan who both looked in agreement. Tommy nodded and moved close to the younger man.

"You wanted a chance…" He whispered. Conner nodded and Tommy smiled at him. "Do us proud."

"Always try," Conner said with a shrug.

"Well, isn't this an easy answer? We give out the new Power," Elsa mentioned, drinking the water that Kim had gotten for them. Other than Billy and Hayley who trusted the others come up with it while they were figuring other things out, the adults were sitting around the living room discussing a game plan. The teens were on creature duty with the raptors in order to make sure that the city wasn't attacked, but had agreed to any plan that didn't discount them.

"It's not that easy," Kim answered. "The Power doesn't just make someone good and we're not sure if these are going to bond like the Dino gems did. If they get into the wrong hands…"

"Yeah, we don't need more evil Rangers, no offense, Tommy," Zack added and Tommy shrugged it off. "We actually have to be careful about this."

"Any ideas, Elsa?" Tommy asked, looking at the principal who shrugged.

"I don't know what to look for," she answered. "Though I can find out the background of any teen we think about."

"We'll wait for now," Tommy said, looking at Jason who nodded. While mentorship had been officially transferred, he still wanted to involved Jason and Trini as much as safely possible. "We don't know how much of a threat is out there. If it's just the ten, then we'll get rid of them and wait for the next big threat."

The others quickly agreed.

"How on Earth did they change direction that quick?" Kira asked as she pulled herself onto Yellow's back. Conner shrugged as he leapt on to Red and got ready, putting on the tailored cloak that had been made for him. Ethan did the same, already on Blue's back and handed the final, yellow cloak to Kira. Even without Ranger powers, they knew better than to let civilians see them riding the raptors and the cloaks had been created to hide them. Kim had her own red one and Tommy had been given a black one. Black, though riderless, still looked ready to go as he glanced at the door.

"They're spider-things," Ethan answered. "They probably sensed something."

Conner nodded and the back entrance opened, leading the way out of the lair. Hayley looked at them and pointed out the direction they needed to head. "We'll keep in contact with you the best we can. They're not like your old ones, but I figure that they might come in handy a bit. A staff for Conner, a shield for Ethan, and daggers for Kira. Good luck, guys."

Conner took the staff and smiled at Hayley. "Thanks, Hayley," he told her. "We'll be back soon."

Hayley and Billy looked at each and sighed. "You're sensing more, aren't you, Blue Boy?"

He chuckled at the joke and nodded. "Unfortunately. The others have as well. They will require assistance."

"That's our job," she answered and leaned into him a bit as he put his hands on her shoulders. "I just hope we can do it."

"How is it you manage to do this? You have to be the most inept human being when it comes to cars…" Seth rolled his eyes at his friend's insults. Jera glanced over at him and shook her head. "And then! Then you can't even do it when it's sunny out. No! You have to do it when it's dark and hard to see!"

Seth folded his arms and looked at her. "Does that mean you can't fix it?"

"Never said that. Just don't see why you can't ruin your car during the day. Or at least somewhere with lights!" Jera snapped. She messed with another couple of things and sighed. "Now, move the flashlight over here instead of crossing your arms. The light doesn't shine where I need it to when you do that."

"Sorry, Jera," Seth answered. "And I didn't want to call you. I just didn't see that rock…"

"Yeah, yeah," Jera answered and motioned for him to get in the car. "You better try it now. I had to sneak out the window again and if I'm not back by morning…"

"Like it would take you a full night. Just lie and say you were at my house," Seth answered with a shrug as he got into the car.

"My parents are starting to not like that answer. Something about you being a boy and I'm a girl and they don't want grandkids," she reminded him. He snorted and shook his head.

"Are you kidding? You? Seriously, Jer, you're more guy-like than I am," he answered. He reached over to try it again, waiting for it to start. After a few minutes of trying, Jera sighed and headed back to the engine.

"Doesn't take much," she joked as she configured a few more things. She felt Seth put his hand on her back and sighed. "Trying to work here."

"I thought I heard something," he answered. "You know what, Jera, forget the car. We'll take yours and come back for mine in the morning."

"You? Leave your car? You love your car," Jera said, looking over at him incredulously.

"Yeah. But I like the two of us alive more," he answered. Jera sighed.

"In my car, there's a tire iron. I keep the damned thing in case I get attacked by some guy. Go get it. Here's the keys," Jera answered calmly. "You can keep watch and I'll finish with your car."

"Yeah, okay," he answered, going to her car which was parked next to hers. "After last year, I think I have every right to be jumpy, you know. I mean, I still wanted to come here to write a poem I had an idea for, but I wasn't planning on the car dying."

"Again," she teased. "Besides, the Power Rangers got rid of everything from last year. There hasn't been an attack or a sighting of a Power Ranger since. There are no more… Monster!"

"Jera?" Seth rushed out of the car as his friend screamed holding the tire iron. He swung wildly at the shape, knocking it away from them and both teens turned to get into Jera's car only to see another on top of it. Jera batted at it with the flashlight, but in the midst, she saw more coming.

"Seth, I think we have a problem…" She whispered. "A lot of problems."

"I might not know much about cars, but I think that you're down a few tires," he hissed back.

"At least it still has an engine," she offered just as the creature slammed his hand down into the hood and another shoved the car awayy, causing it to roll. "You know, or not."

"Yeah, no saying 'at least' anymore. Because I really don't want to die," Seth told her. Jera just nodded. "Not that I'm guessing we have much of a choice of it."

There was a loud, new noise as something hit the car behind them and leapt over their heads, slamming into one of the creatures. A moment later, there were three more crashes above them as a faint sight of the raptors and their riders appeared. The leader rushed toward the unridden one, who had landed first, and both of the raptors, as well as the rider, rushed the creatures with a certain ease. The rider on the left directed their raptor toward the fight as well, taking off. The third started to, but their raptor stopped, sniffing the air. Jera and Seth's eyes widen as it headed their way.

"Blue, what are you doing? Come on, the others need us and… whoa boy. C… er… Rex! Ptera! We're got civilians!"

The leader hit one of the creatures, knocking it back before answering. "How many, Tri? And what the hell are they doing out here?!"

"Uh… Two! Hold on, I'll ask!" Tri answered and looked back at them. Due to night as well as the fact that the young man was cloaked, they couldn't make out any features. Still, by the name he was addressed by and the name of the raptor, both Seth and Jera could easily guess that they were face to face with the Blue Dino Thunder Ranger. "What are you two doing out here?"

"Writing. My car broke and, uh, Jera's got thrown," Seth answered. Tri groaned and turned back toward his companions.

"He was writing or something. Both of their cars are broken!" Tri answered. "So, they don't have a way back to town!"

"Well, our luck isn't much better!" A female voice answered. "They ran off before Rex and I could finish them off… sorry, before all of us finished them off. Didn't mean to offend you, Red. We got four of them."

"That's great, Ptera," Tri said, sounding worried. "But that means there are still five left and these guys are stranded."

Rex and Ptera joined them, followed by the lone raptor which was the only one still bouncing. The outline of Rex shrugged. "Then we'll take them back, drop them off, and head home."

"Uh… Rex? Secret identities, remember? Once we get back to city limits, they'll see who we are," Ptera reminded him. "We could call Brachio."

"Umm… Probably not a good plan. You know, because Brachio is Brachio," Tri reminded her. "What about Elsa? They'd know about her anyway because of the crazy principal thing we're never supposed to bring up again. It was on the news."

"That might actually work," Rex decided. He reached his hand up to his mouth and began to speak. "Elsa. Are you there, Elsa? Come on, answer. We've got a problem."

"And you called me?" Both Jera and Seth looked at each other as they heard their principal's voice on the other end. Both Tri and Ptera visibly relaxed a bit, though Rex didn't.

"We ran out of choices. We need you to tell Brachio a few things, but he can't answer us directly. Okay?" Rex instructed. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again.

"It's alright with me, but Brachio wants to know why," Principal Randall answered.

"Okay. See, we came and we tore into them and we're all fine, including all four raptors, but Tri sort of figured out why they shifted. There are a couple of teenagers out here and, uh, one car is trashed and they said the other doesn't work. Problem is, we sort of only killed four of the things."

"Sort of?" Principal Randall asked, sounding a little amused.

"Okay, we only killed four of them before the others took off. We could call for a tow truck and wait with them, but that's more people and more lights. So, I'm asking for help, okay?" Rex answered, sounding a little annoyed.

"Okay. Calm down," she answered soothingly. There was silence on the other line for a moment and Rex glanced over at Tri.

"Hey, the next time you get bored and want to create something, how about an ear-microphone thing?" He suggested teasingly. Tri shrugged.

"Might be too easy," Tri joked. Before Rex could answer, Principal Randall spoke back to them.

"They said to bring him here. But, just so you know, Brachio and Dactyl are arguing about it again. I'm guessing you can guess who is on which side." The woman's voice was completely amused before turning a bit worried. "Just… be careful on the way back. That's from all of us."

"Will do, Elsa," Rex assured her. He looked at the two teens and sighed. "Guess we're taking you home with us. Black! You need to carry them back."

The raptor raced over to them and stopped, patiently waiting. Jera glanced at Rex. "He doesn't bite, does he?"

Ptera shook her head as she was the one to answer. "No. He's actually really playful. He might knock you over, but that it. Hey, Tri? I thought you had Blue under control. So, why didn't she listen to you?"

"I thought she was fine too, but I guess her protective instincts are still in place. Not much we can do about it," Tri answered as Jera and Seth climbed onto Black. Tri looked in their direction. "Alright. Now hold on."

"You guys sound kind of familiar," Seth said quietly. Rex shrugged.

"Probably. Alright, Red, let's go home." The way home was much quicker than by car due to both facts that the raptors could go faster than the speed limit and they didn't have problems with terrain. They didn't head back into town, but stayed on the outskirts, heading deeper into the forest. They headed a certain way as a rock face door opened for them, letting them in. The raptors didn't even bother slowing down. It was dark for a while until another door opened in preparation, leading them into a well-lit base of operations. Both Seth and Jera stared in wonder at the whole thing.

"Where the hell?" Seth asked as Black stopped, urging them to get off. He blinked a couple of times as his eyes adjusted. Finally, they opened wide as he saw who was sitting at the computer desk. "Hayley?"

"They told me we were going to have company," she answered sardonically and turned to the other three. "Are you guys okay?"

"Seriously, Hayley, we're fine," Tri answered, taking off his blue cloak. "We had it handled."

"He's right," Ptera agreed as she dismounted and took off her yellow cloak, tossing it on top of Tri's. "We just couldn't chase them down."

"Though the weapons you made for us were badass, Hayley," Rex finished, setting his red cloak on top of the others. Seth couldn't help himself.

"Wait! I know you! You're Conner McKnight!" He blurted out. Conner turned and looked at him, seemingly having forgotten that they had guests. "You're the red Ranger?!"

"Well, actually…" Conner started, but he was cut off by Jera.

"Ethan? You're the blue Ranger?" She asked. "No wonder you kept ditching computer club."

"Yeah, sorry about that," he answered, a bit embarrassed. "Shut up, Conner."

"Didn't say a word," he answered with a laugh. Both of them turned and looked at Kira, answering together.

"Kira Ford," they both said. She blushed a bit at that.

"Came to the concerts, huh?" She asked and they both nodded. "Well, I think we're outed."

"Not all of us. Like hell if I'm going to be outed and 'Brachio' isn't," Conner said and paused for a minute as he looked around for his mentors. "Where are they anyway?"

Hayley shrugged. "Upstairs. Last I checked, Elsa and Mercer were trying to get them to calm down. And… here they come. Well, she comes."

"He's stubborn! Arrogant! Pig-headed! Thinks he knows best… Did I say stubborn yet?" A female voice called out as someone headed down the stairs. There was a slight chuckle following it from her companion.

"So, which of those reasons is why you accepted his proposal?" Her companion asked.

"Mercer," she chided, folding her arms. He mimicked her.

"Kimberly," he answered and motioned to the newcomers. "I believe you have some guests."

She turned and looked, becoming her old color of pink as she did so. She immediately dropped her stance and raced over to the other three, looking them over. After being reassured several times that they were fine, she turned to Jera and Seth. "And you two. Are you alright?"

"Well," Jera asked. "We've been attacked by monster, saved by Power Rangers, met said Power Rangers, went back to the Power Rangers base, our cars are trashed, and we have no idea what's going to happen next. I don't know about Seth, but I'm terrified."

"I think she meant physically," Seth teased. "And, uh, we're fine."

"Of course you are. I'm sure that seeing the raptors didn't help either," she told them gently. "Please, sit down. You three as well. We found some more information while you were out."

"Good information, right, Kim?" Conner asked. "Like, there's only ten total?"

Kim gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "Afraid not, Conner."

"Shouldn't we wait?" Kira asked. "We're all not down here."

"Your other mentor is being stubborn right now," she answered. "The others should get him down shortly. Besides, this is important. Now, while you were out, Hayley was able to break through the black box to find out what's going on. The aliens in the ship you guys found were Aerislians. They were on their way here to let us know about these creatures and that they were on their way here. Hayley, would you mind taking over?"

"Right. So, here we see the spider thing that you guys fought. You were right, Conner. The aliens were eaten, but you were also right that they're not smart. They're definitely bred and being used for some purpose. We'd love to think the three of you could handle it, but…" Hayley started, showing them the holographic diagram of the creature. Ethan shrugged.

"But we can't morph," he answered. At Jera and Seth's panicked looks, he offered them a sympathetic look. "We used it up to kill Mesagog. The last big bad."

Conner stood up, folded his arms, and looked at Hayley and Kim. "So, we're going to have to use it. That's why you wanted us to bring them and why he's throwing a fit," he said. At Kim's surprised look, Conner shrugged. "Three kids in detention probably wasn't his first choice."

Mercer shrugged. "From where I'm sitting, you all got the job done. You constantly frustrated us."

Kira smiled. "Thank you, Dr. Mercer."

"But there's only two of them. We're going by the power of two?" Conner asked incredulously. Kim shook her head.

"No. We just haven't found the other two yet," she explained. "We quite frankly don't even know if we have two."

"Whoa! What's going on?" Seth demanded and Jera was right behind him.

"Yeah! What the hell are you going on about?" She added. Kim quickly took back over.

"Alright. One year ago, a creature called Mesagog tried to take over Reefside. These three, during their detention, found their way down here and each grabbed a gem. Conner grabbed the red one and was granted super speed with the power of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Ethan grabbed the blue one and was granted harder skin which made his attacks stronger with the force of the Triceratops. Kira was granted her Ptera scream, to the dismay of her teammates, as well as the power of the Pterodactyl. Together, my fiancé and I trained them, prepared them, and guided them until we were taken by Mesagog. Then, Hayley along with a couple of our friends took over until we were brought back safely. I remained normal, but he found the black gem. He joined them on the field, they found the white Ranger, save him, changed the evil Elsa back into good Principal Randall, split Dr. Mercer from his Mesagog self and, to make a very long story short, saved the world.

"Unfortunately, that drained the gems of their power. Their gifts: speed, shielding, and the scream as well as my fiancé's invisibility and the white Ranger's camouflage were saved and integrated into the body. However, that means that they cannot bond with any more Powers. If they would have been a Ranger before, they would have been able to use that Power still if it were there, but nothing new. So, here's the part that involves the two of you. We need you two to take on the role of the new Rangers. Well, two of them anyway. It's not something that I can force, but we'd appreciate it."

"So, we're convenient," Jera said, crossing her arms. Hayley shrugged.

"Yeah, so? The last three were chosen by the gems, but technically, part of it was being in the right place at the right time. The greatest Ranger ever…"

"Hayley, stop that. You know that he only uses that against the rest of us. And we were Rangers first," Kim muttered.

"Sorry, Kim. One of the greatest Rangers ever was chosen because he could fight and he was convenient. And let's not lie to ourselves, Kim. Most of the replacement Rangers were convenient too," Hayley said, crossing her arms. The trio glanced over at Kim to see how she would react, but she just laughed and nodded.

"True enough," she agreed and turned back to the two students. "Though, like you, they proved themselves to us. Considering you were attacked, you're not babbling. You're listening, asking questions… Like I said, you don't have to do anything, but I would really like you to stay. Hayley, back me up here, please."

Ethan looked at his old mentor and grinned as he decided to give Kim some much needed help. "She was fixing a car…"

"Please, stay. You're wanted," she said quickly as all three former Dino Thunder Rangers looked sheepish.

"We broke things. A lot," Conner admitted. "Look, it's a lot to take in, but I never would have talked to Ethan and Kira, let alone become best friends with them and Kira and I wouldn't have started dating if we hadn't been chosen. I'd be down a roommate. It's not easy and training is a real pain, but Kim wouldn't have suggested it if she didn't have a gut feeling about you guys and I trust her feelings."

"Besides," Ethan continued. "The raptors seem to like you too. Blue even stopped for you."

They were interrupted by the sound of people coming down the stairs. The first one down was an African American man who seemed overly pleased with himself as he came down the stairs. He headed over to Kim, playfully attacking his shoulders and didn't mind the slight shove she gave as she laughed. He grinned. "You'll be happy to know that I, well we, managed to convince him to come down."

"So, how did you do it, Zack? Neen's at Trini and Jason's, so you couldn't do that…" she said, looking a little confused.

"Kim, Kim, Kim. You know me better than that. Besides, we just got into trouble for using a kid to get out of something. We would never do it again for at least a week. We're not that stupid. This time we used a pregnant woman," Zack said happily as Kim sighed. Leave it to her friends to choose someone that Tommy couldn't fight. "Jason was and I quote 'sick of letting him throw a fit like they were still children when he could be meeting his future students!' It was great. Jason went into this speech on loyalty, courage, integrity and responsibility. He went into how great he did with the last three and how these two were dealing and coming here. He reminded him of promises and how desperately Jason had wanted to do it himself. Knowing none of that was going to work, he called Trini."

"Well it worked, didn't it?" Another man with dark hair answered as he headed down the stairs next to a man with sandy brown hair. They both glanced back up toward the doorway, the man with the dark hair folding his arms while the other was sighing and shaking his head. "Don't make me drag you!"

The recipient looked less that pleased, but came down anyway, his arms folded. They both looked more than a little surprised.

"Doctor Oliver?" Jera asked. Seth blinked a few times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. "You're one of the greatest Rangers ever?"

"I'm down to one of?" He asked dryly and Hayley shrugged.

"Guess so. Your fiancé and best friends seem to think that they were pretty great too," she answered. "Now, with a little luck, these are our new Rangers."

"Jera Law and Seth Turner. They're in my science class," Doctor Oliver told the others. The final member of the household came down and shrugged at her colleague.

"They show up to class and weren't in detention. Their records are fine. What more do you want?" Principal Randall asked sardonically. They began to all talk at once, giving different opinions about different things. The room was interrupted when Conner finally whistled.

"Hey! They're freaked out and the lot of you arguing and confusing them isn't helping!" He snapped and turned to Jera and Seth. "We don't have a lot of time. Ethan, Kira, and I can keep fighting, but eventually, they're going to out maneuver us and probably kill us because we're not active Rangers anymore. We're not going anywhere. We'll be here to help and I know it doesn't seem like it now, but Kim and Doctor O are great mentors. They fight a lot, but it's a good thing. Sort of. It means that they're figuring things out. Hayley, Billy, and Jason are great mentors too. And Zack is just awesome. Can you at least try?"

Jera and Seth looked at each other for a moment, not sure as to what to answer with. On one side, they were tired, completely lost, and trying not to freak out over the whole matter while on the other hand, they were being asked to save the world not just from anyone, but from the red Ranger of Reefside himself. They glanced at Ethan and Kira who were both giving them the same look as their leader and Seth sighed. "I'll do it. Besides, if it doesn't accept me, I'll just go home."

Jera looked a little more skeptical. "What if it doesn't work? We still know. How can you trust us?"

Doctor O stared right at her. "Don't worry about that right now. Are you willing to try?"

Jera looked at Seth who shrugged and she sighed as well. "Yeah, I'll try."

Billy walked over to them and pulled out the cloth leaving the four orbs on the table as they glowed. Then he stood back and motioned for the others to follow his lead. Seth and Jera walked over to the table and looked at each other. Seth leaned into Jera and whispered. "Alright, how do we do this?"

Jera tried to look confident. "Well, we just reach out and grab one. When we don't feel anything, we go home and try to forget it ever happened."

"Jera? I kind of want it to happen," Seth informed her and she gave him a quick smile.

"Yeah, but no sense in getting your hopes up. On the count of three. One, two, three!" She called out and both of them closed their eyes and reached for one of the orbs. To everyone else's minor surprise, the orbs moved around quickly before they grabbed one so that they both grabbed a specific color. Jera felt refreshed as if she'd taken a shower. It was relaxing and for the first time that night, she didn't feel stressed. Seth felt warm, like lying in front of the fireplace with a good book. While not as relaxed as Jera, he felt energized and smiled a bit. He glanced over at Jera and she grinned. "Wow."

"Yeah," he answered. "Uh, are we supposed to feel weird?"

Kim grinned and looked at Billy. "I think it worked!" She squealed and the man nodded.

"Affirmative, Kim. Kalderon and Aquitar have chosen their Rangers," he answered and Zack gently nudged him.

"Okay, Zordon," he teased. Jason gently touched both of their shoulders before it turned into a full-out verbal argument. He reached over and picked up two of the color-coded morphers and handed it to them.

"These are your morphers. Kim and Tommy will teach you how to use them and how to fight. These are your only line of defense against monsters. Without them, you cannot morph. If the orb is not in them, you cannot morph. Do not take them off," he instructed and looked at the others. "Billy, Zack, we should get back. Trini's going to start worrying soon."

"One moment, Jason," Billy said quickly and turned to Seth and Jera. "I do not wish to alarm you, but these orbs were given in trust by Aquitar and Kalderon. They are not to be abused. Kalderon was extremely reluctant to gift us with some of their power and I would like favorable relations with them for Earth. Aquitar was far less reluctant, yet it is important to myself that their orb be respected. I trust that you will comply."

The three left and Kim looked at the two teens. "We should get you home. We'll explain more tomorrow."

"Is there a reason Conner, Kira, and Ethan are camping out on my living room floor?" Tommy asked, stepping over Conner and being careful not to step on Kira who was next to him. Ethan was on the other side. Anton chuckled at the question and looked up at Kim and Tommy.

"Elsa and I felt it was important to stay until you returned in case you needed our help further and they insisted on staying. I'm not about to throw teenagers out of your house. I'd leave that to you," he answered. "We found the blankets in the closet."

Kim rested her hand on Tommy's arm. "They've had a rough day."

"Which is why they should be at home, in their beds, instead of roughing it on the floor," Tommy answered, folding his arms. His expression weakened at the sight, however. "Still, no sense in waking them up. I'm not sure what to do about this whole mess."

"We have two Rangers," Elsa mentioned and blushed a bit. "I mean, you have two Rangers."

Tommy smiled at her and shook his head. "We. We've appreciated both of your help since everything ended."

"It's the least we could do. I fear there is nothing else we can accomplish tonight. Kimberly, may I speak with you for a moment?" He asked and she nodded politely. The two exited the room leaving their significant others behind, a little confused. They sat down and Kim's happy demeanor dropped. Her companion sighed and nodded. "I thought that you were acting."

"No one else can tell," she answered. "How have you been, Mercer?"

He rested a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "As well as you, I fear. The nightmares have continued and there are times I don't know when the dream ends and reality begins. Still, I think we have a larger problem."

"Conner."

He looked at her in surprise as she said the name, but nodded. "Yes, how did you know?"

"He hasn't handled it well. Kira is able to talk about her feelings to everyone and Ethan shares with at least the other two or Hayley, but Conner hasn't been. He's moody and he got angry at us earlier. Part of it was our fault, but not all of it," she answered.

"He's been having nightmares as well," Mercer mentioned. "While you were out, he started screaming in his sleep. Both of the other two moved in closer, but he's not well. Perhaps we should invite him to one of our sessions."

Kim nodded and smiled softly at that. "I can't believe I let you talk me into that."

"I can't believe you wanted to call it 'Dino Survivors Anonymous' nor can I believe that you hadn't thought you needed it," he gently chided, causing her to turn red a bit. "Better we all deal with it now than before it gets worse. I take it you still haven't told Tommy?"

"He already feels so guilty about everything. They all do. It's why I didn't want to tell Conner about it before I thought he needed it. I don't want him to feel worse," she answered. "But it's worse than I thought and I don't want him to end up hardened."

"We'll let him know then," Mercer assured her. "We can only hope he'll take it."

"He will," Kim said confidently, feeling a little better. "We should get back. We'll all have a long day tomorrow."

"Agreed."

Author's Notes: So, here's the second chapter. I'm glad the first chapter was so well received.

I'm not thinking I'll have much trouble getting the chapters out to you guys every week. I haven't so far, so we can hope I'll continue with that. If I can't and you're wondering what's going on, check out my Author's Bio and I'll do my best to make sure that the explanation is there.

I can't really think of any other Author's Notes at this time. If you have any questions, just put them in your reviews or PM me. I'll get back to you on them.

Thanks for all the reviews for both the first chapter and for the one-shot. I appreciate them all.