Chapter 12: Preparation

Conner sighed and tried again to remove the small child from his leg. He'd tried talking to her, shaking his leg loose, and scolding, but Neen was having none of it. He noticed that neither of his mentors were rushing to get her off. Ethan and Kira were watching, but not moving which Conner understood. They were trying to let him deal with the situation on his own. He was only glad that the newer Rangers weren't here to see it again. "Neen, come on! I'm going to be late."

"No!" She answered, clinging tighter. He was pretty sure she was starting to cut off circulation. "You might not come back!"

Conner sighed and tried to kneel down, which finally got Neen to let go and wrap herself around his waist instead. That was easier to pull her from. "I'm going to come back, Neen."

"You almost did not!" She exclaimed. Conner calmed himself down and realized that it wasn't just her. That's why they were all being quiet.

"You remember when we were at the aquarium and the monster showed up and we had to get you guys out of there?" He asked and she nodded. "Well, what if we hadn't done anything for anyone else?"

"The fish and the other people would have been hurt," she answered, quoting what she'd been told before. Conner nodded.

"They might not have made it home to their families," he added. "It's like that now. If I don't, then who will? Besides, I've made it back every other time, right?"

She nodded and moved away which Conner took as a sign he could leave. Ethan took the opportunity of the silence to say one last thing. "Try to come back in one piece, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Conner sighed as he headed into the building. He'd been doing this for over a month and he went through the same thing with Neen every time. Seth had given him a hard time about it more than once. He passed by the various desks lined on his way to the office and stopped in front of the final one. "Good morning, Fay," he said politely and the woman smiled back up at him.

Fay was Scorpina's other assistant, both at the office and in general, though she had little in common with either of her superiors. Instead of an older warrior or a young woman, Fay had chosen an appearance of a forty-year-old woman with badly dyed red hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her fashion sense matched the other women in the office perfectly and other than the way her arms twitched every one in a while, she looked completely human. She also had the mannerisms down, though he wasn't sure if it was practice or just her. Like other unmarried women, she had pictures of her pets up instead though she's informed Conner that their appearance had been masked as well. The cute little kitten was a silver beetle of about the same size and the bird was actually a creature similar in appearance to a moth. The fish that swam in the bowl on her desk, however, was definitely an actual fish and her plants were from Earth. "Good morning, Conner! It's a beautiful morning, isn't it? I was just telling Edward what a great morning it was before he disappeared. That man, eh? Always playing hard to get."

"Yeah, how about that," Conner answered, not wanting to remind her that the only reason the man had anything to do with her at all was because it was part of the job description. "How was your weekend, Fay?"

"Oh, you know. Scurrying about, doing this and that," she answered and sneezed a bit as she did so.

"Getting more allergies," Conner continued for her with a bit of a smile when she blushed.

"It's too warm here," she answered. "I do enjoy a more… wet climate," she answered. "Less sun. You know, I'm allergic to dry dirt."

"I believe it," he told her. "What kind of a mood is she in?"

"Well, you know how it is. It was a long weekend and she didn't get as much done as… why don't you go file?" Fay suggested quickly, pointing to the file room on the other side. Conner rubbed his wrist as he gave her a thankful look and headed in the opposite direction.

The files were set up alphabetical order and it wasn't hard for Conner to file them away, but it was some of the slightly less hidden files that caught his eyes. He lifted it up and began reading through it before his eyes widened. "The density of the soil is of a welcomed quality. It is neither too heavy or too soft. A perfect place to lay eyes where they will not slide around nor…"

"That's what they were getting the soil for," Conner muttered. "They're going to breed. Oh shit! They're going to breed!"

He quickly got his voice back under control and put it back where he found it. He finished up and headed out, back to where Scorpina, or Sabrina in that form, was waiting for him. "Are you finished?" She demanded and Conner nodded, seeing why Fay had pushed the 'get out of Scorpina's wrath free' card.

"Yes, Ma'am," he answered.

"Good. Come on, then. We've got a busy day," she instructed, heading back to the office. Glancing at her angry face, he just hoped that the day wouldn't end with his untimely death.

"I'll just feel better about it when it's over." Ethan gave a half-smile to his companion's comment, completely understanding how she felt. He was feeling the same as Kira on the whole mess and more than once he'd wished that Conner had never accepted it.

"Yeah, I know," Ethan answered. "He's doing a good job though."

"But he's not him. I was hoping that doing this would…" she stopped at that and felt Ethan hand touch her shoulder.

"Turn him back? Yeah, so did I. He's just not him," Ethan agreed. "But hey, he's got us."

"I'm not sure if we're enough," Kira whispered. "He's… not him."

"He's getting a little better," Ethan insisted. "He's having fewer nightmares. Just like you're not sleeping over as much. All I know, is that I'm already starting to feel guilty about having Seth and the others fight."

"We couldn't," Kira gently reminded him.

"I know, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt," he answered. "What if Seth ends up like Conner or Tara doesn't come back from it as her happy self. What if we lose one? How could the others come back from that?"

"It's quiet right now. Wait until there's a problem," Kira answered. Ethan sighed.

"It's too quiet," he muttered. Kira rolled her eyes at that.

"Ethan, you've been watching too many movies and video games again," she scolded.

"Kira, seriously. It's too quiet," he answered. "You know it, I know it. Something should have attacked within the last week. Honestly, how many breaks did we get?"

"So it's a good thing," she argued. "Nothing to fight is good."

"You're not going to think that she packed up and went home, are you?" Ethan snapped before wincing. "Sorry, Kira."

The girl just smiled and gave a quick nod in acknowledgement. "We're just stressed," she assured him. "We just…"

"Ethan, former Blue…" Both whipped their heads around at the interruption and immediately went into an attack pose. Chelone stood there, perfectly still, just looking at them. Kira opened her mouth to Pterascream, but Chelone quickly waved his hand around.

"In front of all of these people?" He asked wisely. Kira shut her mouth and Ethan took a step in front of her. It wasn't a macho move, but rather he had armor and she didn't. Chelone would have a harder time paralyzing him when he was ready. "I want to talk."

"What?" Both teens asked at the same time, neither giving up.

"I want to talk," he repeated. "We can finish this somewhere more comfortable if you wish."

"Fine," Ethan said. Kira turned to look at him and Ethan shrugged. He leaned in close to her. "Where's Conner, Kira?"

Her eyes got large for a second before she calmed herself and looked at him. "We know a place." Chelone nodded and motioned for them to lead the way.

Hayley's café was buzzing with the normal amount of visitors rushing about. Hayley herself was at the counter, making sure to look like the average civilian in case the duo needed help. She still had the hotline in the back. A quick shake of the head from Ethan, however, stopped her from rushing to it when they walked in the door.

"What do you want?" Kira asked. They'd chosen their normal seats on the couch, away from everyone else. Chelone stayed completely calm before getting straight to the point.

"I'm worried about my queen," he answered.

"What?" Kira demanded. "We're not on the same side!"

Ethan quickly put his hand on her arm to calm her and looked at their enemy. "You're going to have to explain, Chelone."

"This planet is unsuitable," he said. "Much of it is water and there will not be enough food for us. Like you, our planet is split into many races. They are similar to several of your Earth species: scorpions, spiders, mites, and ticks. The 'ticks' will not survive. There is nothing big enough for them to actively feed on."

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked, starting to get a bad feeling in his stomach.

"It takes a lot of blood for them to be well fed and yes, they do only drink blood. Now, each of your earth cattle contains 15 gallons of blood. That in turn comes out to about 115 pounds of blood. An actual size for that part of our species is about five feet tall and 200 pounds. They drink twice their weight in blood. That's nearly four cattle per feeding," Chelone explained. Ethan's eyes widened and Kira quickly looked in his direction.

"Cattle are bigger, Kira. It would take fifteen people to do the same," he explained. Her eyes widened as well. Even with the various animals on the planet, they would go through them quickly. He turned back to Chelone. "So, find a better planet!"

"I would like to," Chelone answered. "But she is set on this one."

"You think she's obsessive," Ethan said, catching on and Chelone nodded.

"The good of the colony should outweigh it, but she's become less rational. She's not thinking this out," he explained. "Our former planet was six times the size of this one with plenty to feed on. However, that is not why I'm here."

"Then what did you want?" Kira asked.

"Your companion, the Red one, is not stable either. Do you still do as he asks?" Chelone demanded. Ethan thought about it for a minute.

"It depends," he answered. "Usually, yes. But just because he's the leader doesn't mean we have to listen to him. We just… trust him and let him know when we think he's wrong."

"I see," Chelone answered, pondering this.

"Don't you?" Kira asked and Chelone shrugged.

"Our species tends to head toward one leader or handle things ourselves," he answered. "Only the spiders follow blindly. She got us out when we needed it."

"So, you're dealing with loyalty," Ethan answered, nodding a bit. "I can see that."

"Would you follow yours even if you knew he was falling into insanity?" He demanded and Ethan opened his mouth to say 'no', but stopped. He might not let Conner make all of the decisions, but he wouldn't abandon him either. For Chelone, they seemed to be one and the same.

"I don't know," he answered honestly and Chelone nodded.

"I didn't expect you would. I enjoyed the talk," Chelone said, standing up and Ethan followed his example.

"So, what are you going to do?" He asked him. Chelone paused.

"What I must," he answered and headed out. Kira stood up next to Ethan and blinked.

"That was weird," she murmured and Ethan nodded.

"Conner and I talked about it. They're not evil, Kira," he explained and she nodded.

"So is she evil?" Kira asked and Ethan shrugged.

"Dangerous, yes. Evil, I don't know. I'm not sure even she's sane enough to know," he answered. "We should get back."

Both of the irked teens headed out of the café as Hayley gently put one of those under her in charge and followed. She had the feeling that they were going to talk about their discussion and they might need her.

Ethan and Kira were silent. He thought of what Chelone had told them was weighing heavily on their minds and after they'd finished relating the conversation, they didn't see the need to say anything else. The rest of the adults were discussing the situation and the younger Rangers were mostly just listening. They were all interrupted when the door to the Lair flew open and Conner raced down the steps.

"We're in trouble!" Conner shouted as he raced down the steps. "Big trouble!"

Tommy helped to catch him as he rushed down, not quiet at super speed, but certainly in a near-blind panic. Billy, always the most sensible along with Hayley, quickly headed over. "Conner, it is imperative that you catch your breath before you collapse."

Conner obeyed, but only for a few minutes. "Scorpina! She's got a lot of Tarantumen eggs! They'll hatch soon! All over America!"

"How many Conner?" Tommy demanded.

"I dunno, Dude," he said, breaking into old habits. "A lot I guess. Some were here, so you can look here."

"Once we find those, it is feasible that we could find all of them," Billy informed them as he and Hayley started to work. Billy reached down and picked up Neen as he did so.

Kira and Ethan, in turn, repeated what Chelone had told them to Conner, who nodded. "Maybe we can talk some sense into her," he mentioned. The room silenced at that. Kim and Billy glanced at each other, neither looking too hopeful. Tommy, on the other hand, looked like a mix between stern and sympathetic.

"She's evil, Conner," Tommy reminded him. "She's not misunderstood; she's not under a spell…"

"She's insane," Conner admitted. "But she didn't hurt Ethan or me too much. And if not her, then maybe we can convince Chelone."

"God, Conner! He's just as bad!" Tommy snapped. Ethan quickly took Conner's side.

"He's just trying to protect his people. Like we are!" He argued. Tommy shook his head.

"You just don't…" he started, but quickly stopped there. Conner's eyes narrowed.

"Go ahead, Doctor O. Finish it," he said darkly. Both men were facing each other. When Tommy didn't say anything, Conner continued. "I'm sick of being told I don't understand or know. I've been through just as much as you have, just not as long and no other Ranger has, so you can't judge on that! I've nearly died for Earth too! I've struggled, I've…"

"You don't know her!" Tommy fought back. "She's…!"

"Lost everything," Conner answered.

"The things she's done," Tommy continued and shook his head. "You're just too young to understand."

"What do I have to do to prove I'm capable to you?! Die?! I've nearly died, several times, but that isn't enough! It's not enough that I'm messed up from the whole thing or that I have a hard time talking to Kira and Ethan even! And now, when we're probably all going to die, I'm still not good enough? What's it going to take?!" Conner lashed out. "I don't want to be in counseling with Kim and Dr. Mercer until I'm fif…"

He stopped and his eyes widened as he realized what he'd allowed to come out of his mouth. "Counseling?" Tommy asked, his face even more of a scowl.

"I, uh, Kim and Mercer were already talking and they…" he started, feeling caught between his two teachers. His eyes flickered to Kim's shocked face to Tommy's increasing scowl. Then he did what any reasonable human would do, he ran. He didn't realize that the two looks were directed over his head, not to him.

"Sessions?" Tommy asked his wife. "What happened to 'I'm fine, Tommy'? I've been asking!"

"I was scared!"

"You didn't think I'd understand!"

"I was afraid you would!" She answered. At his completely baffled look, she sighed. "You've been caught before."

He shook his head. "You should have told me. I shouldn't have found out from Conner," he said, motioning to where the younger man had been. His eyes widened and he turned on the others. "Where's Conner?"

"He left," Hayley answered calmly.

"Hayley, Billy, where is he?!" Tommy demanded. Both of them stood stern as they faced him,

"He is fine, Tommy," Billy assured him. "And I think you both know where he is."

The two mentors nodded to each other as they headed for the door. "Tommy, Kim," Hayley called up to them. They stopped and turned to her. "If Rita and Zedd can be good, why can't Scorpina?"

They sighed, nodded to her, and raced out the door to find Conner.

"Sander! Open the door! Sander?" Conner yelled as he beat the door with his fist. Logically, he knew there was a doorbell, but he wasn't running on logic right now. "Come on!"

Mercer's annoyed assistant finally opened the door and looked at Conner who was standing there, looking emotionally worn out and tired. Still, that didn't get him off the hook. "It's a large house."

Conner winced at that, knowing the man was right. "Yeah, sorry."

Sander nodded once and moved out of the way so that Conner could come in. The young man did so and paced the living room as Sander went to find his boss. Now that he was there, a fleeting thought came across Conner's mind as he hoped that Mercer hadn't been in the middle of anything, especially since Elsa was done with school for the day.

"Conner! What's wrong?" Conner turned and looked at Mercer. He swallowed and looked at the older man.

"Can you hide me for a couple days?" He begged. He'd meant to ask, but it hadn't come out that way. He knew he was close to breaking, but he didn't want anyone to see it. "I-I messed up."

"I've never known you to hide, Conner," Mercer mentioned and Conner looked at him.

"It's Doctor O," he answered and Mercer nodded, motioning for him to sit down which Conner did.

"Now, how did you mess up?" Mercer asked and Conner was more than a little jealous of the elder man's ability to stay calm. He was merely pouring them some lemonade as he waited for Conner to answer.

"I blurted out the meetings," he whispered and Mercer nodded.

"I see. Well, accidents happen," he reminded the younger man. Conner looked up only to have Mercer hand the glass over. He accepted it, but looked shocked.

"Aren't you mad?" He demanded and Mercer chuckled a bit at that.

"Of all the things we've done, I don't think this is the worst," he answered. At Conner's downtrodden look, Mercer sighed. "I'm assuming Tommy disagrees."

Conner looked abashed again and the other nodded. He motioned for Conner to head into the next room afterward and the young man knew he'd gotten his sanctuary. He wasn't stupid either. Billy and Hayley were quietly protecting him or he would have been yanked back by now. More than likely, they'd put a Ranger APB out on him by now which meant that Mercer was protecting him as well. His guess was put into play when there wasn't even a knock on the door before his mentors entered.

"Where is he?" Tommy wasn't wasting any time on it and Mercer didn't answer. "Anton…"

"Mercer, please. Is he here?" Kim's voice was softer, scared. Conner winced as he realized that she was a little more worried, rather than angry. Mercer must have noticed the fear as well.

"He's fine," he assured her. "He's just… upset. He believes he's ruined everything."

"So where…?" Tommy asked and Mercer shook his head.

"He's staying here until he calms down," he answered. "On top of everything else, now he's feeling guilty for this."

"It's okay, Dr. Mercer," Conner said, coming out. He glanced over at his mentors and then at the ground. Mercer stood back, but was ready to intercede if needed. Before Conner could say anything, he felt a couple of hands on his shoulders and looked up to see Tommy, anger gone and looking just as guilty as Conner felt.

"I'm sorry," he told the younger man and Conner looked surprised. "I should have listened. It's just hard to think that she's not completely evil."

"She's not okay," Conner offered. "She's definitely nuts."

"So, how about we go come up with a plan," Tommy suggested. "A good one."

"Will a half-baked one work?" Conner asked and Tommy snickered.

"With our group? That's probably the best we'll get. Especially if Zack gives any suggestions," he joked. Conner grinned back and Tommy looked more serious. "I'm not mad at you, Conner. I wish you could have come to me, but I'm not mad."

"Sorry I've been so difficult," he offered. Tommy looked at him seriously.

"I've been worse. It's just hard to think of you guys as equals sometimes. I spent a year training you," he answered and gave a half-smile. "But you're right. You have done a lot and I should listen. Partners?"

To Kim's delight and Mercer's satisfaction, Conner grinned and took Tommy's hand. "Partners. So, let's get back and come up with a battle plan."

There had been silence as Conner had used his super speed to race off and still more when Kim and Tommy had chased after. Conner's news was still weighing heavily on them and the trio's discussion had made it even worse. Finally, the silence was broken.

"Okay. I quit," Seth said, looking at his morpher to everyone's surprise. Even his teammates looked like they hadn't been expecting it. "Where's the 'I choose life' button?"

"Seth," Billy said. His voice was gentle, but a definite scold. "You can't quit."

"Why not?" Seth demanded. "We're going up against as army of spider-people, human-scorpions, and were-ticks that want to kill us because their planet was destroyed and ours will work. Except it won't work because there isn't enough food to sustain them. But they're not really evil because they just are trying to survive even if that means killing us. But killing us is bad because we like living, yet it's not fair to judge them because humans would do the same in their place. Did I miss anything?"

The other three were starting to shift a bit and Kira looked worried. She wracked her mind and quickly thought of the other group that had fought a major war. "Maybe we should call the Space Rangers," she whispered and Ethan glanced over at the computer and subsequent communicator.

"You know, every time there's a problem, we call Andros," Ethan said thoughtfully and Kira sighed.

"Yeah, we should solve this problem ourselves," she agreed. Ethan looked confused and smiled sheepishly.

"You're right, but I was actually thinking that Doctor O would have put him on speed dial by now since I don't know the number," he admitted.

Kira lightly smacked his arm and turned to Seth. "Look, you're a Ranger. You all are. And that means you deal. You fight the bad crap that comes at you and lick your wounds. Kendrix didn't even get to do that before she came back. And sometimes… sometimes you lose people you love."

She paused to look over at Billy who looked solemn. He held one hand on Neen's shoulder and the other on his dead power coin. She turned her attention back to Seth. "But there are people who are alive, who are counting on you, who can't do it without you. So you gather your courage and fight anyway. Because if you give up, everyone loses."

It was silent for a minute. The others were watching the stare down between Kira and Seth anxiously, unsure as to who would emerge victoriously. Finally, with a slight nod, Seth backed down. The others reluctantly backed him, all of them looking scared and unsure. Kira looked at Ethan who gave her a small nod. Ethan opened his mouth to try to say something in agreement, but the communication jerked on instead, interrupting their morale session. Carter Greyson looked back at them, his normal calm self. "Are one of the originals there?" He requested politely.

"Carter," Billy answered, equally polite, as he looked over. "May I ask why you are calling?"

"Trini's in labor. Since my wife is her doctor, I thought I should let you know," he answered. While Carter was calm about the situation, several other voices could be heard in the chaos behind him.

"Oh God! What the hell is that?!" A thunk quickly followed the statement.

"Dana, Joel fainted again," another voice called out.

"Great." Dana's voice was followed by a sigh. "Ryan, get some ice for his head and make sure he doesn't have a concussion. Of all the days for Angela to leave… Jason!"

"Ice chips, music, and I just filled the bath," he answered before she could say anything. He looked a little hurried, but fine other than that. He stepped over Joel and headed in the direction of his wife. Dana turned on him.

"You should have had her see an OB/GYN. I'm just a pediatrician," Dana scolded. Jason shrugged.

"She had one. She trusts you more. Besides, what if the Power interferes?" He answered.

"I'm still not the best choice," she muttered, but dropped it after that.

Billy had Carter get his old friend and leader's attention. "Now is not the most optimal time," he informed him and Jason gave him a small smile.

"I don't think the baby cares, Billy," Jason teased.

"I understand. However, Hayley and I have completed some research on the information Conner was able to provide. If the information is correct, and we have no reason to suspect it, there will be thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Tarantumen being born soon.

Everyone just stopped and stared at Billy for a minute, before glancing at Hayley who nodded in agreement. After a minute, Billy forced a smile. "Congratulations, however. I hope it is a boy."

The café was cleared out. Their normal base of operations would be too small to contain the amount of Rangers possibly coming. Time Force didn't look like it was coming back from the future, the Space Rangers and Lost Galaxy Rangers were making arrangements to be back to earth by the fight, and the others were coming, though only some of the team in various cases. Tables were pushed out of the way, computers had been set up, and a section had been put aside for bags, coats, and anything else that Rangers might have on them as they entered into the room.

Billy and Hayley worked together to hook everything up, eventually enlisting Ethan to their cause. The raptors were even there, quietly chirping in the back. The door quietly opened and no one was surprised to see Carter coming in first with Chad and Kelsey behind him. The others had stayed back to figure out ways to protect their own base as well as help with Trini and Jason, who was still going through the pains of a long labor at this point. They promised to call when the child was born.

They stood in their designated area, which Kira and the younger Rangers had just finished setting up. Zack was the next in, heading over to a different area. When Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Tanya, and Kat came in, he ushered them over to join him. He was also quick to "adopt" Justin when the younger man came in alone. "Turbo" was, after all, the only team to be split into two distinct groups: Zeo and Space, of which Justin was neither. The former blue Turbo Ranger gave him a thankful look and took his place beside them. Wes and Eric, when they arrived, were also quick to join with the Wild Force Rangers since their own team wasn't there. That said, they were also speaking for Alan Collins and the Silver Guardians as well.

The final group to enter were the Ninja Storm Rangers. Cam and Hunter both walked forward together, each looking serious as they did so. Tommy did his best not to give a sigh of relief at that. Both were walking straighter than the others, representatives of their respective schools. They were followed in by the others and took their own place with both Cam and Hunter in the front. Shane may have been the Red, but he definitely wasn't in charge of a school.

True to his word, both Tommy and Conner stood in front of the group to preside. Kim and Hayley stood to Tommy's side while Kira and Ethan stood next to Conner. Considering it was their fight, the Planetary Rangers were seated in front. They'd quickly admitted that they needed the help, though they'd handle the bulk of it. The problem was that the eggs were scattered all over the United States and could easily work their way into Canada and Mexico if given half a chance. There was no way only four Rangers could handle it.

Tommy didn't bother with greetings at the moment. There just wasn't enough time for them. "We have four basic places to defend. California, specifically here. As the largest place to defend, we'll handle it with the Planetary Rangers. Wes. Eric. Zack's offered to keep an eye on Silver Hills though they shouldn't have as many problems."

Both men nodded, knowing that this would pull them away from that duty. Eric looked at Zack seriously. "You'll have the Silver Guardians to help you."

"Thanks," Zack said solemnly. He looked at Tommy and motioned to Justin. "I'm taking him with me. I could use the help."

"Done," Tommy answered. "Carter, your team will take St. Paul, Minnesota in the north. The Galaxy Rangers will meet you there. I know you've worked together before."

Carter nodded once and mentally began to prepare for the move as Tommy moved on, glancing to Conner who spoke up. "Wes, Eric, you'll go with Wild Force. We'll need you guys to cover Florida."

"Got it," Wes answered and began softly talking with Eric about it.

"Kat, Rocky, Aisha, Adam, Tanya, you have Maine. Andros should meet you there," Tommy instructed. They were quiet for a minute before Kat took a step forward.

"Tommy, we don't have a leader," she reminded him. Tommy had been their leader during their tenure as Rangers no matter which group they were part of. During the small period of time that Tommy had been brainwashed, they'd had Jason there to help them. Tommy looked at her seriously.

"Yes they do, Kat," he answered. "I'm giving you temporary leadership. You have a cool head and you think things through."

"Adam could…" Kat started, but the former Black Ranger quickly stopped her.

"I've been second-in-command. I don't want to be in charge," he told her quickly. "Besides, I've been having to keep an eye on Rocky for over ten years. It's someone else's turn."

There were snickers and laughter from the other Rangers due to the comment. Kat embraced the former Black and Green, smiling. "I didn't want to take it away from you," she whispered. Adam smiled back.

"You'll make a good leader," he assured her. "Think about how well you handled the wedding."

She nodded once and turned back to Tommy. "I accept. We'll handle Maine."

Tommy smiled and nodded to his old teammates. He wasn't too worried about them. He turned to the last group he needed to assign. "Ninjas, you will take Texas, outside Houston. Try to keep them from entering the city and destroying nearby towns."

"We'll do our best," Shane promised. Cam and Hunter nodded to each other and Cam took a step forward.

"You have the help of the Wind Academy as well. We will take them with us, but if any group falls, let us know and we'll send them your way," Cam informed him.

"The same of the Thunder Academy," Hunter agreed. Conner nodded to both of them.

"We appreciate that and we'll keep them in mind. Hopefully, it won't come down to that," he said formally. Informally, all of them knew there was a high chance they'd all fall. They were just hoping to save the world before they did. Tommy and Conner glanced at their teammates, who shook their heads, and then at each other.

"Good luck," Tommy said. "I hope to see you all again."

Or any of you.

Author's Notes: The chapter is done! Forever! Done! The next couple of chapters shouldn't be so long in coming, but this one was more difficult than I ever thought it could be. But, the good news is it's here now. Yay!

Fay was a character that I never really had time to introduce. She's been around of course, but never at the forefront as she is now. I really enjoyed creating her because she's fun to write. I also wanted Conner to know about her "other" side while still allowing them a decent relationship as well as someone who was helping to hide him at the office. She's sort of the opposite of Chelone who doesn't want Conner anywhere around his boss.

Justin and Kat. Justin was another issue I needed to address because of what was stated above. I figured that Zack would be the first to offer him a place to be. I have a side story that I'll put out when all of this is over with more detail as to Zack's decision. It's written, but if I put it out now, it will spoil the remaining chapters. When it came Kat, on the other hand, I thought between her and Adam. Adam was leader in Once a Ranger, so I decided to give it to Kat. I don't think Kat was treated fairly in the show and in the fandom. She's seen as a replacement, which is understandable considering how long Kim had been there. Thus, as she got older, I thought she'd make a far better leader than she had in her youth when she was still trying to find her own way.

Thank you for the reviews and I apologize again for the wait!