Information is a very powerful weapon when one knows what to do with it, but a location as the Rangers had without a time is less useful than having both. They knew where to go, but they didn't quite know when and soon wasn't an answer. Therefore, with everyone else heading in the direction that had been planned out in the meeting, Conner headed back to the Sabrina's building to try to find anything else out. Time was running out and he knew it. If he could find out anything else, like when they were going to hatch, it would be more than helpful. It could save their lives from a surprise attack or even give them a slight edge. He turned the corner, headed toward the door, before feeling a hand on his shoulder gently pulling him away. "You don't want to go in there."

He turned toward the voice and saw Fay standing there. "It's my job, Fay."

"Maybe, but she'll kill you today," Fay answered conversationally with a slight sneeze afterward. "She's in a nasty mood."

"Is that why you're out here?" Conner asked in confusion and Fay shook her head.

"Nope. I quit," she answered. Conner looked suspicious at that.

"I'm pretty sure you can't quit in the middle of a war," he informed her and she smiled.

"You can," she answered cheerfully. "You just have to go into hiding afterward. Being a double agent will force you to do that."

"Fay?" Conner asked in surprise, but after a minute, it made sense. Ever since he'd started the job, she'd made sure he'd stayed out of Scorpina's wrath since that first "accident". She's showed him how well they could mask themselves and other things. She had also been the one to tell him to go file when he saw the loose files and their subsequent information. "You've been helping me."

"I'm not the only one," she assured him. "Your friend should have set off alarms on the door when you two escaped."

"What about the button?" He asked and she smiled.

"It was the right button, ironically, but we rewired the others just in case," Fay answered. "We were hoping that you would be impulsive. We were not mistaken."

"Who are 'we' exactly?" Conner asked and Fay's smile dampened.

"My race. We are not many," she answered. "But we have the most to lose. We live off particles, not blood or living flesh. Considering that we are the janitors of the species, we're often forgotten by the others. Conner, we've done what we can, but most of us died on the journey here. We can't survive on the dead skin of our own species. I don't want to join them. Here's the last of the information you were looking for."

"Won't you get in trouble for this? I mean, she'll kill you when she finds out!" He exclaimed and she pointed to a couple of suitcases, a cat carrier, and a bird cage. "Oh. Where are you going?"

"Europe. I want to explore this world and the men," she answered slyly. At his look, she smiled. "My kind doesn't kill and I like Earth. I thought I'd stay."

Conner held the files in his hands and glanced at them before looking back at her and making a decision. "Start in England. Work East."

She smiled and nodded, heading off. "Oh, and Conner? You may be able to convince Chelone but don't count on it."

"Thanks, Fay," Conner said honestly. "And if I live through this, put me down as a reference, okay? Just lie and say I was your boss."

She smiled and nodded. Then she turned, gathered her things and headed off. Conner watched her walk off for a minute before turning and heading in a different direction. Had he stayed, he would have seen one of his former coworkers fall to his death out the window due to his boss's temper. Later on, he'd silently thank Fay even more for not letting him stumble into Scorpina's wrath unprepared.

"That's a mouthful," Kim teased as Trini held up her newborn son for the others to see. The baby was perfectly happy in his mother's arms, eyes closed and fast asleep. "And are you two sure about this?"

Trini laughed and Jason smiled. He nodded. "I'm sure we'll regret it later, but that's his name. Oliver William Taylor Scott. I'm really hoping he'll take after the middle namesake."

"Funny," Tommy answered with his arms folded, but even he was grinning at the tiny baby. He turned to Billy who was just smiling softly as he held Neen up so that she could see Oliver, though she'd been asking to really see him since they heard he was born. Dante was politely watching from a distance, not really knowing what the fuss was over anyway. He knew that babies just slept, cried, and ate. They couldn't fetch and this one couldn't even roll over. The adults, however, had a different view on things and Tommy looked serious for a minute. "You three are staying there, right?"

"Until it's over," Trini promised for the third time. "I'm not sure if I can fight anyway."

"I'll keep them both here," Angela Fairweather-Rawlings assured them. "Are you sure you don't want to send Neen and Dante here?"

"You know we'd love to," Billy answered. "But with all of the unknowns, we don't want the children to be on their way when the eggs hatch. Not to mention there will be some creatures that can swim."

Angela nodded. "I understand."

"We'll see you after the war," Tommy assured them. "I want to see my nephew."

"I would like to see Oliver William Taylor Scott as well," Neen said eagerly. Jason laughed.

"You can call him Oliver, Neen," he assured the girl. "And you'll see him soon enough. Good luck, Guys."

"Thanks," Tommy answered. Jason's face was completely divided, as was Trini's, but she definitely couldn't fight at the moment and Jason needed to stay at her side. Honestly, the base would most likely be defended only until after the other Rangers were dead, but unless there was a miracle, that wouldn't take long.

Conner set the file down and looked grimly at his mentor. Tommy's eyes closed and he shook his head at the younger man who nodded. They were out of time and out of luck. Any hope for a better solution was gone and two Ranger groups would be slightly late to the fight. They were only lucky that they'd found out about the eggs when they had, but to find out that they had hours, now minutes, instead of days was a serious blow to morale. Billy and Hayley took the two children upstairs to keep them out of the way and out of hearing range. Dante might not catch on too quickly, but Neen surely would. The house was quieter than they'd ever felt it. Tommy turned to the four current Rangers.

"It'll start soon," he told them. "Are you ready?"

"No," Seth said honestly. "But we're doing it anyway."

Tommy nodded and Kim headed over to Red and the rest of the pack who were lying down near the door. "Red, come here," she demanded. He headed over to her obediently and enjoyed the attention she gave him. "Now you listen to me. We need you to take care of these Rangers, do you understand?"

Red looked displeased and looked over at Conner for help. Kim was his Alpha, he needed to do what she demanded, but Seth wasn't his partner. Conner was his human. Conner headed over and looked at Kim who nodded and stepped out of the way to let the Ranger talk. "Look, Red, with everything out there and everything they're fighting, they'll need your help. I can't work with you this time. Seth's your partner now."

Red felt worried and a little hurt by that. He also felt angry, knocking Conner over for the words. The human couldn't just pass him around like he was a toy! He felt ready to do more, but stopped himself as Conner flinched. Angry or not, he wouldn't hurt him that badly. Instead, he headed over to Seth and stood there, not looking in Conner's direction following orders. Seth pulled himself up onto the raptor's back as the others followed his actions. Kira and Ethan headed over to Yellow and Blue, giving their own good-byes which the twin raptors reciprocated. Conner headed toward Red, but the raptor took off out the door before he could. If Conner wanted him to have another partner, then he'd take another, but that didn't mean he'd forgive him for it.

Conner watched as they left and sighed. "Goddamn it, Red," he muttered. He felt Kim put a hand on his shoulder and he gave her a small smile. He didn't have time to worry about the angry raptor. He glanced at the clock. "Thirty minutes."

"We should head out," Tommy agreed. Kira and Ethan grabbed their respective weapons and Tommy tossed Kim her bow. Before they reached the door, the back entrance exploded and the room was overtaken. Thirty minutes until the world went to hell, but they were already there.

Zack rested his ax on the ground as he waited. Like the others, he'd gotten the announcement that they were out of time and out of luck. They'd barricaded Mr. Collins and the scientists in the building, leaving the Silver Guardians under Zack's order to defend it. Justin stood as his side, blaster ready. "You know how to use that thing?"

Justin jumped and looked at Zack who was grinning. "Don't worry so much," Zack teased. "Just thought I'd break the silence."

"Some people like silence," another voice called out. Zack turned and frowned as Kat Manx joined them.

"We've got this handled," he informed her. Kat raised an eyebrow.

"You have an army handled on your own?" She asked skeptically. "I doubt that."

"Listen, Kitty," Zack snapped. "We're fine."

"Perhaps," she agreed. "But I'm capable."

Zack glanced at Justin, then at the Silver Guardians, and finally back at Dr. Manx. "Fine. But I'm in charge."

"Of course," she said patronizingly. Zack frowned. He'd just think of all the Tarantumen as her. That would be satisfying.

The thirty minutes passed by quickly for everyone. Seth encouraged Red to go faster, leaping toward the middle of the city. He wasn't disappointed. Several monsters awaited them. It didn't take them long to figure out that they were facing the ticks and scorpions rather than the spiders the others were facing. Just as the scorpions and spiders, the ticks were partially human shaped, making them look even more disgusting. Unlike Scorpina, they were more arachnid than human. The scorpions were large, their tails and pinchers were strong enough to slice through a car, let alone a human. The ticks were shorter, only four feet tall, possibly four and a half in some cases, but they were fat and muscular looking. The Rangers had an eerie feeling that it didn't take much for one to have a human dead once it was able to start drinking. The carnage that the creatures inflicted upon the city was horrifying. Bodies laid before them: some looking like mummies and others in pieces. Screams echoed through the streets, cries rang out for help, and the choked sounds of death left the lips of those unable to escape. To make matters worse, Tarantumen poured out into the street soon after. The raptors left the Rangers, diving into the fight. The four looked out.

"There's so many of them," Tara whispered and Jera put a hand on the other's shoulder. She was right though, they were swarming through the city with a certain ease. Hundreds were climbing buildings, going over cars, and just heading down the streets. Worse, they moved like a swarm than anything else. They barely had to stop, they just went over it.

"'Cannon to right of them,/Cannon to left of them,/Cannon in front of them/Volleyed and thundered,'" Seth whispered at the sight, feeling sick. "'Stormed at with shot and shell,/Boldly they rode and well,/Into the jaws of Death,…'"

"'Into the mouth of Hell/Rode the six hundred.'" Seth glanced over to see that Ben had muttered it with him. He couldn't help but look at the botanist with a bit a respect who looked a little embarrassed. "I like that poem. It fits."

Seth nodded in approval as Ben stood at his left side. "Ready?"

The other three nodded and readied their weapons. Jera sighed from the right and looked at Seth. "Do you have another poem?"

"Just one," he answered. Jera nodded.

"Say it," she commanded.

"I thought you hated it when I told death poems," he mentioned but she shook her head.

"Not this time. Say it," she demanded. He looked at the other two who both nodded and he sighed but his look ended at Ben.

Ben glanced at Seth giving his leader a quick nod as he held his weapon firmly in his grasp. Though fear enveloped him, he wasn't about to let it get the upper hand and he was proud enough, like the other three before him, to go down as Power Rangers. Seth took a step forward, heading toward the swarms of monsters and took a deep breath. The swarm came at them. As he spoke, they headed into the fight that their predecessors were fighting miles away.

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,

Kat and Tanya raced to Aisha's side, helping her up. Rocky and Adam managed to kill a few others, pushing them away until they could get her out of harm's way. They hid behind the building, trying to get a few shots in but the creatures just kept coming. Kat looked at Adam and Rocky and motioned for them to take another side. They couldn't let themselves get surrounded. Tanya stayed by Aisha, who continually tried to get up. One of the Tarantumen leapt down upon them, directly onto Aisha, and Kat winced as she heard the break and Aisha's eyes glaze over. Tanya and Kat killed the creature and Kat was relieved when she felt a pulse from the Aisha even if she was no longer conscious. She glanced up and relief nearly overtook her when Andros and his team came running. Still, the swarm came. Kat glanced her friend over and made sure she wasn't going to die, but the sight before her told her that even with the Space Ranger's help, Aisha probably would have company if she did.

From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-

Carter threw one aside and Kelsey managed to kill it. Joel tossed it to the side and continually shot another, hitting it until it died. The three stayed close together as Chad stayed closer to the other group. Dana was racing around, flanked by her brother and father as Chad watched around for them. She was simultaneously shooting and attempting to tell if citizens were dead or alive. If alive, she could instruct others to help them. Her three bodyguards were making sure no one got too close. Yet, even with the shooting and plan, the area was getting smaller by the minute. The Galaxy Rangers were heading toward them, motioning for them to follow through the small, but welcomed opening. On the other side, their hope fled as more came. It was only a small reprieve.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

Wes grunted as he hit the ground, falling out of morph. He pulled himself back to his feet, happy when Eric's Quantum Defender blasted the creature across the courtyard. Though, a look to Eric told Wes that he was a fraction away from losing his own morph. Wes collected his energy and joined the other, both of them looking on firmly. A well-placed shot caused Wes to smile a bit as the Calvary arrived in the form of Taylor and the Wild Force Rangers, completely morphed as they had somehow convinced Shayla to awaken. Their Zords tore through some of them, but looked like a creature covered in ants or fleas. They wouldn't be able to hold out for long. It wasn't much, but it would keep them all alive a while longer.

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

Dustin pulled himself underground to lessen the blow the monster had given to him. He popped back up a moment later, needing to duck as Shane went over his head. Tori hit the Tarantumen with water to keep them away as their students copied their teachers. A glance to her left told her that Hunter, Blake, and Cam were still alive as Cam's well-placed attacks worked well along the former Thunder Rangers. The three winds nodded and combined their own attacks, but it was only slowing the creatures down. Eventually, they'd tire and the monsters would win.

This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed

Elsa sat quietly on the couch in Mercer's living room. She wasn't making much of a sound, though the rapping on the windows told her that the Tarantumen had found them. She gulped down the sake on the table and glanced at the doorway from one of the other rooms were Mercer stood. She headed over to him, handing him the other cup which he followed her lead on before handing her one of the weapons that Hayley had prepared. He took her hand in his and they stood ready as the onslaught on the house continued.

Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,

Trent urged everyone out of the building as it started to collapse. He really wished Ethan was there as the other might have been able to keep it upright. Still, nearly everyone was out and that was what mattered. The building shook again and he grabbed the person nearest to the door, dragging them away as the building collapsed. He'd seen her companion a little further back and silently cursed himself for not noticing the signs quicker. If he lived, he'd find out who had been left behind.

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

Zack cut through another with the ax, pleased at Hayley's craftsmanship. They were losing Guardians left and right, but they continued. Dr. Manx was a lot faster than he gave her credit for and she had come prepared. Several Tarantumen died at her hands. Justin did well himself, managing to shoot and guard the door. Zack knew they were losing ground and that soon they would have their backs literally against the wall. He felt another step lost and saw another Guardian go down. It wasn't long now.

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Seth finished and looked at the others. He gave a quick nod and they rushed into the fight, slashing and killing as many as they could as they stayed together. Seth's words ran through their minds and they pushed further, not willing to give in and die so easily. A loud noise told them that their Zords had arrived, which was helpful considering that three of the ticks grew right before that. They were fighting on the ground and by Zord now.

Tommy groaned as he felt something pick him up. His head was aching and he wasn't sure he wanted to see anyway. After a minute, he was able to process that his hands were tied firmly behind him and that his sword was no longer near him. He was on his knees, being held down. A glance to his right showed him that Kim was in the same position, right down to the moaning. He glanced to see if Billy was there too, but they hadn't gotten to the other man, fortunately, which meant that Neen and Dante were safe as well.

"She bit me! The little bitch bit me!" A complaint rang out behind him. Unfortunately, his students were not. "And I'm not touching that red one! He already took out Buthida."

"Stop whining, Lei," a man demanded. "If you handled them differently, they'd never have the chance to harm you."

"But Chelone!" The other whined. "She bit me again!"

"Pan, take her," Chelone ordered. Tommy could hear the grumbling. "All that complaint over one human."

"Yes, Sir. I've got her, Sir," another said. He sounded higher up and there were few complaints afterward.

"I believe they're waking up." Tommy's eyes widened at that and looked straight at Scorpina who was standing directly in front of him, ready and willing to kill him and his wife. He managed to look behind him and saw all three of the Dino Thunder Rangers struggling. "It's about time."

Several words came to his mind at that, not particularly nice words, but still words. Kim's eyes were narrowed and she was obviously thinking the same things he was. After a minute, Tommy's judgment finally caught up with him, giving him more useful words to say. "Why aren't we dead?"

Scorpina motioned to the screen behind her. "I'm waiting."

"For what?" Tommy demanded and she rolled her eyes.

"For my army to destroy yours," she answered. "I want you to know your planet is doomed before I kill you."

"Bitch," Kim informed her. Tommy looked at the screens instead. Their enemy wasn't too far off. They others were struggling, but they weren't gaining ground and several of the survalence equipment had already given out. The only one that they weren't covering was the Lightspeed Base which hopefully meant she didn't know about it. He hoped that Trini and Jason were okay. He hoped the baby was okay.

"Uncle Tommy? Is everything satisfactory down there? We heard some noise." Tommy's heart stopped as Neen's voice reached him. He could tell that she was heading toward the stairs and wondered when he'd missed them opening.

"It's fine, Neen," he lied quickly. "Some stuff just broke. Conner tripped into it."

"I can help you clean it up," Neen offered, still coming toward the stairs.

"It's okay. Why don't you go back to coloring?" Tommy pushed. He knew that it wasn't going to work. Neen was too clever and she knew he was lying by this point. Unfortunately, unlike her father, she was too young to understand that he was trying to keep her safe.

Ethan turned to Chelone and Scorpina. "Look, she's six," he said softly. "She's not going to give it up and she's not much of a threat. I can keep her up there and get her Dad down here instead. You want Billy, right? Fair trade?"

Scorpina's eyes lit up at that like Ethan guessed they would. "Chelone, go with him," she demanded. "Stay out of sight and bring both Billy and Ethan back."

"Yes, Milady," Chelone answered and directed Ethan toward the stairs. Ethan didn't bother to look back to see the disappoint or horror on his friends' faces. Chelone lead him upward and he met Neen starting down.

"Upstairs," he said cheerfully. "There's some broken stuff and we don't want you to get cut. Where's your dad?"

"In the kitchen," Neen answered, sounding more than a little suspicious. Ethan could understand that. He looked at her seriously.

"Why don't you and Dante go play in Uncle Tommy and Aunt Kimberly's room for a while?" He forcefully suggested. She looked unhappy about it, but took the hint. Grabbing Dante's hand, she headed into the main bedroom. Billy had already headed out and Chelone saw no reason to continue hiding by this point.

"You are to come with me," Chelone informed him. He grabbed Ethan's by the back of the neck. "Now."

"Chelone," Ethan started, doing his best to pull this off. Saving Neen had given him the opportunity he needed to get the warrior away from his mistress. "You said it before, that she was dooming your people. Look, I know I said I'd follow Conner for a long time, but if he was going to get Kira killed and Neen killed and others killed because he was too stubborn, I wouldn't."

"You would kill him?" Chelone demanded skeptically and Ethan took a minute. Could he kill Conner if Conner had gotten that bad? His mind headed to Trent and how he'd been last year. If it was to come down to them or him, they would have defended themselves. If Conner lost it completely, he was capable of killing and injuring hundreds, if not thousands of people. No matter how close he was to him, Ethan wouldn't let him. He swallowed hard, but he had his answer.

"Yes."

Chelone nodded and dropped him. "Teleport down," he suggested. "She won't suspect it."

Billy looked at Ethan, who nodded. He glanced back at Chelone. "Thank you."

"I will protect my people. Even from my queen," he answered. He stood back as they teleported down to the lair.

The sheer shock of teleporting did the trick. While it was only a three second delay, the surprise allowed the Rangers to get the upper hand a bit. At the very least, they had weapons and were able to fight again. Ethan struggled against his until the top half of the creature he'd been battling fell on him. He looked up in shock to see Chelone standing over the body.

The warrior turned toward another and raised his weapon in an attack, forcing it from Kira before he killed it completely. The others backed away and the Rangers were able to take them on easier. Ethan turned to give his thanks to the old warrior, but his voice was caught in his throat as Scorpina's Stinger ran him through. The blood flooded to Chelone's mouth and he looked at her. She looked at him back sympathetically reaching out affectionately and brushing back his hair a bit. He gave her a slight nod of his head to her and looked toward Ethan, offering him the ghost of a smile. Ethan gave a small smile back and nearly called out when she cleaved Chelone's head from his body. There was no shock or dismay on Chelone's face, only pain and acceptance. Knowing she was outnumbered, and before Ethan could say a word, she left. Ethan returned to the fight, knowing the others needed his help.

They finished the rest off quickly enough. There hadn't been many to begin with after all. Ethan headed toward Chelone's corpse and looked at it. He reached for the head and felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. A glance up showed him Tommy shaking his head before looking at the body himself. After a minute, the mentor spoke. "You were right about him. You and Conner were both right."

"She escaped," Ethan answered, not really knowing what else to say. Anything else just sounded hollow. "She killed him and left."

Tommy nodded. "We'll go after her," he promised.

Kira looked over. "I think Conner already has."

Seth piloted the Phoenix the best he could. He winced as the Zord cried out as more of the creatures tried to overtake it. Only the Dragon was having any luck with being able to take out more than swarmed it. He glanced over to see the Hippocampus try to get back up again and, in a clever move, leapt up and back into the ground before pulling itself back out. For a second, there was nothing on it. If there was someone who was having the most difficulty, it was definitely Tara and Gryphon. They'd managed to ground the Zord and were enjoying trying to take it apart.

They hadn't dared try to bring them together yet. They weren't sure if they'd end up with more of the creatures in the Zord as well as out and they couldn't handle that at the moment. None of this, of course, was including the already enlarged creatures that were giving them a second beating on top of it. He didn't mean to whine, but it was getting increasingly unfair. "Ben! Cover Tara!"

"I'll try!" Came the response. The dragon moved a bit, lumbering toward the Gryphon. He tried to take them on by an aerial attack. Tara herself was trying to throw them off. It was just not working. One of the larger creatures managed to get close and tore one of the Gryphon's wings off. It screeched in pain, but pulled itself up. Ben took the creature away, knocking it around a bit. Jera slammed it with the Hippocampus, though they were being torn apart as well to a lesser degree.

Tara managed to move the Gryphon into place and held the creature in place with Jera's help. Ben's Dragon stomped it and Seth dive bombed it. After a minute, they were sure it was dead. They turned their attention to the remaining two, but one of them tore the Gryphon directly in half. Tara managed, quickly to evacuate and landed, painfully, on the ground. Seth's heart nearly stopped. "Tara? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," came the response. "And I have an idea!"

"Do it!" Seth told her, not waiting. He was ready for any suggestions.

To their surprise, the creatures began to float upward, aided by a whirlwind. The others quickly took advantage of the situation, tearing at them when they couldn't fight. It was far quicker after that and less deadly for their side. The creatures were killed and they calmed themselves. Seth grinned as he called into his communicator. "Great thinking, Tara!"

There wasn't a response.

Conner raced after Scorpina which, even with his super speed, was difficult. She was able to jump building to building while he had to use stairs or stay on the ground. He'd chosen the latter until she stopped. He wasn't surprised to see that she'd stopped at her own building and he didn't have a problem finding a way up. He'd expected her to run when he reached the top, but she didn't. Instead, she laughed. "I knew it would be you."

"Stop this," Conner demanded. He pointed to the streets where the Tarantumen swarmed and toward the large scale battle further off. He couldn't see much, but Ben's Dragon and Seth's Phoenix managed to destroy one of the creatures before heading toward another. He couldn't see how the others were doing.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because it's wrong! Your own people won't survive!" Conner answered. "Whatever happened, I know…"

"You know. You know?" She turned on him and Conner backed up at bit. "You know how I lost my husband? How I lost my Mistress and Master? How I had left the galaxy only to return to find that they were changed or dead? How I lost my baby because I was forced to flee so that he and I didn't perish as well? It didn't work. The constant movement and change of temperatures made him sick. He didn't live to his first birthday. But you know!"

"Scorpina," Conner said softly. "I'm sorry."

"You're what?" She demanded and he nodded.

"That really does suck," he agreed. "But Tommy and Kim were retired by the time the wave of good hit. And the current Rangers were trying to survive themselves. We lost Zordon in that fight. That's how it happened."

"It's not enough," she answered angrily.

"And what would be? You can't do this," Conner answered. "Listen, you're not good, I know that, but I don't think you're totally evil either. This isn't going to bring him back. Just stop."

She was quiet for a moment and Conner didn't say anything else. After a minute, she looked at him. "What would you give up for me to stop?"

He paused and looked at her. "Anything."

"Your life?" She asked and he nodded. She headed toward him, bringing her weapon out. He took a breath and stood straight, ready to die. "I thought so."

She was close to him. He looked back at her. "You stop them and you can have it," he promised her. She closed her eyes and he could feel the life of all the creatures she had brought, or at least the ones fighting. He didn't know how, though Billy would tell him later how old of magic it was. A small crystal shattered from her upper arm that he'd never noticed. Her eyes were no longer human, no longer normal. They were blackened and lightened and Conner couldn't figure out how they could be both.

"You know, you Rangers are always willing to sacrifice your lives in return for peace," she mentioned. She looked at him seriously, though Conner could see that she was crazed by this point. Any sort of sanity had seemingly fled with that last act. "You told me, Little Red, that you would be willing to do anything."

Conner nodded and she stood close to him, near the edge of the building. Conner's heart was beating fast. "I am."

He felt her thrust something into her hands and she took a step back onto the ledge. He looked down and saw the weapon in his hands. "Then cut me down."

"Aren't you going to fight back?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No. I don't want your life," she answered. He tried to drop it, but she forced her hands down on it. "Now you have two choices, Conner. Either you kill me, or I jump. I'll die either way, but if you don't kill me, then I'll order the others to fight to the death and you won't have a way to stop them. If you kill me, most will die alongside me and the rest will stop to find a new Queen. Now, choose."

Never escalate a fight. He'd followed the three rules to the max, never breaking one. Technically, the battle was already escalated but he wasn't fighting the other creatures, he was fighting her. Was this like when Andros killed Zordon to save the universe at the Eltarian's request or was it different? He'd been an ally and Scorpina certainly wasn't. He wasn't even an active Ranger any longer, but the rule still went through his head. It wasn't as if she was rushing him and he was defending herself. He would be murdering her. He held it tight and looked at her, disgusted that she already knew the choice he'd make. She didn't want his life, she wanted his soul. He accepted the terms.

The sword easily cut into her and Conner found he couldn't let it go from shock. She grabbed hold of his shirt as she started to fall. "I told you. You're mine."

He somehow managed to let go of the sword and let her pull off the shirt, though he was struggling to keep his balance. She fell completely from the rooftop and he heard the thud. He blindly reached out as his balance failed and he began to follow her, but something pushed into him and he managed to fall back on to the roof. He looked up to see Red standing over him. He looked at his hands, shaking, and then at Red. If the raptor had a problem with it, he didn't act like it. He moved back toward Conner and didn't move, staying there until other voices came. Conner leaned into him. The screams and destruction had halted. At least here, it had ended.

Author's Note: I am so sorry it took me so long. So, I'll try to do better. Here's this section though. I have the next bit mostly written, but I need to look it over and fix it. So, it's good to see you all again and thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!