Author's Note: I DO NOT own Power Rangers that credit goes to the Gods of Saban but this story is mine, I just borrowed their characters (and the main story line) and added some of my own thoughts to it.

-The Pink Gem

Chapter Seventeen

Anton was doing work in his study when Trent came home. Trent went straight into the kitchen, "Is Erica home yet?" "No, why are you asking?" Trent came into the study, locked the door, and sat across from Anton with a cup of soda in his hand, "So, how pissed is He today?" "He's always pissed off, maybe with the exception of today, why?" "What was the point of creating a fake White Ranger?" "Well, after you joined up with the Rangers, Elsa and Zeltrax were in the mood for a bit of revenge…." "And framing me for taking Kira and Ethan's Dino Gems was just an added bonus…." "Of course, what else would it be?" "What is Trent getting at, Mercer?" (How should I know?) "And the Pink Ranger was there to make it all the more convincing, since I was the one who 'destroyed' her." "Weren't you prepared to quit the team?" "I was, only because they thought I was a traitor. After seeing the White Ranger with my own eyes I can hardly blame them for thinking it was me." "Get to the point Trent." "I got them back." "What back?" "The Dino Gems." Anton paused from his paperwork and looked up at Trent. "I knew that get your attention." It took a few seconds for Anton to find the words, "How?" "Well…Elsa and Zeltrax were trying to get Conner and Dr.O's Dino Gems and I accidently knocked out the White Ranger. "How is 'accidently'?" "I honestly don't know, we charged at each other and we were both knocked out cold. I was the first one up." "Okay, but how did you get past the Pink Ranger?" "I didn't see her." "What?" "How could you NOT see her? She was on duty!" "She wasn't there; I thought she was with Elsa and Zeltrax…" "Trent…" said Anton as he got up, "Why are you telling me this?" "I was telling it more for Mesogogs' sake more than you." Trent finished his soda and was leaving the study, "Oh, I left the lab in one piece. If I get framed again …I'll be sure to burn the place to the ground next time." Trent unlocked and opened the door at the same time Erica came in the front door. "Hey Erica, where have you been?" "Having a life. I got homework to do so I'm heading up to my room. Can you tell Dad I came home?" "No problem, see you tomorrow."

Anton heard Erica go upstairs and followed her. "How could you let this happen? Why would she leave the base defenseless?" (Why are you blaming me? You have more control over her than I do!) "Erica." "Yo." She stuck her head out of her room. "Where were you today?" "Out…" "How was today…at work?" "Nothing special." "Are you sure?" "Why don't you ask your friend?" "Are you avoiding the question?" "Dad…the less you know about my job…the better off you'll be." "Erica!" She smiled, "I got homework to do. See ya." Erica closed the door to her room. "Why the hell is she smiling about? She's responsible for losing the Dino Gems!" (I don't think she knows, she be pissed off if that was the case. You saw her, she went out of her way to get those Dino Gems…and then to lose them. It doesn't make any sense…) "We shouldn't have left the base! This is just as much your fault as it is hers!"(Why don't you just ask Elsa tomorrow why she left the base defenseless? It's one thing if Elsa did leave the base but it's another case if the Pink Ranger left the base. I'm trying to wrap my head around why she would leave….)

Dr. Robert's woke up after a few hours. She went into Steven's room; he was sleeping on his bed with a notepad right next to him. "This stuff must be really boring to you, huh?" she murmured to herself. She took the notepad from under Steven and went into her study. She sat down and started flipping through the pages and read through some notes. "Is Mercer with me or against me? I can't tell…" She saw some Chemistry symbols about Ammonium Nitrate:

NH4NO3

(NH3)2SO2+3NANO1- 2NH4NO3+Na2SO4

"How did he know what type of bomb we had on the plane? It was never mentioned in the trial, or was it? I can't remember…." She kept flipping through some more pages when she saw an old piece of paper sticking out. She pulled it out and un-folded it:

NOTHING MATCHES STOP WILL LOOK INTO FILES STOP NO SUSPECTS PALEONTOLOGY STOP WHAT ARE THEY HIDING STOP SABOTAGE

"What does Mercer know about Organic Chemistry, he was a Bone guy….what does he know about making a fertilizer bomb?" She returned the paper into the notepad and brought it back into Steven's room. She went back into her room and logged on to her email. She got a new message from JuDoMaStEr1; she opened it.

Message: As soon as I win the Martial Arts Tournament I'll send him The Suit. There's a girl involved. I wonder if she's worth it.

"Erica…" whispered Angela, "What the hell are you involved in?"

Angela shut down the computer and lay down on the bed, "Why did Mercer bother giving Steven the notepad, did he want me to go looking through it? What the hell is Erica involved in that Steven needed to go ask Him about my case? Is her case just as bad as mine or….worse?"

The next day (around 6 am)….

Erica's phone went off, startling her out of bed. "Who the hell calls at 6am?" She checked the phone, "I don't recognize the number; I should ignore it." She clicked the green button, "Hello?" "Hey Erica, you awake?" "I am now…" "I know this voice, where do I know his voice from…" "Trent gave me your number yesterday…I wanted to ask if you could tutor me for the test Monday?" "Ethan?" "Yeah, Sorry about that…." "Trent gave you my number?" "Yeah, he told me to call you early so I can beat anyone else that wants your help." "O.K…." said Erica stretching… "What's today?" "Umm…Friday?" "Right…I'm busy today...tomorrow…how about Sunday?" "That's fine." "Hey, umm, which Ethan am I talking to?" "Ethan James." "Right, sorry, I'm a bit out of it right now, people calling me at 6 am can do that to me." "Sorry." "No, it's…" (Erica mid flashed back to yesterday's fight when she took his Dino Gem…) "It's fine Ethan, does 11am sound good?" "That's perfect." "Alright, see ya." Erica put down her phone, "Did I really just agree to tutor Ethan after what happened yesterday, after what I did?" "You didn't do that, the Pink Ranger did." "Right, I need to keep my lives separate…I can't be responsible for what the Pink Ranger does…Even when I'm in full control of her actions." Erica picked up her phone to check her Notifications: 10 Missed Calls. "Damn, maybe I should've brought my phone yesterday, or maybe everyone got wiped out yesterday and I don't have to go to work anymore…." Erica was finished getting dressed when her phone rang, "Great who else did Trent give my number to?" She checked her phone…it was HER number, "So much for everyone getting wiped out…" "Hello?" "Did you find your phone?" "Yeah… it was under my bed…" "I need you at headquarters now!" "Why, I got school." "Because, if you want to give your excuse to Mesogog why you screwed up yesterday's mission, you better come now." "Screw up? How the hell did I-" Elsa hung up on her. "That isn't good," murmured Erica. "Are you coming down 'cause I'm leaving," said Trent. "I'm playing Hooky today…" said Erica at the top of the stairs. "Don't you want to be there for the review?" "The entire test is going to be taken from the Chapter Review pages Trent. It won't be a hard test." "Says you Dino-Brain!" "Funny." "Have you seen Dad? I need some money." "Maybe he's out buying you a town." "Ohhh…clever." "Trent, you want $20?" "What do I have to do?" "One, stop giving people my number; I'm not some Study Genie, alright?" "Fine." "Second, don't tell Dad I'm cutting school." "That's easy; just erase the Answering Message before dad checks it." "Okay then here you go." A paper airplane flew down to Trent; he unfolded it to reveal a twenty dollar bill. "Show off." "I know, see you later." Trent left the house, "Okay, just wait five minutes and follow him out."

At Mesogogs Lair…..

"Can the three of you explain how you lost the Dino Gems?" "We temporarily left the base undefended…" said Zeltrax. "What possessed you to do that?" The Pink Ranger entered the lab. "If the three of you won't give me an explanation let me ask the Pink Ranger." Mesogog turned to the Pink Ranger, "Where were you yesterday?" "That depends…" "Don't forget that we're telepathically connected in case you want to lie." The Pink Ranger signed, "When did you leave?" "After you beat the Red Ranger." "We got the Dino Gems, we returned to base, Elsa fixed my morpher, and I handed over the Dino Gems to her. Then I left." "Why?" "I needed to settle an issue, privately; I don't think I would have been fit to fight unless I got over that obstacle." "Did you do this before or after Elsa left the base?" "Before, I wouldn't have risked leaving the base undefended; we worked too hard to let those Gems out of our gasp now." "Well, that what happened!" Mesogog walked away from her, "I hold all four of you responsible for the loss of the Dino Gems, you…" Mesogog pointed at the Pink Ranger, "for leaving your post prematurely. You…" pointing at the White Ranger clone, "You decided to take your fight to the White Ranger instead of backing up Elsa and Zeltrax, where you were needed. And you two….despite the fact you two knew the Pink Ranger left, you decided to take the chance of getting the other Dino Gems by leaving the base. And now we have NO Dino Gems! All four of you are ordered to the Punishment Chamber!" "But, Mesogog-" the Pink Ranger stated. Mesogog extended and opened his claw to reveal the broken part of the Pink Dino Gem. He gripped it tightly in his claw and the Pink Ranger fell on one knee. "I could've sworn that you were questioning an order…" Elsa, Zeltrax, and the White Ranger Clone watched their comrade take her punishment, "I thought Mesogog was bluffing when he said he had some of her power…." thought Elsa. "No, I…wasn't…I merely forgot my place," the Pink Ranger said in a weak voice. Mesogog released the Dino Gem piece and the Pink Ranger (it looked like the Pink Ranger was released from some grip) landed on both knees breathing heavily. Mesogog looked at Elsa, Zeltrax, and the White Ranger Clone, "I thought I told you to report to the Punishment Chamber….you two," pointing to some Tyrannodrones, "take the Pink Ranger there now!" The Tyrannodrones carried the Pink Ranger with Elsa, Zeltrax, and the White Ranger Clone following behind. "That wasn't a Telepathic Attack…was it?" asked the White Ranger Clone. "No," said Elsa, "I think Mesogog actually drained some of the Pink Rangers' energy out of her…." "How?" "I don't know," said Elsa, "I thought he was lying when He said he could do it…until now." The Pink Ranger was put in the Chamber first. The Tyrannodrones started up the machine but the Pink Ranger didn't make a sound. "You'd think she'll at least scream…" "Either she's focusing all her energy to block the Chambers' energy blast or…." "What is the point of screaming; it's not like it will let her out any earlier…" After all four of them were put into the Chambers, Mesogog made his rounds looking at each of them. When he reached the Pink Ranger's chamber he felt Mercer fighting for control…

"No you don't Mercer…She's not coming out until her time is up!" Mercer was still fighting him, "If you take her out early, I'll put her back in tomorrow! And the next day if you keep this up!" Mesogog felt he was winning this fight, "What makes her so different from Tent!" Mesogog felt Mercer retreating, "You didn't take Trent out of the Punishment Chamber! What makes HER so special, no, different! She joined my team just as willingly as Trent!" "Those are two different circumstances and you know it!" Mercer gave up the fight. "When her punishment is over, you can take her out and tell her everything, but I know you won't….she finally trusts you as a father."

At school…..

"Hey Trent," said Steven, "Have you seen Erica? I need to talk to her." Trent looked around the classroom for signs of Dr.O, when he saw the coast was clear, Trent sketched two pictures, one of a hook, the other, a key.

"Hmmm, Hook….Key. Hook Key. Hook Key." "You might want to try to read them fast." "Hook-Key. Hooky! Ohhh, well, didn't she pick a good day to do that!" "Maybe she saw me yesterday and she's afraid to face me…." "What do you mean?" "Ohh, umm, you know…the test. The kids in our class are gonna pester Erica for help with the review." Ethan approached Steven and Trent, "Thanks for her number Trent; Erica agreed to help me on Sunday." "No problem Ethan." When Ethan waked away Steven gave a hard look at Trent, "Sooo, you're giving Erica's number away to every guy in school now, huh?" "And to Ethan of all people…" "What? No, only Ethan." "Uh-huh, and if I get dumped over the weekend I'm blaming you!" Steven saw Dr. O come into the classroom and took his seat. "Alright, its looks like everyone's here….except Eric, Trent?" "She said she knows what going to be on the test so she doesn't need to come." "Well then, why am I here?" "Well, your different…you're the teacher…" Dr.O sighed, "Alright then, the test will be on Chs.15-20, so just study the chapter reviews and you are guaranteed an 80." Trent put his head on the desk. "Let me guess…" "That what Erica told me this morning…." "What else would I test you on? What tools would you need on a dig site?" The class burst into laughter. "Okay, everyone, lets settle down and get cracking on the review…"

After class….

Conner, Ethan, and Kira were getting up from their desks and were leaving the room, "Jeez…this test looks like a breeze. I can't believe I asked Erica for help!" "There's no shame in it…maybe she can give you a few pointers on the multiple choice…" "Hey guys…." All three of them turned around to see Steven, "Hey Steven, what's up?" asked Conner. "I was wondering if I could talk to you guys….in the film department room." "Yeah sure, but why there?" "It's…a private matter…for your ears…" "I really should wait for Erica…." "Are you guys okay with it?" asked Conner. "Yeah, no problem," said Ethan. Conner, Ethan, and Kira followed Steven into the Film Dept. Room, "I thought Cassidy and Devin are in this room during lunch…" asked Ethan. "They are, but today they need to interview the Vice-Principal over funding, and since Randall is absent…they figure they have a chance of getting an accepted proposal, but they need to ask today." Steven closed and locked the door. "Hey man, is everything alright?" asked Ethan nervously. "No…its' not. I don't even know where to begin. Umm…I know." "You know what?" asked Kira. "I know you're the Power Rangers: Red, Blue…Yellow…" They looked at each other nervously. "Steven, we happen to like those colors hence, why we are wearing them," said Conner. "I saw you yesterday…fighting the White Ranger and you lost….I saw Ethan and Kira demorph. Are you saying you're not a Ranger…Conner?" "I am." Ethan made a heavy sigh, "You're the one who attacked it…." "Yeah, and I got hit pretty hard too." "Why?" "You guys saved me and Erica plenty of times…I figured I owed you." "So you came here to tell us that we're Ranger and you're not gonna tell anyone…so we're even now?" "Yes and No. I need a favor." "What kind of favor?" "Ethan, I need you to stay away from Erica…no, ummm….I want the three of you to help her." "Why, is she in trouble?" "Yeah and since you are…Rangers, you could help her." "Yeah, definitely, so what's the problem?" "Right…" said Steven. He reached into his bag and pulled out a disk, "I'm sorry Erica, but I don't know how else I can help you…." He put the disk inside a DVD player and adjusted the setting and it started to play the fight from yesterday. Conner, Ethan, Kira watched the fight, "Hey man, we already been through this once…." started Ethan. "I didn't see this fight….If I had known…I would've been there…" said Conner.

"No…it's just…they look so weak when they're not in their Ranger form, that's all." "So are you, but you don't see me complaining." "Really…?" The Pink Ranger demorphed. "I think I rather intimidating….Dammit I demorphed again!"

Steven paused the video. "Steven…." "Yeah?" "Is this some Film Trick you're learning?" asked Kira. "No." "This is bad…." said Ethan. "And you only found out yesterday?" asked Conner. "Hence why I'm here. You guys have to help her!" "We don't have to do anything!" said Ethan, "You were there…filming the other day…when she froze the Yellow Ranger….Kira…AND you want us to help her? So she can figure out how to beat us again…" "That's not what I want…I think she needs help…" "From what?" Conner asked. "The people she's working for! They are making her do this…" "I'm sure she knows what she's doing…" said Kira. "Dammit….The White Ranger changed sides….WHY NOT HER!" All three of them were struck by something. "Did I say something?" Steven asked. All three of them looked at each other. "It's complicated…" said Conner. "You're supposed to be the Good Guys…you can't… not help her…." "Steven…we'll give you an answer Monday, okay?" said Kira. Steven sat down on a chair and nodded. "Can we keep the disk?" "It's a copy, so do what you want." Conner and Ethan unlocked the door and left. Kira put away the disk, "Steven…we can't guarantee anything…but we'll try." "Thanks." When Kira left the room Conner and Ethan were over by the lockers, "What do you make of it," asked Conner. Ethan shook his head, "Any more twist and turn and this has the material of a M. Night Shyamalan movie…" "Alright lets' see what he has to say…" Conner, Ethan, and Kira went into the Faculty Cafeteria where Dr.O was eating lunch. "Hey Dr. O, can we get out of next class?" 'What for?" "Tutoring session…we really need help studying for that test…all five of us." "All right I'll get you out, but it better be serious…."

At Mesogogs' Lair….

The timer ran out and the machine shut itself down. When the Punishment Chamber capsule opened, the Pink Ranger demorphed and fell into someone's arms. Mercer picked Erica up and carried her out of the lab. Erica struggled to open her eyes but she only saw a blurred image…of a face she recognized, "Dad…" she whispered. "Shhh…It's alright, you're out now…" "What are you doing here….no…you can't be…" She closed her eyes again. Mercer carried Erica into her room and put her to bed. "I'm so sorry Erica," he said as he put the covers on her, "I promise we'll talk after you get some sleep." He left her room feeling guilty, "There's no way to avoid it now…" The doorbell rang. "Great…who can that be?"

Anton opened the door to find Angela Roberts standing there, "We need to talk."

End of Chapter 17

Sorry this chapter took so long, I keep getting hit with writers block (and school). I am not a science person, those Chemistry symbols I made off the top of my head, so they are all fake! I don't want to get arrested for giving someone a dangerous chemistry compound!

The only reason I was actually able to finish this chapter is that Sandy closed the schools. But my professors were kind enough to send me homework for the week. (Yay…. :( ) When you're reading this…please keep the people suffering from Sandy in your thoughts/prayers. I'm in NY so I know what you're going through. Thank You.

AllOtaku92