Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers. I think Saban owns them again. It was Disney for a while, but whoever owns them, it's definitely not me. . I also don't own any song lyrics used.

AN: Here's chapter 11! Enjoy and let me know what you think! Thanks to all the great reviews too and here's notes to those individuals:

J&A Fan 2000: Thanks, I'm really glad you like the story. I hope I don't disappoint you too much, but at this point Jungle Fury will not come into play. Everything is completely AU now and I only watched a couple JF episodes. I just couldn't get into it. Some of the things I have planned for this story are AU and there will likely be nothing canon in this story beyond the point of "Once a Ranger".

Rin: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story and you appreciate the small details. I love those small details too. I think they're really important in connecting with the characters.

WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Thanks! So glad you're enjoying it so much. I'm having a lot of fun writing it myself. I'm glad you're happy with the team choice. These are my favorite PR seasons and my favorite characters. Only Kim, Ethan, and Trent are left to gather and this is the chapter. Enjoy!

Harry2: Yep, just Kim, Ethan, and Trent are left to gather. And Hunter has accepted his destiny, though with reluctance. He'll have his issues, but he also has Tori to keep him grounded. Glad you're enjoying the story.

djAngelynn: Glad you enjoyed it so much. Yes, I have a lot of surprises in store when it comes to Hunter's powers. I struggled with the decision to leave Zack out too. Originally, it was the chosen 22, but I never really liked Justin so then it became the chosen 21. But with the upcoming powers and situations, I'm afraid Zack just didn't fit and 20 was the number that worked. Plus, I'll be delving into things later about the rangers' number of failed relationships they've all had. So far, Zack is the only one that is with someone that's not a ranger or strongly connected to rangers. And to make it work, he had to cut ties with that life completely. Not all of them are able to do that and be happy. It's a concept I find interesting and will probably explore more in the story. Anyway, hope you enjoy this installment too. Thanks for your reviews.

AN 2: Warning, this chapter is rated a strong T. Nothing super graphic, but adult situations ahead. Mentions and illusions to sex. This Power Ranger story isn't for kids. Full versions of love scenes are available at my yahoo group, The Wolf and the Kat. The link is in my profile if you're interested in joining.

Crimson Rising

Chapter 12: Stop and Stare

Stop and stare
I think I'm moving but I go nowhere
Yeah I know that everyone gets scared
But I've become what I can't be, oh
Stop and stare
You start to wonder why you're here not there
And you'd give anything to get what's fair
But fair ain't what you really need
Oh, can you see what I see

Song: Stop and Stare

Artist: OneRepublic

Ivan Ooze's spaceship

In orbit of Earth

Ivan Ooze chuckled, as he watched the Red Time Force ranger having to resort to using his pitiful battleizer against his foot soldiers.

"This is almost too easy," Ivan scoffed, as he surveyed the battle. They were skilled warriors, of that, there was no doubt. To last and survive unmorphed against some of his powerful, yet less than superbly intelligent foot soldiers was commendable. If he were to unleash even one of the weakest monsters in his army, it would be over. But torturing them was all too entertaining. Xinshing and his Duronian army were among his most powerful warriors, but his army also consisted of many other powerful, formidable warriors from across the Universe. Worlds he held within the palm of his hand. It was laughable how his weakest soldier could crush even the strongest opponent that any ranger team had faced thus far. He had observed the fools that were seeking the jewels of Corona Aurora and being thwarted by the pitifully inexperienced rangers known as 'Operation Overdrive'. He had continued to let them go about their business so far, but even those fools had taken notice of Xinshing and Toxa's devastation in Mariner Bay and Briarwood. His continued allowance of their exploits would solely depend on them, of course. He was running this show and they would either serve him or be destroyed. It mattered not to him.

"Father…I have been observing the crimson one as you ordered," Toxa said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Any developments?" Ivan questioned.

"Perhaps more than we anticipated," Toxa responded, as she brought up the recent battle, showing the former crimson ranger throwing one of his henchmen with a force that could only be described as super strength.

"I did some research and this Hunter Bradley was adopted by two thunder ninjas as an infant," Toxa said.

"And why is that important?" Ivan questioned.

"There is no record of his birth on Earth…anywhere. It's as if he just appeared to the Bradley's one day. I even pulled the birth certificate that the humans have on record. It's a forgery, but no one has ever questioned the validity. He wasn't born at the time or place that the record states," Toxa explained. Ivan clenched his teeth and tried to calm his anger.

"This has Zordon's stench all over it," he growled.

"My Lord, allow me go and take care of him for you before he can become a threat. He sleeps now and he would be no match in a battle with me," Xinshing offered. Ivan balled his fists and purple lightning crackled around him violently.

"No…if he is in anyway related to Zander, then he is mine!" Ivan screamed.

"I never got the chance to make Zander pay for what he did to me…but if this Hunter Bradley is related to him, then I will have my revenge through him," Ivan growled.

"But Father, if he is the Phoenix…" Toxa protested, but he cut her off.

"It does not matter. I am far more powerful than I once was and this…brat hasn't even come into his full powers yet. Zander had experience with his abilities and this boy has none of that. He will fall, but not before he suffers for Zander's crimes against me," Ivan growled, as he stormed off the bridge, intending to check the progress on his massive weapons that were under construction.

Boston

Dorm Room of Ethan James

Ethan James lay slumped over his desk, having fallen asleep studying for his finals. As superior as his intellect had seemed compared to others in high school, he had quickly found out that he was more commonplace at MIT, meeting others with far superior intellect than his. He had breezed through most of his high school assignments and that had always left him with time on his hands. MIT had changed all that and had caught Ethan off guard at first, as he wasn't used to having to study quite so much for good grades. He had adjusted well enough and was doing very well, but it did not come as easy here as it had at Reefside High.

An incessant knocking slowly pulled the former blue Dino ranger from his sleep and he groaned, as he realized that he had fallen asleep in a very uncomfortable position. The knocking continued and he glanced at the clock.

"Who the hell is here at one in the morning?" he griped, as he stumbled toward the door. Ethan rubbed his eyes, as he came face to face with his former teammates.

"What are you guys doing here?" he demanded, as Conner, Kira, and Dr. Oliver filed into his dorm room.

"Come right on in," Ethan mumbled in irritation.

"Sorry Ethan, but we have an emergency on our hands. Pack your stuff quickly so I can call Hayley and have her teleport us back," Tommy ordered.

"Whoa…teleport?" Ethan asked.

"I told you to get your stuff and get back to Blue Bay Harbor. I wasn't kidding," Conner bit back.

"Not all of us can just up and leave, you know. I have finals, jock boy," Ethan shot back.

"And if we don't stop Ivan Ooze, then tomorrow is pretty iffy and next week isn't looking too good either," Kira retorted.

"Ivan Ooze?" Ethan asked.

"We'll explain when we get back to Ninja Ops. Just get your stuff," Tommy ordered.

"Why us? We don't have powers anymore and neither do the Ninja rangers. What can we do?" Ethan questioned.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're one of chosen twenty to quest for new powers. We don't do this, then you might as well say goodbye to our planet," Conner responded bluntly. Ethan blew out a frustrated breath.

"What am I supposed to tell my professors?" Ethan asked.

"You can e-mail them and tell them you have a family emergency. When all this is over, hopefully we can straighten everything out. I'm sorry Ethan, but none of us really have a choice in any of this," Tommy apologized.

"Yeah, if you think Mesagog was bad…then imagine him times ten and that's what we're up against," Kira added. Ethan sighed.

"Fine…give me ten minutes," he grumbled, as he went to pack. Once he finished, the four of them teleported back to Ninja Ops.

Emerald Falls

Home of Kimberly Hart

Kimberly Ann Hart tossed her gym bag onto the loveseat, as she sifted through her mail. It had been another long day of training potential Olympians and she was exhausted. She just wanted to sit down for a few minutes and try to decompress, before she would get up to do it all over again tomorrow. Her life hadn't exactly gone as planned, but she had a fairly successful career thus far. Her love life was a completely different story. After breaking up with Tommy, she had competed in the Pan Global Games and won the all-around silver medal in 1998, finishing just hundredths of points behind another competitor. Her golden dreams had become silver and she set her sights on the Olympic games that would take place in Sydney in 2000. Things had been exactly on track, as she successfully won the gold at the 1999 World Championships. She was on cloud nine, not only achieving all her gymnastic dreams, but also in love and engaged to her boyfriend Max Jarvis. He had been a young assistant on Coach Schmidt's staff during her Pan Globals training and she had fallen head over heels in love with him. Her breakup with Tommy had been the cowardly way to go, but he had convinced her that she just didn't have time to take a trip to Angel Grove to let him down easy if she wanted to medal at the Pan Globals. So going against everything she had learned as a ranger, she wrote that letter. In hindsight, it was the biggest mistake of her life. She didn't discover that for a few years though and continued her pursuit of gold. After becoming world champion, she could almost taste Olympic gold. Until three weeks before the Olympic trials. She had done the vault a hundred times, but the accident happened anyway. She didn't get enough rotation and landed wrong on her ankle, twisting it badly. She nursed the ankle for the next couple weeks, hoping she could still compete. But her dreams came crashing down at the Olympic trials when she sat down on her first vault, her ankle giving out on her. It had been over then. She didn't make the 2000 Olympic team and as if that hadn't been bad enough, she caught Max cheating on her with another gymnast a few months later. It seemed he had not been interested in dating, much less marrying, someone that wasn't going to achieve Olympic stardom.

After resting her ankle, she returned to training in 2001, hoping to begin her long journey to the 2004 games. But it wasn't meant to be. By then, she was in her twenties and almost considered past her prime in her sport. Add to that, a hamstring injury kept her from competing in the 2002 World Championships and Kimberly made the painful decision to retire from competitive gymnastics. She decided to go to college after that at the University of Florida to get her teaching degree and then moved to Emerald Falls, California in 2005 to take a coaching position at a relatively well known gymnastics school. She had ambitions of opening her own gym someday, but for now, she was hoping that coaching the next gymnastics superstar would further her career aspirations. Even though she fell short of her Olympic dreams, she didn't consider that her biggest failure. That slot was reserved for her relationship with Tommy. She broke his heart and her own, even though she didn't realize what she had lost until just a few years ago. True love often came around only once and she had a string of failed relationships to prove it. Her Falcon was the one, but after the way she treated him, she couldn't get up the courage to face him. She wouldn't blame him if he hated her and she believed she didn't deserve his consideration, much less his forgiveness. Cutting herself off from most of her friends had been the only way to deal with the pain.

She set the mail down on the table and noticed the blinking on her answering machine.

"Kim…this is Trini, please call me immediately when you get this. We have a serious situation on our hands," the first message played. Kim's brow furrowed in confusion, as she played the second one.

"Kim…it's Trini again. I really have to talk to you. It's urgent, as in Zordon urgent," Trini's message said. Kimberly gasped. She knew that meant it was ranger related, but what could she do? Her ranger days were long passed, all theirs were. She jumped, as there was a sudden urgent knocking at her door. Pausing the answering machine, she slowly approached the door. Behind it, she found Jason and Trini.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kim asked, as they came in.

"Do you ever answer your cell phone?" Jason demanded.

"I've been working all day. I just got home," Kimberly defended herself.

"I'm sorry Kim, it's just been a really stressful day," Trini apologized.

"What's going on?" Kim asked.

"Ivan Ooze…that's what," Jason replied.

"That's impossible…he's cosmic dust," Kim refuted.

"Was…he's back, he's more powerful, and has an entire army at his disposal. Twenty of us have been chosen to journey back to Phaedos and the scroll says you're one of them, so go pack your stuff and let's go," Jason said firmly. Kim glared at him. She had not missed his bossiness.

"I can't just leave, Jase. I have a lot of kids depending on me," Kim stated.

"The only way you're going to do them any good is to ranger up again. Ooze isn't playing games this time!" Jason argued.

"I don't care! I'm not the same person anymore and I'm not going back! You'll have to find someone else!" Kimberly screamed.

"Jason…this isn't helping!" Trini said, trying to calm him down.

"Fine…I'll just tell Billy that his wife was just murdered for nothing! That Trey and the Phantom ranger have been killed for nothing! That Chad and Joel died for nothing! Mariner Bay and Briarwood are in shambles!" Jason cried. Kimberly shrunk back.

"Billy's wife?" Kimberly squeaked, as Jason paced.

"Aquitar was attacked about the same time as Triforia. They killed Trey and took over his planet. But after Cestria and the Aquitian rangers were killed, they destroyed the planet. Billy and his daughter barely made if off alive," Trini said quietly. Kimberly felt her legs give out, as she sat down, running her hands through her hair. How selfish she felt now that the gravity of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. She understood all too clearly now. If she didn't do this, then there would be no Earth.

"Give me ten minutes to pack," she said, as she ran to her room. When she returned, she felt Jason's hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I screamed…I didn't mean to. I…It's just hitting me harder than I thought it would, especially Trey's death and Billy's pain…it's so …" Jason said, but Kimberly hugged him in response, cutting him off.

"Don't apologize…let's go kick that disgusting slime ball's ass, but this time, we better make sure he's really gone," Kimberly said. Jason nodded with a half-smile.

"So…Phaedos again?" she asked. He nodded.

"It's one hell of a story," Jason replied, as Trini handed Kimberly a small device with a screen.

"Watch this and it will tell you the back story. You'll meet everyone else in the morning. For now, we'll teleport back to Ninja Ops in Blue Bay Harbor," Trini explained. Kimberly sighed, as she prepared to dive back into a life she had sworn she'd never return to.

Blue Bay Harbor

Apartment of Hunter Bradley and Tori Hanson

His lips dueled with hers in a passionate rhythm, as sounds of their lovemaking filled the darkened bedroom. Her sapphire gaze burned into his silvery/blue one, they made love.

The fires and spark of passion between them undeniable. The love in their eyes told that their coupling was so much more than just physical and came to an ultimate climax. Tori pressed a kiss to his forehead, as he slowly pulled himself from her hot depths. They lay together, blissfully sated, bathing in the afterglow.

"We should probably get some sleep," she mentioned, as she cuddled against him.

"Yeah…I guess we should," he replied, with apprehension in his voice.

"Are you nervous…about meeting your real mother tomorrow?" she asked.

"Maybe a little…I guess I really don't know what to expect. Maybe I'm more nervous that there's probably no way I'll ever live up to the expectations she must have for me. I mean…you heard the story of my dad. Ivan Ooze was virtually no match for him and I can barely take down a few of his foot soldiers," he muttered.

"If I remember correctly from the story, he had ranger powers, particularly powerful ones and more experience. And if I also remember, the Phoenix doesn't choose just anyone," she reminded.

"I hope you're right," he replied.

"I usually am, Thunder boy," she reminded. He chuckled.

"If you say so, water nymph," he replied. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I love you," she said. He smiled.

"I love you too," he replied. Sleep soon claimed them both, entwined in each other's arms.

Ninja Ops

Ethan rolled over and felt the sensation of falling. Unfortunately for him, it was real and he hit the floor. Fortunately for him, it wasn't a long drop from the air mattress that he was sleeping on in Cam's room. He got up and looked around, finding that both Blake and Cam were gone. Glancing at the clock, he groaned. It was only four hours later than when he left Boston. Granted, he was on California time now, but it was still really early. After finding a bathroom, he stumbled out into the living area of the school where Cam and his father lived. He smelled food and slowly walked into the kitchen. He saw Kira helping make breakfast with a few people he only recognized from Dr. O's ranger video diary.

"Morning Eth," Kira greeted, as she poured him a cup of coffee.

"Uh, thanks. What's going on and why is everyone up at this God awful hour?" he asked. A tall, beautiful blonde smiled.

"Sorry, but we need to get an early start," she spoke in an Australian accent.

"Yeah, have you forgotten already?" Kira asked. Ethan shook his head.

"I was hoping you guys barging into my dorm room last night was a dream. Where is our fearless, soccer playing leader anyway?" Ethan asked.

"Conner is watching the show," Kira replied.

"Show?" Ethan asked in confusion.

"Yeah, apparently this isn't early for the Ninja rangers. They're training out back and so naturally, Tommy, Jason, and Adam are out there salivating for their turn to spar," Aisha said.

"That leaves us to cook breakfast for this brood," Rocky said, as he ate another piece of bacon.

"If you keep eating everything you cook, we're never going to get done," Aisha scolded her husband.

"I'm Katherine by the way. You're one of Tommy's students, aren't you?" she asked. He nodded.

"Ethan James," he replied.

"Rocky Desantos,"

"Aisha Desantos,"

"Nice to meet you, is there anything I can do to help?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, you can help Rocky set up the tables," Aisha said. Ethan nodded and went to work.

"So you guys go way back with Dr. O, huh?" Ethan asked.

"Oh yeah," Rocky said. Ethan grinned.

"Got any good stories?" he asked.

"You bet," Rocky replied, grinning mischievously.

Hunter and Shane smirked at each other, as they traded blocks and kicks, sparring along the expanse of the platform, while the others observed. It was early, but the excitement of the spar already had blood pumping. They were almost all gathered. Trent would be there in a couple hours and then they would leave for Phaedos. Wes, Eric, and the Overdrive rangers would be standing by. Their departure would likely not go unnoticed by Ivan Ooze and he would take some sort of action, they were sure.

Jason spotted Kim coming out and saw Trini join her. She was still reeling from all she had learned, including the fact that Zordon and Zedd shared a nephew and he still felt bad about losing it on her the night before. There were no hard feelings on her part though, which was apparent, as she immediately headed toward Billy and hugged him tightly. Instantly, she was doting over Trina, but her and Tommy's subtle glances at each other didn't go unnoticed by those that knew them well. The spar also caught Kimberly's attention and little Olivia, who had been attached to Tori all morning spotted her Aunt.

"Aunt Kim!" Olivia called, as she tugged Tori along with her.

"Hey there munchkin," Kimberly said, as she hugged her tightly.

"Aunt Kim, this is Tori!" Olivia called. Tori smiled.

"Nice to meet you," Tori said.

"Likewise, I'm Kimberly Hart," Kim said, shaking her hand.

"First pink ranger, right?" Tori asked. Kim nodded.

"First female blue?" Kim asked, noticing Tori's colors. The blonde nodded.

"I'm still trying to figure out how I ended up on a team with all guys," she joked. Kim chuckled.

"You've got to be a tough one if you put up with five ranger males by yourself," Kimberly joked back. Tori sighed, as she watched Shane and Hunter. Neither had given an inch and probably wouldn't until someone stopped them. They were good friends now, but still ridiculously competitive.

"So, he's Zordon's nephew?" Kim asked, nodding toward the blonde fighter on the platform. Tori nodded.

"And Zedd's too I guess. He's still trying to wrap his mind around everything," Tori responded.

"Hunter is Tori's boyfriend," Olivia giggled.

"You are a gossip," Tori teased, as she tickled her. Kimberly smiled.

"Can I ask you something? I was going to ask Aisha this morning, but she has her hands full," Tori asked. Kim shrugged.

"Sure," Kim replied.

"Well…I told Hunter that he doesn't have anything to worry about, but I can tell he's nervous about meeting…Dulcea. He somehow thinks he'll be a disappointment, which is silly, but I was just wondering if you could tell me what she's like beforehand?" Tori asked. Kim smiled at the young woman. She had once herself been considered the heart of her team and it was easy to tell that Tori was the heart of the Ninja team, as she was always seeking to protect her teammates, particularly the one she was in love with.

"Well, we didn't have a lot of time to get to know her, but Master warrior of Phaedos isn't just a title. She easily took down a whole slew of Tengus by herself with ease and was ready to do the same to us, until she learned that we were Zordon's rangers," Kimberly said, pausing for a moment.

"I could tell that she knew Zordon on a personal level just by her demeanor, but none of us had any idea that it was because he was her older brother. She was much kinder after that and seemed to instantly have faith in all of us. I think Aisha and I might have been the only ones that picked up on it, but I remember thinking that she seemed to have a sadness in her. I think Hunter is worrying for nothing. She's going to be overjoyed to have her son back," Kimberly advised. Tori smiled and nodded.

"Hey jerks, you think you two can bow out and let the rest of us a chance?" Blake called.

"Yeah, this is tired dudes," Dustin called. Shane and Hunter bowed out and let more opponents take their turns. It wasn't long until they were all eating breakfast together and the mission ahead began to sink in. As Rita and Zedd returned with Trent, Anton, and Elsa, they finished up and they all began to realize what was riding on them. Trent looked about as happy as Ethan had the night before about coming back and the tension between him and Conner was already evident. Tommy and Kim had yet to speak to each other and their teammates were close to intervening, though they knew it would have to wait. Hunter was more anxious than he had ever been and would have been pacing if not for Tori's calming presence. Rocky, Aisha, Katherine, and Billy were having a hard time tearing themselves away from their children, fearing something might happen while they were gone, though Hayley and Kanoi insisted that they would be protected. And many others just looked plain unsure of everything. Zedd stepped forward once they were gathered and ready for teleportation.

"I'll be going with you to Dulcea's Temple. I know that you're all feeling a lot of things right now and many of you never asked to be called back. Unfortunately, Ivan Ooze has left us no choice. The survival of the human race will depend on this team," Zedd told them.

"No pressure," Shane said, half joking. Zedd smiled thinly.

"It's too much for anyone to ask of any of you and for that, I am deeply sorry," Zedd added. Tori squeezed his hand and Hunter stepped forward slowly.

"We'll do what we have to for the Earth. I…I don't know much about being this Chosen One that scroll talks about, but I'm going to stop Ooze and make him pay for all the people he's killed," Hunter said, stepping forward. Tori smiled at him and joined him.

"You know that I'm going to be by your side, no matter what," Tori added, as she kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, you're always bossing me around anyway, so this won't be much different than growing up with you," Blake teased. Hunter rolled his eyes, as his 'little bro' shared a brotherly half hug with him.

"You know we're with you," Shane said, as he, Cam and Dustin joined them.

"Us too, he's not getting away with killing innocent people," Conner said, as he and Kira stepped forward. Ethan and Trent nodded, joining them. Tommy smiled, as the original ten joined them as well.

"This time we're going to make sure that there's not even a particle of Ooze left so he can never come back," Tommy stated, as they looked to Hayley and Kanoi.

"Be careful and may the power protect you all," Kanoi said solemnly. Zedd nodded and Hayley initiated the long range teleportation sequence that Billy had set up earlier. With that, the chosen twenty and Zedd disappeared in streaks of colored light…