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.
AN: Here's chapter 13! Thanks for all the great reviews. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
AN 2: Set in 2007 following the Operation Overdrive episode "Once a Ranger". Everything is canon up until that episode. After that, it completely AU.
Crimson Rising
Chapter 13: Eyes on Fire
I'll seek you out
Flay you alive
One more word and you won't survive
And I'm not scared
Of your stolen power
I see right through you any hour
Eyes on fire
Your spine is ablaze
Felling any foe with my gaze
And just in time
In the right place
Steadily emerging with grace
Song: Eyes on Fire
Artist: Blue Foundation
Space, in orbit of Earth
Ivan Ooze's spaceship
Twenty-one streaks of light didn't go unnoticed by the scanners on Ivan's massive ship.
"Father, twenty of the former rangers, including the crimson one, have left the Earth. We are tracking them as we speak," Toxa reported.
"I already know where they're going," Ivan growled.
"The Ninjetti Temple?" she asked. He nodded.
"Phaedos. Take a detachment of Tengus and make sure they don't return," Ivan growled. Toxa smirked, eager to finally get some real action.
"At once, Father," Toxa said, as she bowed deeply before she was gone.
"You will not come back to haunt me from the grave, Zander," Ivan growled, as purple lightning swirled angrily around him.
Phaedos
Zedd and the chosen twenty landed around the rocky outcroppings, near the raging river that ran through most of the planet. It looked much the same to the veteran rangers as it had twelve years ago. Hunter looked around, wondering if it had always looked this barren.
"It used to be populated, but has been desolate for more than six thousand years," Zedd told him, sensing his thoughts.
"Was…I born here?" Hunter asked curiously. Zedd nodded.
"In the palace, which I'm afraid was mostly destroyed when Master Vile attacked," a female voice said. They all turned to see a beautiful woman approach wielding a powerful staff.
"Dulcea…" Kimberly announced. The Master Warrior was dressed differently this time, in a more conservative type of silver Ninjetti uniform. It was comparable to the ones they had worn when they had first been given the Ninjetti powers, complete with a silver headband, though her uniform fit much tighter and was sleeveless.
"It's good to see you again, rangers," she said, as she slowly approached. Hunter turned and seemed frozen, as she approached him.
"Hello Hunter," Dulcea said, as she came face to face with her grown son. Hunter slowly softened, as he saw the unshed tears in her eyes, eyes that were the very same color as his own.
"Mom…" it came from his lips almost unconsciously and Dulcea forced her emotions down.
"As much as I wish we had more time right now, we don't. We must hurry to my Temple," she said, as she motioned for them to follow. Unfortunately, they heard a familiar and unwelcome squawking, as the Tengus descended upon them.
"Damn bloody birds," Zedd growled, as he fell into fighting stance with the others. Dulcea smacked one to the side with her staff, as she busted it in half, preparing to use the howling sound of her enchanted staff to force them away. But a blast of purple energy hit her squarely in the chest, knocking her hard on her back. Hunter fell to her side immediately without thinking and helped her to her feet, as she glared at the intruder.
"My father told me about your powers, witch and you won't be scaring me off with your silly wizardry tricks," the purple skinned female spat venomously.
"Who are you?!" Hunter demanded. She smirked.
"Toxa…it's not a name you'll soon forget, crimson ranger," she answered simply.
"Well, well, daughter of Ivan Ooze…I probably should have suspected you were involved in this," Zedd spat.
"Ivan Ooze has a daughter?" Tommy asked incredulously.
"Man…evil villains really need to stop having kids. It's creepy," Rocky joked.
"Why don't you take your bird brains and get lost, slime girl. There's twenty two of us and one of you," Kimberly taunted. Toxa laughed.
"Father told me that the pink one is amusing and he's right, as usual. Sorry pinky, but Father has asked me to make sure you don't return and the Tengus are the least of your worries," Toxa hissed, as bubbles of ooze formed on her fingertips. She flicked the slime onto the ground and it began to convulse with purple electricity.
"That was really gross," Tori commented. The ooze formed into creatures much like Ivan's henchmen, only these decidedly resembled Toxa a bit more.
"Be careful…they're very dangerous!" Dulcea warned. The Ninja team pulled away their civilian clothes in a flash, falling into fighting stance in their Ninja uniforms.
Tommy and Jason immediately went after Toxa and she proved her worth as a fighter, as she took on the two seasoned martial artists with little difficulty. She kicked Jason in the chest and sent him sprawling to the ground, before taking Tommy on solo. The longest serving ranger found himself a little outmatched without ranger powers and cried out in pain, as he went sprawling into a nearby rock. Toxa smirked and raised her hand, shooting a blast of electricity at Billy, Kim, and Rocky, throwing them back, as she continued her trek toward the Ninja team. She seemed focused on them and drew her long, curved blade.
"Looks like she wants to fight us," Dustin said.
"So let's give her a fight," Shane responded, intensity in his voice, as the air swirled around him and shot out as an air beam. But to his horror, Toxa batted the attack away like nothing. She smirked, as she saw the ground being unearthed by Dustin, as he burrowed beneath her. She lifted her foot and stomped it, causing the ground to shake. Dustin cried out, as he was thrust out of the ground and thrown onto his back.
"Your little Ninja tricks are no match for me," Toxa growled, as she blocked the torrent of water coming at her and reflected it back at Tori.
"Tori!" Hunter cried, as he watched her sail through the air. Toxa smirked evilly, as a bolt of purple lightning left her fingertips and hit the former blue wind ranger in her chest. Tori cried out in agony, as she was sent sprawling even higher into the air. She landed hard and rolled toward the cliff.
"Tori!" Hunter screamed, as he rushed toward her, parting the Tengus who tried to stop him with crimson thunder.
"Oh God Tori…" Hunter cried, as he lifted her into his arms.
"I'm…fine…" Tori groaned, but it was obvious the fall had left her in a lot of pain. They heard another cry of pain, as Cam hit the ground next and Blake stepped forward, his Navy Thunder leaving his fingertips. But Toxa met his attack with her own, cancelling his, before sweeping his legs out from under him. He hit the ground and she hovered above him.
"Guess you're going to the first to die, navy ranger," Toxa said, as she raised her curved blade, but not before smirking at Hunter.
"Say goodbye to baby brother, crimson ranger," she taunted with an evil chuckle.
"BLAKE!" Hunter cried, as his brother lay unable to move to avoid the blade.
"Hunter…you must let go and embrace the Phoenix spirit…" Dulcea told him telepathically. He looked at her in confusion.
"How are you talking to me?" he wondered silently.
"Telepathy sweetheart, but I don't have time to explain that to you right now," she replied, his eyes widened even more, as he realized that he had spoken to her in his mind as well.
"I don't know how…" Hunter said uncertainly.
"Yes you do, the roaring you keep hearing in your ears is the Phoenix spirit calling to you. You have to let go completely and embrace the power. Let go of your doubts…you almost had it last night, but you pulled back after you lifted that piece of concrete. This time…don't pull back. You must allow your powers to be awakened before you can take possession of the Phoenix Storm morpher," she explained. Hunter still hesitated, even as the roaring in his ears grew louder.
"If you don't, Blake will die…" Dulcea pleaded.
"No…NO BLAKE!" Hunter cried out, as he howled in rage, no longer resisting the call and the intense heat that seemed to want to ignite his entire body on fire.
Toxa prepared to drive her blade into Blake's heart, when she heard the crimson ranger scream, followed by a roaring sound. She glanced over and gasped, as she saw a torrent of fire barreling toward her. She raised her arm to block the attack, but felt it engulf her arm, burning with a vengeance. She screamed in agony and when the flames subsided, her arm was a badly burned, her singed flesh dripping ooze. Hunter looked at his hands in amazement, but felt understanding fill him as his Ninjetti spirit bonded to him. He looked at the daughter of evil with fury in his eyes, as a sphere of fire formed in his hand.
"Get away from my brother or I'll make the other arm match," Hunter threatened, as he set Tori on a flat rock for the moment and approached slowly. The Tengus and Ooze foot soldiers descended upon him, but explosions of feathers and slime peppered the ground, as crimson thunder obliterated them like nothing. Toxa unconsciously backed away from the prone navy ranger.
"Run back to your Father and tell him the son of Zander is coming for him," Hunter hissed. She steeled herself against his gaze.
"If you think for a second that this is over, then you are sadly mistaken. My Father is far more powerful than me and won't be so easily defeated…even by the mighty Phoenix," she hissed, as she disappeared. Hunter sighed and helped Blake up, before going to check on Tori. Despite his fussing over her, she insisted that she was fine and walked on her own to join the rest with her hand in his. She was in awe of his sudden display of power, as most of them were.
"Dude…that was AWESOME!" Dustin cheered. Hunter smirked and rolled his eyes, as Blake and Shane joined him, firing questions a mile a minute.
"Guys…later," Hunter said, quieting them.
"Yes, we must hurry to the Temple. Ivan will be furious when he finds out and will take his anger out on the Earth," Dulcea said. They all sobered and quickly followed the Master warrior to her Temple.
Ivan Ooze's spaceship
Xinshing's boots sounded thickly on the floor, as he entered his Master's Throne room, bowing deeply.
"You better have good news, General," Ivan warned. Xin smirked, as two of his men dragged a struggling human into his Throne Room.
"Mirinoi has fallen, My Lord," Xin said, as he tossed the charred, broken red quasar saber at his Master's feet.
"You'll pay for all the people you've killed…I swear, I'll make you pay!" Leo screamed, as he struggled against his captors.
"The rest of the Galaxy rangers are in the dungeon, but I thought you'd like to see the red one yourself. Shall I execute them, My Lord?" Xin asked, as he raised his blade.
"Easy General Xin, not yet. Lock him up with his teammates. They may become a valuable bargaining chip in the future," Ivan ordered. Xin nodded and motioned to his men, who dragged a struggling Leo out of the room. Xin hit the red ranger on the back on the head. His vision swam and he slumped to the floor, as unconsciousness swept him. His men easily dragged the young man to the dark cell and tossed him in with his teammates.
Phaedos
They climbed to the Temple and marveled at the architecture on the way.
"Dulcea…do we have to journey to the Monolith again?" Adam asked, as they finally all completed the climb of the stairs. She smiled.
"No…there are no tests this time. You are the twenty that the scroll of fire speaks of. There is only one thing that must be done to unlock the Dino gems, the Ninjetti power coins, and the…Hurricane Storm morphers," Dulcea said, as she stood before her son.
"And that would be?" Conner prompted.
"Hunter's powers have been awakened, as we all witnessed. Controlling them and strengthening them will come with time and training. But once he ventures into the Temple of the Phoenix and claims the Phoenix Storm morpher, it will unlock the rest," Dulcea explained.
"And the morpher will accept me, just like that?" Hunter asked. She smiled.
"Of course, it is your birthright, after all," she said, motioning to the Temple behind the platform in the near distance. It was trimmed in gold and a Phoenix was etched above the opening.
"Go inside the Temple and everything will become clear," Dulcea urged. He nodded, as Tori squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek. As Hunter entered the Temple, the rest of them took a moment to sit down and rest from the excitement that had already occurred.
"Excuse me…I don't mean to be rude or anything, but did I hear you say Dino Gems?" Kira asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, I heard that too. I thought our gems were drained of their powers. They're just rocks now," Conner added. Dulcea smiled at the pair.
"Your gems were drained, but the five Dino Gems that you know are simply replicas of the real gems," Dulcea stated.
"Replicas?" Tommy questioned. She nodded.
"Zordon decided that we should make replicas of five of the eight gems in case they would be needed. We honestly hoped that none of the morphers that are about to be unlocked would ever be needed," Dulcea explained.
"Why?" Ethan asked.
"Because they are unlike any powers that any rangers have ever held and are specifically meant for the twenty of you. Unlike powers you have held in the past, these cannot be destroyed or drained. They will forever be a part of you until you are able to pass them onto your children or a candidate the power deems worthy," Dulcea answered.
"So they're permanent?" Kimberly asked. Dulcea nodded.
"What if we don't want this?" Trent asked.
"I'm sorry…but you wouldn't be here unless the situation was dire. I'm afraid that without the twenty of you, not only would the Earth be doomed, but the entire Universe," Dulcea apologized. Trent huffed and got to his feet.
"He's really that powerful?" the former white ranger asked. Dulcea nodded sadly. Trent shook his head.
"And so we have to fight this guy, even though we clearly have little chance of winning and we're just supposed to be okay with that?! We're just supposed to give up our lives, because some old piece of paper says so?!" Trent ranted. Conner jumped up.
"Dude…calm down," he said, as he touched Trent's shoulder. The artist roughly shrugged him off.
"Don't touch me, McKnight," Trent hissed.
"What is your problem?!" Conner demanded.
"I didn't answer to you when we were rangers before and I'm not about to start now," Trent responded, glaring at him.
"I thought we were friends," Conner mumbled. Trent laughed.
"We were never friends, Conner. And you still don't trust me, so cut the nice act," Trent spat. Conner smirked.
"Fine, you're right, I don't. I think you need to check your ego though. This thing is way bigger than you, dude," Conner stated. Trent laughed.
"Really? The Conner McKnight is telling me that I'm the one that needs an ego check," Trent spat. Conner watched him for a moment and noticed that his eyes kept drifting to Kira. Then it suddenly made sense.
"This is about Kira, isn't it?" Conner asked quietly, though she heard perfectly. Trent shook his head, refusing to answer.
"You both need to stop this if we're going to be a team again," Kira demanded, as she tugged Conner's arm. He backed away, letting her lead him back to his seat. Tommy watched his students warily, knowing that there were unresolved issues between Conner and Trent that wouldn't be resolved overnight.
"Kira's right and I know you two have issues, but it can't spill over onto the battlefield," Tommy said, as he approached.
"None of us wanted this, Trent, but we have to step up or a lot more people are going to die," Tommy said, looking the other wielder of white in the eye.
"Fine…" Trent huffed, as Tommy put a hand on his shoulder.
"And if this is about Kira, you need to let it go. She's not some trophy for you guys to fight over. She's made her choice and if you decide to interfere with that, you'll get burned and end up not only hurting yourself, but the entire team," Tommy said quietly so only Trent could hear. Trent simply nodded. Tommy wasn't sure if he had really gotten through or if Trent had decided to concede for now just to get him to leave him alone. The tension was thick and Blake blew out a tired breath.
"Nothing quite like a love triangle to create drama, huh?" he joked. Tori smiled awkwardly and Blake shook his head.
"Sorry, bad joke. Besides, it doesn't look like much of a triangle really. Conner and Kira seem pretty tight," Blake mentioned. He didn't say it, but she heard the implication in his voice and the sentiment was silently implied about her and Hunter.
"Blake…I know we haven't had a chance to talk, but I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you," Tori said. He put his hands up.
"You don't have to do that, Tor. It just wasn't meant to be for us, I guess. Maybe if I had actually made a move or an effort to establish something between us, things might be different," Blake said, pausing before he continued.
"And I can't really say that I regret it, because I love my career. I left to live my life and you continued yours. And Hunter…well, I've never seen him this happy. I mean, I didn't think happy existed for him, because he never let anyone but me in," Blake said, smiling.
"I don't think he saw me coming. I sort of pulverized those walls he tries to put up, but he caught me off guard too. We didn't plan it…but we fell in love, even though we both felt guilty for a long time," Tori confessed. Blake smiled.
"Don't…don't feel guilty anymore. I'm okay and I'll be fine with just being friends…even your brother someday. I don't hate you guys, never could," he promised. She smiled.
"Besides, someone needs to keep Hunter in line and I'm happy I don't have to anymore. He's a pain in my ass most of the time," Blake joked. Tori laughed.
"Good thing keeping him in line is my specialty," she replied. Blake rolled his eyes.
"I'll bet. You know, he and Shane may wear red, but I think we all know who the real leader of this team is," he teased her. She smirked.
"And don't you forget it," she replied.
Rocky laughed, as Ethan finished his story.
"Really?" Rocky asked. Tommy rolled his eyes.
"Yes really, but I don't think it's that funny," Tommy grumbled.
"You were stuck in your ranger suit for a week. That's just plain hilarious. Guess you really are the greatest ranger of all time, Doctor Oliver," Rocky teased.
"Oh yeah, it was a barrel of laughs," Tommy replied sarcastically.
"Not half as funny as some of the other stories they told me," Ethan chuckled. Tommy shook his head.
"You know what paybacks are, don't you Rock?" Tommy asked, trying to keep a straight face, but failing.
"Bring it on Rainbow Ranger!" Rocky called, as he and the others busted up laughing. Tommy shook his head.
"You better sleep with one eye open, Ape boy," Tommy warned in a teasing tone.
"Billy?" Katherine asked, as she approached him. The former blue had been sitting by himself, looking out at the horizon for some time now and like always, she was worried about him for obvious reasons.
"Huh…oh hey Kat," he answered.
"I know this is a stupid question, but are you all right?" she asked. He smirked.
"I'm…well, I'm not sure what I am. I guess I just want to get this over with and get back to Trina," Billy responded. Kat nodded.
"I know what you mean. I know Ninja Ops is secretive, but Malcolm has really deep pockets and resources. And then there's Ivan Ooze complicating my life even more," Kat mentioned.
"Malcolm?" Billy asked in confusion.
"My ex-husband, who happens to be a notorious mobster that wants me dead for what I've seen. Aiden and I have been in witness protection for three years, before all this started. I really know how to pick 'em," Kat joked. Billy looked at her in surprise.
"I had no idea..." he said. She shrugged.
"Jason and Trini were the only ones that did and that's because Jason is my handler. If you look up epic failures in the dictionary, my picture is probably there," Kat replied.
"Don't talk like that, you're not a failure. Aiden seems like a pretty great kid," Billy mentioned. She smiled.
"He's my pride and joy, pretty much the only thing I did right after high school," she said. Billy squeezed her shoulder.
"Well, things have changed now. I don't really care how powerful this guy is supposed to be. I doubt he can handle a few rangers, let alone twenty," Billy told her. She smiled thinly and nodded.
"Ivan Ooze is going to pay too…for what he did to Aquitar," she promised. He nodded.
Hunter looked around the Temple, taking in his surroundings. The gold walls were offset by the gigantic crimson Phoenix that was emblazoned on the wall behind a golden pillar that rested in the center. On the pillar, peculiar crimson flames swirled and seemed to stay confined to the top of the pillar, rather than spreading like normal fire. Hunter squinted, trying to make out the object that seemed to be in the center of the small inferno.
"Am I really supposed to stick my hand in the fire to get that morpher?" he wondered.
"The flames cannot hurt you…in fact, they are a part of you," a ghostly male voice said, as a figure shimmered to life. Hunter looked on with wide eyes, as a man who resembled him greatly appeared before him.
"Are you…" Hunter started, but his voice faded.
"Yes, I am Zander, your birth Father," he answered knowingly.
"How?" Hunter asked. The man smirked.
"This is the Temple of the Phoenix, my son and I will be here to guide you. Someday, you will probably do the same for your heir, though I only hope your time will not be cut short as mine was," Zander stated.
"Unfortunately, time is not on our side. You must claim your birthright and unlock the other morphers. When Ivan Ooze learns that you are not just a descendant of mine, but actually my son, he will take it out on the Earth, I'm afraid," Zander warned. Hunter winced.
"I probably shouldn't have revealed that to that witch," he mumbled. Zander smiled.
"He already suspects anyway so it wouldn't have mattered much. Now, tame the fire and claim your power," Zander instructed. Hunter took a deep breath and raised his hand, calling the flames. They obeyed his command and hovered above his palm. They died out and the morpher rested in his hand. Hunter looked at it, admiring the crimson and gold wrist morpher, emblazoned with the Phoenix in the center.
"Go now…return to your planet," Zander urged. Hunter strapped the morpher to his wrist.
"Will I…see you again?" he asked. Zander chuckled.
"Don't worry, we'll meet again my son," Zander promised, as he faded away. Hunter took another deep breath and exited the Temple to face his mission.
Tommy sighed with worry, as he watched his former students. With eight Dino gems, he guessed that meant the other four would go to four of his former team members. That made him feel a little better, considering the strife between Conner and Trent. The white ranger wouldn't take orders from the red, and red didn't trust white, but if Jason was a part of that team, he would at least be able to keep them both in line. He shook his head, not envious of his best friend in that respect at all. He heard soft footfalls behind him and turned, only to find Kimberly slowly approaching him. Their eyes finally met, truly for the first time that day, and he suddenly felt like it was 1995 again.
"Hey…" she said awkwardly.
"Hi…long time no see," he replied.
"Long time no see? You're a real Master conversationalist, Oliver," he mentally scolded himself.
"Yeah…so Dr. Oliver, huh?" she asked. He shook his head.
"Not you too. The guys give me enough crap for it," Tommy replied.
"No…I think it's great. You always were a great teacher," she said. He nodded.
"I heard I'm not the only one teaching," he mentioned. She shrugged.
"You know what they say…those who can't do…teach," she responded.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry that things didn't work out with the Olympics and all," he said.
"That's the breaks. I guess it just wasn't meant to be," Kimberly said sadly, though it seemed that she was talking about more than just the Olympics.
"Tommy…"
"Kim…" they both said simultaneously.
"You first," he told her. She nodded and tried to form the words when they saw fire shoot from the Temple of the Phoenix. Three panels opened in the floor around them, as three stone pillars emerged, each topped with an ornate chest. They snapped open and there was a triad of light that exploded from each pillar. They saw Hunter return from the Temple, a look of determination on his face. It was time and their talk would have to wait…