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 17! Enjoy and let me know what you think! Thanks to all the great reviews too and here's notes to those individuals:
Ginerva Riddle Malfoy: Thank you, for you to say that this is the best PR fic you've ever read is a huge compliment. I'm honored and humbled that you think so. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. :)
fallingstar22: Yep, that was the first of many battles and Ivan's lackeys aren't going to win so easily or at all for that matter. Yep, Gorbin is despicable and you haven't seen the half of just how icky he is. He's going to give Ivan a run for his money. Not in power, but in evilness in future chapters. Stay tuned. ;)
MMPRfansince93: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it. And the intensity won't be dying down anytime soon. ;)
garnetred: Thanks, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. :)
Harry2: Yep, problems brewing on multiple fronts and the ride is only just beginning. :)
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Thanks, so glad you're enjoying the story. Lots of action and romance to come. As for your story, I will try to take a look soon when I can. I have a few other fics beside this one and work full time, so busy, busy, but I will see what I can do soon. :)
RHatch89: Thanks, glad you're enjoying the story. :)
Skull RiderSP: Thanks, glad you liked the fight scenes. As for sector nine's plans, only time will tell. I definitely have a few surprises in store, but I haven't fleshed out the whole story yet so anything is possible at this point. :)
Crimson Rising
Chapter 17: Secrets
From all the truth that I've said
Come by it honestly I swear
Thought you saw me wink, no
I've been on the brink, so
Tell me what you want to hear
Something that will light those ears
Sick of all the insincere
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away
This time, don't need another perfect lie
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away
Song: Secrets
Artist: OneRepublic
Ninja Ops
The rangers all nearly collapsed in exhaustion when they arrived back at Ninja Ops just moments apart. The Overdrive rangers were being treated for minor injuries, as their ranger suits didn't quite have the protection the new teams had in their more armored gear.
"You guys won!" Dax cheered. A few of them shot him weary glances.
"Thanks, but I don't know if I'd call that a victory," Tommy responded.
"But…we saw Hunter kill like two of those green creeps on the viewing screen," Rose mentioned.
"You killed two of the Duronians?" Jason asked, impressed. They had fought one too, but it had ended in a draw.
"Uh…yeah I guess. They're unbelievably strong though. It would have been a different story without my healing powers, because I took some hard hits," Hunter warned.
"Healing powers too?" Will asked in disbelief, though some detected a twinge of envy in his voice. Hunter shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
"I guess…I don't really even know myself," he said, overwhelmed by all his new abilities that he didn't yet understand or had yet to master. He felt his Uncle's hand on his shoulder.
"Your training will teach you everything you need to know," Zedd assured him, as he and Kanoi exchanged a weary look. Tori picked up on it first.
"What's going on?" she asked, noticing the exchange.
"Something else happened this afternoon while we were gone," Zedd began.
"What?" Hunter asked.
"The Thunder Academy was destroyed," Kanoi announced sadly. Hunter felt his heart drop to his stomach.
"What?" Blake uttered in disbelief.
"My students…" Hunter muttered, as Tori was instantly by his side.
"They are safe. Sensei Omino took my advice and sent the students home as we did here a few days ago…but I'm afraid he and most of the staff were there when the blast hit," Kanoi informed sadly.
"It was Toxa…she used her zord to blast it from afar. We sent the Overdrive rangers to put out the flames…but it was too late. The blast destroyed everything upon impact," Hayley told him sadly.
"It's my fault…she did it to get revenge on me," Hunter said, anguish in his voice.
"No…this is Toxa's fault…Ivan Ooze's fault. Of that, there is no doubt," Zedd responded quickly.
"I provoked her into doing it…" Hunter mumbled.
"You saved my life, bro. You saved me from her and the bitch killed them for it!" Blake yelled.
"Blake…" Hunter started.
"No…you always do this! Will you just stop blaming yourself?" Blake snapped.
"Dammit Hunter, you're not responsible for every fucking thing that goes wrong in our lives! You blamed yourself for mom and dad dying! You blamed yourself for Lothor brainwashing us! If anything, this one's on me, bro. You were just saving my ass…again," Blake roared in anger and grief, as he used his Ninja streak to escape Ops.
"Blake…" Hunter cried, but Zedd stopped him.
"Let me handle this one," Zedd suggested. Hunter looked unsure and Zedd smiled.
"He's your brother so that makes him my other nephew and I also know a bit about being the younger brother," Zedd reminded, as he disappeared into his own green Ninjetti streak.
"It's getting late. We have a lot to figure out, but we should probably all try and get some sleep. Since Mr. Collins' mansion isn't an option anymore, we can take more to mine," Andrew suggested.
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea anymore either," Tommy responded.
"Why not?" Mack asked.
"Because they're going to try and arrest your dad now, including anyone that's with him," Jason answered.
"They won't get past my security, I assure you," Andrew responded. Tommy shook his head.
"You don't know that. They know too much about all of us. We've all been too careless during our times as rangers and unfortunately, we're all going to have to fly under the radar now when we're not in ranger form," Tommy said.
"Tommy's right. We don't even know how much longer it will be until they find this place," Hunter added.
"Yeah man and if these guys can get past Cam's security, then they can get past yours," Shane added. Andrew put his hands up.
"I appreciate what you're all saying, but there's no way they'll get to us once we're inside my compound. We'll be safe there," Andrew argued, as the Overdrive rangers followed him.
"Will anyone else be joining us?" Mack asked. The room was silent.
"Sorry Mack, while we appreciate yours and your dad's hospitality, Tommy and Jason are right on this one. My team has lost too much to take that chance again," Carter spoke first.
"My dad is one of the most powerful business men on the planet and they put him behind bars just a few hours ago. His and my accounts are all frozen. None of us are safe," Wes added bitterly.
"Tommy and Jason were rangers way before any of us. We need to follow their lead," Hunter agreed.
"Just because we haven't been rangers for very long doesn't mean we don't know anything!" Will snapped.
"Will…that's not what they're saying," Kira assured the black Overdrive ranger.
"We just want you guys to be safe. That General Gorbin guy said they have ways of holding even rangers," Tori added.
"And something tells me that we shouldn't take his threats lightly. In a lot of ways, these sector nine guys could be just as dangerous as Ivan Ooze himself," Adam stated.
"Yeah, buck up mate, no one's attacking you. But you guys and us, the Mystics, are still the rookies here. The legends know what they're doing," Xander chimed in.
"You know, I'm getting really tired of being called a rookie," Ronny mentioned.
"It's not meant to offend you. We're just looking out for our kind here," Conner tried to explain.
"Maybe we're not your kind," Will replied with a shrug. Conner blanched.
"What is that supposed to mean?" the red Dino ranger asked.
"Guys…come on, this isn't solving anything," Mack said, trying to diffuse the situation.
"No Mack…you may be our red, but you're way too nice," Dax retorted, siding with Will.
"It means that we're about the only ranger team that hasn't had someone go all evil on them or completely fail to destroy the bad guys in the first place. The "legends" failed to destroy their enemies and they came back to haunt us in the form of Thrax. Oh and wasn't there the whole Serpentera incident a few years ago? Did you "legends" manage to destroy any of your baddies?" Will stated coldly. There was dead silence in the room again, as the black Overdrive ranger divided his team from the rest, instantly creating a rift.
"That was uncalled for, Will," Andrew spoke harshly.
"The truth hurts," Will replied with a shrug.
"Maybe you're right and I for one am glad that your team didn't have anyone go through the pain of being put under a spell and forced to do terrible things. But we can't let our differences divide us…especially not at a time like this. You guys can go home to San Angeles if you want, but just be careful, because things are going to be different now that everyone knows who we are," Tommy warned. Will seemed to nod in acceptance and against their advice, Cam teleported the Overdrive rangers and Andrew to their home base.
"Care if I join you?" Zedd asked, as he sat next to Blake in the spot he'd picked in the forest clearing.
"Will it matter? You're going to sit here anyway," Blake grumbled, making Zedd chuckle.
"You're right…I just thought you might like to talk to someone a bit more objective than your teammates," Zedd replied.
"You're Hunter's Uncle. That hardly makes you objective," Blake said.
"Perhaps, but you're Hunter's brother, which makes you my nephew too by extension. And I have a bit of experience in the department of being the younger brother," Zedd replied. Blake seemed to take an interest in this.
"Were you always in Zander's shadow?" Blake asked bluntly. Zedd smirked.
"Always, though my brother always included me and always tried to take care of me. It was hard to be mad at him sometimes, but I managed," Zedd stated.
"Sounds like Hunter. He's always hovering, like I can't take care of myself and always blaming himself for everything. I love my brother, but I'll admit I was enjoying being on my own with Factory Blue," Blake admitted.
"Was?" Zedd asked. Blake scoffed.
"I'm pretty sure there's probably a nasty message from Roger Hanna on my phone telling me that my contract with them is terminated," Blake replied.
"It's not fair, I know. I came here to make sure you all had what was needed to fight Ivan Ooze. I never planned on your identities being revealed and that your own people would turn against you," Zedd apologized.
"Yeah…and here I am worrying about myself again. Hunter's going through way more than I am and he's still worried about me," Blake shook his head at his behavior.
"You've been on your own for a while and have only had to worry about yourself. It will take some time, but you'll adjust back into life as a team again. Taking care of yourself is important too. Zander was always too busy taking care of everyone else that he neglected himself most of the time. He would have been a complete mess most of the time if not for Dulcea," Zedd mentioned. Blake smirked.
"That's Hunter to a T. Glad he's Tori's problem now," Blake joked, making Zedd chuckle and pat him on the shoulder.
"We should get back though, before the hothead hyperventilates because you've been gone too long," Zedd joked, glad that they had found a common ground of sorts.
"I know, he's worse than my mom used to be," Blake jabbed, as they laughed.
"Man…that punk had a lot of nerve," Eric grumbled, referring to Will.
"Easy Eric…we're all just under a lot of stress," Wes replied.
"Yeah…like how most of us have probably been fired from our jobs. I'll warn everyone now. You probably have some angry voicemails on your phones," Jason said.
"The FBI let you go?" Kat asked. Jason nodded.
"Oh yeah…but I knew my badge was gone the minute you guys told me about sector nine. Gorbin has known I was a ranger all along, which means that they knowingly allowed me into the bureau even though they might have known about my ranger past," Jason acknowledged.
"Yeah, I'm sure this whole thing goes way deeper than Gorbin. He's probably just the front man," Adam added.
"I'm sure I'm fired too," Tommy mentioned, as Elsa, Trent and Anton arrived through the portal.
"That makes two of us. I'm afraid Reefside High announced that we're both out of a job," Elsa said.
"I was fearing the worst. I thought maybe they had gotten to you," Tommy said, as he shook Anton's hand.
"Without Trent's camouflage, they probably would have. But I had to get a few very important things from my mansion, which is crawling with government agents right about now," Anton said, as he set the silver case on the table.
"What's so important that you risked going back to your house?" Jason questioned.
"My entire company's assets and accounts have been frozen and I should be as broke as any of us right now since the FBI has frozen all our accounts," Anton stated, as he opened the case.
"Should be?" Tommy questioned, with a smirk.
"I may not be Mesagog anymore, but neither of us ever trusted anyone much, so fortunately, much of my personal wealth has been stored away in a very safe place where they'll never find it," Anton said, as he handed a disc to Hayley, who sat at the Ops computer terminal. Hayley slipped the disc in, as Anton continued to explain his plan.
"In my time as Mesagog, I was well aware that I was not the only one watching the rangers every move. I had no idea how much they knew, but I did know they had spies in Reefside," Anton said, pausing for a moment.
"After I was free of Mesagog, I sought out Mr. Collins and told him the whole story. We agreed that a day could come where we would have to protect our boys and all the rangers should your identities ever be exposed. He agreed and we jointly funded this," Anton said, gesturing toward the screen. On it, they saw an island that was reminiscent of the one Mesagog had operated from, but decidedly less dark and creepy.
"An island?" Shane raised an eyebrow, now quite understanding.
"A new ranger base," Anton corrected, as he zoomed in and showed a very large compound in the center.
"And they won't find it?" Hunter asked, now with rapt attention. Anton nodded.
"This island works much the same way that Mesagog's did. It's technically right here on Earth, but in a sort of dimensional pocket so to speak. We can only teleport there or use invisiportals if I decide to activate the network again. For now though, I think teleportation is safest," Anton explained.
"Yeah, invisiportals might be discovered by them more easily. From what I've seen, teleportation isn't within their grasp yet," Billy said, as he approached, examining the island on the screen.
"Alpha should almost be done with our new communication devices. I'll be able to re-route everyone's SIM cards to work with the new phones, but without them being traceable. Adam and I will go get him in the morning and see if there's anything else in the catacombs of the old command center that we might need," Billy added. Tommy nodded.
"We better all try and get some sleep. We can make due with sleeping bags in here for tonight and then we'll pack up and relocate tomorrow. We shouldn't stay here any longer than that in case they do find the school," Tommy said.
"We've got camping gear in the storage closet. There should be enough sleeping bags in there," Cam mentioned, as he headed there with Shane and Dustin to help. Hunter sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Are you okay?" Tori asked. He nodded.
"Yeah, I'm just worried about Blake," he replied.
"He'll be fine and none of this is your fault," she reminded.
"I know…but they're going to take his career away from him and I hate that!" Hunter exclaimed in frustration, as she put her arms around him.
"It was so hard for me to let him go when he left…but it's what I always wanted for him. I wanted him to have a different life. I didn't want him to continue to be a ninja. I never even wanted him to be a ranger the first time," Hunter fretted.
"You can't fight destiny, bro," Blake said, as he came down the stairs with Zedd behind him.
"You okay?" Hunter asked.
"Yes Mommy, I'm a big boy now," Blake retorted, expecting his older brother to roll his eyes.
"Cute," Hunter shot back, as Blake playfully punched his shoulder.
"Let's all call it a night and get some rest," Cam said, as he, Shane, and Dustin started passing out sleeping bags. They agreed and soon, Ninja Ops was dark.
The Power Chamber
The desert on the outskirts of Angel Grove
"This is great Alpha, you did an amazing job," Billy complimented, as he and Adam examined the new communication devices that Alpha created. The eager little robot had worked nonstop and managed to not only make them for the twenty rangers that were now active again, but also the remaining Lightspeed rangers, Wild Force, Mystic Force, Wes and Eric.
Adam smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"I guess I had no idea you still had all the equipment here to do all this," Adam mentioned, looking around at the dusty and still wrecked surroundings that had once been the power chamber before Divatox's goons trashed it back in 1998.
"Zordon prepared for everything. The prototype and materials were waiting for me," Alpha responded. Billy smirked.
"I knew it. Let's see this place then Alpha. There may be more that Zordon wanted us to find," Billy said.
"But…Zordon said that…" Alpha sputtered.
"Not to let us see it unless the situation was dire?" Adam asked.
"Oh aye yi yi…" Alpha fretted.
"Alpha, our situation is as dire as it's ever been. Ivan Ooze is back, our identities were revealed, we're all wanted fugitives, and Hunter is Zordon's nephew. I'm betting there are things he wanted Hunter and the rest of us to know," Billy reasoned.
"Oh, I hope you're right Billy," Alpha fretted, as he pressed a white button on the console, teleporting the three of them down into another corridor, one the black and blue Ninjetti rangers had never seen.
"Whoa…" Adam said, as he looked around the new room. It was small, but the shelves were lined with all kinds of things and there was an empty tube where Zordon had once resided.
"Welcome to Zordon's study," Alpha stated.
"Alpha…what's on all these data discs?" Billy asked.
"History mostly, of Eltar, Earth, Aquitar, Triforia, and many others. There is also extensive historical records of every known ranger team in the universe," Alpha explained.
"Amazing…think of all we could learn," Adam mentioned. Billy nodded with a smile, sharing his thirst for knowledge.
"Unfortunately, it will have to be for another day," Billy replied.
"Alpha, do you know what Zordon would have wanted us to have in a time like this?" Adam asked. The little robot turned and trotted over to the console. The shelves on the far wall slid aside, as Alpha pressed a red button. Adam and Billy stared at the crimson Phoenix emblazoned on the door to a safe that had literally been chiseled into the rock. Alpha inputted the code and opened the safe, before taking out a black metal case, this also emblazoned with a crimson Phoenix.
"For Hunter, though Zordon's message is for all rangers," Alpha explained. Adam nodded and took the case. Adam and Billy stared at it in disbelief. Since Zordon's passing, the original teams had clung to his memory and the regret that they had never gotten the chance to say goodbye.
"Zordon loved all of you and he recorded a message not only for his nephew that he watched from afar, but for the ones he considered his children as well," Alpha told them.
"I miss him," Billy said, fighting back his grief over everything that had happened.
"Me too, but he probably knew something like this could happen and we need his guidance more than anything right now," Adam said. No matter what Zordon's message was, they knew the original teams would take great comfort in whatever he had to say.
"We better get the phones and get back to Ninja Ops," he added. Billy nodded, as Alpha teleported them back to the main chamber where they retrieved the cases with the new communication devices, before the three of them teleported back to Blue Bay Harbor.
Ninja Ops
The dawn rays were slowly filtering through the entryway to Ninja Ops and a few began to stir. Adam and Billy had gotten up very early and were already gone to the power chamber. Rocky groaned, feeling his sore muscles protest.
"Wow…I feel like I got ran over by a zord. I don't remember feeling this sore after a battle…ever," Rocky mumbled.
"You're getting old," Aisha chimed sleepily, without missing a beat. The red Ninjetti attempted to glare down at his sleeping wife, but he melted at the sight of her curled up with their sleeping daughter.
"I'm not old. Not even ranger armor can protect us from all the crap we got thrown at us last night," he grumbled, as he saw Cam stumble in from the residence hall and make his way to the Ops computer terminal.
"There's someone at the portal already," Cam said, as Rocky stumbled over.
"Uh…I'm pretty sure Conner is over there, so how is he at the portal too?" Rocky asked, eyeing the Conner double on the monitor, who looked quite angry.
"That's Eric McKnight…Conner's twin. He's an air Ninja student here," Cam explained.
"Well from the look on his face, I'd say that he wasn't clued in on his twin's extracurricular spandex activities in high school," Rocky quipped. Cam shook his head.
"I'm so glad my only family knows about this," Cam mentioned. Rocky patted him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, be glad. I'm sure I have an angry voicemail in Spanish from my hysterical mother waiting for me on my phone," Rocky replied, as Eric McKnight came down the stairs in a huff.
"Please tell me you weren't followed," Cam whispered. Eric shook his head.
"I used Ninja streak to get here. I may be here to kill my brother, but I wouldn't betray the school," Eric spat back.
"Hey, go easy on him, kid. He wasn't allowed to tell you and with good reason. Look at what they've done to our lives in the space of twenty-four hours," Rocky warned. But the other McKnight twin ignored him and made a beeline for his sleeping brother.
"Wake up…Conner wake up…" Eric hissed.
"Wha…Eric, the hell are you doing here?" Conner mumbled.
"Get up…we need to talk," he snapped.
"Dude…I couldn't tell you. It's just not something we wanted publicized for obvious reasons," Conner tried to explain, as he sat up, while running a hand through his messy chestnut locks.
"Dammit Conner…I'm your twin! How could you keep this from me?" Eric demanded to know, as he lightly shoved him.
"Don't push me, dude. You think this is easy? If you watched TV last night, you probably saw that being a ranger is not fun and games," Conner hissed.
"But I was chosen and the Earth needs us, so you can bet I'm going to step up. When's the last time you did anything for anyone other than yourself?" Conner spat. Eric rolled his eyes.
"Oh, you're one to talk, jocko. You used to be the most self-centered, ego driven jerk on the planet," Eric spat in return.
"That's the key word, bro…used to be. I've changed and I'm proud to be doing something that matters, no matter how hard it's going to be," Conner stated. Eric huffed. "The cops were at our house for like five hours interviewing us about you last night! The coach called dad and told him how you walked out on the team and threw away your career! What the hell?" Eric said. By now, everyone was waking up.
"Did you not just hear anything I had to say?" Conner hissed.
"What good is soccer if there's no Earth to play it on?" Conner almost roared, before Kira touched his arm and gently tugged him back. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again, taking a calming breath.
"Don't you think you're being a bit over dramatic? Those guys at house last night said that if you would just work with them, then this alien guy wouldn't be a problem," Eric surmised.
"Those government creeps have no idea what they're dealing with," Hunter grumbled, as he pulled himself from the floor.
"Yeah, they said you'd say that, dude," Eric flitted.
"As long as you're a student of mine, you'll address him as Sensei Bradley," Shane said firmly, reprimanding his student.
"Yeah, you sent all the students home, Sensei Clarke and I'm not so sure I'll be returning," Eric responded. Shane let no emotion show on his face and aimed a hard stare at him.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Shane responded simply.
"Eric…listen, you don't want to trust those creeps. Hunter is right. They don't understand, trust me," Conner pleaded.
"Trust you? Really dude?" Eric snorted.
"I couldn't tell you! No matter how much I wanted to!" Conner pleaded. But Eric only shook his head.
"Whatever bro…you've made your choice and it wasn't me. Or Mom and Dad," Eric replied, as he left.
"Eric!" Conner called, but his twin continued on his way. He felt Kira's hand on his shoulder.
"He'll come around eventually. He's just angry right now," Kira tried to assure him.
"I hope you're right," he replied with a sigh.
"That was probably a good indication of how today is going to go," Rocky mentioned. As everyone slowly started to rouse, many headed to the student locker rooms to use the showers and clean up. After that, breakfast was soon underway and then training commenced. Adam and Billy arrived back with Alpha and distributed the new phones which they had programmed to work with the same SIM cards and numbers without being traceable. The mood at the school quickly began going downhill, as the rangers began listening to the messages on their phones…