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

garnetred: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. As for Will, he *thinks* he has everything under control, but let's just say, that may change after his first real battle with Ooze. That may be an eye opener. ;) As for other OD rangers, they feel backed into a corner right now, especially the girls. The next battle which is coming up in about 3 chapters for now will probably be a game changer.

fallingstar22: Yep, Gorbin is bad to the core. Will is arrogant and too sure of himself, but not evil necessarily. I'm playing around with his character flaws. And your guess about the OD rangers will be seen in a few chapters down the road. As mentioned above, they were backed into a corner and they took the easy way...for now. ;)

Harry2: Yes, OD is seemingly working with sector 9 for now. But they were backed into a corner with the exception of Will. Things may very well change down the road. As for Mystic Force, they will remain in the background. I had trouble getting into Mystic Force and have only seen like two episodes. Rangers from MMPR/Zeo, NS, and DT will remain the focus. Others will have minor roles.

TommyOliverMMPRFan: Yeah, I haven't forgotten about Malcolm and I still have that plot on the burner. He'll make his presence known in coming chapters. Glad you're enjoying the story. :)

WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Thanks, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Yeah, Will is being an ass right now. He may be eating humble pie though somewhere down the road as his path isn't going to lead him anywhere good. But that's for future chapters. ;)

MMPRFansince93: Yeah, the OD team got backed into a corner. Like stated above, they will definitely struggle with this decision. As for Malcolm, he'll pop up again in future chapters. ;)

RHatch89: Thanks, glad you're enjoying the story. :)

Crimson Rising

Chapter 20: Wipe Your Eyes

Hey you, come over and let me embrace you
I know that I'm causing you pain too
But remember if you need to cry
I'm here to wipe your eyes

Tonight before you fall asleep
I run my thumb across your cheek (across your cheek)
Cry 'cause I'm here to wipe your eyes
I know I made you feel this way
You gotta breathe, we'll be okay (be okay)
Cry 'cause I'm here to wipe your eyes

Please don't lose your faith
Don't worry 'cause I'm here to keep you safe
I promise if you let me see your face
That I won't let you down
I won't let you down
I'm here to wipe your eyes

Song: Wipe Your Eyes

Artist: Maroon 5

The Legacy Compound

Training Gym

Conner groaned, as he landed on his back for the fifth time. Getting a sparring session with the original bearer of his Dino powers was a true honor for him, but Conner had never been so outmatched, even during one of Dr. O's training sessions. Jason smirked and helped him up.

"Am I really that bad?" Conner asked. Jason chuckled.

"Nah, I'm just that good," he replied. Tommy rolled his eyes, as Hunter blocked his roundhouse kick and aimed a hook punch for his head. He blocked the crimson ranger's punch and moved in for a jab, which the blonde ducked.

"Still has an ego the size of Jupiter too," Tommy mumbled, but Hunter chuckled, hearing his joke.

Eric wore his usual cocky smirk, as he and Shane sparred, resuming the one that had been interrupted a few nights ago.

"You're not bad for a rookie, I'll give you that," Eric said, as he blocked several of Shane's punches. Wes rolled his eyes from the sidelines, as his best friend taunted the red wind ranger. Shane smirked and swept Eric's legs out from under him and gazed down at him.

"Yep and you're not bad for a cop," Shane replied, as he offered his hand to the former Silver Guardian. Eric smirked and accepted his help.

"Not a cop. We were Silver Guardians. That's way better than cops and we had cooler toys. Plus, we answered to Wes' dad and not the stupid government," Eric reminded.

"Speaking of Wes' dad, when are you guys going?" Hunter asked.

"We want to wait until the middle of the night to minimize the upheaval we're going to create," Tommy responded.

"We should call it a night on the training. I think our soccer star has had enough," Jason chuckled, as he helped him up again. Conner groaned, glad that Trent and Ethan weren't here to make fun of him.

"Why are only reds down here training anyway? I thought we weren't starting until morning," Conner grumbled. Tommy smirked.

"Cause we're reds or used to be in my case and some say we're all a little crazy. But we always have to train twice as much as the others, just to make sure we're ready," Tommy said. Jason scoffed in amusement.

"Yeah, cause when I was red and you were white, I was training and you were macking on Kimmie," Jason poked. Tommy gave him a weary glance.

"Don't start with me, Jase," Tommy warned.

"Bro…have you talked to her yet?" he asked.

"Not yet…I mean a little on Phaedos, but we didn't really get to say much, not that it's any business of yours," Tommy replied.

"Dude…do you love her?" Shane asked. Tommy gave him another look.

"Don't call me dude," Tommy warned. Shane smirked.

"Sorry Dr. Touchy, but if you love her and I think your friend Billy will tell you the same, then don't wait. I only knew the love of my life for a few hours and then she was gone," Shane said sadly, silencing them all.

"I barely knew her…yet I felt like I'd known her forever. I didn't believe in soul mates until Skyla fell into my life. She died in my arms and I got a battelizer out of it," Shane continued.

"And believe me, I would have given that damn thing up in heartbeat just to have her instead, consequences be damned. If she's the one, Dr. O, then don't be an idiot and let her get away again. Some of us don't get second chances," Shane finished, the pain in his voice still as raw as it had been the day he lost Skyla and he silently walked off toward the showers.

"He's right you know. I know a bit of what he's talking about too," Wes mentioned.

"Sometimes it sucks being a member of the red club, because some of us got our girls, some of us lost them, and some of us were just plain stupid and squandered a good thing," Eric added his two cents. Tommy sighed.

"I appreciate what you guys are saying, but it's not that simple with Kim and me," Tommy stressed.

"Not to jump on the bandwagon here, but I know Tori was definitely worth the risks I took," Hunter chimed in.

"I used to feel like the world's worst big brother, but she's everything to me and she was worth possibly losing my brother for. I just got lucky that my little bro doesn't hate me, but even if he did, she'd still be worth it," Hunter said, as he headed for the showers too.

"Go find her bro. Stop letting some piece of paper that was written in high school come between you two. Life's too fleeting for that shit," Jason added finally. Tommy sighed, knowing they were all right and he left the dojo, heading upstairs to find a certain pink clad teammate.

As twilight dawned on the island, everyone slowly began heading back inside. Tori waited though, letting the water of the coming tide splash around her in the surf. She knew he'd come for her, as they had spent many nights on the beach together back in Blue Bay Harbor. The warm breeze tossed her blonde locks about and she was awed by the beautiful sunset on the horizon.

"Waiting for someone?" Hunter asked coyly, as he approached. She smiled up at him, the sound of his deep, tenor voice sending delicious chills down her spine and she wondered idly when it happened that just the sound of his voice could illicit such warm feelings to swell in her heart. He sparked such intense feelings in her that she never thought she would ever experience so deeply.

"It's about time," she teased, as he sat down next to her. She cuddled against him, as he put his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head on his shoulder. She relished his warmth, as the evening air had cooled. He was usually warm, but these days, his body temperature was even warmer than usual, almost an alarming warm at times. She had thought at first, before they learned of his true heritage, that he was coming down with something. But the awakening of his other element was the cause and she was enjoying his extra warmth.

"Cold?" he asked in a teasing tone. She smiled.

"Not anymore. I'm so glad I have my very own walking heater," she teased back. He smiled and kissed her hair.

"Are you going tell me what's bothering you? Even though I think I can guess," he said. She turned to face him, her silken blonde blocks wafting in the breeze.

"I don't know why this guy is being allowed to have so much power, but watching him shoot you in cold blood…" Tori said, her sentence trailing off, as he caressed her cheek.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry I scared you," Hunter replied. She shook her head.

"It's not your fault. None of us saw that coming. I knew this guy was bad news, but he showed us how much evil he is truly capable of today. I know we have to deal with Ivan Ooze first, but what about this guy? He's going to hurt more innocent people," Tori fretted. He nodded.

"I know. Tommy and Jason were talking about it. They think there's more going on in Washington than we know," Hunter stated.

"Jason said that this Gorbin guy wouldn't have the power to do half of what he is, even in a time of war," he added.

"But…why has no one stopped him then?" she asked. Hunter shrugged.

"We're not sure, but it's probably because he's got others in the government manipulating things. He's not in this alone. That's Tommy and Jason's theory anyway. They think that maybe the President might just be a figurehead now. Gorbin and whoever his cohorts are have been waiting for an opportunity like this and when Ooze attacked, they initiated their own plan. It's all theory, but Tommy and Jason know what they're talking about," Hunter told her. She nodded, still reliving the memory of him lying lifeless and bleeding on the ground. He caught her stare and lifted her chin with his hand.

"I'm fine Tor; it's going to take a lot more than a bullet or an energy blast to take me out now. They'll have to do better than that," he assured her. Her face soured.

"That's what I'm afraid of. They're going to try and kill you constantly, both Gorbin's goons and Ooze's army. I'm scared I'm going to lose you," she admitted. He knew she didn't like to admit that she got scared.

"I know. I can't believe how out of control things have gotten in just a few days and I wish I didn't have to say this, but it might only get worse," Hunter told her.

"But I don't plan on losing. We've got future plans and I'm not going to miss out on spending the rest of my life with the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on," Hunter said. Tori smiled shyly, as he pulled her into his arm and she straddled his waist.

"Trying to charm me?" she asked teasingly. He gave her his lazy smirk.

"Of course, is it working?" he asked in a husky tone.

"Guess you're in luck, thunder boy," she replied, as their lips met passionately. He tilted his head, kissing her deeply, as he tangled his fingers in her silky hair. Gathering her in his arms, he lowered her to the sandy beach without parting his lips from hers. He kissed her feverishly, before his lips slowly trailed to her cheek, then down to her jawbone, and finally to the nape of her neck. Tori mewled beneath him, as his lips left fire in their wake. She gasped, as she felt his hand slide sensually up her leg, beneath her shorts and gripped her thigh in a playful squeeze. Tori smiled at the feeling of his hands on her and the sensations he was making her feel.

"Um babe…as much as I want this to happen…and I really, really want this, maybe this isn't the best place," she whispered, as his teeth grazed her collarbone, nibbling on her soft, sweet skin. He smirked and lifted his head, his stormy blue eyes meeting her sapphire ones.

"I don't know, sex on the beach sounds pretty hot," he whispered, his tone husky. She grinned and combed her fingers through his shaggy hair.

"It does…but what if someone comes out?" she asked, even though he was already untying the string on her bikini top.

"No one's coming out here now…it's getting late…" he reasoned. Anticipation swelled in her at the thought of him making love to her beneath the stars, surrounded by her element. The tide was coming in and licked at their feet, but the water did nothing to squelch the fire between them. She smiled and caressed his face.

"Well then, what are you waiting for, thunder boy?" she prompted. He smirked and captured her lips with his own, as the tide rushed around them.

Kimberly admired the view of the stars from the magnificent gardens that rested behind the massive compound. Now that they had a place where they could be safe between battles, the pink Ninjetti took it upon herself to see that those of them had fallen finally received a funeral service. Trini and Kimberly agreed that the new garden was the perfect place to pay tribute. She had made the announcement at dinner and everyone agreed that they would hold the ceremony tomorrow. The gratitude on the faces of the Lightspeed rangers was enough thanks for Kimberly.

"Hey…" a male voice said. Kimberly knew that voice instantly and turned to find Tommy behind her.

"Hi…" she replied. He noticed the work she had done already, as Anton had given her full reign of the garden. She had piled flowers in vases near a podium where several easels were set up. Trent and Ethan were working on printing tribute photos of their fallen comrades for her.

"What you're doing for the Lightspeed rangers is amazing. We've all been so caught up with everything that they haven't properly grieved for their loved ones," Tommy said. Kimberly nodded.

"I just feel like I need to do something for them. I've been running away from family for way too long," Kimberly said regrettably.

"I know there are some bad memories between us, but don't you think there are so many more good ones?" Tommy asked, as she looked at him.

"I hurt you…that stupid letter was such a mistake…" Kimberly fretted.

"Kim…" Tommy started, but she put her hand up.

"No Tommy…I need to get this out," she pleaded. He closed his mouth and nodded.

"When I first went to Florida, I was really excited at first. Everything was so new and different…but I missed my friends so much. I missed you so much and I started getting really depressed," Kimberly explained.

"I would watch the news for any mention of the Power Rangers just so I could see you guys. But they never said much at all. People made jokes when I told them where I was from. We were just this crazy little town with people that dressed up in colored costumes and fought imaginary monsters. I was so insulted the first time they made fun of us, because I knew how real the danger was," Kimberly continued.

"Soon, my roommate got tired of my moping and made me go out with her one night. I started going out with the other gymnasts a lot and I met Max, one of the new assistant coaches," Kimberly said.

"You fell in love with him," Tommy replied.

"I thought I was in love," she corrected.

"My time with Max was like being in a fog where I was able to forget who I was and where I came from. He had all the right moves and all the right lines. I fell hook, line, and sinker. He convinced me that the "crazy monster town" and everyone in it were my past," Kimberly lamented.

"Kim, we all make mistakes. We may be rangers, but we're still human. I've been a ranger five different times now and I've fought more monsters than I can count, but when you sent that letter, I gave up, just like that. I didn't fight for you even a little. What kind of man does that make me?" Tommy asked.

"No…don't you dare blame yourself. Our breakup was all on me," Kimberly replied.

"Maybe…but we both made mistakes. Why do you keep punishing yourself?" he asked.

"Because I deserve it," she replied. He shook his head.

"That's ridiculous," he scoffed.

"But…" she started, but he put his hand up.

"No, it's my turn," he said sternly.

"Just stop punishing yourself for some silly piece of paper that you wrote over eleven years ago. We were kids and I'm really not interested in living in the past," he said with a sigh.

"Since you, I've had exactly zero relationships that have worked and a few that were completely disastrous. I think fate…or maybe the power is trying to tell me something," Tommy mused.

"Like what?" Kim asked.

"Like there is a reason why I'm still in love with you, that maybe we belong together," Tommy replied. Tears welled in Kimberly's eyes and he put his hand on hers.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that I forgive you for that stupid letter?" Tommy asked. Tears fell down her cheeks.

"I don't know…I just don't feel like I deserve forgiveness. I turned my back on everyone I loved because of that damn letter. I threw away what we had like it was trash," she cried.

"We were kids then and now we're adults. Can't we just wipe the slate clean and start over?" he asked.

"You really want that? Aren't you afraid that I might hurt you again?" she countered.

"A little and I'll admit that I wasn't so sure that giving you a second chance was going to be a good idea. I've got really good at ignoring my heart, but a few reds decided to gang up on me tonight and told me to stop being a complete moron. Former red in Jason's case, I guess," Tommy said.

"So Jason's been on your case?" she asked with an eye roll. She had received similar treatment from Trini and Aisha earlier. Tommy chuckled.

"Yeah, but it was actually Shane and Hunter that really drove home the point," Tommy replied. She looked at him questioningly.

"I guess Shane lost someone that he said was his soul mate and he told me that if he had a chance to get her back, then he would trade his powers or whatever else in a heartbeat just to hold her again," Tommy explained.

"I realized that I felt the same about you, but there was still that little voice in my head warning me that I might be taking a big risk with my heart again. Hunter drove home the point that sometimes risks can pay off in the end. The risk he took when he followed his heart with Tori paid off for him, so I figured that it just might pay off for me too," Tommy stated.

"You still love me?" she asked, as she wiped her tears.

"Never stopped," he replied honestly. She sniffed.

"Me either…I love you Tommy," she cried. Those were the only words he needed. He crushed his lips against hers, kissing her for the first time in eleven years.

A hidden Government facility

Washington D.C.

Alan Cranston sighed, as he examined the blood sample he had been instructed to research. The former microbiologist had once lived a mundane life, raising his genius son alone after losing his wife in a car accident, in sunny Angel Grove, California. He always knew Billy would go on to much greater things than he could dream of. But when he learned his son had been a power ranger and then later had gone on to work behind the scenes, creating weapons and zords for them, Alan was taken aback. He was proud, but worried that such a life of danger would forever haunt his son. So when the government had approached him with a job offer to help them secretly work toward preventing more alien invasions, he naturally took the job and was quickly swept into the fascinating world of examining anything not of Earthly origin. Within a few years, he knew of and had identified dozens of species from other worlds and compiled a database of his research. He had done it under the guise that he would be protecting the ranger legacy and therefore his son, as well as his niece, Carly, whom he took in after his brother and his wife were killed in a plane crash six years earlier. Billy's cousin was every bit as smart as he was and was now twenty and attending MIT. Now GAMA had shown its true colors and he was being forced to work against the rangers. Gorbin himself had threatened his niece's life if Alan refused to continue his work.

"Well Cranston, I hope you have something to tell me about that blood sample," Gorbin said, as he entered the lab with his lapdog guards and an African American young man that Alan didn't recognize.

"You couldn't get me anything from the computer they left behind at the Ninja school, so for your pretty niece's sake, you better have something good," Gorbin stated sternly.

"Billy knows how to wipe a system clean and he leaves no traces. As advanced as Cameron Watanabe's system was, it was child's play for Billy," Alan responded.

"Fine, but what about the blood sample we found?" Gorbin questioned.

"I have a partial match to a known DNA signature in my database," Alan stated.

"Only a partial?" Gorbin asked.

"This young man is at least three fourths Eltarian. The other fourth of his DNA is nearly identical to Eltarian DNA, but broken down cell by cell, there is a slight difference," Alan responded.

"Did you match it to anything?" Gorbin demanded to know. Alan shook his head.

"It doesn't match any of the few species I have indexed in my database. But the difference between the Eltarian DNA and the other is so minute that I would have missed it had it not been for the effects the morphing grid's powers have had on him," Alan reported.

"Are you sure Zedd is Eltarian?" Gorbin asked Will. The black Overdrive ranger nodded.

"I told you that recording was worth the extra money you paid me. Zedd and his older brother, the biological father, were Eltarian. His mother's name is Dulcea and she is Zordon's half-sister from a planet called Phaedos. Apparently, according to the story I heard, she's the last of a dead race and a half breed herself," Will informed.

"Zordon's sister? The Bradley boy is related to Zordon too?" Alan wondered silently to himself. His son had always spoken so highly of the man that had changed his life forever and he remembered how distraught Billy had been after Zordon's passing.

"I've got to do something. I can't keep helping them! If I could only find a way to get Carly to Billy and the rangers somehow, then they could do what they want to me," Alan thought silently.

"Yo Doc!" Will called, snapping Alan from his thoughts.

"What else can you tell me?" Gorbin asked.

"It took me hours to decode what I have so far. I need more time to run tests on the sample, but I don't know what you're looking for," Alan replied. Gorbin smirked.

"I shot the brat and then watched the wound heal right before my eyes. I want to know everything about that blood sample in two days," Gorbin demanded, as he and his goons left quickly. Alan sighed, as he sat down at his desk. He gazed at the pictures on his desk and smiled at the one Billy had sent him of him with his family. His little Trina…he wanted so badly to meet her, but he knew that it might not happen. He then glanced at the photo of Carly and felt tears well in his eyes. She looked so much like her mother and his late wife, as the two had been sisters. The thought of Gorbin sending his men after her made him sick to his stomach. She was so talented and nearly as gifted as Billy. She could help the rangers and they could protect her. He just had to find a way to draw her cousin's attention to her. Suddenly coming up with an idea, he quickly went back to work.

Prison holding cell

GAMA Guardians HQ, Silver Hills, CA

Andrew Hartford sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face in worry. He wished this whole thing was a nightmare, but looking at his son who had been laying still as board for the last few hours, he knew it was real.

"He will be fine, Sir," Spencer tried to assure him.

"I wish I could believe you, Spencer, but there's no way to revive him from here. I need certain equipment for that. And even if I did, he's going to hate me," Andrew fretted. How did you tell your son, who believed he was every bit human as anyone else, that he was actually an android? It wasn't a conversation that Andrew wanted to have, at least not with these kinds of circumstances.

"If Wes could forgive me for some of the deplorable things I did before I became, shall we say, enlightened, then Mack will forgive you," Aaron Collins assured.

"I wish I was as optimistic as you, but thanks to me, they have four rangers with powers I gave them working for them now and we're going to rot in prison," Andrew responded. Mr. Collins smiled like he knew something that Andrew didn't.

"Things may not be as dire as they seem, Mr. Hartford," Collins replied, simply, as they saw the night guard walk by. There was a sudden, peculiar thumping noise and then the slight rattle of what sounded like keys. Andrew's eyes widened, as Tommy Oliver seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Are we clear?" he whispered, as Jason too appeared.

"I think so. Adam is keeping watch," Jason whispered back.

"How did you guys get in here?" Andrew asked in amazement.

"It pays to be invisible," Tommy replied, with a smirk.

"Camo helps too," Adam said, as his camouflage of gray colored walls faded away.

"What happened to Mack?" the Frog Ninjetti asked.

"It's a long story," Andrew replied, with a sigh.

"I got the rookie," Jason said, grunting as he lifted Mack over his shoulder.

"Damn…what do you feed this kid?" he asked, straining a little under the boy's weight.

"Where are the rest of the Overdrive rangers?" Adam asked. Andrew looked down sadly.

"Will convinced them that working with him and GAMA wouldn't be so bad. Mack is the only one that stood up to Gorbin and they did this to him," Andrew explained. Tommy patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, we're getting out of here, trust us," Tommy said, as he raised his comm to his lips.

"Tell me you've got a lock, Cam. We're probably going to have company in a minute," Tommy said into the device.

"I've got you…prepare to teleport in three," Cam replied. True again to his word, those in the cell disappeared in streaks of light…