See chapter 1 for Story notes. Thanks for the reviews! Please consider leaving feedback. It really helps and is much appreciated. Here is invidual responses to reviews. Sorry I forgot last week. I had a bit of time crunch, so I'll respond to the reviews for the last two chapters:

TommyOliverMMPRFan: Yes, I've added a few things this time around, including Lokar. Glad you like it! :)

Datia: Yep, hopefully Hunter finds Tori in time. Glad you're enjoying.

Ghostwriter: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

MMPRFansince93: Yeah, I've added more scenes to the original and expanded the lore a bit. Glad you like it!

Thunderstruck

Chapter 6: Mansion of Terror

The corridor they entered had stable ground this time, but a peculiar yellow gaseous substance covered the floor up to the ankles.

"Aw…it reeks," Ethan complained.

"It's probably poisonous too if you breathe in too much of it. Cover your mouths and noses with your clothing," Adam said, as they navigated the dark pathway.

"Look at this place…it's like a maze!" Rocky said in a muffled voice, as he held Aisha's hand.

"Which way? We could get lost in here forever!" Trent cried.

"Calm down…it's just time for the three of us to get in touch with our inner Ninjetti for a minute," Adam snapped, quieting them down.

"Huh?" Ethan asked.

"It's a Ninja thing…let them work," Tanya told him, as the three Ninjetti closed their eyes, calling on buried powers from long ago. They didn't have powers anymore, but like the Ninjas of Blue Bay Harbor, their Ninjetti powers were a part of them. A few minutes passed before the three opened their eyes and shared a look.

"We're taking this path to the right. It should lead us out, but be careful, because I think there is something else alive outside this place," Adam warned.

"Great," Trent grumbled.

Hunter ninja streaked along the pathway that was descending, taking him deeper into the cavern. Soon, he was up to his knees in water and he stopped, seeing that the pathway led right into the underground lake. That's when he saw the massive beast that swam in the cave and Tori, hanging suspended above the lake, her arms chained and suspended on a rafter high above them. She was out of the creature's reach, but that didn't stop it from trying to get to the prey that taunted him. She screamed and kicked her legs, as the beast craned its neck in another attempt to reach her.

Quietly, Hunter streaked to the cavern wall and started climbing, until he was traipsing the network of metal support rafters in the ceiling of the cavern. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the water below bubbling with water borne wraiths and the several that were climbing after him.

Tori screamed again, as she kicked at the beast again and it roared angrily.

"Hang on Tori, I'm going to pull you up to me," Hunter called. She looked up and her eyes lit up in relief.

"Hunter!" she called, as he pulled on the chains, slowly lifting her to her up. When she was within reached, he pulled her onto the rafter and she threw her arms around his neck. He fried the lock on her chains and freed her wrists. Unfortunately, the rafters shuddered and they noticed the water wraiths lunging toward them. Thunder and water attacks obliterated several of the nasty creatures, but the rafter shuddered again. Tori was thrown from it and fell toward the water.

"TORI!" Hunter cried, as he jumped after her without hesitation. Saliva dripped from the water dwelling beast's fangs, as it dove toward its prey. Grabbing his hand, Tori used her skills as a powerful swimmer. Looking around, they noticed a network of underwater caves and dashing to the closest one, they finally breathed air, as they squeezed inside. Unfortunately, this one didn't seem to go anywhere, but they were safe from the beast's snapping jaws for the time being. It angrily swam back and forth; severally irritated that it had yet again been denied a meal.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked. She nodded.

"You found me," she replied. He gave her his usual trademark lazy half smile. That very smile that she expected from him could now send tingles down her spine.

"Of course I did," he replied, as the creature outside roared and water splashed into the airtight cave. Tori jumped in surprise and into his arms, as they backed away against the wall of the peculiar underwater crevice that somehow kept water out and oxygen in.

"What are we going to do?" she asked. He had no clue, but he gave her another smile.

"We'll think of something," he said, even though the opening to the crevice was starting to crack, thanks to the creature that kept ramming his nose against it. If it kept that up, the entrance would cave in and trap them. But she could see it in his eyes. There was a very good chance that they weren't getting out of this alive.

"You shouldn't have come for me," she said suddenly. His head turned to her.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded to know.

"Hunter…I can see it on your face. There might not be a way out of this…alive anyway," she said sadly.

"Don't say that Tor…I'm going to find a way to get us out of this," he promised.

"Hunter…it's okay. If we're going to die, then I don't want to have any regrets," Tori explained.

"I'm not going to let you die," he tried to convince her. She smiled and reached up to gently brush his wet dirty blonde locks from his eyes. Her touch made his heart pound in his chest and stormy blue clashed with deep sapphire, as their eyes locked.

"I know…but I have to get this out, just in case," Tori whispered, as a tear slowly slipped down her cheek. He reached up to wipe it away with his thumb and the sensation of his hand touching her face caused her to take a sharp intake of breath.

"Why did we waste so much time?" she cried, tears glistening in her eyes. He felt his heart clench and wondered when it had become physically painful for him to see her cry.

"Because we were foolish enough to believe that we had all the time in the world," he answered, a little bitterly.

"I told myself that I couldn't fall for you, because I didn't want to come between two brothers," she said, as she bit her bottom lip.

"But I can't help it. I feel things for you that I never felt for Blake…that he never gave me the chance to feel," she cried, as tears rolled down her cheeks. Hunter could only stare at her in amazement, awestruck at how beautiful she was even when she was crying.

"I love you Hunter Bradley and if we die tonight, then at least you'll know," she squeaked, unable to meet his eyes now. He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"I've been telling myself for months that you could never see me as anything more than a friend," Hunter stated.

"Shows you what I know," he scoffed, making her smile.

"When you smile, my heart skips a beat. When you laugh, it swells inside my chest so much that I wonder if it's going to burst out. When you cry, I feel like it's being ripped out. I love you Tori and if we get out of this, I promise you that we're not going to waste any more precious time," he told her, as he slowly leaned in and kissed her. Her heart thudded in her chest, as he moved his lips over hers in a passionate rhythm. The need for air forced their lips to part and they gasped for air, as they stared into each other's eyes.

"We're not dying tonight…" he rasped, as he stood up and took her hand.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, as she let him pull her to her feet.

"That creature is immersed in water and which means I can easily electrocute it. I hit him with enough thunder and he's dead," Hunter said, determination defining his features.

"He's huge and that's going to take a lot of energy," she warned.

"That's why I'm counting on your excellent swimming abilities to get us out of here and outswim the water wraiths," Hunter told her. She smiled.

"I can do that hopefully, but how exactly do we even get out of here?" she asked.

"There are more underwater caves. There is bound to be one that goes somewhere," he replied.

"And what if they don't have air pockets like this one?" she asked. He responded by kissing her deeply.

"Then at least we'll have no regrets…other than we wish we would have had more time," Hunter replied, as their lips parted.

"Then here's to hoping that we'll have all the time in the world to lose ourselves in each other when we do get out of this," she said. He smiled and squeezed her hand, before urging her to get back. He concentrated and crimson thunder sizzled along his arms, building in his palms, as he outstretched his arms. The beast roared in agony, as violent flashes of lightning coursed throughout the beast's massive body. The water conducted Hunter's electricity and tore through its organs and brain until its heart gave out. There was a massive splash in the water, as the creature sank to the bottom. Hunter fell to his knees and took deep breaths of air, as Tori knelt beside him in concern.

"I'm fine…let's go," he said, as they joined hands and leapt into the water. Their eyes searched the underwater caves until they found a large one that looked like it might go somewhere and they swam together. He did his best to kick the water wraiths that pursued them again and curiously, they did not follow them into the cave. He knew that probably meant there was another danger in there, but they had no other choice. He saw that she was starting to lag due to lack of air. He saw the air pocket ahead and quickly pulled her to him, breathing his own air into her mouth. Her eyes widened, but she knew he was counting on her to get them to the air pocket as quickly as possible, being the best swimmer. Not willing to let him down, she hooked her arm with his and pulled him along, kicking as fast as she could until she finally reached the air pocket. She gasped for air and he coughed, as she pulled them up into the small air space.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He nodded.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

"We have to keep going," he urged. She nodded and kissed him. He smiled, as they took deep breaths and continued on. They saw a light at the end of the tunnel and smiled at each other underwater, as they swam as fast as they could. The current suddenly picked up and the water churned. They locked arms, as they were sucked into the whirlwind and whipped around violently, before they were thrust through the lit exit into the unknown.

Conner's face soured again, as there was another disgusting crunch beneath his sneakers.

"Ugh, bugs usually don't bother me, but this is getting gross," he complained, as the crunching became more frequent.

"Then don't look down, because these are probably the biggest roaches I've ever seen," Billy warned.

"Well, if this Goldar dude is going for the nastiest place ever, he would win," Dustin said, as there was another large crunch underneath his boot.

"Ugh…I'm throwing these boots away when we get out of this," Dustin promised himself.

"If we get out of this. He said we're free if we survive and find the girls, but you know he's lying," Conner pointed out.

"Yeah, not even I'm that trusting. What do you think, Dr. C?" Dustin asked.

"Well, Conner's right. Goldar won't just let us go. Unfortunately, Goldar has become a lot more creative since our days as rangers, not to mention completely insane. He's not opposed to ending his own life if it means taking all of us with him," Billy profiled with a sigh. He loved and hated his job sometimes. He surrounded himself with this stuff on a daily basis. Sick, twisted, perverted human evil of the worst kind and he dissected it like a damn frog in a lab. His work had its rewarding days where they captured the worst scum out there and put them away. That was the only reason he did it, but no matter how many they put away, a dozen more popped up in place of the last. He knew Kat and his two little angels were what kept him grounded. And now the mother of his children was down in this hell hole. This time, the evil had gone after her and he was going to make sure Goldar paid for it.

"If that's true, then how are we going to defeat him?" Conner asked.

"We find the girls and survive this hell pit. When he realizes that none of his traps or creatures can take us down, he'll face us and try to end us himself. Then we fight him with everything we have. We defeat him or get control of the teleportation system and we get off this island," Billy told them, knowing it was easier said than done, as he saw Conner stumble suddenly.

"Whoa!" he cried, as Dustin caught him.

"There's a hole there," Conner said, as Billy knelt down.

"It looks like a well. A really dirty one, but there's a ladder," Billy replied, as Conner knelt beside him. Kira's ptera scream pierced their ears.

"Dude…that's a hell of a scream," Dustin said, his ears ringing now.

"Kira!" Conner called.

"Conner?!" she called up in surprise.

"Hang on…we're coming for you!" he called back.

"Kat?!" Billy called.

"I'm down here too Billy, please hurry, there are bloody rats the size of small dogs down here!" Kat cried.

"Great…rats, like the roaches weren't nasty and diseased enough," Conner grumbled, as he and Billy started climbing down.

"Dustin, stay up here in case we need help getting out of this thing," Billy instructed.

As they jumped down into the well, their feet sloshed through dirty, slimy water. Conner took out his pocket knife and cut the ropes around the girls' wrists. They were huddled together and they both noticed tear tracks on their cheeks. It was a frightening place to be left tied up in, but Conner supposed that was Goldar's intent. He kicked a large rat away, while Billy battled another away from the girls. The creatures didn't seem all that deterred, but once her arms were free, Kira threw them around Conner's neck. He held her tightly and stroked her hair.

"Oh Billy…" Kat cried, as she threw her arms around her husband.

"It's okay Kat…I'm here," Billy whispered.

"Where are the girls?" she whimpered.

"I took them to my dad's," he assured her. She nodded.

"I was afraid that he was going to go after our babies," she cried.

"Shh…I'm not going to let that happen," he promised.

"Start climbing, I'll be right behind you and Dustin is waiting at the top," Conner told her, as Kira started climbing.

Once she got close, Dustin grabbed her hand and pulled her up. Conner was next and the former red Dino ranger turned to help Kat up and then finally Billy.

"Now where?" Conner asked.

"We continue on and hope we can find a way out," Billy said, as he took Kat's hand and led her, as the three younger former rangers followed suit. But without warning, the five of them were snatched up by teleportation beams.

Shane, Cam, Tommy, and Jason hopped the ascending platforms. Once they started getting higher, the suspended platforms seemed to begin to connect to each other, some consisting of concrete and others of mesh metal walkways, also suspended in the air, likely with the magic that had created the whole place. As they trekked upward, it got harder to breathe, but Cam noticed a tunnel opening in the massive rock walls that surrounded them near what could now be seen as the top. It was apparent to them now that they were in some sort of canyon in the outlying areas around the fortress where they had originally come in.

"I think we're getting close finally," Jason said.

"Close to what?" Shane asked.

"We're not sure yet," Tommy replied.

"That tunnel must go somewhere," Cam said, as they traipsed up the inclined rock platform and into the narrow tunnel. The moment they were inside the tunnel, they felt a searing heat coming from the other side.

"Whoa…" Shane said, as sweat began to bead on their skin. When they reached the mouth of the tunnel, they found a massive lava lake below them.

"TOMMY!" Kimberly cried. His head snapped up and he found her in a cage atop a very large, but sinking pillar. Parallel to Kimberly was another pillar where Trini was trapped as well.

"JASON!" Trini called.

"HANG ON, WE'RE COMING!" Jason called.

"How do we get over there? Air jumping is a little risky when there's a pool of lava below us," Shane said, referring to his abilities.

"We'll have to take the network of smaller pillars up and then climb down onto the cages to get the girls out," Tommy said, pointing to the network of rocky outcroppings above them.

"Shane, you're with Jason. Cam you're with me," Tommy said, as they ascended up and parted ways, two going one way and two the other. A fierce wind threatened to knock them over, as wispy tendrils formed into winged creatures.

"Great…wind wraiths. Like a lava lake wasn't enough," Jason growled, as he struggled to keep his footing.

"Power of Air!" Shane called, as he shot ninja beams at the wraiths, as they jumped from platform to platform. When he was close enough, Jason jumped down onto the cage holding his wife and took out his handgun.

"Stand back Tri," Jason said, as he shot the lock and opened the top hatch. She climbed out and they joined Shane.

"If we keep going up, we could scale down the outside of this canyon. We'll probably end up back in that jungle, but going down isn't going to do us any good," Shane said. Jason nodded.

"It's our best chance," Jason said, as he and Trini followed Shane, as they began climbing the canyon walls.

"Samurai beams!" Cam cried, as he shot green energy at the wind wraiths.

"Hurry and get Kim. I'll hold them off," Cam said, as Tommy leapt down onto the cage holding Kimberly.

"A lava lake…seriously? When I see Goldar or Goldman or whatever he's calling himself, I'm going to kick him in the balls," Kim ranted, making Tommy chuckle, despite their precarious situation.

"I would love to see that," he said, as he used the screwdriver attachment on his pocket knife to pick the lock.

"You know how to pick a lock?" she asked her husband.

"Not really, but that's all I've got. I don't pack around a handgun like Mr. FBI over there," Tommy said, indicating his best friend.

"Not to rush you handsome, but please hurry," Kim urged, as the pillar continued to sink. The lock clinked and Tommy threw the lock off, before opening the top hatch and pulling her out.

"You got it," she said.

"I got lucky. For a fancy dark dimension, that was a pretty cheap lock," Tommy replied, as he took her hand and led her back to where Cam waited and they began their own climb. However, without warning, the six of them were snapped up by a beam of teleportation…

Hunter groaned in pain, as he woke up and looked around. They were washed up on the rocks in a pond surrounding a waterfall in what looked like a cave. The opening of the cave was before him and he could see the outside from the cave. He sat up and saw Tori lying beside him. Everything that had happened came rushing back to him and he caressed her beautiful face gently. She whimpered and opened her eyes, meeting his, as he helped her sit up.

"Hunter…where are we?" Tori asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think we made it out," he replied, as he pointed to the exit of the cave. She smiled and took his hand, as they got to their feet.

"Now we can find the others and find a way home," she said. He nodded and hugged her tightly. Their eyes met again and he leaned down, kissing her passionately. Their lips finally parted, but their eyes didn't, as the feelings that had been building between them for almost a year and a half flowed freely and effortlessly now.

"Kira is never going to let this go. She was right about us all along," Tori said, breaking the silence. He smirked.

"Yeah, the guys are going to give me crap too, but you're definitely worth it all," he said, causing her to blush, as he held her hands in his own.

"Aww…how sweet. I think I'm going to lose my lunch," Sabrina drawled, as she appeared. She was wearing a black and gold bodysuit, ideal for fighting and was armed with an enchanted glaive that Goldar had rewarded her with. Tori and Hunter tossed away their civilian clothes, revealing their Ninja forms and sank into a fighting stance.

"You know, I'm getting tired of our conversations being interrupted by unwanted company," he mused. She smirked.

"Me too, after we get out of this, we'll have to find a place where we won't be interrupted," Tori mentioned.

"That's optimistic of you, considering that you'll never leave this place alive," Sabrina hissed, as she fired a blast of gold energy at them from her glaive. They flipped out of the energy path and Tori leapt at her with a flying kick. Sabrina blocked it and knocked her away, but the water ninja landed on her feet. Water energy swirled around her, as she fired her ninja beam. Sabrina was caught off guard when the attack slammed into her and threw her into a wall. She landed in a dripping wet heap and glared daggers at the blonde beauty.

"I'm gonna make you regret that, you little bitch…" Sabrina hissed.

"Bring it, tramp," Tori taunted. Sabrina let out a howl of rage, as she charged at Tori and unleashed a fierce energy blast. But Hunter stepped in, his entire body alive with crimson thunder energy. The blast clashed with his energy and fought to nullify his thunder energy. But the former crimson ranger stood strong.

"Congratulations for making it this far, but then I think Goldar and I were both hoping you all would make it so we could dispose of you ourselves," Sabrina hissed.

"I don't care what you or that psychopath want. We're going to find our friends and then we're getting out of here, even if we have to go through you and the freak you're working for," Hunter spat. Sabrina cackled in amusement.

"Think again handsome," she goaded, as Goldar's teleportation beam snatched them up without warning. Sabrina smirked and followed.

Trent nearly collapsed against the wall, sweating and struggling to stay conscious.

"I can't go any further…I can't breathe!" he cried.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Ethan rasped, as he tried not to breathe in the poisonous gasses.

"Yeah, it can't be much further…we have to keep going," Rocky urged, as he grabbed Trent's arm and pulled him along. Tanya started coughing and Adam rubbed her back. Her eyes watered, as she looked up at her husband.

"He's right though, I can't take much more of this," she whimpered.

"There's a door!" Rocky called, as he turned the knob, but found it locked. Using his training as a cop, he backed up and kicked it down. They poured into the next tunnel and found it clear of the poison gas. They rested for a few minutes, as they took starved breaths of clear air, before Adam led them down the clear tunnel.

"Am I going insane or can the rest of you hear water too?" Ethan asked. Rocky nodded.

"No, there's definitely water ahead. I can smell it and its nasty water too," Rocky mentioned, as a rancid smell filled their nostrils.

"This whole place is disgusting! Leave it to that gold plated monkey freak to dream up a sick place like this," Aisha snapped angrily. Rocky squeezed her hand, trying to offer her comfort. He knew that she missed their son and was frightened that she may never see their little boy again.

"We've kicked that freak's ass before back in the day and we'll do it again, baby. We're getting out of this," he promised his wife.

"Goldilocks is probably getting impatient anyway. He'll confront us soon enough when he figures out his temple of doom isn't going to do us in," Adam said, as they came to the mouth of the tunnel and into an open cavern. A dirty stream ran through the cavern and they covered their noses.

"Oh that's nasty," Ethan complained.

"Okay, the stream isn't very wide and we're going to have to cross it," Adam stated.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Tanya said, with disgust on her face. Suddenly, the cavern rumbled and a very large snake slithered from the water.

"Oh shit…" Trent cried, as the girls screamed. Adam pulled Tanya away, as the snake struck at them. Angry that he missed, he rose up again, as Rocky pulled Aisha behind him and cocked his gun. The thing was massive so he knew he needed to hit it in the head to drop it instantly. The snake reared and prepared to strike the other couple. Tanya screamed, as she and Adam were backed against the wall. Adam held her tightly and she buried her face in his chest, as they realized there was no escape. Just as it prepared to snap them into its powerful jaws, a gunshot rang out and the creature fell dead to the ground mere inches from Adam and Tanya.

"Nice shooting…" Ethan said, impressed. Rocky smirked and holstered his gun. But before they could react further, white beams of teleportation snatched them all up…