See chapter 1 for Story notes. Thanks for the reviews! Please consider leaving feedback. It really helps and is much appreciated. Here is individual responses to reviews:

MMPRFansince93: Yep, more reinforcements are on the way VERY soon! It's getting exciting! Glad you're enjoying it!

James Birdsong: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it.

Ghostwriter: Yep, looks like we're headed for another big battle. Glad you're enjoying it.

Harry2: Yep, Nate is definitely channeling some Jarrod energy here. Yep, Hunter needs to get that prism and join the battle. Glad you're enjoying it!

Thunderstruck

Chapter 18: The Storm Prisms, Pt. 1

Cairo, Egypt

Jared Zale got out of his limo and entered the small cafe. He hated this arid climate and all the sand, but he hoped this trip would prove to be a lucrative venture. He sat down at a table with a man that was dressed in a typical khaki outfit, common for someone who often conducted explorations of ancient ruins.

"My informant says that you may have something of interest to me," Jared stated.

"Yes, but this place is far too public," the man replied skittishly.

"I agree. My car is waiting outside," the CEO responded, as they quietly walked out and got into the limo.

"Drive," Jared ordered. His driver obeyed and they headed out into the desert.

"Now...let me see if this artifact is worth the ten million asking price," he demanded. The man opened the case and Jared looked inside. It was an impressive looking dagger, encrusted with jewels on the gold handle. But the most prominent black prismatic object on the hilt is what attracted his attention the most. The black prism rested between the mouths of two serpents on the hilt.

"You were right. I think you'll find the amount agreed upon in here," Jared said, as he handed a metal case to the man. The archeologist opened the case and was satisfied to see that it was filled with money. The limo slowed and he was surprised to see a man and a woman get into the limo. The woman was beautiful, wearing a strange leather uniform and the man wore a similar uniform, but his face was marred by a frightening mask.

"Don't be frightened, these are just two of my colleagues, Kiya and Tamara, who are very interested in your discovery," Jared assured.

"Yes...tell us where you found this extraordinary artifact," "Kiya" requested.

"Um...in the ancient temple of Apophis, or what is believed to be. I have just made history by discovering it," the archeologist responded.

"Apophis?" Tamara asked, playing dumb.

"Ah, Apophis, the serpent God of chaos, according to ancient Egyptian mythology. The mortal enemy of Ra, the Sun God," Kiya said.

"I didn't think such a Temple existed," she replied.

"We didn't know it did until recently. It was destroyed and only the underground caverns remain. It would have been considered a place of pure evil in ancient Egyptian culture," the archeologist responded. She smirked.

"How very interesting," she said. The man shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes, well, I should be going," he said.

"Yes, by all means," Kiya responded. The man got out and started back toward town.

"Well, you have your dark prism now, it seems. What of the others?" Jared asked.

"Patience, you'll get them once we have them all," Tamara replied.

"Fine, just at least get my money back," he requested. Lothor chuckled evilly and got out of the car. Screams were heard briefly, as he thrust the dagger into the poor man retreating toward town. Dark energy erupted from the prism and incinerated the remains instantly. Lothor tossed the case of money back to Zale.

"We'll be in touch," she assured him, as the two disappeared in twin streaks. Jared got back in his car.

"Take me to the airport. I'd like to get out of the sand trap," he ordered.

"Yes Sir," he obeyed, as he turned the car around and headed back toward the city…

"You did the right thing in my absence. Waiting for me to come make the same judgement could have cost lives. I have lamented about Nate for several years now. He has always had violent tendencies. I guess I did not want to believe he would follow the dark path," Omino stated, as he sipped at his afternoon tea with Kanoi.

"I am sorry, my friend. To lose a student in that way is painful. When I lost Kiya, it was years before I could speak of it," Kanoi replied.

"I trust Hunter would have made the same decision. I did not make the decision that he would be my successor lightly," Omino said. Kanoi nodded.

"He is preoccupied with studying the scrolls I gave him. Much like I once was, he is always eager to be in the thick of the action, so he does not yet have the patience for the scrolls," Kanoi said in amusement.

"Fortunately Tori does. They are two halves of one coin, but we may not have time if the foreboding we feel is real," Omino stated.

"Hunter is already on his way to visit Tori. Cameron and I are following shortly this evening," Kanoi agreed.

"If the prisms are together, then we may not have to tell them anything. The power will do that," Omino said. Kanoi nodded.

"I fear that Thrax is not the only threat. There are others that have left in opposition to us, others that have dabbled in the dark arts. If they are presenting a united front against us, then all our lives could be in great danger," Kanoi stated.

"Then you and Cameron must go. I will prepare the rest of the students with Shane, Dustin, and Leann's help. We will be ready," Omino replied.


The Sentinel Knight meditated alone that evening. They had expected another attack from Thrax earlier, given that they had taken the thunder stone from them, but he hadn't, which actually worried him more.

"What are you planning, Thrax?" he questioned aloud, as he gazed up at the stars. He noticed the moon's peculiar position and the star representing Mars, which was very close and surprisingly large.

"Mars will eclipse the moon in just a few days..." he uttered, knowing the implication. But Thrax couldn't possibly know the danger that this imposed, nor the ceremony required to unleash such havoc. But he couldn't shake the foreboding feeling he had. He knew of the ancient scroll's prophecy that could come to pass should the ritual be performed on the exact day.

"Something is not right...I must be prepared," he said, as he disappeared.


I don't believe this!" Thrax complained.

"That monster was supposed to be invincible!" Thrax growled.

"It's those rangers! The Overdrives were enough of a nuisance, but these veteran rangers are even more troublesome!" Flurious complained. Thrax growled.

"If only we had the jewels. I'd be invincible!" Thrax ranted.

"You still can be...if you play your cards right," a new voice said, as several shadows could be seen in the entrance to the cave.

"Show yourself!" Thrax demanded. The lead figure emerged with five ninja garbed individuals flanking him and a woman beside him.

"Who are you?" Moltor demanded.

"The name's Lothor. I'm sure you've heard of me," he replied.

"As a matter of fact, I have. You're an even bigger failure than my parents when it comes to destroying rangers," Thrax spat, but he regretted it, as a yellowish beam shot out from Lothor's eyes and caused him to hold his head in agony.

"Mesagog's mind beam powers, among other things, rubbed off on me when his fortress exploded," Lothor explained, as he released him and warned the others with a look telling them that he would use it on them if needed.

"How did you survive that explosion anyway?" Flurious asked curiously.

"Haven't you ever heard that with the powers of a ninja...all things are possible?" Lothor prompted, though no one nodded in agreement.

"That goes double for an evil ninja," Lothor quipped.

"I burned alive and was exposed to large amounts of radioactivity that should have killed me. But my thirst for revenge knows no bounds and I will finally bring down the entire ranger legacy once and for all," Lothor stated.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Thrax asked.

"In less than five days, when Mars aligns with the moon, we are going to open the gates to the underworld and no rangers will be able to stop all the evil that will escape," Lothor growled maniacally.

"And what happens when they just call more blasted rangers to help fight?" Kamdor questioned.

"Let them. The more rangers to kill, the better. Now, you can go face them without me and be defeated, or you can join me and have a front row seat to the destruction of Zordon's Legacy," Lothor tempted. Thrax smirked.

"Tell me more about your plan," he requested.


The crimson street bike slowed, as the rider applied pressure to the brakes. Getting access past the gate of the Hartford mansion was easy enough once he gave his name. Hunter parked the bike and removed his helmet, letting his unruly blonde hair free. Tori approached, as he dismounted the bike and greeted him with a kiss.

"Hey," he said, as their lips parted.

"Hey yourself," she replied.

"I see Cam actually let you take the crimson rider," she mentioned.

"I know, I thought he'd say no, you know, cause he always says no. But he said I could this time. I think Leann is good for him," he replied. She smiled knowingly.

"He told you that if you wrecked it again then he's not rebuilding it this time, didn't he?" she asked.

"Well, he's still Cam, so he's still an ass sometimes. But for the record, I didn't wreck it. Lothor's goons shot me out of the sky and I had a bad landing...both times," he replied. She laughed.

"So bad landing is another word for crashing?" she teased.

"I'm hurt babe. You're crushing my fragile ego here," he joked. She smiled and kissed him passionately.

"Better?" she asked. He smirked.

"Getting there," he replied, as their lips met again. She took his hand and led him inside where Andrew and Spencer greeted them first.

"Welcome, I'm Andrew Hartford and this is Spencer," he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hunter Bradley, former crimson thunder ranger," he said.

"The others just sat down to eat if you both want to join them," Spencer said. Tori nodded and led him downstairs.

"Hey Hunter," Adam greeted, as they shared a fist bump.

"Great to see you," Hunter replied, as he greeted Kira as well.

"Let's introduce you," the yellow Dino ranger suggested.

"These two are the rest of the "Retro Rangers. This is Bridge and he's from the future," Tori said.

"Really?" Hunter asked in surprise.

"True story...or at least it will be. Or maybe it won't. I could be changing history right now," Bridge rambled.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Bridge," Kira assured him.

"I guess I know why Cam couldn't find your team in the ranger database," Hunter said. Bridge nodded.

"Yeah, I was just born last week," Bridge said.

"Moving on. Let's not go down that road again," Tori joked, before the buttered toast lover could start rambling again.

"This is Xander from Mystic Force," Tori introduced.

"Pleased to meet you, mate," he said, as they shook hands.

"Likewise," Hunter replied.

"And the rest here is Operation Overdrive," Adam said.

"I think you mean was," Will mumbled.

"I'm Mack, it's great to meet another veteran," the red ranger said enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you too," Hunter replied.

"I'm Dax. Can you do the funky powers thing like Tori?" he asked curiously. Hunter smirked and looked at Tori.

"Yes, he is Overdrive's Dustin," she said, answering his thoughts. He smirked. .

"If you mean can I bend an element," Hunter said, as crimson lighting sizzled from his hand.

"Then yes," Hunter replied.

"That's awesome. It would make a great movie! And is being a Dustin a good thing?" Dax asked. They smirked.

"Depends on the day," Hunter joked. Dax looked confused.

"I'm Ronnie," the girl in yellow said.

"Ronnie Robinson, the race car driver, right?" Hunter asked. She nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, you're Blake Bradley's brother, right? You don't look anything like him," she replied.

"We're adopted," Hunter answered, as he shook hands with the next ranger.

"I'm Will," the one dressed in black introduced himself.

"Rose," the girl in pink said shyly. With introductions out of the way, they sat down to eat.


"You fools! How could you let the rangers get that stone!" Lothor yelled.

"I don't see why it matters. The Thunder stone of Thor didn't contain a jewel after all, so it is of no concern," Flurious said dismissively.

"What was inside the thunder stone was far more useful than those silly trinkets you're collecting," Lothor spat.

"So what. They have two and you have three, assuming that girl really does have one. Plus you have the dark one," Thrax mentioned.

"We should organize an attack right away. If they don't yet know the significance of the prisms, then we must kill the blue ranger, before she and the crimson one realize their power," Tamara suggested.

"Yes, gather the army," Lothor ordered.

"Wait just a minute, I'm still in charge here!" Thrax protested.

"Not anymore, metal mouth...or would you like me to demonstrate what the dark prism can really do?" he threatened, as he held it close to Thrax's face. The creature shied away, as it began to sear his flesh.

"Fine...we'll do things your way," Thrax conceded.

"Excellent choice," Lothor spat.

"For now," Thrax hissed under his breath.


The next morning

Hunter and Adam shuffled along the training mats, engaged in an intense early morning spar. Tori observed, waiting for her time to step in. The other retros and the Overdrives shuffled in sleepily, wondering why there was so much commotion at eight in the morning.

"Why are you guys up so early?" Xander complained. Tori smirked.

"Classes at the Academy usually start around this time, so we as teachers have to get our own training done before that," she replied.

"Yeah, it's kind of the same thing at the dojo," Adam added, as he blocked Hunter's hook punch and returned a jab, which the blonde ducked.

"I have to stay in shape and train before my classes," he continued, as he swept Hunter's legs out from under him. The taller man started falling and then caught himself and did a back handspring to get back on his feet. Tori jumped into the fray and Adam blocked her fury of punches, while Hunter stepped back. Tori twisted to free herself, as Adam trapped her arms and flipped twice to split his defenses. Adam evaded her flying sidekick and she blocked his uppercut. They finished the spar and smiled at each other.

"Who's next?" Adam asked.

"Um...Tori kicked my butt enough in yesterday's spar," Kira said.

"Come on Xander, how about it?" Hunter asked. The green Mystic ranger shook his head.

"Um...I'm better with the magic, mate. I think I'll pass," he said. Hunter rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Since you guys are out of commission for the moment, you should probably keep your skills polished. Mack?" Adam asked. Mack eagerly stepped onto the mat to learn from Adam.

"Anyone else?" Tori asked. The other four glanced at each other and Will decided to speak for all.

"I think we're all done," Will said. Tori frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"We don't have powers anymore. What's the point of us even being here anymore if we can't be rangers?" Dax asked.

"We've decided that since you guys have everything under control that we should return to our normal lives," Ronny stated.

"Just because you don't have powers doesn't mean you can't help," Hunter replied.

"It's easier for you, Hunter. You're a ninja like Tori and you also have history with a lot of former rangers," Rose said.

"So you're quitting," he replied in agitation, as Tori put her hand on his shoulder.

"I know you guys are frustrated, but Alpha is working on fixing the morphing grid and he will succeed," Tori said.

"She's right. Just give him until the end of the week. If he still doesn't have it fixed, then you guys can walk," Adam suggested. They seemed to accept that and nodded in agreement, just as another alert alarm went off.

"They're starting early today," Kira mentioned, as they all hurried to the command room.

"Thrax and his associates are at it again. This time just outside the city limits," Andrew said.

"Let's suit up," Adam said, as he grabbed his morpher.

"It's Morphin' Time!" he called.

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Xander called.

"S.P.D...Emergency!" Bridge shouted.

"Dino Thunder, Power up, ha!" Kira called.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, Ha!" Tori called, as they hurried for the jet. Hunter sat down with the others to observe the battle. His attention, however, was caught by the crackling object that Hartford had on display.

"Is that it?" he asked. Andrew nodded.

"It's highly volatile, so be careful," Andrew warned, as Hunter felt himself drawn to the object.

Lothor watched the battle led by Thrax. Things, as usual, were slowly being turned in the ranger's favor.

"It's time to turn the tides," Lothor said, as he turned to face Tamara, his daughter Zara, and their army of nearly fifty defected ninjas from both Academies.

"In mere days, the planet Mars will be in position and we will unleash our wrath upon this world," he announced.

"But for now, it's time to remind Omino and Watanabe's lackeys that we will not be irrelevant any longer. This will just be a taste of what's in store for them," Lothor added, rallying his dark ninjas.

Adam dealt another devastating blow, wiping out more chillers with his power axe. The others were slowly chipping away at the monsters and foot soldiers and he regrouped with his team. But something felt off.

"Is it just me or does Thrax look a little smug for someone who is losing?" Adam questioned.

"I was thinking the same thing," Tori agreed.

"What are you guys talking about?" We've got this in the bag," Xander said. His statement was followed with a violent explosion that threw them back several feet. Upon impact with the ground, their morphs failed.

From the smoke, an army of figures emerged donning ninja garb. Zara glared coldly at Tori, but the water ninja could only stare in disbelief at the being next to her.

"Lothor..." she uttered. Adam looked at her.

"How is that possible?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I don't know...he should have died when Mesagog's island blew up!" Tori spat. Lothor chuckled evilly.

"Yes...and I burned alive! Then I spent three years lying in a hospital bed...all because of you and your friends!" Lothor spat, as he fired a blast directly at them. They were thrown back and hit the ground painfully again. Tori stared up into evil, as Lothor glared down at her. She yelped in pain, as he kicked her in the stomach and then grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her to her knees. Zara glared at her and backhanded her hard across the face. Adam and Bridge struggled to come to her aide, but were subdued by the ninjas. Adam managed to fight them off, but then was holding his head in agony, as Lothor used his mind beam on him.

"Why Zara...why would you work for Lothor?" Tori demanded to know. She laughed.

"Oh sweetie, I'm not working for him. I'm his heir to the Throne," she replied, watching Tori's eyes widen in surprise.

"As for them, they want to stop ninjas like you from destroying hundreds of years of tradition by merging our schools. You're a disgrace!" Zara hissed.

"You're the only disgrace!" Tori hissed back. Zara growled and lunged at her, toppling her to the ground. Tori fought back and they traded blows and kicks, while Lothor laughed, as he looked on.

"Kill the rest," he ordered, as the ninjas descended.


At the same time

"Lothor..." Hunter uttered, as he jumped out of his seat.

"How is this possible?" Andrew wondered.

"I don't know...but I need to get out there," Hunter said, as he started outside for his bike.

"Hunter wait...you don't have any powers!" Andrew argued.

"He's right Hunter," a familiar voice said, as he turned his head.

"Sensei?" he asked, as he and Cam arrived.

"Lothor..." he uttered.

"He's back, I know. It's the foreboding that I have been feeling lately," Sensei stated.

"Cam...there has to be a way to re-energize our power discs," Hunter said. Cam shook his head.

"They're dead. Not even Billy can re-connect them to the morphing grid. Only a being like Sentinel Knight has that kind of power, save for a new power source all together, which you and Tori may have found," Cam explained. Hunter's eyes widened in recognition, as he rushed back inside and down to the control room. The others followed him in a hurry.

"That's it...Tori's prism isn't just an ordinary prism and neither is that!" he said, as he pointed at the crimson prism.

"I brought this for you," Cam said, as he opened a case and Hunter took out his own morpher and ejected his power disc.

"That is a storm prison, as is the one Tori wears," Kanoi stated.

"The Storm prisms…and here I thought that's just ninja folklore," Cam replied.

"So was just about everything else we've encountered. The scrolls are finally making sense," Hunter reminded.

"Okay, if that's true, then you know that there's also the dark prism," Cam said, as they turned to the screen where the battle raged and saw the object in Lothor's hand.

"And he has it," Cam stated gravely.

"He may have more than just the dark prism," Hunter said, indicating the red and yellow objects in Tamara and Zara's hands.

"Perfect," Cam said dryly, as they all watched Hunter grab the crimson prism. It sizzled with power and he slowly touched it to his power disc. It flashed with power and he put the prism around his neck. He inserted his recharged power disc into his morpher.

"I'm going. We'll try to get the red and yellow prisms, so you might want to tell Shane and Dustin to get here as fast as possible," he said, as he ran out and hopped on the crimson rider, before rushing to the battlefield.