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:
Ghostwriter: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it!
TommyOliverMMPRFan: Thanks, glad you like that addition. Yeah, Thrax and Lothor are interesting adversaries. Glad you're enjoying!
Fallingstar22: Yep, lots happening. Glad you're eagerly awaiting more!
DarthVerus: Commenting on an active story about an inactive story is not the move. In fact, it's irritating and even if I had the desire to go back to that fandom, which I don't, doing stuff like this guarantees, I never will.
MMPRfansince93: I love the addition of Billy's new Command Center too. Glad you're enjoying!
Thunderstruck
Chapter 20: The Amethyst Fire
"That looks bad…and vaguely familiar," Cam said, as he sat at the Ops terminal in the Hartford mansion. The battle was on the big screen and the Overdrive rangers were cheering at Hunter and Tori's victory. But Shane, Dustin, and his father remained solemn. Without Hunter and Tori's sudden power surge and discovery of this new, mysterious power, they would have all been captured by Thrax and Lothor had clearly planned on eliminating his nemesis' in Hunter and Tori. Not to mention that he had used a dark ninja and sacrificed him in his place.
"If Alpha can fix our morphers, then we'll be able to help in the next battle," Will said.
"How's it coming, Alpha?" Rose asked.
"Slowly, but surely rangers," Alpha promised.
"You look worried, Cam. They won!" Mack said with enthusiasm.
"For now, but if these readings I'm getting mean anything, then we could have a serious problem," Cam replied, as they all peered down at the screen.
"What is that mass of blue?" Rose asked.
"It should be a map of the country," Cam responded.
"And why is there a big blue blob spreading across it?" Dax asked, referring to the blue mass on the screen.
"It looks like a giant storm, but it's not raining," Ronny mentioned.
"It's a storm, just not the kind you're thinking of. It's like a blanket of evil," Cam stated.
"I don't understand. What does that mean?" Andrew asked.
"If the blood planet eclipses the moon, evil that has long since gone can rise again," Sensei recited.
"What does that mean?" Will asked impatiently.
"It means the world could be in more danger than ever," a new voice said. They turned, finding Spencer had let many new arrivals in. If the Overdrive rangers had been familiar with Ranger history, they would have recognized them as the original twelve rangers.
"Thank God you guys are here," Shane said, but this sentiment wasn't shared by the newest team.
"This is insane! How many more former rangers are there?" Ronny asked.
"A lot, girl…you're a part of a legacy," Aisha answered.
"Dammit...no offense, but this is our time! We should be out there!" Will complained in frustration.
"I get it, man…but this is bigger than all of us. Way bigger," Zack reasoned.
"He's right…Lothor is planning to open the abyss of evil again, but this time it's on an even bigger scale," Shane added.
"You guys will be there with us as soon as your powers are fixed," Dustin said.
"Yes…and until then, the five of you can go on a mission to retrieve the sword of Excelsior," the Sentinel Knight said.
"Anything is better than sitting here," Mack said.
"What exactly does this sword do?" Will asked.
"It will restore my powers and give us an edge against Thrax, who is also seeking the sword," the Knight answered.
"We'll prepare what you need and you can quest in the morning," Andrew said.
"In the meantime, Dustin and I have to figure out how to get our prisms back from those posers," Shane said.
"At least we know where yours are. I need to quest for mine and we need to contact Blake," Cam said, as the retro rangers, plus Hunter, arrived back, weary from the battle.
"Last I checked he's in Denver…I left him a message. Hopefully, he gets back to us soon," Hunter said, as he sat down and was naturally slipping into one of his brooding moods. Tori sat next to him.
"It's not your fault," she soothed.
"He may have been a bad seed, but Nate was one of my students. I was supposed to lead him and keep him on the right path…" he said.
"Nathan made his own choices and knew what following the dark path entailed. All the students that have left us to follow Lothor have made a choice. None of you are responsible for their actions or choices," Sensei stated firmly.
"Yeah, he knew what Lothor is and he followed him anyway, knowing full well of his history of turning on his own any time it suited him," Cam reminded them.
"Yeah dude, so stop brooding," Dustin teased.
"Isn't that kind of like asking Hunter to stop being Hunter?" Shane joked. The crimson ranger rolled his eyes.
"Okay…no more brooding I guess," he relented.
"Now, let's talk about those new powers!" Dustin said excitedly.
"You really need to lay off the caffeine," Tori mentioned.
"Except he hasn't had any," Shane replied, slightly annoyed by his best friend.
"Yeah, we all saw that purple stuff. What happened?" Ronny asked.
"We don't really know. We didn't actually do anything. The prisms just reacted to each other," Tori said.
"The scrolls are starting to make a little sense. But Lothor didn't seem very worried," Hunter mentioned.
"Sensei, do you have any idea what he's planning?" Adam asked.
"I'm afraid so, Adam," Kanoi said, as they all gathered around.
"In three days time, the planet Mars will be in close proximity to Earth. This is not as rare as some astrological events, but it is not common either," Kanoi stated.
"What does Mars have to do with any of this?" Will asked.
"Because it will allow Lothor to use the dark prism to open a sealed doorway that can only be accessed with the gamma rays given off by Mars when it is this close. This
doorway is contained within the abyss of evil itself and could not be accessed before without these specific conditions," Kanoi explained.
"And when this door is opened?" Mack prompted.
"Every evil being that has once plagued the Earth in the past can return to this plane of existence. This is his plan. He will unleash a powerful demon army upon the Earth, enslave the human race and destroy us," Kanoi said gravely.
"All the past evil, including many that have an axe to grind with the power rangers," Cam added.
"Still want to ride this train solo, rookie?" Jason asked Will. The black Overdrive ranger rolled his eyes.
"Okay...evil army. We need you guys," Will admitted.
"Can we talk about the cool purple powers now?" Dustin asked.
"I always thought there was no school of fire, because it was too hard to control," Tori mentioned.
"Partially. But the amethyst fire can only be conjured by the combined powers of a crimson thunder ninja and a water ninja. And yes, the power is fueled by positive feelings,"
Kanoi stated, giving them a warm smile, as Tori's hand found its way to Hunter's.
"I never wanted to burden your young love with duty and responsibility, but your combined powers will be essential in this war," he warned.
"Is that why the Wind and Thunder ninjas were forbidden to be together so long ago?" Hunter asked.
"Yes, because the child of a crimson thunder ninja and a water ninja has the potential to not only be incredibly powerful, but wield both elements, including conjuring
amethyst fire as well," Kanoi stated.
"So they decided to try and tell people who they could and could not love, because they were scared of this power?" Hunter asked. Sensei nodded.
"Some were scared that such a child could be corrupted and then some of course feared that such a person could thwart those that chose to secretly practice the dark arts,"
Kanoi explained.
"Yeah, Lothor was worried. He was trying to hide it, but dude has a weak poker face," Dustin mentioned, as everyone looked at him in surprise.
"What?" he asked.
"We're just surprised that you're that observant," Shane teased.
"Whatever dudes, I'm a genius. Not so dumb after all, huh?" Dustin quipped, as he tapped his finger to his temple, as they scoffed.
"Let's not get carried away," Cam drawled.
"Green with envy?" Dustin challenged.
"No, just green," Cam retorted.
"Lothor may be worried, but Tori and I still aren't sure how we did all that. It just kind of happened," Hunter said.
"And the power will continue to aid you when needed, you will both train to control it, and trust in each other. Lothor should be worried," Kanoi told them. Tori leaned against
him and he put his arm around her waist.
"And you won't be doing it alone. Thanks to Dr. C and some interesting connections, he's restored our powers," Jason said. Their eyes widened.
"You did?" Cam asked.
"Aww…nerd envy," Hunter teased.
"Do you really want to be name calling, thunder boy? Cam countered, saying the last part in a sweet voice. Hunter pointed his finger.
"Hey…only Tor gets to call me that," he warned, earning chuckles around the room.
"I can't really tell you how, but yes, I was able to link our dead morphers back to the grid," Billy said.
"That would require a direct link to the grid," Cam said and the other genius gave him a look.
"And I can't tell you how," Billy repeated.
"Fine," Cam grumbled.
"Alpha says the Overdrive morphers will be reconnected by morning too," Adam mentioned.
"That's great, the more rangers the batter, mates," Xander said.
"Yes and with possible villains from the past, experience may be everything," Sentinel Knight said, as he approached Shane, Dustin, and Cam to restore their powers until
they could find their prisms.
"Won't that drain you too much?" Shane asked.
"Yes…but I will be restored once our young companions retrieve the sword of Excelsior," he answered, as Hunter's phone chimed.
"That's Blake…he's heading to the airport now, so hopefully, he'll be here by morning," he said.
"Conner should be here in twenty minutes and Ethan and Trent by morning," Kira added.
"Let's just hope we can find a way to stop Lothor before that gateway is opened completely," Tori said.
"I've already contacted Lightspeed. They're going to meet us there that day," Billy said.
"Wes, Eric, and Jen too," Jason added.
"Well, I think it's safe to say that everyone needs to enjoy the down time while we have it. The Rec Room is available and I'll have Spencer order enough food to feed this brood," Andrew said.
"Yes...I'm starving!" Rocky said.
"Shocker…and anyways, I'm the one that was out there in battle. You haven't done anything yet," Adam complained.
"Which is why I need to carb up since I'm going to be joining you," Rocky said, as he pointed to his zeonizers.
"Right…cause carbs are what you need," Adam joked.
"You better not be calling me fat, frog boy. This is all muscle," Rocky said, as snickers from his teammates and even his wife ensued.
"Sure baby," Aisha said, as they made their way into the rec room to blow off some steam.
"You have two prisms!" Lothor screamed, as he paced before them.
"Yet you can't take care of one stupid girl!" he roared.
"She has a prism too, father and she caught me off guard. But it will not happen again," Zara insisted. He glared at her.
"It had better not or your fate will be the same as Nate's!" he threatened.
"Darling, we still have the dark prism. Nothing will stop us," Tamara said, trying to console him. But he batted her hand away.
"Except that now those brats have discovered that they can conjure amethyst fire if their prisms combine," Lothor growled.
"So what? It won't matter when you open the gates of Gehenna," Thrax hissed.
"Trust me, it matters, fool! Amethyst fire can ruin everything," Lothor insisted.
"So we eliminate those two first," Flurious suggested.
"Gee...why didn't I think of that? Were you not paying attention, your frozen twit? I was seconds away from executing that crimson insect when the water brat ruined it!"
Lothor spat.
"That's it...we're done listening to you. We don't work for you!" Moltor hissed, as he challenged the dark ninja. But a simple spin kick sent Moltor flying back into a wall.
"Here's a demonstration of why I'm in charge!" Lothor growled, as a sizable sphere of dark energy formed in his hand and was fired at Moltor, who barely had time to scream
before he was obliterated into nothing but ashes.
Flurious, Miratrix, Kamdor, and Thrax all held their heads in agony, as he used his mind meld powers on them.
"Would anyone else like to challenge me?" he asked. But he received no volunteers.
"That's what I thought," he hissed, as he grabbed one of the jewels of the Corona Aurora that they had acquired and tossed it to Kamdor.
"I have a mission for you and your lovely assistant," Lothor stated.
"What is it?" Miratrix questioned.
"Go to Onyx and find me a good bounty hunter, preferably not a smelly Sharkanian and hire him to eliminate the crimson and blue ninja rangers. I cannot have their
interference when I open the gateway. Use the jewel as partial payment. They can have the rest once their lifeless bodies are at my feet," Lothor said.
"We've spent years looking for the jewels and you just want us to give one away?!" Kamdor exclaimed.
"Yeah and why are you so worried about those two?" Miratrix demanded to know.
"Well, if you must know, amethyst fire is the only thing that can seal the gates of Gehenna once I've opened them and I'd rather make sure absolutely nothing and no one can
stop me this time," Lothor said.
"Now go or you can join that lava loser in oblivion!" Lothor threatened, as they quickly left for their mission. Flurious remained in the shadows, silent, but furious that Lothor
had taken over and claimed one his jewels, only to just give it away to a low life bounty hunter. He was not going to let this deed go unpunished.
The laughter coming from the Rec Room told their mentors that they had all managed to unwind a little. Pizza boxes were empty and discarded and stories were being
exchanged, hence the laughter.
"So he's eating like everything in sight, including my fries, which I got pretty pissed about," Rocky said, as they listened.
"Cause you're a pig," Adam tossed in.
"Stuff it Froggie," Rocky commented. Tommy sighed, as he endured Rocky's stories, mainly about him.
"And then we find out he's got one of Rita's monsters inside his stomach," Rocky said. They made disgusted faces.
"Nasty..." Conner commented. Kira smacked his arm.
"Stop telling stories about me," Tommy said. Rocky shrugged.
"Sorry rainbow ranger, it's not my fault that there's so much material," Rocky teased. Tommy raised an eyebrow.
"Have you told them the story about the Pachinko machine?" Tommy asked. Rocky frowned.
"Pachinko machine?" Dax asked.
"What the hell is a Pachinko machine?" Conner asked.
"It was a weird pinball type machine that Ernie put in the Juice Bar. And Rocky got addicted," Adam answered.
"It was a spell!" Rocky insisted.
"Not at first. It was only a spell when we were fighting Pachinko Head and you were dancing around like an idiot," Tommy said, as they all laughed.
"Rocky just wants to have fun," Adam sang mockingly.
"Yeah, well at least I didn't fall in love with Scorpina," Rocky retorted.
"Trust me, the minute she went from being Sabrina to Scorpina, attraction went out the window," Adam promised.
"Yeah, but you were so shy and couldn't talk to girls. Nerd," Rocky poked fun. Adam playfully glared at his best friend, before turning to the others.
"Did I ever tell you about the time Rocko here turned himself into a plant?" Adam asked.
"No, no, no...that's not how it was," Rocky protested.
"Yeah, that's how it was. One botany class and all the sudden decided you were Captain Planet and cross bred a bunch of plant seeds. Next thing we know, we have a plant
straight out of Little Shop 'O Horrors that's eating everything made of metal in sight and you're growing leaves out of your head," Adam said, as everyone laughed.
"Yeah and then you told Kat she had nice leaves and her stems weren't too bad either," Tanya reminded. Rocky rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, well at least I didn't get put under a singing spell. Talk about torture for the ears," Rocky commented.
"Hey!" Tanya protested.
"A singing spell?" Kira asked curiously.
"Queen Machina put Tanya and Tommy under a spell where they had to sing everything," Adam said, as they all cracked up.
"Tanya was bearable, but the esteemed Dr. Oliver sounds like a dying Tengu bird," Rocky added, as they all erupted in laughter.
"It's good to see them unwind a little after today," Andrew mentioned. Kanoi allowed himself a small smile.
"Yes...because the coming battle I fear will be their greatest challenge yet," he said ominously.
Later that night, most had gone to bed, but a few remained, including Zack, who Adam had asked to linger behind.
"You sure about this, man. I'd be fine if you want to take the newly re-energized coin," Zack asked.
"No…the original gang is back together and it's only fitting that you use the Mastodon coin and I use my zeonizers," Adam said. Zack nodded and they shared a brotherly
handshake.
"It's going to be weird being the only Turbo out there," Justin mentioned. Rocky patted him on the shoulder.
"You can stick with us, plus rainbow ranger may don the red turbo powers here and there," he said.
"It's going to be weird watching Tommy shift through five different sets of powers. Thinking about it makes my head spin," Zack replied.
"What about Aisha? She needs powers…she could use the yellow turbo powers," Adam mentioned.
"She wants to be out there…but we decided it's not a good idea. She's pregnant…we haven't told anyone else yet," Rocky replied, as the other three men all offered
handshakes and pats on the back.
"Congratulations man," Zack said.
"Thanks…I just hope that we stop this from happening or there may not be a world to raise our son in, yet alone a new baby," Rocky replied, his usual mirth and humor gone.
"We will…we're going to throw Zordon's entire legacy at them in three days," Zack said.
"He's right…the power has always come through. It's not going to stop now," Adam agreed.
The inky blackness was only illuminated by the burning embers on the wall of the cavern. She had not personally been in this place before, but had heard the stories from
Hunter enough to know that she was inside the abyss of evil.
"TORI!" she heard him call. But she couldn't see him.
"HUNTER!" she called. But he couldn't see her. However, Lothor's evil laughter chilled her to the bone. She finally found her way through the cavern and to the opening,
where a sea of magma awaited below her. And on the platform above her, Lothor had the man she loved as his captive.
"You're just in time, blue ranger. Say goodbye to your crimson lover," Lothor spat. Time seemed to slow, as he speared Hunter through the back and the blade came out his
chest.
"NOOOOOO!" she screamed, as she ran to the top platform. By the time she got there, Lothor extracted his blade and Hunter fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood. She
fell sobbing to her knees and crawled to him, taking him in her arms.
"No...no, no, no, no, no," she cried repeatedly.
"Tor..." he choked out, his eyes turning glassy.
"Shh...it's okay. I'm going to get you out of here and get help," she promised. But they both knew he wouldn't make it.
"I...I love you," he managed to say with his remaining strength, as he died in her arms.
"No...Hunter...please no..." she sobbed.
"Don't worry blue ranger, I'd be happy to make it possible for you to join him!" Lothor growled. She gasped and screamed, as his blade came down on her.
She sat up in bed with a start, her chest heaving, her body covered in a cold sweat. She looked beside her and started to calm, realizing it was merely a nightmare and the
man she loved slept soundly beside her. She fell back onto the pillow and was content just to watch him sleep for quite some time. Finally realizing that she wasn't going to
get back to sleep, she got up and put her robe on. She went outside on the balcony with a few scrolls and a reading light and started going over the ones Hunter had been
reading.
"Should the gates of Gehenna be opened when the blood planet eclipses the moon, the world shall be in great peril. Once opened, closed the gateway cannot be, unless there
is amethyst fire to seal it," Tori read, realizing instantly what it was talking about. She jumped though, as Hunter found her there.
"Sorry babe, didn't mean to startle you," he said. She smiled.
"It's okay," she replied, as he leaned down and nuzzled her neck, kissing her there tenderly. She put her arms around his neck and welcomed his lips on hers, as she felt the
passion that had been so prevalent just a few hours ago lick at her senses again.
"Are you okay?" he finally asked, as their lips parted.
"I'm fine...just couldn't sleep," she replied. But he knew she was avoiding his question.
"Nightmare?" he asked. He knew she didn't like admitting that she, tough as nails Tori, got scared.
"It was nothing," she insisted.
"It's okay to be scared, you know. I get scared all the time," he admitted, before looking at her with a smirk.
"Just don't tell the guys," he added, making her giggle.
"I'm afraid of losing you and that's what my dream was about. Then...I was reading the scrolls and I think I figured it out. I know why he's so intent on making sure he kills
us," Tori replied. He raised an eyebrow.
"You mean more intent on killing us than usual?" he joked. She rolled her eyes.
"Yes, specifically us. It's because of the amethyst fire. If what this scrolls says is right, then if he does open the gates of Gehenna, amethyst fire is the only thing and I mean
the only thing that can seal the gates back up," she said.
"The gates of Gehenna?" he asked, not recognizing the term.
"It's the Hebrew term for the place where the most evil go. Tartarus is the Greek term. They all roughly translate to the world of the dead. But in this case, we're talking about
where all the bad souls go," Tori replied.
"So basically the gates of hell. Fire and brimstone," Hunter said. She nodded.
"A lot like what Goldar did on the island, but much worse and on a much bigger scale," she replied.
"So he wants us out of the way so there's absolutely no way he can be stopped," he concluded. She nodded.
"Well, as usual, Lothor is going to fail, cause we're not going anywhere," he said, as he kissed her forehead.
"Aren't you even a little worried that he'll be gunning for us?" she asked.
"Of course I'm worried, mostly about you, as usual. But if we let that consume us, then Lothor's already won," he replied. She looked at him in surprise.
"Why Sensei Bradley, when did you become so wise?" she asked coyly. He smirked and kissed her again.
"Sometimes I feel completely unqualified to teach anyone, let alone impart wisdom to any vulnerable youth," he said.
"But then I realize that I am qualified, because I had a really good teacher," he added tenderly, as he looked into her eyes. She felt her cheeks warm, as he stood up.
"Come on, let's go back to bed," he suggested.
"Okay, but I'm not sure I can go back to sleep. I'm pretty wired now," she replied. He chuckled and surprised her by sweeping her into his arms.
"I didn't say we were going back to sleep," he replied with a sexy smirk, as he carried her back inside…