The first thing I do when I get home is to check how long my income from Lightspeed will last me. I don't have a single doubt that once I kill Ryan, they'll fire me- duh- and I doubt my parents will help me financially after that, so I'll have to find another job.

It's there, sitting at my small kitchen table, a soap drama playing on the television, that everything comes into startling clarity.

My brother is dead. His killer is out there, free, since he's the only one capable of wielding the Titanium morpher. I'm already sure that Lightspeed's exploited some kind of legal loophole to make sure neither Mariner Bay's police department nor Honolulu's come after him.

Everything feels heavy, like the burden I'm carrying is physically weighing me down, and I hardly even feel tears building up behind my eyes. All I want to do is sleep and forget that any of this ever happened.

An alert blares from my morpher, and the overwhelming urge to smash it to bits rushes over me. I couldn't bear to turn it off, but maybe I should've, if it pisses me off this much. The alarm keeps ringing, and before I can get up and actually mute it this time, another sound blares from the living room.

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you breaking news." This isn't unusual, not by any means. It's just that every time Lightspeed was putting out alerts, I was already on the scene with the others. Being on this side of it is incredibly disconcerting, but honestly, so is everything that's been going on. "Feathers have been scattered around Mariner Bay. Lightspeed has both declared this to be the work of Diabolico, and has issued a citywide alert."

Citywide? Hardly any alert goes out to that extent. It's more on instinct than on actual fear that apprehension starts to push my pulse quicker. And even then, this fear is misplaced. At least, I think it is. So much has changed in the past few days, and I'm probably just shaken up.

"These feathers are said to be explosive, and are to be avoided at all costs. Rescue teams around Mariner Bay are currently attempting to locate and contain them. If you have found one of these feathers, please do not touch them and wait for one of these teams to arrive and handle the situation."

I turn off the television, only for my phone to start ringing, and I almost want to plug my ears and start screaming. Even apart from Lightspeed, I can't catch a single break.

Either way, I answer the call, because just like the adrenaline rush I'd gotten, this is muscle memory. Protecting people, something I can still do with or without a government organization backing me. "Ally?"

My heart drops out of my chest. "Kels?" She doesn't sound good. Not at all. "Kelsey, what's going on?"

She laughs, but there's still clear pain behind her voice. "We're getting our asses handed to us, that's what's going on." There's a slight pause, and she groans as she struggles to her feet. "Diabolico really did it this time."

"The feathers."

"And three of his monsters." What the hell.

I tuck my phone between my ear and my shoulder, grabbing my morpher and cinching it around my wrist. "Where are you?"

"We're leading them to a dead-end on Dawn Avenue." That's a twenty minute walk away, ten on my longboard, if I rush. "We can't do this without you, 'Lys."

The irony of her statement is almost painful: Lightspeed all but promised me they could. But if I don't return now, I'll lose my chance to get to Ryan. Catch-22s suck. "I'm on my way."

My team isn't there. Without their coordinates, without Lightspeed's guidance behind the scenes, all I have to go on is common sense. Common sense, and the explosions rocketing off two blocks down the road in the warehouse district.

I cross that distance in what feels like seconds, and as the wheels on my longboard turn, memories come flooding back to me.

All-nighters filled with support from each of my friends, the occasional sips of alcohol each of them would let me have when we would go out. The movie nights that would run on and on until everyone was passed out, and we woke up to the menu screen of whatever we'd put into the DVD player.

Dawn patrol with Chad, workouts with Kelsey, Joel's valiant attempts at teaching me how to fix my car. Running errands with Dana, with both of us having to hold the other back from buying whatever cute outfit caught our eye. Study sessions with Carter that eventually turned into him giving up on whatever book he was reading and watching me edit or plan over my shoulder.

He'd ask me so many questions, I could hardly keep up, and he seemed amazed at each of my answers. Having his attention, his friendship, and that of the entire team, was one of the highlights of these past few months. And no matter what I'm going to do, a part of me will always regret it.

When I get to the area where the explosions were coming from, it's already filled with smoke, small fires already left in the wake of the destruction. Morphing is all too familiar as I rush through the debris, making sure to leave my longboard safely under a bush, and I brace myself for what I might see.

It doesn't matter, though, because what I see is arguably worse than what I could've prepared for. Carter and the others lie unmorphed, struggling to get to their feet. Blood and dirt coat their faces, and everything within me screams to rush for them, to protect them.

Then, I see the three monsters Kelsey had mentioned. They have Carter, Kelsey, Dana, Chad and Joel cornered. My team. "It's incredible what these tiny feathers can do," the demon in the middle, what looks to be some kind of bird, murmurs. "But I'm glad they didn't kill you, so that we get the honor of doing it ourselves."

Carter wants nothing more than to morph and strangle these monsters to death. "I'm glad they didn't kill you, though, so we have the pleasure of doing that ourselves."

The things lift their weapons, and he shuts his eyes. After everything, Carter can't believe his end is going to be… this. Brought down by feathers, and without having even seen his entire team be whole-

"Stop!" Dana had told him how strange it was to hear Alyssa use her power, but she hadn't told them how painful it would be. He clutches his ears, and Diabolico's demons turn away, all facing towards the Purple Ranger.

His Purple Ranger. "Look who's come to join the party."

"Put down your weapons."

The monster that hadn't spoken, the red-faced one that looks the most like a demon, cackles. "That was a nice try, girl."

Alyssa takes a step forward, raising her blaster. "I said." The demons freeze, limbs held in place. "Put. Down. Your. Weapons." Their steel clangs to the ground. "Now, leave, and never-"

She stumbles, coughing, and their opponents straighten again. "Still a weakling, I see," the bird-like demon cooes. "It wouldn't be the case if you came with us. Diabolico could train you well."

"I'd never." Carter somehow manages to get to his feet, but he can't make it more than a few steps without collapsing. Alyssa lifts her weapon again. "And I think it's time you go back to him, instead."

Her first shot misses, thrown off by her weakened limbs, and the second shot is deflected as the shorter demon blocks it with its axe. The third is flung right back at her, and Carter can only watch as she's thrown to the ground, suit burnt at her midsection. "Ally!" She doesn't move, and tears threaten to rise. "Fuck you!" Carter spits, standing even as pain ripples through him, even as the demons turn back to face him. "Go to hell!"

The tallest, red-faced demon tilts its head. "Oh, this is lovely." Horrified, Carter can only stand as it raises its weapon to Ally's neck. "I fear the mighty Red Ranger has a little crush."

He can't think of anything else to do, so he spreads his arms wide, praying that someone, that anyone will help them. "Take me instead. Leave my- leave her alone."

Alyssa stirs, and her suit flashes off and back on. It's disconcerting, to see her in combat without her Lightspeed jacket. (He has it hanging in his room, to give back to her when she comes back.) "Exactly!" Demon Demon, which Carter realizes is a stupid-ass name, laughs again. "So, say goodbye to your friend, Ranger-"

A blur launches through the opening of the wall they'd created, and all three demons collapse.

Carter has to force his focus away from Ally to fully process what exactly, or who exactly, the blur was: the only man who can wield the Titanium morpher, the only man who can answer for his crimes.

Ryan Mitchell had, in fact, come to their aid.