Mark and Taylor spent a fruitless hour searching various parts of the city for signs of the Vylgass and by extension, Harley. There were no signs of either, a couple of leads on the black ranger had turned up nothing. Even hi-tech methods of tracking were providing fruitless, evidenced when a frustrated Major hung up her phone, "Can't even track his phone?" Mark asked, to which Taylor shook her head, "doesn't surprise me, something tells me this isn't the first time Harley's disappeared without a trace."

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve," Taylor answered, "but I'd have to call in some serious favours, I don't want to waste them on a runaway Ranger."

"We might not have a choice," Mark sighed, "why did he run off? I thought we were passed his one man show routine."

"I'm not sure," Taylor began, "from the footage I saw you talking with Rachel then he just charged off." Taylor paused, a small grin crossing her face, "Maybe he was jealous of how close you two were."

Mark snorted, "What are we, a couple of high schoolers?"

The pair reached Taylor's jeep where the blonde immediately dropped her jacket onto the back seat, "No one ever accused Harley of being mature and level-headed," Taylor replied whilst grabbing two bottles of water, handing one to Mark. "Wherever he is, I hope he's keeping out the sun," she added, "this heat won't be fun in his condition."

"And it's not even summer," Mark said after taking a sip of water. As he lowered the bottle, his eyes fell on his morpher, "Is there a way Jazz could track his morpher?" he asked.

Taylor slapped her forehead, "Why didn't I think of that?" she groaned and immediately called their technical expert.

Whilst the Major was on the phone Mark wandered away from the Jeep, almost in desperation that he would see something useful. Out the corner of his eye he spotted repeated flashing. He was about to dismiss this as the sun reflecting off a passing car until he heard a scream, accompanied by another flash, "Can't be a coincidence," he muttered.

The source of the disturbance was down the street, nearly a block away from his current location. The red ranger immediately jogged in that direction, he barely made it half way when he spotted the Vyglass monster, Kodeck, crashing through a window out into the road, "Harley," he grumbled and he immediately picked up his pace.

A few seconds later, Harley tumbled out the same broken window closely followed by Princess Lena. Instead of her usual weapon, she was wielding a bizarre looking sword, the blade of which resembled a stretch of road, "Come now black ranger, you're in no condition to fight me," she taunted Harley, who was barely able to stand, "I'm in a good mood so just this once, I'll let you walk away."

"Not gonna happen," Harley wiped a small amount of blood away from his nose, "not until you give me that book," he pointed at the white covered book in Lena's left hand.

"Aww do you want your friends back," she teased the black ranger, "or maybe just one in particular," Harley snarled and clenched his fist tightly, "humans, led so easily by their emotions." At that moment she spotted Mark arriving, "Ah the red ranger, maybe you'll be a challenge for my new weapon."

"What you doin' here?" Harley grunted, wobbling on his feet.

"Saving you from doing something stupid," the red ranger snapped and tried to help Harley balance, the black ranger shook off him off, "do you have a death wish or something?"

"I need to get that book," Harley weakly pointed Lena, "everything this monster's captured is in there."

"Then we'll do it together," Mark pleaded, "why haven't you morphed?"

Lena chuckled, "He's having performance issues, is that usually a problem for you?"

Mark physically held Harley back, "If you can't morph that isn't good, it probably means your body can't handle the power. You need to get back to base, I can handle this." For a moment Harley paused before sadly shaking his head and charging towards the Princess, "Rachel wouldn't want this," Mark called desperately. He barely took two steps though before there was a blinding flash and he was gone, another victim of Kodeck capture beam.

"I'm building up quite a set," Lena chuckled, flicking through the photo album. Mark didn't recognise most of the faces but Rachel, Stevie and Harley stood out clear as day. There were also dozens of images of what Mark assumed was the secret base, "What's the human saying, a pictures worth a thousand words?" she added with a sick smile on her face.

"Is that why you attacked at this bridal store?" Mark pointed at the destroyed store, "taking people at their happiest moment for your own sick pleasure?"

"I couldn't have a wedding so why should they?" Lena barked back furiously, drawing a frown from the red ranger. He spotted Kodeck moving towards the Princess, "It's two on one red ranger," she continued, "I'm not going to extend the same offer to run away that I gave to the black ranger."

"Then perhaps I should even the odds," Taylor called out, "it's been a while but I've still got a few fights left in me."

"Major," Mark cautioned, "I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"You should listen to him old woman," Lena chortled, "run while you can."

"Old woman!" Taylor snapped, "let me show you what this old woman can do." She whipped out her mysterious black and gold cell phone, striking a pose and calling, "Wild Access." To everyone's surprise a yellow ranger appeared with a similar bird theme to the Jet Force Rangers, specifically an eagle. There were clear differences between the suits which set her apart from the Jet Force team, "I met the Ranger who used that sword," Taylor stated whilst calling on her blade, carefully inserting a small yellow orb into the hilt, "let's see if you know how to use it."

Princess Lena snorted indifferently and leapt towards the yellow Wild Force Ranger, their blades clashing with a loud clang and a shower of sparks. Taylor's feet slipped backwards but she held firm before dropping a shoulder and rolling to Lena's side. A low swing from her Crystal Sabre was blocked comfortably by the Princess, "I've got this," Taylor called to the stunned Mark, "take care of the monster."

Mark nodded his head and quickly activated his morpher, calling on his Jet Sword immediately. Kodeck attempted to wrap it's flash cable around his weapon but Mark was ready for this, swatting it aside easily and following up with a kick to the monster's gut. There was a faint whirring noise and instinctively the red ranger ducked, just as the monster unleashed it's flash capture, "That was close," Mark sighed, "I must be able to avoid capture by staying out his frame of reference." The monster attempted to stomp on the red ranger but he swiftly rolled out the way, "But how can I fight something that I can't face directly?"

It was a question Mark struggled to answer, he used his flight power to swoop over Kodeck but the beast was ready. It's flash activated, similar to the attack which incapacitated Harley. The red ranger rolled in the air and managed to avoid the worst of the blast but it still caught one of his wings, sending him spiralling onto the sidewalk, "Damnit," Mark swore, punching the asphalt, "close combat isn't working."

He pulled his Jet Blaster from its holster and aimed a few rounds at Kodeck, one of which hit the exposed flash on top of the monster head. It shattered and exploded in a shower of sparks, sending the monster scampering for cover. Before Mark could press his attack, the monster disappeared through a dimensional portal, "At least can't take anyone else for now," he sighed, knowing he'd missed an opportunity to free his team.

On the other side of the road Taylor wouldn't admit it but the Vyglass Princess was a tough opponent. It didn't help that she was wielding a prototype Street Sabre, despite not being fully connected to the Morphing Grid, it was still a powerful weapon. Lena managed to break through her defences, raking the Sabre across her suit and sending her tumbling to the ground, "I really didn't miss this feeling," the Major grumbled, struggling to get off her knees.

"Not too late to yield Grandma," Lena taunted, "I'll even take you to the old folks home."

"I'm only forty one," Taylor got to her feet, "still plenty of life left in me."

"For now," Lena twirled the Street Sabre and prepared another attack, "any last words?"

"Golden Eagle Sword," Taylor called on her special weapon, "how's that for some last words?" With the Eagle Sword in one hand and Crystal Sabre in the other, she crossed the blades and caught the Street Sabre in the middle. Sweeping her arms, she pushed Lena's blade away. Her duel blades were a blur as he rained blow after blow on the Vyglass Princess but to her frustration, Lena kept deflecting.

Suddenly there was a sharp jab to her leg, not enough to take her off her feet but enough to halt her attack. There was another crack across her arms which forced her to drop her blades, followed by a gentle pressure against her neck, "You're not the only one with two weapons," Lena sneered, her whip hanging from her left hand as the Street Sabre pressed against Taylor's neck. The yellow ranger cursed, she'd forgotten about Lena's normal weapon of choice.

Before the Princess could celebrate her victory, Mark's battle against Kodeck finished and he dashed across the street. Lena quickly rolled behind Taylor, keeping the blade pressed against her neck, "I wouldn't come any closer," Lena called to the red ranger, "unless you want Grandma's head removed from her ancient shoulders."

"Getting real sick of the age jokes," Taylor muttered to her herself before calling to Mark, "don't listen to her, she will attack whether you surrender or not."

"I'm offended that you think I'm so dishonest," Lena said with a healthy amount of fake sincerity.

"Well you have spent the last few minutes beating up an old woman," Taylor replied, "besides I still have a trick up my sleeve." The tips of her gloves turned into claws and she jabbed them hard into Lena's upper legs and torso, drawing a loud cry of pain from the Princess. Her grip on Taylor loosened enough for her to grab the hilt of the Street Sabre. When Lena wouldn't release her grip, Taylor slashed at her head with her claws, shredding the Princess's head piece, damaging her face mask and scratching three impressive claw marks into her cheek near her left eye.

The Princess grasped at her face, her damaged mask sparking and dark blood staining the white parts of her suit. Taylor tossed the Street Sabre over to Mark before retrieving her Eagle Sword, holding it close to Lena's neck, "I shouldn't admit it but that felt pretty good," the Major said, "now, release our friends and everyone else you've taken."

"Go to hell," Lena's distorted voice replied through her damaged mask.

Suddenly a portal appeared behind Lena and Kane leapt through, pushing Taylor away. The two rangers prepared for another battle but to their surprise, the cyborg grabbed the Princess and dragged her into the portal and they both disappeared, "They got away," Taylor grumbled, "but at least we were able to retrieve this," she pointed at the Street Sabre.

"But they took Harley and God knows who else," Mark sighed, "I managed to damage Kodeck's flash though so hopefully his capturing days are over."

"Sometimes you've got to take whatever wins you can get in the Ranger business," Taylor shrugged, "let's get back to base and regroup, I doubt it'll be long before Lena seeks revenge."

"And maybe we'll talk about this," he indicated to Taylor's Ranger suit, "how did an Air Force Major become a Power Ranger?"

Taylor smirked inside her helmet, "That's an interesting story," she walked back towards her car and powered down, "you coming rookie?" she added lightly.

On the Vyglass ship, Lena and Kane tumbled through the portal and landed on the ground with a thud, "You blundering bucket of bolts," Lena thundered, "how dare you lay a hand on me?"

"I was doing my job as the protector of this crew," Kane replied robotically, "you were in trouble and came to assist."

In response Lena grabbed Kane by the neck and slammed him hard against the wall, "Don't do it again, do I make myself clear," she snarled, "find Kodeck and get him fixed up, the Rangers made their last mistake today." She released Kane and stomped down the corridor, leaving a confused Kane behind.

At the Air Force Base, Taylor had finished relaying her story as a Power Ranger to Mark, Ricky and Jazz. She perched against a bench in the workshop, letting out a sigh, "So, any questions?" she asked.

"Several," Jazz began, "but I can barely form the words, I mean our boss is a former Power Ranger. Can we swap you out for Harley?"

Taylor chuckled, "Unfortunately it doesn't work like that," she opened her hand to show her animal crystal, "the Eagle Zord chose me for a reason, the same way the Avian Waves chose the team."

"Even me?" Ricky asked his predecessor, "you must be disappointed to have me as one of your successors."

"Is that how you see yourself?" Taylor asked seriously, "if so then I haven't been a very good mentor." She pushed herself off the bench and slowly walked over to Ricky, "You might not be the strongest fighter but that a skill you can learn," she paused and grasped his shoulders, "what can't be learned is the heart of a warrior, the bravery and desire to help others and you have that in spades."

"And brains," Mark added, pointing and the buggy sitting in the workshop, "you engineered this for the team, I bet not many Rangers could say that."

"Certainly not me," Taylor added, "in fact you remind me a little of the first blue ranger of Earth, he might not have been physically the best fighter but he more than made up for that with his brain." She handed him a wrench, "So don't let anyone tell you that you're not a true Power Ranger," Ricky smiled in appreciation, "now, how's this coming along?" she pointed at the buggy.

"It's as ready as it's going to be," Ricky said, "Jazz is just finishing the programming but it's ready to go."

"We haven't tested it," Jazz added, "simulations suggest it'll create a hell of a boom."

"Sometimes the best test is a field test," Taylor replied, "I can't even count the number of times we used a weapon for first time against the Orgs."

Jazz let out an squeal of excitement, "This is so frigging cool, having a real Power Ranger talking to us," Mark and Ricky looked at their technical expert, "oh you two don't count, you didn't fight in the Legendary Battle five years ago." The Scot paused and clapped her hands repeatedly, "So you must know all the other Rangers."

"Not all of them personally but we all know of each other," Taylor nodded.

"So who are they? Anyone like really famous?" Jazz asked excitedly.

"It's not my place to reveal the identity of other Rangers," Taylor held up her hands, trying to dampen Jazz's enthusiasm, "if they need to, they'll reveal their identities to you in time." The Scot's expression changed to one more suited to a sad puppy, "But some are definitely famous," the Major caved in, "sports people, musicians, big names in business even a State Governor."

"No way," Ricky gasped, "can't believe a politician would be a good Power Ranger."

Taylor laughed, "Some do go against the stereotype and trust me, she is one of the best."

Jazz almost punched the air with excitement, "A female Governor, I mean I had a one in fifty chance of guessing but that really reduces the odds," she whipped out her phone and began scrolling, "Wikipedia must have a list of US Governors right?"

"Now let's slow down," Mark attempted to reign in the Scot, "like the Major said, a former Ranger might reveal themselves to us in time. Don't forget we are still missing three of our own Rangers," Jazz pouted and pocketed her phone, "The old facility that the Vyglass broken into, was that sword Princess Lena was using something from there?" he asked the Major.

"Sadly yes," Taylor nodded, loading some footage onto a nearby monitor. It showed a team of Rangers that weren't familiar to most in the room, "The RPM Rangers are from a different dimension, one where a sentient computer virus wiped out most of the world."

"Very Terminator," Ricky began, "so if I know my science fiction, if it existed in that reality," he pointed at the screen, "there's a chance it could exist in this one."

"Well that sword is proof that something was in that old mine," Mark rubbed his head, "but how much, that's the question."

"That will depend on how closely the history of our universe mirrors the RPM universe," Taylor replied, "Doctor K, the creator of the Ranger Operators, left the Rangers of this universe a timeline but I couldn't be sure what was stored in Alphabet Soup at the time it was abandoned as I can't verify that with Air Force records."

"Lemme guess, classified," Jazz groaned, "my least favourite word."

"General Harkness is aware but in his words, taking this up the chain of command will take time," Taylor said. "chances are they were pretty close to finishing their prototypes, the Street Sabre is proof of that."

"The photo album," Mark interjected, "why else use a camera monster unless you needed to take pictures. I'd bet that photo album is basically an instruction book on how to build a team of Rangers."

"Then you two better get going," Jazz tossed some keys to Mark, "quicker you track them down the better."

The red ranger caught the keys with one hand, "How confident are you that this thing will work?"

Jazz and Ricky looked at each other, "It won't blow up in your face but all bets are off after that," the Scot replied sheepishly.

"So somewhere between humiliating failure and success, brilliant," Mark commented dryly and began to lower himself into the single seat, "Sorry Ricky, looks like you're walking," he added towards the yellow ranger.

"Now that's where you're wrong," Ricky grinned and pushed open a nearby garage door. Sitting inside were four motorbikes, each colour coded towards the yellow, black, blue and white Rangers, "Couldn't let you have all the fun," he continued, "they're not as well equipped as the buggy but they will do the job."

"Just try to stay upright this time," Jazz sighed, "the Jet Cycles are more powerful than any production bike and I lost count of how many times he fell off during testing."

"It took some getting used to but I've got the hang of them," Ricky stated apprehensively, "they work better with our powers anyway."

"Duly noted," Mark summoned his morpher and Ricky quickly followed, "Jet Force, Take Flight," he called.

Whilst the trio were discussing the bikes, Taylor was reviewing a message on her computer, "We've got activity near the old mine again," she began, "Lena and her pet monster are back."

"Then we've no time to lose," Mark fired up the engine on the buggy, forcing Jazz and Taylor to cover their ears, "sorry, forgot how loud this was," he shouted over the throb of the engine. The main door opened, allowing bright sunlight into the building. The red ranger slammed the buggy into gear and it roared out into the desert with Ricky following closely on his bike.

"Next time you build a vehicle, put a silencer on it," Taylor said, shaking her head in a vain attempt to stop her ears ringing.

"What?" Jazz shouted, turned her head towards the Major.

"I said," Taylor began with a raised voice but immediately stopped herself, "no, not falling for that," she grumbled quietly and slowly sat down, "oldest trick in the book," she added whilst shaking her head.

There was a long pause before Jazz shouted again, "What?" to which Taylor simply groaned and slapped her palm to her forehead.

With their powerful new machines, Mark and Ricky reached the old mine in no time. Bringing their vehicles to a skidding halt near the entrance, they were surprised to find no one around, "This seems very familiar," the yellow ranger groaned, "standing around waiting for the bad guys to jump us."

"Keep your guard up, you never know when they'll appear," Mark spotted something glinting behind a rock formation, "for example," his Jet Sword appeared and he immediately twisted to his left, just in time to intercept Lena's attack, "nice try," the red ranger commented dryly.

Lena merely grunted and pushed the red ranger back until he was shoulder to shoulder with Ricky, "Are you trying out a new look?" the yellow ranger snarked, commenting on the lack of headdress and scratched face. The Princess snarled and swung for Ricky, who managed to deflect the attack with his Jet Gauntlet, "Something I said?"

"Let's just say she won't be making any age jokes around the Major again," Mark replied, "you try and find Kodeck, I'll handle Princess Scarface."

Ricky chuckled loudly, "Getting roasted by Mark, that must be low," the yellow ranger was silenced by a wild swing from Lena that he barely avoided, "and that's my cue to leave," he quickly scampered away.

Lena and Mark engaged in a furious duel, the red ranger was barely able to keep up with her speedy attacks, "You're getting sloppy," Mark quickly deflected a Street Sabre attack away, "one of these would've hit by now."

"Shut up," Lena's distorted voice cried, aiming another hefty blow at his head, "you won't defeat us again."

There was no finesse to Lena's attacks, it was all power and everything was designed to cause serious injury, "Anger clouds your judgement," the red ranger replied, "someone once told me that."

To his surprise Lena stopped mid attack, her eyes clouded then suddenly refocused again, "What did you say?" she asked with a quiet whisper.

Mark kept his guard up, he wasn't sure if this was a trick by the Princess. Before he could find out Ricky flew out of nowhere, knocking Mark and Lena off their feet, "Found Kodeck," he gasped between heavy breaths, "got him on the run though." Suddenly the monster's flash cable wrapped around the yellow ranger and dragged him away.

In the confusion Lena regained her composure and kipped up to her feet first, taking the opportunity to kick Mark in the gut. He was sent sprawling away, landing near his buggy, "I think it's time we ended this," the Princess said slowly and deliberately.

"Couldn't agree more," Mark got up slowly, walking behind his buggy, "but unlike you, I won't let personal rivalries distract me from what's important."

"Really," Lena snorted, "and what's more important than me?"

"Getting my friends back," Mark pulled a hidden lever on the buggy's rear spoiler, allowing the front wheel to drop down at a ninety degree angle. The front nose lowered to reveal a huge weapon barrel with the front wheels now propping up the front end. The rear wheel pivoted upwards and began to spin wildly as two handles appeared out the back end, "Now Ricky!" Mark called out.

The yellow ranger nodded and jammed his Jet Gauntlet into the body of Kodeck, forcing him to release his grip. Ricky kicked him towards the opening of the old mine and immediately jumped for cover. Stunned, Lena merely stood and watched everything unfolding, "This better work," Mark whispered in prayer and slammed the handles forward.

A ball of energy surged down the body of the buggy, accelerated by the spinning rear wheels and flew out the barrel with tremendous force. Whilst not in the direct path of the blast, Lena was thrown several feet into the air by the passing energy ball. The blast struck Kodeck right on its lens, going straight through its body like it wasn't there. It struck the entrance of the mine and exploded, bringing down tons of rubble inside and sealing it closed forever.

The kick back from the Nitro Blaster propelled Mark several feet, he skidden backside first along the desert floor until he finally came to a stop. All that was left of Kodeck was a smoking crater, "We should've told you, the Nitro Blaster is meant to be a team weapon," Ricky offered his hand to the red ranger."

"Now you tell me," Mark shook his head and accepted the helping hand from Ricky. He spotted Lena face down a fair distance away from her last location. The two Rangers also spotted the frazzled remains of the Street Sabre, "At least this won't be a problem," the red ranger kicked the debris around with his feet.

"And whatever was left down that mine will be lost forever," Ricky stopped as he spotted something amongst the desert dirt, "what do we have here?" he asked, shaking sand off the item.

"Lena's photo album," Mark took it from Ricky and flicked through the pages, "its empty," he frowned, "does that mean-"

He was interrupted by a familiar voice, "We leave you two alone for five minutes and this happens," Rachel pointed towards the smoking mountain face.

"Yeah give us some warning next time," Stevie added, slowed down by supporting a limping Harley. The black ranger said nothing, merely glaring at the red ranger.

The reunited Ranger reunion was spoilt by a scrambling sound, they turned to see Princess Lena trying to get to her feet. Her body was facing away from the team although they spotted the remains of her face mask dropping to the ground. Before she could properly stand up, a portal opened and Count Trivium appeared. The Rangers prepared for action but just like Kane earlier, the Vyglass General grabbed Lena and disappeared, "What was that all about?" Rachel asked.

Mark powered down, walking over to Lena's discarded mask, "No idea but something tells me we're not going to be seeing Princess Lena for a while." With the mask hanging loose in his hand, he turned to face his team, "Come on, let's get Harley back to base and into bed."

"Told you I'm fine," Harley grumbled and Stevie responded by releasing her grip and letting the black ranger drop to the ground, "alright point taken," he muttered. The blue ranger looked at Mark who merely nodded. Stevie huffed and pulled Harley back to his feet by his shirt as the team began to leave, "How are we getting back to town?" the black ranger asked.

Mark stopped, suddenly realising they only had the buggy and Ricky bike, "Major, you might need to send a van," he said sheepishly into his communicator.

The sun had nearly set and everyone apart from Harley had reconvened at Duality to resume Mark's birthday celebration. Unlike earlier when the bar was closed for their private party, the place was packed with its usual patrons. The team were sitting in a corner booth with a collection of glasses and bottles littering the table, "So let me get this straight," Stevie began towards Taylor, "it took us getting captured to reveal you're a badass former Power Ranger."

"I wouldn't say badass," Taylor tried to stay modest.

"Dude, you were dual-wielding swords can't get more badass than that," Ricky gushed before getting a glare from the Major, "also never calling you dude again, understood."

"Appreciated but I was actually going to say keep your voice down," Taylor replied, "we're out in public."

"I doubt these bunch of drunks are going to remember anything about tonight," Rachel stated to the Major, "I'm pretty sure that one is asleep," she pointed at someone resting their head on the table next to theirs. "I don't understand why you took so long to tell us?" she asked the blonde.

"I had a similar argument with one of my old team," Taylor sighed, "I just wanted you to stand on your own and not have to rely on a former Ranger for help."

"Sounds like a stupid reason to me," Stevie snorted, "but whatever, its behind us now. Does this mean you're going to join us in the field more often?"

"It is a tradition to have six Rangers on a team," Jazz added, attempting to sway Taylor.

The former Wild Force Ranger looked at her morpher before quietly pocketing it away, "I'm not saying never," she began slowly, "but my place is as your mentor. The Vyglass are your enemy to defeat and I will help you however I can, just maybe not in a physical way."

The blue ranger chuckled, "Whatever, I bet you couldn't hang with us anyway, old woman," she teased.

"Hey," Taylor exclaimed, "I might be more than twice your age but I can still kick your ass," she paused to take a drink, "just remember what happened to the last person to call me old."

"Well at the risk of sounding old," Mark interjected into the growing argument, "I think it's time I turned in."

The table groaned with disappointment, "Come on, you're not leaving your birthday party early for a second time, it's nearly karaoke time," Rachel pleaded with the red ranger.

"Unfortunately no one wants to hear me sing, Adrienne was always the musical one in our relationship," he said with a sigh. "Before I leave, I'd like to say something," he raised his beer bottle for a toast, "to another year around the sun and to new beginnings with the best team a guy could ask for." There was a resounding cheer and clink of glass from the table and Mark quickly finished his drink. Before leaving he checking his phone, "Huh, I've been added to a Whatsapp group called Red, anyone now anything about that?"

"He couldn't even wait a day," Taylor groaned, "welcome to the infamous red ranger Whatsapp group rookie, despite what they say, they're a harmless bunch really."

Jazz looked towards the Major, "Did your old red ranger do that?"

"God no," Taylor scoffed, "he might own a phone but he has no idea how to use it," she indicated towards Mark's phone with her beer bottle, "that will be the fault of my ex-husband."

"Your ex is a former red ranger?" Jazz bounced in her seat with excitement, "of course, why didn't I put it together sooner, he's the Eric Myers, the famous Quantum Ranger of Silver Hills."

"I warned him against doing those interviews," Taylor groaned, "he's only in that group on a technicality, they still debate to this day if he's a true red ranger."

"And on that note," Mark excused himself from the debate, "I will see you all for training in the morning, try not to be too hung over," he grinned towards the table.

He wiggled through the crowd and up the stairs to the exit. As he stepped into the street he spotted Harley about to enter, "Fancy seeing you here," the black ranger greeted, "I thought the party finished earlier."

"Just a few quiet drinks," Mark replied, "did the doctors discharge you properly this time?"

"Clean bill of health, all I needed were some fluids and top shelf painkillers," Harley shrugged, "I have my discharge note if you don't believe me."

"No I'll take your word for it," Mark began, "but this does give us a chance for a quiet word."

Harley groaned, "I'm too sober for one of your chats, can you come back in an hour."

"We're doing this now," Mark said with authority, "I don't know what going on with you and Rachel but it interfered with the team today."

"Ain't nothin' going on with me and her," Harley snorted, "dunno what gave you that impression."

"There's nothing yet but I get the feeling you would like there to be," Mark replied and Harley immediately looked away, "can I give you some advice?"

"I don't need advice on women from you," Harley snapped.

Mark shook his head, "There's a difference between picking up women and connecting with someone special. Have you ever been in love Harley?" the black ranger said nothing in reply, "It can be scary and can make you do stupid things," Mark continued, "and maybe one day, Rachel will feel the same way you do."

Harley took a couple of steps away, scuffing his feet on the ground, "I'm not your rival here Harley," the red ranger continued, "I'm not ready for that commitment and I'm not sure I ever will be. Similarly, Rachel will talk to and maybe show interest in others. She won't appreciate you acting like a caveman every time another man hugs her."

Harley's head snapped towards the red ranger, a frown etched across his brow and his fists clenching tightly, "So I trust something like this won't happen again, do we understand each other?"

"Perfectly," Harley said through gritted teeth.

"Good," Mark nodded, "have a good night," he turned and walked way, leaving Harley to seething in the fading light.

On the Vyglass ship Kane was walking through the corridors when he spotted Prince Reise and Count Trivium standing outside the Count's personal laboratory, "I don't understand why you persist with your experiment," the young Prince scoffed, "it's clearly failing."

"Nonsense," Trivium replied smoothly, "just a few minor adjustments needed, nothing more."

"The control was nearly broken and the Rangers have a weapon that can overpower our Dimensional Bugs," Reise sounded almost gleeful, "and then what? I had a call with mother earlier, she wasn't too happy to hear about your little project."

Trivium bristled indignantly, "Your attempts to destroy the Power Rangers haven't gone to plan either, I bet your dear old mother didn't hear about your failures."

There was a loud petulant stomp from Reise and which point Kane shook his head and retreated to his quarters. He knew exactly what they were talking about, "Maybe I need to take firmer action," he muttered to himself. His quarters were sparse but the latest addition was the piano that Lena was playing earlier in the day.

Pouring himself a whiskey from his collection, he locked and sealed the door. Sitting down on the stool, he begin to play a tune. It was clunky but at least it drowned out Trivium and Reise's argument. If he could've smiled, at that moment Kane would've had the broadest grin on his face.