Billy and Zane had intercepted some intel that a key base to Drakkon's operations was located. I was a bit skeptical at first after what happened a couple days ago but with encouragement from Jason, Billy, Ziggy and Trini I knew we had to investigate.

We moved cautiously through the desolate corridors of the facility, weapons at the ready. The walls were lined with dim, flickering lights that barely illuminated the steel pathways ahead. The air smelled sterile, but underneath it, there was something foul—like metal and decay.

I gripped my Wolf Saber tightly, my senses sharp. This place felt wrong. It was too quiet. Too still.

Ziggy, ever the one to break tension, let out a dramatic sigh. "Okay, so am I the only one who's getting serious 'bad horror movie' vibes? Because this is exactly how it starts. Group of heroes sneaks into an evil lair, spooky silence, ominous lighting… next thing you know, the comic relief guy gets taken out first."

I shot him a sharp look. "Not funny, Ziggy."

He held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, tough crowd."

Billy glanced at me, concern flickering in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. He didn't have to. I knew I wasn't acting like myself, but I couldn't bring myself to care. This war had drained me, hollowed me out. The weight of every loss sat heavy on my shoulders, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were walking straight into another one.

Jason, leading the group, held up a fist, signaling for us to stop. We all froze, instinctively lowering our stances. He turned to face us, his expression serious. "We don't know what we're walking into, so stay sharp. If this really is one of Drakkon's strongholds, then we're going to be outnumbered. Stick to the plan—get the data, and get out. And we all know how fast things can go sideways."

Jenna nodded. "Got it. Stay quiet, stay alert."

Zane adjusted his grip on his weapon. "Let's just hope whatever Drakkon's got in here, we can handle it."

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to push past my unease. "We always do."

Jason gave a firm nod. "Then let's move."

We continued forward, deeper into the facility, the tension growing thicker with each step. I kept scanning our surroundings, but nothing jumped out at us yet. Still, my instincts screamed that something was wrong. And I had learned a long time ago to trust my instincts.

The moment we stepped into the facility, the doors behind us slammed shut with a resounding clang. I spun around, gripping my Wolf Saber, but there was no exit in sight—just cold steel and an eerie silence settling over us like a suffocating blanket. Then, his voice came. A deep, chilling laugh echoed from unseen speakers, sending ice down my spine. Drakkon.

"You Rangers are getting predictable," his voice drawled, smug and confident. "And you, Kali… still clinging to hope. Tell me, how much more do you think you can lose before you finally break?"

I clenched my jaw, my grip tightening around my weapon. "You're going to regret locking us in here, Drakkon."

Another laugh, dripping with amusement. "Oh, but I didn't lock you in. I locked you in with them."

The overhead lights flickered to life, casting harsh white beams over the massive room. My stomach twisted as the shadows peeled back, revealing the horror before us—dozens of Drakkon's Mastodon Sentries, Tyranno Sentries, and worse… monstrous creatures that looked like something out of a nightmare. Twisted, mutated experiments of Rangers and villains, their bodies barely recognizable beneath the grotesque modifications.

Jenna cursed under her breath. "This… is bad."

"No kidding," Cassie muttered, shifting into a defensive stance.

Jason didn't hesitate. "We make a path. Stick together, don't let them separate us!"

The Sentries charged. I barely had a second to react before I was forced into battle, blocking a heavy strike from a Mastodon Sentry. I countered with a swift slash of my Wolf Saber, taking it down, but another was already coming at me. I ducked beneath its attack, spinning on my heel to slash at its legs, sending it crumbling to the ground.

Ziggy moved beside me, his movements wild but effective as he knocked a Tyranno Sentry back with his weapons. "You know, for a guy who talks a big game, you'd think Drakkon would come fight us himself instead of sending his goons," he quipped, dodging another strike.

I exhaled sharply, stepping in to cover him as he repositioned. "He's too much of a coward to fight us head-on."

Ziggy grinned. "See, that's the attitude I like."

We moved instinctively, back-to-back, fending off wave after wave of enemies. I could hear my team fighting fiercely around us, their grunts of exertion and the clash of weapons filling the air. But even as we fought, it became clear—we were outmatched.

For every Sentry we took down, two more appeared in its place. The monstrous creatures were stronger, faster, and unrelenting. Sweat dripped down my face as I drove my Saber into another enemy, but my muscles were already burning from exertion. Jason's voice cut through the chaos. "We need to fall back!Regroup!"

I barely managed to block another attack before stealing a quick glance around the room. He was right. We couldn't keep this up forever. We needed a plan—fast. The moment the fighting stopped, the silence was suffocating. My breath came in ragged gasps as I tightened my grip on my Wolf Saber, my body aching from the relentless battle. Then, he stepped forward.

Drakkon. His twisted version of Saba pulsed with dark energy in his grip, and his smirk was one of pure amusement. He looked me over, eyes gleaming with that same smug satisfaction he always carried. Like he had already won. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" he mused, tilting his head.

I said nothing, forcing myself to steady my breathing, to push down the rising dread curling in my stomach. Drakkon lazily pointed his blade at me. Then, slowly, he turned it toward Ziggy. I felt my blood run cold. "Since you're so stubborn, I'll give you a choice," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "One of you dies right now. Or… I kill you both."

The weight of his words crashed over me like a tidal wave. Silence. Absolute, gut-wrenching silence. The team stood frozen in horror. Jason and Billy immediately stepped forward, but a line of Sentries blocked their path, their weapons raised. "No—" Jason started, his voice sharp with fury.

"You can't do this!" Billy snapped, his fists clenching. Drakkon only chuckled, as if this was all some sick game to him. My heart pounded, my mind racing for a way out. A distraction. An opening. Anything. Then, beside me, Ziggy spoke.

"Well, this is new," he quipped, his voice far too casual given the circumstances. "Usually, villains just try to kill us outright. Gotta say, Drakkon, not a fan of this new 'let's make 'em choose' phase you're going through."

Even now, he was trying to lighten the mood. To keep me from spiraling. I turned to him, desperation clawing at my insides. "Ziggy, don't—"

"Sorry, Kali."

His voice was soft. Final. Before I could react, before I could stop him, he shoved me back—hard. I hit the ground with a thud, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. I scrambled to my feet, panic seizing my chest, but I was too late. Drakkon smirked. "Brave. Stupid, but brave."

And then—

He lunged.

I screamed. The Dragon Dagger plunged straight through Ziggy's chest. The world seemed to slow, my vision narrowing to the sight of my friend impaled on Drakkon's blade. Ziggy let out a sharp gasp, his eyes wide with shock as blood dripped from his lips. Drakkon twisted the dagger with a cruel, deliberate slowness, savoring the moment.

"No—no, no, no!" I tried to move, to get to him, but my legs felt like lead, my whole body locked in place by sheer horror.

Ziggy let out a weak chuckle, his voice barely above a whisper. "Man… this really sucks."

Drakkon yanked the dagger out, letting Ziggy collapse to his knees. Even through the pain, he looked up at me with a weak smile, his usual smirk faltering but still there. "Hey… don't do anything… reckless, okay?"

The green glow in his morpher flickered weakly before fading entirely. His body hit the ground. Lifeless.

No.

No, no, no—

I couldn't move. Everything around me blurred, the sounds of battle fading into the background as my vision tunneled. All I could see was him lying there, unmoving, his green morpher now dark and lifeless. My breath caught in my throat, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Ziggy was gone.

Drakkon let out a satisfied chuckle, wiping the blood from his Dragon Dagger as if this was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. "How many is that now?" he mused, tilting his head. "Three? You should really start keeping count."

Jen. Joel. And now-

A deep, guttural rage swelled inside me, igniting something primal and uncontrollable. Drakkon smirked, clearly reveling in my horror. "You know, at this rate, you might not have anyone left to fight beside you."

Something inside me snapped. A roar tore from my throat as an explosion of energy erupted from my body.

Black. Pink. Green. Purple. Silver.

The colors of my power swirled around me in a violent storm, crackling with raw, untamed energy. The ground trembled beneath my feet, fractures splintering outward from where I stood. The air grew thick with static, and an eerie glow pulsed from my eyes. I barely felt the pressure of my Wolf Saber in my grip, my knuckles white as I clutched it with an intensity I'd never felt before.

Jason and Billy staggered from the force of my energy, but I barely registered them. My entire focus was locked on Drakkon, my vision tinted red with fury. "Get away from him," I growled, my voice lower, darker—almost inhuman. For the first time, Drakkon hesitated.

His smirk faltered ever so slightly as he took a small step back, his eyes narrowing as he assessed me. He could sense it too. Something was different. I wasn't just unleashing an attack. I was becoming something else.

The power swelled inside me, coiling like a predator ready to strike. My grip on my saber tightened, my breathing ragged, erratic. I wanted to rip him apart, to make him feel every ounce of pain he had inflicted. The urge was overwhelming, clawing at my very soul. A hand gripped my shoulder, grounding me.

"Kali, we have to go. Now."

Jason.

I barely heard him over the pounding of my heart, the thunderous roar of energy surging through me. My entire body shook with the force of it, my mind teetering on the edge of something I didn't understand.

Another voice. Softer. Pleading.

"Kali… please."

Billy.

My vision flickered, my gaze dropping to the ground—Ziggy's lifeless body still lay there. A broken sob wrenched from my throat, cutting through the haze of rage. The power inside me wavered, the storm of energy dimming slightly.

I swallowed hard, forcing air into my lungs. The overwhelming fury still burned within me, but Jason's grip tightened just enough to remind me—I wasn't alone. I had to pull back.

For Ziggy.

For the others.

Finally, I gave a small, shaky nod. "Okay."

Jason and Billy wasted no time. As the others fought to clear a path, they grabbed Ziggy's body, their movements urgent but careful. I turned, reluctantly stepping away from Drakkon, who was still watching me, eyes gleaming with something unreadable. As we made our escape, I could still feel my power simmering beneath my skin, waiting—no, demanding—to be unleashed. And I knew, deep in my heart, that this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

Back at the base-

I held Ziggy's helmet in my hands. The once-vibrant green was now scuffed and scratched, the visor cracked from the impact of his final stand. My fingers traced over the damage, my vision blurred by the tears I refused to let fall.

The med bay was silent except for the faint hum of the overhead lights. Jason and Billy were nearby, sitting across from me, their presence steady but unobtrusive. They hadn't spoken in a while, but I knew they were watching, waiting for me to say something—to give them even the smallest sign that I was still here.

I wasn't sure if I was. Ziggy should've been here. He should've been cracking some stupid joke, making light of the worst situations the way only he could. But he wasn't. Because of me. I should have done something. I should have stopped him. I should have-

My grip on his helmet tightened as the guilt clawed at my chest, suffocating me. My nails dug into the cracks in the visor, my breathing shallow. The words slipped out before I even realized I was speaking.

"I should've stopped him."

Jason's head shot up, his brows furrowed in an expression that was all too familiar—grief masked by barely restrained anger. "No," he said firmly, shaking his head. "This is on Drakkon, not you."

I let out a sharp, bitter laugh, but it felt hollow. "If I was stronger—if I had acted faster—"

"Kali." Billy's voice was quiet, but there was an edge of urgency to it. "You can't do this to yourself."

I swallowed hard, my throat burning. "He shoved me out of the way," I whispered. "He didn't even hesitate."

The memory replayed in my mind in excruciating detail. The way he looked at me—no fear, no regret—just that stupid, infuriating smirk of his before he pushed me aside and took the hit that was meant for me. Drakkon had been right there. I had power surging through me. And still… I had done nothing. I squeezed my eyes shut, my grip on the helmet tightening further. "He should be here. He should be alive."

Billy sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I know," he admitted, his voice raw. "But if it had been you instead, do you think Ziggy would've been okay with that?"

That hit me harder than I expected. Ziggy had always been the kind of person who put others first, no matter what. He had joked his way through hell, but beneath all of that was a heart that never hesitated to protect the people he cared about. Even at the cost of his own life.

A storm of emotions churned inside me—grief, rage, guilt. But beneath it all, something stronger, darker began to take root. I set Ziggy's helmet down beside me, my fists clenching as I looked up at Jason and Billy, my vision clearer than it had been since we got back. "We're going to end this," I said, my voice steady. "No matter what it takes."

Jason exhaled through his nose, nodding. "Damn right we are."

Billy hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Kali…" He studied me carefully, probably noticing the shift in my expression—the way my grief was hardening into something sharper. "We'll stop Drakkon. But we can't lose ourselves in the process."

I met his gaze, something unspoken passing between us. I knew what he was really saying. He and Jason had seen what Drakkon had done to me—how much I had changed since this war began. And now, after losing Ziggy… they were afraid of what I might become. I wasn't sure they were wrong to be. But Drakkon had to be stopped. No matter what it took.