RWBY Rangers: Remnants of the Grid

by DareDreamer

The Earth is under attack once again: this time from creatures that almost brought another world to its knees! Just when they thought their fight was over, Ruby and her friends must morph into action against a Grimm invasion that threatens to overwhelm Earth! With many more Power Rangers standing by their side, they must unlock hidden powers to defeat this threat... and another.

16. What Is Lost

(A/N: Distressing themes ahead. Things will get worse before they get better.)

"ALL AQUABASE PERSONNEL, THIS IS CAPTAIN MITCHELL. ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS AND INITIATE ALL EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. REPEAT: THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

AWOOGA! AWOOGA! The piercing wail of the alarm echoed through the Aquabase, casting a frantic crimson glow on Yang, Weiss, and Blake as they raced through the undersea corridors. Each flicker of the red light intensified their anxiety, a stark reminder of their missing friend and leader. Meanwhile, the frantic shouts and chaos among those they passed transformed the flashes into urgent warnings of the impending doom: the relentless horde of marine-based Grimm fixated on the base, ready to unleash their devastation.

"Go go go! Move it, people!"

"Get those torpedoes to the launch bay! NOW!"

"Gunner crews to pulse cannons! Gunner crews to pulse cannons!"

"Ready the defenses; they're right on top of us!"

"Prime the subs! PRIME THE SUBS!"

Weiss peered out a glass corridor, never breaking her stride as she watched giant cannons swivel into position. Miniature submarines and other undersea craft ejected from ports, propellers spinning at full velocity as they sped for the incoming invaders. "These guys came prepared!" she commented, impressed.

"They should be!" Blake answered. "Didn't some people say that this place was attacked before?"

"Not the time for a history lesson!" Yang snapped. "We need to find someone who needs our help, and on top of that, Ruby's still- OOF!" Someone blindsided Yang from out of nowhere, both toppling to the floor and sprawling across each other until a familiar mop of orange hair popped up.

"Hi, Yang!" Nora piped up, hopping to her feet and clenching her fists with a grin. "Finally, the action's coming to us! Anyone else excited?!" Ren slowed from behind her, his magenta eyes darting all over. "I would not call this exciting, but to each their own!"

"And talk about your bad timing!" Jaune whined as Pyrrha looked disappointed beside him. "Pyrrha and I just came up with a plan we need to share with you guys!" The redhead whipped her head around and her eyes went wide with concern before addressing the others. "Wait, where's Ruby?!"

Yang frantically shook her head. "I don't know! Do we even have time to look for her?!" Worry and concern filled everyone's faces. Their goals were divided between finding their missing friend and helping with the ongoing attack.

"CAPTAIN MITCHELL TO ALL POWER RANGERS," blared the loudspeakers. "REPORT TO RESCUE OPS FOR FURTHER ORDERS. REPEAT: ALL RANGERS TO RESCUE OPS TO RECEIVE FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS."

Weiss stepped forward. "There you have it! With any luck, Ruby will already be there! Let's move!" Everyone hurried through the high-alert corridor with morphers in hand, the following call ringing from all of them. "IT'S MORPHIN TIME!"

Seven of the eight RWBY Rangers burst with color and suited up in seconds, racing to where they hoped their absent leader awaited them.

…

Ruby Rose had no idea where she was, but she knew it was nowhere good.

But right now, her only concern was the weird-looking Black Ranger with the gun. Her brain scrambled for a proper response to his query, hoping to find one before he got too impatient with her. "I said, show me your ID." He held out an expectant hand. "Come on, kid. Neither of us have all day."

"Uh… I… um…" Ruby gulped as her heart raced a mile a minute and her legs quivered in place. "I-I don't think that'll be necessary," she stammered, her eyes glancing at her communicator tucked under her sleeve. "I was just leaving. Leaving any second." She glanced again, waiting for the unstable red energies to spark outward. "Aaaaany second now."

The Black Ranger's grip tightened around his weapon. "This is your last warning. Refusal to cooperate with law enforcement is strictly prohibited. And civilians outside their homes after curfew are-"

It all clicked for Ruby and she threw up her hands. "WAIT! H-hold on, I'm not a civilian!" The Black Ranger took a step forward. "Are you being smart with me?" he demanded, his tone increasing Ruby's rapid pulse. The brunette shook her head. "N-no, no, I'm not! Th-this is just a big misunderstanding!"

His head tilted. "A misunderstanding, how?"

"Because I'm a Ranger!" Ruby blurted with an innocent smile. "Like you!"

A pause. At least it was progress. "...Ranger?"

Ruby nodded with relief. "Yeah! A Red Ranger! See?" She pulled out her morpher and held it up, showing her Power Coin's wolf symbol to the Black Ranger. "I'm one of you… and I need your help."

He didn't respond. His helmet moved between her and the coin. His posture was uncertain and he appeared hesitant… maybe he didn't believe her? Perhaps he thought she had just found it lying around? "L-look, I can prove it to you and morph right now…"

"That won't be necessary."

Ruby sighed in relief as he approached. "Oh, thank you so much! You have no idea how long I-" The Black Ranger marched up to Ruby and holstered his rifle as she spoke…

…and grabbed ahold of Ruby's wrists, forcefully spinning her around!

Ruby's eyes widened. "H-HEY! What're you-"

"On your knees!" barked the Black Ranger. "Right now!"

Her heart spiked with shock. "What?! But I-"

"You are under arrest for crimes against the state!" the man shouted as he snatched Ruby's morpher out of her hand. "Any resistance will be met with swift punishment! Now get down on the-"

"NO!" Ruby howled, throwing her head back and slamming it into the Black Ranger's visor. He grunted and staggered away, allowing Ruby to snatch her dropped morpher and take off as fast as her legs could. She sprinted down the street while clutching her morpher tight, peeking over her shoulder to see the Black Ranger climb to his feet and pull out a walkie-talkie.

"Alpha Alert! Alpha Alert! One suspect on foot in Sector Four, in possession of an unknown Power Coin! Considered armed and dangerous! All Sentries engage!"

The confusion that washed through Ruby's head would have to wait. Right now, she needed to run and find someplace to hide long enough for her malfunctioning teleporter to warp her away from wherever this place was. Speaking of the cursed thing that brought her here, Ruby examined it mid-stride to the best of her ability. Her communicator looked normal, but Ruby smacked it to give it a jumpstart. "Come on, come on, get me out of here! Come on!"

Nothing happened! Why did nothing happen?! Ruby saw no lights and heard no wild beeps, which only fueled her anxiety as she ran past quiet buildings. The process may be taking longer than expected, so until then, Ruby needed somewhere to lie low. She must have lost the Black Ranger by now, but just in case, the brunette ducked down a side street…

…and ran into three more Black Rangers?!

Their rifles snapped in her direction as she yelped out in alarm. "Hey, you! Why are you out past-"

"Wait, that's the suspect! OPEN FIRE!"

"GYAH!" Ruby darted off with pounding footsteps, the air behind her lighting up with purple flashes and blaster shots that narrowly missed her hair. Her hand scrambled for her blaster, and she pumped the trigger at her dark-clad pursuers. The crimson bolts zipped past them, and one of them yelled into another walkie. "Suspect spotted in the slums! In pursuit!"

CHOOM! CHOOM! CHOOM! Ruby threw herself into an alley to avoid another volley of violet lasers, her lungs gasping for air. She ignored the ache in her chest as she scaled a fence and dropped to the other side, falling to her hands and knees. Sweat trickled down her forehead and her throat burned from a lack of oxygen, but Ruby gripped her blaster tight and ducked behind a dumpster just as the three Black Rangers marched into the alley. Lights from their rifle scopes darted through the dank alley, and Ruby briefly ducked out of sight when one beam swung in her direction. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, daring not to make a sound…

"Any visual?"

"No. Nothing."

"Link up with the other squads and establish contact with base. She needs to know about this." Footsteps followed the voice, and Ruby only breathed again once she was sure they were gone. Now that she could catch her breath, the questions came again. Why was there more than one Black Ranger? Why did everything look so dark and dreary? And why was her teleporter not acting up?

Ruby checked the device again… and found it completely inactive. No matter where she tapped, it did not respond to whatever coordinates she tried to punch in. Ruby's heart sank with each attempt, her desperation growing until she pressed another button and held the communicator to her face.

"H-hello?" she squeaked, her voice trembling. "Yang? Wess? Blake? Is… is anyone there? I-I need help… please…" She begged, her eyes fixed on the communicator, desperately wishing for a reply… but silence echoed in response. A closer look revealed to Ruby that her message hadn't been transmitted. A chilling sense of dread and despair washed over her as she comprehended the bleak reality: her communicator was dead, and no one could hear her. The realization struck her that if the communicator was malfunctioning, the built-in teleporter was also likely inoperable.

Ruby… was trapped here.

"No…" she whimpered with moist eyes and a trembling voice. "No, no, no, no, no…" Ruby curled inward and wrapped her arms around her legs as the sobs came. This was her fault, and she knew it. The hopelessness consumed her as she couldn't shake the image of that woman and the damage she had inflicted. The pain and fear that resulted in her second defeat at the woman's hands echoed in her mind. All Ruby had wanted was to prevent further loss of life and ensure that disaster would never be repeated. Her frustration had grown as the Rangers remained paralyzed by fear of the Grimm infecting the Morphin Grid, believing their power source would vanish forever. She had felt an overwhelming urge to act when no one else would, desperate to discover something - anything - that could combat the woman's power…

…but Ruby messed up. And she messed up badly, maybe worse than anyone had ever messed up before. Now, Ruby was alone and trapped, with no way to get back to her friends or fix the Grimm crisis… and no way home. And gods, Ruby missed home. She missed it so much and she would never see it again. She would never see her sister, her father, her teammates, and all her friends again.

Some hero she was.

The sky rumbled with a deafening roar, and light burst into the world, draping the alley in a luminous glow. Ruby's heart skipped a beat, and her head snapped up, where she saw a dark and ominous aircraft hovering over the alley with bellowing engines. Two searchlights scanned the area, and more Black Rangers rappelled down and assembled into a practiced formation.

"Masto-One to all Sentries!" one of them shouted. "Suspect was last seen in this sector! An adolescent female with gray eyes and wearing a red hoodie! If you find her, your orders are to shoot on sight! Lethal force is authorized!"

Ruby was too disheartened to correct the man, feeling smaller than a mouse as she watched the Black Rangers - were they even Rangers? Ruby wasn't sure anymore - spread out with weapons drawn. She waited until the ship flew into the night sky before quietly emerging onto the street. Her hand tightly clutched her morpher as she flipped her hood up, hoping it would give her some anonymity from the patrols even though she knew it would be for naught.

And as a bonus… no one would see the tears leaking down her broken face.

…

Yang's worry grew by the second, and it had nothing to do with the ongoing Grimm attack. Speaking of which, a peek out of the viewport told the Yellow Ranger everything she needed to know. The Grimm were giving the base defenses everything they had. Submarines that opened fire on the swarm were swiftly overwhelmed and ripped apart, bodies floating and flailing as air bubbles escaped until the sea creatures savagely descended on them. Underwater pulse cannons opened fire on the two larger sea serpents - what did the Beacon professors call those? She'd have to ask Weiss - which snarled and retaliated by blasting the turrets with streams of violet lightning. One such turret exploded near Yang, its gunner screaming in midair before hitting the wall and limply slumping to the floor.

Yang cringed. "Damn it, Ruby, where the hell are you…" Much to her disappointment, her younger sister was not in Rescue Ops with the other Rangers. Carter had initiated a scan of morph signatures to see who was in attendance… and much to the Remnantians' shock, Ruby was not among them. She was no longer at the Aquabase and had picked the worst time to leave. And to make matters worse, she still wasn't answering any communications from Yang or anyone else, not even the urgent calls.

Something was wrong. Ruby wouldn't abandon people in need; she wouldn't! Yang knew her too well to say otherwise. However, some believed that Ruby had the right idea to leave. As much as Yang wanted to deny it, they were right.

The reason? Well, all she had to do was look outside.

The Aquabase's defenses were getting torn up: turrets going offline, submarine signals dropping dead, and frantic radio chatter dissolving into static. A pod shook when one of the larger Grimm rammed into it at full speed, the lights flickering from the impact. The second creature had wrapped around a Megazord, which struggled and wrestled with the sea serpent as it blasted purple lightning streams everywhere.

Everyone knew their resistance was only delaying the inevitable at this point, so Captain Mitchell had ordered a full-scale evacuation. Rangers had been instructed to get the crew to escape pods and transport vehicles, where pre-downloaded coordinates would deliver them to a nearby cave system. It was their only shot of escaping to the surface without the Grimm noticing them.

The only problem? They had minutes to pull it off.

"MOVE! MOVE!" Yang hollered at the top of her lungs to anyone within earshot as she sprinted down the crimson-colored halls. "EVERYONE OUT! GET TO THE TRANSPORT BAY!"

"WORK THOSE LEGS, PEOPLE!" Nora roared nearby, the ginger-haired girl looking ready to throw the closest crewmate into an escape pod while Jaune and Pyrrha ushered more to safety. Ren took up the rear as Blake and Weiss emerged from a connecting tube, the Black Ranger glancing at the people they were escorting. "Is that all of them?!"

"Yeah, I think so! But these Sea Feilongs are…" Weiss trailed off and her blue eyes expanded in horror, prompting Blake to turn in that direction. One of the dark sea serpents was swimmingly dangerously towards them, flinching and groaning from the lasers and torpedoes detonating across its body. The Sea Feilong zeroed in on the connecting tube with wide jaws, the people inside stricken with fear…

…and the monster bit the tube in half like a candy bar. Water immediately surged in from the shattered glass and swallowed the screaming crew, a torrent rushing straight for the pod. Weiss thought fast and held up her hands, sub-zero beams blasting from her palms and solidifying the water instantly. But it wasn't enough to completely stop the tide, as more water caused the ice to crack and spill liquid leaks onto the floor.

"RUN!" Weiss screamed. "I can't hold it!" In a frenzied rush, everyone dashed toward an adjacent cargo lift, panic gripping their hearts. The White Ranger fought valiantly against the overwhelming tide, her strength waning. She inched closer to the lift until Yang's voice suddenly rang out. "We're good! Come on, Weiss, hurry!" Without hesitation, Weiss abandoned her struggle and sprinted for the doors, the icy barrier behind her cracking and disintegrating. The White Ranger leaped into Yang's waiting embrace while Jaune furiously pounded the emergency button, sealing the doors just as the frozen wall gave way, and the pod was instantaneously inundated with water.

"That… was close," wheezed Nora. Ren leaned against the wall in exhaustion before turning to a shaken survivor. "How much further to the Transport Bay?" The crewmate raised a finger and pointed upward. "Not… not far… we're almost there…" Another survivor took out a portable radio and visibly swallowed, sweat trickling down his brow as he dialed between channels. "Captain? Captain, are you-"

"They're all around me! Someone help!"

"Stay in it! Keep firing!"

"I… I can't shake 'em!"

"Thruster's not responding-!"

"Focus fire on the big ones!"

"Break off! Break off!"

"Can't… get a lock…"

"We just lost another cannon!"

"I'm out of torpedoes!"

"AGH! I've been hit!"

"There's too many of them!"

"Captain, what do we do?!"

"No! NO! STAY AWAY! AAAA-"

He couldn't have turned it off any faster. But it was still too late. Fear, horror, and terror sunk into the crewmates as they emitted quivering breaths and stood in frozen shock. Some sat down and curled inwards, crumpling into balls and muttering about how doomed they all were. "This is just like the Batlings," one of them whispered. "Those subs and turrets were meant to keep something like that from happening again, and those things are tearing right through them. What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"What we're doing right now," Pyrrha answered. "Leaving." She pressed a button on the nearby panel…

…before pressing it again. And again. "What?" The Gold Ranger went still and tapped it several more times, but nothing followed. "No, no, no! Not now!" She pounded the panel with a fist, yet nothing followed. "The lift's out of power!"

Yang held her communicator to her face. "Yang to… well, to anyone who can hear me! I've got a bunch of survivors in a cargo lift, but we're stuck! Does this place have emergency power? Y'know, for an emergency? Like right now?"

"Uh… guys?" Blake's worried tone didn't bode well, and every pair of eyes that turned to the Black Ranger immediately saw why. Water slowly spilled through the lift's doors, pooling near Blake's feet and getting her boots wet. The crewmates backed away from the doors and everyone else grew still while Yang raised her comm again.

"If it does… then HURRY!"

…

A red sneaker splashed through a puddle, both shoes pounding against the pavement as the dark and dim-lit streets were lit up by red and purple laser fire. Ruby's desperate shots were haphazard, and her best effort so far had been striking one of her pursuers in the shoulder. He had not gone down and had only continued his efforts to gun her down. As the Black Ranger squad continued their pursuit, the brunette had to slide under fallen power poles, sidestep from stray shots, and vault over vehicle hoods.

Ruby couldn't keep running for much longer, which meant she had to lead them somewhere innocents - they would surely have heard a commotion like this - would be unharmed. Just a little further now…

Three quick blasts to a car's hood made the vehicle explode in a red-orange haze, blowing away the closest Rangers and staggering the rest. It gave Ruby enough time to sprint into a parking lot and slide behind a pickup truck, purple bolts peppering the vehicle while she tried to catch her breath.

"She's over there, in cover!"

Her distraction didn't last long. Ruby whipped out her morpher and took a steady breath. "It's morphin' time…"

"Grenade going out!"

Something clattered down in front of Ruby: a small black ball pulsing with a violet light. Ruby's eyes widened and her breath seized as the light rapidly flashed…

BOOM! A bright purple blast rocked the truck, the vehicle bouncing before settling. The squad of Black Rangers kept their weapons trained on the pickup, their leader taking point. "All Sentries on me. You, come around." He gestured for the squad to split up, with some following him to the truck's right side while another group covered the left. The dark-clad soldiers cautiously crept up to the smoke-marked spot, their grips tight and stances ready. The squad leader crouched near the truck's front grill as another approached the back, both of them nodding to each other. On the squad leader's signal, they burst out into the open…

…their rifles pointing at an empty spot.

The squad leader paused in disbelief. "What?! Where did she-"

"AUGH!" All weapons whirled to a Black Ranger that hit the ground hard, a groan leaving his helmet.

"CONTACT! We have contact!"

"Where?! I don't see any-"

"GYAH!" A soldier slammed against a nearby car, cracking its windows before falling unconscious. All guns whirled at his position but found nothing. There was no trace of his assailant. Another scream rang out as someone flailed about in midair, his helmet smacking the pavement. One soldier was flung off his feet and landed atop a car roof. The fully alert squad aimed everywhere, their weapons primed while their leader growled and shouted into the darkness.

"We know it's you, girl! Show yourself!"

"Boo."

The Black Ranger spun around at the quiet voice just over his shoulder, swinging his rifle and making contact with- "AGH! What the hell, man?!" His comrade grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. The squad leader's head jerked around across the silent parking lot, nothing but still cars and motionless vehicles lying around.

"Does anyone have a visual on the target?" he shouted. "Does anyone have eyes?! Where is she?!"

"How the hell is she doing this?!"

"This is how."

All remaining soldiers spun and pointed their rifles… at a concrete barrier. One of the two soldiers in front groaned in frustration as his partner lowered his weapon, all eyes on them. "Aw, screw this! Masto-Five to Onyx, we need an overhead view of the-"

VOIP! A caped figure clad in red appeared out of thin air, split-kicked the two men down, and jerked a wolf-styled helmet at the remaining soldiers.

"WEAPONS FREE!"

What happened next was difficult for the Black Rangers to follow and comprehend. The Red Ranger had vanished in a crimson flash before the first plasma bolt could touch her, flooring one soldier with a high kick and warping away before anyone could blink. She reappeared instantly, plowing another across the back of the head and relocating behind another, tapping him on the shoulder. He spun around and opened fire as his comrade did the same, but she warped away and both of them went down from each other's purple bolts. Another blink and she threw her cape in another soldier's face, stunning him before she jumped on top of him and floored him in a leg-lock takedown. She blinked and warped from one soldier to the next as they all fired wildly, none of their shots hitting their mark while she punched, kicked, and slammed them all down.

The squad leader was the last to fall, the Red Ranger teleporting all around him and striking from everywhere. She reappeared right in front of him and delivered a hard punch to his helmet, the force cracking his visor before he hit the pavement. It was over in less than a minute, leaving the Red Ranger standing amongst the scattered, beaten black bodies. The adrenaline faded from her system and her helmet flashed away, revealing Ruby's panting, exhausted face. She sighed in relief and wiped her brow, her lips lifting in a delighted smile from the recent rush she just felt…

Kssht! "Masto-Five, please repeat your last, over."

The smile dropped. Ruby spun to a dropped walkie on the pavement, and her body went still. "Masto-Five, this is Onyx. We didn't receive your last transmission, over."

Ruby wasn't sure what to do. Should she answer and put her best deep voice, telling them the situation was handled? No, no, they'd see right through that…

"Masto-Five, do you read? Squad, respond! Has the suspect been neutralized, over?"

Ruby slowly approached the walkie, her eyes never straying away from it. She shouldn't stick around here for long; whoever these fake Rangers were, they'd send more. And on top of that, her communicator was still nonfunctional. Ruby needed help; there had to be someone here who could fix it and give her the chance to return! But where would that someone be?

"If anyone is still reading me, be advised. I'm sending reinforcements your way. Onyx out."

CRUNCH! Ruby's boot crushed the walkie-talkie to black metal bits, and her heart rate started to pick up again. "P-P-Power down!" she called, reverting to her standard attire as she looked around for a good hiding place. Somewhere like…

Ruby calmed down as she spotted what the parking lot was connected to: a run-down shopping mall that appeared to be degraded for some reason. It could be going out of business or set for demolition soon. Whatever the case, it was the perfect place. Nobody would think of looking for Ruby in a worn, abandoned building that nobody pays attention to.

Ruby sprinted toward the building and approached a cracked window, an alternate option for the barricaded and boarded-up main entrance. She had to be careful not to cut herself on any glass as she climbed through and slowly stepped inside. The mall's state would've made Weiss pass out or made Kimberly suffer a panic attack: It was dark with few flickering light sources; shops were boarded up, and eye-catching ads were falling apart and degrading as squeaking rats scurried about underfoot. The wall decor was faded, and parts of the floor were either cracked or missing, leaving the establishment in a derelict state, far from its original intent. Ruby silently walked through the eerily quiet atmosphere, her footsteps being the only sound in this unsettling environment.

Ruby had second thoughts about choosing this place to hide… when she spotted something that didn't quite fit. A hangout spot had been reconfigured near some inactive escalators and a bridge on the second floor. Ruby noticed tables and desks holding computers and technical equipment, crates holding various weaponry… and sandbags that supported turret emplacements. Other objects were scattered around the place, from overturned tables and waste bins tactically positioned.

"What the…" Ruby muttered, moving closer to inspect the vicinity…

…when she felt something tighten around her ankle and hoist her into the air!

"WAAAAAAAHH!" Ruby squealed in surprise as her world turned upside down, her body swaying from side to side. She dangled in the air for a little bit, her mind trying to recover from the shock. Her adjusting eyes briefly caught some movement in the shadows: figures emerging from hiding and racing over. Ruby felt relief that this mall had someone here after all. All she needed to do was get them to free her, convince them to fix her communicator, and-

Ruby's heart seized up in a panic when the strangers surrounded her in seconds and held her at blaster-point, their weapons powering up. Ruby threw her hands up (or down, in this case) as a startled yelp echoed through the mall. "GAH! DON'T SHOOT, DON'T SHOOT! PLEASE DON'T SHOOT!"

"Who are you?!" yelled someone who sounded rather young. "Who sent you?!"

"How did you find this place?!" shouted another, jabbing her weapon into Ruby's cheek. "Were you followed here?!"

"I- I don't- what are you-"

"TALK!" roared an older male. "Or you're gonna have a hole in your chest!"

"O-okay, okay, okay!" Ruby frantically stammered as her eyes darted to each of the people that surrounded her. There were four of them dressed in ragged clothes and worn-yet-sturdy combat uniforms. The first was a woman with caramel skin, brown hair, and a yellow bracelet on her arm. Another light-skinned and short-haired woman held her weapon tight while a pink necklace hung on her throat and a hi-tech eyepiece rested over her right eye. A man with short black hair stared suspiciously at Ruby, green face paint under his stoic eyes. And finally, a scowling teenage boy around Ruby's age sported brown hair with a blue bandana among the locks. Ruby spied several more people on the second-floor balcony, all of them training rifles on her and ready to open fire at any moment. The brunette swallowed, her eyes darting between the quartet on all sides while she helplessly lay suspended in midair.

"L-Let's just, uh, put the guns down for a moment and just… talk this out, yeah?"

The teenager sneered and shook his head. "I don't think so, spy!"

Ruby sputtered in surprise. "Wha- spy? I-I'm not a spy! Why would you think I'm-"

"That's exactly what a spy would say," countered the older man. "We should shoot her now so she doesn't report back."

Ruby gulped. "Please don't-"

"Quiet!" snapped the teen, shutting her up instantly. "What, you've never been taken prisoner before?!"

"We should least hear what the lieutenant and sergeant have to say about this," muttered the dark-skinned woman. "This could be a stray." The woman beside her scoffed. "Out after curfew? No one in their right mind would last five minutes without landing in hot water with a Sentry patrol."

"What the hell is going on out here?" A new voice called out, drawing everyone's attention as two more people marched forward. They both had dark skin and wore protective gear over vests and cargo pants, their boots thumping along the worn floor. The other four people immediately stood at attention as they approached, with Ruby making out a bald man with a hardened expression and red fingerless gloves. Beside him was a woman with a yellow neckerchief and short, dark, curly locks. She held an energy rifle firmly while the man's hand hovered near a hip holster.

Hold on… the man… something about him seemed familiar…

Ruby's breath hitched as she recalled that same face in Angel Grove shortly after she and her friends were sent forward in time. "Wait… I know you! You're TJ, right?!"

The ensuing response was not what Ruby had expected. The man's brow lifted, and the teenage boy's eyes widened before he and the other three snapped their weapons back on Ruby's face. The woman with the yellow bracelet was the first to speak, her voice holding hints of anger and suspicion. "Justin's right; she is a spy!"

"You were sent here to kill the sergeant, weren't you?!" her partner shouted. "And the lieutenant! Now, how did you find this place?!"

The woman standing next to TJ glared at the two. "Ashley! Cassie! Stand down, both of you!" The one with the yellow bracelet looked between her and Ruby with a confused expression. "But… Lieutenant Sloan, I-"

"That's an order, soldier. Stand down."

They begrudgingly obliged and stepped away, lowering their blasters with a sigh. The boy also complied, but the man with the green face paint remained steadfast. "I don't like this, Sarge. How does she know who you are if she's not a spy?"

"That's what I plan to find out, Carlos. I'll handle this," TJ declared as he marched forward, making eye contact with the upside-down girl before him. Silver eyes blinked in confusion, while brown eyes stared unflinchingly.

"Give me your name," he spoke lowly.

Ruby didn't understand. "TJ, you know my name!"

"If I did," he retorted. "I wouldn't be asking."

"Wha… wh-what are you talking about?" Ruby gawked before gesturing to herself. "It's me, Ruby! Ruby Rose!"

The one named Sloan tilted her head. "You're who?"

The teen, the man, and the other two women stared at her dumbfoundedly. The guys silently turned to each other while the women shared a shrugging motion. Their reactions left Ruby even more bewildered. "Oh, come- guys, I'm Ruby Rose! The new Red Ranger! The Huntress student from Remnant? Leader of Team RWBY?"

Silence. No one said a word. No brightening faces full of recognition, no gasps of realization or remembrance, no sudden apologies and requests for forgiveness over a misunderstanding… just stone-cold silence, like how Ruby had first found the mall.

The teenage boy groaned and rolled his eyes. "Okay, she's not a spy. She's just crazy. Can we please shoot her now?"

Ruby groaned as well at the still-high tension around her. She didn't know what was more uncomfortable: nothing about wherever she ended up making any sense or the blood being diverted to her head. She hoped one of those issues would be resolved soon because she felt a little woozy…

…

The cargo lift's doors slid open, and the group spilled out into the Transport Bay, gasping for relief as they scrambled out of the partially flooded shaft. A crew member sealed the door behind them, but the Rangers knew it would be as temporary as before. Still, the Remnantians wasted no time ushering the crewmates to escape pods and getaway subs. Some were already jettisoning away and drifting off into the ocean, automated defense turrets keeping them covered.

"Hey!" Yang shouted upon spotting a pair of familiar faces. "How are we with the evacuation?!"

"We're covering the escapees as best as possible," answered a grim-faced Karone. "But we're losing as many as we save." Andros urgently stepped forward. "This place won't hold up much longer. Now, come on! We have a way to get you all out!"

The eight teens hurried after the pair as the base continued to rumble and quake, explosions going off and sparks flying everywhere. The massive hangar bay was falling apart at the seams, metallic debris crashing to the floor and fires from destroyed equipment. Not many vehicles were left in the bay, but the eight teens spied a group of Rangers assembling near what had to be the largest airship the Remnantians had ever seen. It was decorated in blue and red colors, with people wearing those respective colors standing guard near a loading ramp at the rear.

"Leo! TJ!" Andros shouted. "We got 'em! Are we good to go?"

"Not yet," answered the Red Ranger. "We still got people coming our way." Speaking of people, the group's eyes washed over the assembled Rangers. Tommy, Jason, Minh, and Zack were relieved to see the Remnantians in one piece. Gia stood near a Black Ranger, whom Yang assumed was the "Jake" person she heard her talking to earlier. Finally, Jen stood side-by-side with Kat.

"You sure your ship will take everyone?" Jaune asked incredulously. Andros answered with a warm smile. "Six decks with sixteen rooms onboard the fastest ship in the galaxy. Trust me, the Astro Megaship's a thing of beauty."

"The rest of the Space and Galaxy Rangers are already on board," reported TJ. "And we relocated the injured to Dana's-"

Before the Blue Ranger could finish, five beams of light materialized from out of nowhere, sparkling with electricity. They deposited a group of groaning and weakened Rangers with shield-like symbols on their helmets, which the Blue Ranger hastily removed. "That… was too close…"

"We're not out of it," Carter objected before gazing at Tommy. "We lost the Lifeforce Megazord and all defenses are down. The Grimm are right on top of us, so we're taking the Zords outta here."

Kat noticed something was amiss and turned to Dana. "Wait, where's Ryan?"

"With Angela and Dad," Dana swiftly answered. "The Max Solarzord."

"Hold on, your dad?" Andros asked. "Whatever happened to 'the captain goes down with the ship'? Or, uh, base?" The Pink Lightspeed Ranger wheeled on him. "We spent too much of our lives not as a proper family. None of us want to throw that away."

Andros and Karone paused and shared a look. "Alright… I don't see anything wrong with that."

"Me neither."

"Let's move, Lightspeed!" Carter hollered, his team racing away. "And Dana, don't forget your passengers!"

"I'm a doctor; I never do!" Her words comforted Gia and Jake, a silent promise washing over them. Minh took a quick head count. "Alright, whoever's left, they need to hur-"

"Tommy! Your assistance is greatly required!" All eyes spun to a corridor with three new arrivals, one carried by the other two and missing a mechanical arm. The Remnantians failed to recognize the machine supported by Billy and Kimberly… with two exceptions.

"Ninjor!" Jaune cried as he, Pyrrha, and Tommy rushed over to help the veteran Blue and Pink Rangers. Pyrrha's eyes were wide with shock as Tommy carefully helped Billy keep the weary mentor on his feet. "We did the best we could, Tommy…" Kim whispered. "But he's still a little out of it. At least Billy got him functional again."

"Oh no…" Jaune breathed. "Wh-what happened to him?"

Ninjor let out a weakened wheeze. "M-must… st-stop… her…"

"Easy there, old friend," Tommy shushed him as the trio helped him onward. "We gotcha…" His head rose to the others. "Get us ready for takeoff, now!" Leo nodded and rushed inside with TJ right behind him. "D.E.C.A! Initiate takeoff procedure, we're leaving!"

"Right away, Mister Corbett!" answered a female computerized voice. Everyone hurried onboard as more explosions ripped the hangar bay apart. Once everyone was accounted for, Yang shot a thumbs-up to Andros and Karone as they rushed to the cockpit, where TJ and several other Rangers wearing the siblings' suit patterns awaited them. "We're clear! Go, go, go!"

The engines burst to life with a mighty roar, and the Astro Megaship rose off the floor, thrusters set to full. The ship blasted through a clear tubular tunnel at top speed just as the Transport Bay doors broke open, water rushing in like a tidal wave and consuming everything in its path.

"Everyone, hold on to something!" Andros yelled. "This is gonna be close!"

The spaceship hurtled through the tunnel, the breached foundation making it vulnerable to the crushing undersea pressure. Sides collapsed inward, glass shattered, and the torrent consumed more air with each passing second. Water surged closer to the escaping ship, boiling from the heat of the engines. Everyone held on tightly, shuddering from the jarring impacts, while Andros gritted his teeth and clenched the controls, desperate to escape the impending danger.

"Come on… come on…!"

Daylight shone through the approaching exit, the ship's thrusters gave everything they had… and the Astro Megaship erupted into the open sky. It soared higher as the tunnel exit erupted in a geyser-like blast, making the sky shimmer with reflective sunlight and a radiant glow. The relieved Rangers relaxed once the ship was leveled out, chuckling amongst themselves and wiping their brows. Andros turned back with a bright smile. "What'd I tell you?! Fastest ship in the galaxy!"

"And definitely an improvement over the last one!" TJ laughed.

As the rest of the Space and Galaxy Rangers congratulated their escape, the others escorted the Remnantians to the ship's recreational area to wind down and recover from the harrowing experience. Once they arrived and powered down, Yang plopped herself on the first couch she found.

"Whew… that was… exhilarating…"

Billy and Kimberly gently laid Ninjor against a wall while Tommy approached a central console, punching some of the buttons. "Well, let's see if everyone else got out all right. Carter, this is Tommy. You read?"

The console buzzed and its surface lit up. "Loud and clear, Tommy. Everyone's accounted for." Despite the good news, the Red Ranger's voice sounded slightly off. Kat's brow furrowed in concern. "Is everything alright over there?"

"We just lost our base. Again," answered Dana. "So… not exactly."

"Just… one more thing to add to the pile," another woman added, prompting Jen to glance away from the console.

"Yeah, it's another step back, Kelsey," Carter agreed. "But we're still in the fight. Joel, I'm gonna need eyes in the sky. If we're out in the open like this…"

"Way ahead of you, Carter. I'm not letting any of those uglies get the drop on us."

"Hey, guys, it's Ryan," another voice said through the comms. "The captain has something we should hear. It sounds… important."

Jason crossed his arms. "Alright, put him on."

"Copy. Stand by…"

A moment of silence passed until another voice could be heard. "All Rangers on this channel, this is Captain William Mitchell. I was overseeing our defense efforts from Rescue Ops when I noticed an… unusual behavior amongst the enemy forces."

Gia frowned. "What kind of unusual behavior, sir?"

"It's not like the Grimm can get any stranger, right?" Nora piped up.

"The two lightning-spewing sea serpents were responsible for most of the damage," the captain continued. "But I also spotted them performing some kind of reconnaissance. They were peering through viewports and rummaging through submarine wrecks. One even peered into Rescue Ops… and then swam away, disinterested."

"I-I'm sorry, what?" someone else asked. "It just… left, sir?"

"Correct, Chad. Trust me, you're not the only one confused here."

A perplexed Blake blinked. "Hang on, I thought we already established that they were after Rangers now, not people with no connections to the Grid. There were some Grimm interested in Power Coins." She made eye contact with Weiss, who she knew had a similar experience.

"That's the thing," Mitchell explained. "Right before engaging the Lifeforce Megazord, one of the sea serpents got to an evac sub holding the Hyperforce and SPD Rangers. There it was, its body coiled around the sub and its maw ready to strike…"

Jaune gulped and Ren anxiously narrowed his eyes. "And?"

"It never came. The creature paused, peered within the sub… and released it, swimming away to continue its attack."

"What?" Weiss nearly shouted. "That… the Sea Feilong ignored Rangers?! How is that… that doesn't make any…"

"No, it doesn't," Pyrrha pondered. "Not at this stage in their development. There were Rangers at the Aquabase. We should've been their priority, so what changed? Why resist consuming more power?"

"And if they've decided they don't want the Rangers anymore," Kim asked. "Then what do they want?"

"I… am not certain. Yet another mystery surrounding these monsters that we must solve. And on that subject… I've been told of the ongoing investigation regarding their leader, the dragon?"

"That is correct, sir," Billy solemnly nodded. "However, I regret to inform you that we've met a dead end. That thing's keeping everything about itself hidden. Scans and data are showing no results, and now, with the Grimm infection of the Grid, it's impossible to collect anything at all."

"How so?" Carter inquired.

"Because the corruption has gotten into our computer systems," Billy answered. "Whenever we try to research the dragon or the Grimm… everything goes haywire. A complete system crash. We're forced to shut the system before the corruption purges what little we collected."

Carter groaned over the comms. "Damn…"

"LIghtspeed, keep your eyes on your Zords' power levels," the captain advised. "If this can happen to computers, it could happen to them."

"It already has, sir," Jake spoke up. "The Samurai Megazord had lost power not too long ago; its reserves drained dry. You guys need to get somewhere safe and fast."

"Yeah, there's no telling how long you've got," Gia added.

"Understood," Carter acknowledged. "You too, everyone. May the Power protect you all… because we'll need it."

The console switched off, leaving the rec room in silence once again. Yang exhaled heavily and slumped back on the couch, her lilac eyes distant. She didn't need to speak to let everyone know what she was thinking about. They were all thinking about it, too, despite the rush of the recent events.

Blake rested a hand on Yang's knee. "At least she got out when she could."

The blonde nodded. "Y-yeah… but I-"

Deet deet deet-deet deet-deet! Deet deet deet-deet deet-deet!

The familiar beeping tune drew everyone's eyes to Billy, who noticed his communicator flashing. The veteran Blue Ranger didn't think twice about answering. "Billy here."

"Oh, thank the Masters, finally! I've been trying to establish proper communications with so much interference! It's an emergency, Billy!"

Billy paused. "Alpha? What's going on?"

"It's Ruby! She's gone! Ruby is gone!"

Those words bolted Yang out of her seat, and she snagged a startled Billy's wrist. Weiss and Blake hurried after with concerned faces. "Gone?! What do you mean, gone?! What happened, Alpha?!"

"Ruby came to the Command Center for information," Alpha explained. "She wanted to know about evil Rangers we all fought in the past. But while she searched for… for whatever she was looking for, everything started malfunctioning from the Grimm interference!"

"Is the Command Center still operational?" Jason worriedly asked.

"It was in terrible shape when I rebooted! I managed to restore most of its systems, but… but…"

"Alpha, please," Yang begged. "What happened to Ruby?"

"I.. I… Ai-yi-yi, I don't know!" whined the robot. "When I woke up, she… she had completely vanished! Not even a trace! I searched the entire planet for her morph signature but found nothing! I-I have no idea where she could be!"

"No, she…" Gia muttered. "Ruby couldn't have just straight up disappeared like that!"

Jen was silent, her brow furrowed as her eyes stared at Billy's communicator.

Kat turned on her heel. "I'll talk to Andros and let him run a wider scan. If Ruby really isn't on Earth anymore, she could have teleported to a different planet."

"Do it," Yang said without hesitation. "We need her back."

"Alpha, hang on…" Tommy butted in. "You said she came to the Command Center to investigate… evil Power Rangers?"

"That's right! She was more interested in those who became evil independently, like the Psycho Rangers and the A-Squad. But I don't understand why she was so keen on them all of a sudden…"

Tommy briefly paused before he addressed everyone in the room. "I do."

Jen quickly whirled in Tommy's direction while Jason blinked in confusion. "What are you getting at?" Rather than answer him, Tommy turned to Jaune. "The new Red Ranger. You said she was from Remnant?"

"Um…" Jaune began. "Well, yeah, but that's all Ruby told us. She doesn't even know her name."

"It's Cinder."

No one said a word, their faces full of confusion and their minds drawing a blank. The seven Remnantians looked at each other for recognition, only to find none until Nora broke the silence. "I'm sorry, who?"

Jason, Billy, Kim, and Zack were equally frozen, the veteran Black Ranger holding up a finger. "Um… call me crazy, Tommy, but I'm pretty sure I just heard you say 'Cinder.'"

The older man nodded. "Yes."

"Wait…" Kimberly muttered. "Cinder? As in, that crazy lady with the blades and heat-generating skin?"

"The same one who imprisoned you in that creepy crystal castle?" Jason clarified. "That's a name I never thought I'd hear again, especially after all these years…"

"This sounds logically impossible," Billy interrupted. "But are you saying-"

"Ahem!" The five adults turned to a yellow-clad girl with a raised hand. "Yeah, hi, new girl here," Minh spoke up. "I'm gonna need a quick recap before this conversation goes any further."

"Same here," Yang agreed. "Who exactly is this Cinder person?"

"Her name is Cinder Fall," Tommy got straight to business. "You all know about our previous experience with Remnant, right?"

"Your witch nemesis used a spell to banish you to our world," A frowning Weiss counted off on her fingers. "We helped you get back, but the return trip snagged us and the Grimm, and they're now running loose all over Earth."

"Well, it looks like you and the Grimm aren't the only stowaways," Tommy continued. "When my Ranger team arrived here, we were scattered across Remnant. Jason arrived in Vale where he met Ruby, Billy crashed into Atlas, Trini landed in Patch, and Zack and Kimberly ended up in separate forests near Beacon. I… ended up somewhere far less fortunate."

Tommy crossed his arms. "I woke up bound in chains, in a strange dark fortress in some ominous, barren wasteland full of purple crystals, a red sky, and lots of Grimm."

Blake's face turned pale. "You… you were in the Land of Darkness?!"

Minh turned to the noirette. "That's… bad, right?"

"The Land of Darkness is the most forbidden and most dangerous place in all of Remnant, speculated to be the home of the Grimm," Pyrrha explained with a frightened face. "Legends say that even talking about it is enough to bring one immense misfortune."

"So… very bad."

"Exactly," Ren turned to Tommy with a suspicious glare. "And anyone stupid enough to travel to Evernight itself never comes back alive. So how in the gods' name did you get out of there?"

Tommy shrugged. "Just pure, dumb luck and a green spirit dragon. Anyway… that's where I met Cinder. And judging by your reactions, it's fitting that I found her in what's basically your world's version of hell."

"So, who is she?" asked Jaune.

"Someone who craves power more than anything else, and she'll cross every line there is and break every rule in the book to get it," Jason told him. "We beat her on Vytal by faking her out and letting her use my Power Coin…"

"...which is just a collector's item on a world not part of the Morphin Grid," Kim continued. "By the time Cinder realized she'd been had, it was too late and we blasted her into the ocean."

"It was the same time you all were up against Goldar near the tower," Zack told the Remnantians. "Right before he used his growth Semblance and we unlocked the Aura Megazord to counter it."

"And Rita's spell was large enough to capture everything on the island…" Billy summarized with realization in his eyes. "And also everything near it."

"Now, Cinder is here," Tommy concluded. "And she finally has the power she dreamt of on a scale far beyond those dreams. Somehow, she found Ninjor's secret lair and stole that Phoenix Power Coin. And she's been tearing the place up ever since."

"But!" Jaune suddenly shouted. "Pyrrha and I have been studying her! Now, I know she defeated us twice and hit us where it hurt the most… but what if we could do the same to her?"

"How?" asked Ren, to which Pyrrha was happy to answer. "She thinks herself invincible and can't stand it when she's caught off guard. We can't defeat her head-on, so if we're going to defeat her, we'll need to do something she's not expecting us to do."

Blake tilted her head. "Like what?"

Gia thought this over. "Good question… what can you do to surprise someone power-hungry? What will they never see coming?" Everyone took a moment to think, their mental gears turning. Yang's face tightened in concentration as she recalled her previous encounters with the woman. Her destructive might, her frightening speed, and every wound or injury she sustained healed up quickly. This woman relished the power she was given, saw delight at the enemies broken and beaten before her, and boasted her superiority. And everything she could do here - much like all Yang and her friends could do - was all because of…

"THAT'S IT!"

Yang's elated grin dropped when she noticed everyone flinching or jerking away from her in surprise. Blake and Weiss scowled at the blonde, who sheepishly smiled before sitting back down. "Heh… sorry…"

"You got something, Yang?" Jason asked, to which the Yellow Ranger readily nodded. "Yeah, I do. Power is something Cinder wants more than anything, right? And she's not gonna stop now that she has it. Well… all we gotta do is take it away from her."

Minh perked up. "The Coin…"

"Exactly. Cinder will never expect her to be parted from it. So we gotta get it away from her and force her to demorph, where she'll lose the power."

"That's… actually quite brilliant!" Weiss exclaimed. "How did you…"

Yang shot her a cheeky smirk. "Hey, I'm not all brawn, ice queen. I can be pretty smart when I need to be."

Blake smirked. "That you are."

"Okay, yeah, good plan and all," Nora interjected. "But I just see one little teeny, tiny problem."

"Huh?"

"How the heck are we even gonna get close to it?!" she shouted exasperatedly. "And once she knows we're onto it, she'll be desperate to keep us away!"

"Exactly," Pyrrha agreed. "If she's desperate and afraid of losing the coin, she'll slip up. That allows us to remove that coin."

"And do its job for it," Jake sighed. "Seriously, what is that coin's deal? We still have no idea why it hasn't demorphed her already! Everything she's done with it is against the Ranger code!"

"Only one person can answer that," Kim muttered, gesturing to the still-unconscious Ninjor. "And it looks like Cinder did a real beating on him. It's a perfect plan… but we've hit a dead end until we learn more about this coin."

"I concur!" agreed Alpha over Billy's comm. "And we still have much to do in the meantime, including tracking down Ruby."

Yang's spirit sunk upon remembering that her sister wasn't present to hear the idea. "Yeah… here's hoping we find her soon." Weiss and Blake were silent again, but their promising eyes were enough to warm Yang's heart temporarily. They needed to return to work but couldn't start without her.

"Have Andros take us to Cranston Tech," Weiss declared to Billy. "If that's where Ruby was, then it's where we need to go."

…

"Captain, with all due respect… what you're saying is impossible."

"I know what I saw, soldier," snapped the squad leader, his short dark hair and brown eyes piercing his ally's visor. Others were tending to his injuries and addressing his battered squadmates, but he paid them no mind. "That girl has a Power Coin that morphs her into a Red Ranger."

"There was only one Red Ranger, sir," the soldier countered. "And he died during the Fall. This has to be a hoax, something to throw us off."

The squad leader spotted something and waved away the medics before rising to his feet and standing at attention. "She'll be the judge of that." He firmly declared as he focused on the approaching lights and a distant roar. The rest of the militarized Black Rangers shouted amongst one another and hurried out of the way, the lights growing brighter and the roar rising louder…

VRRRRM! A dark pink motorcycle raced past the hastily opened barricade and screeched to a sliding halt before the unflinching squad leader. He remained stoic in the face of the vehicle's rider, which couldn't be said for the other soldiers as they whispered and murmured. All of them were still as deer caught in headlights, but not him. The rider said nothing as they disembarked, a black boot stepping onto the ground and a tattered cape flowing in the wind.

"My eminence," the squad leader bowed. "You honor us with your pres-"

"You will speak only what I wish to hear, Captain," came a sinister and distorted voice from behind the helmet, the words ripe with intimidation. "Now… is it true?"

The unfazed squad leader nodded. "Yes, my eminence. The rest of my squad can vouch for my statement."

"We found a suspect out past curfew," groaned another soldier. "A young female in a red hoodie. I don't know where or how she got a Power Coin, but she's morphed. She's a Red Ranger."

"And she took us all out by teleporting all over the place," moaned someone. "Check our power connection to the Grid… it's all there." The motorcycle rider did as was asked and watched. The initial encounter, the ensuing pursuit, the hunt… and the skirmish in the parking lot. It concluded with the girl knocking out the captain with a solid blow to the head.

"Where is she now?"

"Unknown," the captain replied. "She was gone once my squad came to. She could be anywhere."

"So…" the rider grimly spoke. "You're saying that you lost her." Eavesdropping soldiers went still, anticipating what would come next.

"Only temporarily, your grace," the squad leader responded, clenching his hands behind his back. "I assure you, my unit and every unit at our lord's disposal will not cease our search until this rogue element is-"

He was interrupted by a distant sound like an explosion. Everyone spun around to see the decrepit mall aglow with an astonishing red light, bathing the entire building in its crimson glow. Every pair of eyes behind a helmet or exposed to the open air observed the light. It faded in seconds, but every soldier noticed something peculiar about the derelict mall.

The red light had revealed multiple silhouettes inside, scattered throughout the first and second floors.

The squad leader turned. "What are your orders, my eminence?"

The air crackled and sparked around the rider's hand as the cape billowed away. Suddenly, a sleek, ominous bow with razor-sharp edges near the string appeared in their grasp, pulsating with twisted, corrupted pink lightning. This weapon could instill fear and terror in any adversary who beheld it, with two red jewels near the grip glowing with pure malevolence.

"Prepare a battalion and inform our lord, Captain. We attack now."

…

"Uuugh, for the last time…" Ruby moaned as she dangled upside-down. "I'm not a spy! Or a thief! Or… or whatever you think I am! I'm just a lost girl who needs help returning to her friends! That's all! Now…" she squirmed against her ankle restraint. "Can someone please cut me down before I pass out?!"

The older man - Carlos, if she heard right - was still scowling. "How are we doing this, boss?"

TJ said nothing as he continued to stare at Ruby's suspended body… until he retrieved a laser pistol from a hip holster, pointed it upward, and pulled the trigger. There was a sharp blasting sound, a flash of red light, and a heavy impact as Ruby collapsed to the floor in a heap.

"OOF!" she grunted as the rest of the rope fell with her. Ruby needed a moment to collect herself, free her ankle from the smoldering bindings, and stumble groggily to her feet. "Oooh… th-thank you… now, if we're all done here-"

"Justin. Search her."

"Wha-" Ruby immediately flushed redder than her clothes as the teenage boy forcefully patted her down from head to toe, not being gentle about it. "H-hey! What do you think you're-?! St-stop! Don't touch-"

"No tracking beacons or tracers, sir," he announced before snatching two things near Ruby's thigh and backside. Ruby squeaked in embarrassment and instinctively covered herself. "But she's armed." He held out her blaster, which TJ narrowed his eyes at.

"Anything else?"

Justin showed him the other object, which Ruby recognized was her morpher. She smiled as she watched TJ take and study the device, awaiting his recognition of the device. Soon, he'd see that Ruby was a Ranger just like him and help her get-

"Clearly a fake."

"F-fake?!" Ruby was appalled. "But… but it's a-"

"Look, kid," Sloan said. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, but there are only six Power Coins, and this isn't one of them. So what's the deal? You can't fool the Sentries with this, let alone us."

"I-I'm not trying to fool anybody!" Ruby objected, jabbing her finger at the morpher. "And that is not a fake! That is a genuine Power Coin, the real deal! I can morph with that!"

"Ha!" Justin guffawed. "Morph? With a phony Power Coin? It doesn't even have a dinosaur on it!"

"I don't know who you think you are," TJ told Ruby in a serious and unamused tone. "But you're no Ranger, girl. Nobody is anymore, and holding onto this little toy won't help you."

Anger was boiling inside her at this point and she balled her fists. "What is wrong with you, TJ?! Of course, I'm a Ranger! Just like you!"

His brow furrowed. "Like me?"

"Yes! You're the Blue Space Ranger! You were one of the first Rangers I saw back in Angel Grove!"

His frown returned and he scoffed, brushing off Ruby's words like they were nothing and upsetting her further. "Kid, I wanted to be a Ranger as a little boy. I had the same dream you're having: becoming a hero and fighting evil to save the day. But you know what?" He leaned in close to Ruby's pouting face. "I never got that chance, and you'll never get yours. The Fall woke me up, and you need to wake up, too."

He stood up straight and loomed over Ruby. "I'm going to give you one chance. Turn around and walk away. Go home and keep living in the real world, not in some crazy hero fantasy. This might not be what you want to hear, but it's what you need to-"

Ruby snatched the morpher out of his hand in the blink of an eye, her silver eyes alight with anger. Sloan and the others had their weapons on her in seconds, but Ruby didn't turn her eyes away from the stunned TJ while he scowled at her again. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Waking you up," Ruby growled. "For real."

"Kid," he sneered back. "Do not do something you'll regret. You're setting yourself up for failure and you are not who you think you-"

Ruby had had enough. She shoved her morpher outward, roaring with all her might…

"CARMINE WOLF!"

Red light burst from the morpher, blinding the six people surrounding her and startling everyone else. The red light flooded the mall entirely, washing over everything before dimming away. Everyone groaned and rubbed their aching eyes, with TJ lowering his arm from his face. The others jerked back to attention and readied their weapons… but their eyes widened and weapons lowered as they saw what stood before them.

Ruby stood in her resplendent and radiant Red Ranger suit, her wolf-style helmet staring protectively at them all. Her cape rustled behind her, its silver rose twinkling like a star. Her helmet vanished in a flash, revealing her steadfast and determined face. Her eyes bore into each of the shocked people, whose heads shook in disbelief as weapons clattered to the ground. Distant voices rang out in disbelief, their murmurs echoing through the silence.

TJ's eyes were blown wide open and his jaw hung open. "This… this is impossible…"

Sloan lowered her weapon, her gaze unblinking. "What… What did you say your name was?"

"Nothing… about this…" Ruby began, her voice uncharacteristically low and full of rage. "...is making any sense." None of it was. All logic and reasoning have gone out the window since the Command Center. And Ruby was starting to get sick of it. "My name is Ruby Rose, you know this! You all know it! So what, for goodness' sake, has happened to you all?! If you're not Rangers, who are you?!"

The woman named Ashley blinked in complete bafflement. "The hell do you mean, who are we?! We're the resistance!"

"Maybe you haven't been keeping up with the news," Cassie added. "We call ourselves the Coinless."

Ruby raised a brow. "Coinless?"

"We fight for freedom and the people," Carlos explained. "The people that suffer daily under Lord Drakkon's fist of tyranny."

Ruby made a confused face that would have made Weiss proud. "Lord who?"

"Wha-" Justin sputtered. "What do you- Lord Drakkon! THE Lord Drakkon! Y'know, who took over the entire planet?!" She met him with a dumbfounded expression that only exasperated him more. "You seriously don't know who Lord Drakkon is? Everyone knows who he is!"

"I'm not everyone," she told him. "And honestly, I don't care what happened to you all anymore or who this 'Lord Drakkon' guy is. I just want to get back to my friends and the other Rangers." She glared at TJ one last time. "And you are gonna help me do that."

TJ was silent; the staredown between him and Ruby was all anyone could focus on. The older man was resilient and hardened from something Ruby couldn't place, but she was determined and had no more time or patience for obstacles. Her silver orbs shot steel daggers at TJ, who stared back into the glinting eyes for several intense seconds.

"Tanya. We're pulling out. Contact command for evac."

"Sir," she said before marching to the makeshift computer station. Ruby clenched her fists before spinning back to TJ. "No. There's only one place I'm going, and to get there, I need you to fix this." She held up her wrist and showed him her communicator. "Can. You. Do that?" If only Yang could see her now…

TJ stared at her with a lost and saddened look. "You… have quite the story, Ruby… I didn't think there would be any more Rangers left…"

She frowned. "And why's that?"

"You really don't know, then?" he whispered. "The Fall, Drakkon… you don't know any of that?"

"I told you," she firmly stated. "I don't care. I need to teleport out of here, but my teleporter is busted. Now, for the last time, can somebody here fix it?"

TJ sighed deeply. "I'm not much of a repair guy, kid. I'm more of a hacker, snooping on Sentry comms and retrieving classified files. Not that we have much to work with here, anyway. We stripped this place dry days ago."

"We're running low on power and scavenging runs for food and supplies are too risky," Justin muttered. "Had to lay low from a Mastodon Sentry patrol that was poking around."

"We'll bring you back to base," Ashley promised. "And get you up to speed while you tell us where you came from. Maybe someone there will fix your little gizmo and send you on your way."

"You said you had friends," Carlos muttered awkwardly. "Are… are they Rangers, too?" Ruby's nod was all it took to brighten his face. "Then… then maybe there's still hope after all."

Justin smirked. "And you told me hope has no place here…"

"This is it, then," Cassie chuckled, the sound coming out like she had not done so for so long. "This is what we need."

"That'll only happen if we make it happen," TJ told them. "Pack up, people, we move out within the-"

"Sergeant! SERGEANT!" Everyone turned to someone breathlessly racing down an escalator, his hair unkempt and face full of alarm. TJ caught him before he could double over, the soldier heaving desperately. "Easy there, Tony. What's wrong?" The man looked TJ dead in the eye, and Ruby noticed his shaky orbs were full of fear.

"We got company."

Ruby and TJ recoiled in shock before the latter stormed off, shouting to anyone in earshot. "THEY FOUND US! DEFENSIVE POSITIONS! MOVE IT, PEOPLE!" Ruby was left alone to watch the so-called resistance fighters scramble to prepare, whether passing weapons to fellow soldiers, setting traps, or taking up firing positions behind cover, around shop corners, or on higher ground. Two people rushed to the turret emplacements and powered them up, the weapons coming alive with a rising hum and glowing energy. Someone crouched near a second-story window and peered through a pair of binoculars.

"What have we got, soldier?!"

"I count four transport trucks, sir!" he reported. "They're unloading Sentries now, and… and…" He froze in place and Ruby barely heard him curse under his breath over all the shouting.

"Talk to me here!"

The soldier met TJ with a petrified look. "Sir, it… it's her! Sh-she's here with them!" Ruby was at a loss. "Um, who is 'she'?"

"Goddammit," TJ hissed. "She must be here for you. We need to get you outta here now. Tanya, how we doing?!"

The woman didn't answer, focusing solely on the computers and radio equipment as she fiddled with the dials. "This is Lieutenant Tanya Sloan contacting Coinless HQ! Base, do you copy?" She heard only the buzz of radio static and her expression tightened with every knob she twisted and every switch she flipped. "Lieutenant Sloan to Base, are you there? Does anyone read me, over?"

The radio buzzed again until a crackling and barely audible transmission came through. "This is Base; we read you, Lieutenant. What's the situation, over?"

"We've been compromised! Sentries are at our doorstep, requesting immediate evac, over!"

"Roger that, Lieutenant Sloan. We'll get a bird in the air ASAP, ETA ten minutes, over."

"Base, be advised," she added. "We have an HVT for evac. Repeat, HVT for evac. Inform Commanders Taylor and Kwan immediately, over!"

"Understood, ma'am. Go give 'em hell."

"With pleasure. Lieutenant Sloan out." The woman stood up and grabbed her rifle, turning to find a stunned Ruby staring at the radio equipment. Ruby couldn't help but overhear the last part of that transmission and the two names the other end spoke of. Taylor and Kwan… as in Zack and-

"What are you standing around for?! MOVE!" Tanya hollered, shoving Ruby off and cutting off her thoughts. Ruby's heart pounded anxiously in her chest as she scurried away, barely managing to catch her blaster that Justin tossed at her. She ducked down near a makeshift barricade of overturned tables and waste bins. TJ and Tanya rested by her sides while Justin and Carlos got into a position reinforced by concrete bags on the right side. Ashley and Cassie did the same on the left, the latter tapping her eyepiece as dozens of Coinless resistance fighters trained their weapons on the mall's boarded-up doors.

With an unsteady silence looming over everyone, Ruby was filled with growing dread as she looked at everyone around her. Each of them was hardened and seemingly deprived of emotion, their bodies tense and their senses alert. TJ's willingness to fight and loyalty to his allies remained, but it had changed along with him and made him almost unrecognizable in Ruby's eyes. Ruby could see it in everyone… even Justin, a person just as young as she was. These people were fighting a war in which they were outnumbered and outgunned, and they looked like they had been fighting for so long, almost as if they knew nothing else.

The girl's heart was filled with dread as she realized what was about to happen. These tired and desperate people were willing to do the one thing Ruby was hesitant to do… and she wanted no part of that. But she needed their help; she needed to protect them so they could help her, and the only way she could do that was… was…

Oh gods.

No no no, she couldn't do this, she couldn't do this, she couldn't-

"Steady…" TJ's voice was barely above a whisper and Ruby's blaster quivered in her hand. Ruby was on the verge of hyperventilating when she heard Tanya's stalwart voice beside her. "The roof."

"Wh-what?" Ruby had never sounded so quiet.

"No matter what happens," the woman clarified, never taking her eyes off the door. "You get to the roof. Evac will be waiting for you there."

"B-but what about you?"

Tanya didn't answer. Her silence spoke volumes and her eyes held an undeniable truth. TJ's eyes had that same truth… as did everyone's eyes. Ruby was even more unsettled now, her unblinking silver eyes - not as unblinking as the rest of the Coinless' steely gazes - anxiously focused on the broad, intimidating boarded doors that had imminent doom waiting just behind-

BAWOOM! They were blasted off their hinges from a tremendous explosion, clattering to the floor as all hell immediately broke loose. Ruby instinctively jerked down behind her limited safety, peeking through a tiny gap to see familiar black-armored figures storming inside. Bursts and blasts rippled through the air with orange and purple lights flashing around, the Coinless fighters shooting relentlessly at the swarm of Black Rangers - Mastodon Sentries, they called them - rushing in and returning fire with tactical precision.

"GO GO GO!"

"MOVE UP! TAKE 'EM OUT!"

"PUSH UP, PUSH UP!"

"BLAST 'EM ALL!"

Several of the Coinless' shots rang true, with some bolts dropping Sentries on the spot as they grunted and yelped in pain. But the soldiers continued their advance and fired upon any resistance fighter they saw. As Ruby kept herself concealed behind cover and shuddered from every blaster shot that racked her ears, she spied two Coinless members laying down fire… until a purple bolt struck one in the chest and he fell with a cry. His partner ducked behind cover with a heaving chest, poking out his rifle and spraying it haphazardly.

KA-BOOM! Ruby spun around to see one position go up in flames, the Coinless fighters screaming as a grenade blast reduced their cover to smithereens. Stray laser shots peppered the walls, leaving smoking marks behind. Charging Sentries were hit mid-stride, and they tumbled lifelessly to the ground, with others stumbling briefly before getting back up and pressing their attack.

And more kept pouring in through the doors, gesturing and rallying others to their side. They gave no thoughts to fallen comrades - not even those that fell victim to tripwires and landmines - and fired at everything that moved. Not even the Coinless picking them off from the second-floor balconies could stem the rushing tide, with some of the Sentries pointing their guns upward and keeping them pinned. One Sentry hurled a grenade at a Coinless fighter in cover… and another gunned him down as he scrambled to escape the explosive.

Ruby saw madness, chaos, and death everywhere she looked in a place that was supposed to be jovial and lively. She was too petrified to move, let alone shoot back. Cries from the Coinless carried over the storm of laser fire and explosions as the Sentries took up their own firing positions, capturing obliterated Coinless defenses as their own.

"HOLD THE LINE! KEEP 'EM PINNED!"

"GRENADE! MOVE!"

"I NEED SUPPRESSIVE FIRE!"

"COME ON! COME AND GET SOME!"

"Ruby! RUBY!" TJ's loud and commanding voice snapped her out of her daze with a shaky jolt, a stray bolt whizzing past the sergeant's head. "Listen to me! You need to run! Get to the roof; we'll cover you!"

She could barely hear him over the chaos, a grenade blast that was too close for comfort throwing dust and debris their way. Tanya flinched as she kept returning fire, Ruby's eyes darting between each of the ordinary-people-turned-revolutionists that either shot at the raiding Sentries or collapsed with burning holes in their bodies, partners crying out in despair over the losses.

"RUN, Ruby!" TJ roared, shoving her away. Ruby stumbled before picking herself up, adrenaline guiding her body onward as she sprinted away from the firefight and ignored more Coinless charging from the opposite direction. She glanced over her shoulder as the blasts and explosions rattled her ears…

…and learned of her mistake too late when a Sentry met her gaze and pointed.

"There she is, over there!"

"TURRETS!" TJ hollered. "COVERING FIRE!"

BRAKKA-BRAKKA-BRAKKA! The twin stationary cannons let loose a booming barrage of bolts, sweeping through the Sentries and forcing most of them into cover. Ruby slid behind a pillar, her conscience torn between personal safety and her unwillingness to abandon these people when they needed her. But… did they really need her? Despite the people they lost, they were holding their own against the Sentries and were on the verge of driving them back. They were fighters; they could handle themselves…

But they're not supposed to be. They were just… people. Ordinary people with no real training and just wanted things to be better. Ruby was frozen, unsure what to do as she watched the turret gunners bombard the enemy forces…

"AAAGH!" Something zipped out of nowhere and struck one of the gunners, a shrill scream leaving her as she hit the ground and stared up at nothing. The second gunner whipped his head around, realizing his error seconds before something hit him in the forehead. He dropped dead immediately, much to the Coinless' shock and horror.

"SNIPERS!" screamed Cassie. Right on cue, the second-floor windows exploded into glass fragments and staggered the nearby Coinless members. Pink-clad soldiers donning capes and hoods swooped in on ropes, one of them kicking a rebel right off the balcony. His scream echoed in Ruby's ears before a hard thud silenced it. The new arrivals bearing pterodactyl insignias on their shoulder pads quickly dispatched the Coinless on overwatch with brutal and deadly precision, small pistols eliminating several before they could lift their weapons. Those that engaged them in close quarters were instantly outmatched through assassin-like acrobatics. Rifle butts were smashed against faces, throats were stomped on, and quick trigger fingers left all of their Coinless adversaries dead at their feet.

Each of the Pterodactyl Sentries then readied pink-white sniper rifles, raining death from above like the winged animals they represented in a shower of pink laser bolts.

"FALL BACK! EVERYONE FALL BACK!" TJ and Tanya stood from cover and bolted away, blindly firing their weapons to cover the Coinless' hasty retreat. But even as they fled, more of the Coinless' numbers dropped as bolts struck their backs. Carlos shot a fire extinguisher, the ensuing cloud of steam blinding the closest Mastodon Sentries. Nobody took the risk of helping their downed allies up…

…not even when a horrified Ruby watched a pink laser bolt connect with the back of Cassie's head. The woman fell facefirst, never to stand again.

"NO!" She screamed, warping to the second level and engaging the startled snipers. Ruby frantically knocked their rifles from their grips, kicked them aside, and punched each of them to the ground at swift speeds. Her constant teleporting left them unable to get a bead on her, and she didn't stop until the last one was out cold. Ruby warped back down to the first floor, where Cassie's unmoving body met her…

…and the corpses of other Coinless fighters as the Sentries marched past them, their weapons never letting up. One soldier was weakly crawling away until a Mastodon Sentry turned him over, shooting him point-blank. Ruby choked back a sob and whipped out her blaster with her finger on the trigger.

SKYOW! A pink bolt shot the sidearm out of her hands, startling the Red Ranger. She darted behind an untouched kiosk, wary of two pink beams that scanned the area. Any Coinless member they passed over was precisely shot down, adding to the already high toll. The pink lights swiveled through the fire extinguisher's cloud, belonging to two of three approaching figures. Two Pterodactyl Sentries marched forward, hunting and picking off anyone they saw, including a quick shot to a Coinless member advancing down an escalator. The bolt pierced his heart and he tumbled the rest of the way down, the sniper planting her boot on his head.

The third figure slowly marched out of the cloud, revealing a figure that looked strangely familiar to Ruby… and someone extremely dangerous, given the Coinless' shocked and terrified expressions. Like the snipers, this figure was dressed in pink with black colors, a pterodactyl-themed helmet obscuring their face. A torn and damaged cape fluttered behind them, a wicked and deadly-looking bow glimmered in their grip as it nonchalantly bashed an insurgent aside with a sickening crack…

…and Ruby's blood turned cold when she noticed a Power Coin displayed near the waist: the Pterodactyl Power Coin.

No… no, no, this had to be a mistake! This couldn't be true! Ruby didn't want to believe it. This couldn't be her, it had to be stolen from her, it was the only explanation! Yeah, that… that had to be it.

She glanced at TJ and Tanya after calming herself, the former fiercely staring the ominous figure down while the latter was shaking her head with disdain in her eye. "Traitor…"

"No mercy, Sentries," the bow-wielding figure commanded through a deep, distorted voice filter. "Kill every last one of them, but remember: the Red Ranger is mine."

"As you wish, Ranger Slayer," a Pterodactyl Sentry replied, her rifle already primed and searching for targets while the stranger marched forward. The closest Coinless fighter erupted from hiding with a pistol in hand, but the figure grabbed his wrist and painfully twisted it back before slashing the bow's edge across his throat and tossing him aside. Their helmet was then trained on Ruby, her entire body trembling with terror at the stranger's mercilessness and brutality.

"Wh-who are you…?"

"I'm pretty sure the name says it all," they replied before pulling back the bowstring, conjuring an arrow of darkness, and sending it flying towards Ruby.

…

"So…" droned Nora. "What was that about this being the 'fastest ship in the galaxy' again?" This earned her a groan from everyone else in the room, with Pyrrha pinching the bridge of her nose. "Nora, please… we were just in the middle of the ocean. It's gonna take a while for us to reach land, let alone Cranston Tech."

"But she has a point," moaned Yang, still splayed across the couch. "I've never been so bored-er in my entire life…" Weiss threw an icy glare at her. "That's not even a word, you dunce." Yang only grunted, indicating she was too disinterested to care about proper grammar. And to be fair, everyone was feeling similarly low, none feeling complete without the one thing - the one person - to brighten them up.

Even though they knew the face that walked in did not belong to that person, their disappointment remained.

"Anything?" Blake asked Kat. The older Pink Ranger's face told the Black Ranger what she needed - not preferred - to hear. "The Space Rangers just checked every known planet on the star charts. And… Ruby's morph signature isn't on any of them."

Jaune was still holding on to hope. "Well, what about unknown planets? I-I mean, she had to end up somewhere, right?"

"Because somewhere is better than nowhere," Ren added.

"Please," Yang whined from her spot. "I'm trying so hard not to think of Ruby getting atomized or something…"

"A relatable feeling," Kat whispered. "No Ranger team is ever without a Red Ranger, and your team won't be the first. We'll scour the entire universe if we have to… but we'll find her. She has to be out there."

"So you guys doing the work again?" Nora dramatically groaned. "I don't wanna have to sit around the whole trip! Do you know if this ship has movies? Or a training room? Something action-related to keep us occupied until-"

"Um, attention, everyone," Andros' voice cut through the ship. "We got a problem. According to our scanners, things are about to get… rough."

"What Andros means to say," beeped D.E.C.A. "...is that we are detecting incoming hostiles. Dozens of signatures closing in fast."

Nora bolted to her feet with a huge grin. "Under attack?! I'll take it!"

Everyone hurried to the bridge, followed by the veteran Rangers as a proximity alarm blared throughout the Astro Megaship. Once there, they were met with a flurry of voices and activity from both the Space and Lost Galaxy rangers.

"Shields to full! Cassie, arm the Megalasers!"

"Bringing them online now!"

"Kai, how many are there?"

"I count at least a dozen, Leo! Maybe more!"

"They're coming at us from the front and behind, Andros!"

"I see 'em, Ashley! Looks like the bugs and the birds again!"

"Hold on, what's this?" Billy pointed at one of the scanners. Alongside the many blinking dots signaling enemies in front of and behind the Megaship's position, there was also a massive energy reading closing in with them. Weiss turned as white as her outfit as she saw it.

"Oh no… tell me that's not what I think it is…"

Andros nervously turned to the main viewport. "D.E.C.A… give me a visual."

A live camera feed appeared, revealing an enormous swarm of Lancers, Lancer Queens, Nevermores, Griffons, Manticores, and Wyverns. A massive shape beat its tremendous wings, partially obscured by the amount of Grimm.

"Increase magnification."

The image zoomed in… revealing devilish horns, a monstrous jaw, and blazing violet eyes while purple fire burned behind razor-sharp teeth. Those eyes locked with Rangers as if it were staring right at them, the visage sending a shiver down everyone's spine.

"All hands," Andros called out. "Prepare for evasive manuevers!"

With the Red Ranger expertly utilizing the fight control levers, the Astro Megaship veered away from the oncoming horde and accelerated upward, leaving both batches of pursuing Grimm to flock after it in a cloud of darkness. The bellowing Grimm dragon led its brethren in pursuit, spewing violet fireballs at the blue spaceship. Most of the projectiles missed, but one fireball detonated against the ship's shields, violently rocking the craft and shaking everyone inside.

"Shields are holding!" Ashley reported. "For now!"

Leo alternated his gaze between Andros and the viewscreen. "Come on, Andros, we gotta lose these guys!"

"I'm working on it!" he shouted back. "Everyone, weapons free! Engage all targets and blast some of those freaks outta the sky!" The two double-barreled turrets swiveled to life and opened up on the screeching and snarling creatures, blue lasers firing everywhere and shooting scores of the flying Grimm down. Lancers were blown to bits, Griffons were struck dead on, and Wyvern wings were littered with holes. Manticores and Nevermores swooped down to sink their talons into the Astro Megaship's hull, only to be repelled by the ship's energy shields.

Yang tightly gripped the closest seat she found. "They're all over us! What do we do?"

"Don't worry!" TJ reassured her. "This baby can take a lot of punishment!"

"Yeah!" Damon agreed. "It's gonna take more than some bugs on the windshield to bring us down!"

"Yeah?!" Jake shouted as he pointed out the canopy. "Well, what about that?!" Everyone spun to see the Grimm dragon barreling towards the ship, claws extended and fiery maw open. "WHOA!" Andros dropped the ship into a quick dive, the monster's claws barely scraping the hull. The Megalaser cannons opened fire on the beast, but the Grimm dragon barely noticed the shots that dissipated against its dark skin.

"It's like we're shooting spitballs at it!" Jason shouted as he observed the cannons' minimal effects. "We need cover, somewhere they'll have a hard time following!"

Weiss focused on the sky above. "Can you go up?! Lose them in the clouds?!"

"I don't have any better ideas!" Andros gritted his teeth. "Hang on tight, Rangers! You may feel some slight turbu-"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! His station suddenly pulsed red and he froze in his seat. "What?! How is… no! No, no, no!"

"What is it?!" Karone shouted with rising fear.

"It's the shields! They… they're dropping! How are they dropping?!"

"I'm not feeling anything hitting us!" Jaune looked around wildly as the Grimm kept a tight perimeter around the Astro Megaship. They were surrounded with nowhere to go. Billy glanced at the plummeting energy levels to understand what was happening.

"That's because they don't need to hit us… when they can take away whatever we have."

Dread filled the cockpit and depleted the Rangers' hope along with their shields. Once that bar hit zero, the ship rocked with a sudden force, and computer systems spat out sparks. The prior alarms returned tenfold, bathing the cockpit crimson as Ashley glanced over her console with alarm. "They hit the engines!"

"Emergency power, now!"

"I'm trying, Andros!" TJ shouted. "But nothing's responding!"

"Warning! Warning!" D.E.C.A. announced. "Altitude levels substantially dropping. Thirty thousand feet to ground level."

"We gotta level out!" Leo screamed, but Andros shook his head with wide eyes. "I can't! Backup thrusters are down!"

"Twenty-five thousand feet to ground level."

Yang threw up her arms from a malfunctioning console. "GAH! Guys, we gotta get outta here!"

"Twenty thousand feet. Fifteen thousand feet."

"No time! Everyone hang on; we're coming in hard!" Everyone could make out the land from the shaking cockpit, the Grimm's roars and howls blending with the wailing alarms and sparking systems. Leo held tight to Andros' seat as he struggled to stay upright. "This is not the kind of nostalgia I like!"

"Ten thousand feet. Five thousand feet."

The Astro Megaship dropped like a meteor, its metallic surface groaning as it trailed fire and smoke from its destroyed engines. The Grimm dragon and its aerial brethren followed close behind, maintaining a relative distance from the doomed vessel. Every Ranger aboard felt the world shudder and shake around them, the green surface of the earth racing up to meet them.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

Weiss and Nora squeezed their eyes shut, Ren stumbled against the wall, Jaune and Pyrrha fought a losing battle to stand, and Blake and Yang shared an uncertain glance. The other Rangers could only look at themselves or the rapidly approaching land.

"Impact in five… four… three… two… one…"

BWOOOM! The Astro Megaship hit the ground hard, sending grass and soil in all directions with a colossal rumble that shook the earth. The vessel bounced upward before crashing back down, its ensuing slide halted by friction. Parts of the ship burst into flames, and sections of the hull were shaken loose. Metal debris and upturned earth marked the Megaship's trail.

The shrieking Grimm dove for the crashed spaceship while the Grimm dragon hovered overhead, steadily beating its enormous wings. It observed the crash site and the Grimm that swarmed it like vultures on a carcass with a wicked grin.

…

Somewhere dark and dreary, a figure painstakingly resembling the Yellow Ranger marched through a hallway until they entered a throne room. The figure passed various trophy cases displaying depowered Morphers and broken Ranger weapons. They stood before a stone-carved throne that emanated dominance above all else… and bent down on one knee.

"My lord…" she spoke. "There has been a development."

There was a silence from the one who sat upon it until a quiet breath left a pair of lips. "I… am well aware." whispered a voice, one that was familiar yet alien. "This girl…" The voice paused as if something about those words did not sit right. "This… child… is both frustrating… and fascinating." A pair of fingers patiently drummed against an armrest. His attention focused on a window through space and time. The ruler watched as a caped figure dressed in red utilized ambush maneuvers and deception to overpower the squad of black-clad soldiers, the footage rewinding and replaying upon every conclusion.

"A Power Coin…" The voice's words were filled with curiosity and great pondering rather than confusion. "...that does not belong to the original six. A Red Ranger… alone. Someone… lost. Wandering… aimlessly… unaware of what she squanders."

The window closed, shimmering into nothing. "This begs a question, lieutenant."

"We've scoured the Angel Grove citizen registry, my lord," announced the facade of the Yellow Ranger. "Unfortunately, there is no match for the individual in question. For that reason, I request your permission to conduct an investigation on a wider scale and scour the entire planet to determine the-"

"Permission denied, lieutenant," growled the voice, his fingers clenching into a fist. "You will do no such thing."

The yellow figure jerked her head upward. "S-sir?"

"I am not asking myself who this girl is," the voice clarified. "I am curious… as to where she has come from. No such Power Coin… and no such powers exist. That is… they do not exist here."

"My lord… are you suggesting…"

"If I am right about her... I must see this for myself," spoke the voice as the ruler rose from the seat, prompting the false Yellow Ranger to do the same. "Prepare my ship."

"Yes, my lord," she nodded before turning on her heel and marching away.

…

"RETREAT! RETREAT! ALL COINLESS RETREAT!" Voices cried out in panic and alarm, blasters desperately returning fire at the volley of purple and pink bolts. Red lasers ripped through the air as Ruby frantically pulled the trigger, her shots missing their marks by meters or staggering any Sentry they hit. The same could not be said for the Sentries, whose shots struck the running rebels down with terrified yelps and pained grunts. Those merely injured or wounded by the shots were abandoned, their pained screams silenced by a remorseless and faceless soldier.

Ruby had forgotten almost all of her training at this point, panic and terror replacing it. She was surrounded by death, and she was guaranteed seconds to live if she did not flee. Everywhere she looked, she saw a Coinless fighter scream and fall, a smoking hole or more covering their bodies. Sounds blurred together and lights flashed before her eyes. Ruby ran as if she was trying to escape the carnage, tears stinging in her eyes as horrible images scarred her mind.

Fires roared behind her eyes, their heat stinging her skin. A wave, flames engulfing anything they touched, nothing but charred materials and blackened bones left be-

A sudden explosion threw Ruby off her feet and she smashed into a directory board, nearly blacking out from the impact. She barely caught a glimpse of a squad's worth of soldiers rushing past her… but a barrage of purple bolts gunned them all down mid-stride, and they fell like sacks of potatoes. Ruby saw her hand weakly reaching out for them, able to do nothing but watch as they slipped away…

…until the brunette felt another hand grab it.

"On your feet!" Ashley cried out at a volume fighting to be heard above the blaster fire. "Rooftop elevator is just ahead, you can make it!"

Ruby couldn't speak. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't do anything. This was not happening, this was not being a hero, this was war, she was never trained for war, this wasn't what she was taught, people were dying everywhere and there was nothing she could do to-

THWAP! THWAP! Ashley slapped Ruby across the face twice, snapping her out of her panic attack and forcing air back into her lungs. "Ruby! Look at me. It's a simple task." She spoke firmly while gripping Ruby's face, forcing her to look at only Ashley's weary yet determined face. "Get. To. The elevator. And leave."

"L… leave…?"

"Yes. For once in your life, do not think about others. Focus on yourself, and focus on getting yourself as far away from here as you can!"

Ruby wanted to do that so badly… but not when her communicator was as dead as a scroll without any charge. But if it meant an escape, even a temporary one…

She nodded once and-

"Now go!" Ashley hollered, pushing Ruby towards a shaft at the far end of the mall. It was like a light at the end of a tunnel, beckoning her toward it. "And whatever you do, you do not look back! No matter wh-"

Ashley stopped. Why had she stopped? She said not to look back, she said to go, she said not to think and not to worry about others, which isn't what a Huntress, a Ranger, or a hero is supposed to do. So Ruby stopped, and she turned around…

…and she saw Ashley with a pink arrow protruding from her chest.

Her face was frozen in shock and her eyes were losing their light. The world turned mute, and time slowed. A million thoughts and unsaid words left both women. Ashley's knees hit the floor without a sound, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and her lifeless form collapsed at Ruby's feet.

The dark bow-wielding figure with the cape - the Ranger Slayer - stood tall and proud, a helmeted face devoid of remorse. Fires born from explosions and collateral damage burned all around the murderer. Ruby blinked, seeing a hellish woman with twin blades and a vile grin standing in its place.

The stranger burst into a sudden run and panic-laced adrenaline coursed through Ruby's system, her scythe materializing in her hands while her feet doubled back. The Ranger Slayer charged through the firefight, vaulting over a burnt bench and dispatching any Coinless in its path with savage bow strikes until they leaped high and spun, bringing its bow down on Ruby's hastily-raised scythe.

The two went back and forth as the Sentries and remaining Coinless traded fire amidst their duel, ruthless attacks meeting a desperate defense. Too terrified and distraught to mount a proper counteroffensive, Ruby staggered from every swipe and felt her body buckle from each hard blow. A palm to the face made her cough up blood, her back hit the floor after a sweep faster than she could see, and she rolled away from the bow's twisted blade-like end. The Ranger Slayer pressed the attack like a master assassin until a hard kick sent Ruby sprawling again. They marched up to Ruby's gasping and wheezing body, the bow held high and ready to slice through her throat…

"GET AWAY!" Ruby screeched, swinging her scythe as hard as she could with squeezed-shut eyes.

There was a cry of pain as her blade made contact with the Ranger Slayer's helmet, knocking it clean off their head before they hit the floor. Ruby scooted backward before climbing back to her feet, brandishing her shaking scythe like a housewife holding a broom to a mouse. With Mastodon Sentries covering them, a pair of Pterodactyl Sentries hurried over to assist the Ranger Slayer, who rudely pushed them aside as they rose. At first, Ruby saw a mop of short hair atop the murderer's head…

…and what lay beneath the mask was another nightmare she couldn't wake up from. The Ranger Slayer whirled around and glared at Ruby, with eyes she remembered as kind and gentle. But they were now full of annoyance and agitation, a killer's air flowing through those orbs. A scowl rested where a calm smile once sat, the expression unchanging as Ruby knew the truth of the figure's familiarity.

"K… Kimberly…?"

That scowl turned into a wince when a laser bolt connected with her shoulder, prompting the former Pink Ranger to draw another arrow and launch it at a batch of Coinless. Her arrow struck the shooter's heart and Ruby heard a young woman cry out in despair. She scrambled to her friend until a pink bolt caught her in the lung, her body collapsing over her ally's fallen form. Justin and Carlos laid down more suppressive fire as some fighters dragged their badly injured comrades to cover. A growl alerted Ruby to her attacker just in time, the snarling woman's blade connecting with her scythe again.

"KIM!" Ruby tearfully screamed. "KIM, IT'S ME! IT'S ME, RUBY! STOP THEM! TELL THEM TO STOP, PLEASE!" Her reply came when the woman seized Ruby by the throat, slammed her to the floor, and stomped hard on her chest. Another arrow appeared in her dark bow and her eyes looked down on Ruby indifferently as the brunette struggled and choked out ragged sobs.

"Kim… no…" she squeaked pitifully. "Why are you doing this…"

"HEY!" Carlos' voice roared from outside Ruby's vision, drawing the older woman's attention. "I HAVE A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR YOU, KIMBERLY HEARTLESS!" A loud bang and a steady whistle prompted Kimberly to step off Ruby and twirl backward, avoiding a streaking rocket that shot underneath her. Kimberly drew another arrow, letting it fly as the missile detonated against an abandoned shop.

Ruby watched the arrow fly, where Carlos leaned away just in time. The arrow lodged into the wall behind him and Justin, leaving the teen to smirk defiantly. "If you really were Drakkon's best, you wouldn't have missed!"

Kimberly's cold and emotionless face remained unchanged. "I didn't."

That's when the arrow began to pulse. With each flash, its brightening glow and faster pace made Carlos whirl back in surprise. Ruby realized it at the same time he did.

"JUSTIN, GET DO-"

BOOOM! The arrow detonated in a blinding blast of darkened pink light, adding another crack to Ruby's shattering spirit. The smoke and dust shrouded most of the aftermath… but the broken-hearted brunette saw a burnt blue bandana and a limp hand through the dark cloud.

"My eminence!" reported a Mastodon Sentry. "We have the remaining rebels cornered!"

"Finish them off," Kimberly callously commanded as she grabbed Ruby's throat. "And detain their commanders. I want them to watch their hope die before they do."

"NOOOOOO!" Ruby shrieked, her eyes aching with tears. Then, in a crimson flash, she disappeared from Kimberly's stunned grip. She reappeared at the mall's far end near the elevator, collapsing near Coinless' final defensive position. The organized insurgents, including TJ and Tanya, had been reduced to less than ten fighters.

The sight of her miserable and dejected body was enough to send the last of the resistance fighters into a stunned silence. Their reactions only hurt Ruby even more: the sight of a renowned hero - a Red Ranger - breaking down would undoubtedly plummet their spirits and morale to the brink. The sergeant and lieutenant spun in Ruby's direction, helping the sobbing and shaking brunette to her feet. Her face told the two everything, as did her shaking head. "G-gone… th-they're all gone…"

TJ solemnly lowered his head and closed his eyes. Tanya did the same before she took a deep breath. "They knew the risks. As do we. We may fall here, Ruby…"

"But for all that is still good in this world," TJ continued. "For the goodness you still hold, you must not. Consider this my final order, Ruby. Get in that elevator and head to the roof. Our evac chopper will be waiting for you there."

Her shook even more frantically. "N-no… nononono, please no…"

"Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson and Tanya Sloan!" roared the voice of a foe who was supposed to be a friend. Both turned with narrowed eyes at the Ranger Slayer, who stood meters away. Mastodon and Pterodactyl Sentries surrounded her on both sides, their weapons raised in firing positions. "As members of the Coinless resistance movement, you and all who stand with you are traitors to the New Power Coalition! I find you guilty of high treason and sentence you to death!"

Hands slowly reached for blasters…

"However," Kimberly continued, prompting TJ and Tanya to pause. "I am not as merciless or unforgiving as my master. Therefore, your lives will be spared on certain terms."

TJ frowned. "What terms?"

Kimberly met his eyes with a demanding stare. "You will surrender the location of the Coinless' primary base of operations, along with Commanders Zachary Taylor and Trini Kwan. As for the girl…" Her eyes bore into Ruby's traumatized orbs. "She comes with me. Personally."

"You wanna see your old pals again?" Tanya shot back. "You should've listened to them when you had the chance!"

"The only person I listen to now," Kim retorted. "...is the mighty Lord Drakkon himself. And all who do not heed his words are to be punished."

"You're not Kim!" Ruby blurted out with a heavy heart, denial her only defense against her now. "I know it! Th-this isn't her at all! Sh-she wouldn't want to be you!"

The Ranger Slayer replied with a satisfied smirk. "And I wouldn't want to be her." She raised her free hand and brought it down in a commanding gesture. "Sentries! FIRE!"

The storm started once again, plunging Ruby back into panic. Tanya immediately returned fire with the last of the Coinless forces, while TJ grabbed Ruby by the shoulders and threw her into the elevator. The silver-eyed girl looked back with shock and confusion, and the battle-worn leader stared into those bright young eyes—eyes that were once like his own—for the last time.

"Godspeed, Ruby Rose."

He pressed the up button on the panel before a word could leave her horror-stricken face and the elevator doors slid shut. The man turned back to the already-lost battle and barely batted an eye at the dead soldiers lying around him. Mastodon Sentries closed in on all sides, surrounding two people who knew the inevitability of this scenario since they received news of the enemy's presence. The lives they lived and the lives they wished they had lived passed through them like rivers. A motivated, balanced soul leading by example and a kind, loyal follower lay beneath all the hardship and sorrow they had endured.

And that was how both would be remembered.

"May the Power protect you," Tanya whispered her final words: words taught to them by their superiors and words that, by all accounts, held no meaning in this world. TJ allowed them to take hold within him before he uttered the last phrase that would ever leave his lips.

"May it protect everyone."

They fought as they always did, staying on the move and firing at the forces that had cornered them. Lucky shots downed the black-clad infantry one after another as they weaved between enemy soldiers, smacking their rifles against helmets and armor while shooting point-blank. They slid, rolled, and dove from one target to the next, pulling the triggers until their weapons overheated.

Tanya threw her rifle at a Sentry and engaged another, throwing a high kick to his head and throwing him aside. She grabbed another that rushed for her, disarmed the Sentry of his weapon, and kneed him in the gut before kicking back another that came up from behind. She vaulted over that one and wrestled with his rifle, blasting one Sentry that popped out of cover. She threw her captive to the ground and raised a leg to stomp his helmet in.

A laser bolt caught her in the shoulder and she collapsed. Gritting her teeth and hopping back up, Tanya rushed for her next target and caught him by surprise, flooring him with a kick and landing a chop on another's throat. Another bolt struck her in the side and she whirled on that shooter, knocking him down. A third laser connected with her other shoulder, making her stagger for a moment…

…until one last bolt struck Tanya between the eyes, dropping her body to the mall floor.

TJ bid a silent farewell to his friend and partner, never letting up against his own attackers as he blocked every blow thrown at him. He slammed his elbow into a Sentry's face when the soldier tried to restrain him and kicked another to the ground. He grabbed another Sentry's leg and threw him aside, leaving him open for a hard blow that almost sent him sprawling. Although he did not share the Sentries' power or their might, TJ continued his attack and landed a leaping kick to a Pterodactyl Sentry. He used a Mastodon Sentry as a living shield, protecting him from incoming laser fire. He noticed another sniper flanking around him too late, the bolt stinging against his skin.

A group of Mastodon Sentries closed in around TJ just as he smashed his knee against one's face. He whirled around with a stolen rifle as a club, sending another trooper sprawling before turning the blaster on every Sentry he saw. Some fell from the purple bolts while others were merely staggered, but TJ never stopped swinging and firing as a few more lasers struck him, his teeth grit in determination.

His left leg was the first to go in a sudden pain. Then, his right arm went numb from a precise sniper shot. His rifle fell and he slumped to his knees before one more shot to his chest knocked TJ onto his back. He was left to stare up through a skylight that showed the faint twinkle of distant stars, and not even the surrounding Mastodon Sentries could shield it entirely.

TJ felt his heart slow, his breath weaken, and his eyes grow heavy. And yet, he did the one thing he hadn't done in years as his final thoughts drifted to a similar twinkle in a pair of silver eyes. The darkness enveloped him, everything drifted away…

And TJ smiled.

…

Blackness stretched in every direction, and it fought to stay that way as Yang slowly awoke. Her hand resting on the grass was the first thing she saw. The sound of crackling fires and the scent of smoke in the air fully aroused her from unconsciousness, faint groans informing whoever was nearby of her condition. The blonde's brain was ringing in her skull and she ached all over, her muscles protesting as she tried lifting herself off the ground.

She felt someone—no, two someones—help her to her feet, the familiar black-and-white colors fully coming into focus. Yang blinked her woozy eyes and shook the dizzy feeling away. "B-Blake? Weiss? Whuh… What's going…" The blonde trailed off as her eyes darted around… and she realized their dire predicament.

The good news was that everyone was outside the Astro Megaship, now a burning and sparking heap of metal partially buried into the earth. The bad news was that Yang, her friends, and the other Rangers were surrounded by violet-eyed Grimm, namely Griffons and Manticores. Lancers buzzed around the air, a Wyvern was perched atop the Astro Megaship, and the Grimm dragon larger than any of them was staring at the group in a way Yang felt difficult to describe for a Grimm.

Yang bared her teeth at the black beast and reached behind her…

…but felt nothing!

"Wh-what?!" The blonde jerked around and frantically patted herself all over until Blake laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and gestured over her shoulder. Yang turned to where Blake indicated… to see a pile of morphers guarded by two Griffons, the avian-esque Grimm keeping watch like gargoyles.

The blonde brawler was confused at her surroundings and quickly noticed everyone else was feeling the same way. The last thing Yang remembered was being in the Astro Megaship's cockpit before it crashed. And if she was standing outside now without her morpher, surrounded by Grimm that were oddly not attacking…

"Billy?" Jason whispered with clenched fists. "What's going on? Why are they just standing there?"

"I… I think…" the veteran Blue Ranger muttered as he studied the Grimm that were equally studying him. Nora crept towards the pile of morphers, but a Manticore spotted her and blocked her path with a barbed scorpion-esque tail, growling dangerously. The Pink Ranger sheepishly grinned and backed away, her hands in the air.

"I think we're their prisoners."

"Prisoners?" Ren scoffed. "Impossible. Grimm don't take prisoners. They just kill."

"I thought you would've learned this by now, Ren…" Pyrrha whispered, not taking her eyes off a distant Nevermore that creepily stared at her from atop one of the Astro Megaship's red fins. "But these aren't the Grimm we know anymore."

"And if they would've killed us," Weiss added. "They would've done so already."

"So…" Gia suspiciously growled, her stance low and ready. "What do they want with us?" A deep rumbling turned everyone's eyes to the dark dragon, its violet eyes looking between each of the Rangers. It appeared somewhat unpleasant and turned its massive head towards the Megaship, its long and thick tail swaying like a pet awaiting food. Yang strained to listen to something rustling inside the ship…

…and a Griffon crawled from the cracked canopy, shaking off glass bits. The dragon grumbled at it, to which the Griffon unexpectedly shrank back, its wings tucked. Another growl from the dragon, a little louder and more forceful, made the Griffon jump before it started squawking and chittering. The dragon leaned in close, its eyes locked on the Griffon intensely.

"Wow… fascinating," Billy whispered with awe. "Are you all seeing this? The Grimm, they… they're communicating!"

"Classic Billy," grumbled Zack. "Only he'd call something fascinating while surrounded by a bunch of monsters looking at us like their next meal."

Blake tilted her head, her curious golden eyes focused on the socializing Grimm. "What… what do you think it's saying?"

The Griffon squawked once more before averting its gaze from the now-silent dragon, its stance low and submissive. The dragon did not respond briefly, its body still and unmoving like a dark statue. All eyes locked on the beast before its chest began to heave, its violet eyes started to glow, and a deep, ravenous growl built up beyond bared sharp teeth. The Griffon spun away and flung open its wings…

…but it was too late as the dragon's jaws closed around it!

Everyone recoiled in horror as the Griffon's pained shrieks and squawks rang across the crash site, silenced only when the dragon viciously tore its fellow Grimm in half. Both parts splattered against the ground, corrupted power leaking from its severed sections and flowing into the dragon's nostrils. The mutilated body disintegrated in seconds and the dragon gently exhaled, the glow in its eyes dying down.

"Whatever it was…" Jaune whispered. "Looks like the big guy did not like it."

The dragon huffed as it slowly loomed its massive head towards the captive humans, closely studying each one with controlled breaths. It rested its gaze on one after another before settling on Yang, staring at her for a long moment…

…and grunted.

Yang opened her mouth to ask what was happening, but the words died in her throat when a Manticore wrapped its tail around her neck in the blink of an eye. Everyone gasped and screamed her name in horror, fear radiating through Blake's eyes until snarling and hissing Manticores - their maws billowing with purple flame - kept them back. The one holding Yang in its tight, suffocating grip dragged her writhing and kicking body forward, Griffons parting to make way for the monster. Upon reaching the dragon, the Manticore unceremoniously dumped Yang in front of the beast and the Griffons sealed the circle back up. Everyone nervously watched the dragon glare at Yang as it lowered its head, a single breath from its nostrils disheveling her golden mane.

Yang couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by the beast that loomed before her, visibly swallowing as if expecting the dragon to gobble her up at any second. While it opened its mouth, it made no move to give Yang a violent and grisly end. Instead, Yang heard a cacophony of guttural noises and dismembered growls that sounded unnatural, noises no living creature would ever produce. The beast struggled during the process as if forcing something to come out even though it wasn't choking. Yang awkwardly blinked at the beast, unsure what it was trying to do.

Something that sounded like a groan trailed out and the dragon relaxed, breathing heavily from whatever effort it had expended. After a few short grunts, it turned back to Yang and opened its mouth again. The blonde tensed up, her heart pounding against her ribs as she braced herself…

…but the dragon did the last thing she expected it or any Grimm ever to do.

"WWWHHHEEERRRREEE IIIISSSSSS SSSSHHHEEEEE?"

Yang froze. Her body, which always ran hot, turned ice cold, and her heart stopped. Hearing the impossible turned her world upside-down, the words deep and rumbling within her soul. She couldn't even hear the shocked clamoring behind her, the words "Ruby was right" leaving some of her friends. Yang's lilac eyes bore into the dragon's violet orbs, the blonde having no idea how to react or proceed.

"Wh…what…" she finally uttered out of disbelief and horror.

The dragon snarled angrily and slammed its front leg beside Yang, the impact knocking her off her feet. "WHERRRRE ISSSS SHEEEE?!" it repeated, louder and more intense than the last, yet the revelation was still much more surprising to the still-recovering Yang. She tried to find her own voice as she scrambled backward, the words trembling as they escaped her.

"Wh-where is who?!"

"SSSSSHHHEEEE!" roared the beast. "WHERRRRE IS SSSHEEE?! WHERRRRE?!"

Yang shook her head, not even daring to blink. "I-I don't know what you're talking ab-"

"YEEESSSS!" it bellowed, the sound like thunder and its breath racing over her like the wind. "YOU DOOOOO! TELL MEEEEE WHERRRRE SHE ISSSS! NOOOOOWWW!"

Yang and the other Rangers could only look up at the beast with fear and nervousness in their eyes. None of them had the slightest idea what the dragon meant, but they suspected it did not bode well…

…

The doors slid open and a haunted Ruby collapsed onto the rooftop handsfirst. This place had proven to be the most terrifying and confusing of everywhere she had been. The mall was quiet once more and she could no longer hear blaster fire… except within her head. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw flashes of light, felt rumbling and explosions, and heard screams all around her as desperate people with no real training fell: people she could not save.

Because this was no place for a hero, she saw what had happened to those who tried to be one. Another tear ran down Ruby's trembling face as she recalled people trying to get their injured allies to safety only to die in the time it took her to blink. She remembered others trying to take several enemies simultaneously, failing as swiftly as they began. All of their efforts ended in death: Cassie, Ashley, Justin, Carlos… and TJ and Tanya, for all Ruby knew.

They were all gone; every Coinless member that used the mall as a shelter and a stronghold from those so-called Sentries and… Kim.

Why? Why would Kimberly do such a thing? Ruby barely recognized the Pink Ranger now as she had lived up to the second half of her new title. The way she slaughtered without a thought, the ruthlessness in her stride, her dedication to wiping out anyone who dared to resist her "lord," it was like-

Fire blazed all around Ruby, a ferocious figure marching through the carnage as wailing bodies burned in her wake.

"I will burn this world down to its foundation. Kill anybody who makes the foolish mistake of attacking me. And then, from the ashes, I'll start over. I'll rebuild it all, correct it all."

Ruby's trembling eyes wandered over the distant city, a bleak and desolate metropolis heavily enforced by aerial patrols, marching soldiers, and propaganda-spewing screens. Seeing such an occupied and dystopic city—a home for most, if not all, of the residents—made Ruby sick. And speaking of home, there was nowhere else she wanted to be—her bed, cabin, dorm room… anywhere.

Ruby sniffled and glanced at her dead communicator, knowing she might never see any of those places again. She feared that she would die here, on a planet that was not her own and somewhere that was… wrong. Wrong in every way imaginable. Why? What had happened? How had things changed so fast?

And… Ruby shivered from the dreadful thought that hit her next. Had time passed differently? If so, how long had she been gone? Had this nightmare of a world claimed the lives of her friends and loved ones when they had tried to resist? Was she… alone…?

A distant thrumming pattern stopped her from breaking down right then and there. Ruby followed the sound to a faint shape clouded in the dark sky overhead, a single light shining onto the rooftop. The brunette had to throw up her arm when the spotlight passed over her, her cloak flapping from the winds generated by rapidly spinning rotors. An aerial vehicle she failed to recognize steadily approached the mall, its pilot hidden behind a flight helmet. Ruby met the incoming craft with dreary and sullen silver eyes…

…which snapped up in horror when a pink arrow shattered the windshield, hitting the pilot in the chest!

The vehicle spiraled out of control as its copilot screamed something Ruby couldn't hear, dangerously spinning over Ruby's crouching form. The careening craft spun close to the roof's surface, its rotors scraping the ground until it finally went up in fire and smoke before the stern and helmetless Ranger Slayer. The twisted Pink Ranger was silhouetted against the rising explosion, and a terrified Ruby briefly saw another woman with twin blades and burning amber eyes in her place.

"It's over, girl." Kimberly spat as more Mastodon Sentries - Ruby counted twenty of them - stormed out into the open with weapons trained on the girl. "As amusing as it was to watch, there's nowhere for you to run."

"K-Kim…" Ruby choked as she pleadingly held her hands and shook her tear-stained face. "No more… p-please… n-no more…"

The woman cocked a brow. "So… you surrender, then?"

Ruby nodded so fast that she felt like her head would pop off. "Just… stop," she whimpered. "Stop it… please…" The woman knew exactly what the traumatized girl was referring to and smirked deviously, lowering her bow. None of the Sentries made a move, any of them capable of blasting Ruby if she so much as twitched involuntarily. "Well… killing you would make him very displeased."

Ruby trembled as she noticed Kimberly turning her eyes upward and away from Ruby, where the brunette heard the approaching roar of an engine. She slowly turned around to see a large aircraft descending upon the mall roof, flanked by two smaller escorts. The Mastodon Sentries jogged into two rows of ten and stood in a tight formation as the ship touched down onto the mall, Kimberly patiently waiting at the opposite end of the troopers. Ruby watched with confusion in her moist eyes as a ramp slowly protruded from a sliding-open door, steam arising from the ship's entrance.

Two Sentries were the first to depart, each bearing the visage of the Red Ranger with the trademark Tyrannosaurus helmet. But unlike the real deal, they wore long capes and wielded double-bladed staffs, their ends resembling the Power Sword. They stood proudly and defensively as another figure emerged down the ramp, its presence and appearance enough to send an intimidating chill down Ruby's spine.

This looked like a Power Ranger, but it was a design Ruby found unfamiliar. They were dressed in white with green-gold armor plating around the shoulders, arms, and legs. A crimson-visored helmet sat atop their head, looking like a mixture of two great beasts rather than one. What appeared to be a knife was nestled against their left hip, and he wore a belt containing a Power Morpher with a strange and ominous symbol: a three-toed claw divided into three portions, their tips jagged and spiky. That symbol was adorned onto the mysterious Ranger's chest armor, its entire design twisted and corrupted to Ruby.

The Mastodon Sentries turned to face the mysterious Ranger synchronously and stood proudly with rifles held close, a unified shout ringing from them all. The stranger paid them no mind as he marched past, stopping only when they reached Kimberly, who was waiting for him. The woman greeted him with a smile, closed her eyes… and knelt before him, bowing her head.

"I live to serve you…" Ruby heard her proclaim. "Lord Drakkon."

The brunette shrank back. This was the one who had conquered the planet? The tyrant so many people suffered under? The conqueror whose forces crushed any opposition and maintained an iron grip among countless innocents? The many people she had seen perish and fall from the Sentries that now stood loyally at his presence flashed through Ruby's mind again… but it wasn't terror or panic she felt now that the one who was truly responsible for their deaths was right before her.

Ruby then decided that she shouldn't leave.

"You," Drakkon spoke, his helmet distorting and deepening his voice. "...are a fascinating individual. A Red Ranger… and one so young, with a Power Coin… you echo an age that has long passed, child."

Ruby balled her fists and glared daggers at Drakkon. "What. Did. You. Do?" She growled, malice radiating with each word. The tyrant appeared unfazed at her demands, and Ruby took his silence as needing more specifics. "What did you do to this world?! Wh-what did you do to Kimberly?! And-"

Wait… if Kimberly was here… TJ didn't have his powers anymore… and Zack and the somehow-still-alive Trini were Coinless leaders… then…

"And what…" Ruby finished with rising suspicion. "...did you do… to the Power Rangers?"

Drakkon remained still. "That you even need to ask confirms my theories about you, little one. Which is why I must ask you this… what have you done?"

"Very soon," Ruby spat at him. "I'll have freed this world from you. So many people are either dead or living a miserable life because of you, and-!"

"You wish to stop me," Drakkon deduced. "Alone. Now… why is that? Has the mantle of Red Ranger gone to your head, filling you with such bravado and self-worship… that you take this task without your team?"

"Hey, I didn't plan on running into you!" Ruby shouted back. "But since I found you, I'm giving these people their freedom back!"

"Freedom?" Drakkon deflected. "I find it amusing that you use such a word, child. Tell me… do you know why Zordon chose teenagers - chose children - to become Power Rangers?"

Ruby didn't know what this guy was getting at. "The same reason I chose to be a Huntress! They want to make their world a better place to live, defend those that can't defend themselves, and keep the peace!"

Drakkon clasped his hands behind his back and calmly strode forward. "You are… partially correct, young lady. Yes, their inner qualities and traits are why he selects them. Their hope… their optimism…" He stopped directly before Ruby, his sinister helmet glaring down at her as if she were an ant.

"...and their naivete."

Ruby said nothing, glaring unflinchingly at the masked man before her. The tyrant's posture did not change, almost as if he expected her display of bravery. "Their ability to be controlled."

"Control?" Ruby growled. "You mean the same control you enforce on your 'subjects'? How stupid do you think I am?!"

"I do not think you are stupid, child," Drakkon calmly responded as he circled Ruby. "I think you are as blind as the rest of Zordon's minions, who failed to see the shackles he placed around their necks." Ruby opened her mouth for a ready retort…

…and stopped.

"It's a shackle on your neck that you never knew you were wearing, a chain that he has held in a tight grip ever since he met you."

Ruby fought to keep herself calm and dispel the painful memory. "Th-that's not true! He didn't do that!" Drakkon faintly chuckled mid-pace and looked upon Ruby like a proud teacher. "You're right, he didn't. He only manipulated the mindsets forged by the two people these children aspired to in all their short lives: the ones they love and cherish, and who love and cherish them in return."

"What…" Ruby breathed. "What are you talking about?"

"You, like all children, are taught many things in your earliest years," Drakkon lectured. "These shape you, guide you, and help you to mature… but once you do, you begin learning for yourself. And among these lessons lies the most important one of all; one that is discovered upon adulthood. But given your presence here, alone and believing yourself capable of defeating me… it tells me that you haven't heard the truth just yet."

"And you know what the truth is? You. Didn't. Matter. To anybody. You were never a student or a hero… you were just something to be kept under the thumb of a higher power. A power that reined you in. A power that kept you from what you needed to be. What you should be."

Ruby's breath quivered and she struggled to keep her arms still, that terrible voice whispering in her ear again. "I… I may not know who you are under their helmet, but… but that doesn't mean you know a thing about me! You don't know me, you don't know my world, and you don't know my life!"

"Not the details nor the specifics, no," Drakkon confirmed, his back now turned to Ruby. "But the place you call home, wherever in the many universes it rests… this ill-placed confidence you possess shows me that nobody has learned this lesson, presumably thanks to generation after generation hiding it from them in shame. One day, though… they will learn."

"Learn what?!"

Drakkon paused, the silence agonizing for Ruby. "That parents… for all their strength and wisdom…" He glanced over his shoulder, the multi-eyed beast within his helmet boring into Ruby with a raw and savage gaze.

"...are incredibly flawed."

Flawed… flawed… flawed…

The words hit Ruby like a stick on a drum, and she physically recoiled, the world flipping upside-down without warning. Thoughts and memories she couldn't stop came rushing back, bombarding the brunette with questions she had never dared ask. Only one face was constant throughout each one, a face like a ghost. Only one phrase echoed in her mind, a phrase carved into her mind along with stone. Only one symbol was perfectly recalled, its shine fading faster than a dying candle.

Could… could she really have been…

no

She was the best, Dad and Yang said it themselves-

"That they have feet of clay."

She should have stayed no she had to leave it was what she had to do but why did she leave she did it for me but I want her here

"That they hold us back."

"Because you think it's right? Or because it's a rule? A rule that has been drilled into your mind since you were an infant?"

Shut up shut up both of you shut up

"They hold onto us tightly. They refuse to let us go."

Don't go please don't go

"Because of love? Or selfishness? Is it offspring that they see or just a mirror image of themselves?"

No

You look just like her

I miss her so much

She said it was a typical mission

"We had our lives chosen for us…"

"They punish us when we don't meet their expectations. They wait for us to return when we close the door."

She's not coming back

Every day is a nightmare

Was it your fault?

NO

"So… when every child grows up… they're happy to leave."

You weren't there when I needed you WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE

WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME

WAKE UP I WANT TO WAKE UP

WHERE ARE YOU WHERE ARE YOU WHERE ARE YOU

I CAN'T FIND YOU I CAN NEVER FIND YOU

HELP ME PLEASE HELP ME

NO NO NO NO NO

"NNNYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" All of Ruby's pain, grief, and anger erupted in the loudest and soul-shattering scream her battered body could muster, an unbearable aching sensation building up in her tear-stained eyes. Everything slowed down, and she lashed out without thought, moving faster than she believed possible. Space and time warped around her as Drakkon nonchalantly walked away. She forced every ounce of her power into her drawn-back fist, the limb supercharged with a blinding red light. The world snapped back into reality and she threw her fist outward with everything she had, her arm shooting for the back of Drakkon's head at lightspeed…

…and halting mere centimeters from his helmet.

The aching in Ruby's eyes vanished, as did her adrenaline when she realized the tyrant had grabbed her wrist with impossible reflexes far faster than she had just attempted. He had done so without even looking, causing her eyes to go from anguished to alarmed.

And Ruby had only begun to comprehend this when her wrist was twisted to the side, forcing a shriek of agonized pain to replace her prior outburst. That scream was promptly cut off when Drakkon's boot relieved her lungs of air, sending Ruby flying backward and smashing clean through the elevator doors. Her body pulsed with pain as she collided with the open shaft's wall and crumpled near the busted doors. Everything felt broken and bruised, but Ruby slowly forced herself to stand while coughing weakly. Her blurred vision spotted Drakkon still rooted in place, and neither Kimberly nor his men were making a move.

Ruby wasn't focused on them, anyway.

Seething with rage, she blinked out of the elevator shaft and reappeared behind Drakkon to throw her leg at his head. The evil Ranger weaved his head away from her foot fluidly and spun to meet her super-speedy blows with equally fast defenses. Ruby darted around him, hoping to catch him off guard with a lucky strike… but Drakkon was always there and always ready. A backflip from a low sweep, a slide under a leaping kick, and a terrifying dash that caught up to Ruby to wherever she teleported.

"Wha-GYAUGH!" Ruby was smashed facefirst into the rooftop with vicious strength, cracking the surface and leaking blood from her mouth. Her head was forcefully yanked from the solid surface, where she heard Drakkon's intimidating voice whispering into her ear. "If I am to be honest, Red Ranger… I am pleased you came to my world alone."

He punted Ruby away like a soccer ball, the brunette's body bouncing across the roof as she spun before colliding with an air conditioning unit. The ensuing metallic bang left a massive dent in the machine and steam hissed out while Ruby collapsed in a dazed heap. Yet her silver eyes cracked open as Drakkon marched forward with clenched fists. "That way, once I take your Power Coin and learn which universe you originated from… I shall savor your teammates' reactions when they see what you - their 'proud and noble leader' - have been reduced to. And once their hopes have fallen… they will follow."

"SHUT UP!" Ruby howled, her scythe crackling into her grasp as she lunged at Drakkon with hatred in her eyes. "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Vicious swings and deadly spins accompanied each echo, but Drakkon expertly and casually weaved and veered away from the curved blade capable of lopping off a limb or bisecting him at the waist. He drew his knife when Ruby brought her scythe down, the small blade clashing with Ruby's oversized weapon and holding it back no matter how hard the silver-eyed girl pressed down. "DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT MY FRIENDS!"

"You mean the friends you abandoned?" he countered, pushing back against Ruby's hold and making her feet slide back an inch. "Or did you not listen when they tried to stop you? Whatever it was that you did to them, do you think they will ever trust you again? You, someone who prioritizes the needs of the self over the needs of the many?"

"STOP IT!" Ruby wailed at the top of her lungs. "JUST STOP TALKING TO-"

She was staring into Drakkon's helmet where their weapons had clashed, her scythe connecting with a knife.

A green knife.

"...what?"

Ruby's surprise and hesitation made her lower her guard, allowing Drakkon to slide his dagger up the scythe's shaft, lock its blade with his, and yank the weapon out of her grip. Ruby failed to realize her hands were holding onto nothing in time before there was a loud and deep roar from Drakkon…

"AI-YAAAAAAAAH!" Another devastating kick infused with dark power bashed Ruby several meters back, where she collided with a ventilation shaft and slumped to her rear. Her spent form collapsed and she gasped for air, yet her breaths were more of shock and confusion rather than exhaustion. Drakkon was marching towards her again, twirling the dagger in his grip.

He stopped only when Ruby jabbed a trembling finger at it. "Where did you get that?!" Drakkon paused and stared at the weapon, silently pondering while Ruby shouted exasperatedly. "Where did you get that?! How did you get it?!"

He slowly turned back to the Red Ranger. "You… know this weapon…"

"That…" Ruby panted. "That… that's the…"

CLANG! She jolted when the thrown weapon was lodged dangerously close to her face, sticking out of the metal. The familiarity of its design was now fully revealed to Ruby: a black hilt with three musical valves, a blade with four built-in holes, a gleaming tip, and a gold circle displaying a three-toed foot.

Ruby's shaking hand slowly withdrew the blade… and she stared in shock at the Dragon Dagger trembling in her shaky grip.

She heard something else hit the rooftop surface and tumble along the floor until it rolled to a stop. Much to Ruby's already-rising horror, she saw that it was Drakkon's helmet, the visor and eyes of the combined beast that sat upon it still glaring menacingly. The brunette couldn't stop herself from slowly inching her head upward. Her eyes trailed Drakkon's legs, chest, and entire upper body…

…and Ruby clasped her hands over her mouth, her enlarged eyes growing moist while her pupils shrank at the sheer impossibility that stood over her.

A man's face stared down at her in disdain, like a strict coach staring at a student who had tripped and fallen. The brown eyes and long hair were torn straight from Ruby's memories, but the dark veins running along his jawline stood out amongst the familiar face. There was now cruelty and malice where she had once seen fearlessness and determination. Eyes that once met her with comfort and appreciation were now filled with disgust and venom.

"So," growled Tommy Oliver. "You are acquainted with my lesser self."

Ruby had been pushed over the edge, too terrified and heartbroken to speak properly as another wave of hot tears uncontrollably leaked from her dulled eyes. She squeezed them shut as tightly as she could and slunk down, pathetic whimpers and wet sobs shaking her to the core. She couldn't bear to look at him, to look at the man she and her friends had grown to know as a trusted ally and loyal companion. The person she remembered the other teens embracing like a long-lost brother. The experienced older man who welcomed her team into the legacy and called upon them once again.

"No…" she squeaked in a voice not even a mouse could hear. "No, no, Tommy, no…"

A disgusted scoff broke through the darkness. "How foolish they all were, thinking you were ready. Filling you with false hopes and idiotic dreams of obtaining a legendary status as they shoved a weapon into your hands and sent you off to die. This is all their fault, really, not yours. You're just the victim like all Rangers are. You and the rest of the little band you still have."

Metal clinked as he wrapped his fingers around the dropped Dragon Dagger. "And victims are never worthy. Not when someone else chooses for them. But I chose for myself, so I am the only worthy Ranger in existence. And every world is going to learn that soon enough."

Every word and every syllable was painful to listen to now. It tore Ruby apart to hear Tommy say such things. She was drowning in regret and sorrow: why had she left her friends and allowed that woman to dominate her thoughts? If she had never come to the Command Center looking for clues, none of this would have happened, and she wouldn't have been trapped in this terrible future or whatever it was.

Ruby missed her friends. She missed her family. She missed her home. She missed them all so much and pleaded with any god that was listening. She begged them for help, she said she was so very sorry, she just wanted to get out of here and see them all again, but she never would.

She was going to die, and it would be at the hands of her first friends from another world.

"That's right…" Tommy hissed. "Keep those eyes closed. Make yourself comfortable for the oblivion that awaits you. Because this…" She felt his fingers trace the Power Coin on her belt. "...is about to become far more painful for you."

Ruby opened her mouth to scream… and she saw red.

…

Drakkon recoiled when the girl was enveloped in a bright red light and flinched as it swept her away into the heavens. He could not suppress the growl escaping from his clenched teeth nor the shock in his mind. His prize had escaped?! How?! Initial scans had reported her teleporter was offline! And yet that Power Coin had slipped from his grasp! He stared silently at the stars, his grip around the Dragon Dagger tightening at where the red light once was…

"My lord," his eyes glanced at his most loyal assassin, but his head and body did not turn. "Shall we initiate another search?"

He closed his eyes and deeply inhaled, releasing it in a quiet breath. "No," he calmly answered. She knew better than to protest. "Very well. What is your next command?"

"The girl may have escaped for now, my Slayer," Drakkon began, holstering his dagger and donning his discarded helmet as he marched back to his ship. "But it is a minor inconvenience. The Great Campaign shall proceed as planned."

"Of course, my lord."

"For now, our attention must return to the Coinless," he continued, striding past his obedient soldiers. "And the relic they hide from us. But soon… once we are ready…" He and the Slayer boarded the ship, followed by his elite guards and soldiers. Once the pilot was ordered to take off, Drakkon glared out into the countless stars dotting the black sky above.

"I will be coming to her."

…

Yang was learning far more about the Grimm than her professors had taught her. Lesson number one was that, once absorbed with the powers of an energy field spanning an entire alternative universe, Grimm were known to achieve sentience, with one gaining the ability to speak and express itself emotionally.

Lesson number two was that said Grimm had a level of patience… a level that was dangerously dropping.

The dragon growled in frustration as it knocked Yang to the ground with its massive head, then slammed its huge forelimbs down on both sides of her. "WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE?!"

Yang needed to think of something fast. Could she try and reason with it? No, no, no, that was a stupid idea, you can't reason with a-

"TELL MEEEEE!" it howled, flicking Yang away with its tail and knocking her back into the circle surrounding her friends. The ground shook with gigantic footsteps as the impatient monster stomped forward, its chest heaving and nostrils flaring. Its glowing violet eyes snapped over each of the captives, and its mouth glowed with dark heat.

"TELL! ME! WHERE! SHE! IS!" It furiously bellowed, looking seconds away from roasting the group if nobody answered. The other Grimm hissed and snarled at their prisoners, some in defensive stances while others sought an escape where none existed. The beast growled in frustration from the silence, its entire body quaking with a barely controlled rage. "WWWWHHHEEEERRRREEEE?!"

"Whatever you are…" Tommy roared back, drawing its eye. "And whoever it is you're looking for… we'll never surrender her to you."

The dragon seethed with madness at the show of defiance, its growl reverberating in everyone's bodies. It glared at everyone in a vile manner, its eyes radiating pure evil before it delivered a great rumbling.

"THEN… YOU… WILL… DIE."

The dragon opened its massive maw with a growing violet light, the Grimm lowered themselves into attack positions, and everyone braced themselves. The Remnantians couldn't take their eyes away from their sworn enemies, now with no way to defend themselves or fight back. The veteran Rangers, meanwhile, stared down their foes with clenched fists and ready stances. Yang could feel a heat that was not her own on her skin as her mind whispered her final regret.

I'm sorry, Ruby…

The sky abruptly shattered in a great crackle, alerting humans and creatures alike. All heads snapped upward as the atmosphere flickered with a sudden red light… followed by a crimson streak falling from the heavens like an asteroid. The prismatic beam shot over the horizon at speeds barely traceable to the human eye until it vanished off in the distance. The Grimm dragon went silent as it watched the streak paint the sky, staring off into the distance until no trace of it remained…

GRRROOOOAAAAAAARRRR! It whirled around and bellowed at its brethren, which responded in a unified shriek of all things unholy. Bodies reared up, and wings flashed open as the devils took to the sky. The dragon created a great gale from its wings as it launched airborne. Everyone fell onto the ground amidst the departing howls and screeches until no Grimm remained to hold them hostage. The Remnantians groaned from where they lay, their bodies aching from the hard gust.

"Is…" Jason moaned. "Is everybody good?"

"We're okay," Gia answered while everybody slowly rose back to their feet. "What… what the heck was that all about?"

"They talk now?!" TJ exclaimed. "Nobody told me they could talk now!"

"They're not supposed to," Blake responded. "And they're not supposed to be smart enough to take hostages, either. But the Grid energy they've been harnessing is evolving them, and they just took another step."

Andros, Leo, Cassie, and Karone longingly stared at the Astro Megaship's wreckage, with the Red Galaxy Ranger placing a hand on Andros' shoulder. "Hey… sorry about your ship… again."

"You think the KO-35 shipyards can get her up and running again?" Cassie asked. "Or are they gonna have to make a Mark Three?"

Andros sighed. "Aside from the busted engines, I think she'll be all right."

"Do we have enough time to repair them, then?" Karone suggested. "If not, we can teleport the rest of the way to-"

"Wait!" Weiss suddenly shouted, her icy orbs wide and focused on Andros. "What did you just say?" The veteran Red Ranger blinked once. "Um, I said that the engines are scrapped, so-"

"The Grimm disabled the ship," Weiss pointed out. "When they should have destroyed it. With their power, it should've been nothing but a torn and ruined wreck with no survivors!"

Blake cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"We woke up outside the ship," Weiss told her. "Without our morphers and completely surrounded. Nobody among us was conscious enough to do that, so what does that tell you?"

Ren blinked. "Are you saying… the Grimm wanted us alive? But why?"

"Because they… they were looking for someone," Jaune muttered. "Someone that wasn't here."

"Wait, and the base!" Yang interjected. "Don't you guys remember what the captain said? How a Sea Feilong peered into the domes and swam away?!"

"And that one captured an entire sub of Rangers…" Blake added. "Only to let it escape."

"They have an entire planet to terrorize and you're telling me that they decide to go after one person?" Minh repeated in disbelief. "Feels like a waste…"

"The big guy looked pretty upset about it," Kat continued. "Who could've pissed it off that much that it would sic its entire army on them?"

"It… it kept mentioning a 'she'..." Jason murmured, with Billy just as deep in thought beside him. "And it only left once that red light-"

He stopped, and everyone did as all the pieces came together. Their eyes did the talking, and their faces radiated fear and confusion. Once the horror of the situation settled in, Yang turned her bewildered lilac eyes to the distant sky. Blake and Weiss followed her gaze.

"Ruby…"

"We need to get to Cranston Tech!" Tommy shouted. "Now! Billy, tell any Ranger still out there to meet us there!"

"Affirmative!"

"Everyone else," Jason added. "Teleport over there! If Ruby's in trouble, then she needs all the-"

"Guys, wait!" Kat suddenly shouted, focusing everyone's eyes on her. They all looked around the group… but then realized someone was missing. Kat asked the question that was beginning to take root within them.

"Where's Jen?"

…

The red beam struck the ground with crackling crimson lightning and faded just as fast, revealing Ruby's battered body and haunted face littered with dry eyes and tear marks. She was trembling all over and her mind was plagued with the traumatic events that had unfolded too fast. Her head shot upward with shaky breaths, half-expecting to see that twisted expression looming over her…

But there was no night sky and no rooftop. No ship, no soldiers, no cold-blooded Kimberly, and no evil Tommy who had no qualms about torturing her more than she already had. Instead, Ruby saw monitors, space-themed wallpapers, consoles, an empty cracked tube, and a short-haired woman dressed in pink standing with her back turned near a terminal. The brunette's eyes widened upon recognizing where she was and remembering the woman hunched over the terminal.

"JEN!" Ruby screamed happily, launching herself at the woman in a massive hug that earned a grunt from the older woman. "I'm back! You brought me back! Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou, thank you so much! I thought I was lost forever, oh THANK YOU!"

The woman said nothing.

"I-I don't know what happened! I was looking through some stuff that could help me, and- oh my gosh, Alpha! Where…" She separated herself from the woman and glanced around the Command Center until her silver orbs rested on a familiar robotic shape. Ruby wasted no time in hurrying over to him. "Alpha! Alpha, are you o-"

Ruby didn't take a single step further as pain - a sudden pain that struck her like a lightning bolt - suddenly coursed through her body and set every nerve alight! "GYYYYYYAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHHH!" Ruby shrieked at the top of her lungs at the lightning electrocuting her to her core, sapping and draining away her Red Ranger powers in seconds. Once her suit faded and her morpher dropped to the floor, Ruby collapsed breathlessly with weakened gasps. Her still-scarred mind struggled to process what had just happened as her ears rang and her sight blurred, just barely managing to spy Alpha Nine off to the side…

But Alpha wasn't moving. His head was hung low and no red lights flashed as if he had gone asleep. No, wait, not asleep… like he had been powered down.

Footsteps from behind Ruby stopped those thoughts. She meekly tried to crawl forward, a desperate hand reaching for her morpher…

A hand snatched it faster than Ruby could blink, forcing her dull eyes upward. Much to her shock and confusion, she saw Jen Scotts standing over her. Her Carmine Wolf Power Coin rested in the palm of her left hand…

…and a smoking blaster glowing with red energy was held tightly in her right hand.

Ruby's body froze up as shock and horror flooded her system, her silver eyes wide and unblinking while the woman glared down at her with an expression of raw anger. The brunette was too tired and weak to move, let alone stand. She could only watch as Jen holstered the blaster, pocketed the morpher, then grabbed Ruby by her hoodie and forcefully lifted her to eye level. Silver eyes bore into enraged brown irises until she mustered the will to squeak out a word.

"J… Jen…?"

"Ruby Rose," the Pink Ranger growled through gritted teeth. "As an officer of Time Force… I place you under arrest."

She threw a fist forward… and Ruby's world turned black.