Power Rangers Unleashed
 

The battlefield had been drawn. On one side, the Battlesnare Empire with its top commanders Lord Dimas, Serpen, and Furyblaze surrounded by tens of thousands of Timbaks and Golbaks; on the other, the Power Rangers, led by Jason Scott. The Rangers started out strong, taking out as many of the Timbaks and Golbaks that they could manage.

After fighting for what felt like days, Megazords and Megazord parts littered the streets of Pan Central City. The Rangers, knowing that they couldn’t win by normal means, gathered together, Jason standing in the middle of the crowd of Rangers. Battlesnare fleets rose on the horizon, starships coming down as well.

“Rangers! We don’t have a choice!” Jason yelled.

Turning to face him, a Ranger in Green--later determined to be Tommy Oliver--nodded, putting his hand on his long time friend’s shoulder. “You’ve got a point, old friend. We don’t have a choice,” he said, sighing.

“What’s he talking about?” a yellow Ranger asked, looking at Tommy. Her name was Kira Ford, a former student of Tommy’s.

“Sacrificing our Powers…and our lives to stop the Empire’s assault.”

“If we have to, we have to,” a Blue Ranger said, stepping up beside his team. The blue “2” on his suit designated him as SPD: Space Patrol Delta. “It’s the fate of the world. Our lives, or over seven billion.”

“Gather your powers into one, Rangers!” Jason yelled, closing his eyes and focusing his energy into his entire body. Soon, every single Ranger gathered, numbering one hundred and two total rose into the air all glowing a bright gold. “For the Earth!”

“FOR THE EARTH!” they all yelled, flaring out in different directions before blowing up the Empires fleets on Earth.
___________________________________________

That was the last time that anyone saw the Power Rangers. Their essences were scattered across the Galaxy, soon reforming into “Power Keys”, each taking a similarity to a Ranger, but more compact. Scattered across the Galaxy, these Keys were the….Key…to Earths survival. Deep within space, Lord Dimas, the leader of the Battlesnare Empire, was pacing his control room as his flagship, the Blizkon, headed towards Earth.

“With nobody to defend this planet, it shall be easy to take its resources for our own, leaving the planet barren,” he growled, standing behind his communications drone. “Time to the Third Planet?”

“Five minutes, sir. And…there are reports of a vessel coming from the starboard side,” the drone said, pulling up a monitor.

“James,” Dimas growled, his hand tightening around the handle of his sword. “Target the Uchuu Galleon and fire all weapons on the starboard side!”

As all cannons fired, a direct hit was scored on the Galleon coming up fast. “Direct hits, my Lord.”

“Good. Now…reset the course for--” Dimas started, but was abruptly cut off.

“My Lord! They’re…still alive,” the Drone said, his voice cracking in fear.

“WHAT!?” Dimas screamed, turning to the viewer where the Uchuu Galleon Megazord was running on the surface of the Moon, slashing down ships from the fleet left and right.

“Finish them off!” Dimas yelled, slamming his hands down on a console again. The Galleon Megazord seemed to shrug off every attack, finally slashing part of the main ships engine. Growling Dimas gave the order to retreat, giving the newcomers a win--for whatever side they were on.

As the Megazord collapsed in on itself, five Rangers appeared in the middle of the interior cabin, each one in a different color suit.

“Ah!” the one in Green said, stretching as he let go of his morph, revealing a young darker toned man with a very full head of hair. “Won’t they ever learn?”

“I don’t think so, Rich,” the one in Yellow said, following suit and letting go over her own transformation, a blonde haired woman taking her place. “It’s the Empire. They never learn.”

As a pink clad Ranger stepped up, she put her arm around the Yellow Ranger. “Drea, you should know that by now bad guys never learn!” she giggled.

“True,” Drea--or Andrea--said, shaking her head. “Artemis, even you should know that Evil doesn’t take a vacation.”

The Red Ranger, named Thomas, shook his head as he watched his team interact. The Pink and Yellow Rangers were the only ones from Earth--the very same planet they were heading back to. “Alright, guys. Settle down. The Megazord worked beautifully, so let’s just head to Earth, find the Empires commanders, and end this occupation once and for all. We need to get our homes back,” he said, sitting in a winged-back chair in the middle of the room. “Geeps!”

From a perch in the wall, a mechanical bird flew out and landed in Artemis’ arms. “Oh, what the bleeding hell do you want now?!” he chirped, looking over at the Red Ranger. “I ain’t searching for more treasure if that’s what you’re wanting! I already spotted these four! The hell else you want out of me?!”

“Chicken wings,” the Blue Ranger--who had up to this point been mostly silent--chimed in, drawing a knife from his pocket before he began sharpening it. “Because, if you don’t listen to the Captain, that’s what I’ll make you.” As if to prove his point, he threw the blade in his hand and caused it to sail past Geeps’ head and land in the base of the Mast going to the top of the ship.

“Alright, alright! Keep your toga on!” Geeps said, shaking his head. “Last time my sensors were activated, the Empire was heading BACK to Earth. I don’t know why, so don’t ask!”

“Moody ass bird,” Thomas said, shaking his head. “Well, looks like we’re heading back to Earth, guys. Let’s hope we can end this fight once and for all.”

“Let’s go!” Artemis cheered, flopping down on the couch before watching her sister disappear into the kitchen with Rich to start working on something to eat.

As the Rangers mingled, Thomas couldn’t help but worry that Earth was going to come under heavy fire in the coming weeks in the war with the Empire. He started looking over the Ranger Keys, taking a sixth one that looked like theirs in his hand. “Silver…” he muttered. “Maybe on Earth we’ll find the one this Key belongs to.”

Later that night, the ship descended into the bay on the southern side of Pan Central City. Artemis ran to the window, grinning as she looked out. “Ahh! It’s so pretty! I forgot what PC City looked like at night!” she said, looking out of the porthole. The skyline was lit up with the lights on inside and out of buildings, cars speeding down the highway trying to get home or to a friends, some even headed for the bars after a disastrous day at work.

“Don’t get to comfy, Ms. Blaine,” Alec said, making the Pink Ranger turn her head.

“Why?” she asked, her eyebrow cocked. When she got a “are you kidding me?” look from Alec, she slapped her head. “Duh! I’m stupid.”

“No comment, little sister,” Andrea said, putting her arm around her sister’s shoulder. “It is beautiful.”
__________________________________________________________

On the Blizkon, Dimas was fuming as he slammed his hand on a button on his console. “CHORHA! GET IN HERE!” he yelled, pouring himself a stiff drink.

The door opened a few minutes later, a robotic looking minion walked in. “Lord Dimas! How nasty to see you again,” he said, bowing his head.

“Cut the shit, Chorha. What do you know of Earth?”

“Plant life is tasty, some of the meatier species are gamy, but enough seasoning and they’ll be fine. Their water is disgusting, the air is dirty and smells like those machines they drive. Why?” Chorha asked, his hands behind his back.

“Because I want you to go and destroy the city. Start in Pan Central City. Shouldn’t be too hard, no?”

“No, my Lord. I’ll be off at once,” Chorha said, bowing as he turned to leave. As he headed towards the exit, he looked down the hall. “Timbaks! With me! It’s time for some fun!”
__________________________________________

The next morning as the Rangers settled in for something to eat--courtesy of Richmond himself--Geeps woke up and flew towards the Rangers. “OI! You lot! We got trouble! Dimas’ sent down one of his Commanders, Chorha! Get movin’!”

“Where is he?” Andrea asked, getting up and grabbing her Unleashed Caller before tossing her sister her own.

Thomas hit the screens, his fingers flying over the keys. “South part of PC City. Heading right for the finance district. Let’s go!” he yelled, grabbing his Caller from Alec as he headed towards the lower decks, unveiling five motorcycles, each one based on a different shark. “I call them the UQR. The Unleashed Quick Riders. Let’s go!”

As the Rangers each climbed up onto one of the motorcycles, Richmond tried to start ranting off about safety. “Guys! Obey the traffic rules and put helmets on! Don’t need you getting screwed up before we get to the fight.”

“Richmond?” Artemis asked.

“What?”

“SHUT UP!” the Pink Ranger snapped, looking back at her Green counterpart. “Let’s ride!”

Dropping out of the ships hold and landing on the ground with tires spinning, the five Rangers took off towards Pan Citys Finace district. After several minutes of riding and breaking traffic rules--much to Richmond’s dismay--the Rangers skidded to a halt near the city’s biggest bank.

“Chorha!” Thomas yelled, stepping off of the bike and pulling out his Unleashed Caller.

“Well, it’s about time, Thomas! I was beginning to think you didn’t want to come out and play!” Chorha laughed, snapping his fingers as Timbaks surrounded the Rangers. “My friends and I want to have a little fun. What do you say?”

“How about, “You and your Empire get off my planet, bitch!”? Work for you?” Artemis asked, her eyes blazing in anger.

“Hey! That ain’t nice to say!” Chorha pouted, acting hurt by Artemis’ words.

“Well, dumb ass, you didn’t say you wanted us to be nice,” Alec smirked. “Captain, let’s say we put the hurt on this punk. End it and get back before breakfast gets cold?”

“A man with some smarts!” Andrea grinned, taking out her own Caller.

Thomas nodded, and he and the Rangers stood shoulder to shoulder in line. Each of them grabbed a key from their pocket, flipping the legs up as they flipped open their Callers.

“Unleashed! Engage!” all five yelled, slamming the Keys into the slot on the Callers and turning them, the top of the Caller splitting to reveal a Key and Crossed swords.

Thomas found himself in a raging sea on a Red ship, similar to the Galleon. He swung his arms around, his suit appearing in his hands before he pulled it on like an overcoat, adjusting the gloves before the helmet snapped closed over his head.

Alec was under water, the water enveloping him like a shield that formed his suit. Adjusting the collar, the helmet snapped over the Blue Rangers head similar to how a clam would close. The Blue Ranger then popped up out of the water onto a cliff, overlooking a sunset.

Andrea jumped out of the ground, her suit being formed pieces at a time by the rocks that surrounded her in the air. She grabbed a larger rock and hit it, her helmet forming from the remains in her hand before she threw it into the air, leaping up and letting it secure. She hit the ground and adjusted her skirt as she did.

Richmond ran through the jungle, his suit forming from pieces of the underbrush before he blasted out into a clearing, kicking up a dust storm. He formed his helmet from the sand and pebbles, snapping it closed over his head. Rolling his shoulders, he started to hop like a boxer.

Artemis spun in the air, clouds forming her suit before she grabbed the sun, closing her hand around it and taking the light to form a helmet. She threw the helmet down, following in a dive that would make an Olympian Swimmer jealous before landing on her feet, the helmet closing around her head. She fixed her sleeve, snapping her fingers.

After all five Rangers had transformed, they stood ready to go, each one holding their Saber or Gun.

“Unleashed Red!”

“Unleashed Blue!”

“Unleashed Yellow!”

“Unleashed Green!”

“Unleashed Pink!”

Chorha, who at this point had been waiting patiently instead of attacking like he should have, stood open mouthed at the five Rangers in front of him. “NO! This isn’t right! You’re not supposed to be Rangers!” he yelled, snapping his fingers. “Timbaks! ATTACK AND KILL THEM!”

“Rangers! Ready!?” Thomas yelled, smrking under his helmet.

“GO!” the other four replied, rushing out to meet the Timbaks head on.

Each Ranger took on a separate group of them. Thomas used both his sword and gun to block slashes from the Timbaks he was fighting, shooting htem when their guard was down. He drove a kick into one’s chest, knocking him into several of it’s buddies. “Stay down!” he yelled, driving his sword through the robot drone’s chests just to make a point.

Alec was hard at work cutting down his own Timbaks, growling as he tried to shoot them from a distance but missing terribly. “Hate the gun!” he growled, slamming the hilt into one’s face before shooting it under the chin, wires and hardware falling out of it’s destroyed head. He saw the sword whip by him, stabbing one Timbak in the chest before he looked at his gun, nodding to Thomas who was busy with just his gun.

Richmond--who had taken to the high wires and resulted in some wrestling moves--drove his feet into one of the Timbaks before slashing it on the downward swing. “Have a nice flight!” he yelled, grabbing another by the neck and launching it into the air. He looked over at Thomas who gave him a nod. He flung his sword, Alec flinging his pistol before the Blue Ranger took up the captain’s sword. Thomas spun quickly, kicking the second pistol at Richmond as he caught the sword, slashing a few more down. Richmond grabbed the pistol, cheering as he blasted several of the Timbaks, knocking the back.

Andrea and Artemis were working together, each of them slashing or shooting several of the grunts in a row. “Little sister!” Andrea called, waving her pistol before tossing it up and over some of the grunts.

“Now you’re talking!” Artemis grinned, throwing her sword up and catching the pistol before going full out. She started working faster, shooting several rounds before jumping back and split kicking a pair of Timbaks. She landed on her back and laid still, pretending to be taken down. She looked down out of her helmet, seeing one of the Timbaks trying to lift her skirt. “HEY!” She snapped her leg up and twisted, breaking the Timbaks’ neck before jumping up and shooting more of the Timbaks’ back. “Hey, you wanted to look up my skirt!”

Andrea laughed, shaking her head at her sister. She drove forward, grabbing the hooks on the end of her swords before throwing them out, using the hooks to hold the swords before slashing down the rest of the Timbaks she was fighting.

After a few more minutes, Chorha got angry and stamped his foot on the ground like a little kid. “DAMN YOU! You took out my friends!”

“Well, they weren’t much fun,” Thomas said, smirking.

“Oh, I’ll get you for this!” Chorha yelled, running forward before kicking the two sister Rangers back, knocking them away from the boys before he hit Alec in the chest. He barreled forward and hit Richmond in his legs, snapping his legs back and making the Green Ranger hit the floor before throwing Thomas around like a rag doll.

After the Rangers picked themselves up from the onslaught of Chorha, Thomas looked at his gang of Rangers and nodded. “Let’s Change this up,” he said, hitting his belt as another Ranger Key popped out, this time the Key being that of the Mighty Morphin’ Rangers.

The other four followed suit, taking out the rest of the first team of Rangers. “Unleashed! Engage!” they yelled again, performing the same actions as when they morphed for the first time.

ITS MORPHIN’ TIME!” the Callers rang out, the image of the five Dinosaurs the first Rangers were based on coming out of the Caller before enveloping the Rangers.

“WHAT?! They’re dead!” Chorha yelled, firing several blasts from a gun turret in his chest.

“Sure they are! That’s why we use their Ranger Powers. We’re Pirates after all, so this is a pirate version of the Power Rangers!” Artemis said, drawing Kimberly Hart’s Power Bow before firing several Energy Arrows at Chorha, some of them getting stuck in his turret.

“Power Lance!” Alec called out, separating the staff at the middle before slamming the pointer ends into Chorha, knocking him backwards.

Richmond, in Black, summoned the Power Axe before slamming it against Chorha’s back as he came flying backwards into it. He lifted Chorha up, throwing him into the air before seeing Andrea. “Go for it, Drea!”

“You got it!” Andrea yelled, slamming her Power Daggers into Chorha’s back, sending him back to the ground. “Captain! Finish it!”

“Power Sword!” Thomas called, the Red Rangers signature sword in hand as he started slashing and cutting Chorha down to size.

After the onslaught, Chorha got back up and growled, his entire body surging with energy. “I’ll kill all of you in a single blast!” he yelled, his face splitting to reveal an even uglier face under it.

The Five Rangers reverted back to their Unleashed suits, taking their five Unleashed Keys in hand. “No, you won’t, Chorha,” Thomas said, hitting the switch at the bottom of his sword, the others doing the same. As they slotted the Keys, each ones hilt glowed with their respective color, the color filling up the blade. “Unleashed Slash Strike!” The five Rangers jumped into the air, slashing down with their swords as the energy was released, hitting Chorha square in the chest.

“NO!” Chorha yelled, hitting his back. “LORD DIMAS! Forgive me!” The last syllable carried as an explosion engulfed Chorha’s robotic body, leaving a smoldering pile of mechanical parts on the ground.

The Rangers let go of their transformations, standing together with smiles--or in Alec’s case a smirk--on their faces. “Alright!” Artemis grinned, pouncing her sister. “We did it!”

“Yeah, but now the Empire knows we’re on Earth. They won’t let us go that easy,” Thomas said.

“It doesn’t matter. We’ve got the Rangers powers and our own. We’ll be ready,” Richmond said, putting his hand on Thomas’ shoulder. “For now, let’s go back to the Galleon and have some lunch. I’m more then willing to bet that breakfast either got cold, or Geeps at it all.”

The Five Rangers laughed as they climbed back on their bikes, racing back towards the Galleon, feeling like the world was alright for a change as they basked in the glory of their first win against the Empire.
____________________________

High on a building in the middle of the city, a figure in a black cloaked closed his glowing white eyes. “Soon, Rangers. Things will get tougher for all of you.” he whispered, vanishing against the sunlight.

The first fight was the Battlesnare Empire was over. The Rangers had won against Chorha, but it did not feel like a victory to them. Thomas sat back against the main pillar in the lower decks, turning the Red Ranger Key in his hands.

“It’s been three years,” the Red Ranger muttered, sighing. “Three years and this is the first time we’ve seen the Empire since they sacrificed themselves. What the hell is going on to make them what to come back to Earth?”

“Captain?” Artemis asked, kneeling down to avoid getting hit by a crossbeam. “You alright? You’ve been down here since we got back from the fight.”

“Just thinking, Artemis. Trying to think of a reason why the Empire wants to destroy Earth after three years of absence,” he said, standing up.

“We’ll figure it out, Thomas. I know we will,” Artemis said, putting her hand on the Captain’s shoulder. “Come on. Richmond’s working on some lunch, so we need to get back up there before my dear sister eats all of it again.”

“She does have a bit of an endless stomach, doesn’t she?” Thomas laughed.

“You have no idea!” Artemis laughed, shaking her head. “Come on.”
________________________________________________________________

Deep within space, a shuttle dropped out of warp near the Battlesnare fleet. Stepping off of the ship and into the corridor that connected the main ship to the smaller shuttle, a man who’s body could only be described as on fire stepped through, a pair of talons stretching back on his head, one looking like a nose on his face. Black, lifeless eyes stared straight ahead as he entered the bridge.

“Lord Dimas,” he said, bowing.

Turning, the Lord of the Battlesnare Empire laughed. “Furyblaze! It’s about time, old friend. I was starting to worry if this immortal phoenix was ever going to rise from his ashes,” Dimas said, shaking Furyblaze’s hand. “After the Great Legend Battle on this backwater planet…”

“I was unsure of my resurrection as well, my Lord. It took longer then usual for my body to reform itself. But…tell me. Is there any word of my sister, Serpen?”

“I’m sorry, Furyblaze. I haven’t heard of your sister in these long three years,” Dimas said. “For now, get yourself acquainted with the ship. Be prepared. Rangers have returned, and it’s time that we stop them once and for all.”

“Very well,” Furyblaze said, bowing his head and turning to head out.

“He’s changed…” Dimas mused.

Perhaps it can be due to the fact that it took three years for his body to reconstruct after being destroyed by the Sacrifice Wave. a voice said. A person in a black cloak shimmered into the bridge, his face covered in a black hood.

“Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?!” Dimas demanded, holding his sword out at the intruders neck…or what he thought was the neck.

“My name is unimportant right now. As for how I got in, let’s just say I have a few powers that would make my help in destroying the Rangers beneficial in the long run. Now, lower your sword,” the intruder said, holding a black glove covered hand up. Dimas, unknown to him how, felt his hand and arm moving, the sword falling away. “That’s better. Now…if you’re willing to listen…”
___________________________________________

Back on the Galleon, Artemis and Thomas walked back upstairs into the main room, Andrea sitting against the computer with her book in hand, the other two men nowhere to be found. Artemis smirked, winking at Thomas before heading towards her sister and grabbing her book.

“Hey!” Andrea yelled, trying to get her book back from her sister.

“How can you read this smut?” Artemis asked. She looked at the page her sister was reading, and she started reading aloud. “James felt Tacari’s hand trail down his bare chest, feeling her heat against his body. His body couldn’t help but react to the woman sitting in front of him. He felt her hands sliding further down his body, and--”

“Artemis!” Andrea muttered, burying her face against her arms. “Jerk.”

“Where did you get this?” Artemis asked, marking her sisters page with the yellow bookmark that had been through hell and back in fifteen years. “Seriously?”

“Umm….well…remember my English Lit teacher my senior year? She gave it to me,” Andrea admitted.

“Ms. Rhoades! Hanna Rhoades? The hot one with the legs that came up to her neck, with the great rack?” Artemis asked, watching Thomas’ head turn.

“Yes!” Andrea yelled, stealing her book back. “Don’t ever take it again. Please?”

“Fine,” Artemis whined playfully, hugging her sister. “Where’s Richmond and Alec?”

“Alec…went below deck to train with his swords--though I don’t know why. And Rich…I think he’s in the kitchen,” Andrea said, watching her sister head off towards the kitchen. She closed the book and sighed, sitting on it. “Why does she have to do that, Thomas? Act like such a jerk to me?”

“She’s your sister, Andrea. I don’t have any siblings, so I can’t relate. But just don’t get so angry at her. She just wants to be seen,” Thomas said, putting his hand on Andreas shoulder. “Just give her a little room to wiggle.”

“Yeah, right,” Andrea snickered, shaking her head.

In the kitchen, Artemis was sitting on the counter across from Richmond who was busy whipping up some onion rings, mushroom steak, and garlic bread. “Where the hell did you learn to cook?” she asked, looking at the Green Ranger.

“My grandmother. My dad was always off fighting in the Corps and I didn’t have much else to do. The majority of my planet was destroyed and uninhabitable thanks to the Caokin outbreak, so I learned how to cook and patch up wounds from my grandmother,” Richmond said. “It’s come in handy, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t trade those days for nothing.”
_________________________________________________

Back on the Battlesnare’s ship, the mysterious intruder was still standing in front of Dimas while he explained his plans.

“You want to use my forces to take out the Power Rangers once and for all? Why should I trust you?” Dimas asked.

“Because, my Lord, if you do not trust me, the Rangers will one up you and end your Empire for good. Do you understand that?” the hooded man asked.

“One question,” Dimas said, standing up again. “What do I call you for now? Since you refuse to give a name.”

“Dricos. For now. Until a time I deem my name worthy to be given,” the hooded figure said, a cold smile under the hood. Hiding his face had its benefits, especially since his identity was one that he did not want revealed at that time.

“Dricos. SO be it. We will double our attack on the planet,” Dimas said. A thought crossed his mind, and he knew that his newest addition could be the one that brings Pan Central City to her knees, as well as destroying the Rangers for good. “Furyblaze.”

A few minutes later, Furyblaze came in, looking to be eating a fireball lined with rocks. “Interesting…the volcanoes on this planet might not be so bad,” he mumbled, covering his mouth as he burped. “Pardon me, my Lord. You summoned me?”

“Yes, my dear General. I need the city destroyed in order to draw out the Rangers,” Dimas said. “I figured you could also use this as a chance to stretch your legs since you took three years to regenerate, my friend.”

“Thank you, Sire,” Furyblaze bowed, turning on his heel and walking out of the room and snapping his fingers for the Timbaks and Golbaks. “Let’s go. We need to destroy these Rangers.” As he teleported to the surface of Pan Central City, he began to wonder if his memories would return to him.
_____________________________________________

After a hearty lunch provided by Richmond, the Rangers were sitting and talking with each other, trying to get Alec to spill something about his past.

“You wont’ get anything out of me. I promise,” Alec said, polishing one of his knives. “Not now, not until this war is over.”

Artemis stood up, walking over to Alec, every eye in the room--even Geeps--facing her as she sat behind Alec on the bench he was perched on, her hands going along his back. “Come on, Alec…just a little bit?” she asked, her voice low and slightly seductive.

Before anyone could say anything about the Pink Rangers attempts to seduce the Blue, Geeps squawked. “Oi! You lot, we’ve got trouble! It’s a new Commander. It’s….my, god! Furyblaze,” the mechanical bird chirped, the Rangers standing up.

“Let’s go,” Thomas said, hitting the release for the UQRs, the five bikes landing on the ground while the Rangers lowered down onto them. As they sped off, the two sisters of the team couldn’t help but worry that things were about to get bad.

Soon, they pulled up to where Furyblaze was flinging fireballs around, people burned on the ground, several of them trying to get the fires put out. “Rangers,” the Phoenix-themed warrior said, turning and letting his fires die down slowly. “Why don’t you just put down your Keys and go back to your planets? If we’ve left them habitable.”

“Go to hell!” Alec growled, his Unleashed Caller and Blue Key in hand. “Cap?”

“Let’s Ranger up,” Thomas said, his own Caller and Key in hand.

“Unleashed! Engage!” all five yelled, slamming the Keys into the slot on the Callers and turning them, the top of the Caller splitting to reveal a Key and Crossed swords.

Thomas found himself in a raging sea on a Red ship, similar to the Galleon. He swung his arms around, his suit appearing in his hands before he pulled it on like an overcoat, adjusting the gloves before the helmet snapped closed over his head.

Alec was under water, the water enveloping him like a shield that formed his suit. Adjusting the collar, the helmet snapped over the Blue Rangers head similar to how a clam would close. The Blue Ranger then popped up out of the water onto a cliff, overlooking a sunset.

Andrea jumped out of the ground, her suit being formed pieces at a time by the rocks that surrounded her in the air. She grabbed a larger rock and hit it, her helmet forming from the remains in her hand before she threw it into the air, leaping up and letting it secure. She hit the ground and adjusted her skirt as she did.

Richmond ran through the jungle, his suit forming from pieces of the underbrush before he blasted out into a clearing, kicking up a dust storm. He formed his helmet from the sand and pebbles, snapping it closed over his head. Rolling his shoulders, he started to hop like a boxer.

Artemis spun in the air, clouds forming her suit before she grabbed the sun, closing her hand around it and taking the light to form a helmet. She threw the helmet down, following in a dive that would make an Olympian Swimmer jealous before landing on her feet, the helmet closing around her head. She fixed her sleeve, snapping her fingers.

After all five Rangers had transformed, they stood ready to go, each one holding their Saber or Gun.

“Unleashed Red!”

“Unleashed Blue!”

“Unleashed Yellow!”

“Unleashed Green!”

“Unleashed Pink!”

Furyblaze shook his head as he rolled his eyes. “Pathetic. Timbaks, allow me the pleasure,” he said, drawing a six foot saber from his chest, brandishing it outward. As he rushed the Rangers, his anger swelled to fuel his fires again, knocking Richmond, Alec, and Artemis backwards, cutting their legs from under them before slamming Artemis hard in the stomach, causing the Pink Ranger to fall onto her back, fear in her eyes. “I can smell your fear, little girl. It’s something that smells delicious. I would taste your fear, but…I don’t see the sense in killing you just yet.”

Andrea rushed forward, knocking Furyblaze away from her sister. “Get away from her!” she growled, her eyes blazing under her helmet. “Stay…away from my sister.”

“A fighter. It’s about time,” Furyblaze growled, locking swords with Andrea, the Yellow Ranger not going in until she kicked the Battlesnare General in the stomach, knocking him backwards.

“Thomas! Let’s change it up!” Artemis yelled, standing up and pulling a Red Ranger Key from her belt.

“Let’s go!” the others yelled, doing the same.

”Unleashed Engage!”

Lets Rocket!

Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!

Go Go Samurai!

Zeo Ranger 5, Red!

Magical Source! Mystic Force!

After the five flashes of red light dissipated, the Rangers stood clad in the uniforms of five previous Red Rangers. Thomas stood as the Red Space Ranger, his Spiral Saber in hand. Next to him was Alec as Ninja Storm Red Ranger, holding the Hawk Blaster. Standing aside of Alec, Andrea stood as the Red Samurai Ranger--complete with a skirt on her suit--holding her Spin Sword. Richmond was beside her, clad in the uniform of the Red Zeo Ranger, the Zeo Sword in his hand. Artemis finished off the five, standing clad in a feminine version of the Red Mystic Force Ranger, her MagiStaff in hand.

“Five Red Rangers? Looks like I’m seeing Red,” Furyblaze smirked, rushing forward and meeting all five Unleashed Rangers head on, swords crashing together. “Come on, then!” He quickly threw all five around like rag dolls, standing solid while the Rangers hit their backs, each one groaning in pain.

“What the fuck is this bastard?” Artemis growled, using her Saber to stand up. She saw Furyblaze lighting up another attack, and she stood shakily. Tapping into her suits power, she managed to cast a single spell. “Reflectus Targo!”

The fireballs rebounded, knocking Timbaks over and lighting some on fire. As the smoke cleared, Furyblaze ran forward before seeing the Rangers had vanished, using the smoke from his attack as a shield. “Damn!” he snapped, slashing a Timbak down for the hell of it. He snapped his fingers, his forces vanishing in a blast of black fire.
_____________________________________________

“What the hell is he!?” Andrea screeched, sinking into a chair and holding her arm that had been burned. Richmond, who hadn’t been burned as severely, started looking over Andrea’s arm. “Thanks, Rich.”

“No problem,” Richmond said, smiling softly before applying a burn cream, rubbing it into her arm before moving over towards Alec who’s shoulders were scorched.

“Andrea…to answer your question. His name is Furyblaze, and he’s one of the top four Commanders in the Battlesnare Empire,” Thomas said, looking at the computer.

“Top four? Isn’t it usually top five?” Artemis asked.

Thomas sighed, and he pulled up a file on the computer. “Five years ago…I was in the Battlesnare Empire. That’s how I know Furyblaze. He was my commanding officer. I…” he sighed, turning and looking at the Rangers. “He’s full of anger, hatred, and rage. His power over fire is too great for us to handle. As we found out.”

Artemis got up, despite the burns on her arm and shoulder, and she hauled off and slapped Thomas in the face, knocking him backwards into the computer. “How dare you,” she growled. “How dare you keep that you were one of them from us!” There was a general murmur of agreement, though Thomas couldn’t blame them.

“There was a reason I didn’t say anything, guys. And you know why?” Thomas asked, looking at the four that were angry with him, though they had every right to be. “I hid this because I was afraid. Alright? You’re the first friends I’ve had in ten years, so yeah, I hid a bad part of my life, big deal. Right now, though, we got bigger things to worry about!”

“He’s right,” Alec said, his voice low. “We can kick his ass later for lying to us about being one of them, but right now, we need to focus on Furyblaze.”

“And how the hell do we do that, exactly? He’s got freaking FIRE POWERS!” Artemis snapped, looking at Alec.

“Water,” Richmond said, looking at the treasure chest that sat on top of a shelf. He grabbed it and set it on the table. As he sat it down, he opened it up, taking the Mystic Force, Ninja Storm, Lost Galaxy, Lightspeed Rescue, and Samurai Blue Ranger keys out of it. “Five Rangers that dealt in Water.”

“Smart,” Artemis said, smirking. “He’d never expect that, would he?”

“But after we douse him, then what?” Andrea asked. “Use these?” She pulled out the set of Jungle Fury Rangers, each one having their own Kung-Fu style. “Think it can work?”

“Let’s hope,” Thomas said, sighing as he considered the chance to stop his former Commander.
______________________________________________________

Furyblaze, never one to sit still, paced the bridge. His mind was buzzing, trying to determine the best way to destroy the Rangers for good. “This is going to be perfect,” he mumbled. “Lord Dimas, I am returning to the surface in order to destroy the Rangers once and for all.”

“Very good, Furyblaze. Finish them, and then we celebrate the destruction of Earth,” Dimas said, nodding as Furyblaze walked off.
________________________________________________________

After his arrival onto the surface, Furyblaze charged up and swung his sword around, setting fire to several of the buildings, people running and screaming. “Can none of you fight back?” he asked, laughing as he severed bodies.

A few minutes later, his waiting and taunting was answered by the Rangers, each one blasting at him and knocking him back a few centimeters. “Alright, Furyblaze. Enough,” Thomas said, spinning his blaster around. The entire team had morphed already, each of them lowering their blasters.

“Thomas. You had promise, young man. What happened?”

“Ask the man you call “Lord”. But…first things first, old friend. Its time to settle this,” Thomas said, holding his saber up. “Rangers…we end this quick, you’ll get your explanations from me. I won’t let this bastard run free anymore.”

“Fair enough. Let’s rumble,” Artemis said, knowing that this was something that had to be done, even if Thomas did have to fight his old friend to stop his rampaging.

“I doubt you’ll live to tell that tale, Thomas. You never could stand up to me in combat, what makes you think you can do it now?” Furyblaze asked, rushing forward and locking swords with the Red Ranger, a resounding crash and a blinding white light forcing the Rangers to close their eyes or be blinded….

Thomas yelled as he flew backwards, landing on his back with Furyblaze’s sword in his chest. “Ah!” he growled, handing Alec his sword and Richmond his blaster. “Finish…him…”

Artemis and Andrea swapped weapons, the siblings looking down as Thomas died, Furyblaze laughed as he stepped forward. “Who’s next?” he growled, retriving his sword from the fallen Red Ranger’s chest.

“Bastard!” Artemis yelled, rushing forward and ducking a few swings, firing rapidly from her twin blasters, several of her shots connecting…with his sword. “FUCK!”

“Yes, Pink Ranger. You are fucked,” Furyblaze growled, slashing up at the two blasters to knock them out of Artemis’ hands. He heard her scream as her hands were cut to drop her weapons, and he slashed down again, his sword causing the Pink Ranger to crash to the ground, her Ranger Key skittering away as her blood pooled around her.

“Arty!” Andrea yelled, tears in her eyes as her little sister killed. “You bastard!”

Alec clenched the hilts of his swords, anger and fury in his eyes as he and Andrea both ran forward, not wanting to give Furyblaze a chance to attack. “I will have your head for what you did, Furyblaze!” the Blue Ranger snapped, swinging around before Furyblaze ducked his swords, turning his back to Alec. He felt the sword before he saw it, plunged deep within his stomach, falling off of the blade.

“Why!?” Andrea yelled, unleashing her anger for the death of her sister and her two teammates into her swords.

“Why not? You attack me, I kill you. I was tasked with killing the Rangers, and that is what I’m doing,” Furyblaze chortled, disarming Andrea before stepping back. “I will give you both, the last two Rangers, ten seconds to start running. Consider it…a momentary escape from the harsh truths you shall endure when I catch the pair of you.”

“Like hell,” Richmond said, stepping up beside Andrea, a Black Ranger in his hand. “I won’t let this go without revenge, asshole.”

“Too bad. It was a one time offer,” Furyblaze said, swinging his sword in a wide arc. It looked like he missed the pair, but as soon as the Green Ranger stepped forward, their suits exploded in sparks and fire, the final two Rangers lifeless bodies falling beside their comrades. “Lord Dimas! It is done!”
________________________________________________

The Rangers looked around, each one clad in white garments, the seams stitched in their Ranger color. Surrounded by a sea of people each wanting to greet them, Artemis recognized each of them from the computers and stories from when she was a girl, taking her sister’s hand.

“Andy…I think we’re dead,” the Pink Ranger said, feeling Alec’s hand on her shoulder, Thomas nodding from the side.

“Artemis, I think you’re right,” the captain admitted, looking around. “Morphing Grid. Rangers version of Heaven. But…why?”

“Because Furyblaze struck all of you down,” a voice said, one of the Rangers stepping out of the light. Her hair was a striking blonde, clad in black pants with a black jacket and a yellow tee. “We watched the fight. We had hoped that you would have stopped him and let Pan Central thrive.”

“Wait…you’re Gia. The Megaforce Yellow Ranger,” Andrea said, remembering the Key she’d had in her hand a few days before. “We’re dead…and the city?”

“Almost destroyed. After the death of the Power Rangers, the Battlesnare Empire moved right in. Geeps took your bodies and the Galleon into space, hiding on the moon,” another said, stepping up. His arms clad in tattoos, Artemis almost squealed at the mixtures of red, white, green, and black on his karate Gi. “What are you guys going to do now?”

“We’re going to find a way back, and stop the Empire for good,” Thomas said, a collective murmur from the Rangers around him agreeing.

“Then you will be needing my help,” a third voice said, stepping forward. The crowd of Rangers parted like the Red Sea, an old man stepping through, the lightning bolt of the Power Rangers carved into the top of the staff he used to walk.

“And who are you?” Richmond asked, Alec nodding his head in agreement.

“The Aura is familiar, but…the body is different,” the Blue Ranger noted, stepping forward. “Are you--?”

“Yes, I am Zordon,” the elderly Eltarian Wizard said, a smile on his face. “Welcome to the Morphing Grid. I did not think our newest hope would be defeated so swiftly, but as it is the case…we must remedy this.”

“How?” Alec asked, stepping up from the back. “How do we expect to fix this and make sure that we’re not going to stay dead when, the last time I checked, dying was permanent.”

“Watch your tone, boy,” a Ranger with long brunette hair and blonde streaks snapped, stepping up. “You will have respect.”

“That’s rich coming from you, Andros,” Gia said, shaking her head. “The five of you are going to have a quote-unquote “coach” to help you gain your bodies and lives back.” She stepped to the side, five colored doors appearing behind her and Zordon. “Step through your respective doors, and find your Coaches. It won’t be easy, Rangers, but if it was, then it wouldn’t be a challenge.”

Thomas nodded, looking at the four Rangers. “Let’s go,” he said, leading his team forward. As the five stood in front of the doors. They turned the knobs, stepping into the blinding lights.
______________________________________________

Stepping through his door, Thomas barely brought a sword up to block a red-hilted sword that had been lunged at him. “I thought so,” he said, pushing the Ranger in front of him backwards.
______________________________________________

Her door closed behind her, and Artemis barely got jumped backwards before a pink arrow shot right over her left shoulder. “Of course,” the Pink Ranger said, holding her blaster up before pointing it at the form in front of her.
______________________________________

Richmond looked around, bringing his blaster up and blocking the short sword that was directed at his head, kicking the figure backwards before holding his weapon up, seeing one pointed at him. “Would have figured this would happen,” he said, smirking.
______________________________________

Andrea ducked backwards, seeing a pair of laser blasts sail over her head, drawing her sword before blocking two more. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” she muttered, getting thrown backwards before skidding on her back. “Batter up.”
______________________________________

Alec sighed, looking around at the music store he’d stepped into. “Damn,” he growled, hearing the rush of a wave behind him, spinning around before getting soaked. “You really want to do this, little girl?”
______________________________________

“How did you determine that it’d be myself fighting you, Thomas?” the Red Ranger, his suit the very first Red Power Ranger on Earth, falling from his body in a flash of red light.

“Jason Scott. Why am I not surprised?” Thomas asked, lowering his sword. “So why are you my teacher? Do I need to learn something?”

“Leadership,” Jason said. “I know that it’s tough to lead a team as diverse as you five are. Especially for you who was never in a leadership position before now. What did you do with the Empire?”

“I was…second in Command of Furyblaze’s troops,” Thomas said, the Juice Bar around them shimmering into the depths of the Empire’s Flagship.

[I]”Alright, listen up. This time, I’m not going to go easy on you, Thomas. You need to focus and you need to learn these in case I die and cannot be resurrected. Understand?” Furyblaze asked, a bit of a playful tone in his voice instead of the gruff jerk they’d been fighting.

“I can learn this, Commander! I just….can’t focus on the movement of your sword,” Thomas said, holding his own sword up to try and deflect the silver tinged blasts. “You need to give me a chance to get ready to block!”

“Your enemies won’t wait! Why should I?” Furyblaze growled, rushing forward, blocking Thomas’ sword before throwing him backwards.

The “training” kept up for a while like that, Thomas attacking then having to quickly defend before getting cut and bloodied up. Finally, the scene turned from gray to color, Thomas looking at his past self.

“WHat the hell?” the Red Ranger asked, looking up.

“In order to completely learn, Thomas, you must defeat your past to have a better future,” Jason said, stepping to the side.

The past version of Thomas leapt forward, the Red Ranger drawing his sword again to defend himself from his pasts attacks.

“Why are you fighting, Thomas?” Jason asked, watching the Red Ranger fight with his past self. “Why!?”

“To make amends for what I did as an agent of the Empire!” Thomas yelled, watching his past self stab him. He never felt the blade, though, just how cold it felt passing through him.
______________________________________________

“And you are?” the Pink Ranger asked the woman in front of her.

The Galaxy Ranger dropped her morph, her Quasar Saber in her hand before pushing up her silver glasses. “I’m Kendrix Morgan, Artemis. And…let’s just say you’re in for a crash course,” she said, lowering her sword.

“Crash course on what?”

“How you can work with that team of yours,” Kendrix said, smirking softly. “We’ve been watching you five, Artemis. Myself and four other Rangers. Zordon gave us the task of making sure you were all properly prepared.”

“So…what do I have to do?” Artemis asked, lowering her own sword. “I don’t have to fight you, do I?”

“No. Not yet. You need to try and remember what happened to you in the past to want to be a fighter like this,” Kendrix said, sitting down on the floor of her lab on Terra Venture. “Sit, please.”

Artemis nodded, sighing softly. “How do I work on remembering?”

“Just close your eyes and concentrate,” Kendrix said, the Pink Ranger in front of her closing her eyes.

Artemis, after closing her eyes, sighed as she remembered her father’s “tough love”, even though the mental and emotional scars never healed.

”Dad! Please stop hitting her like this!” Andrea’s voice yelled, trying to fight her mother’s grip on her. She was sick of her father beating her and her twelve year old sister every single day. She‘d hear her mothers screams at night when she‘d get hit, and it made her stomach churn. “STOP IT!”

“SHUT UP!” Artemis’ father yelled, throwing Artemis to the floor before heading towards her older sister.

“Leave her alone,” Artemis growled, getting up and spitting out some blood that had pooled in her mouth. “Get away from my sister.”

Her father turned around, slapping Artemis again before grabbing Andrea by the hair. Artemis reached over to the table beside the couch and opened a lock box, drawing her fathers pistol. Drawing back the hammer, she stood up shakily.

“I said…leave her alone,” Artemis muttered, coughing as she got up. Her father turned, seeing his handgun pointed directly at his head.

“You don’t have the strength to pull that trigger, Artemis. You’re weak, and that’s all you’ll ever be is weak,” her father said, slapping his oldest again before dropping her as he turned back to his youngest.

“Leave them alone…and I’ll put the gun down. If you hurt my mother or my sister again…I will kill you,” Artemis growled. Her father reached out to slap her again, but she pulled the trigger, falling backwards from the kick before a second body hit the ground, her fathers blood pooling around his head. “I warned you…”

“Arty!” Andrea yelled, running over and taking the gun from her sister, picking her up. “Are you ok?”

“No…I don’t think I’ll ever be ok again, Andy,” Artemis whispered, burying her face against her sister’s neck and crying, her entire body shaking.

“I killed my father to save my family…my mother took the blame, and Andrea and I were made to live with my grandparents,” Artemis said, opening her eyes. “That was when I knew I wanted to keep people safe so that they didn’t get hurt by people like Robert…” She wiped her hand against her cheeks, sniffling softly. “I still see it every night when I close my eyes…”

“Why’d he hit you?” Kendrix asked. “There had to be a reason.”

“Because he wanted a son. Before I came along, Andrea was the poster child for good kids. My mom got pregnant with me, my father said, “I’d better get a son so I can have a kid to actually like.” Well, the prick got me,” Artemis chuckled. “He liked me until I was….five, I guess. Then it got bad. Mom was scared of him, Andy hated him…and I was the only one to stand up to him at any point. It cost him his life, and…it cost my mother her freedom…”

“Don’t blame yourself for it,” Kendrix said, taking Artemis’ hand in her own. “It’s alright, Artemis. As long as you remember that feeling, wanting to keep people safe despite what it might do to yourself. That’s what being a Ranger’s about.”
________________________________

Alec sighed as he sat down, having put his sword away. The woman in front of him letting her morph go. “Madison,” Alec said, looking at the Blue Ranger in front of him. “Why am I dealing with you?”

“Because you need to learn something about yourself, Alec. Just like I had to,” Madison said, looking at the man in front of her. “Do you have a reason to fight?”

Alec took a chain from his neck, a small figurine attached to it carved out of a diamond. “I did,” he whispered, closing his eyes. The Rockporium around him shifted, going back to his home planet of Ryzan. “I had a wife, a three year old daughter…and a great position in my village…”

”Papa!” Alec’s daughter, three year old Cam’ron laughed, jumping up into his arms as he came to pick her up from her best friend’s house.

“Oh, that’s my big girl!” Alec said, smiling as he kissed her cheek. “Did you have fun with Ziva and Katty today, klimka?”

“Yeah! I played Dolls and we went to the creek with her Papa and caught a sersin, and then we had it for lunch,” she giggled, snuggling into her father’s arms. “What Papa does today?”

“Well, I made sure that the outer borders were more secure in case the Warin Tribes start marching this way, and then I went home to have lunch with Mama. After that, I went back to work and was bored for my afternoon. When work ended, I couldn’t get out fast enough to come pick up my favorite girl,” Alec said, smiling as he started down the road towards his house.

“Wows! How’s Mama? I not seen her all day!” Cam’ron asked, giggling as she poked her fathers cheek.

“I’m gonna bite that finger if you don’t stop poking me,” Alec snickered, making a chomping like he was a shark.

As he reached the house, all hell broke loose. Timbaks fell from the skies as they darkened with Battlesnare Empire ships, none of his village knowing what to do. Alec ran faster towards his house, yelling as he and his daughter got thrown backwards, a blast enveloping the house, his wife’s screams coming from inside.

“NO!” Alec yelled, standing up. He felt Cam’ron fall out of his arm, and when he looked down, he saw a piece of shrapnel sticking out of her forehead, her blood on him. “I will kill them for this…” He picked up his fathers knife which had been blown out of the house, and he stuck it in his belt, anger radiating in once peaceful blue eyes…

“The Empire attacked my home and killed my family. I fight for the people I’ve lost,” Alec said. “I don’t have any other reasons.”

“I know firsthand that fighting for revenge against someone isn’t the answer,” Madison said. “It’s how I died. My sister was killed by Furyblaze and his sister, Serpen. I wanted to kill them both, but instead I got killed. You need to use that anger you feel to help you out, but not to let it be the only reason you fight. Do you understand?”
_______________________________________

Richmond sighed, looking at the Green Ranger in front of him. “Let me guess. SPD?”

“How’d you know?” the Green Ranger asked, his morph falling to reveal Bridge Carson.

“Your team showed up on my home planet once,” Richmond admitted. “So…why am I here?”

Bridge smiled, turning his back to Richmond before planting his hands at the base of the wall, flipping up and looking up at his distant successor. “Come on. Stand like this and I’ll tell you why,” Bridge said, nodding his head at the spot beside him.

“A handstand? You really are odd,” Richmond chuckled, flipping up anyway. He was glad his hair was pulled back, because he really didn’t fancy it being in his eyes.

“So, I have to ask. Why ae you a Ranger, and why do you fight?” Bridge asked, looking at the Ranger beside him.

“My grandmother. She…was a medic in one of the wars that took a lot of my planets farmland. She knew that being a fighter wasn’t for her, and she tried to instruct that into me a lot,” Richmond admitted, remembering a time long ago that made his heart swell with pride.

“Gran, you have to at least let me try and be a soldier,” a young Richmond said, tugging on his grandmothers worn and batter-splattered apron, the smell of chocolate cookies and other sweets filling his nose. “Please!”

“Richy, I told you why I can’t let you do that, sweetheart,” his grandmother said, kneeling down beside her grandson. “War is an ugly affair, honey. It’s not something you want to get mixed up in.”

“But I want to be like you! I want to do my training and then go to the hospital and work there! I’m the only one from school that’s not going,” Richmond said, pouting as he flopped onto the floor. “Please please please?”

“Richmond Diamond West, that is enough. I told you no, and htat’s the end of it,” his grandmother snapped, making her grandson flinch back. “I’m sorry, love. I lost your father to the Wars, and I don’t want to lose my only grandson as well.”

The scene shifted, a few years later being the timeframe. Richmond was struggling to get his grandmother, who felt the need to carry her twelve cookbooks in a burlap sack, out of the burning house after a bomb set fire to the kitchen when the Battlesnare Empire attacked. “Gran, come on!” he pleaded, trying to drag his only relative out of the house.

“Not without my cookbooks, Richy!” she said, fighting her grandson to get her books. “All of these were passed down from my grandmother! I won’t let them go!”

“Damn it, Grandma! You know all of those! So do I! Let’s go!” Richmond snapped, lifting his grandmother up and slinging her onto his back before running from the kitchen as the roof caved in. “Goddamn it!”

“Damn you!” she screamed in his ear, fighting to get off of his back before falling down, slapping him hard in the face. “Those were my cookbooks, you idiot!”

“You think I don’t know that?! I know they were your fucking cookbooks! I helped you organize them! I know all of those! And I think you’re more important to me then some goddamn paper!” Richmond yelled, tears falling down his eyes. “You’re the only family I’ve got!”

His grandmother sighed, lowering her eyes. “I know, Richmond…but you don’t need to save me. I’m an old woman that’s lived her life. And I’ve had a great life, my grandson. And I wouldn’t trade any of it at all,” she said, hugging her grandson tightly.

It was the last time Richmond hugged his grandmother. She died a few days later from smoke inhalation from when the house caught fire. After burying her in the cemetery, Richmond signed up for the Medicorps, planning on making sure the Empire never killed anyone’s families again.

“It was a few months after that I met Thomas and Alec, joining the crew. We traveled to Earth, picking up the sisters before taking off,” Richmond said, sitting down from his position at the wall. “It…gave me the confidence I needed to start being a bit braver.”

“So…the answer is you fight for families to stay together. It’s a beautiful answer, my friend,” Bridge said, hopping down and sitting beside the wall.
____________________________________________

Andrea sighed, looking at the Yellow Ranger in front of her. “Turbo Yellow Ranger,” standing up.

“Someone that recognizes the suit,” she said, her morph dropping to reveal Tanya Sloan, the former Zeo and Turbo Yellow Rangers. “Welcome to your trial, Andrea.”

“Trial?”

“Yes. You need to determine what makes you fight, and why,” Tanya said, sitting down beside Andrea and offering her a cup of coffee.

“I don’t need to determine anything. My sister’s the reason I fight. To make sure that what happened to her as a child doesn’t happen again to anyone else,” Andrea said, sighing. “We were abused as kids, but we were too scared to do anything about it. Artemis finally had enough when our father came after me. She…she drew his pistol from the lockbox in the living room, telling him to back off. When he went after her again, she shot him. Mom took the fall for it, leading us to live with our grandparents until I turned eighteen, and then we moved back to Pan Central.”

Tanya listened, nodding as Andrea spoke. “You’ve got a beautiful reason to fight, Andrea. I know that Earth will be in good hands with the five of you as Rangers,” she said, smiling.
__________________________________________

As the five Rangers determined why they fought, the doors reopened, leading them all back into the main area where the other Rangers and Zordon were gathered. The old Wizard stepped forward, smiling softly at the five Rangers in front of him. “Without my help now…you will not be able to return. I have enough energy to send the five of you back. You know the reasons you fight now, and you need to keep those reasons at the forefront of your minds,” he said, holding his staff out.

“We do this, we have to keep the fight going no matter what happens,” Thomas said, looking at his team. “Understood?”

“Got it,” the sisters and Richmond said, Alec nodding his head.

“The world is very lucky to have you, and so am I. May the Power Protect you, Power Rangers Unleashed,” Zordon said, thrusting out his staff and enveloping the five Rangers in a black light, sending them through the Morphing Grid before each of them woke up in turn.
___________________________________

Artemis groaned as she sat up, holding her stomach. “We’re back,” she mumbled, helping her sister up.

“And we’ve got a job to do,” Thomas said, standing up and holding his Ranger Key out. “Let’s get him.”

“Unleashed Engage!” the five yelled, the morph enveloping them before they ran off, slashing down Timbaks as they went. After ten minutes of looking for their quarry, Thomas stopped in front of Furyblaze.

“Alright, old friend. It’s time to stop this,” the Red Ranger said, stepping up at the head of a ‘pyramid’ formed by the Rangers.

“You have no hope in stopping me, Thomas! You’ve always been weak!” Furyblaze yelled, firing several rounds of fire at the five. What made him stop was when they cut the fireballs in half. “Impossible!”

“Oh, no. Anything’s possible,” Andrea said, smirking under her helmet. “Thomas, what do you say we give this guy a blue period?”

“I resent that remark,” Alec chuckled.

“UNLEASHED ENGAGE!”

“You think that a little palette swap can save you?” Furyblaze asked, rushing around to stop the Rangers for good this time.

“Cosma Claw!” Artemis yelled, jumping out of the air and slashing down with the Lost Galaxy Rangers’ Transdagger in Claw Mode, dousing Furyblaze in a torrent of water. “Sis!”

“Got it!” Andrea yelled, standing still before blasting her own attack at Furyblaze, the Commander spluttering from the constant onslaught of water. She ran forward, slashing with her Mystic Staff as well, knocking him forward. “Rich!”

“Spin Sword!” Richmond yelled, drawing the Samurai Sword from his hip. Opening his belt buckle, the Green Ranger grabbed the Dragon Disk from inside before putting it on the end of the sword closest to his hand. “Dragon Splash!” Slashing forward, the water took the shape of a dragon before ensnaring Furyblaze.

“You can’t be serious!” Furyblaze yelled, fighting against the dragon he was ensnared by.

Alec was next in line. “Rescue Blaster!” he yelled, firing several red-tinted energy blasts from the standard sidearm of the Lightspeed Rangers. Keeping his fire concentrated, he nodded to Thomas.

“We are serious, Furyblaze! We’ve had enough of the destruction to this planet!” Thomas yelled. “Sonic Fin!” Using the signature weapon of the Blue Ninja Storm Ranger, his suit--thankfully--missing the skirt, Thomas fired several blasts that knocked Furyblaze around, the dragon that Richmond created dropping after a few minutes. “Alright, guys. Let’s go with a fury.”

“Ah….I’ve had enough of this for the day,” Furyblaze growled, vanishing in a burst of fire.

“Coward,” Thomas growled, letting his suit return to his usual Red Ranger look.

As the others released their secondary and initial morphs, three of them took off in different directions. “Hey…” Artemis called, running after her sister. “Andy, where are you going?”

“He lied to us, little sister. I’m leaving. I can’t work with someone that’s going to keep secrets like this, even if it means I have to abandon you,” Andrea said, sighing sadly as she moved past her sister.

“I’m leaving, too,” Alec said, putting his hand on Artemis’ shoulder. “I joined this team to fight the Empire, but I can’t fight if the person leading me is still one of them.” He headed towards the center of town, leaving the Pink Ranger standing alone with Thomas.

“I’m sorry, Thomas….I can’t lose my sister,” she said, giving the Red Ranger a sad look. “I…I’m sorry…”

“No, I…I understand, Artemis. I really do. Go,” Thomas said, sighing. “You got with Andrea. You have to.”

Artemis nodded softly, hugging Thomas tightly. “I thought you’d be a good captain. I don’t care about the past…all that matters is your future and how you live it,” she whispered, taking off after her sister.

“How I live the future…” Thomas muttered, heading back towards the Galleon.

It was roughly a week after the last battle with Furyblaze and the Rangers had separated, going their separate ways. Alec Craven, the Blue Ranger, sighed as he looked out over the water. “Remembering my wife and daughter…something I haven’t done in a long time,” he said, sitting down at the edge of the water.

They didn’t know how it happened. The two sat at the water’s edge, his head in his female companion’s lap, looking up at her as she moved some brunette hair out of his face.

“Alec’ander, why do you not trim your hair? It’s getting unruly again,” she giggled, smiling down at him.

“I was under the impression you enjoyed my hair this long, my dear De’lia,” Alec chuckled, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles, smiling as he did. “If you wish me to cut it before the ceremonies, I’m sure that my father would be happy to oblige.”

Shaking her head, De’lia leaned down and kissed Alec, smiling against his lips softly. “I like it,” she whispered. “I was just asking a question, my love. If you wish it to be cut, you can get it cut. I like your hair either way.”

“I’ll let it grow a bit more,” Alec said, smiling up at De’lia. “I still don’t know what you see in me, love.”

“I love you. Is that not enough?”

“It is,” Alec said, smiling softly.

“De’lia….I miss you so much,” Alec whispered, looking over the lake as he felt the Ceremony knot on his hand again, knowing it was a mirage.
________________________________________________

Filmas, the newest addition to the Battlesnare fleet hovering over Earth, stepped onto the bridge. “Lord Dimas!”

“Filmas. It is always a pleasure to see you in the fight. Tell me; what are you going to do this time? A pocket dimension?” Dimas asked, Dricos stepping up beside him.

“Oh, no. Something much worse,” Filmas said, holding up a picture of the Blue Ranger. “I plan on torturing this bastard for what he did to my friends during the battle on Onyx.” His hand clenched around the staff in his hand, the camera shutter on the top moving dangerously.

From beside Dimas, Dricos lowered his hood, revealing a mass of brunette hair. “Filmas. Come,” he said, holding his hand out. He pushed Filmas to his knees, wrapping his right hand around the newcomer’s neck, his left hand against the forehead. “I am imbuing you with some of my power. It will help you in your endeavor. Please do not take this lightly. My power will return to me when you have completed your task or if you are destroyed. Understood?”

Filmas felt a surge in his own power, nodding his head at the raven-clad leader in front of him. “I understand, Master Dricos,” he said. He stepped back, Dricos pulling the hood over his head again. “If it’s the will of the Lord, I will take my forces down to the surface to have my fun with the Blue Ranger.”

“May you succeed. I am starting to get annoyed at the losing streak we seem to have developed,” Dimas said, looking at Furyblaze, his face unreadable as usual.

“Don’t look at me. I killed the Rangers. They’re the ones that came back to life somehow,” Furyblaze said, holding his hands up. “Filmas. Take my subordinates with you. I have plenty to spare.”

“Thank you, Lord FuryBlaze!” Filmas said, bowing his head. “I will take my leave now.” He turned on his heel, walking out of the room hurriedly in order to begin his assaults.

Dimas looked at Dricos, knowing something was different about the face under the hood, but there was a time and place to ask, and this was neither. Not when there was a fight to be had.
______________________________________________

Alec had been lost in his own thoughts whenever he heard the initial screams. He stood up, looking around before seeing the cause of the disturbance. “Filmas,” he snarled, taking off at a run and making sure people got out of the area so they didn’t get killed. “Filmas! Ready for round two?”

Filmas laughed, his voice squeaking as he started to speak. “Right now, Blue Ranger, all I want is revenge for what you did on Onyx!”

“Hey, that wasn’t just me,” Alec chuckled. “Unleashed Engage!” As his morph took place, he rushed forward swinging his sword around, trying to destroy his enemy from so many years ago.

“How does it feel!? Being weaker than before when you took out an entire squad of my soldiers!?” Filmas asked, ducking a swing and knocking Alec backwards.

“COME ON!” Alec yelled, holding a sword out and slashing down Timbaks as he rushed forward, dropping backwards when he slashed one’s legs out, jumping over two more and cutting their heads off before aiming for Filmas. “Empire bastard!”

“Aww…..someone pissed off about what we did to his wittle pwanet?” Filmas laughed, driving his staff forward and hitting Alec hard in the chest. “Too bad, loser. It’s only one that we’ve conquered, and only one that’s going to be used as a factory for our soldiers!”

“No…” Alec whispered, standing up and holding his chest. “I won’t let you turn my home into a goddamn smog ball!”

Filmas laughed, rushing forward again and trying to cleave Alec’s head off, only to be met with a Ranger Saber, the wielder’s arm in red. “Unleashed Red!”

“I can do this myself!” Alec growled, shoving past the Red Ranger. “Filmas…I will kill you!”

“Maybe not today you won’t,” a female voice said, a woman in a black cloak stepping out of the bar across from where the fight was taking place. Her hair was that of snakes, her nails pointed and deadly looking. “I think today is going to be a day where nothing good happens to you, Alec’ander.”

“How do you know who I am?” Alec asked, stepping forward as he lowered his sword.

“All will be revealed in time, my dear. For now…enjoy the rest of your life,” the woman said, snapping her fingers and taking Filmas with her in a puff of black smoke.

“What the hell is your problem?!” Alec growled, turning on the Red Ranger as he shoved him out of the way. “I had it handled!”

“The way you were handling it was going to get your ass killed,” the Red Ranger said, dropping his morph. “My name’s Thomas. I can help you…”

Alec groaned, standing up weakly. “And now I plan on stopping you,” he growled, glaring at Filmas.

“Too bad! You won’t get that chance if I kill that woman,” Filmas laughed, firing several bombs from his staff’s upper camera.

Alec didn’t even think twice. He ran after the bombs, tackled the woman to the ground and watched as the bombs sail over his head, exploding harmlessly in the middle of the air.

“Curses!” Filmas whined, turning and vanishing.

“Hey! Get off me!” the woman under Alec cried, shoving the Blue Ranger off of her. “What’s your problem, man?!”

“Sorry,” Alec said. “I guess this is the thanks I get for saving someone else’s life.” He got up and turned to walk off, but he felt the woman’s hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry….I was playing my game, Malevolent Mallards, and I wasn’t paying attention,” she said, lowering her eyes. “Can I make up for my attitude to you somehow?”

“You can start by letting me have your name,” Alec said, a warm smile playing at his lips. The woman in front of him was tall, almost as tall as he was, striking black hair that seemed to glimmer in the sun. Her eyes, Alec noticed, were the most beautiful sapphire blue he could ever imagine.

“Demetria. But everyone usually calls me Demi. Demi Howell,” she said, holding her hand out.

“Alec. Alec Craven,” the Blue Ranger said, shaking her head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Demi, and I’m sorry about the tackle. Really I am.”

Shaking her head, Demi smiled. “It’s nothing. I’ve got three brothers. Getting tackled is nothing new to me,” she giggled.

“Three brothers? How did you not go nuts?” Alec laughed, shaking his head.

“Very carefully, my friend,” Demi giggled. “Come on. I’ll buy you a burger.” She took Alec’s hand, leading him down the road towards her oldest brother’s restaurant. “Well, come on, Alec. Don’t make me have to drag you in here.”

Alec smiled, having been lost in his thoughts before following Demi inside.
_____________________________

Filmas hit his back as Furyblaze knocked him down again. “Lord Furyblaze! Please! I retreated so I could rethink my strategy!” he begged, trying to run.

Dimas stood and held his sword out, blocking Furyblaze from killing Filmas. “Give him some space, Furyblaze. If he has a plan, I suggest we let him stick to it. If it fails, then we kill him,” Dimas said, stepping back. “Do not fail me again, or I will let Furyblaze kill you.”

“Yes, Master,” Filmas cowered, wiping the dust from his legs. “I’ll…I’ll go prepare. I have one last trick I want to try.”

“Then prepare. I do not want you to fail me again, Filmas. Your Trickery spells are some of the greatest in the Empire. I would hate to see you fail,” Dimas said.

“As would I, Filmas,” Dricos said, a Cheshire like grin under the hood. “I’d hate for you to prepare for a winning day and then end up on the shit end of the stick.”

Filmas nodded, turning and running out of the room, heading towards his own room in order to prepare. “I remember what we did to your planet, Alec. And I plan on making you relive that moment a thousand times!”
_________________________________________

Alec laughed as Demi kept talking. “And then I told him! I don’t know how the elephant got in my pajamas!” she laughed, the two almost spilling their sodas on each other as they laughed, earning a few glances from the other patrons. She wiped the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard, and she took a deep breath, watching the way Alec seemed to relax. “You’re serious that you haven’t been with anyone since your wife died?”

“I’m telling you the honest to Grotz truth,” Alec said. “When De’lia died, I thought my world had ended. I couldn’t see myself with anyone else. My daughter died the same time, and…I felt disconnected. I knew I wanted revenge on the people that killed my family, so a simple councilman with no history of violence took up his father’s dagger from when he was a kid and started going to war…”

“Alec…” Demi said, reaching over and placing her hand on his. “Please don’t feel bad. I know it’s hard losing people you love, but they’re never truly gone. They’re always with you. Right here.” She moved to sit beside him, turning where she could see him face to face. She put her hand over his heart, feeling how rapidly it started to pound against his chest. She blushed a bit, feeling his hand on her free one. “Alright?”

Alec smiled softly, nodding. “I know, Demi,” he said, sighing softly. “It’s been almost ten years, and I still miss them.”

“I know, but think about something. If you died with them, you wouldn’t be sitting here with me having a good lunch and laughing. And it looks like laughing is something that you haven’t done in a long time,” Demi said, putting her hand on Alec’s cheek, smiling softly as he blushed.

“I haven’t,” he admitted. He couldn’t help but enjoy the warmth of her skin against his. He wondered if all of her was that warm… ”Snap out of it, Alec…you’ve got a job to do on Earth. You can’t afford to get attached…” he thought to himself, lightly pulling away. “Demi…”

“Alec, what’s wrong?”

He opened his mouth to say something, but he spotted the Empire’s forces marching down the street causing trouble. “Stay here,” he said, standing up and tossing his napkin down on the table. He felt her hand against his, the feel of her hand wanting to make him stay. “Demi, please…I need to go right now, or there won’t be a tomorrow. You have to trust me.”

“Make me trust you,” Demi whispered.

Alec pulled his hand out of Demi’s lightly, taking his Mobirate and Key in hand. “Unleashed…Engage…” he mumbled, turning the Key and transforming into his Blue Ranger persona.

“No….freaking…way!” she exclaimed, standing up. “Promise me…that you’ll come back to me.” She looked into his eyes, praying he’d be alright.

“I promise, Demi. I can’t leave my newest and so far only friend alone, can I?” he asked, giving her hand a final squeeze before running out, having a renewed reason to fight.

Jumping over the Timbaks that were blocking the road, Alec kicked Filmas hard in the back, knocking him forward. “Ah!” Filmas laughed, standing up. “Ready for round two?”

“Round three, Filmas. The final curtain is being drawn right now,” Alec growled, his sword in hand. “And I’ll make sure that you can’t come back this time.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Filmas taunted, stamping his staff on the ground. “Filmography Rewind!” A black cloud leached out of the staff, small bolts of lightning snaking their way through before ensnaring Alec, the Blue Ranger hitting his knees and yelling out, feeling his mind being separated from his body. The last thing he heard was Filmas laughing at him.

Alec awoke back on Ryzan, looking around the room that used to be his Council chamber. “What?” he muttered, looking around as he stood from his desk. He reached for his Caller, but found that it was missing. He ran out of the room, knocking a few people over. “Me’gan! Con’nor! I’m sorry, guys.”

“It’s alright, Alec’ander. What are you running towards in such a hurry?” Me’gan asked, standing up with her friends help.

“I…don’t know,” Alec admitted. He looked at his robes, seeing how he was clad. “Goddamn.”

“Your wife was here earlier,” Con’nor said, looking at the Blue Ranger. “She said she wanted to see you at the house.”

“Thank you,” Alec said, heading towards the front entrance for the Council building. “Something isn’t right…this is all too familiar.”

As he made his way down the road, he looked around, taking in the ornate decorations on the various buildings. The entire village knew everyone, always looking out for each other. Alec couldn’t help but smile as he watched the children playing Konlin with a ball in the field in the center of the square, mothers with their babies sleeping while they conversed with friends. He heard a giggle that he recognized, and he turned around, catching a glimpse of his daughters auburn hair. He felt a pang in his chest, continuing on his way as he tried to ignore it.

“Papa!” Cam’ron cried, her voice cracking with tears. “Papa, why you no wanna play?”

Alec lowered his head, tears in his eyes. “I can’t, Cam’ron…none of this can be real…it can’t be,” he whispered.

“What you means not real?” she asked, climbing up her father’s back and resting her head against his, her big green eyes quizzical.

Alec sighed softly, looking at his daughter. “I say that, Cammy, because…because Papa’s in a fight to save his new home, and…Papa lost you a few years ago, sweetheart.”

“Papa, no say that,” Cam’ron whimpered, curling up in her father’s arms. “Come on! We go find Mama and has Tikini Fishy for lunch!”

Alec bit his tongue to keep from hurting her again with his words, and he nodded. “Alright,” he whispered, heading down the road again towards his house, stepping through the door. “De’lia?”

“Alec’ander!” his wife called from the kitchen, coming out and wiping her hands off on a towel attached to her apron.

After kissing his wife, he was told to sit at the table with his daughter beside him, his wife serving up the fish with an assortment of native vegetables.

Alec ate in silence, hoping he could figure out what was wrong. “Oh, shit,” he said, his eyes widening. “Filmas…”

“Who?” De’lia asked, getting up and wrapping her arms around her husband’s neck. “Who’s Filmas, dear?”

“An old enemy,” Alec said, lowering his eyes. “One that I have to destroy.”

“Papa, I never seen you fight before. You must be awesome fighter!” Cam’ron giggled, biting a piece of her fish before nibbling on a carnok, a carrot-like vegetable.

“I’m fair,” Alec said, smiling. He heard a voice, one that he wasn’t sure he knew on his planet.

”Alec! Alec, come on! Snap out of it!” Demi’s voice called out, urgency in her voice. “Alec! Come on!”

“Demi…” Alec said, his mind racing. “That bastard. He separated my mind and body and sent me back to Ryzan.” He looked back, seeing De’lia holding a knife and coming right for him. He blocked with one arm, wrenching the knife out of her hand with the other. “I knew you were behind this!”

“Of course I was,” Filmas’ voice laughed from De’lia’s lips. “I separated your mind and body, and now you’re at my mercy. And don’t worry. We’ll take good care of your little crush.”

“Leave her alone,” Alec growled.

Demi’s voice was faint, but he could still hear her begging for him to wake up. “You have to wake up, you idiot…please,” she whispered, shaking his shoulder.

Alec felt something against him, realizing the warmth he was feeling was Demi, even though he didn’t have his physical body. “That woman is full of surprises,” he chuckled. He lashed out, knocking his wife’s apparition backwards, the scene vanishing as his eyes snapped open…

Alec growled, trying to fight against the restraints that he was tied up in, seeing Demi hanging beside him. “Demi!”

“I’m alright,” she whispered, groaning a bit as she lifted her head up. “He attacked me…knocked me out and tied me up beside you.”

“I’m sorry I got you mixed up in this, Demi. I’m sorry,” Alec said, turning his head.

Shaking her own head, Demi smiled despite the pain in her side and left leg. “Don’t be. I’ve never done anything worth really being called “Fun”, but I’ll admit, being kidnapped by someone as ugly as him is kind of fun,” she chuckled.

“You’ve got a weird sense of fun,” Alec admitted, yelling when a sharp pain seared up his side. “Bastard.”

“Thank you,” Filmas giggled, jumping around a bit before slamming his staff against Alec’s stomach, making him convulse. “And to start, I’m going to kill your little girlfriend!”

“I am not his girlfriend!” Demi yelled.

“She is not my girlfriend!” Alec yelled at the same time, both overlapping each other. “Damn it, I wish Thomas was here to get my ass out of this mess.”

As if an answer to a prayer, a red tinged blast sailed through the air, undoing Alec’s restraints as well as Demi’s. Alec hit the ground, helping Demi down. “Are you alright?” he asked, looking into the blue eyes he couldn’t tear away from.

“I am now,” she whispered, hugging him tightly and shaking softly. “I am now that you’re alright…”

“I need you to hide. I’ll find you soon. I promise,” Alec said, returning the hug. He closed his eyes softly, feeling her lips against his cheek. “Demi…I will find you. I won’t let what happened to my wife and my daughter happen to you.”

“It won’t,” Demi said. She put her hand on his cheek, kissing him softly. “Be safe, and come back to me.” She turned and ran off, smiling softly to herself as she did.

“I will,” Alec said. He watched as Thomas ran out, standing beside his captain. “About time, Captain. What do you say we finish these bastards off?”

“Sounds like a fun idea,” Thomas said.

"Unleashed Change!" As the flashes of light died down, the two Rangers stood ready to fight, Alec cracking his neck.

“Let’s make it wild,” the Blue Ranger said, rushing forward and starting to slash down Timbaks before firing several. “Thomas, I’ll take Filmas!”

“Go for it!” Thomas yelled, slashing down quite a few Timbaks that came towards him.

Alec ran through the Timbaks, knocking them out of the way as he went straight for Filmas. He jumped up and kicked him in the back, knocking Filmas over. “You want to end this? Then let’s end this,” he growled, holding his sword up. “Because I’m sick of you taunting me.”

“Then let’s make this a hell of a show,” Filmas laughed, bouncing around and hitting Alec in the chest with his staff, knocking the Blue Ranger over. “Thought you were supposed to be a fighter?!”

Alec growled, standing up and firing several blasts, each one missing by a wide margin. “Looks like I have to change it up,” he said, hitting his belt and taking a Key from the Belt. “Unleashed Change!”

[COLOR=“#FF0000”]Magical Source, Mystic Force![/COLOR] As his suit changed, Alec took the Mystic Staff from his side and changed it into its sword mode, slashing Filmas’ staff before attacking him directly, knocking him backwards.

“Why are you trying to kill me? I thought you’d be happy to see your family again!” Filmas laughed, trying to scramble away and get his staff.

“I did want to see them again, but I learned something else. Family is important, but learning when to let go and move on. I found that out today, and it’s something I knew I needed to do,” Alec said. Thomas ran up beside him, the Blue Ranger nodding to his Red Ranger leader. “Thomas. Even though you were a part of them, it isn’t something we should hate. It’s something to be accepted and worked past. And what do you say to teaming up to kill this son of a bitch?”

“Works for me,” Thomas said.

Taking two Keys from their belts, the two Rangers flipped open their Callers, and slotted the Keys. RPM! GET IN GEAR! the phone-like devices called out.

As the two men ran forward, they called on their Cloud Hatchets before slashing at Filmas. “Let’s do a couple combos,” Alec said, standing solid in a male version of the RPM Silver Ranger suit, Thomas in Gold beside him. “Level Five! Laser Strike!” He flipped up the switches labeled “#2 and #3”, the Cloud Hatchet announcing the attack before he slashed down, several rounds of laser fire lashing out and striking Filmas hard in the chest.

“Level Four! Energy Slash!” Thomas yelled out, hitting Switches One and Three. He watched his Hatchet charge with energy, and he swung his arm to the right, one arc of energy unleashing before slashing down and making a second arc that connected, sailing forward and embedding into Filmas again.

“Ah!” Filmas yelled, hitting his back and flipping around, standing up shakily. “Is that the best you can do?!”

“Actually, I think we can do one better,” Thomas said, his RPM suit falling away and revealing his Red Unleashed Suit again. “Give me your blaster.”

Alec handed his blaster over, taking Thomas’ sword in hand. Grabbing the Blue Unleashed Key and the Blue Mighty Morphin’ Key, he flipped them up and put them in the swords, closing the hilts. The Swords glowed with Blue energy, Thomas repeating the process on his guns, his Red Unleashed and Mighty Morphin’ Key in the barrels instead.

"Unleashed Double Strike!" they called out, Thomas firing both blasters and unleashing Red energy rounds. Alec slashed down with his swords, the energy bands connecting and hitting the bullets, all the bits of energy connecting with Filmas.

“NO!” Filmas yelled. “Lord Dimas! Master Dricos! I’m sorry!” He fell back and exploded, a raging fire standing where Filmas had moments before.

Thomas and Alec both let their morphs go, shaking hands. “You gave me a second chance back on Onyx, Thomas, and when you trusted us enough to tell us the truth, I walked. Forgive me. My mind was…clouded at the time,” Alec said, smiling.

“All is forgiven, and all will always be forgiven, my friend,” Thomas said. “Though that girl you found is cute.”

“Stay away from her,” Alec laughed. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat.”
_________________________________________________________

Dricos growled as he felt his power return to him, standing up and leaving the deck of the ship before returning to his quarters, slamming his hand against the wall. “Goddamn Rangers. I will kill you yet,” he growled, a serpent’s hiss being heard from under the cloaks hood…

Richmond sighed as he watched the clouds from the hotel room he’d rented, remembering happier times when he’d watch with his grandmother while they waited for the pecan pies or cobblers to get done. Sometimes he’d surprise her with something, like when he was seven.

“Grandma…I wish you could see me now,” he whispered. He chuckled at the thoughts of his first time trying make a cake solo in the kitchen to surprise his grandmother. “God, that was a disaster!”

”Richy, what are you doing, honey?” Angelica asked, giggling at her grandson covered head to toe in flour.

“I was trying to make you a cake. But it went wrong,” Richmond said, pouting as he put the pan in the sink and put water on it. He shook his head off, flour falling to the floor.

“Here, sweetheart,” Angelica said, smiling as she lifted her grandson up and put him on the counter before wetting a paper towel and wiping his head. “I’ll help you this time.” She kissed his forehead, making him smile. “There. There’s my boy’s big special smile.”

As Angelica helped her grandson, Richmond couldn’t help but laugh as they worked on cakes all afternoon. After finishing the last one, the young boy couldn’t help but take a spoon and the bowl of left over frosting to the table.

“Richmond,” his grandmother said, raising her eyebrows at her grandson. “What did I tell you?”

“Not to,” he said, his face falling as he put the bowl back on the counter.

“That’s right. But this time, it’s not to without me, silly,” Angelica said, kissing her grandson’s head. “Go sit down and I’ll bring a glass of Koran Milk when I sit down.” She watched him grab the bowl and run back to the table, hopping up in his chair beside hers.

“Grammy? How come you won’t let me go and see Dad?” Richmond asked.

Angelica sighed softly, lowering her eyes and busying herself with her work at the counter. “I told you, Richmond.”

“I know, but…”

“No buts! You aren’t allowed to see him in that war torn, godforsaken place! Do you understand me?” she snapped, turning and looking at her grandson.

Richmond nodded, ducking under the table and running off to his room, hiding in his closet.

“I never did find out what happened to my father,” Richmond said, sighing as he grabbed a green jacket and swung it on, heading out into the cool early May weather. He watched families walk and play, laughing as they threw footballs and Frisbees, chasing their dogs around before gathering around a picnic table for a grilled hot dog or a burger.

“Richmond?” a voice asked, knocking the Green Ranger out of his thoughts. “Thought I saw you sitting here.”

Looking up, the Green Ranger couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Alec. Good to see you, man,” he said, shaking his friend’s hand. “And who is this lovely woman?”

“Demetria Howell, this is my friend and the best chef I’ve ever known other then you, Richmond West,” Alec said, watching his friends shaking hands and getting acquainted. “How come you’re out here, man?”

“Got bored sitting in the hotel watching reruns of Military dramas. Earthies need some new shows,” Richmond laughed.

“Hey!” Demi laughed, shoving Richmond’s shoulder playfully. “We do not need new shows. We need GOOD shows.”

“That’s true, too,” Alec said, smiling as he took Demi’s hand. “We were going to get some lunch. Care to join us?”

“Alec, I wouldn’t want to intrude. I’d feel like a third wheel,” Richmond said. “I was--”

“No excuses, no made up lies. You’re coming,” Demi said, shutting Richmond up. “Don’t argue with me. He found that out the hard way.” She reached back and elbowed Alec in the gut, making both men laugh.
______________________________________________

Prancing into the deck of the Empire’s main ship, Draela, the Clone Warrior, bowed in front of Dimas and Dricos. “Hello, my lords!” she said, her voice bubbly despite her devilish looking appearance. “How can I be of service today?”

“Welcome, Draela. It’s….always interesting when you show up, my dear,” Dricos said, smirking under his hood. His silver eyes glimmered under the hood, and as he stepped forward to Draela, a sinister grin crossed his face. “Who is your intended target today?”

“The Green Ranger of course. I owe him a debt,” Draela said, rubbing her left arm where a long silver scar was seen. “A debt I intend on taking by force.”

“What kind of debt?” Dricos asked.

“He cut my arm in a duel on Sarkasin Six near Eltar. I plan on taking his life in return,” Draela said, smirking. “And maybe some other parts to use as toys after I come back to celebrate.”

Dricos, Dimas, and Furyblaze all cringed, knowing exactly what Draela was talking about. “Thou truly are a heartless bitch, my dear,” Furyblaze said, his hands crossed in front of him. “I think we should send her down to the surface to start some destruction.”

“Of course, my lords. This is going to be fun,” Draela giggled, skipping out of the room and taking some Timbaks with her as she went.
_____________________________________________

“You tackled her?” Richmond asked, his eyebrows disappearing into his let down mass of black hair. “Jesus, man.”

“It was either tackle me or let me blow up,” Demi giggled, taking a French fry off of Alec’s plate. “And I’ve made sure to thank him a few times for saving my life twice.” She wiggled her eyebrows, the Blue Rangers face turning red.

“Ok, that’s enough info on that one,” Richmond laughed, shaking his head. “Good god. So other then finding someone to shag, Alec, you gone back to the Galleon?”

“Yeah. I haven’t been staying around much, though. Demi’s been having me stay with her. Though Geeps does inform me of trouble,” Alec admitted.

“Did he ever answer how we ended up back on Earth after Furyblaze killed us?” the Green Ranger asked, breaking to take a long drink of his lemon water. “Because I thought the past Rangers said we were on the far side of the moon where the Empire couldn’t detect us. We woke up and we were in the middle of downtown.”

“Geeps. He’s connected to the Morphing Grid apparently, whatever the hell that is, and….apparently one of the smarter Blue Rangers was able to contact him and had him put our bodies back in the middle of downtown where we wouldn’t have so far to go to find Furyblaze,” Alec said. “The explanation doesn’t make much sense to me, considering I can’t think in mechanics like that, but if it makes the brains happy, then that’s the story.”

“And you’ll stick to it,” Demi said, kissing Alec’s cheek.

“So basically a Blue Ranger got in Geeps’ head and said, “We’re bringing them back to life. Dump the corpses in downtown Pan Central”, we get resurrected, and we split after what Thomas told us,” Richmond said. “Makes sense to me.”

“Like I said, if it makes the brains happy,” Alec said, chuckling. “Isn’t your friend supposed to be here soon, Demi?”

“April? Oh, yeah,” Demi said, looking around before spotting her friend. “April!”

“Demi!” the new girl squealed, rushing over and hugging her best friend. “Oh, I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“I know! We seriously need to stop waiting years before seeing each other,” Demi said, smiling. “April Chang, these two fine gentlemen are Alec Craven and Richmond West. They’re the two I told you about. But hands off Alec. He’s mine.”

“Yeah, last time I tried to steal one of your boyfriends, I thought I was going to lose a limb!” April laughed. At five foot six, she matched Richmond in height. Her darker Asian features mingled well with her silver, almond-shaped eyes. She was unsteady on her feet just standing still even in the two inch heels she was wearing, and more then once Richmond watched himself help steady her before guiding her into a chair. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Richmond said, smiling softly. No sooner had the words come from his mouth before a bad feeling ran up his spine. “Alec.”

“Yeah, I know,” the Blue Ranger said, the same feeling creeping it’s way up his. “We need to go.”

“Do you have to?” Demi asked, frowning softly. “Or is it duty calling?”

“It’s the call of duty,” Alec said, kissing Demi softly. “I’ll be back. We’ll be back. I promise.”

As the two men ran outside, April raised an eyebrow. “What are they exactly?” she asked, looking at Demi who was smiling.

“April, they’re heroes,” Demi said, watching as Alec and Richmond ran out.

The two Rangers, having morphed on the run, stopped downtown and looked around. “I don’t see anything,” Richmond said, looking at his Blue counterpart.

What they didn’t see was lurking in the shadow. Draela, having told her forces of Timbaks to stay back, yanked out a lock of her hair, whispering ancient words into it before watching it glow silver. She flung it forward, watching it spear through Richmond, absorbing his memories. The lock of hair vanished, a small puff of smoke where it had been after passing through Richmond. The Green Ranger stumbled a bit, shaking his head.

“Weird…” he mumbled.

“What?” Alec asked, putting his hand on Richmond’s shoulder and helping him stand. “Richmond, I’ve been your friend for almost three years, and I know when something’s wrong. What’s up, man?”

“Nothing. Just…guess I was more tired then I thought,” Richmond said. “Tell the girls I’m sorry. I’m going back to my hotel to crash for a bit. I don’t know what’s going on.”

“No problem, man. Give me a shout if you need anything,” Alec said, clearly worried for his Green friend. He headed back to the café where the girls were waiting, and as he sat down he noticed April looking at him.

“Where’s Richmond?” she asked, sadness crossing her eyes.

“He said he wasn’t feeling good. He was going back to his hotel for a bit to sleep,” Alec said.

“Oh. Ok,” April said, her eyes lowering.
____________________________________________

Richmond sighed as he laid back on his bed, sweat dripping off of his face again as he thought back to when he lost his grandmother. “Gran…it’s been so long…” he muttered, his eyes closing. His mind wandered, a small smile on his face.

”You have to help her. Please,” Richmond begged the doctor, taking her arm. “Please…she’s the only family I’ve got.”

“I’m sorry, Rich,” Dr. Kenna said, putting her hand on her oldest friends cheek. “I can’t help her, Richy. Her lungs are black from all the smoke she inhaled when the apartment caught fire. I can’t help her. There’s only so much I can do…”

Richmond sighed softly, nodding. “I know, Kita. I just…thought she’d live forever.” He looked at his friend, the warmth in her eyes uncomforting for him. “Can I see her?”

“She’s been asking for you since we brought her back,” Dr. Kenna said, taking her friend’s hand and leading him back. “I’m sorry, Rich. Really.”

“It’s alright, Kita. She…knew her time was coming anyway,” Richmond said, sighing as he opened the door to his grandmothers room. “Grammy.”

Angelica’s head lifted lightly from the pillow, smiling at her grandson, though her usual light of a smile wasn’t there. “Richy,” she said, her voice hoarse. She sat up as best as she could, coughing violently as she did. “Damn lungs.”

“Grammy, take it easy,” Richmond said, sitting beside her on the bed and taking her old hand in his. “If you hadn’t gone back for your stupid cookbooks.”

“Shut your mouth,” Angelica snapped, her eyes hurt at her grandsons words. “Those cookbooks were my grandmothers. And they were supposed to be yours.”

“Grammy, I know all of those books inside and out,” Richmond said, sighing as he looked down at his grandmother. “I’m going to miss you, Grammy…you’ve been the only family member I’ve known.”

“Richy, listen to an old woman who’s been around the world,” Angelica said, rubbing her grandson’s hand. “You’ve got a lot of potential, sweetheart. I know that you can do great things. You just don’t know what they are yet. I love you so much. And…I’m always going to be with you, Richmond.” She laid her head back, closing her eyes. Richmond sang softly, tears streaking down his face. “Goodbye, sweetheart.” Her breathing ceased, and Richmond felt the last bits of life leaving his grandmother.

“Bye, Grammy,” Richmond whispered, tears falling from his eyes. He leaned up and kissed his grandmothers’ forehead, leaving the room before heading outside.

Richmond’s eyes opened from his sleep, and he sat up. “Damn,” he muttered. He went into the bathroom and washed his face, looking at the haunted look in his eyes. “What’s wrong with you, man?”

A knock on the door broke the Green Ranger from his thoughts, and as he pulled his jeans and a shirt back on, he kept his Caller and Key ready. Opening the door, the two items in his hands fell to the floor. “Grammy?”

“Richy,” Angelica whispered, hugging her grandson tightly.

Richmond blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Grammy, what the hell?” he asked, stepping back.

Angelica stepped into the hotel and closed the door, sitting down in a chair beside the bed. “Is that any way to talk your grandmother?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Ok, let me rephrase. Grammy, what are you doing alive? I buried you. I was there when you died. What….huh!?” Richmond asked, confused. He pulled his Caller off of the floor, typing a few numbers. “Alec? Yeah. Can you break away from the girls and get to my hotel? I…think I’m losing it, man.”

A few minutes later Alec showed up, walking in. “What’s up?” the Blue Ranger asked. Richmond pointed, standing in the corner. “That’s…”

“Yeah. My dead grandmother,” Richmond said. “Something isn’t right.”

What nobody seemed to see was across the street. On top of a nearby building, Draela watched with interest at how Richmond was reacting, the Green Ranger seeming to stumble around the room, bumping into things. “Hehehehehe, this is great!” she giggled, taking a bite of popcorn as she watched the ‘show’ she’d decided to create.

“You’ve got that right,” Alec said, sitting Richmond in a chair. “What was the last thing you said to your grandson?” He turned to Angelica, looking at the woman in the chair.

“I said I’d see him one day,” Angelica said, looking up at Alec like he was dirt on the floor. “And don’t try and criticize me, skinny boy. Could do with some meat on them flabby bones!” She grabbed Alec’s arm, pulling a bit.

“Grammy, let him go,” Richmond snapped, watching his grandmother drop his friend’s arm. “And that isn’t what you said. You said, “Goodbye, sweetheart.” I may have been pissed off and sad that you’d died, but I know what I heard.”

“Richmond, you know I told you once I’d never die,” Angelica said. She stood and put her hands on her grandson’s face, holding tight.

“It’s not logical,” Richmond muttered, looking at Alec. “Grammy, get off of me.” He shook her off of his face, and he sighed as he stood up. “There’s really only one way to make sure she’s real, Alec.”

“Richmond, you can’t,” Alec said, knowing what the Green Ranger was about to do.

“Unleashed Engage,” Richmond said, turning his Green Key in the Caller, shifting into his Green Ranger look, holding up his pistol. “If you’re real, you’ll bleed.” He pointed it at his grandmother, closing his eyes as he pulled the trigger, hearing something hit the ground as well as Alec‘s slight gasp of exasperation.. He opened his eyes again, letting go of his morph before bending down and picking up the clump of hair. “Draela.”

“Who?” Alec asked, kneeling beside his friend. “Who’s Draela?”

“An old enemy of mine. When I was on Sarkasin Six, I was part of the Army Intergalactic Medicorps, or A.I.M. as we called ourselves. I ended up being drafted for a skirmish so that my team could get wounded out. Well, the Empires troops were being led by Draela. She and I got into a fight, and I seared her left arm with a plasma charge. She gave me a return scar on my left pectoral muscle,” Richmond said, sighing. “After that, her forces were called back, and she ended up vowing to get revenge one day. Well, I’m guessing that since this is from her head, she’s out for the revenge she wanted back then. It’s been three….almost four years since that battle, I think. Why she picked now to find me and fight, I don’t know. But it looks like it’s time to draw the past to a close, huh?” Richmond asked, standing up.

“You got it,” Alec said, nodding. “And I’m going to be fighting beside you, my friend. It won’t be you alone.”

“Then let’s go find this bitch,” Richmond said, clenching his fists.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Alec said, Richmond running out of the hotel room before he did.

As the two looked around outside, a deep giggle came from a shadowed spot. “HI, Richy!” Draela giggled, skipping out of her hiding spot. “Did you miss me?”

“No, not really,” Richmond said. “Missed the chance of getting to kick your ass, bitch.” He held up his Caller and Green Key again. “Alec?”

“Let’s do it,” Alec said, smirking.

"UNLEASHED ENGAGE!" the two Rangers yelled, transforming into their Green and Blue Ranger forms.

Swapping weapons as Draela snapped her fingers, the two Rangers rushed in, swinging around at the hoards of Timbaks and the several Golbaks. Richmond got thrown backwards, losing his weapons in the process. Alec landed beside him, holding his right arm.

“We need to make a change,” Alec said, looking at his friend in the Green. “What do you suggest?”

Standing up and hitting his belt, Richmond dove to the right as Draela threw a mass of hair at him, watching it attempt to spear them. “How about these?” he asked, holding up the Black Megaforce Key.

“Sounds good,” Alec said, holding up the Blue Key.

"UNLEASHED ENGAGE!" the two called out again, turning the two Keys in their Callers.

GO GO MEGAFORCE! the Callers rang out, the symbols of the Black and Blue Megaforce Rangers appearing before covering the two Rangers up, coating them in Black and Blue.

Taking the Gosei Morphers from their belts, they opened up the mouths. Opening their belts, they summoned out one Card a piece, putting them in the Morpher before closing it again. SUMMON BATTLE GEAR

“Snake Axe!” Richmond said, taking the Axe from the air before slamming it into some of the Timbaks, breaking them apart before hurling it, slashing down more of them before using his Mega Blaster with the Snake Zord attached to it, firing several blasts. “Snake Blast!”

Using Richmond’s cover fire, Alec summoned his own weapon. “Shark Bowgun!” he said, taking the crossbow type weapon in hand before firing several shots around, jumping back and flip shooting one in the back, landing beside Richmond. “Nice shooting, man!”

“Not too bad yourself,” Richmond said, catching his Axe as it came back to him. “What do you say we go for the big boss now?”

“I don’t think so!” Draela yelled, firing several black shots from her hands. Her anger was clouding her eyes, not allowing her to get a clear shot at her target in the Green Ranger. “Stand still, damn you!”

“How about not?” Richmond asked, jumping backwards. “Alec!”

“Got it!” the Blue Ranger called, landing beside his counterpart, taking another Key from their belts. They flipped up the legs and turned the Keys, changing forms again.

SHIFT INTO TURBO! the Callers rang out for a third time, changing Alec and Richmond into the Blue and Green Turbo Rangers.

“Turbo Thunder Cannon!” Richmond called, spinning around and taking the two-handed cannon from the air, pointing it at Draela before opening fire, sending several large blasts at her that connected and knocked her backwards. “You’re up, brother!”

“Turbo Hand Blasters!” Alec called, groaning as he gripped the twin guns in hand. “Ok, I am sick of being the Ranger that gets the guns!” He fired several blasts, holding the triggers before charging up and releasing a bigger blast.

Draela hit her back, skidding across the courtyard as she did. “Ah! You bastards!” she growled, standing up and glowing with black energy. “I’m going to incinerate this entire town!”

“Don’t count on it,” Richmond growled, back in his Unleashed Green. Taking the Black Mastodon and Green Unleashed Keys from his belt, he put them in his Blaster and Saber, closing the cylinders on the barrel and hilt. "Unleashed Shoot and Slash." He pulled the trigger of his blaster, the bullet gaining some velocity before he slashed down, the green energy built up on the blade of the saber combining with the bullet, spinning before slamming into Draela, causing her to stumble.

“NO! It can’t end like this!” she screeched. “I WILL HAVE MY VENGENCE OF YOU, BOY!” She fell backwards, her screams and sobs of anger being drowned out by the resulting explosion, Richmond dropping his morph to reveal his eyes closed.

“Rich?” Alec asked, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You alright?”

“I wished she had of been real, Alec. I…had a lot I wanted to say and apologize for that I never got the chance,” Richmond said. “Now I won’t get that chance.”

“Yeah, you will. Stopping the Empire, the people that killed her, that’s apology enough. Two days ago…I had to fight someone from my past, Filmas. He used my family’s images against me, taking me home to Ryzan where I almost gave in, man. If I got the chance to make amends with my past and what happened to my wife and daughter, you’ve got to use what happened today to make amends with your Grandmother,” Alec said. “Come on. Let’s go find the girls and see if we can’t salvage that lunch from before.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, Alec,” Richmond said, smiling. “And thanks for being my backup today, man.”

“Oh, no problem,” Alec smirked. “Come on.”
_________________________________________

On the bridge of the Blizkon, Dricos slammed his hands into the console he was standing at, anger surging through him. “NO!” he yelled, denting the metal. “This isn’t happening!” The hood feel from his head, his black eyes shining dangerously. “Curse these goddamn Rangers! What is it going to take to get them to die?!”

“My lord,” Dimas said, stepping forward. “Control your anger. Perhaps it requires a more…personal approach?”

“Deal with them ourselves,” Dricos said, his voice low. His anger shrunk, and with the anger dissipating so did he. “It might just work, Dimas. Prepare the Upgrade Station for the Golbaks into Eternaks. We will be starting our assault first thing tomorrow.”

Dimas bowed, turning on his heel. “Soon, Dricos. It will be just I,” he said once he was out of earshot, traversing through the halls…

Andrea shook her head as her sister laughed at the cartoon she was watching. The sounds of fighting erupted on the screen, the two characters starting to duke it out. She growled as her sister started talking to the characters on the screen, watching the fights with interest.

“Oh, come on, Connor!” Artemis yelled, shaking her head and throwing popcorn at the screen. “You’re going to let Kaldur win!? Lame! AH!” She watched as one of her favorite characters mind raped Kaldur, watching him hit his knees. “M’gann! What did you do!?”

“Seriously…will you shut the fuck up?” Andrea asked. “Dear lord, didn’t you watch that enough when it was on?”

“Shut up!” Artemis laughed. “You know I like this show. Just because I thought Connor and Kaldur were cute.”

“There is a fine line between acceptable and ridiculous, and…you stepped that line a few days ago, moron,” Andrea said, turning and heading upstairs. Being back in their old house, having the means to buy it back, it gave Andrea a sense of coming full circle. Since having to leave and live with their grandparents, she’d almost forgot what it was like to be in her own house. Running from the Empire, always running, hiding from whatever forces came through town that day, to ending up sailing the stars with three odd men and her sister, the Yellow Ranger was enjoying a few days of peace without fighting. She’d heard about Alec, Thomas, and Richmond all being involved in fights, but she knew they could handle themselves.

A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie, and Andrea sighed as she swung off of her bed, opening the door a crack. “What, Artemis?”

“I’m heading into town for a bit. I want to get a bite to eat. Come with?”

“Nah. Not this time,” Andrea said, smiling a bit. “You go. Enjoy some time by yourself.”

“Alright,” Artemis said, hugging her sister before turning and skipping down the stairs, sliding down the banister near the bottom. She turned and closed the front door of the house behind her, jumping on her skateboard and sailing down the street, a dark gleam in her eye.

Andrea sighed as she flopped back on her bed, staring up at the green galaxy stickers she’d put up when she was three. She remembered begging for the stickers despite her room being pink and blues with ponies and rainbows and dolls lining the walls.

”Mommy, please!!” a three year old Andrea begged. “Mommy, it’s just a few stickers! I wants them! I be extra special! Please, please, please!”

Her mother, Denise, smiled softly, shaking her head. “Andy, you know Daddy’s going to say I shouldn’t,” she said, kneeling beside her daughter who looked ready to cry.

“Don’t care! Not with Daddy!” Andrea said, looking at the sticker package before stuffing it back on the shelf in the store, crossing her arms. “Stupid Daddy and his stupid rules…” She wiped her eyes from the tears that had been forming, and she sighed softly.

Denise bit her lip nervously, putting the package in the cart before picking up Andrea. “We’ll keep it our secret,” she said, kissing her daughters cheek and hearing her giggle. “Ok?”

“Okis!” Andrea giggled, hugging her mother’s neck.

Later that night, Andrea huddled down under the blankets in her room, hearing her father slapping her mother around and yelling at her.

“Dylan! Stop!” Denise yelled, hitting her back on the floor, holding her cheek were red handprints were making themselves known. “She asked me for them! I wasn’t going to tell her no! It’s just some stupid stickers!”

“I don’t care!” Dylan yelled, slapping his wife again before throwing her against the dressers, mirrors and perfume bottles shattering as they hit the floor. “She’s a girl, not a fucking boy! She doesn’t need boy things! I thought I fucking made that clear?!”

“AH!” Denise yelled, hitting her head on the wall. “Alright! I’m sorry….just…please stop…”

Andrea cried herself to sleep, the images of her mother being hurt embedding themselves in her mind. She felt bad since that day, having gotten the stickers despite knowing what her father would do to her mother. She hugged Denise tighter the next morning, kissing the red handprint on her face.

“Damn it,” Andrea growled, getting up before heading into her parents old room, opening the door and stepping onto the dust covered floor that tickled her nose. She sneezed twice, holding her nose and mouth to keep them covered as she remembered the last time her father was alive.

”Dad! Please stop hitting her like this!” Andrea’s voice yelled, trying to fight her mother’s grip on her. She was sick of her father beating her and her twelve year old sister every single day. She‘d hear her mothers screams at night when she‘d get hit, and it made her stomach churn. “STOP IT!”

“SHUT UP!” Artemis’ father yelled, throwing Artemis to the floor before heading towards her older sister.

“Leave her alone,” Artemis growled, getting up and spitting out some blood that had pooled in her mouth. “Get away from my sister.”

Her father turned around, slapping Artemis again before grabbing Andrea by the hair. Artemis reached over to the table beside the couch and opened a lock box, drawing her fathers pistol. Drawing back the hammer, she stood up shakily.

“I said…leave her alone,” Artemis muttered, coughing as she got up. Her father turned, seeing his handgun pointed directly at his head.

“You don’t have the strength to pull that trigger, Artemis. You’re weak, and that’s all you’ll ever be is weak,” her father said, slapping his oldest again before dropping her as he turned back to his youngest.

“Leave them alone…and I’ll put the gun down. If you hurt my mother or my sister again…I will kill you,” Artemis growled. Her father reached out to slap her again, but she pulled the trigger, falling backwards from the kick before a second body hit the ground, her fathers blood pooling around his head. “I warned you…”

“Arty!” Andrea yelled, running over and taking the gun from her sister, picking her up. “Are you ok?”

“No…I don’t think I’ll ever be ok again, Andy,” Artemis whispered, burying her face against her sister’s neck and crying, her entire body shaking.

Andrea sighed as she walked back out, closing the door behind her before slamming her hands against it, breaking the hardwood at random spots, splinters flying out of the door into her hand and face. “I hate you,” she growled.

She ran downstairs, picking up a photo album and started looking through it, sighing as she found one set in the Pan Central Cemetery. Her eyes widened, seeing the headstone behind her mother. “No…”

On it was written:

ARTEMIS BLAINE
OCTOBER 12, 1995--OCTOBER 13, 1995

“Ok…I’m confused,” Andrea said. “I remember my sister being there doing all that stuff. Running, playing soccer in the backyard, hanging out at the Twisty Freezer. What the hell is going on?”

Making a snap choice, Andrea jumped up and ran for the door. She grabbed her coat and backpack, shoving her Caller into her pocket before putting the Ranger Key in her breast pocket, sighing as she ran out of the house, heading towards the Cemetery. “I need answers,” she mumbled, running through town.

After getting to the Cemetery and asking for help finding the gravestone in question--which held her mother and father on either side--she knelt down and brushed the dust away. She dropped the picture in her hand, her heart snapping in half. “It’s the same thing,” she mumbled. “What the hell is going on here!?”
_____________________________________________

Stepping out of the shadows near downtown, Dricos and Dimas were planning their assault as they went, knowing that a war would bring the Rangers out. “Dimas, be a sport and start slashing down these pitiful humans. They’re eyesores,” Dricos said, lashing his hand out and blowing up a building fairly close, peoples screams filling his ears.

“Yes, my Lord,” Dimas said, bowing and slashing down with his sword, sending several large shockwaves out and killing a plethora of humans that were foolish enough to try and run. Turning around, Dimas sent a few more energy waves, tinted black as his heart, searing through more humans, their bodies separating in gruesome ways before blowing up their cars.

“Dimas!” a voice yelled. As Dricos and Dimas turned around, Thomas, Alec, and Richmond stood together.

“Rangers! You seem to be missing someone, don’t you?” Dricos asked, smirking under his hood.

Andrea ran up, standing behind the two. “We’re only missing one, but it doesn’t matter where my sister is. We’re more then able to take you down,” she growled. “Let’s do this!”

“Unleashed Engage!” the four Rangers yelled, each one changing into their Ranger persona with a burst of colored light from their Callers.

“Are you sure it does not matter where your sister is?” Dricos asked, turning to Andrea behind him and taking a Ranger Key from his sleeve, throwing it at the Yellow Ranger’s feet. “Or does this prove you wrong?”

Picking up the Ranger Key, Andrea opened her hand to reveal the Pink Ranger Key that her sister held. “What did you do?”

“Nothing she didn’t want,” Dricos laughed.

Andrea’s hand tightened around her Sabre, anger surging through her veins. “I’ll kill you,” she growled. “You’ve taken someone close to me. Why should I leave you alive?!”

Dricos laughed, rushing forward and kicking out at Andrea, the Yellow Ranger dodging and slamming her fist into Dricos’ chest, throwing him backwards. She leapt forward into Dricos, hitting him hard in the stomach, anger and rage driving her.

Down the street, the other three Rangers were busy with Dimas. Alec swung low, catching Dimas in the chest before launching him backwards into Richmond, the Green Ranger stabbing Dimas in the back before slashing against him as he pulled his sword out, knocking him to the ground.

“Thomas!” the Green Ranger called out, watching Thomas rush forward before slotting a Key into his Sabre.

“UNLEASHED BREAK!” he yelled, driving his sword into Dimas’ shoulder. “That’s for manipulating my friends.”

“Ha….you think you’re right,” Dimas growled, launching himself up and knocking the Rangers off of him. “You think that I’m the one that manipulated your friends? You couldn’t be more wrong, son.” He slashed Thomas backwards, kicking him in the chest and sending him spiraling into Alec. Richmond fired several shots, Dimas blocking each of them before slashing Richmond, knocking him down. “If you know what’s best, Rangers, do not get up again.”

Andrea, having been distracted watching the fight between her friends and Dimas, got a knee to the face courtesy of Dricos, shattering her helmet’s visor. Landing on her back, Andrea thought fast and fired several rounds from her blaster, each one tearing at the hood on Dricos’ face. He landed on his stomach, growling as he held the strips of what used to be his hood down, not wanting his face to be seen.

“Bitch!” he growled, jumping back up and driving a kick to Andrea’s stomach, sending her sprawling out onto the ground. “Dimas! Retreat for now!” Snapping his fingers, he and Dimas both vanished, Andrea losing her morph before getting up and screaming to air.

“BASTARD! I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!” she yelled, slamming her hand into a car window and shattering the glass, hitting her knees as tears fell from her eyes.

“Andrea,” Richmond’s voice whispered, the Yellow Ranger feeling his arms around her. “Come on, Andy. Let’s go back up to the Galleon. I’ll make you a hot drink.”

“I don’t want a hot drink, Richmond! I want my sister back!” she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks and staining his shirt. “But…can I bend some ears?”

“Uh…sure,” Richmond said. “Thomas, Galleon?”

“Coming’ up!” Thomas said, hitting a few numbers on his Caller that summoned the ship to them, teleporting them up into the main galley. After everyone sat down, Andrea sighed as she put the Pink Ranger Key on the table in front of her, biting her lip. “Andrea?”

“That’s my sisters,” Andrea said, looking at the Key. “She’s dead.”

“Um…” Richmond started, having been standing at the main console for two minutes tapping away as he waited for things to come to light. “I don’t think so.”

“What are you talking about?” Andrea asked, getting up and going to her friend in Green. “What do you mean she isn’t dead?”

“Her signal isn’t on Earth, but…it’s in Space,” Richmond said.
_____________________________________________

“Those accursed Rangers!” Dricos yelled, slamming his hand into a Timbak and shattering its spine before it fell to the ground. “Again! They screwed us over again!”

“My lord Dricos. Please calm yourself,” Dimas said, putting his hand on his Masters’ arm. “We will destroy these Rangers once and for all.”

“And how do you suppose we do this, Dimas?” Dricos asked, shedding the cloak. The Bridge crew turned away, none of them allowed at the time to see their Masters true form before a second cloak was drawn around him. “Waltz up to their ship and blow them out of the sky?”

“That is exactly what we do,” Dimas said. “The Galleon is a weapon in and of itself, my lord. We destroy their home, they are powerless.”

“The Key,” Dricos smirked, a dark chuckle tearing itself from his throat.

“The Key,” Dimas confirmed. “We must acquire its parts from the Outlying, but we might have a chance of bringing everything together soon for the Deletion.”

“Excellent,” Dricos said, a sadistic grin on his face. “Let the operations commence. I have some things to attend on the surface. I will alert when the time is right for the Forces.”

“Yes, sire,” Dimas said, bowing his head and walking away to leave Dricos to his plans.
_______________________________

“So you’re saying that your sister’s dead, but someone’s impersonating her?” Thomas asked, having taken a cup of hot tea from Richmond. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know,” Andrea said, sighing as she looked into her own cup. “I don’t fucking know, Thomas. All I know is I want some damn answers.”

Richmond nodded, thinking before he pulled up a few files. “I found some of the Empire’s files on their soldiers that impersonate,” he said, throwing them onto the big screen. “Tranias, Lokie, Tsunika. All of them impersonators, but none of them have the power to manipulate memories.”

“What about Her?” Alec asked. He pulled a file of his own up, showing a feminine figure with purple skin and serpents for hair.

“Serpen,” Thomas said, his mind buzzing. “It’s possible. One of her Snakes Bites does induce memory manipulation. It’s possible that she’s behind a lot of this and she’s been playing us from the start.”

No sooner did the words leave the Red Rangers mouth then an alert tone rang out. “That’s my phone,” Andrea said, taking a cord from Richmond that allowed her to plug into the ship directly. “Who are you?”

”Yellow Ranger, I’m the one that holds your sister alive. For now. Come alone to the West side warehousing. I’ve got something special in mind. Speaking of your sister, scream out, little Pinky,” the voice on the other end laughed, Artemis’ screams tearing through the phone and speakers of the ship. ”One hour little girl. Otherwise she loses another body part!” Another demonic laugh and a click later, Andrea heard the sounds of a dead line, fear in her eyes.

“What do I do?” Andrea asked.

“Fight,” Alec said. “All you can do, Andrea.” He sighed, putting his hand on her shoulder. “It’s all any of us can do at any given time. Though I’ll have a fight on my hand if I’m not careful tonight.”

“Had to blow off your date with Dem, did you?” Richmond asked.

“Yep,” Alec said, shaking his head. “She understands, but it still hurts her when I do.”

“Ok, relationships aside, I need a plan if things go south,” Andrea said. “Thomas, bring me that chest. I have an idea that just might work. It’s fucking nuts, but it might work.”

“Oh, boy,” Richmond snickered, watching Andrea start pulling out sixteen Keys. “What are you thinking?”

“Follow my lead today, and you’ll find out,” Andrea said. “I need my bike. I’m going.”
_____________________________

One hour later, Andrea was standing in front of the warehouse, thinking about how, “It’s always warehouses. Why not a pizza joint?” She opened the door lightly, sticking her head in. “Hello?” she asked, looking around, her Ranger Blaster in hand.

“Come in, come in,” Dricos laughed, flooding the room in searchlights, illuminating it with thousands of LED’s to brighten the warehouse. “Are you going to fight me?”

“Only if you don’t give back my sister,” Andrea growled.

“She’s already dead. That scream was prerecorded,” Dricos laughed, smirking under his hood. “SO…what are you going to do now, little girly?”

“This,” Andrea said, her hand tightening around her Caller. "UNLEASHED ENGAGE!" She morphed in a burst of yellow light, throwing her Blaster out of the window, catching a Sabre on return. “You didn’t think I’d really come alone?”

“Dirty fighter,” Dricos snickered, rushing Andrea as the sounds of battle came from outside, Timbaks and Golbaks taking the fight to the other three Rangers.

Dodging a punch, Andrea leapt up, cutting the sleeve of Dricos’ cloak, the fabric tearing as she pulled back, using her grappling hooks on the ends of the sabers to hook more of the cloak. “Time to get into the light, bitch!” she growled, yanking hard and flipping Dricos over her head, sending him flying through the air. He crashed through the window, knocking some of his own forces down as he landed. Andrea ran out, standing beside her teammates. “Let’s make a change.”

Taking a Key from their belts, the Rangers flipped up the legs and inserted them into the Callers. “Unleashed Engage!” they cried out. Jungle Beast! Spirit Unleashed! The sounds of roaring and a howl ripped through the street, a violet disk of energy from Richmond severing several Timbaks.

“Wahoo! Love a Wolf Disk!” the Green turned Violet Ranger laughed, driving a knee into one more.

Leaping up, Andrea, now clad in a different yellow, slammed her Jungle Bo into Dricos’ chest, throwing him around into another wall, cracking the wall several feet up. She retracted her Bo from Dricos’ chest, slamming it into a Golbak that had taken aim at her head, his blast backfiring and blowing him up instead.

“Do you think you can win, little girl?” Dricos asked, growling as he slid down the wall, holding his chest. “I’ll kill you like I did your sister.”

“Like hell you will,” Andrea growled. “Boys! You doing good?”

“Just fine!“ Alec was taking the Jungle Tonfa, slamming them around in circles and beating in heads of more Timbaks’, Thomas beside him with the Jungle Chucks. “Not a lot of sharp weaponry, is it?” Alec asked.

“Kung-Fu Fighters that used their fists more. Weapons were an afterthought,” Richmond said. “How about another one?”

“Unleashed Engage!” Dino Thunder Power Up!

Sailing through the air on paper thin wings, Andrea grabbed Dricos up and slammed her Thunder Blaster into his chest, firing at point blank range before dropping him into his soldiers below. Richmond took the Dino Staff in hand before twisting the dial around.

“Fire Inferno!” the Green Ranger cried out, engulfing several of the Timbaks in flame.

“Tricera Shield!” Alec called, slamming his tri-horned weapon into the Golbaks, kicking one back before throwing the shield and watching it spear several more.

“Tyranno Staff!” Thomas summoned, slamming the staff down on some of the footwork, spearing his staff through them.

“Dricos,” Andrea growled, picking up the villain and pointing her Thunder Blaster at his head. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t blow your head off.”

A burst of fire broke Andrea’s concentration, Furyblaze appearing beside Dricos. “My Lord,” he said.

“You!” Thomas growled.

“Hello, Thomas,” Furyblaze. “Dricos. You must hurry. The Outlying are beginning to mobilize as you requested of Lord Dimas.”

“Thank you, Furyblaze,” Dricos said, holding his hand out and forming a ball of silver energy. "Etrigan Solar Storm!" Throwing the ball of energy, the force of a thousand suns knocked into the Rangers, sending them back into their original Ranger suits. Andrea rolled to a stop in front of Richmond, her visor broken and revealing a pair of angry brown eyes. “Oh, look. One of them shows an emotion. Pitiful humans.”

“You’ll think pitiful humans,” Andrea growled. She stood again, taking a Key from her belt. “I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Pray tell, dear. What is that?” Dricos asked, smirking as he pulled at the tatters of his cloak. “And I’ll have you know that these cloaks aren’t cheap.”

“Who cares? Being someone that used to love expensive clothes…they don’t mean shit when you don’t have a friend to wear them with or to share. That’s what you took away from me….you took away my sister, my best friend, and the only family I had left. Assholes like you always take people that don’t deserve to die, and…I’m going to make sure that you don’t hurt anyone else. Unleashed Engage!” Andrea snapped, slotting a final Key. "Go Galactic!" it rang out. “Quasar Saber!” She lunged forward again, slashing and hacking at the cloak, tearing it off of Dricos before kicking him back. She let go of the Lost Galaxy suit, complete with a skirt thanks to the Keys properties, landing on her feet beside Richmond.

Dricos growled, realizing his cloak was gone. “You bitch!” he snapped, turning and standing up as he did. When he stood, instead of a man like everyone thought--or some galactic equivalent of one--they were met face to face with a mess of tangled red hair, blue eyes shining brightly despite the anger on her face.

“Do you know what you’ve done!?” Artemis yelled, holding her stomach where silver blood was pooling on her fingers. “Do you know what the hell you’ve done?!”

Andrea’s Sabre and Blaster fell from her hands, her suit dematerializing as she hit her knees, looking at the woman she thought was her younger sister. “Who the hell are you!? WHO ARE YOU!? ANSWER ME!”

An eerie silence crept over the street, the Rangers dropping their morphs beside Andrea, Richmond kneeling beside Andrea. Thomas had his hand clenched, anger surging through him. Alec didn’t know what to do or say, so he stood behind everyone, his hand on his Caller just in case.

“My name is….”

The unthinkable had finally happened. They’d lost one of their own. It happened so fast, nobody understood how it happened. One minute she'd been fighting with them and the next she was gone. Richmond had been the first to find their friend, seeing what happened to her. He'd prayed he was wrong, but he hadn't been. He had known. Now, standing outside in the thunderstorm gathered around a trio of gravestones, the Rangers were experiencing their first real loss thanks to the Empire. Demi and April, given the means to help fight if they had to, were standing with Alec and Richmond, the girls giving their support in the only way they knew how.

“Now what?” Richmond asked, turning and looking at Thomas. “We need a plan, Thomas.”

“Now?” Thomas asked. The Red Ranger was the one that was taking the death and betrayal the hardest, and he’d barely said three words since seeing his friend on the ground. “Now, Alec? How the hell do you expect me to know?”

“Because you know her,” Alec said. “Because you understand her motives, her inspirations, her reason for wanting to do what she’s doing. Because you’re our Red Ranger, and that’s what matters most.”

“Right now…we take the fight to her,” Thomas growled. He couldn’t but keep thinking about they’d gotten to Andrea’s funeral, his mind flashing him back to that moment when they’d found out about Artemis and leading up to the last few hours…
__________________________________________


“Do you know what you’ve done!?” Artemis yelled, holding her stomach where silver blood was pooling on her fingers. “Do you know what the hell you’ve done?!”

Andrea’s Sabre and Blaster fell from her hands, her suit dematerializing as she hit her knees, looking at the woman she thought was her younger sister. “Who the hell are you!? WHO ARE YOU!? ANSWER ME!”

An eerie silence crept over the street, the Rangers dropping their morphs beside Andrea, Richmond kneeling beside Andrea. Thomas had his hand clenched, anger surging through him. Alec didn’t know what to do or say, so he stood behind everyone, his hand on his Caller just in case.

“My name is….”

“Serpen,” Thomas growled, his knuckles turning white. “Why? Just…why?”

“Well, my son…you should know,” Artemis growled, her appearance shifting into that of a woman who looked molded after a serpent, her hair snakes that flowed down her back until they wiggled to life, hissing as they looked around. Her hands grew small claws, her body varying shades of purple. “You should know why I did this.”

“I don’t,” Thomas said. “And you need to tell us.”

“I don’t have to tell you shit, boy,” Serpen growled. “Besides, in a few hours, none of you will even matter much in the long run because when you’re dead, that’s it. That’s the end of the Rangers for good. And I’ll take all of those Keys and use them for the real purpose they were created for!”

“You’re lying,” Thomas said, helping Andrea up from the ground.

“Thomas…we can’t defeat her. We need to run,” the Yellow Ranger said, her voice breaking. “Please….please!”

Thomas looked ready to kill, but he knew that Andrea was right. “Alright,” he said, hitting his Caller and summoning the Galleon. A burst of fire from one of the port side cannons distracted Furyblaze and Serpen, allowing Geeps to get the Rangers back on board.

“Son of a bitch!” Serpen growled, anger in her eyes as she ran forward, seeing the scorched pavement where the fire was dying down. “Why is he still alive, Furyblaze? I told you what you needed to do to him.”

“I did kill him once, Serpen. I sent you with him, or did you forget your trip into the Morphing Grid?” Furyblaze asked. “He will die soon enough. But…first we deal with the Yellow Ranger. Correct?”

Serpen smirked, nodding slowly. “Yes, my devilish dear, we will,” she said, kissing Furyblaze. “Together. The two greatest powers in the known universe. Snakes and Flames will destroy everything, and then…”

“We will have what we want,” Furyblaze said. “The Deletion will commence, and once the Outlying return with the pieces of the Babylon, then things will go our way. For now, let’s return to the ship.”

Serpen nodded, snapping her fingers and taking herself and Furyblaze back onto the main deck of her ship, throwing Dimas out of the Commander’s Chair. “Listen up, maggots. There’s a new head bitch in town, and I plan on making some fucking changes around here,” she growled.
________________________________________

The mood inside of the Galleon was somber, and that was putting it mildly. The Rangers were tired and worn out, none of them having any strength to even speak. Andrea had put her Caller and Key into the Chest, looking down at the book in her hand, the title showing brightly to read: Jungle Fever. She sighed softly, remembering a time when her sister--no, she corrected herself, not Artemis--Serpen teased her for reading it.

“Hey!” Andrea yelled, trying to get her book back from her sister.

“How can you read this smut?” Artemis asked. She looked at the page her sister was reading, and she started reading aloud. “James felt Tacari’s hand trail down his bare chest, feeling her heat against his body. His body couldn’t help but react to the woman sitting in front of him. He felt her hands sliding further down his body, and--”

“Artemis!” Andrea muttered, burying her face against her arms. “Jerk.”

“Where did you get this?” Artemis asked, marking her sisters page with the yellow bookmark that had been through hell and back in fifteen years. “Seriously?”

“Umm….well…remember my English Lit teacher my senior year? She gave it to me,” Andrea admitted.

“Ms. Rhoades! Hanna Rhoades? The hot one with the legs that came up to her neck, with the great rack?” Artemis asked, watching Thomas’ head turn.

“Yes!” Andrea yelled, stealing her book back. “Don’t ever take it again. Please?”

“Fine,” Artemis whined playfully, hugging her sister. “Where’s Richmond and Alec?”

“Alec…went below deck to train with his swords--though I don’t know why. And Rich…I think he’s in the kitchen,” Andrea said, watching her sister head off towards the kitchen.

Finally the silence was broken. “What do we do?” Richmond’s voice asked. The voice was soon followed by the Green Ranger’s body, holding a tray filled with sandwiches and glasses of tea that he passed out. “I mean…Serpen is the ultimate in bad guys. Thomas?” The Red Ranger in question looked into his tea glass, shattering it as his hands clenched, dousing the floor in shards of glass, ice, and tea that was soon mixed with blood. “Thomas.”

“I don’t know,” Thomas admitted. “For the first time in my life…since I started fighting…I don’t know what to do at all. I have no fucking clues whatsoever of what to do, no semblance of an idea, no motivations to keep fighting…I don’t--”

Andrea got up, wrapping her arms around Thomas and holding him tightly. “It’s alright to not know, Thomas. We’re not asking you to just have a solution instantly. This isn’t television…we don’t know what we can do right away,” she said, strangely being the voice of reason. “We just have to…press on, I suppose. Together. We’re a team, aren’t we? We can make the best of this.”

“But for now, let’s get that hand cleaned up,” Richmond said, leading Thomas to the table. “I do have one thought though.”

“What?” Alec asked, taking to cleaning up the mess from Thomas.

“Andrea, grab the chest and bring it over here,” Richmond said as he pulled a pair of tweezers from his lab coat and started to slowly pick the glass out of Thomas’ right hand. When she did, he flipped it open. “Take out these Keys.”

As the Rangers planned, Thomas had retired to his room, sighing as he found an old paper from his days in the Empire. His mind flashed back to the days of “old” as he called them, remembering some of Furyblaze’s training when Serpen would be watching.

”No, no, no!” Furyblaze snapped, throwing Thomas’ sword back to him as Thomas stood up, his lip bleeding. “Put more force into the thrusts. Like this!” Furyblaze leapt forward, slashing down with his sword, his arm stretching out before snapping into a solid line, the sword like an extension of his body. “Feel the sword. Make it an extension of yourself. Train yourself daily, Thomas. Become the sword. Fifteen lunges and then six sets of ten thrust-parry combos. Begin!”

As Thomas started his training again, his mind did what Furyblaze said, becoming one with the sword. He followed what Furyblaze said, lashing his arm our and snapping it into a solid line, feeling like his hand was melding in with the blade. “Like that?” he asked, holding his stance.

“Exactly,” Furyblaze said, nodding in approval. “One day, Thomas, you will be leading these Timbaks into battle. Keep yourself conditioned for anything.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Thomas said, bowing and crossing his arm over his chest in the usual salute of the Empire.

Thomas sighed as he sat up, heading back out into the main area where Richmond and Andrea were working with Alec to plan out their attack for whenever Serpen and Furyblaze came back. “Hey,” he said, leaning against the wall.

“Hey, man,” Richmond said, looking back at Thomas before moving to the side, twelve Ranger Keys set up in different formations. Noting the look on his Red Ranger’s face, Richmond began explaining. “We’re doing some setting up for the next fight. Here’s what we’ve got planned…”
_______________________________________

On the Blizkon Mk. 2, Artemis was pacing around her controls, anger searing her silver eyes as a section of bandages were pressed to her right side, the slash marks from Andrea’s attack with the Quasar Saber having run deep. “Bring him in!” she snapped, looking at the Timbaks that were sitting around waiting for orders. “Now!”

Coming through the door, his blood red horns eliciting gasps from the crew, several Timbaks wetting themselves in fear. Strolling through the door with a sense of empowerment, a warrior with a red body, blue at certain intervals with six dark yellow eyes that seemed to pierce the soul, teeth as yellow as his eyes, a bone handled sword in a sheath that looked to be made of real flesh at his hip, his fingers ending in long yellow claws, Artemis smirked at her newest arrival.

“Skelecron,” she said, standing in front of him. “It’s been far too long. Have you revived the Styxerians on Miranoi yet?”

“I am close to my lord Reapus’ return, Lady Serpen. Though I must say that your…Terran look is oddly serving of yourself,” Skelecron said, bowing lightly at Artemis.

“Skelecron, don’t flatter yourself,” Artemis chuckled, allowing her “human” form to melt away into her true look as Serpen. “Ten years in that body, I’ve become comfortable with her. She was a good experiment, but it wasn’t one I had planned for so long.” Cracking her neck, Serpen took her place behind the console, tapping a few keys and forming a map of the Galaxy, black dots against a white square representing where the Empire had struck.

“What worlds are left to conquer?” Skelecron asked. He found his home of Miranoi, crushing the holographic planet in his hands. “Other then Miranoi and Earth?”

“Eltar, for one. We’ve a task force there now attempting to get past Megas and his Aurora Team, Aquitar is putting up a decent resistance, though they’re close to being crushed. Also resisting is Triforia, the Tri-Beings’ putting up resistance particularly well for a group that does not like fighting,” Serpen said. “Miranoi is next on the Invasion’s itinerary, and then we’re heading for KO-35. Most of the United Alliance fell when the Rangers sacrificed themselves for a pointless planet. Though the sooner Earth falls, the sooner we move on with the Deletion.”

“You’re going through with that, then,” Skelecron said. “Seems that the Outlying have been lying to me when I have asked on the status of the Key. Let us hope it works better here on Earth then it did on Anubis, my Queen.”

“Stop with the flattery, Skelecron. It won’t work,” Serpen said. “You know what you must do. Did you remember the Conversion chamber for the Golbaks?”

“Yes, Lady Serpen. It is already being assembled in the labs downstairs,” Skelecron said, nodding his head. “I shall take some troops to the surface and begin my assault. Let us see if I cannot draw out the Rangers and cause their destruction.”

“Bring the Yellow to me. I have my own plans for her,” Serpen said, melting back into her human disguise. “Ugh, why do I keep returning to Artemis? She was supposed to just simply be an undercover face…”

Having a suspicion but wishing to remain silent lest he lose his life, Skelecron walked out, taking a hoard of Golbaks with him onto the surface, preparing for his time to destroy.
___________________________________

Having let Thomas in on their plan, the Red Ranger was surprisingly alright with it. Suddenly--as usual--the alarms rang out as the Rangers had set out some food. “Never fails,” a very disgruntled Andrea growled. “Geeps. Who is it?”

The mechanical bird flapped out of his perch, hitting the computer keys and bringing up a security feed from the city. “Oh, by the Allspark,” he groaned. “Thomas. You’d know ‘im.”

Thomas ran over to the computer and his blood ran cold. “Skelecron,” he whispered, visible fear on his face.

“Skelecron?” Richmond asked. “You don’t mean--”

“I do mean,” Thomas said, looking back at a confused Yellow Ranger. “He’s a Styxerian from the planet Miranoi’s darkest depths. He’s been on a mission to revive his master, Reapus, but when he tries, there’s always people that stop him somehow. There haven’t been Rangers on Miranoi since the late twentieth century, and they died saving Earth the first time.”

“So…how bad is he, exactly?” Andrea asked.

“He’s bad enough to make me scared,” Thomas said. “And you know that isn’t easy.”

“You? Scared? Jesus…I didn’t think it was possible,” Andrea admitted. “So…are we going? Because I would really like to hit something right now.”

Thomas nodded, inputting the coordinates where Skelecron was reeking havoc downtown. As they jumped down from the Galleon’s underbelly, Alec and Richmond were surprised to see Demi and April swinging around pipes and rebar at Timbaks, knocking several of them down and stabbing them through.

“Damn!” Richmond chuckled, stopping April from spearing him with her pipe. “Easy, April. You and Demi get the hell out of here. I don’t need you guys getting killed right now. Go!”

April nodded, hugging Richmond tightly before kissing him, watching Demi lean up and kiss Alec--kisses which the two men returned eagerly--before they headed away, taking cover under a small bridge near the park. “They’ll be alright…right?” she asked, looking at Demi who had a worried look on her face. “Demi?”

“I sincerely hope so, April. I sincerely hope so,” Demi whispered. “Otherwise I will kill Alec with my bare hands if he dies.”

After the girls had left, Thomas stood ready with his team, each of their hands clenched around their Ranger Key. “Skelecron!” the Red Ranger yelled, hiding the fear in his eyes.

“Ah…Rangers,” Skelecron smirked. “Come to die? It can be arranged. Though three of you are going to die. I’ve got orders to bring one of you back to Lady Serpen.”

“I won’t go,” Thomas said, having an idea it’d be him.

“Oh, not you, Red Ranger,” Skelecron smirked. “She wants the woman.”

“She can have me,” Andrea growled, stepping up as her Key turned in her Caller. “Once I’m dead.” She rushed forward, slashing down several Golbaks before kicking one in the head, wrapping her legs around his face and dragging him to the ground, slinging it backwards.

“Andrea!” Thomas yelled, morphing and firing on one of the Golbaks before rushing Skelecron. “Andrea, calm down!”

“No!” the Yellow Ranger yelled, slamming her fist into one of the Golbaks’ chest, her hand coming away in blue blood with a beating heart that she crushed, staining her glove before she fired one shot into his head that splattered her suit with brains and more blood, sending his lifeless body down. “Come on, bitch!”

Skelecron rushed forward, locking blades with Andrea, neither of them giving any inch at all. Andrea kicked Skelecron below the belt, making everyone flinch as they watched the Yellow Ranger go full on Amazon on their enemy. Andrea leapt up, kicking Skelecron hard in the chest so he got thrown backwards.

“Unleashed Engage!” Andrea snapped, slotting another Key into her Caller. YELLOW AQUITAR RANGER POWER it rang out. Andrea ran forward, a silver handled sword in hand as she slashed around at Skelecron, drawing black blood from his side. “Go to hell!”

“Andrea!” Richmond yelled, diving under a Golbak and kicking it in the crotch, sending it flipping around before popping up, trying to get to his friend in the Yellow.

“You first,” Skelecron snapped, lashing out and slugging Andrea hard in the stomach, hitting her hard in the face with the butt of his sword, her head snapping back and knocking her down, her suit vanishing from the force of the blow. “Golbaks. Fall back. We’ve got what we came for.”

As they vanished into the air, Thomas ran forward and grabbed Andrea’s Unleashed Yellow Key that had fallen onto the ground, his hand clenched around it. “Damn it!” the Red Ranger snapped, kicking a trash can over.
________________________________

Waking up and feeling cool air against her skin, Andrea jerked a bit, her arms feeling sore as she realized she was just in her underwear, her clothes in tatters on the floor. “What the--” she groaned, her legs restrained at the ankles while her arms were held together at the wrists. “Let me go!”

“Actually, we won’t,” Skelecron smirked. “Not until you’re dead, little Yellow.” In his hands was a bullwhip, each of the lashes tipped with sharp glass. His arm came back, but as Andrea closed her eyes for the blow, the sound of a hand stopping Skelecron was heard in stead.

“I said not to hurt her,” Serpen said, taking the whip from Skelecron and putting it down. “Andrea.”

“Bitch!” Andrea growled, lashing her legs out and kicking Serpen hard in the face, anger clear on her face. “Go to hell, you fucking bitch!”

“You know nothing of hell,” Serpen growled, lowering Andrea to the ground before her body melted back into that of Artemis. “You don’t know a damn thing of hell.”

“I know enough,” Andrea whispered, curling up against the corner, trying to make herself small. “Why’d you do it?”

“Do what? Masquerade as your deceased sister, love you and be loved in return, kill your father? Is that what you’re talking about?” Serpen asked, sitting down. “Because I wanted to see what it was like to have a family that knew love. Manipulating memories is easy, but rewriting a lot of them is a challenge. I had to find a way to know what humans were like. As you’ve noticed, I’m not human.”

“No shit,” Andrea muttered. “But why me?”

“Andrea, there are things that even I don’t know why I do them,” Serpen said, looking at Andrea. “But I did love you. I truly did.” She put her hand on Andrea’s face, holding the Yellow Ranger’s head in place before kissing her, Skelecron chuckling in the shadows. “Goodbye, Andrea. It was…a great adventure to get to be your sister.”

Andrea spat on the ground as Serpen stood up, trying to force the taste out of her mouth. “What are you going to do to me?” she asked.

“Not what I’m going to do,” Serpen said, her hand on the open door. “What Skelecron is going to do. Like I said…goodbye, Andrea.” With that, she turned and closed the door behind her, and the next thing she heard was Andrea’s screams and the crack of the whip, closing her eyes as a single tear ran down her cheek.

Skelecron, with his dark laughter echoing throughout the ship, took sick pleasure in his torture of the Yellow Ranger, switching his whip for just his hands, beating Andrea hard. He slammed her head into the wall, knocking her back onto the ground. “How’s it feel, bitch? Being the one getting your ass beat within an inch of your life,” he growled, kicking her in the stomach.

“Go…to hell…” Andrea coughed, spitting out some blood and a couple of teeth.

“You first,” Skelecron growled, his sword swinging down point first as he drove it into her heart.
___________________________

“Now what?” Richmond asked, still rooted in the same spot he was when Skelecron left with Andrea. He felt a hand in his, and he let his suit fall as he looked at April, the young woman looking fearful having watched the entire fight.

“We find Andrea,” Thomas said.

“What if she’s already--” Alec started, Demi’s arms around his, her body shaking.

“Then we fight harder,” Thomas replied, looking at the Yellow and Pink Ranger Keys in his hand.

“Thomas,” a soft voice said, Demi stepping forward. She put her hand on the Red Ranger’s, her had covering the Yellow Ranger Key. “I can help you. You need someone to fight.”

“Demi,” Thomas whispered. “I can’t put you in danger.”

“Dude, they were holding off the Golbaks before we got here. I think they’ll be fine,” Richmond said, stepping up with April at his side. “You know it as well as I do.”

Thomas sighed, closing his eyes and weighing the options. On one hand, he knew that they needed a Pink and Yellow Ranger and he knew that Demi and April were fighters and could hold their own. On the other, he didn’t want to put two civilians in even more danger. He pulled the last two Callers out of his coat, motioning for Demi and April to come forward. He held out the Callers and Keys, Demi taking Andrea’s while April took Andrea’s.

“Welcome to the team. Don’t get yourselves killed,” Thomas said, nodding his head.

“No problem,” Demi said, giving Thomas’ arm a squeeze. April hugged him softly, one he returned before stepping back. “Now…do we hunt this bastard down or wait?”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Skelecron’s voice laughed, dropping out of the sky carrying a familiar body, scantily clad and bloody. “Because, I’m here to finish you all of.” He threw what he was carrying, the body rolling to a stop and revealing it to be Andrea, her body whipped all to hell with a single stab wound over her heart.

“What did you do to her?” Richmond asked, stepping forward and lifting Andrea’s body and feeling how cold she was to his fingers. He set her body off to the side, hiding her behind a dumpster and standing beside his friends.

“Nothing I wasn’t allowed to my Mistress Serpen,” Skelecron smirked, cracking his neck. “Now…it’s time to finish this.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Alec growled. “Captain. Call it.”

“Let’s do this,” Thomas said, holding his Caller and Key up. “Girls, just follow what we do.”

“Got it, boss,” Demi and April said, standing beside Alec and Richmond respectively.

“UNLEASHED ENAGE!” the five Rangers called out, each one morphing in a flash of colored light.

Demi and April drew their weapons, the Yellow Ranger smirking under her helmet. “Alright, this feels good!” she grinned.

“Well, let’s get to this,” April said, feeling good in Pink.

Not wasting time with words anymore, Skelecron drew his sword, several feet long with razor sharp edges, the handle crafted from several bones and held together with various pieces and colors of rotting flesh. He rushed forward, locking blades with the Green and Blue Rangers, neither of them giving up any ground as they pushed.

“Is that all you’ve got, little Rangers?” Skelecron asked, missing three people get behind him before they blasted, Richmond and Alec getting out of the way as Skelecron tumbled forward, skidding along the ground. “What?!”

“Keep all eyes open, asshole,” Thomas smirked, holding his smoking blaster. “Otherwise you’re open for an attack like that.” He jumped up and landed with both feet on Skelecron, planting him further into the ground. “Now, girls!”

"TWIN FRIEND STRIKE!" Demi and April yelled, firing two rounds and having two sword slashes connect with them as the girls dropped out of the air.

“Thomas, what do you say we change it up?” Alec asked, holding up a Key.

“For Andrea,” Demi said, a Key in her hand as well.

“You got it,” Thomas said, the Rangers standing around the crater that was Skelecron at the moment.

“Unleashed Engage!” the Rangers yelled out as they turned five Yellow Keys in their Callers.

“Rescue Drill!” Richmond yelled out, launching forward with the Yellow Lightspeed Ranger’s weapon, the drill from the Rescue Bird spinning rapidly on the end of his Rescue Blaster. “Lightspeed Crash!” He drove through Skelecron, leaving a bit of a gap on his right side that bled black.

“Zeo Power Double Clubs!” Demi summoned, using the signature weapon of the Yellow Zeo Ranger and swinging the nunchuck inspired weapon around before grabbing Skelecron and flipping him over near April and Thomas.

“Quasar Saber! Thunder Crash!” Thomas announced, several large blasts of lightning spearing out and slamming into Skelecron, knocking him around. Slashing with his Saber, he knocked Skelecron’s sword away, ending up point down in the ground five feet away. “Alec!”

“Power Daggers!” the Blue Ranger called out, throwing the two daggers into Skelecron, embedding them in his chest before driving them up, charging them with energy. “Tiger Strike!” He ripped them out of the Styxerian, throwing him backwards. “April!”

“My pleasure!” April smirked under her helmet. “Star Slinger!” As she jumped into the air, she let several blasts fly from the Slinger, each of them slamming into Skelecron hard. She kicked him in the head, yelping when he grabbed her leg and flung her backwards, knocking her into Demi. “Sorry, Dems.”

“No problem,” Demi groaned, moving her best friend off of. “NExt time, though, don’t put your ass in my face. Save that for Richmond.”

“Hey!” Richmond laughed. “Thomas, let’s finish this.”

“My thoughts exactly,” the Red Ranger said, landing beside his team and taking two Red Ranger Keys from his Belt. “Let’s use the finale.”

The Rangers nodded, Skelecron standing up and taking his sword from the ground, yelling out and forming a blast of black energy around him that charged itself into his blade. “BLOOD BRINGER!” Skelecron yelled, throwing his slash out at the Rangers.

“Unleashed Scramble!” Thomas called, the five Rangers firing their blasters before slashing down with their swords. The two attacks sailed towards each other, colliding in the middle of the street, smoke filling up the area…
___________________________________________

“Guys,” Thomas said, snapping back into reality before putting his hand on Andrea’s headstone, situated between her mother’s and sister’s. “You know after this there’s no going back, right? Skelecron’s still out there, and so are Serpen and her duo of dicks. We need to get stronger, and…I’ve got an idea of how to do that.”

“How?” April asked, pressed into Richmond’s side under the umbrella. “Tom?”

“We need a Silver Ranger…” Thomas said, holding up the Silver Unleashed Key. What nobody saw was a man standing on the hill beside a black motorcycle, his hands in his pockets as black lines ran down his face…

Two hundred miles off of the coast of Reefside, California, an inflatable boat with an outboard motor seared across the ocean, tearing the clear blue water in half as they sailed along, the boat’s two passengers engaged in conversation.

“Why are you making me be in on this? Uncle is going to be so pissed off after we find him. IF we find him,” one woman said to her companion. “Besides, you know how a wetsuit hood janks up my hair.”

“Oh, quit whining, Marah,” the other woman said, groaning and rolling her eyes. “You honestly whine too damn much.”

“Well, you know I hate things covering my head,” Marah growled. “Damn it, Kapri!”

“Marah, you never complained about having things covering your head when you were sleeping with Dustin,” Kapri said, her sister shutting up at that comment. “That’s what I thought.”

Soon the two arrived at their destination, a black mass under the crystal blue water. “Do you even think he’s down there?” Marah asked, her tone quizzical as she looked at her sister. “I mean…we haven’t even seen Uncle since the Dino Thunder team and Dustin and the guys teamed up.” She pulled a locket from her bag on the floor of the boat, opening it up to reveal her and Dustin after they got married a few years before, clutching it to her chest. “Kapri…I don’t know…”

“Marah, it’ll be fine,” the pink haired girl said. “Trust me.”

“I will…but this is the last time, sister.”

Diving down into the water, the sisters started looking around with floodlights to find what they were looking for. Marah pointed, tapping her sister’s shoulder. She dove deeper down, finding the metallic door to the old island lair of Mesogog’s, using a piece of rebar to pry it open with Kapri’s help.

Finally, the two women made inside of the island fortress, their boots clacking against a solid metal floor, the oceans crushing depths no longer pressing on them. Marah started looking around for a light when Kapri took her oxygen mask off. “Mar, we can breath normal. Surprisingly, there isn’t any water in here,” she said, looking around.

Marah nodded, taking her mask off and lowering the mesh hood before sighing. “It’s definitely in need of Stanley Steamers, that’s for sure,” she said, making a face. “Not even the ship was this disgusting.”

“Shut up. Look for Uncle,” Kapri snapped, moving some rubble. “Uncle, where are you?”

After a while of searching, Kapri wasn’t sure how much time had passed, she groaned as she moved a last piece of metal, laughing. “I found him!” she said, lifting up a glass jar that had been cracked, several kinds of fluids pouring from the container. “Let’s go back to the surface and find a way to fix him.”

“You found him, Kapri. Isn’t that enough?” Marah asked, looking at her sister. “Please…you know how he treated us.”

“I don’t care. He treated us better then how our father would have,” Kapri growled, stuffing the container holding her uncle into her water proof bag. “You just want Uncle to stay down here, don’t’ you!?”

“YES!” Marah snapped, yelling out as a blast of silver lightning hit her from Kapri’s hand. “What are you doing?”

“What I should have done years ago, sister,” Kapri sighed. “I should have known you’d grow soft. I’m sorry.” With a mighty yell, she started causing rubble to fall on her sister, Marah scrambling backwards. “Goodbye, sister.”

“Kapri!” Marah screamed, her screams ceasing when a large piece of metal landed on her chest, crushing her instantly and killing her.

Vanishing from the underwater laboratory, Kapri reappeared on the beach, Serpen walking towards her. “Lady Serpen,” she said, bowing as her wetsuit shifted into her original outfit when she terrorized the Rangers.

“You have him, yes?” Serpen asked.

Nodding, Kapri pulled Lothor’s glass case from her bag, handing her uncle over. “He was easy to find,” she said. “The scent of evil energy drew me to him. But how do I know that you will not double cross me?”

“You don‘t. Since you found Lothor for me so easily, you won’t mind this,” Serpen growled, trusting her hand out and catching Kapri off guard, her arm wrist deep in the woman’s chest. She pulled out Kapri’s heart, squashing it with a burst of blood. “Thank you for your service, but we no longer need you.”

Kapri’s lifeless body thumped against the sand overlooking Reefside Bay, Serpen smirking to herself. “Now…the real fun begins,” Serpen growled, vanishing from the beach in a blast of black fire that left the area where she was standing into glass.
_____________________________________

Meanwhile, back on the Galleon, all five Rangers, including the two newest additions in Demi and April, were making themselves comfortable again with a slight lull in attacks. Thomas, however, was engrossed in looking over possible human candidates for a Silver Ranger.

“…And that’s how you travel faster then light,” Richmond’s voice carried, April standing beside him as the two walked out of the lab, Richmond in a white lab coat with goggles around his neck.

“Really? That’s how easy it is?” April asked, clearly impressed. She looked over at Thomas who seemed lost in thought, tapping him on the shoulder. “Boss man? You ok?”

“Huh?” Thomas asked, looking up from his console screen and sighing. “Yeah, I’m just trying to find a Silver Ranger. It’s…becoming a difficult task.”

“Have you eaten?” Richmond asked. “Or slept?”

“No. Not since the funeral,” Thomas admitted. “I can’t. Every time I close my eyes to sleep, all I see is Andrea being tortured by Skelecron or being hurt by Serpen. And I Have to keep telling myself that Artemis died as a baby, and that she was never real…”

“Yeah, that’s going to take some time,” Alec said, looking at the wall where a picture of Andrea had been hung, Geeps sitting beside it most of the time. “But we have to keep fighting. Even if it is just to make sure the world Andrea loved keeps spinning. Because…”

“You too, huh?” Richmond said, taking April’s hand.

“Though it could be the company,” Alec said, Demi giggling as she sat down in his lap with a jar of cherries. “Are you going to eat that whole jar?”

“Maybe,” Demi smirked, popping a cherry in her mouth before putting one in Alec‘s mouth, kissing his cheek. “I might share.”

“Not like we don’t share enough,” Alec smirked. He heard Thomas snicker, the Red Ranger shaking his head. “What?”

“You,” the Red Ranger said, sticking his tongue out. “Look…we know who we’re dealing with now, we know what we’re dealing with. How do we stop her?”

The room fell silent, the only sound being April rusting through Ranger Keys. “What’s the strongest team of Rangers?” she asked.

“They were all strong in their own ways. If you’re looking for a team that was strong in Martial Arts, then Jungle Fury. Good with swords, Lost Galaxy. Quick responding times, Lightspeed Rescue and SPD,” Demi said. “Everyone had their own strength, so there wasn’t a “Strongest” overall, April.”

The Pink Ranger nodded, thinking a bit. “How does any of this stuff work?” she asked. “The Keys, I mean. Because honestly, I’d have figured that any Ranger that had a skirt would have stayed skirted.”

“Not true,” Alec said, patting Demi’s leg softly and wiggling out from underneath her. “Let me see the Mystic Force Blue, Samurai Green, and your Pink Ranger Key.” He took the three Keys as April handed them over, laying them on the table. “If you’ll look, the Blue and Pink Keys have lines where there should be a skirt, but there isn’t one on the Green Ranger. Watch. Unleashed Engage!” Twisting the Mystic Force Key, Alec soon became clad in the outfit of that specific Ranger. “We don’t know how it works, but I guess the Morphing Grid senses what gender you are and adjusts the suit to fit.”

“Cool,” April said, taking the Green Ranger Key before twisting it, becoming clad in the Green Samurai Ranger’s outfit, the Spin Sword on her hip hovering over a skirt. “Ok…that’s cool. And it does it with any Key?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Thomas said. “We’ve never figured out the mechanics behind it, and since Geeps is the only one that has any idea and he isn’t spilling, we’ve been having to figure things out for ourselves.”

“Hey, I was told not to tell anyone anything until the time was ri--” Geeps started.

“Geeps?” Demi asked, rubbing the mechanical bird’s wing with a concerned look on her face. “Geeps!”

“--oh, bollocks!” Geeps sighed. “He’s been found.”

“Who?” Richmond asked.
______________________________

“Lothor,” Serpen grinned, holding up the glass jar before taking the glass off of it, leaving a perfectly preserved action figure model of Lothor before setting it on the desk. “Leave. Now.” When the Timbaks left, all that was left in the room other then Serpen was her loyal right hand man, Furyblaze and Dimas. “Serpent Sting! Regen!” As a snake-tipped hair tendril lashed out and bit down on Lothor, a silver venom ran from the fangs into the man’s shoulder, infusing him with energy that was determined to destroy whatever block had been put on him years before.

After minutes of waiting, the figure on the stand fell backwards, growing into a fully grown form again, only as he did he mutated. Instead of the usual black and red tinted attire, Lothor’s body seemed to mutate, taking on the form of his Zord from his final battles with the Ninja Storm Rangers. Stretching his limbs and cracking bones, Lothor growled as he took in his new surroundings.

“Fancy,” he huffed. He looked around, his eyes landing on Serpen who had a sick grin on her face. “And who the hell are you? Medusa?”

“I am Serpen, the leader of the Battlesnare Empire. And you will show respect, Lothor,” she growled. “Otherwise you’ll be returned to your miniature state from before.”

“Yeah, sure,” Lothor said. “So, what do you want with me? I mean, you’re the leader of an Empire, don’t think you’d need a space ninja’s help.”

“Actually, I do, Lothor,” Serpen said, sighing a bit. “My SatLasers haven’t been fully operational since my assault on Eltar four years ago when Megas and his team of Mages stopped us dead in our tracks. I seem to recall you having a device that allowed to enlarge your army when the Rangers would defeat them, yes?”

“The Tenjen Scroll, yes,” Lothor said, nodding. “I have the remote for it here somewhere, and I supposed I could use it for your Empire.” He looked at the gathered forces, a smirk on his face. “Vexacon, Shinmazu. I require them both for this instead of your forces, Lady Serpen.”

“Good. I’ll send for them from the Aquitian and Triforian Sectors. Expect their arrival tonight,” Serpen said, nodding to a Timbak who was awaiting his orders at the communications station on the back of the bridge.

As the transmission was relayed throughout a subspace signal, Lothor looked down at the glowing orb of Earth, his sights locked in on his target. “Soon…I will finish that which I started over a decade ago,” he growled.
_________________________________

“He who?” Demi asked.

“Lothor,” Thomas said, looking up. “He’s one of the only villains in Power Rangers history to actually succeed in winning against his opponents, the Ninja Storm Rangers.”

“These guys?” April asked, holding up the Red Ninja Storm Key.

“Yes,” Thomas said. “If Lothor’s back…then we’re going to need the Ninja Storm Keys.”

Geeps sighed a bit, fluttering back to his perch in the wall. “I wish that Lothor had stayed dead. After your first run out with the Megazord on the moon, you bloody idiot Red Ranger, I haven’t been able to reconfigure the Combinlocks at all to make the Megazord stay together. It’s a Lego brick of a Megazord that’s going to shatter if hit once!”

“Oh, so it’s my fault?!” Thomas yelled. “You told me to use the fucking thing!”

“No, I bloody well did not!” Geeps squawked, slapping Thomas hard in the head and knocking the Red Ranger onto his back. “I told you do not activate it, you bleeding fool! Because of you, I haven’t slept in weeks trying to fix your bloody fuck up!”

“Stop it,” Demi whispered, her eyes cast to the hardwood floor. “Stop it!” All other activity ceased, all heads turning to the Yellow Ranger. “Just stop fighting! It’s what Artemis wants! Don’t you fucking get it?!” She turned and ran out, dropping out of the ship and running into downtown, heading straight for a familiar place.

“What was that all about?” Richmond asked.

“No idea,” Alec sighed. “I’ll go find her.” He headed out after Demi, following her signal on his Caller.
___________________

After Demi stopped running, she slumped against the wall of a daycare center, getting her breath before she opened the door, the sounds of kids playing and laughing, some of them coloring or playing with clay filling her eyes and ears with happiness she wished she’d have. Her face broken out into a smile when she heard a lovely voice in the crowd.

“Mama!” a young girl giggled, running over and hugging Demi’s legs. Demi, picking up her daughter, tapped her nose.

“Hi, Selly. You have fun today?” Demi asked, signing her out of the Center before going back outside, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

“Yes! We made clay bunnies. Mine looks deformed,” Selena giggled, snuggling into her mother’s arms. “I gonna paint him red, Mama.”

“Like your favorite character on the TV,” Demi said, smiling as she hefted Selena up in her arms a bit. She stopped when she saw a familiar shadow, and she frowned. “I didn’t want to be followed, Alec.”

“I just wanted to know what was wrong, sweetheart,” the Blue Ranger sighed. “I mean…you ran out in such a hurry, and I’ve never seen you yell like that.”

“I’m sorry,” Demi whispered. “I just couldn’t handle Geeps yelling at Thomas like that.” She felt Selena curl up in her arms, looking up at the Blue Ranger. “Stupid me. Alec, this is my daughter, Selena Katasha Howell.”

Alec smiled softly at Selena, holding his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, watching her look at his hand before putting hers in his.

“It’s nice to meet you, as well,” Selena said, smiling. “Mama, he’s cute.”

“I know,” Demi giggled. “He’s the man I’ve been helping with his friends. He’s my best friend next to April.”

Selena giggled, smiling. “Well, can he stay forever?”

Alec raised his eyebrow, looking at Demi. “I don’t know, honey. Only if he wants to,” Demi said, giving her daughter a squeeze. “But for now, I need you to do me a favor.”

“What’s that, Mama?”

“I need you to stay with Uncle Danny and Aunt Dinah, ok? Because Mama’s fighting along with Alec and his friends to save Earth, and I need you to stay out of the way of fire.”

Selena frowned softly, but she knew her mother just wanted her safe. “Yes, Mama. I’ll stay and be a good girl. But you gots to promise me you’ll come back and we’ll all go out for an ice cream!”

“I promise, honey,” Demi said, kissing her daughter’s cheek. “Let’s go get one right now. Maybe we can go see a movie, too.”

“Yay!” Selena giggled, hugging her mothers neck.

As the three walked along, Alec couldn’t help but be reminded of his own wife and daughter from Ryzan. Demi had to have noticed, since she dropped back and took his hand. “You ok?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Yes, dear,” Alec said. “Just watching you and Selena reminds me of Cam’ron and De’lia. That’s all.” He smiled softly, giving her hand a squeeze before he had a bad feeling. “We need to go. Something’s wrong.”

“Sorry, sweetheart. The Ice cream’s going to have to wait,” Demi said, frowning softly.

“It’s ok, Mama. You go be a hero!” Selena grinned, kissing her mother’s nose. “Besides, Uncle Darrell’s café’s right there. I’ll go hide there.” She jumped down and ran, ducking into the café before getting up in a booth and looking out of the window. “Go, Mama.”
____________________________________

Lothor, having gotten tired of waiting, grabbed several Timbaks and Golbaks, shoving past Furyblaze who tried to waylay him. “Get out of my way,” Lothor growled. “I’ve got some revenge to take care of. Let’s go, boys.” In a burst of silver smoke, Lothor vanished from the Blizkon and reappeared in the middle of the City, alerting the Rangers to the danger.

“Great,” Thomas growled, getting up and steering the Galleon around before he alerted Demi and Alec, unaware the Blue and Yellow Rangers were already on the way towards the disturbance. “Rich, April, get ready. It’s about to get heavy.”

“Good. I’ve been waiting for something to slug,” Richmond said, cracking his neck. “You ready, April?”

“Hell yes,” April smirked, shrugging a thin jacket on and sticking her Caller in her back pocket.

“Let’s go,” Thomas said, jumping down out of the belly of the ship before landing on the ground, Richmond and April on his right as Alec and Demi appeared on the left. “About time.”

“Don’t start,” Demi sighed, looking around. “Where is it?”

Stepping out of the air, dark clouds raged around the city, a clap of thunder following a bolt of lightning that hit several yards behind the newest arrival. Thomas and the other Rangers stiffened as Lothor walked out, mutated and looking ready to murder.

“Lothor,” Thomas growled. “How you did survive Mesogog’s lab imploding?”

“Even I don’t know. But I do know I have my idiot nieces to thank for my coming back. And Serpen for using her own venom to revive me. Though I could have done it myself with all of the chemicals and whatnot I’d been doused with. But let’s not talk. Boys! Let’s make this a fun as hell party!” Lothor laughed, a silver crossbow appearing in his hand as he pointed it at the Rangers. “Why don’t you all just die and we’ll have fun with Earth?”

“Don’t think so,” Thomas smirked. “Let’s do it!”

“Unleashed Engage!” the five Rangers yelled, turning their Keys into the Callers and twisting them, their suits materializing around them before Thomas and Alec rushed forward, the girls and Richmond giving cover fire which started tearing down the Timbaks.

Thomas and Alec locked Lothor in combat, neither Ranger trying to give any quarter to their Ninja-based enemy. “Alright, this ain’t working!” the Blue Ranger called out.

“Got any ideas?” Thomas asked, kicking Lothor below the belt before jumping up and wrapping his legs around Lothor’s head, driving him into the ground with a well-placed flip.

“One or two,” Alec laughed, throwing his sword back towards Demi. “Duck!” When she did, the sword plunged into one of the Timbaks’ heads, dropping him like a stone.

“Don’t ever do that again!” Demi screeched, holding her head as she stood up. “Jesus!” She kicked a Golbak hard where it’s nuts would be, causing it to fall before blowing it’s head off. “Oh, I’m going to kill you for that!”

“Yeah, doubt it, babe,” Alec laughed, Lothor getting up and launching a wave of energy that knocked the Rangers backwards into a pile, Richmond making the base while Demi and April landed on him, each girl on various parts of his anatomy, Thomas and Alec landing next, the girls groaning in pain.

“Thomas, get your head out of that!” April coughed, shoving the Red Ranger out from between her legs. She got up and helped Demi up, the Yellow Ranger straddling Richmond’s head before Alec could complain. “I’ve got a thought.”

“Same one I’ve got?” Richmond asked, rubbing his stomach. “Changing our styles?”

“Damn right,” Demi growled, holding her arm. “And I think it’s a ninja type of day.”

“Which Ninjas?” Thomas asked, holding up two Red Ranger Keys. “Ninja Storm or the Alien Rangers?”

“RPM!” Demi snapped. “What do you think!?”

“Now, now, don’t quarrel on my account,” Lothor laughed, watching the Rangers bicker. “Either way, whatever you choose is just going to get you all hurt.”

“Unleashed Engage!” the Rangers yelled, having decided on a team.

NINJA STORM RANGER FORM

THUNDER STORM RANGER FORM

After a flash of multicolored light, the five stood clad as the Ninja Storm Rangers, Yellow baring a skirt as did Navy, the Keys changing the suits to accommodate the genders of the Rangers.

“That’s impossible,” Lothor growled, clearly uneasy to be facing down his oldest opponents once again. “They’re dead. Serpen’s army made sure of it.”

“Of course they are,” Richmond growled in return, the Crimson Blaster in his hand while April held the Navy Horn ready. “But, we’re pirates, dude. Get used to it.”

“Ninja Shadow Battle!” Thomas called out, a massive screen covering the area and shrouding the Rangers in darkness, each of them jumping around and slashing at Lothor, hitting him with the Ninja Swords and Ninja Staffs, each one of the Rangers unleashing a special attack as well before the screens vanished in a puff of smoke.

“No! I won’t be defeated here!” Lothor snapped, taking his crossbow in hand again before firing a thousand arrows, some of them striking the Rangers before making them roll to a stop, Thomas’ suit smoking as he stood up. “Won’t you just die?!”

“Not a chance,” the Red Ranger growled, his glove squeaking against the metal handle of his Hawk Blaster. “Let’s put these together. Thunderstorm Cannon!”

As the five weapons assembled, Thomas stood behind the cannon, his finger on the trigger, Alec on his left with Demi on Thomas’ right. At the front, Richmond was in front of Demi, April in front of Alec, all of them holding up the Cannon. “Thunderstorm Blast!” they shouted in unison, Thomas pulling the trigger as a combined blast of energy--tinted the five Colors of the Rangers--blasted out, colliding with Lothor before he stumbled backwards, parts of him on fire.

“It won’t end like this!” Lothor yelled. “NOT AGAIN!” Pulling a device from his pocket, he flipped open the remote-like controller. He hit several buttons, smirking. “Scroll of Empowerment! Descend!”

The sky darkened again, a weathered scroll appearing in the sky before it opened up, the Japanese script on it glowing before it hit Lothor, forcing his body to grow to gigantic proportions. Laughing, the newly giant villain started smashing buildings, hearing screams be silenced before he kicked down a school, burning the children inside.

“Now try and stop me, Rangers!” Lothor laughed, stomping towards the five Rangers who were steadily retreating.

“Geeps…let’s hope you’ve got the Combinlocks calibrated again,” Thomas mumbled, taking his Caller in hand to summon the Rangers last hope…

“It won’t end like this!” Lothor yelled. “NOT AGAIN!” Pulling a device from his pocket, he flipped open the remote-like controller. He hit several buttons, smirking. “Scroll of Empowerment! Descend!”

The sky darkened again, a weathered scroll appearing in the sky before it opened up, the Japanese script on it glowing before it hit Lothor, forcing his body to grow to gigantic proportions. Laughing, the newly giant villain started smashing buildings, hearing screams be silenced before he kicked down a school, burning the children inside.

“Now try and stop me, Rangers!” Lothor laughed, stomping towards the five Rangers who were steadily retreating.

“Geeps…let’s hope you’ve got the Combinlocks calibrated again,” Thomas mumbled, taking his Caller in hand to summon the Rangers last hope.

As the Galleon sailed into view, the five Rangers leapt up and grabbed ropes that were lowered down, flipping up into the cargo hold of the ship. Running into their individual cockpits, Demi and April took a minute to get familiar with everything.

“Launching!” Thomas yelled out, hitting a few controls and sending the other four Zords out of the hull. “Uchuu Galleon, ready for battle!”

“Uchuu Jetter, flying up for a fight!” Alec said, clicking a few controls and getting his stabilizers ready once again.

“Uchuu Carrier, haulin’ ass!” Demi smirked, adjusting her seat and making her ride more comfortable.

Taking his seat in his Zord, Richmond grabbed the controls. “Uchuu Racer, ready for action!” Tapping a few buttons, he managed to get April. “You ready, girly?”

Smirking to herself as she sat down, April took control of her wheel and nodded to the monitor where Richmond’s face was. “You know it!” she said. “Uchuu Sub, nice stereo.”

Shaking his head, Thomas led the fleet of Zords through town, keeping his cannons pointed and firing in Lothor who was busy taking on Alec in the Uchuu Jetter. Alec fired several blasts, keeping himself in a far pattern around Lothor. Demi zoomed in with her Carrier, ramming into Lothor.

“Bitch!” Lothor growled, kicking Demi’s Carrier away, the Yellow Zord rolling backwards and to a stop, the young woman inside growling as she managed to get flipped upright.

“Oh, you ain’t seen a bitch yet, ugly!” Demi snapped. “If I didn’t have this helmet on, these earrings would be comin’ off!” She fired several blasts from her lasers, opening a channel to Thomas. “Can we take his ass out already?”

“Way ahead of you, Demi,” Thomas said, tapping a few keys on his controls before the Zords lifted up. “Unleashed Combine! Megazord Mode!”

As the Galleon lifted up higher to accommodate the space needed to make the legs form, the head of the ship separated, forming giant shoulder pads as the main mast compacted onto the chest. The Sub lifted up, it’s cockpit splitting in half like a mouth, forming the right leg of the Megazord, the Carrier’s trailer flipping up and latching into place on the cab, forming the left leg as the Racer’s back wheels spun down, the axel forming a hold that kept it in place as it became the left arm. The Jetter didn’t have much of a transformation, just the pirate hat unclipping from the back as the right arm formed. As every Zord connected, the Rangers were moved from their individual cockpits into the main cockpit behind the blue eyes on the Megazord. Five steering wheels, similar to what used to be on Pirate ships, appeared before the Rangers, each one holding onto the wheel in front of them.

“Unleashed Omnizord!” the five yelled out, twin Hyper Swords in the hands on the Megazord.

Thomas, however, looked around. “Something….doesn’t add up,” he mumbled. “Lothor.”

Out of the skies, a shadow grew larger. As Lothor tackled the Megazord, sparks erupted from the shoulder joints. “Have you hugged these things lately?” he laughed, driving his knee into the chest of the Megazord. Leaping backwards, he stood ready for the Rangers, hoping to have some fun. “Come on, little dudes. You think you can beat me with that brick!?”

“Thomas, pressure’s dropping in the left leg. We can’t keep the combo together long,” April said, furiously flying her fingers over some keys. “Micropressure in the red. We’re losing power!”

“We have to hold on,” Thomas growled. “We can’t let him get back to Serpen alive.”

Lothor laughed, firing several blasts from his crossbow. “All the kiddies watching at home want me to win! I got cheated years ago by the Ninja Storm Rangers, and since I can’t take pleasure in killing them like I wanted, I’ll have to settle for their cheap imitations! It’s like a bad Chinese bootleg.”

“THOMAS!” April yelled, Demi screaming as her console blew up in her face, the Yellow Ranger shielding her eyes from the blast.

“Damn it!” Thomas growled, spinning his wheel and throwing one of the two Hyper Swords. “Get out! Now!” He didn’t give the Rangers a chance to argue, ejecting his teammates before rushing Lothor who vanished. “Come out, bastard.”

“Sorry, Red Badge of Bloody!” Lothor laughed, standing in his normal sized look on a building a few feet from the Omnizord. “The Scroll’s power only works for a little bit on me. But it’ll be a nice gesture if you blow up right now!” As Lothor laughed and vanished in a burst of black smoke, the Megazord seemed to implode on itself, shrinking back down as the Zords collected back inside of it.

Thomas felt himself fly out of the cockpit, landing hard on the ground, his suit falling from around him as Demi and Richmond helped him up, anger in the Red Ranger’s eyes. “I’ll kill him,” he growled. Wrenching himself away from the Yellow and Green Rangers, he started towards the ship, hitting his knees about five feet away.

“Easy,” Richmond said, sighing as he helped Thomas up again. Flipping open his Caller, he opened a channel to Geeps. “Geeps?” After a few minutes, the mechanical parrot didn’t respond. “Geeps? Geeps, come in.”

“Still nothing?” April asked, looking Richmond. “Let’s get onto the ship and find out what’s going on.”

As the five Rangers ran back to the ship, Demi turned and saw a glint of silver on the horizon, running the other way. “Um, guys?”

“Not now, Demi,” Thomas said.

“Guys, listen to me!”

“DEMI! Not right now!” Thomas snapped, the Yellow Ranger flinching back and dropping back behind April.
_____________________________

Stepping back into the main chamber on the Blizkon, Lothor landed into the wall as Dimas knocked him backwards. “Why did you not kill the Rangers!?” the former leader of the Empire asked.

“Because I’d like to test them at full strength,” Lothor growled. “I do need answers, though.”

“To what?” Serpen snapped, her snake headed hair growling and hissing. “What answers could a lackey need?”

Lothor picked himself up out of the wall, cracking his neck. “For one, who killed the Ninja Storm Rangers? Two, you said my niece was working for you. Why? Three, where the hell do you get off thinking you can order me around?”

Tapping on her keyboard, Serpen brought up footage of the Legends War, all of the Rangers fighting to save their planet. “In one of the first assaults on the planet, the Rangers themselves charged all of their power up to destroy the fleet. The Commanders, consisting of myself, Furyblaze, Dimas, and Dracon, were able to escape before the Wave. It killed the Rangers, and their powers were turned into those Keys that they use,” she said. “As for your niece, she came to me wanting the power to find you. After a few weeks of “training”, she went to find Marah. They found you in Mesogog’s laboratory, which led to today. And I get off on ordering you around because this is my Empire, and unless you wish to be a FOOTNOTE on that Empire, I suggest you shut up and fall in line, you bastard!”

Lothor nodded, bowing his head. “My apologies,” he said. “I was merely curious.”

“Lady Serpen,” Dimas said, stepping forward. “Vexacon and Shinmazu’s ships are arriving. Landing Bay one.”

“Thank you, Dimas. Go and meet them. I have something in the Sci-Lab to see to,” Serpen said. “And take the sniveling freak Lothor with you. Seeing as he wanted them here.” She stood and stepped around Lothor, heading down three levels in the ship towards the Science Labs. “Is he almost ready?”

“Just about, Lady Serpen. A few more modifications, and the first CyborEx will be ready,” the head of the Lab said, bowing his head in respect. “On a plus note, the Eternaks conversions have been going smoothly, and we have two dozen of them ready for battle.”

“Thank you, Mitagas. Finally it is some good news out of this Empire,” Serpen sighed, shaking her head. “Between the idiots in my employ and the morons that we’ve gathered lately, it isn’t often that we get good news.”

“It is my pleasure to give good news, my Lady,” Mitagas said, turning back to his work. “If you would excuse me, my Queen, I need to return to the CyborEx chamber and continue the conversion.”

“Go,” Serpen replied. “I must see to our newest arrivals.”

In the Landing bay, Lothor and Dimas watched, one with baited breath and the other with hated exasperation as the two ships landed, their occupants stepping out and looking exactly like Vexacus and Shimazu.

“Lothor!” Shinmazu, the more brightly colored and exuberant of the two exclaimed, shaking the mutated ninja’s hand. “It’s good to see you.”

“And you, Shinmazu. Vexacon! You look good as ever,” Lothor said, shaking the shark-headed ninja’s hand.

“I feel better then the last time you saw me, Lord,” Vexacon said, nodding his head. “Tell me. Why are we here instead of on your ship?”

“Ah….that would be a tale best for another time. Let’s just say that had twelve legs and came in assorted colors.”

“The Rangers,” Shinmazu laughed. “The six Ninja Storm Rangers, yes?”

Lothor, growling at the same time, just nodded. “Now I’m afraid we’ve bigger fish to fry. More of the Skittles Rainbow has sprouted, and this time it’s only ten legs with the Rainbow. Our goal is to destroy them.”

“Are you not the one giving the orders?” Vexacon asked.

“Unfortunately not,” Lothor admitted, anger in his eyes. “This time I am merely a pawn in the bigger picture.”

“Oh, demotion!” Shinmazu laughed.
___________________________________

Running into the ship, Thomas covered his face as sparks flew from broken mechanical hinges and shattered screens. “The hell happened?” he asked, looking around before he and Alec pried open the door to the main room.

“Lothor, probably,” Demi said, sighing. She looked around, seeing Geeps’ wing sticking out of some rubble. “Geeps!” She ran over and started moving the fallen planks and walls, finally uncovering the mechanical parrot. “Geeps, say something. Please.”

“Bloody hell, that hurt,” he groaned, flapping his wings and sitting up in Demi’s hands. “Thomas, I told you that the Combinlocks were not ready to be used, you damn fool. So what’s the first thing you bloody do?! You activate the Megazord. What the hell is your problem!?”

“I did what I had to in order to try and save the freaking city,” Thomas said. I don’t care that the Links weren’t working. I had to act fast, and I wasn’t about to let more people die. I’ve seen too much death and been the cause of too much of it! I can’t let it happen again! Do you understand that!?”

The room fell silent, nobody speaking or looking at the Red Ranger as he and Geeps confronted each other. April stood with her head down beside Richmond while Demi had put the parrot on the table, walking out towards her room. Alec sighed, shaking his head.

“You both are pig headed lunk nodes,” the Blue Ranger said, looking between his leader and the bird. “And you both need to grow up.”

“Oi! I’m the one that he asked for help about the Megazord. If he wants to get all of you killed and cause this ship to blow up and lose your powers with it, then so be it. I was trying to make sure that nothing bad happened,” Geeps said, flapping his wings and going to his perch, steam coming from his beak.

“If you want to blame it all on me, then blame me, but I won’t be held responsible for anyone else’s death!” Thomas snapped, throwing his Caller at Geeps and knocking him off of his perch.

“ENOUGH!” Richmond snapped, standing in the Red Ranger’s way as he lunged before throwing Thomas backwards. “Thomas, that’s enough. Go cool off. And Geeps, you should know Thomas’s past enough to know when he’s going to do something brash.”

Everyone stood by sheepishly looking down and away from Geeps as Thomas’ door was heard slamming. “What the hell was that all about?” Demi asked. “Clearly someone has issues, but we don’t know that Thomas is the one with the issues.”

Richmond and Alec shared a look, both men starting to work on repairing the monitors. “He used to work for the Empire,” Alec said, Demi and April gasping in surprise. “He’d been born and raised around there. But…one day he suddenly grew a conscience and left the Empire. It was after the Legends War, I know that much. But…the problem is he doesn’t like to talk about it. He says, “It was the worst times of my life, and the less you know about me the better. I’m not what you think I am.” Shaking his head, the Blue Ranger looked at the two women who were looking very shocked. “He isn’t such a boy scout, is he?”

Demi sighed softly, looking at her hands. “It’s not that. It…why doesn’t he want us to know?” she asked. “I mean…we’re his team. We’re his friends. I’d have thought we’d have had a right to know.”

Alec shrugged and sighed, looking at his friend in the Yellow. “I don’t know,” he said. “I just know that…there’s something that happened that he doesn’t want to talk about.”

Geeps, after being silent and listening to the conversation, flapped and fluttered over to the Rangers, landing on the console. “So, I’ve got something to tell you guys,” he said, his head lowering as regret went through him.

“What, Geeps?” Richmond asked.

April, who had gone to find a way to figure out how to fight against Lothor, screamed out . “The Silver Ranger Key’s gone!”

“What?” Richmond asked, running over and looking in the chest. “Goddamn it!”

Demi kept her head down, her arms around her stomach. “I tried to tell you,” she whispered. “When we were running back to the ship, I…”

Thomas, who had heard April’s exclamation, ran out and got in Demi’s face. “Why didn’t you say something before?!” he yelled, making the Yellow Ranger flinch backwards again. “Why!?”

“I tried,” Demi whispered, steeling herself before looking up at Thomas. “I tried to tell you, but you fucking yelled at me that it wasn’t a good time to tell you what I saw!”

Thomas stepped back, sighing. “Go into town and find it,” he said. “We split up. Anything happens, call the others and we’ll meet up there.”

“Like hell,” Alec said, tapping against the keys on the main console, pulling up a map. “Each Key has an energy signature. Look. Here’s ours.” He pointed to a concentrated section of the map, several rings of energy flashing around in several different colors. “And…here’s Silver.” He dragged the map and enlarged an area, the Silver ring of energy flashing around a small restaurant on the south end of town.

“We know where we need to go,” Richmond said. “Let’s move.”

Thomas nodded, looking at Geeps. “Geeps…I’m sorry. I should have listened to you the first time, and…it almost cost our lives.”

Geeps scoffed in surprise, shaking his head. “It takes a big man to admit he was wrong, Thomas. Something you’ve done several times over the last two years. I’ll get the Repairgram online and get everything working smoothly, making the Combinlocks one of the top priorities. Right now, get that Key back. Or bring him here. Whichever works,” Geeps said. “Go. Now!”

Thomas nodded, leading his Rangers out of the ship again and through downtown. Hearing a guy laughing about how he’d stolen from a group of Rangers, April growled as she led the Rangers through the crowd. “Hey!” the Pink Ranger snapped, standing in front of the guy in the middle of the crowd.

“Speak of the devils!” the man laughed, pointing at the five Rangers. “Ah…let me guess. You want this back?” He held up the Silver Ranger Key and the Silver Cell, putting the Key into the main case of the Cell. “Silver Shift!”

In a flash of Silver light, the young man was swiftly transformed into the Silver Unleashed Ranger, a six foot long spear in his hand. Thomas growled, holding his own Key in hand. “You need to return that,” the Red Ranger said, stepping forward. “Now, please.”

“I don’t think so,” the Silver Ranger said, lunging forward and slamming into Thomas, knocking the Red Ranger backwards before he skidded to his feet.

“Let’s Ranger up!” Thomas said, flipping open his Caller and letting his Key flip up into its Key Mode.

"UNLEASHED ENGAGE!" the five Rangers yelled out, their suits forming around them in multi-colored flashes of light.

Rushing forward, Thomas locked his Saber with the spear the Silver Ranger had, trying to gain the upper hand, but Silver was proving an unmovable force.

“Is that really all you’ve got, Red?” Silver asked, kicking Thomas backwards. “For being born into the Empire, you’re really pathetic. No wonder Fury was told to kill you.”

“What?” Thomas growled, holding his side. “What do you know about the Empire?”

“Little boy Red doesn’t even know his own history!? Oh, this is rich!” Silver laughed, lunging again.
_______________________________________

“Vexacon, Shinmazu. We need to being our assault on Earth. You have the Poisons that I need, yes?” Lothor asked. When he didn’t get an answer, he spun around. “Vexacon! Shinmazu! Wake up!”

Snorting and jumping up from their chairs, the two newest Generals nodded to Lothor. “We’ll summon the Kelzak Poisons, sir!” Vexacon said, bowing at the waist before running out, Shinmazu on his heels.

“Idiots,” Lothor growled. “My idiot nieces would have been better…”

“Discord in the ranks, Lothor?” Dimas asked, stepping around the corner with a solid smirk on his face. “If that’s the case, I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”

“Agreement about what, Dimas? Other then you being Serpen’s lap dog?” Lothor asked, pushing past Dimas who grabbed the former Ninja Leader’s arm. “Release me or lose that arm.”

“You cannot even comprehend what we’re planning. The Outlying are nearing this Sector every single day, and when they arrive, the Deletion will commence. Once I have the Keys of Babylon, my Lady Serpen,” Dimas spat with hatred, “will be nothing more then a footnote in the Empire’s history. If I can convince my brother to return to the Ranks, and bring his Rangers with him, then we will be the last remnants of the Empire to stand.”

“What is the Deletion?” Lothor asked, clearly intrigued. “Or is it a need to know while I don’t need to know?”

“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough, my friend,” Dimas said. “You’ll find out soon enough.” Stepping towards the door, Dimas unsheathed his sword and swung it around, Lothor blocking easily with his crossbow. “Not bad for an old washed up mutant.”

“Tell me something, boy,” Lothor growled, shoving Dimas back. “Does Serpen know you plan to betray her?” Firing several rounds, he rushed Dimas and slammed into him, causing him to drop his sword. “And don’t let this appearance fool you. At least I wasn’t beaten by some pirates. Ninjas, on the other hand…that’s a different story!” He kicked Dimas hard in the chest, earning a slug to the crotch for his trouble.

“But these Pirates are a lot more then you think,” Dimas growled, diving down and grabbing his sword before breaking Lothor’s kneecaps. “This time…you won’t be coming back.” Lothor’s yells of agony were music to his ears, and as he looked over the blade of his sword, he pointed it at Lothor’s neck.

“What are you--!?” Lothor started to ask, his words cut short by the blade slashing his head from his shoulders, his body falling to the ground as his head rolled away.

“Vexacon,” Dimas said, the shark-headed soldier coming from around the corner. “Dispose of this trash and then get to Earth. Scans picked up a sixth Ranger. Kill him, and bring the main five here.”

“Yes, sir,” Vexacon replied, turning and dragging Lothor’s body off, the head stuffed under his arm. Throwing the body into the furnace, he closed the door and smirked, watching the fires for a moment. “An ill fitting end, Lothor. Especially for you.”

Motioning towards the end of the hall, Vexacon stood near Shinmazu, nodding to his friend and ally. “Let’s go,” he said, snapping his fingers and taking himself and Shinmazu, as well as the Kelzak Poisons, down to the surface of the planet again.
________________________________

“Stop it!” Demi yelled, trying to get in the middle of the fight with the Red and Silver Rangers only to get elbowed in the gut by Silver and knocked backwards into Alec. “Thomas! Goddamn it, stop! We’ve got bigger problems right now! And weren’t you the one that said we needed a Silver!?”

Thomas slammed his elbow into Silver’s throat, making him hit the ground and cough. “Concede.”

“Like hell!” Silver growled, sweeping Thomas’ legs out and knocking the Red Ranger onto his back. “I’m keeping the Key. You don’t know what the Empire did to my family…to my planet.”

“They’ve screwed us all over in a lot of ways,” Thomas said, getting back up and standing beside his team again. “Why? Why steal the Key? And why should we let you keep it?”

“I stole it because…I needed a way to fight. I can’t do much with my hands, but I’m a hell of a fighter,” Silver said. “Yellow said it best. You need a Silver if you want to stop Serpen and Dimas, right? You’ve got someone standing five feet in front of you holding onto that Key. Why can’t you just say “OK, You can join” and let it be?”

Thomas, knowing that Silver had a point, nodded and shook his head. “I hate when people are right. For now…we need to keep an eye out for Lothor. No telling when he’ll be back,” he said.

“Lothor won’t be coming back!” Vexacon laughed, landing in front of the Rangers, while Shinmazu landed beside him, white bodied Kelzaks right behind them. “Not for a long time.”

“Vexacon,” Silver growled, his hands clenched around his Staff. He went to move forward and kill Vexacon, only to get stopped by Thomas. “Get out of my way. He deserves to die.”

“Then work with us,” the Red Ranger said, looking at Silver. “He does deserve death for what he’s done, but we work together.”

Growling, Silver nodded rather reluctantly. “Fine,” he said, looking at the Rangers. “Let’s end him.”

“You can’t win against us,” Vexacus laughed. “Shinmazu, let the Poisons go!”

As the multi-colored ninja thrust his arms forward, the Kelzaks--weapons in hand--rushed the six Rangers. Shinmazu, taking the chance to attack as well, drove towards Demi and April, catching the Pink and Yellow Rangers off guard. Thomas and Silver started slamming around at Kelzaks, their weapons turning a rusted maroon as they slashed and hacked, not even their Blasters doing any good.

“What the hell are these things?” Thomas growled, Richmond throwing his sword to the Red Ranger.

“Kelzak Poisons!” Shinmazu laughed, dodging a swing from Demi before “tripping” and falling forward, his hands catching the Yellow Ranger’s chest. Being the perverted clown that he was, he couldn’t help but squeeze, Demi’s yell of harassment making him laugh.

“Hey!” the Yellow Ranger yelled, driving her foot out and kicking Shinmazu right in the crotch, his pained laugh worth it before blood soaked her chest. “Um…didn’t think I kicked him that hard.” Turning her head, she saw Alec standing beside her with his sword covered in blood, Shinmazu’s severed left arm laying on the ground. “Oh…that’s what happened.”

“Help April and Richmond with Vexacon. I’ll deal with the clown,” Alec growled, his voice dangerously low. His hands seemed to shake, and Demi just nodded, knowing it was a good idea to just go before Alec really blew his top.

“Can’t we talk about this!?” Shinmazu asked, trying to snap his fingers to get some Kelzaks to help but to no avail. “Guess not. Breath Blast!” He jumped backwards and fired a poison cloud from his mouth, cloaking Alec in it before he landed, kicking the Blue Ranger hard in the chest and knocking him backwards.

“Ugh, that’s nasty!” Alec growled, shaking his head to get the fuzziness out of his mind. He rushed forward again, driving his fist into Shinmazu’s head, knocking him backwards.

Demi, having been keeping an eye on Alec as she fought beside April and Richmond, slashed backwards and cut off Shinmazu’s head piece, multicolored tendrils falling to the ground. “Nice haircut,” she laughed, driving her foot backwards into Vexacon’s crotch, April slamming her elbow into the back of his neck.

“Nice kick, Kanojo!” the Pink Ranger laughed, throwing Vexacon into Shinmazu, Richmond getting several shots off at the two while they stood up slowly and shakily.

“Thomas! What do you say about getting some new hardware?” the Green Ranger asked, driving a kick into a Kelzak’s chest, knocking it away from the Silver Ranger. “Let’s make Time ours.”

“Oh, I like that idea,” Thomas said, hitting his belt and taking the Red Time Force Key.

"UNLEASHED ENGAGE!"

TIME FOR TIME FORCE!

As the Rangers transformed once more into a new set of Rangers entirely, each one took out their weapons.

“Chrono Sabers!” Thomas, Richmond, and April called out, summoning the twin swords of the Red, Green, and Pink Time Rangers.

“V-Blaster!” Alec and Demi cried, summoning the rather large guns of the Rangers before firing several shots. The two provided cover fire for the three with the short range weapons, each one timing their shots for under the Rangers’ arms.

“Time Strike!” Thomas yelled out, an image of a red clock appearing around him before he slashed down, killing several of the Poisons in the slash.

“Time Strike!” April called, slashing her arms in different directions and causing Shinmazu to yell out in pain.

“Silver!” Richmond called, slashing around before throwing one of his Sabers past Silver and spearing another Poison that was trying to sneak up.

“Whoa!” Silver yelled, spinning around. “Thanks, dude!” He slammed into a Poison, knocking it backwards before flipping up and clipping one from behind as it went after Demi.

“Change up!” Thomas yelled out, driving his foot into the back of Vexacon who landed hard on the ground before Thomas caught up with his team.

As the Rangers went to summon new Keys, the sky darkened as a weathered scroll appearing in the sky before it opened up, the Japanese script on it glowing before it hit Shinmazu and the remaining Poisons, forcing them to grow to gigantic proportions. Shinmazu’s arm with sickening crunches and bones sprouting, causing him to yell out in pain.

“The Scroll,” Shinmazu growled, looking around as Vexacon ran off, the device Lothor used in his hand. “Bastard!”

“Sorry, old friend. I’m not going out like my father did,” he said, vanishing.

"Rangers! Good news!" Geeps' voice called out from the Callers. "The Omnizord is ready to go! Everything is set and nothing is going to break this time!"

“Awesome!” Demi said, grinning. “Thomas, let’s do this!”

Thomas nodded, hitting his Caller and summoning the Galleon, Silver looking up in wonder. “Awesome,” the Silver Ranger said, smirking as the Rangers leapt up into the Ship. “Hey! What about me!?”

“We don’t have one for you, I’m afraid,” Thomas said, looking down at Silver. “Sorry, dude. Unleashed Combination! Megazord Mode!”

As the Galleon lifted up higher to accommodate the space needed to make the legs form, the head of the ship separated, forming giant shoulder pads as the main mast compacted onto the chest. The Sub lifted up, it’s cockpit splitting in half like a mouth, forming the right leg of the Megazord, the Carrier’s trailer flipping up and latching into place on the cab, forming the left leg as the Racer’s back wheels spun down, the axel forming a hold that kept it in place as it became the left arm. The Jetter didn’t have much of a transformation, just the pirate hat unclipping from the back as the right arm formed. As every Zord connected, the Rangers were moved from their individual cockpits into the main cockpit behind the blue eyes on the Megazord. Five steering wheels, similar to what used to be on Pirate ships, appeared before the Rangers, each one holding onto the wheel in front of them.

“Unleashed Omnizord! Online!” the Five Rangers called out, Shinmazu not really impressed.

“Really? That’s the best you’ve got to deal with me?” he asked, drawing a pair of daggers from behind his “cape” and rushing the Megazord, not intimidated until getting kicked in the chest as his daggers went flying. “It isn’t possible!”

“Oh, it’s possible,” Thomas growled. “Chest Cannon!” Spinning his wheel, the center mast fell and revealed a cannon. The sides and front of the individual Zords opened up to reveal several dozen cannonballs, each one loading and firing at the same time.

Landing backwards, his anger reaching new heights, Shinmazu stood and launched himself forward, colliding with the Megazord and breaking the cannon before throwing the Megazord into some buildings, the explosions engulfing the Rangers. “Suck on that!” Shinmazu growled, standing away from the flames as rubble shifted. “No! Come on, don’t you people ever die!?”

“Once,” Alec growled, helping stand the Megazord up with the rest of the team. “Thomas. We need to use the Advent Mode.”

The Red Ranger nodded, holding up a Key. “Guys, take this set of Keys,” he said, holding one up.

“Got it,” the rest chimed in, taking a Key from their belt.

"UNLEASHED ENGAGE!" they yelled as they slotted the five Keys into the Steering wheels.

GALWIT MYSTO UNIOS the Megazord’s consoles rang out, a Mystic Circle appearing around the Megazord before it descended, changing the entire thing.

“Titan Megazord!” the five Rangers called out, the Megazord pushing up its “Magician’s hat” and holding the Mystic Saber in hand.

“That’s new,” Shinmazu said, impressed this time. “But it still won’t help you. Magic against a Ninja? Ha!” He rushed forward, slamming against the Megazord before getting bounced backward, not able to budge it this time. “Ok…”

“Are we through playing around?” Demi asked, leaning over her console and looking down at Thomas. “Leader-man?”

“Oh, yeah,” Thomas said, the Rangers spinning their wheels and slamming the fist of the Megazord into Shinmazu’s face, making the Ninja fighter spit out a mouth full of broken and bloody teeth.

“My smile! My beautiful smile!” he wailed, slamming his fist into the roof of an office building, the occupants inside screaming as their lives were snuffed out. “I’ll kill you for that!”

“I don’t think so,” Richmond said. “Turn the Keys a second time! That’ll let us do an even stronger attack.”

Turning the Keys again, the Megazord drew up it’s Saber. “Ancient Titans! Mystic Spell Seal!” the Rangers called out, slashing down with their right arms as the Seal came from the wings of the Megazord, flying through and slashing into Shinmazu again, his screams echoing as he fell backwards and became engulfed in a burst of fire.

As the Rangers leapt out of the Megazord, they landed beside Silver who seemed very impressed. “Not bad,” he said, letting go of his Morph and revealing a young man of roughly twenty five, a silver shirt covering a chiseled chest. Alec and Richmond growled lightly when they noticed Demi and April staring, both of them starting to drool.

“Hey,” Alec growled, kicking Demi in the ass and making her jump. “His eyes are up here!”

Silver laughed lightly, shaking his head. “Sorry. It happens every where I go. I’m Drake Holmes. And…I’m sorry for taking the Key,” he said, holding his hand out with the Key in his palm. “You can have it back…I don’t deserve to be fighting with you guys. Not when you’re a lot more courageous then I am.”

“Keep it,” Thomas said, nodding to Drake. “You earned it today. Come on. Let’s all go back to the ship and get something to eat. All the fighting made me hungry.”

“We hear that!” Demi laughed, hugging Alec and kissing his cheek. “Hey, you know I’ve only got eyes for you. I thought he was cute.”

“Yeah, sure,” Alec chuckled, rolling his eyes.

Drake laughed, shaking his head as he walked back towards the ship with the five Rangers, hoping he could fit in.
____________________________

On the Blizkon, Vexacon handed Serpen the device that summoned the Scroll of Empowerment, and he stepped backwards. “You have my undying allegiance, Lady Serpen.”

“Good. Now…the CyborEx program is just about complete, Eternaks are ready for combat, and the Outlying are reaching this Sector with every passing minute. Things are going according to plan,” Serpen laughed, looking out of the window of her ship, stars twinkling in the distance.

Deep within the belly of the ship, a soft groan was heard, as well as a body falling from a table…

Inside the Blizkon, Serpen stepped into the laboratory, closing the door and locking it behind her. She ran over to the figure sitting on a slab, wrapping a sheet around the form. “Are you alright?” she asked, clear concern in her voice.

Nodding, a mass of brown hair fell around a feminine face. “I…I think so,” she whispered. “Wait…where am I?”

“Someplace where you’re going to be safe. I promise,” Serpen said, putting her hand on the young woman’s cheek. “I swear. You’ll be safe here. If I can’t protect you here, I’ll take you someplace safe. I swear.”

The young woman nodded, shaking softly. “I believe you,” she whispered. “What’s your name?”

“Artemis,” Serpen said, her body melting into itself again, her light red hair springing forward again. “My name is Artemis.”

“What’s my name?” the other girl asked, looking up at Serpen, confusion in her eyes.
_____________________________________________

As the Rangers milled around the ship getting to work on repairing whatever Geeps couldn’t get, Drake--the newest addition in Silver--was busy learning the ropes of how the Rangers worked, each one giving bits of information about themselves, with the exception of Thomas. Drake sighed as he watched the Rangers interact, each of them laughing about random things, be it stories or memories from before they became Rangers.

“April?” Drake asked, the Pink Ranger pausing her DVD and popping out her headphones.

“What’s up, dude?” April asked, smiling warmly.

Drake sighed, holding his hand out. “Here,” he said, putting the Silver Ranger Key in her hands. “You don’t need me. You proved that a couple of hours ago. I mean…I did nothing during that fight. You don’t need a Silver Ranger. Not at this point in the fight.”

“Drake,” April said, closing her DVD player and standing up, looking at the young man in front of her. “We do need you. We just need to get things back up and running so we can get you integrated.”

“April, please. We all know that the only reason Thomas took me on was because I was an asset for five minutes,” Drake said. “I’ll see you around, kid.” He turned and walked out, dropping down into the crowded street before blending in, disappearing into the twilight sky.

“Drake!” April yelled, getting up and running out after him, looking around before she lost him. Her hands crossed in front of her, sniffling softly. “Damn it.” She ran back to the ship, sinking down into a chair as Demi and Richmond came out of the kitchen.

“April?” Demi asked, kneeling down beside her friend’s chair. “What’s wrong?”

“Drake left,” the Pink Ranger whispered, setting the Silver Ranger Key on the table. “Said we didn’t need him.” She sighed softly, watching Richmond pick up the key. “What do we do?”

“Survive,” Thomas said. “We did kind of shove him to the side last time. We didn’t give him a chance. No Shifts, no Megazord, no nothing. We did act like assholes.”

“Well, you did,” Demi said, smirking. “I mean, what the hell was with you today? You…really were a jerk to everyone, Thomas.” As Demi talked, nobody noticed the Pink Ranger slip out of the ship, disappearing into the crowds.

“I don’t know,” Thomas admitted. “I honestly don’t know what got into me.”

“Well, whatever it was, don’t let it happen again,” Richmond said. “Honestly, next time it happens, I’ll shoot you myself.”

“Get in line,” Alec smirked, looking around. “Hey, where’d April go?”

“She was here a minute ago,” Richmond said. “Maybe she just headed to her room. She was saying on the way back from the fight that she was a bit worn out.”

“I might have an idea where she’d go,” Demi whispered, the men’s eyes turning to her. “I know where she’d go.”
__________________________

Stopping at a flower shop, the Pink Ranger had managed to get the last of two dozen tulips and some petunias, walking through the city with the flowers in hand before taking a taxi to the Cemetery. Paying her fare, April got out and headed deep into the granite headstones, tears falling down her cheeks slowly.

Kneeling down in front of a grave, she removed the dead flower stalks and replaced them with the new ones, sitting on the ground in front of the gravestone. Inscribed were the words:


“Hi, Mama,” April whispered, dusting off the gravestone softly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been by lately. I’ve been busy with some friends. I know you’re watching me, so I won’t go into the details since you probably already know. I…it’s been seven years and I still miss you. I wish you would have taken me with you when you left…”

As the day wore on into the early night, April stayed beside the gravestone, never hardly moving except to try and find a more comfortable spot until a flashlight caught her eyes. She held her Caller and Key tightly, hoping she was only being found by the groundskeeper instead of a mugger. She really didn’t want to have to hurt an innocent civilian as a Ranger.

As the light crested over the small hill that her mothers gravestone was on, April put her Key and Caller away, seeing Demi. “April,” the Yellow Ranger said, her voice a sigh of relief as she hugged her best friend. “Don’t do that to me. I thought something bad had happened to you.”

“Sorry,” April whispered, hugging Demi back tightly. “I just wanted to see Mama, and I know the guys wouldn’t have understood.”

“Yeah, they would have. At least Alec and Rich would have. You know?” Demi asked, putting her hand on the gravestone. “Come on. Let’s go home. The Pay-per-view was getting ready to come on.”

“Summer Super Slam 40? Punk and Orton?” April asked, a small smile coming to her lips.

“Um, duh,” Demi smirked. “Come on. If we hurry we can beat the pizza man and have a couple of beers while we watch and drool over the semi-naked men.”

“Oh, you know me too well,” April said, smiling as she followed Demi back to the road. “But, one question. Why would we drool over semi naked men when we’ve got perfect hunks on the ship?”

“Touché, Ms. Month,” Demi snickered. “But, these are ones that fight for fun, not because the world’s in danger.”

“Yeah, I heard that,” April laughed, shaking her head.

As the two headed towards the exit again, April stopped and put her hand on Demi’s arm. “Hey, give me a minute, alright?” she asked, turning and ducking back, running down the far side of the cemetery before she found what she was looking for. Kneeling down in front of Andrea’s gravestone, the Pink Ranger put her hand on the marble. “Hey. I know that you’re watching us kick some major ass from above, Andrea, and…I’m so sorry we couldn’t save you. I hope you can forgive us. Trust me…we’ll get her for what she did to you. I swear.” She smiled softly, getting up and running back to Demi who had a confused look on her face.

“What was that all about?” the Yellow Ranger asked.

“I wanted to see Andrea and tell her hi,” April said. “When I was a girl, my mom used to tell me, “Appy, when someone passes away, you have to visit them occasionally or they’ll get angry with you.” So I made it a point to see her again. Her and Mama.”

Demi smiled softly, nodding. “You never told me that,” she said, wrapping her arm around April’s shoulder. “Come on, Pinkie. Let’s go back to the house and drool.”

“Alright, Twilight,” April snickered, walking with Demi out of the cemetery.
______________________________________

Two days later, the Empire started to get restless. Without orders to attack, they didn’t know how to fully function, Serpen being less then her usual leading self since Lothor’s…“disappearance”.

Serpen, having returned from her time in the lower labs, sighed as she watched the generals of her empire mill around, each of them looking for something to do. “Dimas,” she uttered, motioning him forward. “Take some Kelzaks and the first round of Eternaks and head to the surface. Just cause some destruction. It’s too quiet.”

“Yes, my queen,” Dimas said, motioning the Kelzaks forward. “Head to the landing bay, and I will meet you with the Eternaks.” When they didn’t move, he shoved some of them forward. “MOVE!”

Shaking her head, Serpen watched Dimas walk out before she turned to Vexacon. “What happened to Lothor?” she asked.

Laughing, Vexacon simply pulled up the surveillance video from two days before. As Serpen watched the footage, she had started wishing her cameras had audio instead of just visual. As Lothor was beheaded, Vexacon arrived on the scene and dragged the body off, the footage switching to a camera near the furnace, Lothor’s body being thrown in.

Serpen growled lowly in her throat, shutting off the footage. “I do not see why you are laughing, Vexacon,” she growled, standing and turning her back to the shark-headed ninja. “I see nothing about this that is funny. Not when you are next to be eliminated if you do not swear yourself fully to me. Like you should have done before.”

“My apologies, Lady Serpen,” Vexacon said, bowing his head. “I was walking by the room on my way to the Landing bay to go down to the surface when Dimas asked for my help.”

“Do NOT let it happen again, or what happened to Lothor will happen to you,” Serpen growled, her hair hissing and shaking violently. “Now get out.”

“Yes, my queen,” Vexacon said, stepping out of the bridge and heading down to his quarters, anger in his eyes. “You stupid woman. You don’t even know what’s coming for you.”

Serpen activated the communication systems, the other end of the line “ringing” before the being on the other end accepted. “Mitagas.”

“Ah! Lady Serpen!” the professor on the other side said, grinning as he typed on the computers. “Are you calling about the CyborEx program?”

“You know me too well, old friend,” Serpen said, smiling. “Is he ready for active combat?”

Nodding, the aged professor panned the camera around. “As soon as his Twin DioSabers are done cooking, he’ll be fully combat ready,” he said, looking at his creation. “It wasn’t easy grafting the CyborArmor on his body with how mangled he was, but I managed. He’s the ultimate warrior now, my queen.”

“Good,” Serpen said, nodding lightly. “Also, Mitagas. Thank you.”

“For what, Lady Serpen?”

“The other thing that I requested,” Serpen said, a rare sign of “humanity” in her silver eyes. “You don’t know what it meant that you could rewind what had happened with that subject.”

Nodding, Mitagas bowed his head. “No thanks are required. You and I have been friends how many years, Serpen? You asked this one for personal reasons, and I did not ask why, I just did. If you want to explain the reasons to me, that’s fine, but otherwise I won’t pry,” Mitagas said, smiling. “Now, I need to finish the DioSabers.”

“Of course, Mitagas. I’ll leave you to your work,” Serpen said, smiling softly before cutting the connection, her face and smile dropping and turning cold again. She sighed softly, putting her hand on her head before taking a drink out of a silver flask, shaking her head. “Goddamn it.”
____________________________________

April, having managed to get some time alone in her room, turned up her DVD player, thankful she didn’t need her headphones this time. Bobbing her head to the opening of the DVD’s first disk, she pulled a bowl of custard into her lap, dipping some breaded fish fingers into the bowl and grinning. “Now this is cool,” she grinned, chomping down on the custard-coated fish finger. A knock on the door made her pout, reaching over and opening it. She looked up at Richmond, grinning. “Hey!”

“What are you hiding in here for?” the Green Ranger asked, sitting on the bed. “And what the hell are you eating?”

“Hiding so I can watch some DVDs I’ve been meaning to,” April said, holding up the Doctor Who Series 1 Box, grinning. “As for what I’m eating, it’s Fish fingers and custard.” She held up an unbitten fish fingers before dipping it into the custard, twisting it and letting some of the excess fall off before holding it out. “Take a bite.”

Raising his eyebrow, Richmond cautiously took the custard coated treat, taking a bite of it. His face contorted in disgust before he slowly came around. “That’s good! Why didn’t we think about this before?”

“Because nobody wants to explore my weird food choices,” April giggled. She started the DVD again, growling in frustration as the alarms rang out. “Damn.”

She ran with Richmond out of her room, diverting to the kitchen before putting her custard away, throwing the last couple of fish fingers away. She met with the rest out in the main galley, looking at the monitors. “Yuck! What are they?!” she asked, pointing to the screen.

“Eternaks. They’re going to take all of us to beat,” Thomas said. “Upgraded Golbaks, they’ve got immense power. It’s going to take…all of our strength to make a dent.”

“Then let’s go,” April said, smirking.

“Jesus, what’s gotten into you? You’re awful eager for a fight, Appy,” Demi said, raising her eyebrow softly. “Did he wrestling match really pump you up that much?”

“Among other things,” April smirked, playfully bumping Richmond with her elbow, making the Green Ranger turn red.

Shaking his head, Thomas laughed as he watched his team interact. “Let’s roll, guys. Geeps, get the UQRs gassed up. We’re taking the quick way.”

“You got it!” Geeps chirped, hitting several buttons and causing the bikes to gas up, the engines revving from their spots inside the cargo hold. “Refuel complete. Quick Runners ready to ride.”

“Thank you much!” Thomas smirked. “Let’s go!” He led the Rangers downstairs, the back hatch of the ship opening and causing a ramp to fall, each Ranger blasting out of the ramp and tearing down the street, people moving aside for the multi-colored bikes that sped by in a blur.

After a few minutes of driving, the Rangers skidding to a halt and jumped off of their bikes, Thomas stood in the middle of the team’s “line”, Alec and Demi on his left with Richmond and April on his right. “Dimas!”

Turing around, Dimas smirked as the Kelzak Poisons and Eternaks stood beside him, stopping their assaults on the human population. “About time. I was starting to wonder if you’d ever come out to play,” he said. “Besides, I’ve got an old friend of some predecessors of yours that wants to play.” He snapped his fingers, a red crack appearing in the sidewalk before the Nighlok Negatron--looking rather decomposed--appeared, cracking his neck. “Negatron…welcome back from Hell.”

“I’d say it’s good to be back, but when Rangers are involved, it’s going to a challenge,” Negatron growled. “Lucky for me I know some better secrets this time.”

“Enough,” Thomas said. “Let’s Ranger up!”

“UNLEASHED ENGAGE!” Turning their Keys, the five Rangers transformed, going from their street clothes into their multicolored spandex forms of the Unleashed Power Rangers.

“Oh, shiny. Too bad it won’t help you!” Negatron laughed, rushing forward as the Kelzaks dispersed around the Rangers, starting to throw punches and attempt to hit them.

Thomas lashed out with his Saber, slashing one in the chest before coming face to face with Negatron. “What do you want?” he asked, trying to land a slash with his sword before Negatron caught it.

The three eyes on Negatron’s back glowed, the Nighlok grabbing Thomas by the neck. “You’re afraid of failing these losers,” he said, letting go before the Red Ranger exploded, flying backwards from the force of the insult.

“Thomas!” Alec yelled, lunging at Negatron before getting kicked in the stomach and slammed onto the ground. “Get off me!” He slashed out, missing and getting his sword knocked out of his hand.

“You’re too chicken to tell the girl you like that you want to stay. Don’t deserve her anyway,” Negatron snickered, Alec flying across the pavement as sparks flew off of his suit.

“Ok, I hate this guy,” Alec growled, standing up weakly and holding his chest where a few thin gashes were seen bleeding slowly.

“Thank you,” Negatron laughed, rushing Demi who dodged a few swings before he grabbed the Yellow Ranger’s arms and pinned them behind her.

“Hey! Get off of me, creep!” Demi growled, driving her foot back in an attempt to connect with Negatron’s crotch, only to end up on her stomach.

“Anorexic failure,” Negatron laughed, Demi yelping as she collided with Alec and Thomas like a bowling ball. “Strike!”

“Demi!” April yelled, jumping onto the Negatron’s back before slamming her sword into his side, making him yell out in pain.

“Oh, I’ve got the juiciest secret about you!” he laughed.

“No…don’t you dare!” April growled, yelping as Negatron spun around and knocked her off of him. “Please…don’t.” Her sword fell limply from her hand, fear in her eyes. “Please…”

“You’re just a scared little girl who’s afraid of everyone abandoning her,” Negatron laughed, April’s yell of pain as her suit exploded music to his ears.

The Pink Ranger hit her back, holding her ribs as she tried to sit up. Fear clouded April’s eyes, tears streaking down her cheeks behind the broken visor of her helmet, flecks of black plastic pierced into her face and making some small cuts that bled.

“April,” Richmond said, kneeling down and blasting Negatron in the chest, the Nighlok backtracking. “Come on. Let’s get you--”

“Don’t touch me!” April screeched, throwing Richmond aside and scrambling away from him. With cold fear in her eyes, the Pink Rangers suit fell away, revealing a broken young woman underneath.

“Negatron. That’s enough for now,” Dimas said, tossing Thomas onto the ground where he rolled to a stop. “We’ve done our damage for the day.” Turning and brushing his arm away, he vanished with Negatron and the remaining Poisons and the pair of Eternaks, leaving the Rangers to regroup.

“April, come here,” Demi said, running over to her friend only to get shoved away. “April?”

“Leave me alone,” April whispered, her Key and Caller dropping onto the ground before she took off running, leaving her UQR behind as she tore off for the ship.

“What the hell?” Thomas asked, stepping beside Demi. “Demi, what’s going on?”

The Yellow Ranger sighed, looking down as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. She knew about April’s past and she’d sworn never to talk about it unless April told her it was alright, but she knew that the boys needed to know. “Her mother left when she was eight years old,” she said. “Her father was an abusive jerk, always hitting her and making her a punching bag. She ran away when she was fifteen, and I met her a few weeks later. She broke into the house looking for food. When my mom saw how thin she was, April became a welcome addition to the family. My brothers liked her, but she stayed beside me until we graduated high school.”

“Then what happened?” Alec asked. He knew he shouldn’t pry into April’s life, but he wanted to help her. “Dem?”

Before the Yellow Ranger could answer, the four felt something tugging at them, almost like they were being called away before the four disappeared.
_______________________________

Throwing Dimas and Negatron into the wall, Serpen lashed out and slammed her fist into Negatron’s stomach. “Gorgon Conversion!” she snapped, two snakes on her head hissing as they stood up and turned Negatron into a statue, the Empire’s leader shattering it and leaving the pieces on the ground. “I send you to do something simple, and you don’t do it! Why shouldn’t I kill you where stand, Dimas!?”

“Because as of right now, spores that I crafted myself a very long time ago are weeding into the Rangers bloodstreams. In a matter of minutes, the four main Rangers are going to be stuck in our Ship where Mitagas will begin his testing on them for turning them into the ultimate warriors in your CyborEx Program, so that when the Outlying get here, you have nothing standing in your way as you conquer,” Dimas said, standing up and shaking his head out before hearing the sounds of teleportation devices.

Four black flashes later, the four Rangers stood in the middle of the bridge on the Blizkon, Demi and Thomas looking ready to fight while Richmond and Alec stood confused.

“Oh, hell no!” Demi snapped.

“Welcome to the beginning of the last day of your lives, Rangers,” Dimas smirked, throwing an electrical field around the Rangers as Alec lunged at Serpen, ten thousand volts of power being surged through the Blue Ranger.

“What do you want with us?” Thomas asked. He knew that if Serpen and Dimas wanted them on the ship that he and his team would be out for a fight to the death soon.

“That’s for us to know and you to find out, Thomas,” Dimas smirked, waving his hand. “Take them to the cells. Take their Keys and Callers and lock them up separately. Put the girl in my chambers.”

“Don’t touch her!” Richmond snapped, getting a fist into the mouth from a Golbak that knocked him into Demi, the Yellow Ranger helping steady him.

“I’ll be fine,” Demi said, noting the look in Alec’s eyes as well. “I promise.”

As they were marched off, Thomas noticed several small objects in the laboratories that they passed, objects that looked strangely like their Keys….
________________________________

Having run away back to the ship, April heard Geeps teleport her Key and Caller back into the Chest, the young Pink Ranger sinking into the couch before the alarm rang. “Damn... Now what?” she whined, not in the mood to fight.

“We’re getting a message, April,” Geeps said, tapping a few keys on the computer before Dimas’ face popped up. “You!”

“Hello, little birdie. And hello to you, Pinky Pie.” Dimas sneered.

“What do you want, you son of a bitch?” April growled, standing up. “It wasn’t enough to humiliate me with your stupid Nighlok? Have to taunt me in a video call?”

”Oh, no. That’s just the icing on the chocolate cake. You see….I want something that you’ve got. I want the Keys. But, I also have something that you need. Your friends. If you want them alive, bring the Keys to the coordinates I’m sending to your computer in two days. Until then, have fun trying to find me.” Dimas smirked.

“Bastard!” April yelled. “Give me back my friends!”

“Why? So that you can run away because you’re a scared little girl? I don’t think so. If anything, you’re going to come to me, Pinky Pie. See…it works like this. I’m the bad guy. I hold your friends lives in my hand. And something else of your Yellow Ranger friends, but that’s not here or there. So you see…either do what I want or I kill them. And then we’ll see how well one Ranger stands up to an Empire!” Dimas laughed, cutting the call.

April’s hand clenched, anger in her eyes. “This is not over,” she growled, cold fury replacing her anger. “Nobody insults me and kidnaps my friends and gets away with it.” As the Pink Ranger ran towards her room, she started forming a plan in her mind--one she hoped would save her friends, her own life be damned.

April, having been determined to find her friends since Dimas’ message, clenched her fists as she did another sit up. “Two hundred…” she mumbled, relaxing and taking a deep breath. “Geeps, where did that slimy son of a bitch say he was going to be?” She flipped over, pointing her feet down before she started push ups, counting lowly. “One…two….three….”

“He didn’t,” Geeps said, flying in with a towel and dropping it on the bed beside April’s water bottle. “He said, “Have fun trying to find me.” I don’t really want to think of what he’s doing to them.”

“Or what he’s doing to Demi,” April growled. “Fifteen….” As she kept going, she moved one hand to get to her mPod, scrolling through before finding the theme she wanted. As the tune from the Rocky Movies blared throughout the ship, the Pink Rangers eyes blazed with cold fury and determination. “Twenty…twenty-one…”
____________________________________

Deep inside of the Blizkon, Thomas and the other Rangers yelled out as electric shocks coursed through them, Mitagas’ experiments searing them deep inside. The Red Ranger fought against his bonds but to no avail. After a while, the four Rangers felt the electricity stop, allowing them to catch whatever breath they could.

Mitagas looked at his screens, trying to find a way to break the Rangers, despite their chances of staying alive being very low. “I do not know why you don’t give in, Rangers,” the aged professor said, looking over the Ranger’s vital signs. “Especially you, Thomas.”

“Because if we give up, Serpen wins,” Thomas growled.

“I refuse to give up and let her win,” Alec snarled, struggling against his own restraints.

“After all the hell she’s caused, I don’t want her to win. I love Earth, and I won’t go down without a fight!” Richmond snapped, pure anger blazing in his eyes.

“If she wins, that’s it,” Demi sighed, having stopped struggling a long time ago. Her muscles, sore from Dimas’ assaults on her body, didn’t think she could stand more. “I refuse to let her have my home. As it is, she’s already wiped out half of the population. She’s killing more and more of us every day, never giving up. Why should we quit and let her have this planet where she can screw it over!? She already did that once by acting like she was a friend!”

“You don’t understand,” Mitagas said. “None of you know her as I do. That’s why these electroshock treatments will continue until your mind or body breaks. Whichever. It is of no consequence to me which goes first so long as you all succumb to the CyborEx program.”

Stepping into the lab, Serpen had her arms crossed behind her. “Mitagas,” she said, putting her hand on the professor’s arm. “Let them rest. They’re not any good to us dead.”

“Of course, Lady Serpen,” Mitagas said, bowing his head in respect. “Though the insolence will only be accepted for a short time. My patience with them is wearing deadly thin.” He bowed his head again, retreating to his office before the door hissed closed behind them.

“Get up,” Serpen said, undoing the restraints and pulling the Rangers to their feet. “Come on. You don’t have any time.”

“Why are you helping us?” Thomas growled, pulling away from Serpen before he helped Demi up, the Yellow Ranger pale. “You’re trying to kill us. Why help us escape?”

“Because there are bigger forces here then you can imagine,” Serpen said, melting back into Artemis before her eyes softened. “Please, Thomas. You have to trust me. Dimas is planning something that’s going to throw me out of command in a heartbeat, and he’s planning on using Vexacon and the remaining Ranger Keys to do so. I need you to get out.”

“No way in hell are we trusting you,” Thomas snapped, shoving Serpen away. “Not after what you did to us.”

“Very well then,” she said, returning to normal before she stabbed Thomas in the shoulder, driving him to the ground. “Jesus, Thomas, for once in your life, listen to me. Dimas is planning something. You remember the Outlying? The Key of Deletion? Yeah, that’s happening. If we can’t stop Dimas, nothing is going to stop him from gaining ultimate power.”

“Ultimate Power?” Alec asked, looking up at Serpen. “Are you serious?”

“Listen, Alec--”

“No. You don’t get to tell me to listen,” Alec snapped. “Not after what you’ve done to us.”

Serpen sighed, looking away. “Do you think I wanted to do what I did? I didn’t,” she said, healing the cut in Thomas’ arm before she let herself return to normal. She knew that Mitagas wouldn't be long gone, so she restrapped the Rangers down. "I'm sorry for this."

“Then why don’t you put yourself in front of your little subordinate’s cattle prod?” Demi asked, her voice low. Everyone turned to look at the Yellow Ranger, none more intrigued then Serpen. “PUt yourself in front of him and let him do to you what he did to me. See if you’re still so adamant.”

Serpen looked down, having a damn sure idea of what Demi was talking about. “I told him not to touch you,” she said. “I’ll deal with him. Severely. Just…for now, please trust me. I can get you out of here and get the Keys we’ve gained to Geeps.”

Thomas sighed, looking at his team. “We don’t have much choice, do we?”

“Guess not,” Alec said, Richmond nodding in agreement.

“Fine,” Thomas said. “But take the ship into Earth so that April can find it.”

“Done,” Serpen said, nodding. “And I’ll take a few swings from each of you if it’ll make you feel better.” She looked up as Mitagas came back inside, stepping back before nodding softly, heading for the door. “They’re useless. Begin the upgrades.”

“Of course,” Mitagas said, restarting the electroshock treatments. As the Rangers screamed out, he set to work lining up several large pieces of metal, knowing exactly what he wanted to do.
_____________________________

April, having taken a hot shower and eaten enough for eight people, paced around the ship’s main deck. “Geeps! I know what I can do to help get the guys back.”

“What?” the parrot asked, landing on his friend’s shoulder.

“My aunt Koyomi has my fathers War Katana at her house. It’s just a few blocks away. I can get it, and with that razor sharp steel that never dulls, I’ll be able to slice my way around more then with a Ranger Saber,” she said, adjusting a black long sleeve shirt over her torso, tightening a black belt before she pulled on her boots, cracking her knuckles.

Geeps nodded, tapping the keyboard before he squawked, alarms ringing out. “Looks like that katana will have to wait, April,” he said, pulling up the cause of the alarm. “The Empire’s flagship, the Blizkon, just lowered down into the planet. What do you want me to do?”

“Set a course right for them. Full speed. Ram the bastards,” the Pink Ranger growled, putting her Caller and Pink Ranger Key in her pocket. She knew what she had to do, and if it got her killed, so be it.
_____________________________

Dimas, having been watching the way the ship was working on his monitors, growled as it slowly descended into the city. “What the hell is going on!?” he demanded. “Why are we near the surface?!”

“Lord Dimas, it appears that Lady Serpen has authorized us to lower onto the planet,” Vexacon said, tapping some keys. “I cannot override the commands.”

“Volan!” Dimas swore. “I’ll fix this.” He started towards the door, planning on ending Serpen’s life and taking over. He opened the door, taking one foot out when suddenly--

“Sir!” one of the guards called out, making Dimas turn. “The Rangers Uchuu Galleon! It’s coming right for us!”

“Evasive--” Dimas started. His words were cut off in his throat when a thunderous crash was heard. He toppled over, ending up on the floor under the view screen, anger in his normally calm blue eyes. “What the hell!?”

“It was the Galleon!” the same guard yelled out. He got back into his seat, tapping several keys. “There’s a massive hull breach on decks nine through fifteen. Reporting several casualties spanning the width of the ship.”

“Get an attack force down there now! Stop her!” Dimas snapped getting up and grabbing his sword again before he ran out with the guards, seeing blasts of light from several corridors down.

As he rounded the corner, he was met with April hacking and slashing down his Timbaks, knocking several of them away.

“Unleashed Engage!” the Pink Ranger yelled. GO GO SAMURAI was heard, the Caller changing the Pink Ranger into that of the Samurai Rangers. As Golbaks gathered around her, she drew out her Samuraizer, flipping it open. “Symbol Power! Shield!” Drawing out the Japanese character for Shield, she managed to get it around her fast enough that the Golbaks’ attack didn’t even scratch her.

“Kill her!” Dimas yelled, holding his sword out. “NOW!”

The Golbaks rushed forward, swinging their arms around and hoping to land a hit on the Pink Ranger. One took charge, knocking April off of her feet before she landed on the ground, a solid smirk on her face under the helmet.

“Is that really all you’ve got?” she asked, laughing. “I haven't even started! Unleashed Engage!” WILD ACCESS her Caller rang out, turning her into the White Tiger Wild Force Ranger. “White Tiger Baton!” She thrust forward, slamming it headlong into one of the Golbaks’ face, leaping up and over before flipping it onto his head, throwing it into it’s friends. “Come on, I thought you were tough.”

“Try them on for size,” Dimas growled, slamming his fist into the wall as two Eternaks walked out, holding their staffs up before crossing them, the symbol of the Empire shining before it blasted out.

“Oh, shit,” April yelped, landing on her back as she jumped backwards, the blast making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. “Ok, you want to play like that? Try this on. Unleashed Engage!” RPM! GET IN GEAR! As her suit changed into that of the Black RPM Ranger, she summoned her Rocket Blaster, firing several high powered blasts into the Eternaks’ chests, knocking them back before she got up and ran.

“Yeah, keep running,” one of the Eternaks laughed, taking chase. He ran down the hall, blasting at April only to miss, slamming headlong into the wall as she made a sharp left, running towards the cells.

“Guys!” the Pink Ranger yelled, kicking down a door and hearing her friend’s screams. “No…please, don’t be too late…” She ran down the hallway, following the Ranger’s screams as they were electrocuted, kicking the door for the lab in. “Turn it off!” Pointing her Rocket Blaster at Mitagas, she wanted it to be known she wasn’t playing. “NOW!”

Mitagas nodded, flipping off the switch and undoing the Rangers bonds and allowing them to sit up, discreetly hitting a second switch that activated the CyborEx Program. “Do you think you’re going to get away with this, Pink?” the aged professor asked, looking at the Pink Ranger who was helping her friends up.

“I think I just did,” April growled, kicking a filing cabinet over and taking the Callers and Keys back, handing them to her friends. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Not so fast, actually,” Mitagas said, smirking. “See…what you didn’t notice was I activated the CyborEx program. Now, with Skelecron back, have fun trying to get out of here alive!” He laughed as he ducked out of a side door, leaving the room strangely silent.

“April,” Thomas said, putting his hand on the Pink Ranger’s shoulder. “Good job.”

“Dude, you rock,” Demi smiled, though her smile was dimmer then she wanted. “Thomas, we need to find those Keys Serpen spoke about.”

“I know where to look,” Thomas said. “I spent eight years on this ship. I know it inside and out, and I know where a lot of hiding spots are. Come on.” He led the four Rangers out of the lab, running down the hallway towards the docking bay, running into Serpen’s personal runner. “She keeps everything valuable to her in here.” He opened a door, several Ranger Keys falling out.

“SPD Shadow, Omega, and Kat Rangers! Lady Samurai Red, Dino Thunder White, Solaris Knight, Wolf Warrior, and White Mystic Ranger. Oh, my god!” Demi said, grinning. “Let’s get the hell out of here while we still can enjoy these things, huh?”

Just then, the entire docking bay shook as heavy footsteps stormed through, Eternaks’ laughing voices ringing down the hallway. “Rangers!” a familiar voice yelled out, the double doors of the docking bay blasting off of their hinges in a cloud of smoke. Stepping out of the smoke, Skelecron, now converted into a Cyborg, stood holding his Twin DioSabers, ready for battle.

“You had to open your mouth,” Richmond snickered. “Let’s Ranger up and put an eternal end to him, shall we?”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Thomas said, holding his Caller up. “Ready!?”

“Unleashed Engage!” the four unmorphed Rangers yelled out, transforming in a blast of colored light. Standing ready to fight, the five Rangers--April back in her Unleashed Suit--each held their respective weapons: Thomas using both Saber and Blaster, Demi and Alec both wielding Swords, and April and Richmond with the Blasters.

“Let’s rumble,” Thomas said, rushing forward and slashing out with his Saber, the blade not even connecting as Skelecron leapt backwards, driving two solid waves of energy out of his Blades at the five Rangers.

As they hit the ground with their suits sparking lightly, April growled as she stood up. “I’ve got an idea,” she smirked, hitting her belt and taking out the White Dino Thunder Key.

“Oh, you’re good,” Demi said, tapping her belt and summoning the Silver Space Ranger Key.

Thomas, Richmond, and Alec shook their heads at the Yellow and Pink Rangers interactions, each man taking a Key from their own belts.

“Unleashed Engage!”

DRAGONZORD

QUANTUM POWER

MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE

LET’S ROCKET

WHITE RANGER, DINO POWER

As the Rangers transformed, they summoned their respective weapons, Thomas rushing Skelecron again with the Dragon Dagger, slamming it into his chest before he kicked the converted warrior backwards. Super Silverizer in hand, Demi followed with a cross slash against his head, severing several horns that had been placed.

“You think that can stop me?” Skelecron growled, combining his DioSabers into one and throwing it like a boomerang, knocking the Rangers backward again, throwing Demi and Richmond against the wall before April landed on a very sensitive spot on Alec, making the Blue Ranger groan out.

“Ow…” Alec groaned.

“Sorry,” April said, helping Alec up. “Let’s do this.” She held her Drago Sword out, drawing a dozen arrows in the air before throwing them forward, making them collide with Skelecron as Alec leapt up, following the arrows.

“Quantum Defender!” the Blue Ranger called out, slashing with the two-in-one sword/gun, connecting multiple times with Skelecron.

“My turn,” Richmond said, smirking as he held up the Laser Lamp, spinning the silver dial on the side. “Fire!” As he pulled the trigger, a dozen bursts of energy emerged, colliding with Skelecron, knocking him backwards.

“You think you pathetic pansies can stop me again!?” Skelecron growled. “DioSaber Burst!” Charging both DioSabers, he threw each one like a boomerang, the twin weapons connecting with the Rangers and knocking all of them backwards, each one falling out of their secondary morph, leaving them in their Unleashed Suits. “You’re weak. You’re always going to be weak, Rangers. You can’t stop me!”

Struggling to get up, Thomas forced himself up, firing a few rounds from his Unleashed Blaster, the other Rangers getting up and firing beside him. Demi kept her focus on his chest, aiming for the small rectangular slot that would cover whatever heart he didn’t have.

“April, you alright?” Richmond asked, glancing back at the Pink Ranger who had yet to get up. “April!”

“Mmm…I’m alright,” she groaned, holding her side where a bit of black was seen seeping out of her fingers. “I think…”

“Let’s end this,” Skelecron growled, firing again.

“Unleashed Engage!” Thomas yelled, transforming one more time. DINO THUNDER POWER UP his Caller rang out, his suit changing into the Blue Dino Thunder Ranger, blocking the shot with the Tricera Shield. He threw the shield, spearing it into Skelecron’s chest. “Guys, let’s go Pink and go home.”

“Sounds good,” Demi said, watching April stumble a bit. “April, sit down. You’ve done enough today. Rest.”

“I can’t,” the Pink Ranger groaned. She used the wall to stand up, holding her Caller before she summoned a Pink Ranger Key. “Let’s finish this.”

“If you say so,” Demi said, her tone clearly worried for her best friend. She held up her own Pink Ranger Key, nodding. “Let’s do it, guys.”

“Pink,” Alec groaned, taking a Key from his belt.

“Get used to it, dude,” Richmond snickered.

“Unleashed Engage!” the five Rangers called out for the final time, turning the five Pink Ranger Keys in their Callers.

PTERADACTYL

OVERDRIVE ACCELERATE!

SHIFT INTO TURBO!

MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE!

GO GALACTIC!

“Power Bow!” Thomas yelled, firing several arrows from the bow, each of them landing in Skelecrons’ chest. He ducked down, letting Richmond leap over him.

“Hydro Geyser!” the Green Ranger called out, firing a blast of high power water from the spout on the front of his weapon. He knocked Skelecron backwards with a snap kick, landing him on the Quasar Saber thanks to Demi.

“Tell your boss something,” the Yellow Ranger growled, twisting the blade. “Go to hell.” She pulled the blade out of his back, slashing down before throwing him into Alec. “You’re up, babe.”

“Thank you,” Alec said, taking the MagiStaff from his belt before he channeled a gust of wind at Skelecron that lifted him up, slamming him into the roof of the ship before he delivered a kick to the face. “April, finish him!”

“With pleasure,” April growled. “Turbo Wind Fire! Unleashed Break!” She leapt up, slamming the bumper-styled bow into Skelecron’s chest, firing all she could before she kicked him backwards, standing with her back to the explosion. “Let’s go--” She hit her knees, Demi rushing over and keeping her from falling over.

“Thomas! Get us back to the ship!” the Yellow Ranger yelled, her voice carrying urgency. “Now!”

“Right,” Thomas said, looking at Alec. The Blue Ranger waved the MagiStaff, taking all five Rangers back to the Galleon which reversed and sped away.

Dimas, having gotten to the fight late, growled as he kicked Skelecron’s body to the side. “Idiot!” he snapped, the Cyborg warrior sitting up with anger in his eyes.

“Damn,” Skelecron sighed, stuffing his DioSabers on his back.
______________________________

Demi laid April on a bed in the medical bay, cutting her friends shirt off of her and throwing it into the trash. “April, look at me,” she said.

“Can’t keep my eyes open,” April admitted with a light chuckle. “Just hurts, that’s all.” She sighed, looking up at her best friend. “Guess we have to tell them the truth, don’t we?”

“Yeah, Ap,” Demi whispered, moving her friends brunette hair out of her eyes. “Yeah, we have to tell them…I know you didn’t want to tell them and keep the charade up, but…we don’t have a choice, sweetheart. We have to tell them.”

Thomas, Alec, and Richmond stepped into the room, watching the two girls talk. “How is she?” Richmond asked, looking at Demi.

April sighed, thankful she was still in her bra as she sat up with Demi’s help. As she moved lightly, sparks could be seen from inside of her skin, black fluid seeping out. “Guys--”

“You’re an android,” Alec said, cutting April off.

“Yes. Created by the Empire. I was only supposed to be used to find out things about the planet, find out if it was protected or not. I went above that programming, I…I grew,” April whispered. “I was found by a woman named Koyomi, the woman I called my aunt. I met Virginia Underwood and Hiromu Chang twenty years ago, and after she left, he started beating me. My metal endoskeleton grows like a humans. I was only a child-like being when I was first sent to Earth. I’ve grown up on this planet, and…”

“Enough,” Thomas said. “It doesn’t matter to us what you used to be, April. What matters to us is what you are now, and that’s more human then I am. It doesn’t matter to us if you were Empire or not. I was for the first twenty years of my life. It doesn’t matter. You’re as human as Demi is to me, and you’re nothing like what the Empire made you to be. So don’t worry about anything. Alright?”

April, who wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction, lowered her eyes. She knew they had a right to hate her for what she really was, but seeing how accepting they were, and coupled with Demi’s hand on her shoulder, it made the Pink Ranger smile. “Thank you, guys. I’ll keep doing my best to make the best out of what I am and how much I love this planet.”

Demi smiled, hugging April and kissing her head, grabbing some bandages and a wrap. “Now, can I fix you up?” she asked, smiling at her friend. “Please?”

“Yeah,” April smiled, laying back down. “Oi, you three. Get your butts out. I’m about to be topless here. Go!”

Laughing, Thomas grabbed Richmond and Alec, leading them out of the room. “I don’t think we want to see this happen,” he snickered.

“Speak for yourself,” Richmond laughed, sitting down at the table while Demi and April’s giggles filled the hallways.

“Boys,” the two female Rangers giggled, Demi starting to work on fixing April’s side.

With Skelecron returned, Serpen caught in the middle of her right hand man’s devilish ways, and the Keys of Deletion nearing Earth ever so slowly, the Rangers gladly welcome a breath of relief from the last months of endless fighting.

Yelling out as she flew through the air, April rolled to a stop just beside Demi, holding her shoulder. “Goddamn, these guys are stronger today,” she groaned, standing up. “We need to do something.”

“Die, perhaps?” Dimas asked, slashing out with his sword and causing a blast of black tinted energy to fly out, slamming into the Pink and Yellow Rangers. Turning his attention elsewhere, Dimas focused on helping Furyblaze deal with the Red Ranger while CyborSkelecron took on Richmond and Alec simultaneously. “Stay down if you know what’s good for you, girls, and maybe I’ll consider making your corpses trophies.”

Richmond blocked a cut from CyborSkelecron before getting a boot in the chest, hitting his back hard on the concrete. “Thomas, what do you want us to do?”

“Whatever you can to get these bastards!” Thomas yelled, leaping backwards and barely avoiding a slash from both Dimas and Furyblaze. “Why don’t you just die!?” Turning his Red Ranger Key in his Saber, Thomas sent a focused blast of energy at the two, getting a cut in the chest in return.

“Did you not know that you cannot defeat us?” Skelecron asked. “Not now, nor if you get stronger. We are stronger then you hope to be, Thomas.”

“I don’t think so,” Thomas snarled, growling before throwing Skelecron backwards, hitting his belt. “Guys! Change it up! Unleashed Engage!” S.P.D. EMERGENY the Red Rangers Caller rang out, transforming him into the Shadow Ranger. “Shadow Saber!” Unsheathing to Anubis-headed sword, Thomas opened the jowls on the sword, a small vortex circling the blade and strengthening it, giving it power.

“You can’t defeat me with that,” Skelecron laughed, throwing his Twin DioSabers like a boomerang, the Red Ranger flying backwards and ending up on his back, his suit falling from around him. “Lord Dimas. Shall we defeat these impudent children?”

Kneeling down over April who struggled to get away, Dimas took the Pink Ranger’s face in hand. “A shame to waste such technology,” he mused, slapping the young woman hard across the cheek, sending her rolling. As Richmond helped her up, Dimas unsheathed his sword, charging it with several rounds of energy. “Let’s do this, boys.”

“Triplex Wave!” the three Generals yelled in unison, red, black, and blue energy waves combining into a lethal skull that bit down on the Rangers, knocking them out of their morphs and into unconsciousness.

“Leave them,” Dimas said, turning on his heel. “Death will welcome them soon enough. Return to the ship and prepare for the first Key’s arrival. Lady Serpen says it shall be here tonight.”

“About time,” Furyblaze growled. As the three Generals vanished in a burst of black fire, Geeps flew down and chirped sadly.

“Oi, wake up!” Geeps cried out, slamming himself on Thomas’ head. “Come on, you dolt!” When they didn’t wake up, he teleported them all to the medical bay. “Damn it…those three tricked us…”

“Of course they did,” April groaned, sitting up and holding her side. “Oh, I feel like my servos got thrashed in a meat grinder.”

“Because they did,” Geeps retorted, sitting on April’s shoulder. “The others are resting, so we need to leave them to that.”

“I’ll make some food, then,” April said, patting Geeps’ head softly and walking out. “After I change, and a shower.” She walked off towards her room, stripping down and letting the water heat up before stepping under, sighing as she rested her back on the cold marble tiles. “What do we do to stop them? I can’t do that whole Wonder Woman shtick again. Doing that once almost got me killed….”

Slowly, the Rangers were woken up, each due to varying reasons: Geeps flapping wings, key strokes on a computer, the smell of French Toast and Coffee, music playing in the background. Showering and walking out in new clothes, the Rangers slowly piled around the table, each one not saying much until…

“We need help,” Demi whispered. “We need to find Drake and bring him back.” The look of silence around the table as the thought was considered before Alec spoke up.

“We do need his help, and he said when he left that he wasn’t needed right then. It’s been a month. I think we need to find him,” the Blue Ranger admitted, nodding to his counterparts around the table.

“No,” Thomas said, being ever stubborn. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We don’t know anything about him, don’t know where his loyalties lie, nor do we know we can trust him.”

“Says the man who never gives his past information out, refuses to talk about being part of the Empire, and basically is the same thing as Drake, just in red,” Richmond said, causing Demi and April to nod. “Dude, seriously, what’s the reason you don’t want him here?”

“Because I destroyed his home.”
__________________

“What the hell were you thinking!?” Serpen yelled, slapping Dimas hard in the face. “I ordered you NOT TO GO DOWN THERE, but the first bloody thing you do was go down there!” She growled lightly in her throat, stepping away from Dimas before moving to Furyblaze with a hushed, “Yours is coming later, Furyblaze.” Stopping in front of Skelecron, she just shook her head. “Don’t make me regret bringing you back to life, Skelecron. I really don’t want to have to kill you again.”

As Serpen walked out, the three Generals all groaned in annoyance. “She is wearing thin on my nerves,” Dimas growled.

“Agreed. Something must be done,” Furyblaze sighed. “I do not care if she is the Leader of our Empire. Choices in the past have been made by her that have cost us dearly. Like allowing her--the Red Ranger to survive. Thomas is the root of these problems, yet the man does not realize it.”

“As soon as the first Key of Deletion gets here, alert only me,” Dimas said, turning to Skelecron. “You, however, Skelecron, have a task ahead of you.”

“And what is that, my Lord Dimas?”

"Take the Dark Shinobi Azio out for a bit of exercise. But…his Shadow Seal is going to be the key to your victory,” Dimas said, smirking as the Shinobi himself appeared in the room. “Azio. Any words that Skelecron speak will be followed completely. Do you understand?”

As his title implied, the Shinobi just simply nodded, standing back in the shadows, the light blue lines on his torso armor glowing lightly in the dim. “Interesting,” Skelecron said, looking back at Azio. “Your orders are to disable the Rangers accessing their Keys. Is that correct, sir?”

“Finally, someone is learning,” Dimas said, smirking as he nodded. “Correct, Skelecron. You will disable the Rangers. Two hours. Then you leave. Allow me to deal with Serpen.”
___________________________

Sitting around the main screen enjoying a few minutes of downtime thanks to their still recovering wounds, the Rangers were in the middle of a movie to kill some time.

”Give me your face!” the character on the screen roared out, ripping the monster’s head off of it’s shoulders.

“Cool,” Alec and Richmond spouted at the same time.

“Different, that’s for sure,” Thomas chuckled, the girls giggling as they gauged the boy’s reactions. “So…do you think we could end up getting a win this time if all three of them attack again?”

Sighing, Demi paused the movie and shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said, looking at the Red Ranger. “But I do know this. If you don’t let me finish the movie, I’ll break three of your legs.”

“But there’s only--oh,” April snickered, Richmond and Alec crossing their legs and remembering not to cross the Yellow Ranger. “Boys are so vulnerable.”

“Yep, but we love them anyway,” Demi giggled, kissing Alec’s cheek. “Now, can we get back to the movie?”

But, as usual, something had to happen to get in the way. The alarms rang out, alerting the Rangers to something happening in town. “Figures,” Thomas huffed, getting up and tapping some keys. “Looks like Skelecron and Furyblaze are back. And they brought a friend. His name’s Azio, the Dark Shinobi. We need to seriously be careful of Shadow Seal. It can honestly block our power.”

“Lovely,” Demi said. “Let’s go. Where is he?”

“Downtown,” Richmond said, pulling up several large holographic maps. “We need Drake, Thomas. What do we do?”

“Split up,” Thomas said. “April, you go find him. We’ll start trying to hold these guys off for now. Until you can get him here and get his suit hooked into the Chest.”

“Alright. You guys be careful out there,” April said, running out and grabbing her Caller and Key out of the chest, taking the Silver Key as well as the Silver Shifter before jumping out of the ship, running through town. “Drake! Drake!”

“Let’s rock,” Alec said, tossing the Yellow Key to Demi and taking his own before putting it in his pocket, Thomas and Richmond behind the Blue and Yellow Rangers as they headed towards downtown.
_______________________

Sitting in a café not far from where he was when he first made a show out of himself, Drake Holmes sighed as he turned another page in his book, Pride and Prejudice. Taking a small drink out of the hot coffee cup, the one time Silver Ranger sighed as he watched people walk by, not caring that a Power Ranger was in their midst.

“Happy go lucky bastards,” he sighed, setting the hot cup back down, looking at his page again before a shadow crossed his eyes. “Excuse me, you’re in my light.” When the shadow moved, Drake nodded. “Thank you.”

“Pride and Prejudice? Didn’t think you’d read something like that,” a voice said. “Thought you’d be more of a Bleach or One Piece kind of guy. Maybe Attack on Titan, I don’t know.”

Without even looking, Drake just shook his head. “And what would you know about my reading habits?”

“Only that what you read reflects the person you are,” the other person said.

“And let me guess. You read Chicken Soup for the Soul, self help columns in the newspaper, and think that Star Wars sucked?”

“Yes, yes, and no. I‘ve cosplayed as Leia a few times, including the sexy metal bikini,” the other voice said, clearly enjoying the game as Drake‘s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Would you put the damn book down and look at me? I’ve got something you might be interested in, Drake.”

Marking his page carefully, Drake looked up, seeing April. “Oh.”

“Aw, is that all I get? “Oh.” Make me sound like the plague. Though, I guess I am in a way, huh? Being the only one to give a shit about you being one of us,” April said, smiling. “Drake, we need you now.”

“No, you don’t, April. We’ve been over this before. You don’t need me. You’re just perfectly find on your own,” Drake said, looking over at the Pink Ranger.

“Drake, yes, we do need you,” April said. “We got our cans kicked today. And I don’t care if I have to drag you out of here by your boys, I’ll do it. We’re in dire need right now, Drake. Please.”

“Why should I?” Drake asked. “What do I care if you get killed? Why the fuck should I care about this stupid war? Why does it concern me!?”

As he yelled at April, all heads turned to Drake and the Pink Ranger, April sighing softly. “It matters because you’ve lost things to the Empire, just like everyone else has. Well…almost everyone else.." She sighed softly again, looking down before she looked at the man in front of her, her eyes pleading. "But, Drake, the point is we need you. Please. This time, I’m serious. We need you to fight with us. We can’t do this alone. We got triple teamed by Dimas, Skelecron, and Furyblaze. I got my servos handed to me.”

Drake sighed, looking at his hands as thoughts made their way around his mind. He knew that if he didn’t help, the others would die, and he’d hoped to hang out with April a bit more, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to help and be put in the crossfire. “Gnartz,” he sighed. “I hate when women give good arguments for things and turn on the damn puppy dog eyes.”

“Then you’ll do it?”
_______________________

As the other four Rangers ran through town, Thomas couldn’t help but wonder if they were being set up. “Something about this isn’t right,” he said, Alec looking at him.

“You mean like we’re running into a trap?”

“Exactly,” Thomas nodded, taking his Key and Caller in hand at the same time as the other Rangers did.

“Unleashed Engage!” the four yelled, turning their Keys and morphing, running down the road before skidding to a halt in front of Azio and Skelecron.

“You again,” Demi growled. “I still so owe you a kick in the face for that sword to the back the other day, asshole!”

“Azio,” CyborSkelecron said, snapping his fingers as the Shinobi dropped into the ground.

“Shadow Seal,” his voice whispered, ethereal as his form. Black tendrils leapt up from the ground, slamming into the Rangers belts, sealing their access to various other Ranger Keys. Reappearing beside CyborSkelecron, he bowed his head in success. Skelecron pointed forward, two Eternaks--similar to the Golbaks but in red with staff-type weapons--rushed forward and attempted to engage the Rangers.

“Damn it! He blocked my belt!” Alec growled, trying to slash at the gunk covering his belt. “I can’t get any new Keys!” He growled as he got hit in the chest by one of the Eternaks’ staffs, flying backwards.

“Neither can I!” Demi yelled, ducking a swing from the other Eternak before she kicked it in the leg, knocking it backwards.

The two Eternaks regrouped, crossing their Staves together before the image of the Blizkon appeared out of the tops of the weapons, hurtling forward at the Rangers at a high rate of speed. As the ship collided with the four Rangers, they got flung backwards into the side of a brick wall, each one landing hard on the ground.

“We need to do something,” Richmond huffed, standing up slowly. “At least until April can get here.” He aimed and fired his Blaster, the shot knocking one of the Eternaks backwards.

“You’re right,” Thomas growled, standing up. “We need to give April time to get Drake and have him get connected into the Chest.”
____________________________

“You ready to try this?” April asked, looking at Drake who was holding his Cell and Ranger Key in hand. “Drake?”

“Hm?” Drake asked, looking up. “Yeah, sorry. I was thinking. If we win this fight against the Empire…does that mean things can start being normal again?”

April sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I honestly don’t have an answer for you, Drake. I…hope things can start to settle down after we stop Serpen and the Empire, but…I don’t know if it’ll happen. There’s a lot of factors that can lead into it being a success or a failure, and if we fail, we’re all dead.”

“Yeah, I was afraid of that,” Drake sighed. “Guess I need to morph so the parakeet can do his job, right?”

“Oi! I ain’t a parakeet, mate. I’m a parrot,” Geeps chirped, smacking Drake with his wing and flying up to the rafters again. “Bleeding jackrabbit.”

April giggled, shaking her head at the two. “Yeah, you’re gonna fit right in,” she snickered, looking at Drake. “But yeah, go ahead and morph.”

“Alright,” Drake said, flipping open the window on the Cell. He put the Key--still in a solid Ranger form--into the center, closing it down. “Silver Shift!” Pushing the button the keypad that corresponded with his Silver Ranger form, a small scanner slid down the Ranger key, the suit forming around Drake.

“Very cool,” April said, grinning. “A lot different then ours. Why “Silver Shift” instead of “Unleashed Engage” if I can ask?”

“It was the only thing that seemed to work,” Drake said. “I tried “It’s Morphin’ Time” and a lot of other phrases, including “Unleashed Engage“, but it didn’t respond. So I tried “Silver Shift“, and it worked.”

“Well, it makes sense to me,” April said. “Geeps, we need to get him hooked up and then we need to go.”

“Right!” the bird chirped, flying down and touching his beak to the Chest that housed the Rangers Keys before flapping over to Drake, touching his beak down to the belt, attaching a glowing silver line to him. As he flapped off, the line disappeared, the belt sparkling lightly.

“Now what?” Drake asked.

“Think about what Key you want and then tap the button on the top of the belt,” April said.

Thinking of one Key, Drake tapped the button and the center of the belt spun around, the White Mighty Morphin’ Key coming from the belt into his hand. “Awesome!” he said, tossing the Key up and catching it again. “Now, what do we do?”

“We go help the others,” April said, taking her own Key in hand. “Unleashed Engage!” She twisted her Key in the Caller, her morph taking place and forming her suit around her, the helmet clapping down over her head. “Geeps, set a course for the others. We need to get there fast, and the UQRs aren’t fueled.”

“Got it,” Geeps said, flying down to the computer and tapping a few keys as the ship started moving.
________________________

Yelling as they landed in a pile, Furyblaze swung his sword down and caused a wall of fire to rain down on the Rangers, their suits falling away as the put out small fires on their clothes, standing up weakly.

“Get up,” Thomas groaned, helping Demi up and making sure the guys were good. “You good?”

“Other then knowing what a steak feels like, I’m fine,” Richmond coughed, holding his ribs.

“Azio,” Furyblaze directed, moving backwards and standing beside CyborSkelecron. “You know what to do, Skelecron.”

“Yes, master,” CyborSkelecron nodded, Azio making complex movements with his hands in the style of ninja symbols.

“Dark Technique: Dimensional Drift,” Azio deadpanned, thrusting his hands forward as a tear appeared in the sky above the Rangers, lightning and high winds whipping around them.

“What’s going on?!” Demi yelled, trying to stay rooted in her spot.

“It’s a tear in the Dimensional Gates!” Richmond yelled, feeling his feet leaving the ground. “We’re getting sucked in!”

CyborSkelecron ran forward, jumping up and allowing himself to be sucked in as well, going through first with Azio hot on his heels. The Rangers reached out for each other, linking their arms before Thomas left the ground, all four being sucked up into the air.

Near where the rift was, the Uchuu Galleon came to a stop, April looking out of the porthole. “No!” she yelled, the Rangers’ bodies vanishing into the sky as the rift closed behind them, cutting them off from April and the Galleon.

“What the hell was that?” Drake asked.

“It was…a Dimensional tear,” April said, her eyes wide with fear as her suit fell away. “They’re gone...”
_______________________________

For the second time that day, the Rangers landed in a pile in the middle of the street, honking horns and people muttering about the new arrivals pointing at them at the same time.

“Where are we?” Thomas asked, standing up again slowly and helping his friends up.

“Looks like…Angel Grove,” Demi said, looking around before holding her arm, seeing the skyline that was so familiar to her. “We’re in Angel Grove…”

“Better question: What Dimension are we in?” Alec asked, the Rangers sharing a look that said they were screwed.

Elsewhere, a being trapped in an interdimensional tube appeared, his eyes full of knowledge. “Alpha. We have trouble,” he said, looking down…

“Did you not know that you cannot defeat us?” Skelecron asked. “Not now, nor if you get stronger. We are stronger then you hope to be, Thomas.”

“I don’t think so,” Thomas snarled, growling before throwing Skelecron backwards, hitting his belt. “Guys! Change it up! Unleashed Engage!” S.P.D. EMERGENY the Red Rangers Caller rang out, transforming him into the Shadow Ranger. “Shadow Saber!” Unsheathing to Anubis-headed sword, Thomas opened the jowls on the sword, a small vortex circling the blade and strengthening it, giving it power.

“You can’t defeat me with that,” Skelecron laughed, throwing his Twin DioSabers like a boomerang, the Red Ranger flying backwards and ending up on his back, his suit falling from around him. “Lord Dimas. Shall we defeat these impudent children?”
_______________________

“As soon as the first Key of Deletion gets here, alert only me,” Dimas said, turning to Skelecron. “You, however, Skelecron, have a task ahead of you.”

“And what is that, my Lord Dimas?”

“Take the Dark Shinobi Azio out for a bit of exercise. But…his Shadow Seal is going to be the key to your victory,” Dimas said, smirking as the Shinobi himself appeared in the room. “Azio. Any words that Skelecron speak will be followed completely. Do you understand?”

As his title implied, the Shinobi just simply nodded, standing back in the shadows, the light blue lines on his torso armor glowing lightly in the dim. “Interesting,” Skelecron said, looking back at Azio. “Your orders are to disable the Rangers accessing their Keys. Is that correct, sir?”

“Finally, someone is learning,” Dimas said, smirking as he nodded. “Correct, Skelecron. You will disable the Rangers. Two hours. Then you leave. Allow me to deal with Serpen.”
_________________________

“Why should I?” Drake asked. “What do I care if you get killed? Why the fuck should I care about this stupid war? Why does it concern me!?”

As he yelled at April, all heads turned to Drake and the Pink Ranger, April sighing softly. “It matters because you’ve lost things to the Empire, just like everyone else has. Well…almost everyone else. But, Drake, the point is we need you. Please. This time, I’m serious. We need you to fight with us. We can’t do this alone. We got triple teamed by Dimas, Skelecron, and Furyblaze. I got my servos handed to me.”

Drake sighed, looking at his hands as thoughts made their way around his mind. He knew that if he didn’t help, the others would die, and he’d hoped to hang out with April a bit more, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to help and be put in the crossfire. “Gnartz,” he sighed. “I hate when women give good arguments for things.”

“Then you’ll do it?”
___________________________

“Azio,” Furyblaze directed, moving backwards and standing beside CyborSkelecron. “You know what to do, Skelecron.”

“Yes, master,” CyborSkelecron nodded, Azio making complex movements with his hands in the style of ninja symbols.

“Dark Technique: Dimensional Drift,” Azio deadpanned, thrusting his hands forward as a tear appeared in the sky above the Rangers, lightning and high winds whipping around them.

“What’s going on?!” Demi yelled, trying to stay rooted in her spot.

“It’s a tear in the Dimensional Gates!” Richmond yelled, feeling his feet leaving the ground. “We’re getting sucked in!”
______________________

For the second time that day, the Rangers landed in a pile in the middle of the street, honking horns and people muttering about the new arrivals pointing at them at the same time.

“Where are we?” Thomas asked, standing up again slowly and helping his friends up.

“Looks like…Angel Grove,” Demi said, looking around before holding her arm, seeing the skyline that was so familiar to her. “We’re in Angel Grove…”

“Better question: What Dimension are we in?” Alec asked, the Rangers sharing a look that said they were screwed.
_______________________

Episode 13: Scattered Dimensions

Looking down at the ground from the crows nest, April slid down the railing and headed back inside, seeing Drake propped up on the couch with a bowl of cereal. “Are you serious?” she huffed. “Our team got sucked into a frigging alternate dimension and you’re eating Wheaties?!”

“When I don’t know what t’ do, I eat,” Drake said, shoving another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. “And besides. It ain’t like we don’t know where they ended up.”

“We don’t!” April snapped, taking the cereal from Drake and setting it on the table, wrenching him from the couch. “Besides, I saw something on the ground I want to check out, and you’re coming with me.”

“Was afraid of that,” the Silver Ranger admitted, following April down onto the blacktop.
____________________

Looking around the city as they walked, Thomas sighed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. “What the hell are we doing in Angel Grove?”

“We got sucked through a Dimensional Rift. There’s no telling where we could have ended up. But, at least we ended up somewhere familiar,” Richmond said.

“I used to live in Angel Grove, but it never looked like this,” Demi said, sighing. “Do you think…the Empire’s here in this Dimension?”

“I don’t think so,” Thomas said, looking towards a window with a television in a display stand. “I think its something worse.” Leading the other three Rangers towards the television store, he stopped and watched a news report.

“Good evening and welcome to Channel Seven News. I’m Amanda McKinley. More news coming in from the West Coast tonight. Riots and mass outbreaks of fires are spreading across California and into Oregon as the Occupation continues. The Occupation warns to not involve yourself with the battles that are started by the armor wearing thugs, the Power Rangers. Now we go live to Christa Tanaka in Sacramento, where she has been following the riots for days. Christa?”

Demi sighed, resisting the urge to blow up the television before she walked off, anger in her eyes. “How can these guys say that the Power Rangers are the bad guys!? We’re the good guys!” the Yellow Ranger vented.

“Apparently, not in this Dimension,” Alec said, looking at the television. “Apparently, something this “Occupation” has done has turned the city, and probably the world, against the Rangers in this Dimension.”

“You got that right,” a female voice behind the Rangers said, making them stop. “I mean, why are we the bad guys when it’s the Occupations alien freakazoids that are the ones enslaving and killing most of Earth?”

The Rangers turned, seeing a woman of roughly twenty five standing in front of them, her brunette hair shimmering in the early evening sunset. Her jacket, silver with a stylized anchor symbol, hugged and held at the right curves to make the three male Rangers tilt their heads in study. Green eyes shimmered mischievously, holding secrets and possible deception.

“Hey!” Demi snapped, stamping down on Alec’s foot and kicking Richmond into Thomas. “Eyes are up there, boys.”

Giggling, the woman in the jacket rubbed her neck. “Sorry,” she said, smiling. “I’m Adira Nunez. Come with me. The Occupation doesn’t like anyone out after sundown. And we’re cutting it close.” She turned and started running, Thomas and Richmond watching as her legs pounded down on the pavement, the Red Ranger clearly focused just a little higher then her thighs.

“THOMAS!” Demi yelled, driving another kick into his posterior. “Do we trust her?” Narrowing her eyes at the woman’s retreating form, sparks of jealousy could be seen in her eyes.

“Do we have much of a choice?” Thomas asked, running off after Adira and catching up quickly. “Give us one reason to trust you.” He heard the others footfalls behind him, and he watched the young woman reach into her jeans pocket and procure a Ranger Key, Silver in color, it’s design remarkably like the Silver Unleashed Key.

“These,” she said, smirking as she made a hard left that caused Alec to trip and smack into a brick wall. “My friends and I are the Rangers. And judging by how the other three follow you, I’m guessing you’re either military or you’re a Ranger, and without any stripes or stars, I’m leaning more towards Ranger.”

“Good guess,” Thomas said, stopping when Adira did.
____________________________

Back in Pan Central City, the Pink and Silver Rangers were helping up a pile of four women who looked thoroughly beat up. “Hey, you girls alright?” April asked, helping up a woman in a red jacket.

“Yeah, we’re fine,” she replied, looking over at the last figure on the ground. “Kinu!” Running over, the woman in red knelt beside her friend. “Come on, baby. Don’t--”

“I’m not dying, ba~ka,” the woman named Kinu giggled, opening her eyes and smiling. “I was just playing. Just making sure what you said at the Command Center was true.” She sat up and hugged the woman in Red, kissing her cheek. “Destiny, you need to calm down. You can’t wig out every time I get hurt.”

“Want to watch me?” Destiny asked, smiling softly.

“Ok, did I miss something?” Drake asked, rubbing his neck nervously.

“That Dimensional Rift was two way. Our team got sucked into it, and these four women got dropped into ours. Rangers replaced civilians,” April said.

“Um, excuse me?” the girl in the blue Jacket asked, smirking. “Try Rangers replaced Rangers.”

“Anisha, don’t,” Destiny said. “They helped us.”

“They could be Occupation!” Anisha yelled, looking at her friend in the green shirt. “Nyota, what do you think?”

Having remained silent for the duration of the bickering between her Red and Blue Counterparts, Nyota sighed and looked down. “Anisha, I know you’re my best friend, but if they were Occupation, would we be standing here talking right now?” she asked, her calm voice stopping most of the talking going on. “If these two were the Occupation, we would be dead.”

Anisha sighed, looking down. “Yeah, you’re right as usual,” she admitted. “Guess you’ve got a point.”

Destiny shook her head, helping Kinu up before shaking April’s hand. “Thanks for the help,” the woman said.

“Oh, no problem. Come on. You girls are welcome up on the ship. Get us all out of the public eye for a minute for intros,” the Pink Ranger said with a smile.
________________________

Having followed Adira through Angel Grove and narrowly avoiding several Occupation vessels and guards thanks to back alleys and shortcuts, the five Rangers entered a warehouse that seemed to be abandoned on the far side of town near the waters edge.

“Again with the empty warehouses,” Demi said, rubbing her arms. “It’s cold in here.”

“That’s because of what we have to do to keep this place hidden,” Adira said with a soft smile before taking her jacket and wrapping it around Demi’s shoulders. “I wish I knew what happened to Destiny and the others.”

“Destiny?” Thomas asked.

“Our Red Ranger,” Adira said. “And my half sister. I didn’t know I had a sister until a few months ago.” She smiled, rubbing her neck softly. “We’re an all girls team of Rangers. Destiny and I, Nyota and her girlfriend Anisha, Kinu, our Yellow Ranger and Dest’s girlfriend, and my best friend in the world Catty. Or Catherine, depending on her mood. The twit should be around here.”

“I’m right here, you jabber mouth,” a voice said, the person it was attached to running out of the back with her hair up in a towel, a pink low cut top and a pair of blue shorts covering most of her body. “And who are these people? You know Destiny’s going to be pissed that you brought strangers into the CC.”

“I never did get your names,” Adira admitted with a sheepish smile.

“I’m Thomas. And this is Demi, Alec, and Richmond,” the Red Ranger said with a soft smile of his own.

“I’m Catherine, and you’ve obviously met Adira. I hope she didn’t run you guys too ragged,” Catherine said with a smile. She tapped a few buttons, a tray filled several bottles of water rising up from the counter. “Take these and then follow me. Alpha’s getting pissed, Adira. And you know how Megas gets when you make him wait.”

Adira smiled sheepishly, rubbing her neck. “I didn’t mean to take so long. Red here wouldn’t stop staring at my ass,“ she giggled. Thomas started passing out the water, but one slipped and crashed open onto the floor as Adira spoke, making the Red Ranger get flustered. “See? That proves it!”

“Was not staring,” Thomas said. “It was…admiration of the female form.” Getting kicked it his backside by an irate Demi once again, the Red Ranger decided it would be best to simply keep his mouth shut. “Yeah…anyway. Back to the topic at hand. Who’s Megas, and why does he want to see us?” He cracked open a bottle of water, emptying it down in a few seconds.

“Megas is our mentor figure, our leader if you want,” Catherine said, hopping up on the counter. “He’s from Eltar, but…” She shared a look with the Silver Ranger, both women biting their lips.

“But what?” Richmond asked, clearly intrigued. He took a bottle of water and took a drink, leaning back against the counter as he waited.

“He’s stuck in a time warp. Similar to how his great grandfather Zordon was,” Adira said. “And he wants to meet the four of you. That’s why I was in town damn near after the curfew. He thinks….that you can help us stop the Occupation.”

Looking between his teammates and friends, Thomas nodded. “Let’s go, then. It’s not very often we’re invited somewhere,” he said, standing up and helping Demi up as well.

Adira and Catherine nodded, smiling at the four Rangers before the Pink Ranger went to the sink and flipped the counter, pulling up a computer. “Descending in three…two…one,” she said, hitting a red button on her console that made the floor of the warehouse--or more specifically, the section the six Rangers were standing on--start sinking through the floor.
__________________________

As the Rangers sat down in the main deck of the Galleon, April brought out a tray of drinks, various assorted flavors and colors before setting the tray on the table in the center of the room. Drake was sitting on the floor against the mast, watching the five women interacting.

Destiny was looking around, enjoying being somewhere that wasn’t underground, looking out at the city from so high up. “How do you guys manage to stay invisible up here? Don’t you get noticed?” she asked.

“We don’t really worry about it,” April said with a small smile. “The guys we fight, the Battlesnare Empire, keep their forces in LEO, Lower Earth Orbit, and they monitor everything at random intervals, so we don’t really worry about it. The civilians on the ground know the ship, and they know the Power Rangers live up here and not to bother us.”

Anisha raised her hand, looking up from her coffee mug. “I do have a question, though,” she said.

“What?” Drake asked, standing up.

“You called them the Battlesnare Empire. Why do they want Earth?” the Blue Ranger asked, looking at her companions with a confused look.

“Earth…we’re the center for a lot of trouble,” April said. “It’s something about the Morphin’ Masters having earth be the Center of the Morphing Grid, evil wanting the Grids power, and if Earth blows up, the Morphing Grid collapses. It’s all sorts of complicated, and I’m not smart enough to figure it out. Even with all my processors and servos.”

“Wait, your what?” Kinu asked, her eyes lighting up with intrigue. “What did you say?”

“I’m an Android. I was created by the Empire to kill the Rangers if they ever showed up, but I evolved past the programming and decided I’d do whatever I wanted, and what I wanted was to stop the Empire,” April said, giving the short version of her life.

“Didn’t expect that,” Kinu said, smiling. “I think that’s kind of cool, actually. I wish--”

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” April said, covering Kinu’s mouth with her hand. “Do not wish you could be like me. I wouldn’t even want a little me to be like me.” She shook her head, slowly pulling back. “Anyway. Enough about us. What about you guys? How do you transform? We use these.” She pulled out her Caller and her Pink Ranger Key, setting them on the table.

“Kind of bulky, don’t you think?” Nyota asked, picking up the Pink Ranger Key. “Don’t have to worry about someone stealing these?”

“Nope,” the Pink Ranger said. “Well? I showed you mine. Let me see yours.”

Giggling as she stood up, Kinu smiled and slid her sleeve up, a small device on her arm in yellow. “Our Morphers. Megas made them up for us. We don’t use Keys. See this slot in the top?” she asked. “We take these, Ranger Memories, and put them in there and twist. Like this.” Reaching into her pocket, the Yellow Ranger smiled and held out a small memory card, almost like what would typically be found in a cell phone. “Ranger Memory! Unleash!” Slotting the Card into the Morpher, she twisted like she said, the image of a Yellow Ranger suit--very similar to Demi’s--appeared, coating the young Japanese woman in the suit.

“Sweet!” Demi said, lifting Kinu’s arm and looking at the armor that comprised the suit. “Dude, that’s wicked.”

“I showed you mine,” Kinu smirked under her helmet, echoing the Pink Ranger.

Taking her Key in hand, April flipped the legs up. “Unleashed Engage!” she called, flipping her Caller open and inserting the Key before twisting it, her Pink Ranger suit appearing around her body.

“Cute,” Kinu said, Destiny rolling her eyes behind April. “Oh, shut up, Destiny. You like a cute skirt as much as the next girl. Don’t deny the short skirts in your closet.” She let go of her transformation, smirking at her girlfriend. “I’d say you could punish me, but we’re not at home right now.”

“”Do you ever quit?” Destiny asked, causing the room to erupt in laughter.
__________________

Standing on a rooftop in the southern half of Angel Grove, CyborSkelecron and Azio looked down over the city, eerily empty thanks to the Occupation and their laws. The Cybernetic Warrior put his DioSabers on his shoulders, looking over the city. “It is not any fun to attack when there is nobody to kill,” he mused, Azio nodding his head lightly beside him.

“Master. A suggestion,” the usually silent Shinobi said.

“What?”

“Attack anyway. We know the Rangers were drawn through my Rift, and we know they reside in Angel Grove at this moment. We do not know where, but in giving us a chance to end them entirely, we destroy anyone that crosses our path,” Azio mused, his hands folded behind his back.

Taking that into consideration, Skelecron nodded before redrawing his Sabers. “A brilliant idea,” he said, slashing out and causing several large energy waves to break out. The waves slashed through several large buildings, the structures imploding and then causing their parts to flare out, coating the street in rubble and fires. “Come on out, Rangers!”

Across town in the middle of the Command Center, Thomas couldn’t help but think something was wrong. “Catherine? Is there a way to see outside surveillance?” he asked.

“Yeah,” the Pink Ranger said, tapping a few keys on her console in front of her and pulling up a monitor while Adira ran to the corner and opened a door, a robot walking out behind her. “Oh, crap.”

“I don’t like that,” Demi said, running over. “What is it? Occupation?” She looked at the screen, her heart stopping when she realized the energy waves. “It’s Skelecron, Thomas.”

“Great,” Thomas growled. “And our Belts are still sealed thanks to Azio.”

Alec looking at his hand, a thought running through his mind. “What if the belt wasn’t locked? We demorphed when we hit the ground. The demorph, and then a remorph right now might undo it.”

Thinking about Alec’s words, Thomas nodded. “It’s worth a shot,” he said.

Adira nodded, looking at her friends. “Then what are we waiting for/’ she asked. “Are we going to kick some ass or not?”

As a tube lowered from the ceiling, Catherine typed into the computer. “Hang on, guys. Megas wants a word,” she said, the head of the Rangers mentor appearing in the tube.

Looking more like a giant swan, Megas bowed his head to the four Rangers. “Welcome to Angel Grove, Rangers. I know that this is not your home, but for the time, being--”

“Not to sound rude,” Richmond said, stepping up and cutting Megas’ words off, while sounding extremely rude. “But there’s a bastard from our home tearing around your city causing death and destruction, and unless we get down there to stop him now, you won’t have a city to protect, and this Occupation or whatever they won’t have people to kick around.”

“Richmond,” Demi said, her eyes wide at the Green Ranger.

“I’m serious, Demi. We’ve got bigger things to deal with then Zordon’s grandchild. Let’s go,” Richmond said, heading towards the lift again.

“Richmond,” Thomas said, sighing. “As much as I don’t agree with how he said it, we do need to go and stop Skelecron.” Looking to Adira and Catherine, he posed a question that he never thought he’d ask. “Will you help us?”

“Damn right we will!” Adira said, smirking. “Any bastard that comes after my city is going to be getting my Silver Trident up their butt.”

“I like her,” Demi smirked. “We are so taking her home with us. Forget Drake. This is our Silver Ranger.”

“Don’t think so,” Catherine said with a pout. “Like hell she’s leaving me.”

“Ay-yi-yi-yi. Would you three stop talking and start fighting bad guys?” Alpha said, her voice annoyed as she put her hands on her hips.

“What’s the fastest way out of here?” Alec asked, already prepping his Caller and Key.

“Like this,” Alpha said, a smirk in her voice processor as she hit a button, six beams of colored light vanishing from the Command Center as she laughed. “Hehe, ain’t I stinker?”

Landing in town, Thomas looked around and growled, his hand clenched around his Key as Golbaks and Eternaks lined the streets. “Let’s Ranger up,” he said. “You two ready for this?”

“Dude. Our dimension. We’re ready for anything,” Catherine said with a smirk, pushing her sleeve back and holding up a Memory with the picture of the Pink Ranger on it, Adira doing the same except with Silver.

“Ranger Memory! Unleash!” the two women called in unison, putting the chips into the wrist Morpher before twisting it, their suits appearing in the air before covering them.

“Unleashed Engage!” Thomas and the others called out, turning their Keys in the Callers.

“Unleashed Red!”

“Unleashed Blue!”

“Unleashed Yellow!”

“Unleashed Green!”

“Sailing the stars in search of love! Pink Unleashed Ranger!”

“Traversing the depths of the Ocean! Silver Unleashed Ranger!”
__________________________

The five female Rangers, having outnumbered Drake for a movie choice, were sitting comfortably and scattered around the main cabin watching as Ryan Gosling spoke in the rain when suddenly the alarms rang out.

“Thank god,” Drake groaned, looking up. “Geeps, what is it?”

The parrot tapped the keys, pulling up the map. “It’s Thomas! They morphed and I found their signals!”

“Sweet!” Destiny called, jumping up and helping a sleeping Kinu up. “Where are they?”

“Your home Dimension,” Geeps said, looking back at the six Rangers.

“How do we get there?” Kinu asked, tilting her head. “I mean…we don’t have a thing that can tear rifts in space and time.”

“Yes, we do,” Anisha said. “You guys remember Adira talking about the Trinity Zord? Using Quantum, Green Ranger, and White Drago Ranger’s powers?”

“You are brilliant!” Nyota grinned, kissing Anisha’s cheek. “Do you guys have those powers?”

April nodded, running over to the chest and digging inside before pulling the three Keys out. “Yep!” she grinned. “Drake? You think we can do this?”

“Hey, I don’t think we can,” Drake said. “I know we can. Gimme the Quantum.” Taking the Key from the air as April tossed it, he slotted his own Silver Ranger Key before running out to the crows nest, holding his Cell up. “Let this work.” He put the Quantum Ranger Key in the slot, pushing the button on the top. “Summon! Trinity Zord!”

Waiting with baited breath, the six Rangers stood around the crows nest looking into the sky. Suddenly, like a burst of fire, the sky tore open revealing the Trinity Zord, a dinosaur head acting as the cockpit while a gigantic drill spun in place before it leveled off with the Galleon. Drake smirked as a ramp came between the Galleon and the Trinity Zord.

“All aboard,” the Silver Ranger said with a smile.

“Geeps, after we go through with the Trinity Zord, follow in the Galleon,” April said, looking into her Caller. “I think we’re going to need our Zords if something happens.”

“You got it, kid,” Geeps said, locking a course to follow the Silver Ranger’s Zord. “Whenever you lot are ready, we’ll be on the way.”

Drake led the five girls to his Zord, sitting in the main chair as everyone else sat around him. Taking the two steering controls in his hands, he spun around and heard a beeping, the Zord’s detection system zeroing in on Thomas’s Ranger Key signature. “Next stop…who knows.”

“Home,” Destiny said, smiling softly as she grabbed part of a wall to keep steady as the Zord turned in the air. “Ugh…”

“What?” April asked, putting her hand on the other woman’s shoulder.

“Hate flying,” Destiny admitted, looking down to avoid throwing up.

The Zord lurched forward, a beam coming from the tip of the drill that reopened the Dimensional Rift. Drake, with precision accuracy, steered his Zord into the rift, hearing the Galleon behind as they headed for their guests home.
________________________

Landing hard on his back, Thomas yelled out as he hit the ground, feeling Skelecron’s foot in his chest. “Why send us here?” the Red Ranger asked, trying to get his Ranger Gun pointed up at the enemy.

“So that my masters could destroy your planet without any resistance,” Skelecron growled, grabbing Thomas by the neck and flinging him into Adira and Catherine who were busy with the Golbaks and Eternaks. “And the fact that this world is already under someone else’s control makes things for us a little easier.”

“The Occupation won’t allow you to try and take over what they’ve already conquered,” Adira growled, getting up and firing several blasts from her Trinity Staff’s laser mode at the Golbaks. “They’ll destroy you in a heartbeat!”

Demi growled as she swung a kick at Azio, yelping when he grabbed her leg and drove his knee into her back, dropping her to the ground. “Bastard,” she snarled, leaping up again and driving her knees into his face, Richmond and Alec tangling with the Eternaks that were keeping them from the Yellow Ranger.

“Demi!” Alec yelled, breaking one of the Eternaks’ arms before kicking it backwards, slashing down it’s chest at the same time.

As the battle continued, Skelecron stepped back and observed the sky, the sounds of fighting dying down around him. “Damn,” he growled. “They found us.” Just the, the sky tore open again as the Trinity Zord and the Galleon appeared in the sky, six figures jumping from the leading Zord.

“April!” Demi yelled, getting up and running over to her best friend, hugging her. “About time. I thought I’d never get to pick on my best friend again.”

“Ah, you can’t keep me away,” April smirked. “Oh, Thomas. We’re replacing you.”

“What?” the Red Ranger asked in shock, April’s laughter breaking his confusion.

“I’m kidding, dude,” she said, hugging him. “But we did find these four where you guys vanished.”

“Destiny!” Adira yelled, all but glomping her sister and hugging her tightly. “About time you showed up again.”

“NO!” Skelecron yelled, anger in his eyes. “This was not supposed to happen!”

“Well, it did, ugly,” Anisha said, standing beside her team. “Girls, what do we say about ending this little fight and sending these guys home?”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Destiny said, smirking.

“Hade ni ikuze!” Kinu giggled, taking her Ranger Memory out of her pocket.

“Let’s do it,” Nyota said, smiling.

“Ranger Memory! Unleash!” the four women Rangers yelled, slotting the Memories into their Morphers and twisting them, the suits appearing and clasping over them.

“Heart of a Volcano! Red Unleashed Ranger!” Destiny said, posing with her right hand crossed under her left elbow.

“Excitement seeking seafaring maiden! Blue Unleashed Ranger!” Anisha said, her left hand on her hip with her right hand pointing out.

“Underground adventure in the palm of my hand! Yellow Unleashed Ranger!’ Kinu said, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Highflying daredevil! Green Unleashed Ranger!” Nyota said, her left arm over the top of her head while her right arm extended into the sky.

“Sailing the stars in search of love! Pink Unleashed Ranger!” Catherine said, her hip cocked out with her hands on her thighs.

“Traversing the depths of the Ocean! Silver Unleashed Ranger!” Adira smirked, her Trinity Staff over her shoulders.

“The light of Eltar guides us as we defend the Earth! Power Rangers Unleashed!” the six women yelled out, a minor colored explosion happening behind them.

“Well, that was an underwhelming boom,” Adira pouted.

“Oh, you’ll get over it,” Destiny snickered, shaking her head. “Let’s get these bastards.”

“Couldn’t agree more, red,” Thomas said, rushing forward with his and Destiny’s teams on their heels.

As the twelve Rangers collided with the Eternaks and Golbaks, Demi and Kinu paired up to take out whatever they could. Demi stabbed a Golbak in the chest, knocking it into it’s companions before wrenching her sword out of it, kicking out and slamming into an Eternak before she got thrown forward.

“Demi!” Kinu yelled, firing several shots from her own sidearm, blasting the Eternaks’ head off of it’s shoulders and helping up her alternate dimension counterpart. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” Demi said with a sigh. “I’ve been through worse.” She held her arm lightly, shaking her head out. “Maybe we should change it up a bit.”

Kinu nodded, taking a Memory from her wrist pouch. “Ranger Memory! Jungle Beast!”

“Unleashed Engage!” Demi yelled, twisting the Key in her Caller.

As the two Yellow Rangers turned their individual devices, Demi simply changed in a flash of yellow light while Kinu’s Ranger Suit appeared and closed over her. “Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger!” the two girls called out, delivering high speed punches and kicks.

Azio jumped in to fight the girls, slashing towards them and having his sword hit he middle of the air with a dodge, Demi kicking him in the chest and sending him backwards. “You will regret this,” he drawled, his voice slow.

“Don’t think so,” Kinu said, leaping up and taking Demi’s hand, throwing the older girl into Azio and throwing him against Skelecron.

Thomas and Destiny were locked in with several Eternaks, the two Red Rangers having the same idea.

“Ranger Memory! Accelerate!”

“Unleashed Engage!”

As the two Red Rangers turned their Memory and Key, Thomas changed in a slight red light, the sound of a dump truck coming from his Morpher whereas Destiny’s appeared before colliding around her. “Shift into Overdrive! Red Ranger!” the two yelled, taking their Drive Lances out before attacking the Eternaks once again.

Skelecron, realizing that what was going on was not going to end well, grabbed a device from his side, growling as he opened it up. “Scroll of Empowerment! Descend!” As the scroll opened up, Azio grew to immense sizes, as did Skelecron. “Try and stop us now, Rangers!”

“Unleashed Zords! Online!” Thomas yelled, the Galleon opening up and allowing the Zords free, his team of Rangers jumping into their individual Zords. As the five Zords fired at the two from the Empire, Thomas was typing away at the helm. “Omnizord Formation!”

The Zords folded and came together in a burst of metal and sparks, combining with ease. “Unleashed Omnizord!” the five Rangers yelled..

“My turn!” Drake yelled, jumping up into to Trinity Zord and sitting in the cockpit again, cracking his neck. “Trinity Zord! Rex Mode!” Taking the Green Ranger Key, he flipped it around and slotted it into the compartment on the left side of his console, the Zord shifting around.

Legs came from the underside, the dinosaur head separating and sitting up on a newly formed neck. A pair of arms appeared from the underside, having been hidden by the legs, and the drill became a tail. Roaring out with authority, Drake smirked as he got a feel of his Zord. “TriZord! Dino Mode! Complete!”

As the two Megazords stood side by side, Skelecron laughed and blasted at Drake, the Silver Ranger forcing the Megazord into the air and causing the drill to spin. “Insolent punk!”

“Thank you!” Drake laughed, firing a steady stream of fire from the maw of the Zord. “Hey, Destiny! You six getting in on this or not?”

“Alpha, mobilize the ZORD Systems,” the female Red Ranger said, the sounds of the Galleon ringing out over the horizon. She leapt up, her team following behind into their own Zords. “Alright, girls. Activate the Defensor System!”

As the other five Zords--similar in aesthetics and design to Thomas and his teams with slight differences--combined, the Megazord was slightly darker then it’s counterpart, the twin swords black instead of silver.

“Nice,” Thomas said, smirking as he looked over at Destiny.

“Not so bad yourself, bucko,” the other Red Ranger smirked. “Addy, you coming up?”

“Gimme a minute,” Adira said, shaking her head. “Trinity Zord! Rise up!” She twisted a Memory in her Morpher, holding her wrist up as the sounds of the Green Ranger’s Dragon Dagger played, the sounds of the water in the bay churning as the Trinity Zord rose from the depths, roaring out. “Booyah!” She jumped up and landed in the cockpit, taking her seat and holding up a Memory. “Trinity Zord Fighter Mode!” Slamming the Memory into the slot, she twisted the entire console.

The Megazord’s legs straightened out, the two dinosaur arms folding back to the back as the head became the left arm, the tail drill transitioning into the right arm. A closed head came out of the neck, opening up in the same of a trident. “Trinity Megazord!”

“Four Megazords!?” Skelecron yelled, his hands clenched around his Twin DioSabers. “No matter. Azio!” The Shinobi nodded, vanishing into the shadows of the buildings, leaving his master with the Rangers. “You cannot stop us, Rangers, and I think you know that.”

“Can we shut him up already!?” Catherine asked, looking down the line of her team at Destiny.

“I think we should,” the female Red Ranger said, taking a Memory from her pouch. “Let’s do this.” The other girls nodded, slotting their own Memories into the consoles.

“Ranger Memory! Get in Gear!” the women called out, the sounds of an engine roaring through the city before the Formula One-inspired Race car appeared, the Megazord lifting up as the legs detached from the Megazord, lowering down onto the racer. “RPM Unleashed Megazord!”

“Nice trick,“ Demi said.

“Watch ours,” April finished. “Thomas?”

“You got it,” the Red Ranger said, taking out a key. “Let’s go.”

“Unleashed Engage!” the five Rangers yelled out. As the Keys turned, the compartments on the Megazord opened up, the main symbol of the Mighty Morphin’ Rangers coming out of the center of the chest, surrounding the Megazord.

MEGAZORD ACTIVATED was heard as the Megazords’ eyes flashed, the Power Sword dropping into it’s hand.

“Why can’t we have that?” Anisha asked, her eyes wide under her helmet as she took her controls again. “Either way, let’s end these two and get them back home.”

“You cannot win,” Skelecron taunted, throwing his DioSabers out and missing the four Megazords, Adira and Drake rushing forward and hitting him with both drills before piercing his armor in the chest. “Impossible! This is the strongest Metal in the Universe!”

“That’s where you’re wrong!” Drake snapped, kicking the Cyborg warrior backwards. “These drills are Eltarian metal and Liarian enchantments. Way harder then metal found on Onyx!” Slamming the tail into him again, Drake forced him to stagger back against Thomas and the others from his team.

“Azio!” Skelecron yelled, forcing Adira’s drill out of his chest before the Shinobi leapt out of the shadows and tackled the two Trinity Zords, knocking them down. “Now to deal with the ten of you personally.” He stalked towards the two Unleashed Megazords. “I kill all of you, and Serpen rewards me.”

“She can go to hell!” Thomas snarled, using his controls and slashing the Megazord’s arm out, cutting against Skelecron’s neck, throwing him backwards. “Guys, let’s end this for good.”

“Couldn’t agree more!” Drake yelled, turning his controls. “Do you five think I can change my whole Megazord like that?”

“Try it and find out,” Demi said, bracing as Skelecron kicked them backwards into a building.

“Silver Shift!” Drake called out, slamming a Key into the console and twisting it. His Zord glowed before changing appearance into the Mega Winger, taking flight and firing down at Azio. “Alright, guys! Let’s get this over with.”

“Let’s do it,” Destiny said, laughing as she watched Drake spin through the air. “Drake, stop fooling around!” She swung her control around, using the swords on the Megazord’s arms, slashing Skelecrons’ DioSabers out of his hands before Adira shattered them with the Drill.

Adira took her three Ranger Memories for her Zord, putting them in the slots. “Trinity Dreamer Spin!” she yelled, twirling the two steering wheels around before the Trinity Zord’s Drill and Dino Modes appeared as apparitions on the sides of the Fighter Mode, each Drill spinning in a swirl of energy before piercing Azio. “Now, Drake!” the female Silver Ranger yelled.

“Mega Crash!” Drake yelled, slamming into Azio with a flaming Mega Winger before sending him flying, the Shinobi’s sword landing in the ground point down before he stood up.

“Impossible….this….can’t end like this,” Azio groaned, hitting his stomach and exploding, the two Silver Rangers making their Zords high five each other.

“Alright, girls! Our turn,” Destiny said. “RPM High Octane Slam!!” The Megazord lifted off of the ground, the four wheels of the race car folding up before catching fire, slamming hard into Skelecron and knocking him backwards. “Thomas!”

“Power Sword!” Thomas yelled, drawing the saber again before it charged with lightning. The five Rangers slashed down, tearing the sword through Skelecron for good, his body combusting and lightning the four victorious Megazords as the sun came up.
__________________________

A few hours later, after the Rangers managed to get some sleep, Thomas and his team stood with Destiny and her team in the cabin on the Galleon. “Well, it’s been fun,” Thomas said, holding his hand out.

“And I can’t wait to do it again,” Destiny said, shaking Thomas’ hand and giving him a hug as well, smiling. “You guys stop your Empire’s invasion and come back and help us stop the Occupation. Could always use a bit of new faces around once in a while.”

“Take care of the Occupation and come help us,” Thomas said with a smirk, shaking the other women’s hands. “You girls take care. I wish I could have gotten to know you just a bit better.”

“Thomas, if you knew us any better, we’d have slept with you,” Anisha smirked, causing Richmond and Alec to do a double take before their faces got red. “We’d have probably done all of you if we had the time.”

“Anisha, stop,” Nyota laughed, shaking her head before hutting the boys and giving them both gentle squeezes. “Come back one day, huh?”

“If we can,” Alec said, smiling as he took Demi’s hand.

“Don’t lose her,” Kinu said, noting the way Alec was keeping close to Demi. “She’s the best thing you’ll ever have.”

“She already is,” Alec said with a smile.

Geeps flew in, thunking Thomas in the head. “We need to go. The Rift’s closing, and I don’t think we’d be able to open it again.”

“Alright. We’ll head out,” Destiny said, smiling softly. “Take care, Rangers.”

“And you,” Thomas said as the six women Rangers teleported out, leaving the main team standing on the Galleon. “Let’s go home.”

Getting up from it’s console and running through the ship, an Eternak Soldier knocked on the door to his commanders door, her words allowing him entrance. “My lady Serpen,” he said, bowing.

“Speak already before I lose what’s left of my patience,” Serpen snarled.

“Calm down, little sister,” another female voice said, a tanned hand on the snake-headed woman’s arm.

Serpen‘s face softened, her eyes closing as she regained herself. Her subordinates failures and manipulations behind her back were beginning to wear on her, and she was not taking it lightly. “I’m sorry, sister,” she said, turning her attention back to the Eternak in front of her. “What is it?”

“My lady, the first Key has arrived,” the solider said, standing taller. “The Key and the first of the Outlying have arrived, entering the sector. The estimated time is less then two hours.”

“Then begin the process,” Serpen said. “I’ll arrive momentarily.”

The Eternak bowed, ducking out of the room before breaking into a run again. He ran into the main control room where the device that was to be the housing unit for the Keys of Deletion set up and attached to a cannon pointed at the planet below.

Entering the room, Drancon the Destroyer held up a translucent Red Key with flecks of black inside of it. “I hold the first Key of Deletion. Allow me to demonstrate it’s power.” His body was as red as his namesake of the Dragon, he had black wings sprouting from his back which ended in sharp claws. His body covered in scales, red menacing eyes glowing in the dim of the room.

“Drancon,” Serpen’s voice said, the door opening a second time. Clad in her black robe, she shook hands with Drancon. “I take it Mumman and Frakis are the next to arrive, with Faerin and Dhamphin close behind?”

“I can only hope,” Drancon said, nodding. “Otherwise my trip would have been a waste, my old friend.”

“What do you need from us, Drancon? Rest? Food and drink? Audience with the world while we blow up part of their planet?” Serpen asked, hiding the anger in her eyes.

“You know me too well. Though, allow me a change this time. Audience first, then the food. I ate on the way in,” Drancon said. “Your men might have to clean the blood from my lunch up from the hallways.”
____________________________

Drake laughed as he listened to the Rangers, hearing how Thomas became flustered when Adira was walking or talking to him, hearing Demi recount how she wanted to beat the three male Rangers over the head with their own legs ala Quan Chi. “God, I wish I could have seen that,” the Silver Ranger laughed, shaking his head.

“Oh, we heard you were doing your own share of getting flustered and drooling, Drake,” Demi smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. “Being stuck on a ship with five beautiful women must have been….hard to handle.” Her emphasis on the word “hard” made Drake blush eight shades of red, and the Silver Ranger coughed lightly.

“I refuse to answer on grounds that I’m not that dumb,” he said, smirking. “But, yes, it was.”

Geeps shook his head, flying over to the console in the main part of the room and bringing up a news feed. “Oh, this ain’t good. You lot, get over here and see this,” he said, the six Rangers scrambling off of their chairs into the main room.

“Good afternoon. I’m Miki Tanaka with a special report. We’ve received a transmission from the Battlesnare Empire who are currently in orbit around our planet. We’re going live to their feed in just a moment. We do not know what they want nor why they’re asking to speak directly to the entire world, but let us hope and pray that things will not prove explosive. I’m getting reports that they’re ready to stream, so we’re going to go live to the representative of the Empire, a man calling himself Drancon.” the reporter on the news said, the image flashing and flickering into the main room of the Empire’s ship.

“About time,” Drancon growled. “You weak, pathetic flesh bags of Earth, listen up.” The Camera moved to the wall, the device set up and humming.

“As you pitiful meat sacks can see, this device is connected to a cannon the size of Rhode Island and it’s aimed directly at your pathetic little planet. Now…you don’t know where this will hit, but when it does, there will be nothing left of you in that part of the world. Each Key that we acquire for the Deletion as my brother and sisters arrive, more of your planet will be destroyed. Now. For the fun part.”

He walked over to the device, taking the clear red Key in his hand and flipping it up. “Deletion in progress.” As the beam activated, it centered in on a specific part of Earth, completely obliterating it. The sea dried up, land masses crumbled into piles of ocean life, and the machine powered down. “Judging by my readout here, the continent you called Russia, most of your Pacific Ocean, the State named Alaska, and some of your Canada’s western boarder are no more. This is but a taste of our power. You will fear us. Or there will be consequences.”

With that, the transmission shut off, Miki Tanaka’s face reappearing on the screen, looking visibly distraught. “After…my God, that terrible and terrific display of power, I have one question for the world: Where are the Power Rangers and why do they not come to stop this threat?”

Thomas turned off the monitor, his hand clenched. “I should have destroyed that damn machine after we used it on Bertrasis Seven,” he snarled, punching the center post. “FUCK!”

“Thomas,” Demi said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “What are you talking about?”

“It was five years ago,” Thomas said, his mind taking him back to the fight.
_______________________


The Outlying had involved themselves in the fight personally to ensure the completion of the device to make sure our victory on Bertrasis Seven was a success. Furyblaze and Serpen had been in the background, barking orders from the shadows, and they had me spearheading the mission into the palace to steal their Princess, Demitra. We stormed the castle, knocking down defenses and soldiers for the length of the entrance hall.

“Get upstairs! Kill any that get in your way! Find the girl and drag her downstairs if you have to!” Drancon yelled, slamming his staff into several of the guards before slinging them off of the end. “For the Empire!”

“For the Empire!” the slew of Timbaks and Golbaks yelled, Serpen never thinking of the Eternaks’ until we came to Earth.

I ran upstairs, kicking doors in and throwing people over the balcony, trying to get through. The last door I kicked open was the Princess’s room. Her handmaidens, who quickly jumped out of the bed and readjusted their uniforms, ran out of the room. As they ran I killed both of them with a single shot in the back of the head, not missing either woman.

“What do you want from me?” Demitra asked as I wrenched her half naked form to her feet, throwing her robe at her. “Answer me, please. Why do you want me?”

“It’s my job to bring you to the Blizkon, Princess,” I said, grabbing her and slinging her over my shoulders, not giving her an option. I ran downstairs and yelled for the rest of the Empire’s men and women to fall back, the slew of us and the Princess getting teleported back to the ship.

As we tied the Princess down, Serpen started talking while the five Keys were set up. “You see your pretty little planet down there?” she sneered. “It’s beautiful, really. Another pearl on the string of jewels in the Tridex Galaxy. Almost too beautiful to destroy. But, Princess, it’s in my way. See…if your little planet survives, then you could rise against me. Rise against my empire. And I can’t have that, see. So, what I need from you is to watch as your planet’s destroyed.”

She snapped her fingers, and I walked forward with a silk pillow that held the five Keys. Dhamphin was first, the Pink Key being inserted into the last slot. Faerin followed, turning the Green key above that. Next came Frakis, Yellow in his possession and above Faerin. Next after Frakis was Mumman, Blue being his color as the Key twisted. Finally, it was Drancon, his scales as red as his Key.

“Look at that, Princess,” Serpen giggled, her snake hair rattling in the laughter. “Thomas, my boy. Please fire the Cannon.”

“Yes, my queen,” I replied, walking over to the console and taking the targeted in hand. I focused on Bertrasis Seven, and I pulled the trigger, the planet being fired on by five waves of colored energy which converged and formed one massive spiral. It hit the center of the planet, causing the core to rupture. As the land masses started to disintegrate, the planet just collapsed, the space where it was being nothing more then an empty void.

And that’s what they’re going to do here.

Thomas sighed as he looked at his Rangers, each one reacting differently to the story. “You see? This is what I’m atoning for by fighting my former Queen and my father,” he said.

“Your father?” April asked. “Dimas?”

“Furyblaze.” Thomas turned away, his hands clenched. “Furyblaze is my father. I was born and raised in the Empire, and why you five stay and fight beside me is a mystery to me. With all the wrong done in my past, I don’t deserve friends like you.”

Demi reached out and slapped Thomas hard in the face, a red handprint making itself known on the Red Ranger’s face as he fell backwards into the post of the center mast. “Snap out of it!” she yelled, grabbing him by the collar. She hauled him to his feet, driving her knee into his stomach. “For God’s sake, I’m so tired of the damn pity party out of you!”

Thomas growled lightly, shaking his head. “If you’d seen the hell I’ve caused over the galaxy, and seen the destruction I’ve caused, Demi, you wouldn’t say pity party,” he said, walking out.

“Bastard!”
___________________________

Drancon looked at the burning of whatever land on the surface he could see, smirking to himself. “Now…the end of the World is soon at hand,” he said, turning to the remains of the bridge crew. “Now. For the way to kill the Rangers. Zexias.”

Stepping through the door, Zexias appeared, the mark on his belt glowing dimly while the different ringlets on his arms shone with a symbol of past Rangers. “Lord Drancon. It is always a pleasure to serve by your side.”

“Cut the shit, Zexias. I need you to destroy the Rangers,” Drancon said.

“Excuse me, Drancon,” Serpen said, stepping up and getting in Drancon’s face. “This is my ship, and my army. You don’t give orders, I’m afraid. Not here.”

“Lady Serpen, it is clear that you are unfit to continue leadership. Your time as a human has clearly impaired your judgment, otherwise you would have destroyed the Rangers by now. Stand aside,” Drancon said.

“I don’t think so, Drancon! What the hell makes you think you can just waltz onto my bridge and demand I step aside in my own ship?!” Serpen yelled. “You give no orders here, old man!”

Drancon’s hand lashed out, knocking Serpen to the ground before his knee dropped in her stomach, forcing the air from her lungs. “You listen well, half breed. I will do as I please. I have been since Time immemorial. You will do well to remember your place. Or I will begin to regret my choice to allow you to live,” he snarled, grabbing her throat. “Get out.” He threw her to the side, Serpen rolling to a stop at Furyblaze’s feet.

Getting up, Serpen growled as she held her ribs, her eyes flashing a dangerous black. “I see. At last the truth reveals itself. Father,” she said, turning on her heel and walking out, slamming her fist into the wall as she stepped outside. She stepped inside her quarters and screamed, throwing whatever she could.

“Sister?” a voice asked. The lights came on, revealing Andrea sitting on the bed in a longer shirt and a skirt, her brown hair bobbing on her head as she turned to Serpen. “What’s wrong?”

“Andrea,” Serpen whispered, her body melting back into Artemis as she sat on the bed. “We need to get out of here. I need you to run.”

“Why?” Andrea asked, putting her hand on her sister’s cheek. “Sweetheart, talk to me.”

“I’ve done something I shouldn’t have,” Artemis whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have betrayed them. We had a good life with the Rangers. Goddamn it, I’m so stupid. This is all my fault.”

“Artemis, what happened?” Andrea asked.

Back on the bridge, Furyblaze shook his head as he looked at Drancon. “Was that the best option, Drancon?” he asked.

“Do not question me, Furyblaze. Or I cut you down next. Send Zexias down to the surface with the Eternaks. Go as well. End the boy,” Drancon said, turning away.

“Yes, my lord,” Furyblaze said, turning and walking out, summoning the Eternaks to his side as Zexias appeared beside him as well. “This ends today.”

With that, he transported himself and Zexias as well as the Eternaks down to the surface, appearing near the television station.
______________________________

Thomas, having been near downtown, hard the screams of the civilians as fireballs and lightning blasts flew through the air. “Never a dull moment,” he mused, throwing down the rest of his drink and taking off, his Key in his hand before he twisted it in the Caller. “Unleashed Engage!” He transformed into his Ranger persona and drew his saber and gun, blasting at the Eternaks as he saw them. “Furyblaze!”

“About time, Thomas. It’s time for you to return the life you don’t deserve,” Furyblaze said, holding his sword out. “Though I do have to ask, son. Where are your friends now?”

“I don’t need them to stop you,” Thomas snarled, lunging forward and locking blades with his father. “And don’t think I’m not stronger then the last time we fought. I’m more powerful then you hope to be!”

Furyblaze laughed, driving his foot into Thomas’ chest and knocking him backwards. “Zexias. Destroy the city.”

“Yes, sir,” the monster said, bowing as blasts of colored energy came from his hands. The beams hit the local buildings, chunks of rubble falling around the street, hitting civilians as well.

“Thomas!” Alec’s voice called out, two shots zinging out and hitting Zexias. “Why didn’t you call for some backup?” He and Drake engaged the newest monster, the Silver Ranger swinging his Tri-Staff around into the side of Zexias.

“Didn’t need it,” Thomas growled, taking a Key from his belt. ”Unleashed Engage!” As his suit changed into that of the Red Wild Force Ranger, he summoned the Lion Blaster and started firing several large shots at Furyblaze who parried each and every shot.

“Thomas, you’re letting your anger cloud you,” Furyblaze said, his voice calm like a teacher. “Focus. Do not allow the anger to cloud your mind. Breathe.”

“Why don’t you cease breathing!?” Thomas yelled, drawing the Crystal Saber from his side and lunging again, driving it deep into Furyblaze’s side. “All my life you manipulated me! I won’t let it happen again!”

“Then why don’t you look at this,” Furyblaze said, snapping his fingers as two bodies fell from the sky. One was a body they had previously buried, and the other was a traitor.

All fighting in the street stopped, Richmond running over to the two fallen bodies. “Andrea and Artemis,” he said, turning them over. “They’re dead. What did you do to them? And why was Andrea alive?”

“That’s a question that you’ll never have the answer to,” Furyblaze said, kicking Thomas backwards and wrenching the Crystal Saber from his ribs, throwing it down. “Zexias.”

Alec fired several blasts at the retreating villains only to have his shots absorbed and used against him. He flew backwards and crashed into Demi and April, the Pink Ranger landing on his back while Demi ended up on his hips. “Move,” he groaned, sitting up after the girls got off of him.

“BASTARD!” Thomas yelled, rushing forward and leaping out as Furyblaze and Zexias vanished into the setting sun, leaving the six Rangers standing around dumbfounded. He yelled out, hitting his knees.

“Let’s get back to the Galleon,” Richmond said, picking up Andrea’s body while Alec took Artemis’s in his arms.

“Who are they?” Drake asked. Demi walked up and shook her head. “What?”

“Not right now,” the Yellow Ranger said, April running over to Thomas.

“Thomas. Let’s go,” April said, kneeling beside the Red Ranger. “Please? We need to go home.”

Thomas just nodded, hitting his Caller as everyone teleported to the Galleon, Richmond and Alec walking downstairs with the two women’s bodies, laying them beside the Runners. The Red Ranger sank into the chair, his head in his hands.

“How did it come to this?” he mused. “We started out doing what we were meant to, stopping the Empire. I can’t believe this is what’s going on.” He sighed as he got up and walked onto the main deck, looking down at the city. “What do we do now?”

Above the Red Ranger, a rift opened up as a young woman fell down, hitting her back on the deck and making Thomas jump and spin around, his sword in hand. “Easy, jumpy jeans,” she muttered, standing up. “It’s me.”

“Destiny?” Thomas asked, his sword vanishing as he ran over to the other Red Ranger. “What happened? Where’s the others?”

“Dead,” Destiny said, tears forming in her eyes before she and Thomas went downstairs. “Occupation found the Command Center. Killed Alpha and Megas. Kinu and Anisha tried to fight off their Commander, but he used his Serpent’s Cannon to blow them up first, their Chips falling to the ground. Nyota and Catherine rushed him, managing to barely score hits before he broke their necks. Adira and I tried to run, but she was gunned down by an Occupation ship. I had enough juice to send me to the last place my Morpher energy was, and that was here.”

“Let’s get you inside and get you cleaned up,” Thomas said, sighing softly as he helped Destiny downstairs. “Guys.”

“Destiny!” April yelled, running over and helping Thomas. “Oh, my God, are you ok?”

“I will be, April,” Destiny muttered, hugging the Pink Ranger.
__________________________

“With Serpen out of our way, our conquest will not take long,” Drancon said. “Mumman is arriving tonight, giving us the second of Five Keys. Things are moving along at a better pace now. At the current moment, Mumman is nearing the edge of the Galaxy. Furyblaze. Zexias. Dimas. Finish off the Rangers tonight. I do not care how. End them before I end you.”

“Yes, my lord,” the three said, bowing.

“Vexacon, with me,” Dimas said, walking out and leaving Furyblaze and Zexias alone. Taking the shark headed general out of the room, he drew his sword and pointed it at Vexacon’s throat.

“Hey!” Vexacon panicked, his back literally against the wall. “What the hell!?”

“Kill Furyblaze. Tonight,” Dimas growled. “Or it’s you I feed into the Hells Inferno Engines. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Vexacon said, bowing his head and nodding rapidly. “I’ll do whatever you want. How do you want me to do this?”

“Drown him, poison him, bash his brains in, I don’t care!” Dimas snarled, pressing the sword against Vexacon’s throat tighter. “Go!”

“Yes, sir,” Vexacon yelled, scrambling towards his own vessel to go down to Earth. “Poisons, front and center!”

As Vexacon ran out, Dimas smirked to himself. “With Vexacon going to attempt to murder Furyblaze for me, Furyblaze and the Rangers wanting each other dead, plus Zexias, this night is going to be a blast,” he mused, strapping his sword back to his hip before he walked out of the hallway and down towards the teleported bay.

“The pieces are moving into place, my brother and sisters. Soon…this Galaxy will be mine,” Drancon growled, snapping a Timbaks’ neck.
____________________________

“You’re kidding?!” April screeched, looking at Destiny. “They’re dead? All of them?”

“Sadly, I'm not kidding, April,” Destiny sighed. “And with them gone, my powers are dead. So, I’m single, powerless, and stuck in a Dimension I don’t know. The only thing I’ve got is six friends who are still fighting their own war, and I’m helpless to fight with them.”

“Destiny, you aren’t helpless,” Demi said. “Trust me, there’s still ways to fight.”

“Yeah, like how?”

“We do need someone in the Galleon to steer when we’re on the ground fighting,” Thomas said, looking around. “Especially when the Commanders get big and we’re trying to get to the Zords.”

As the Rangers spoke, the alarms rang out. April pulled up the alert, her blood running cold. “Oh, screw my servos,” she groaned. “We’ve got Zexias, Furyblaze, Dimas, and Vexacon, along with Poisons and Eternaks. Here’s the problem. Zexias and Dimas are downtown with the Eternaks, and Furyblaze and Vexacon are at the shopping center near the edge of town.” She went to turn back, but something caught her eye. “Hang on. Furyblaze and Vexacon just started going after each other.”

“Let’s split up. Drake, April, and Richmond, go after the Shopping Center. Demi and Alec, you’re with me,” Thomas said. “Destiny, I want you to monitor how things look down there. Keep us updated.”

“Got it,” the other Red Ranger said, nodding and rubbing her arms.

As the six Rangers split up, Thomas couldn’t help but wonder: With Serpen dead, what did it mean for the Empire and the rest of the Keys. Finally, he, Demi, and Alec made it downtown where Zexias and Dimas were busy laughing at the destruction they’d caused.

“Dimas!”

“Ah, about time Rangers,” the former second-in-command said, smirking as he turned to them. “Come to die?”

“One question before we get to the fun part,” Thomas said, stepping forward. “You told Vexacon to take out my father. For what end?”

“Power,” Dimas said nonchalantly with a wave of his hand. “It’s simple, my friend. Power is what makes the world turn. We destroyed one of the super powers in the world by wiping Russia off of the map. What’s to stop me from killing everyone on that ship and taking the power for myself?”

“Simple, Dimas. Because for the eighteen years I was on the Blizkon under your guidance and your teaching…you never desired power,” Thomas said, holding up his Key. “You never wanted power. It’s because Furyblaze has been making a bid for the high chair, ain’t it?”

“Enough talking!” Zexias yelled, drawing a sword from his side. “Dimas, you speak too much. Take a lesson from Azio. Do not speak. Act!” He rushed forward, slashing out at the Rangers before the three morphed, Thomas blocking the slash just barely in time.

“Zexias, you know that if we don’t kill you, Dimas is already plotting your death,” Thomas growled, blasting Zexias. The shots, instead of doing damage, absorbed into his body, Zexias’ laughing as he stepped back. “What? That’s new.”

“Oh, Thomas, my boy. I’ve had some upgrades done,” Zexias laughed, throwing Thomas backwards. “What are you going to do now, boy?”

“You two take care of Dimas. Zexias is mine,” Thomas said, standing up before hearing and seeing Alec and Demi run off to fight Dimas who was directing Eternaks into the rubble for more killing. “Zexias, you know I’m right about Dimas. He’s got Furyblaze and Vexacon trying to kill each other right now!”

“Shut it,” Zexias growled, elbowing Thomas hard in the stomach and sending him backwards.

Alec and Dimas locked blades while Demi started working on taking down Eternaks. Alec slammed his fist hard into Dimas’ jaw, some of his helmet chipping away. Keeping his assault going, the Blue Ranger jumped over Dimas and slashed the back of his leg, knocking him to the ground.

“Thought you were supposed to be stronger then this?” Alec asked.

“I am,” Dimas snarled, leaping up and hitting Alec hard in the chest, flinging him backwards. He rushed Demi, who’s back was turned. “Say hello to the two in hell!”

Demi heard the swing of the sword, ducking just in time and firing several close range blasts into Dimas’ chest. “Alec, we need to change it up,” she said, hitting her belt and taking a Key. “Unleashed Engage!"

“Got it, Demi,” Alec said, holding his side before taking a Key. “Unleashed Engage!”

WILD ACCESS

GO GO SAMURAI

Leaping into the air, Demi took off with wings sprouting from her arms as the Yellow Wild Force Ranger. “Eagle Darts!” she yelled, throwing several small darts shaped like small birds into Dimas’ chest. “Go for it, Alec!”

“Spin Sword! Dragon Splash!” Alec leapt up as he spun the Dragon Disk on his Sword, the blade becoming coated in a rush of blue energy that splashed like water. He slashed down, driving the slash through Dimas’s body.

“You’ll have to do better then that,” Dimas growled, throwing Alec onto the ground and stabbing him hard in the shoulder.

“ALEC!” Demi yelled, flying down again and slashing Dimas’ stomach. Dimas laughed, grabbing Demi’s leg and yanking her out of the air before slamming her face first into the ground. “Get off me!”

“Scream,” Dimas snarled, wrenching Demi’s head up and forcing her to watch Thomas getting beaten by Zexias. “Scream, little Ranger.”

“Fuck…you,” Demi growled, driving her leg up hard enough to hit Dimas in the groin, sending him over her while she got up and rushed to Alec. “What can I do?”

“Get the sword out of my arm,” Alec said, steeling himself as Demi ripped the sword out of the ground, throwing it to the side. “We need to help Thomas.”

“Don’t!” Thomas yelled, slashing back at Zexias who blocked the shot. “I’ll be fine! Finish Dimas!”

“Don’t tell them things to get their hopes up,” Zexias growled, kicking Thomas backwards again and slashing him, the suit sparking and causing the Red Ranger to be caught in a burst of fire.

MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE rang out, Thomas coming up from the fire shrouded in the blaze like a Phoenix in the Red Mystic Force suit as he lunged at Zexias. “Burn!” Thomas yelled, colliding with Zexias’ stomach before knocking him backwards into the side of a car, the Red Ranger landing on his feet.
______________________

Across town, April and Richmond were locked with Furyblaze and Vexacon respectively while Drake took on the Kelzak Poisons. April thrust out with her sword, slamming the blade into Furyblaze’s arm, hearing the bone break.

“You little tramp!” Furyblaze yelled, letting loose with a roar of fire that caught April up.

MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE rang out for a second time, the Pink Ranger using the Blue Mystic Force Powers to stop the stream of fire with a wave of water that soaked Furyblaze through, extinguishing his fire. “I take that as a complement, creator,” April growled, holding her MagiStaff down. “Rich, you gonna get in on the changing up?”

“Oh, thought crossed my mind,” Richmond laughed, ducking a swing from Vexacon. “Unleashed Change!”

BLACK AQUITAR RANGER POWER rang out, Richmond transformed into the Black Alien Ranger as he drew the Aquitian Saber and Laser, firing several blasts at Vexacon that knocked him backwards. “Thought you were supposed to be tough, sharky?”

“I’ll show you tough!” Vexacon yelled, rushing Richmond and landing several hits that sent the Green Ranger backwards. “Sharks Blaze!” He leapt up and formed into a full sized shark, his body engulfed in fire and water, aiming right for Richmond. He hit the Green Ranger dead on, knocking him into the ground again.

“Rich!” Drake yelled, hitting his Belt. “Silver Shift!”

S.P.D. EMERGENCY! rang out from the Silver Cell, turning Drake into the Omega SPD Ranger. He ran forward and caught Vexacon by the fins, twisting the handle on his Omega Morpher. “Electro Mode!” he yelled, applying pressure and causing Vexacon to hit the ground and revert back, over ten thousand volts surging through him.

“That…was an electric slide,” Vexacon growled, standing up and shaking the electricity from his body. He reached for his saber but growled when he realized it was in pieces on the ground. “Scrap.”

“What do you boys say we end this?” April asked, holding up the Navy Thunder Ranger Key.

“Totally works for me,” Richmond said, holding up the Crimson Thunder Key while Drake took the Green Samurai Ranger from his Belt.

“Unleashed Engage!”

“Silver Shift!”

THUNDER STORM, RANGER FORM!

SAMURAI STORM, RANGER FORM!

As the three changed into the Ninja Storm Rangers, April and Richmond formed the Lightning Blaster from the Navy Antler and Crimson Shot, Drake holding the Samurai Saber in his hand. Launching their Thunder Blast at Furyblaze, the shot hitting dead on while the fiery villain tried to fight it off. Drake launched himself at Vexacon, slashing in a thousand directions at the speed of light, Vexacon flying backwards.

As Vexacon and Furyblaze picked themselves up, Furyblaze shook off the attack. “You win this time,” he snarled, vanishing back onto the Blizkon.

“Furyblaze!” Vexacon yelled, turning and starting to run only to explode from the force of the blast, the remaining Poisons dissolving into the ground.

“Let’s go find the others,” April said, starting to run.
_________________________

Across town, Thomas growled as he locked blades with Zexias again. Dimas watched the battle interestedly, Alec and Demi having given up fighting to watch the fight.

“I told you earlier. You can’t win,” Zexias laughed. “You know that burst of fire you hit me with before? I’ve been storing that.”

“No…” Thomas whispered, his eyes wide.

“COMBUSTION TRANSFER!” Zexias yelled, ramming his sword blade first into Thomas’ stomach. The transfer of energy from Zexias to Thomas was near instantaneous. As Thomas stepped back and let go of his two morphs, he threw his Key and Caller with his last bit of energy to Alec who caught them before looking down.

“My sins are paid for. Goodbye,” Thomas whispered, his eyes closing as April, Richmond, and Drake ran up.

“THOMAS!” April yelled, trying to rush forward.

“Don’t, April!” Demi yelled, grabbing her friend by the waist and dragging her back as she felt the teleport being activated, the five Rangers reappearing in the Galleon.

“Send me back!” April yelled, turning to Destiny.

“I can’t,” Destiny said, her voice low as an explosion happened, Thomas’ life signs going black. “I can’t send you back to save him, April…there’s nothing to save…”

“NO!” April yelled, grabbing Destiny by the shirt. “You’re lying!”

“She’s not,” Geeps said, fluttering down and landing in April’s arms. “She’s not lying. He knew what was going to happen…Thomas James paid the ultimate sacrifice for Earth…”
______________________

On the Blizkon, Drancon and Dimas were laughing as the pair rewatched Thomas’ death, the two leaders of the Empire shaking hands.

“Now that he is dead, the Rangers will soon follow,” Drancon laughed as the doors opened to the bridge one last time…

As the door opened on the Blizkon, a giggle filled the room as a black cloak swished into the area. Lowering the hood, Dhamphin giggled as she revealed herself, her hair slicked back on her head while thin black marks ran down her cheeks. “Drancon!”

“Dhamphin,” Drancon said, bowing his head. “So glad you could make it. I was under the assumption, however, that Mumman was the first to arrive behind me.”

“He was supposed to be,” Dhamphin said, moving some of her hair from her eyes. “But, as his shuttle went to leave Onyx, some rebels got in his way. And you know how my brother is when it comes to dispersing trouble in front of him, Dranny. Always has to be gentle and cautious about it.”

“Idiot,” Drancon snarled. “Either way. It doesn’t matter.” He turned away, taking the Red Key out of the machine and putting it back on the silk pillow before he turned to Dhamphin. “Your key, my dear. If you wouldn’t mind.”

Nodding, Dhamphin reached into her cloak’s sleeve and took out the Key, handing it to Drancon. “So, are we destroying this world or letting Serpen take it over?” she asked.

“Serpen is no longer the problem.”
_____________________________________

The Rangers stood in shock on the main deck of the Galleon, none of them speaking as they tried to process what had just happened. April turned her back, walking over to one of the portholes. Richmond disappeared into the kitchen, while Alec and Demi sat down in the main galley. Destiny looked down, tears falling down her cheeks as she relived the moment her team was killed as well.

“So much death,” Destiny whispered, wiping her eyes lightly. She sank down to the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees. “I failed at home, and….we’re going to fail here…”

Geeps sighed softly, fluttering down and landing beside Destiny, sitting on hr knee. “Don’t think like that,” he said, turning his head to look at the young woman.

“It’s true, Geeps,” Destiny muttered. “Thomas is dead, and we don’t have anyone to replace him.”

“Yeah, we do,” Demi’s voice said, the young woman getting up and crossing the room. “We’ve got you.”

Destiny shook her head softly, looking down. “I’m not doing this again…I got my family killed once. I don’t want to be the one that kills you guys…”

“Destiny, please,” Demi whispered. “We need you to help us.”

“I can’t,” Destiny said, getting up and running out of the ship, tears obscuring her vision as she ran. “I can’t help you…”

Demi sighed as she sat back down, looking at the floor. “Damn it,” the Yellow Ranger sighed.

Richmond, meanwhile, was in the cargo hold next to Artemis and Andrea’s bodies. “How did you come back, Andrea?” he mumbled, taking her hand in his and sighing softly. “We buried you…”

“Richmond?” April asked, stepping into the cargo bay. “You ok?”

“Just thinking, April,” the Green Ranger admitted, looking over at his friend. “We buried Andrea, right? You were there.”

“Yeah. I was there when Skelecron threw her dead body on the ground that day we joined the team,” April remembered. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Look,” Richmond said, pulling Andrea’s shirt away and revealing stab wounds, whip marks, as well as a few burns. “She was reanimated somehow. I think I know how and by who. But the problem is…I need to get him from the Blizkon.”

“Mitagas. That old bastard that was there when I came and freed you guys,” the Pink Ranger said, her eyes wide. “How do we go about getting him?” As April asked her question, Geeps flew down into the main belly of the ship. “What’s up, Geeps?”

“Umm…Mitagas is upstairs. Says he can give you the rundown on how the girl was brought back,” the mechanical parrot said, flapping his wings to stay in the air. “I don’t know how the hell he got on board, but we’ll finally get some answers.”

“Good,” Richmond sighed, letting go of Andrea’s hand and rubbing her arm. “I’m hoping we get the answers we want and not some bullshit that he’ll say is the truth.”

“Yeah, well, the bastard worked for Serpen. I don’t think we’ll get much truth out of him,” April said, raising her eyebrow. “Come on, Rich. Let’s get the others. We need to find Destiny, too.”

“One thing at a time, April,” Richmond sighed, leading the Pink Ranger back up the stairs. “Alec, Demi? You guys in the Galley?”

“Yeah,” Demi’s voice called. “No why in hell are we letting this Empire bastard out of our sight.”

As the two Rangers walked into the main galley, they were met with Mitagas staring down the barrels of two Ranger Guns, Demi and Alec’s fingers poised on the triggers. Mitagas, having been against the wall, made no move to get in the Ranger’s ways, nor did he attempt an escape. He looked up when Richmond and April walked in, bowing his head.

“I’m sorry for the intrusion,” he said, stepping forward.

“Then just get to the point before I do blow your head off,” Demi snarled.

Mitagas sighed, looking down. “You want the truth about what happened and why Serpen started having a change of heart? Then sit down and listen to me.”

Earlier that day

Serpen had come to me looking scared. I’d never known her in the twenty plus years I’d known her to show fear, and the fact that she was scared and shaking was the first clue I had that something was really wrong.

“Serpen, what’s wrong?” I’d asked, getting up from my chair behind my computer where my newest schematics were running.

“I’ve screwed up, Mitagas,” she’d said, sitting down and melting back into her human disguise. “I spent too much time down there on Earth as Artemis. I grew too close to Earth. I can’t blow it up…” She looked up at me with confusion in those blue eyes, tears forming in the corners. “What have I done, Mitagas?”

I didn’t have the answer for her. I shook my head and hugged her, letting her use my shoulder to cry on. I was astounded. This woman I’d thought could never show emotion other then rage and anger was scared and crying like a child who’s lost their mother. After a while, she stepped back out of the room, and that was the last I’d seen of her.

"Now, I've got one last thing to explain," Mitagas said, sighing. "And it's going to hurt."

With that explained, let me tell you about the girl. After Skelecron first showed up and he was tasked with killing you all, he kidnapped Andrea. Well, Serpen had found her in the cells, and she went to talk to her. The conviction and sadness in her eyes spoke volumes. She hated what she was doing, and she knew that without destroying everything from the inside, she couldn’t stop it.

After Andrea was killed and she was returned to you, the body was brought to me by Serpen herself. “Fix her,” she begged me. “Mitagas, you have to give her life again. I know you can. Please!”

I took the body and started working. I focused day and night on her. I did whatever I could, but the human body is so much more complex then what we’ve got on the Blizkon. After two weeks of working diligently, I finally had a breakthrough. I called Artemis down to the labs, and she was overjoyed. She was planning on leaving, having crafted her own Ranger Keys out of two uncut that she’d found in the Holds. She hid Andrea away, never letting the world know about her.

That day I had you all strapped to the tables in the labs, she had given me the choice. Continue with what I was doing and be killed, or run with her and Andrea and make a better life. I blend in well enough with humans to be passed off as one, but I didn’t think about leaving as an option.

As Mitagas finished, Demi’s hand lowered as did Alec’s. Richmond and April sat down, Drake having taken residence in one of the chairs around the room. Alec was the first to speak.

“Why come to us and tell us?” the Blue Ranger asked. “Your little companion in Zexias killed Thomas. I think that’s more then ample reason to blow your brains out, don’t you?”

Mitagas backed up slowly, growling when he’d backed into the wall again. “Please, you misunderstand me. I did what I did with Andrea and bringing her back to life as well as help Artemis form those two Keys because she was sick of hurting the planet she loved,” the professor said, looking at the four Rangers. “And with the Earth being targeted by Drancon and the Outlying, she wanted to fight back again.”

April sighed, rubbing her arm lightly. “Who killed her?” she asked, voicing the biggest question in the room.

“Vexacon. She took herbal tea in her chambers after every trip to the bridge, Vexacon being the one that was to deliver it constantly. He poisoned it, but when the poison didn’t do it’s job fast enough thanks to her being immune to most intergalactic poisons, she was brutalized before her neck snapped,” Mitagas whispered. “I’m so sorry, Rangers. For everything that’s happened. I tried to help her, and she paid for it dearly. I…don’t know what else to say except that I’m sorry for what’s happened.”

“It’s alright, Mitagas. We can find somewhere for you to stay for the rest of this war,” Demi said. “I’m pretty sure you can go in town somewhere and live the rest of your life.”

Nodding, Mitagas turned to leave as the alarms blared out again. “Figures,” Alec growled, shaking his head. “Geeps?”

“Looks like Zexias is back. And he’s got company,” the mechanical parrot chirped out.

Looking at the screen, Mitagas’ hand clenched. “It’s Dhamphin. She’s one of the worst of the Outlying,” he revealed. “Take caution with her. Her power over the electrical element is not to be taken lightly.”

“Understood,” April said, nodding softly. “We need to convince Destiny to help us. But…we need to fight first. Goddamn it.”

“Go fight Zexias and Dhamphin. There will be plenty of time to deal with your friend in the coming hours,” Mitagas said.

Soon, the Rangers were running down the street towards the commotion, helping people down the street and away from the battle. Lightning blasts soared over the Ranger’s heads, making them duck as they ran. Stopping in the middle of the road, Alec fired three shots past Dhamphin’s head, making her stop firing.

“What the bloody hell was that?” she screeched, turning and looking at the five Rangers. “Ah…should have known you freaks would have shown up. Can’t stop getting in the way, can you? No wonder we blew up your Red Ranger.”

“Dhamphin,” Drake growled. His hands clenched, the blonde haired woman turning to him and giggling. “You killed my family.”

“You seem familiar, yeah,” Dhamphin said, inching forward bit as she stayed behind her Eternaks. “Have I threatened you before?”

“Done a lot worse then that, bimbo,” the Silver Ranger snarled, his hand tightening around his Key. “Can we end this?”

“Don’t see why not,” Alec said, holding out his own Key and Caller. “We do this as a team, not on our own, Drake. Got it?”

“Can’t make a promise I can’t keep,” the Silver Ranger replied, his grip on his Key tightening.

“Unleashed Engage!”

“Silver Shift!”

Soon, the five Rangers were transformed, Drake converting his Tri-Staff into a long range weapon before he started firing at Dhamphin. “I’ll take the ugly one in the coat,” Drake chimed, rushing forward.

“Looks like we don’t have a choice, do we?” Alec asked, firing at some of the Eternaks that were around.

Drake rushed Dhamphin, the Outlying woman transforming into her more Vampiric form before she swooped down at the Silver Ranger. “I bet you think you can stop me, right Sparkles?” Dhamphin asked, laughing as she snagged Drake into the air.

“I don’t think I can. I know I can,” Drake growled, slamming the trident part of his staff into her leg, forcing her to drop him. He didn’t get flipped in time, landing hard on his stomach. “Ow…”

“Ew,” April said, watching as Dhamphin transformed into an uglier form. “What, she run out of Neutrogena Plaster?”

“And that’s why drinking was invented! For ugly as fuck skanks like that!” Demi smirked, firing several shots. “Hang on. I‘ve got a better one. It’d take a FACTORY of booze to make her look good!”

“YOU LITTLE SLUTS!” Dhamphin screeched, roaring as she aimed for Demi and April’s heads, the two female Rangers barely dodging. “I’ll kill you for insulting me!”

“Actually, it’d be a compliment,” Zexias chimed in, blocking Alec and Richmond’s swords. “You know that the doctors slapped your mother after you were born, Dhamphin!” He slammed his foot into the two men, throwing them backwards before he absorbed a blast from the Tri-Staff. “Do you not remember what happened the last time I absorbed your shots, boy?” He returned the fire, three times harder then it was given, slamming it into Drake and throwing the Silver Ranger against the ground.

“YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE!” Dhamphin screamed, throwing lightning around. She slammed her hand into Demi’s chest, throwing the Yellow Ranger backwards.

“Ok…let’s change this up,” Demi said, holding her chest where she’d been shoved and shocked. “Because I am SO getting tired of the Buffy reject!”

“Oh, you did not insult Sunnydale!” April chimed in, taking a Key from her belt. “I’ll have to kick your ass for that later, lady!”

“Rain check,” Alec said, shaking his head as Dhamphin landed. “We’ll focus on Zexias first. We need to get out of here. We’re outmatched because of the Outlying woman being here.”

Richmond nodded, Drake standing as well as they both took Keys from their Belts. “Unleashed Engage!”

“SIlver Shift!”

As the five Keys turned, five different Ranger teams or names rang out. Demi rushed Zexias with the Rhino Morpher on her arm, the blade extending as she slashed. She leapt backwards and almost fired several large shots but remembered that she couldn’t without getting them rebounded. “April!”

“HA!” the Pink Ranger yelled, her body clad in the suit of the White Mystic Ranger. She leapt forward, summoning a snow storm that froze Zexias to the ground. She slammed her Staff into his chest, throwing him backwards again. “Alec!”

“White Tiger Baton!” the Blue Ranger yelled out, lunging and slamming the Tiger-headed weapon into Zexias’ back, not giving him a chance to fight back. He threw Zexias into the air, grabbing his ankles and throwing him into the ground. “Richmond!”

“Let’s do this, Saba,” Richmond said, taking his sword from it’s sheath. He ran forward, Zexias getting up and heading for the Green Ranger and meeting him head on. “In the words of some wrestlers I saw on old WWE, SUCK IT!” He slammed Saba into Zexias’ shoulder, snapping the bone and headbutting him, knocking him backwards as black blood flooded into the street. “Drake! Go Drago on his ass!”

“You got it,” the Silver Ranger called out, his Drago Saber in his hand. “Arrow Strike!” He used the pen tip and drew several dozen arrows in the air, swiping the Saber over them before they multiplied, flying through the gap in the air to penetrate Zexias, a cloud of smoke lining the street.

“Let’s go,” Alec said, grabbing Demi’s arm and feeling the others around him. As they teleported out, the smoke cleared, leaving Dhamphin and Zexias in the middle of the street.

“Damn,” Dhamphin growled, returning to normal as she held a cut that was dripping blood on her arm. “Let’s return, Zexias.”

“Yes, Dhamphin,” Zexias said, vanishing in a burst of light with Dhamphin behind him.
_________________________

Alec groaned as he crashed onto the couch, sighing as he looked out at the light of the setting sun from the porthole. “I can’t believe this. Dhamphin’s coming out to play first thing, Zexias is taunting us, and we’ve got no goddamn Red Ranger. What the hell are we going to do?!”

“We can start by not getting so pissed off,” Demi said, pushing her sleeve up and wrapping some gauze around her cut appendage. “One of us needs to find Destiny and convince her.” She tied the gauze, putting some over April's eyebrow. “How do you keep getting cuts on the face?”

“Because the evil women are jealous of my beautiful visage and want it for themselves?” April asked, cocking her good eyebrow.

“Ok, stop Dwayne Johnson,” Demi said, shaking her head. “I want to do something. For Thomas.”

“What?” Alec asked, letting Richmond help patch up his wounds.

“A headstone. Next to Andrea and Artemis,” the Yellow Ranger replied. She looked up at her friends, and each of them were nodding. “Ok. That solves it.”

“Ok, you told me earlier that I’d get the story about the girls in time. But…I’m confused,” Drake said, raising his hand from the table. “Can I please get some fill in the blanks before the next fight?”

Alec sighed, nodding. “He’s right. He needs to know everything,” he said, looking around. “Basically, it started when the Empire first started attacking…”
______________________________

Dhamphin snarled as she slammed a Timbak out of her way, throwing it to the side as she stormed down the hall. “Vanak!” she swore, her hand clenched. “This is not how the battle was supposed to go. I was supposed to win!”

“The problem is you got cocky,” a voice drawled from the end of the hallway. Dimas walked out of the shadow, his hands at his hips. “Dhamphin, these Rangers have caused us problems for six months. It would be best if you did not just blindly attack or let their words get under your skin.”

“Ha! Like you know about the way they fight. You’ve only fought them once from what I’ve seen,” Dhamphin said, cocking her eyebrow. “The planet surveillance system Serpen put in, Dimas.”

Dimas growled lightly. “I’ve fought them on this very ship, Dhamphin At the time, the Pink woman was formidable enough. Though, considering she is my technology, it isn’t a surprise.”

Dhamphin laughed, shaking her head as she listened to Dimas’ pitiful reasons. “You really are pathetic. I’m surprised that Drancon hasn’t killed you yet. Or Furyblaze. That’d be a fight I’d pay Zagins to see.” She turned and walked back down the hall, slipping into the command room. “Dranny, baby.”

“Dhamphin, I’ve told you to not call me that,” Drancon snarled, shoving the blonde off of his arm. “Bring up the footage from the battle. Let’s see what needs to be worked on.”

As the battle replayed on several large screens, Dhamphin’s blood boiled as she watched herself get her ass handed to her. “I need to fight alone,” she snarled, her hands clenched tightly. “That bastard Zexias got in my way! I couldn’t get any hits in even after taking to the air.”

“That was not the way it happened,” Zexias said, stepping into the room. “I was doing my duty and fighting. You got in my way, Dhamphin. If it happens again, I’ve permission from Lord Drancon to end the nuisance.”

“WHAT!?” Dhamphin screeched, one of the monitors blowing up from a surge in electrical power. “ARE YOU NUTS!?”

“If you continue to under perform, Dhamphin, Zexias is given permission to end you,” Drancon said, shrugging his shoulder. “You know in our Laws that if a member of the Outlying gets in the Empire’s way in a battle, the battle changes to stopping or killing the Outlying Member. It was how you appropriated your position, is it not?”

”Vanak…” Dhamphin sighed, looking away.
____________________________

Downtown, Destiny sighed as she walked through the streets, nibbling on a carton of cheese fries with a shopping bag on her left arm. “I don’t like the thought of being the Red again,” she mused, sitting down on a bench and rubbing her legs. “Mmm…need a massage…”

Her mind started to wander, replying the battle that took her family in her mind again…

The fires exploded around the six women, each of them trying to get to a different cover spot in the Command Center. Kinu screamed as she dove down, skidding to a halt beside Anisha. She growled as she held her leg where a small burn was visible under the armored plating of the leg.

“We can’t stop them,” the Yellow Ranger said, holding her Gun tightly as she tried to get her breathing focused.

“Don’t think like that, Kinu,” Anisha said, popping up and blasting several Gokins backwards. “We’ll get out of this alive, and you can Destiny can get out of Angel Grove.” She stood to fire again, but she was slightly slower this time. A blast hit her in the chest, throwing her backwards, her suit fading as her Ranger Chips fell to the ground.

“Ani!” Nyota yelled, jumping up from her hiding spot and slashing down the Gokins’ where they stood. “Bastards!” She ran over to Anisha’s body, dragging her out of the line of fire. “Damn it. Destiny! What do we do!?”

“Change it up!” the Red Ranger yelled, tying off a cut on her arm while Adira blasted and gave cover. “Let’s go with some sparkling silvers!” The four women nodded, each of them taking their Unleashed Memory out of the Morpher.”

“Ranger Memory!”

“Wolf!”

“Knight!”

“Get in Gear!”

“Accelerate!”

“Let’s Rocket!”

As the five Silver Ranger suits formed around the women, they jumped from their hiding spots and started running, firing or slashing down Gokins’ and other smaller monsters, heading for the main commander. “We have to break through!” Destiny yelled, driving her foot into one’s head, her Drive Detector breaking one’s skull open.

“You can’t escape us,” the Commander snarled, unleashing a wave of black energy from his chest that sent the Rangers to the ground…

Destiny jumped, holding her chest as the remainder of her fries hit the ground. “Goddamn it,” she whispered, wiping her eyes. “Kinu, Adira…I’m so sorry…”
_____________________

Back on the Galleon, the Rangers finished their tale of the two fallen Rangers, Drake sighing as he looked out of the window. “So, Artemis was really Serpen and Dricos, even though nobody knew about it. God, this is whacked. So now that she’s dead, the Outlying are moving in and taking over,” the Silver Ranger said, reflecting on the story.

“Pretty much,” Demi said, watching Geeps flutter over to the computer. “Geeps?”

“I saw Destiny’s faint Ranger signal. I’m trying to get a lock,” the parrot said, tapping several keys before the blip shone brightly. “She’s downtown.”

“I’ll go,” Demi said, standing up and putting the Red Ranger Key and Caller into her pocket. “Maybe I can convince her to help us.”

“Good luck,” Alec said, standing up and heading towards the kitchen. “Gods know we could use some good news for a change.”

Demi nodded, going towards the ropes that let them repel to the ground. She grabbed a yellow rope, falling down and landing swiftly on the street. Letting the rope retract back into the Galleon, she turned and headed towards downtown, seeing Destiny sitting on a bench looking distressed.

“Destiny?”

The young woman in question jerked, looking at Demi. “Oh…hi, Demi,” she sighed, watching the Yellow Ranger sit down. “What’s up?”

“We’re worried about you, sweetheart,” Demi said, taking her friend’s hand. “I’m sorry we pushed everything on you like that. I wasn’t even thinking when I said we could use you to be our Red Ranger.”

“It’s ok, Demi. Really. It’s just…gonna take a while for my heart to heal after what happened,” Destiny admitted.

“What happened?” Demi asked, concerned and curious about how Destiny ended up in their world again.

“We were under attack. The Occupation came in guns blazing. We hid in various corners of the Command Center. Megas’ tube was shattered, killing him, Alpha was shot in the back, her circuits lining the floor. Kinu had hidden with Anisha, both of them firing over their cover,” Destiny said. “Anisha stood up to fire at more of the Gokins, but she was slower on the second rounds. She got shot in the chest, dead before she hit the ground. Her Memories dropped to the ground, her body beside them as her suit fizzled out. We changed into the Silver Rangers we had Memories for, rushing out to fight.”

Demi handed Destiny a tissue, the woman accepting them as tears started down her cheeks. “As we got near the Commander, he let out a blast of energy that knocked us backwards. Nyota and Catherine were the first up, Cat rushing towards him. She started firing from her Rocket Dagger, but she didn’t get very far. A single shot to the head had her down. Nyota tried to get out, knowing the battle was lost and we were done for, but the Commander shot her in the back, blood lining the wall where the blast entered. Adira, Kinu, and I got up to fight again, but two of his henchmen killed them. I just ran. I put on as much speed as I could, and I got the fuck out of there.”

She sighed softly, wiping her eyes again. “Then that Rift opened up again, just enough for one. I got through somehow, and I landed on the Galleon where Thomas found me,” Destiny finished, looking down. “I don’t want to be responsible for another team’s death, Demi.”

“You won’t be,” Demi said, looking at Destiny. “We’ve all got faith in you, Destiny. I know you can do this.”

“Demi, please. Just…don’t,” Destiny whispered, wiping her eyes. “Please?”

Demi nodded, getting up and taking the Key and Caller from her pockets. “Just in case you do decide to join us,” the Yellow Ranger said, setting the two devices down beside Destiny. “You know where to find us if you want to join, Destiny.” With that, the Yellow Ranger walked off into downtown, ducking into a shop that caught her eye.

Destiny sighed as she picked up the Red Ranger key, turning it over in her hands. “Goddamn it…”
_______________________

Dhamphin sighed as she watched the Earth spin out of her room’s window. “Damn this,” she growled, throwing her lamp. “We need to end this!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Furyblaze’s voice said from the doorway.

“How do you plan on going about it, then?” Dhamphin asked, clearly intrigued. “Besides, I thought that you were Dimas’ right hand nut sucker.”

‘You misinterpret then,” Furyblaze said. “He tried to kill me with Vexacon today. Vengeance is on my mind, and I have the thing to do so.”

“Mmm…do tell,” Dhamphin said, smirking. "But before you do, let me give you my idea."
_______________________

As the Rangers again sat down to try and eat, the alarms rang out. “Never fails,” Richmond sighed, getting up and heading to the computers. “Looks like Dhamphin’s back, and so is Furyblaze. No sign of Zexias.”

“Where’s Demi?” Alec asked, getting up.

“Downtown. About five blocks from where they’re at,” Richmond replied, opening a channel to Demi. “Demi! Head five blocks south from where you’re at. Furyblaze and Dhamphin are back. We’re on our way there now.”

“Got it, dude. I’m just finishing up a bite to eat. Be there in a minute.” Demi’s voice replied over the systems, the sounds of a café in the background evident.

“Let’s go,” Drake said, standing up and putting his Key and Cell in his pockets.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Alec and April said, Richmond nodding.

“Let’s do three full color changes,” April said, looking at the boys. “Sorry, boys, but it’s time to see how you’d look like me.” With the look on the men’s faces, April smirked and headed towards the hold for the UQRs’, jumping on her own and revving the engine.

The boys followed April down, jumping on their Runners and heading straight out of the belly of the ship, tearing through downtown. After several minutes of driving, the four Rangers jumped off of their bikes and landed on the ground, seeing Demi already tangling with some of the Timbaks that had been brought down.

“About time you showed up,” the Yellow Ranger smirked, flipping over an Eternak and landing beside her friends. “How about you get in on this shindig, hm?”

“Oh, thought crossed my mind,” April smirked, holding her Caller up. “Let’s do it!”

“Unleashed Engage!” the Rangers yelled.

“Silver Shift!” Drake chimed out, transforming into the Silver Ranger.

As the five Rangers rushed forward, Furyblaze threw large blasts of fire at the Rangers, Demi barely managing to dodge the blast that flew at her. The red member of the Empire threw Dhamphin forward, causing her to crash into the two female Rangers.

“What the hell!?” she snapped, looking at Furyblaze.

“Just doing my job,” Furyblaze mocked, slashing out at Alec and Richmond while Drake ducked around and went after the footwork. “Besides, I think you could handle two little girls.”

“Little girls?” Demi asked, stopping in the road. “Boy, if I wasn’t wearing a helmet, these earrings would be comin’ off my head at you.”

“If I remember, Furyblaze, I owned you when I stormed the Blizkon a few weeks ago,” April smirked, slashing out at Dhamphin.

“A minor fluke. I was not on my game that day,” Furyblaze retorted, kicking Alec into Drake.

“What do you say we change this up?” Alec asked, helping Drake stand up. “As much as I’d rather not be seen in that color.”

“Can’t say I don’t agree. Not my first choice,” Drake said, he and Alec hitting their belts while Richmond blocked a shot again.

“Demi, let’s change up,” April smirked.

“Got it, girl,” the Yellow Ranger replied, smirking as the two women hit their belts.

“Unleashed Engage!” the four Rangers called out, turning their Keys in their Callers.

“Silver Shift!” Drake called, leaping backwards.

Five bursts of Pink lights later, the five Rangers were clad as various Pink Rangers. Demi rushed in at Furyblaze first, firing large quantities of arrows from her Power Bow, slamming the end of the weapon into his chest.

“Drake, give him a lift!” Demi yelled, flipping Furyblaze over her back.

“Got it,” Drake said, taking his Spin Sword from his hip. Spinning the black disc, the weapon changed into the Sky Fan. “And, Houston, we have lift off!” He swung his arms around and caused a gust of wind to whip up, taking Furyblaze into the sky. “Alright, who’s next?”

Dhamphin, watching the scene, couldn’t help but start laughing as the male Rangers were clad in pink. But what was funnier to her was Furyblaze getting what he deserved. “Hahaha! Sucks for you, dude!” she laughed, throwing a blast of lightning at Furyblaze for good measure.

“I’ll take it,” April said, summoning her Drive Geyser and firing several blasts of scalding water at Furyblaze, throwing him down into the ground with a well placed kick in the chest.

Alec and Richmond ran in simultaneously, Alec holding the Turbo Wind Fire bow, launching several arrows out. Richmond took the Deltamax Striker from his own sides, a number “5” on his chest before he slammed the baton half into Furyblaze’s neck, causing him to double over.

After Furyblaze slowly stood up, Dhamphin ran over and started flinging lightning at the Rangers, knocking them all onto the ground. She laughed as she and Furyblaze forced the Rangers out of their morphs, and she picked Demi up by the neck. “You might think you’re so tough, but you’re really not, little girl,” Dhamphin smirked, growing fangs out of her mouth.

“Don’t you dare,” April growled, trying to get up. She screamed when a wall of fire erupted around them, sucking the oxygen out of the area. “Demi…”

“No!” Demi growled, trying to get away from Dhamphin. She screamed when she felt Dhamphin plunge the fangs into her neck, feeling something enter the wound as she felt her own blood being sucked out. “AH!!”

“Demi…” Alec groaned with his last bit of strength, the fire around them dying down.

Dhamphin let go of Demi’s neck, the Yellow Ranger’s morph falling as her Key and Caller clattered to the ground. She slung Demi’s body over her shoulder, licking her lips a little more sensually then was probably needed. “Mmm…so yummy,” she said, a devilish look in her eyes. “Don’t worry, little Rangers. You’ll see her again. In a whole new light.”

As she started laughing, a black light surrounded Dhamphin and Furyblaze, taking the two higher ups in the Empire and Demi away, leaving four Rangers in the middle of the street unconscious.

On the Galleon, Geeps was fluttering around like, well, a chicken with his head cut off. “Not another one! Now what do I do!?” he squawked, trying to think. “This is not going to end well…”

LAST TIME ON POWER RANGERS UNLEASHED:

Dhamphin laughed as she and Furyblaze forced the Rangers out of their morphs, and she picked Demi up by the neck. “You might think you’re so tough, but you’re really not, little girl,” Dhamphin smirked, growing fangs out of her mouth.

“Don’t you dare,” April growled, trying to get up. She screamed when a wall of fire erupted around them, sucking the oxygen out of the area. “Demi…”

“No!” Demi growled, trying to get away from Dhamphin. She screamed when she felt Dhamphin plunge the fangs into her neck, feeling something enter the wound as she felt her own blood being sucked out. “AH!!”

“Demi…” Alec groaned with his last bit of strength, the fire around them dying down.

Dhamphin let go of Demi’s neck, the Yellow Ranger’s morph falling as her Key and Caller clattered to the ground. She slung Demi’s body over her shoulder, licking her lips a little more sensually then was probably needed. “Mmm…so yummy,” she said, a devilish look in her eyes. “Don’t worry, little Rangers. You’ll see her again. In a whole new light.”

As she started laughing, a black light surrounded Dhamphin and Furyblaze, taking the two higher ups in the Empire and Demi away, leaving four Rangers in the middle of the street unconscious.
________________________________

EPISODE 16: BLACK AND WHITE

April was the first to stir after the dust and smoke settled from the fire. “Demi!” she yelled, getting up and looking around. “Damn it!” She ran over to Alec and Richmond, shaking them awake. “Get up, guys! We’ve got a freaking problem!”

“Yeah, no shit,” Drake sighed, wincing as he stood up and held his ribs. “We’ve got no goddamn Red Ranger, our Yellow Ranger just got screwed up and got her blood sucked and taken away, and we’ve got our butts handed to us.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” April sighed. “We are in a bit of a suck moment, ain’t we?”

“Yeah, you can say that again,” Richmond mumbled, holding his arm and trying to stem the bleeding on his hand at the same time. He noticed April‘s look, and he shook his head weakly. “Don’t say it again.”

“Sorry,” April said, tearing a bit of her shirt and wrapping it around Richmond’s hand. “Just until we can get you back to the ship.”

“Speaking of, we need to go,” Alec said, sighing. “And then we need to find a way to get Demi back.”
____________________________

The Yellow Ranger in question was tied down while Dhamphin’s toxins took hold of her. As she screamed, tears fell hot and fast down her cheeks until her throat burned. Dhamphin stood over Demi’s thrashing body, hearing her venom taking hold.

“Excellent work, Dhamphin,” Furyblaze said, stepping into the room beside Dhamphin. “We’ve killed three of them, one of them now works for us. It is almost time to finish this war and bring the Empire’s conquest of the Inhabited Planets to an end.”

“Then what becomes of the Empire?” Dhamphin asked, her arms crossed over her chest. “What good is trying to conquer a planet if we’re using the Keys to blow it up? Like we did with the girl on Bertrasis Seven?”

“Because destruction is the way that a race cannot rise above us again,” Furyblaze admitted, looking down at Demi who had stopped thrashing. “Let her up. Help her adjust.”

“Yes, sir,” Dhamphin said, nodding her head lightly as she undid the restraints and helped Demi to sit up. “I have not yet attempted my conversion on a human before today. I will be interested to see how it worked.” Slowly but surely, Demi’s eyes opened. Instead of the usual loving brown, they were a dark and deadly red, her irises black as night. “How do you feel, young one?”

“Thirsty,” Demi growled, her voice raspy. “Thirsty for blood.”

“I will teach you,” Dhamphin said, smiling like a new mother. “Come. We will get you changed into something more our style.”

“Yes, my queen,” Demi said, getting up and shaking on her feet lightly. She steadied herself and followed Dhamphin out, the smell of blood in Furyblaze’s neck making her salivate. She turned to the fire element general, fangs drawing from her canine teeth. She went to lunge at Furyblaze, but was blocked.

“No, my love,” Dhamphin said, taking Demi’s arm in her hand lightly. “This way. I will get you something to drink very soon.”

“It burns,” the Yellow Ranger growled, her hand on her throat. “Why do you resist me from quenching this?”

“Because you need new attire first, sweet. Then you can feed,” Dhamphin said, her tone soft and motherly. “Come with me and then you may feed.”

Demi simply nodded, turning and following Dhamphin. Furyblaze scoffed, shaking his head. “Pathetic,” he mumbled, turning on his own heel and starting out of the room.

Demi, having heard what he said, felt her blood boil. She broke out of Dhamphin’s light grip, lunging at Furyblaze before sinking her fangs into his neck, his screams music to her ears. She felt the rush of blood in her throat, Furyblaze’s struggles and yells of anguish dying off as she drained him of his blood. She dropped the corpse, licking her lips sensually.

“Damn,” Dhamphin said, her eyes wide as she watched the scene unfold. “Come, my dear. Now.”

Demi simply nodded again, licking the rest of the blood from her lips before she went to Dhamphin’s side once more before being led out.
_____________________________

April sighed as she patched up Richmond’s arm, Drake sitting with his shirt off and an icepack on his ribs. “I wish we knew what was going with Destiny and if Demi was ok,” she mused.

“We’ll figure it out, April,” Alec said, sighing as he threw back the last bit of his coffee. “I just hope that Demi’s ok.”

“So do I,” Drake said, putting the icepack on the table. “Though that bite she took the neck might be problematic.”

“Yeah, think so,” Richmond said. “And judging by Dhamphin’s uglier face, I’m more then willing to bet she’s a real Vampyyri, one of the most dangerous races in the Galaxy.”

“Vampyyri?” April asked. “Vampire, right?”

“Yeah. It’s where the term Vampire first came from,” Richmond said. “Legend has it that thousands of years ago, several races came from the various inhabited planets, Vampyyri being one of them. They inspired some of Earth’s greatest tales, Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Wolfman, All sorts of alien races that were the basis for a lot of fairy tales and a lot of ways to scare kids at their bedtimes. Even on my planet, my grandmother used to tell me tales of the Vamprin and Howler dup that would eat little children if they didn’t obey their elders and go to sleep on time. Scared me straight.”

“Well, Vampires here got nerfed quite a while ago,” April sighed, pulling up footage of a movie series that basically screwed the Vampire genre for years.

“Ugh, Demi made me watch those,” Alec said, covering his eyes. “Take it away!” As April canceled out the screen, the alarms rang out. “What now?”

“Looks like Dhamphin and Demi,” April said, tapping some keys. “Yep, signatures the same.” She nodded to the boys, turning the main steering wheel on the wall and setting the ship for the middle of the city. “Demi…you have to come back…”

Downtown, where apparently all monster attacks seem to occur, Dhamphin laughed as she watched Demi devour the blood of all that neared her path. “Very good, my love!” she said, clapping her hands like a mother who just taught her daughter to walk. “Now…when the Rangers get here…we end this for good.”

“You won’t be ending anything!” a voice yelled, four morphed Rangers appearing on the roof of a nearby fast food spot.

“Demi, what the hell are you wearing?” Alec asked, his eyebrow cocked under his helmet. Clad in a short skirt, fishnet leggings, a high collared/low cut top, with sleeves that were detached from the shoulders, the Rangers couldn’t believe what Demi had on.

“I will never get this image out of my head,” Drake said, blinking rapidly.

“Oh, dear God. That’s enough, boys,” April said, shaking her head--though she was also intrigued and slightly enchanted by Demi’s sexier style of dress as a Vampire.

“About time,” Dhamphin growled. “Demi, my dear, let’s show them what we can do now.”

“Yes, my Queen,” Demi said, reaching into her sleeve. She pulled out an all black Caller, similar to what she had as the Yellow Ranger, but in her other hand was a White Unleashed Key.

Dhamphin reached into her own cloak and grabbed a second all black Caller, as well as a Black Unleashed Key. “Why don’t we level the playing field?” she asked, smirking as she flipped open the Caller.

“I agree,” Demi growled.

“Darkness Change!” the two women snapped, their Ranger suits, looking strikingly similar to the main Rangers suits, but with more sharp edges as well as a blacker key and cross swords on the chest.

“Empire Black!” Demi growled.

“Empire White!” Dhamphin snarled.

“Oh, this just gets better and freaking better!” April groaned. “Now what?”

“Fight,” Drake said, his Tri-Staff in hand. “You think?”

“I think,” April said, her hand clenched around her Saber. “I’ll take Demi. You three deal with skinny, blonde, and ugly.”

“No problem,” Richmond said, nodding as he and the other men rushed forward.

Dhamphin snarled, rushing forward to meet the boys head on. “Too bad I’m not a big fan of blue, green, or silver,” she said, her black Saber in hand as she clashed with the boy’s weapons. “And by the way…I hope you don’t want my little prize back.”

“Let her go,” Alec growled, kicking Dhamphin hard in the chest.

“Don’t think so,” she growled, leaping out at the Blue Ranger.

Demi and April, meanwhile, were locked hard in their fight. Not letting up, Demi slammed her palm into April’s stomach, knocking her friend backwards. “What’s the matter, little girl?” she taunted. “Can’t stand up to the big time now that you have to fight your friend?”

“Demi, this isn’t you,” April said, getting up and tightening her grip on her weapon. “Please, look at me and come back. You’re stronger then a little bit of poison!”

“I don’t think so,” Demi growled, hitting her belt. A Key popped off into her hand, the legs flipping up. “Darkness Change.” She twisted the Key in the Caller, a black flash taking over.

ZOKATO rang out from the Caller, a black energy emitting from Demi before she changed into the leader of the Overlords, Grizzaka. Leaping towards April, Demi slashed out with the bear claws on her arms, slashing the Pink Ranger’s chest.

“Ah!” April screamed, landing on her back before popping up. As she hit her belt for a key, she looked over Demi’s changed form. “Enemy Keys? That’s really new. But, I guess it’s time to go Jungle to Jungle. Unleashed Engage!”

JUNGLE BEAST SPIRIT UNLEASHED rang out, April leapt up as the Violet Jungle Fury Ranger, the suit complete with a skirt, throwing charged blasts from the Wolf Morpher on her wrist. “Wolf Beam strike!” she snapped, the blasts slamming hard into Demi. She lunged forward again, firing several more beams to try and stop her friend. “Demi, damn it! Listen to me!”

“Go to hell,” Demi growled, taking another Key in her hand. “Darkness Change!” She twisted the Key in her Caller again, her body changing into an enemy of the Lost Galaxy Rangers, Deviot. Taking the sword from her hip, the former Yellow Ranger roared as she slashed out at April, trying to cleave her head from her shoulders. “Stand still and let my sword make friends!”

“Don’t think so, Dems!” April yelled, back flipping and taking a Key from her own belt. “Unleashed Engage!” Taking the Wolf decorated Quasar Saber from her own hip, she met her best friend again in locked combat, neither woman giving any quarter. “Demi, please! Stop this!”

From the other end of the field, Dhamphin was laughing. “You think that you can get through to her that way?!” she laughed, slashing the boys backwards and throwing Richmond to the side. “She’s too far gone. All the blood she’s ingested? Good luck trying to get her back.”

Alec stood up weakly, growling as he charged at Dhamphin with all of his strength, ramming his sword into her stomach. “Turn her back or I tear you in half,” he snarled, twisting the blade slowly, making Dhamphin scream.

“I can’t!” she yelled, managing to throw Alec off of her, wrenching his sword from her stomach. “I’m surprised, Blue Ranger. None have ever been able to stab me in the stomach before.” She threw the sword down, silver blood seeping from the wound. “Demi, my dear. Let’s retreat for now.”

Demi nodded, running over to Dhamphin. “My queen, you’re hurt,” she said, worry in her voice.

“A minor setback, my dear. An easy fix,” Dhamphin said, the two vanishing in a burst of black fire.

“Damn,” Drake coughed, unclipping his helmet. “Honestly, I think I would have rather fought Furyblaze again instead of her and Demi.”

“I think we can safely assume that Furyblaze is dead,” Richmond said, shaking his head. “You heard what she said about Demi. All the blood she’d ingested. Usually it’s Furyblaze leading the charge out of the gate, but this time, it was just Dhamphin and Demi. Not even any Golbaks or Eternaks. You notice?”

“Yeah, I did. Let’s get back to the ship and see what we can figure out,” April said, letting her morph fall before she turned away, running towards the ship to avoid letting the boys see her cry for her best friend. ”I’ve got to keep this together. I can’t let Demi go and stay with Dhamphin…it wont’ happen…”
____________________

Across town, Destiny was still sitting in the same spot on her bench, the Red Key still in hand. “Damn it,” she mumbled, running her hand in her hair. “God, what do I do? I start fighting, I’ll get someone killed. I don’t fight, I’ll get someone killed. Ah, I wish this was easier to figure out!”

Her mind started to wander back to when they were first found and approached by Megas to be Rangers, and she couldn’t help but smile a bit.

”Are you sure we’re the right ones?” Kinu had asked, her voice barely carrying over the sounds of the computers beeping.

“Yes, Kinu Yamagura. I am sure,” Megas said, a smile in his voice. “You six are the ones that have the greatest potential in the World, and I am certain that a day may come when you all rise to your destinies.”

Adira smiled, giving her sister’s hand a squeeze. “What do you say, Des? I say we do it,” she said, looking at Destiny. “I mean, yeah, we’re all women here, but that’s going to make it more fun. No mangy boys getting in the way and causing trouble.”

Anisha laughed lightly, shaking her head. “Leave it to the open lesbian to make that point,” she said, crossing her arms. “Destiny, I say we go for it. We really don’t have much else to lose, do we?”

Destiny was still skeptical, but seeing the determination in her friends faces, she nodded. “Alright. We’re in,” she said, smirking lightly and taking the Red Morpher that Alpha handed her, strapping it to her wrist. “Now to fight the Occupation and take back our home.”

“Yeah!” the five other women cheered, nodding their heads.

“Let’s kick some ass!” Nyota smirked.

From that day on, for a year and a half, the six women Rangers fought until their dying breaths…

“Alright, I’ll think about it, Adira. You made your point,” Destiny said, snapping out of her daydream and rubbing her arms. “It’s getting cold.”

“It is almost Halloween, my dear,” a passing shop owner said. “Just a couple of days to go.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize that,” Destiny said, smiling softly.
_____________________

On the Blizkon, Dhamphin growled as she let Demi stitch her stomach, the stab wound slightly deep. “It is unfortunate that my brother Mumman is not here yet. His skills in healing would be much appreciated,” she muttered, hearing the thread being cut, soft hands being replaced by a warm wash rag. “I’ll kill that Blue Ranger for this…”

Demi’s hands stopped moving, the words Blue Ranger awakening something in the back of her mind. She shook her head, growling lightly. “Leave the Pink one for me, my Queen. I’ll bring her to see that we are the way she needs to live her immortal life.”

“Hmm…one of Furyblaze’s creations,” Dhamphin said, biting her lip in thought. She narrowed her eyes, pulling her black cloak back around her shoulders and zipping it up. “It is an option, yes. But…considering she is one of Furyblaze’s creations, I don’t know how well my venom would work on her oil.”

Demi nodded lightly, thinking. “Perhaps we attack them directly,” she mused. “The Galleon is not well protected inside.”

“And with Drancon’s newest invention in my hands, things will explode for the Rangers once and for all,” Dhamphin smirked, leading Demi towards the bridge of the Blizkon. “Drancon! We need to speak at once.”

“Of course, Dhamphin. What is it?” Drancon asked, turning from his monitor where Frakis and Faerin’s images could be seen. “We will conclude this when you arrive.” He shut off the monitor and gave his full focus to Dhamphin. “What do you want?”

“The Rapparatta.”
________________________

Drake sighed as he sat back against the couch, rubbing his head. “This shit’s gone too far. We need three things. Help, a Red Ranger, and a freaking ten ton nuke to put the Empire out of our misery.”

“While a nuclear device would be beneficial, I don’t think the Governments of the world would let us have one,” April said, pulling a shirt down as she walked back into the room, several spots on her chest and stomach bandaged up. “Honestly, I need to isolate Demi and get her to see things the right way, breaking her out of this fucked up spell that Dhamphin’s got her in.”

“How?” Alec asked. “April, unless you didn’t see it, she’s not in her right mind at all. I don’t think that trying to talk is going to be enough to get her to see sense.”

“Then what do I do!?” April snapped, throwing her Caller at the Blue Ranger. “She’s my best friend, and then this shit keeps getting in my way and making it hard to keep my best friend right where she freaking belongs!”

Drake and Alec felt their hearts break for April, neither man knowing what to say. Richmond, having been in the storage levels under the Zords, came back up with a box in his arms. The Green Ranger noticed the tension, and he blinked slightly. “Did I miss something here?” he asked, setting the box on the table.

“Just a bit of discussion, Richmond,” Alec said, shaking his head. “What’s the box for?”

“Ah. Well, Thomas told me once that there was a weapon stored in the underbelly of the ship. I went looking for it. It’ll augment our Ranger Key powers a thousand fold, letting us tear through just about anything,” Richmond said, opening the box. “I present the Unleashed Destroyer. Five Keys go in the five slots, aim and pull the trigger.”

“Perhaps you’ll get a chance to use it,” a voice said, Dhamphin and Demi reappearing in the middle of the ship. She held her Caller and Key in hand, a trumpet like device in her other. “My dear, be a doll and let the fun begin.”

“Yes, my queen,” Demi said, taking the Rapparatta and flipping five Keys up, putting them into the five slots on the top of the weapon, bringing the smaller end to her lips. She played several long notes, the five Keys twisting on their own and being absorbed into the slots, five balls of light coming from the larger end before turning into the five Psycho Rangers. “Psychos. Destroy them.”

“Unleashed Engage!”

“Silver Shift!”

With the four Rangers morphed, they rushed headlong into the battle, meeting the five Psychos head on. Drake clashed with Red, throwing him into the bookshelves beside the dining table, slamming him backwards before driving the end of the Tri-Staff into his chest, trying to gain the upper hands again. The Red Psycho Ranger kicked Drake backwards, sending him across the galley of the ship, driving him into the wall beside the computer.

April and Psycho Pink met in the middle of the room, neither giving up an inch. April drew her Blaster and pointed it just under Psycho Pink’s chest plate, firing several rapid blasts that sent her falling backwards. As Psycho Pink popped up again, she let loose a blast of pink lightning from her eyes, hitting April hard in the chest. “Stay down, Pinky,” Psycho Pink growled, dropping her elbow into April’s stomach, a slight red spot making itself known on the pink spandex.

Psycho Black and Richmond found themselves in the kitchen, the Green Ranger using whatever he could in the small area for a weapon. Finally grabbed the dish drainer, Richmond slammed it down on Psycho Black’s head, kicking him back out of the kitchen and following up with a few well placed blasts to the chest, driving him backward again. Psycho Black ripped the remains of the wire dish drainer off of his head, launching himself forward at Richmond before tackling the Green Ranger in the stomach, driving him towards the lower levels.

“We need to get this outside!” Alec yelled, blocking a slash from Psycho Blue and Yellow. He drove his foot into Blue’s chest, throwing him into Yellow before he dove for the ground, rolling to a stop and blasting at Yellow’s knee. “Geeps! Get the teleported now!”

“No!” Demi yelled, lunging after the bird. “Get back here, you damn mech bird!” She swiped at the air, Geeps being just a bit faster as he landed hard on the transporter button, sending the Rangers and Psycho Rangers, as well as Dhamphin and Demi off of the ship and into the city. “Oh, I’m going to kill that damn parrot!”

“Get in line,” Dhamphin growled, holding her side. “End them!”

The Psycho Rangers nodded, rushing towards their counterparts. April and the boys flipped backwards, narrowly avoiding any contact at all. “Let’s change it up!” she said, hitting her belt.

“Unleashed Engage!”

“Silver Shift!”

As the four Rangers transformed again, the symbol of the Dino Thunder Rangers flashed over them, each Ranger taking one of the signature weapons of the Dino Rangers. Alec, Richmond, and April quickly combined their weapons, Drake slamming the Brachio Staff on top of the three. “Z-Rex Blaster!” they yelled.

“Ready!” Alec called, standing at the trigger. “Fire!” Launching the attack forward, the blast shaped itself like a dinosaur, slamming into the five Psycho Rangers and throwing them backwards, causing them to explode at Demi and Dhamphin’s feet. “Dhamphin, one last warning. Give her back to us now.”

“When are you going to learn that I can’t?” Dhamphin asked, laughing as she shifted into her vampire form. “Demi, destroy them!”

“Yes, my queen,” Demi growled, rushing forward and barreling through the boys, lunging at April as her fangs appeared. “April, you know you want to join me, baby. You know how much fun this is? Not ever wanting food, not sleeping, basically doing whatever you want. We can rule together.”

“I don’t do ruling, Demi!” April yelled, feeling herself get pinned down and watching as Demi straddled her waist, pinning her hands over her head and making it where she couldn’t struggle. “Please, Demi…”

“Don’t beg. It takes the fun out of it,” Demi whispered, opening her mouth and placing her fangs over the throbbing vein in Demi’s throat. Before she got a chance to plunge them in, several red tinted blasts hit her in the back, flipping her over April and making her hit her back on the cold ground. “The hell!?”

Stepping into view with a smoking blaster, Destiny came over sidewalk, a cold determination on her face. “Boys, April, you can’t do this layin’ down,” she said, taking her Key and Caller in hand.

“Destiny!” April yelled, standing up and grabbing her blaster, running over to the young woman. “You sure you can do this?”

“Positive,” Destiny said, flipping the Caller open. “Unleashed Engage!” As the morph took place, Destiny was clad in the red suit of the Unleashed Red Ranger. “Let’s turn this up. We need to stop Dhamphin. Can we restrain Demi somehow?”

With a quick change into the Green Mystic Ranger, Richmond strung Demi up to the side of a building with the power over the earth he had in that suit, changing back to his regular suit. “That should hold for a bit.”

“Good. Dhamphin! Time’s up for you,” Destiny said, holding her Saber and Blaster out, firing two shots…

Last time on Power Rangers Unleashed:

Demi growled, rushing forward and barreling through the boys, lunging at April as her fangs appeared. “April, you know you want to join me, baby. You know how much fun this is? Not ever wanting food, not sleeping, basically doing whatever you want. We can rule together.”

“I don’t do ruling, Demi!” April yelled, feeling herself get pinned down and watching as Demi straddled her waist, pinning her hands over her head and making it where she couldn’t struggle. “Please, Demi…”

“Don’t beg. It takes the fun out of it,” Demi whispered, opening her mouth and placing her fangs over the throbbing vein in April’s throat. Before she got a chance to plunge them in, several red tinted blasts hit her in the back, flipping her over April and making her hit her back on the cold ground. “The hell!?”

Stepping into view with a smoking blaster, Destiny came over sidewalk, a cold determination on her face. “Boys, April, you can’t do this layin’ down,” she said, taking her Key and Caller in hand.

“Destiny!” April yelled, standing up and grabbing her blaster, running over to the young woman. “You sure you can do this?”

“Positive,” Destiny said, flipping the Caller open. “Unleashed Engage!” As the morph took place, Destiny was clad in the red suit of the Unleashed Red Ranger. “Let’s turn this up. We need to stop Dhamphin. Can we restrain Demi somehow?”

With a quick change into the Green Mystic Ranger, Richmond strung Demi up to the side of a building with the power over the earth he had in that suit, changing back to his regular suit. “That should hold for a bit.”

“Good. Dhamphin! Time’s up for you,” Destiny said, holding her Saber and Blaster out, firing two shots…


“Geeps. Play it,” Destiny said, leading her team forward and firing several blasts at the same time, slashing down a Timbak that rushed her.

Filling the helmets at Destiny’s request, the theme from Mortal Kombat started to play, April’s laughter filling the air. The Rangers rushed forward, each of them slamming their swords and guns into the Timbaks and Golbaks, Drake slamming his Tri-Staff into one of the Eternaks’ chest, knocking it backwards.

“This girl gets cool points just for this song,” April snickered, landing a kick to a Timbaks’ chest as she rushed towards Demi. “Come on, girl. You have to get out of this.”

“Don’t talk,” Destiny said, slashing down a Golbak and knocking Dhamphin backwards. “Just subdue her somehow!” She hit her Belt, taking a Key from the buckle. “Unleashed Engage!” S.P.D. EMERGENCY rang out from the Caller in her hand, her Sword and Blaster being replaced by the Delta Blasters. She fired several rounds at Dhamphin, the blasts knocking the blonde backwards again.

“How?!” Dhamphin yelled as she rushed Destiny. She swung out with her leg, catching Destiny in the ribs before slamming her fist into her stomach. She yelled out as Destiny shot her in the arm, stumbling back as green blood seeped from between her fingers, coating her pale white skin. “You little tramp!”

“Thank you,” Destiny growled, slamming her foot out and catching Dhamphin just under her bust, flipping her backwards into a duo of sword slashes from Alec and Richmond. “April, how you doing over there?” She turned her head to look, seeing April and Demi locked in basically a struggle for supremacy. “April?”

“Get to you in a minute, thanks!” April growled, slashing down at Demi and cutting her friend’s arm, drawing black-tinted blood. “Demi, please! Think about Selena!”

Demi, who had started rushing towards April again, stopped in her tracks as images played in her head of her daughter’s birth and the small ice cream date between the two of them and Alec a few weeks before. She shook her head and slammed her fist into April’s stomach, knocking the Pink Ranger backwards before snapping a kick to her head. “Shut up!” she snarled, kicking April’s weapons away. “I’ll end you, Pink Ranger!”

“Demi, please….don’t do this,” April whispered, forcing her morph to let go so she could look at her best friend. “Come back to me…”

Dhamphin snarled, throwing the boys back and standing up, rushing over to Demi and grabbing her by the arm. “Let’s go,” she hissed, the two vanishing in a burst of black fire.

April stood up and wiped her eyes, fear replacing the sadness. She looked at Destiny who was letting her morph fall, and she ran over and slugged her hard in the face. “Where the hell where you!?” she snarled, slamming both hands into the Red Ranger. “We needed you, and you show up when it’s fucking convenient for you!?”

Destiny stumbled backwards, letting April’s assault continue. She knew she deserved it, and she knew she didn’t have the answer that her friend wanted. “April,” she finally said, grabbing her friend’s hands. “I’m sorry. Alright? I’m sorry for not being here when you needed me. I’m sorry I was trying to work through my own personal dilemmas before I started fighting. I’m so sorry…”

April freed her hands from Destiny’s hugging the other girl tightly. “And I’m sorry for just now…” she said, sighing softly. “I’m just…I don’t know what to do. I don’t know…how to get her back, how to break Dhamphin’s hold, reverse the toxins, none of it. I’m…for the first time, lost.”

“Come on,” Destiny said, rubbing April’s arm. “Let’s get back to the ship and find a way to fix this. And then I can tell you how I decided to stop moping and join the fight.” She looked at the others, nodding softly. “Let’s go, boys.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the three men said, Alec hitting the four digit command on his Caller and summoning the ship before the six Rangers went up.

As the five Rangers slumped down in chairs across the galley, Geeps fluttered over and sat in Destiny’s lap, the Red Ranger rubbing his head lightly. “I’m glad that you decided to join us, Destiny,” he said, flapping his wings a bit. “But…why did you come back? I’m curious about that, actually.”

“Yeah, same here,” Richmond said, coming from the kitchen with bottles of water in his hands. “I mean, last we heard, you weren’t ready to fight, still hating that we asked you to help.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” Destiny sighed, rubbing her arms. “I just…I had to get my head on right, and I didn’t know how to do that without flipping out.”

“It’s alright. We’re all used to having things taken from us,” Alec said, giving Destiny’s shoulder a squeeze. “Go take a shower, then you can talk. We waited this long. We can wait another forty-five minutes.”

“Alright,” Destiny said, nodding softly before she stood up and headed out, closing the door to the room she had before gathering a bit of clothes and stripping down. As she stepped under the blazing hot water, the Red Ranger couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh. “I’ll make this up to you…all of you…”
____________________

On the Blizkon, Demi snarled as she slammed a Golbak away from herself, her hands clenched. “That pathetic Pink!” she growled, snapping the Golbaks’ neck. She threw the corpse to the ground, screaming out and hitting the wall. Demi hit her knees, her hands tangled in her hair as images flashed through her mind of times long past.

“Come on, Demi!” she heard April’s voice yell, Demi herself heading the Cheer squad in a tournament. “You can do it, girl! Woohoo!!”

Soon her images changed, the day Alec threw her out of the way of the bomb from Filmas being the forerunner in her mind. “Hey, get off me!” she remembered yelling, shoving the Blue Ranger away before feeling her heart swell, her cheeks warming at how cute he was. “Umm…”

“Sorry,” Alec said, rubbing his neck softly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you if I did.”

“You didn’t.”

Demi hit her knees, slamming her fists into the wall. “No…I can’t turn back!” she snarled, tearing the pillow on her bed in half, white feathers falling around the room. “What’s happening to me?”

“I was afraid of this,” Dhamphin mused from the door, sighing lightly. “My conversion was never tested on a human, and I didn’t know how to proceed. Your natural defenses against viruses and infection are working against my toxin.”

“Help….me….”

“I can’t,” Dhamphin said lowly, kneeling beside Demi and putting her hand on the young woman’s cheek, regret in her eyes. “The toxins and your own body are going to fight against each other, killing you soon, my dear.”

“You did this to me….fix me!” Demi yelled, her hands finding Dhamphin’s throat. “NOW!”

“I am unable to!” Dhamphin pleaded, trying to get Demi off of her. Despite the young woman being close to Death’s door, she was still strong, Dhamphin’s face turning blue. “Demi…let go…”

Demi’s hands slacked, and she got up from the floor, Dhamphin’s coughing music in her ears. “Then what do I do?” she asked.

“Fight your enemy. With some help,” Dhamphin said, standing up and rubbing her neck, opening the door to the room and allowing a figure in, the corpse of Furyblaze, his eyes black and dead as his hands clenched and returned slowly. “When you drained Furyblaze this morning, love, you injected him with your own venom. He’s yours to control.”

“Interesting,” Demi whispered, blinking as she looked at Furyblaze. “Come. I want to try something.”
______________________

Destiny sighed as she sat on her bed, her shirt in hand as she slid into her shoes. Her brown hair fell in a curtain down her back, leaving a small trail of water going under the strap of her bra and down her spine. She pulled her shirt on, red with yellow patterns, taking her hair and putting it in a high ponytail, walking back into the main galley. “Hey…” she said, looking at the Rangers.

“Hey,” April said, smiling a bit. “You ok?”

“Just…tired, I guess,” Destiny said. “I haven’t slept since the night before the Occupation attacked, and it’s starting to catch up, I think.” She sat down on the couch, falling against April and sighing. “You ever…wonder what it’s like to die?”

“All the time,” Alec said. “Parts of all of us have died in some form or another. Richmond’s grandmother, my wife and daughter, Thomas’ family on Gojin Seven, April’s family on Earth, Demi’s planet, Drake’s home. All places and people that we’ve lost that shape our lives in ways we can’t see in the past when it happened.”

Destiny listened to Alec, biting her lip. “Kinu and Adira dying…” she said, wiping her eyes. “My family and friends. Everyone I loved.” She sighed lightly, blinking a bit to clear her vision.

“And if we don’t use their deaths as power, we’ll end up losing to the Empire, making it easy for them to screw Earth up,” April said, handing Destiny a tissue. “So, we turn our pain into power, use our family’s deaths as fuel to stop the enemy, and pray that one day we’ll see them again.”

“Wait. You said Demi’s planet,” Destiny said, cocking her eyebrow as she twisted the tissue in her hands. “I thought she was from Earth?”

“That’s what she tells people,” Richmond said. “She doesn’t realize that she’s from Bertrasis Seven, the same planet that Thomas helped destroy years ago. And…we need to try and keep it from her as long as we can.”

“Well, that’s kind of screwed up, but if you say so,” Destiny said, sighing.

The Rangers fell silent, the only sounds being Geeps pecking at some of the keys on the computer. April finally broke the silence, clearing her throat a bit. “Destiny? How did you make up your mind to come back and fight?” the Pink Ranger asked.

“Oh. That,” Destiny said, scratching her neck nervously. “How about I show you?”

“Show us?” Alec asked.

Destiny nodded, reaching over into the chest that held the Ranger Keys, taking the Red Mystic Force Key and slotting it in her Caller. “Unleashed Engage,” she said, twisting it as she was covered in the suit of the Red Mystic Ranger. “Galwit Mystio Memoriam!” A red swirl of energy appeared, passing through Destiny before it reached the computer screen, the image of Destiny sitting on the bench where Demi had left her.

Destiny sighed as she rubbed her arms, watching everyone around the street laughing and having a good time. “Damn,” she muttered, sitting back against the bench and taking the Red Key in hand again. “I wish I knew what to do…I don’t feel like I deserve to fight again…” A shadow crossed Destiny’s eyes, and the young woman looked up. “Sorry, would you mind getting out of the light, please?”

“Sorry,” a man’s voice said, sitting on the bench.

“Seriously?” Destiny asked. “Can I help you with anything or can I just get you to go away?”

The man chuckled, shaking his head. “Sorry. It’s a long way from Charterville, and I’ve been trying to find a motel to take a rest in. I’m Josh,” he said, turning and extending his hand.

“Destiny,” she said, shaking Josh’s hand. As she pulled away, she got a flash of something interesting, a white warrior designed like a Hercules beetle flashed through her mind, the young woman seeing a fight with a warrior in black. “Who are you?”

“I told you. My name is Josh Baldwin,” he said. “But, I guess you’re referring to the White Blaster Borg that you’re probably seeing in your head.”

“Yeah, that’d be it,” Destiny said, sighing. “But, what do you want from me?” She looked at Josh, trying to find a reason for his visit, but she kept coming up empty.

“Well, I know you’re struggling with something big. Trying to determine if you want to fight in a battle that doesn’t have anything for you when you win or not,” Josh said, smiling a bit.

“How do you know so much?”

“I was in a similar situation a long time ago,” Josh admitted, sighing. “My power as a Beetleborg was tied directly to the Shadowborg, one that was cloned from my friend Drew’s power as the Blue Stinger Borg. Flabber, our team ghost and mentor, I guess, gave me the power of the White Blaster Borg to fight Shadow. But, I was tied with him, and when Drew landed the death blow to Shadow, I lost my powers.”

Destiny nodded, understanding what he was saying. “Wow,” she said, sighing. “And I’m sitting here moping because I lost my world and my friends.”

“Destiny, losing your friends is a part of life. We can either sit back and let the world be taken over by the Empire, or we can get up and fight. Jo, Drew, and Roland fought in the Legend War a few years ago, giving up their powers by sacrificing themselves for the planet they loved. I knew my time as a Borg was short, but I didn’t care,” Josh said. “It’s part of life, and like I said, we can either let it happen or we can fight back.”

Before Destiny had a chance to say anything, a horde of Golbaks appeared, surrounding the two and making the street empty as everyone ran. Standing in front of the Golbaks, however, was a little four year old girl who held up her bubble gun at the Empire’s foot soldiers.

One of the Golbaks brushed the bubbles of his face, aiming his arm-mounted cannon at the young girl. Destiny leapt up and slammed the Key in the Caller, twisting it and morphing before throwing her sword and slamming it into the Golbaks’ arm, forcing him to turn and miss the child.

Destiny scooped the girl up, leaping over the rest of the Golbaks as a woman came running down the street. “Hannah! Hannah!” the older woman called, taking her daughter. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Destiny shook her head. “Don’t need to thank me,” she said, smiling softly under her helmet. “You’ll be safe now. Run.” Her sword reappearing in her hand, Josh snickered as he stood up. “What are you laughing about?”

“Watching you,” Josh said, rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles. “How you jumped in to save the kid.”

“Never let anyone get hurt was what my girlfriend told me,” Destiny said, smirking. “Let’s make this a show, Golbaks. Teach your boss that you can’t push us around.” She rushed forward, starting her assault. “Geeps! Where are the others?”

”They’re downtown. Demi and Dhamphin are back, and April’s getting trashed!” Geeps’ voice called out over the headset built into the helmet. ”Destiny. It’s good to have you back.”

“Good to be back,” Destiny said, firing several blasts.

With that, the images faded from the screen, Destiny putting the Red Mystic Key back in the chest. “So, yeah…I saw the girl almost get hurt, and I jumped in. That’s when I found you guys and helped out just now,” she said, sighing.

April stood up and hugged Destiny tightly, smiling softly. “I’m glad you’re here. But…I’ve got an idea to get Demi back, and seeing the girl in your memories gave me this thought,” she said. “I need to go for a bit. Call me if there’s trouble.” With that, she turned and took off, leaping off of the side of the ship and landing on the ground. She took off through town, a plan forming in her mind.

“What was that all about?” Destiny asked.

Alec started thinking, slapping his forehead. “Selena. Demi’s daughter.”
_________________________

On the Blizkon, Demi smirked as she looked at her “army” of Timbaks’ she’d converted into Vampires, her hands crossed on her stomach. “Now…to present you to Lord Drancon,” she said, turning and walking out with the Vampire Timbaks on her heels. She walked into the main bridge, two of the Timbaks at her back. “Lord Drancon.”

“Demetria,” Drancon said, turning his chair. “What do I owe this visit?”

“My army, sir,” Demi said, stepping to the side and revealing her converted Timbaks. “Converted Timbaks to take down the Rangers, and with the Rapparatta in our hands, anything we can throw at them will be enough to stop them.”

“Very well, young one,” Drancon said. “Take Dhamphin, Furyblaze, and your army and end the Rangers.”

“Yes, sir,” Demi said, turning on her heel and walking out, heading back to Dhamphin. “Dhamphin. Time to go.”

“What makes you think you can order me around?” Dhamphin asked, cocking her blonde eyebrow. “Well?”

“The fact that Drancon is giving me the lead. Now move out,” Demi snarled, grabbing Dhamphin and throwing her towards the door.

Dimas, having heard the conversation, smirked. “Perfect. End the Yellow Ranger and Dhamphin at the same time, and things will go smoothly for me from here out,” he mused, turning and vanishing in a burst of silver fire, reappearing down in the city.
________________________

Soon, the alarms rang out in the ship, alerting the Rangers to trouble. Destiny ran over and hit the keyboard, pulling up the map. “Movie theatre. Let’s go, guys,” she said, teleporting out of the ship and landing near the theatre, the others appearing beside her in a flash.

“Destiny,” Demi’s voice drawled, the young woman stepping out and looking dressed to kill. Clad in black leather pants and a black halter top, Demi was ready for the final fight with her friends, her hands clenched around a black lance in one hand and a gun in the other. “Well? Give me your best shot.”

“We have to keep her busy until April gets here,” Alec said. “Destiny?”

“Let’s Ranger up,” Destiny said, taking her Key and flipping it up, slotting it in the Caller.

“Unleashed Engage!”

“Silver Shift!”

As the Rangers morphed, Destiny fired at Dhamphin, the Vampire Queen blocking the shots with her blade. “I’ll take the ugly one. You guys keep Demi restrained and hold off the Timbaks until we get April here,” the Red Ranger said, firing again.

“Don’t have to wait for me,” April called, running onto the street with Selena in her arms. “Demi. I know how to get you back.”

“Mama!” Selena yelled, jumping out of the Pink Rangers’ arm and rushing over, ducking through Timbaks and Rangers legs to latch herself onto Demi’s legs. “Mama! Why you not come pick me up the other day?”

Demi stumbled backwards, looking at the young girl clinging to her leg. She growled lightly, trying to push Selena off of her before her head snapped up, remembering laughing with Selena over ice cream, introducing her daughter to Alec and her comments about him, and she fell to her knees. “Selena…” she whispered, her mind and body forcing Dhamphin’s toxins out of her neck, the black liquid turning into a vapor and disappearing.

“Mama!”

“Demi,” April said, running over and helping her stand up. “Come on. Let’s get Selena somewhere safe and come back and these things.”

“You go,” Demi whispered. “I want to own Dhamphin’s head on a platter.” She stood up, giving her daughter a squeeze and kissing her cheek. “Go with Aunt Appy, ok? I’ll come find you soon, sweetheart.”

“Oks, Mama!” Selena said, hugging her mother’s neck tightly and jumping down, running beside April.

“Unleashed Engage!” Demi yelled, twisting her Yellow Ranger Key in her Caller, slashing at Dhamphin who was trying to get to Destiny. “Dhamphin!”

“NO!” Dhamphin yelled, her hands clenched. “Nobody’s able to break out of my hold!” She rushed towards Demi, driving her foot into the Yellow Ranger’s chest. “How?!”

“Power of my family,” Demi snarled, slashing Dhamphin’s cloak and drawing blood across her stomach. “And now…I’m going to kill you.”

April rushed back in, morphing on her way through before driving a kick into one Timbaks’ chest, slashing down and drawing black blood. “Go, Demi! Though, I have to ask. How did these things get uglier?!” she asked, firing three rounds into one’s head.

“Yeah, that’d be my fault,” Demi said, slashing at Dhamphin and cutting her cheek. “I used the power I had thanks to this ugly hoe and mutated them to fight you guys. And that also goes for--oh, shit!”

At that moment, Furyblaze walked forward, sending a blast of fire out that caught Dhamphin’s cloak on fire, forcing her to shed it, revealing her usual attire of black clothes, as well as combat boots. “Kill the Rangers. Kill Dhamphin. Kill the Rangers,” Furyblaze droned in a monotone voice.

“I’ll deal with him,” Alec said, slashing and breaking off from his Timbaks he was fighting to rush Furyblaze. He rushed into a shoulder push, ramming his shoulder into Furyblaze’s stomach, dropping him before he dropped his elbow into his throat, throwing Furyblaze into the Timbaks. “Come on, Flamey-O.”

Furyblaze snarled, taking his sword from a black tuft of fire on his side, the handle made of bone instead of the polished Chrome it used to be. He met Alec’s blade in the air, the two locked in swordplay, neither gaining the upper hand.

Richmond and Drake were helping Destiny with the Timbaks, leaving Dhamphin to the Yellow and Pink Rangers. “Guys! Change it up!” Demi yelled, hitting her belt and taking a Key.

“Right!” the others yelled, each one taking a Key.

“Unleashed Engage!”

“Silver Shift!”

IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! six Callers rang out, covering the Rangers in the Mighty Morphin’ Rangers suits, Drake as White Ranger. As they summoned their individual weapons, Destiny and Alec rushed Furyblaze, each one aiming to end the Fire-based general once and for all.

Demi took out the Power Daggers, stabbing at Dhamphin while April fired from the distance with the Power Bow, Drake and Richmond using Saba and the Power Axe to cut down more and more of the Timbaks. Drake slashed one down, kicking another into his buddies.

“Ok, question!” the Silver Ranger called, jumping backwards.

“What!?” Destiny asked.

“If we kill Dhamphin, anything created by her or that’s been created from one of her conversions dies as well, yes?” Drake inquired, ducking a swing.

“In theory,” Demi said, yelling out as she got hit in the chest, hitting her knees from Dhamphin’s assault. “At least, it should. Though when the toxin left me, it should have killed Furyblaze and the Timbaks!”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Dhamphin said, grabbing Demi by the neck and driving her knee into the Yellow Ranger’s stomach. “You don’t seem to grasp that you will never be free of me, love.”

“Listen, bitch, I’ll be free of you as soon as we stop you,” Demi snarled, blasting Dhamphin hard in the chest, getting released. “Richmond! You ever find that thing that Thomas talked about?!”

“The Destroyer? Yeah,” the Green Range replied, slamming his Axe into a Timbaks’ head, knocking it down. “But, might I suggest we use the Power Cannon first?”

“Good idea,” Destiny called, slashing out at Furyblaze and knocking him into the Timbaks, each of them snarling to get out of the mass of tangled limbs.

“Power Axe!” Richmond yelled, changing the Axe into the main body of the Cannon. “April!”

“Power bow!” April called, her bow attaching. “Alec!”

“Power Lance!” the Blue Ranger split the lance in half, tossing each half onto opposite sides of the cannon. “Demi?”

“Power Daggers!” Demi called out, tossing the Daggers up where they attached to the Cannon beside the pieces of the Lance. “Lady Leader!”

“Power Sword!” Destiny yelled finally, leaping up and placing her sword in the middle of the combination, lowering back down as everyone gathered around. “Power Cannon!” She focused the sights on Furyblaze and the Timbaks, her finger on the trigger. “Fire!” She gently squeezed, the large blast flying out and connecting with Furyblaze, engulfing him and the Timbaks in an epic fireball that left the ground singed as they dropped the Mighty Morphin’ suits. “Dhamphin!”

“Oh, Gnartz,” Dhamphin sighed. “And hell, since I‘m going to die anyway…” She shrugged and rushed forward, driving kicks and punches into each Ranger’s stomach or chest, throwing the boys into a pile while she slammed her head into Demi’s helmet, catching Destiny in the ribs. “You three ain’t so tough.”

“You did not,” Demi asked, slamming her sword into Dhamphin’s side, April kicking her in the stomach as Destiny snap kicked her head to the side. “Girls, why don’t we show this floozy how tough we really are.” She reached down and took another Key out of her belt, smirking.

“Couldn’t agree more, Demi,” Destiny said, her and April taking a Key in their own hands.

“Unleashed Change!” the three called out, their suits changing. “Spin Sword! Unleashed Trinity Slash!” As the three female Rangers slashed their Spin Swords down Dhamphin’s body, they leapt back to the boys who were picking themselves off of the ground.

“Richmond, you got that cannon ready?” Destiny asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever get it,” Richmond said, looking at his friends. “Just concentrate on it as we hit our belts.”

As the Rangers hit their belts again, five bursts of light came from within, forming into the Unleashed Destroyer. Pushing the handle forward, Destiny and the others held up their Keys, Drake twisting his Silver Ranger Key in his Tri-Staff. The Five Rangers flipped their Key’s around, putting them into the individual slots in the Destroyer as Destiny pulled the handle back, the keys snapping up and causing a targeting scope to form.

RED CHARGE

FINALE WAVE

“Unleashed Tri-Stab!” Drake yelled, leaping into the air and throwing his Staff, watching it sail through the air into Dhamphin. “Do it, guys!”

“Ultimate Blast! Unleashed Fire Storm!” the five Rangers yelled out, Destiny pulling the trigger. An image of the Uchuu Galleon blasted out of the double barrels on the front, Dhamphin just hanging her head.

“Oh, well. My brother, Faerin, and Frakis are nearing the planet. I’ll be avenged!” Dhamphin yelled, the blast connecting and searing through her, causing her to combust and line the street with fire.

Destiny held the cannon down, the smoking remains of Dhamphin laying on the ground. “She’s down. Four to go,” she said, sighing.

“And it ain’t going to be easy,” April mused, letting her morph fall. She turned and hugged Demi tightly, holding her best friend tightly. “You ever go evil on me again, and I will so freaking kill you!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Demi snickered, hugging April back. “Can we go back to the Galleon? I want some real food so I can sleep. I don’t want to be a vampire ever again….”

As everyone laughed, Destiny smiled. “Don’t worry, Thomas,” she said, looking up at the heavens. “I’ll make sure they’re alright. You have my word.” She smiled again, taking off after the others and jumping on Drake’s back, making the Silver Ranger laugh. The Rangers teleported back to the Galleon, content for the first time in a few days.
______________________

Drancon smirked, shaking his head. “Dhamphin got cocky. Let us hope that the three of you do better,” he said, turning to the rest of the Outlying: Mumman, Faerin, and Frakis, each holding their Keys up.
______________________

On the far side of town, Dimas rushed into the forest. “Perhaps…the time is come for my final plan…”

What could Dimas be planning? And with the five Keys of Deletion in Drancon’s hand, what’s stopping him from turning them on and blowing up the Earth?!

FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON POWER RANGERS UNLEASHED

Two days after defeating Dhamphin, the Rangers were milling around the Galleon, taking on small tasks or just lounging. April was sitting in the dining area with her laptop, headphones in as she listened to some music, bobbing her head to the beat; Demi was flipping cards on a table, growling at her solitaire game; Richmond was tinkering with the Destroyer, recalibrating some worn out parts; Alec seemed to be in a more relaxed state, napping on the couch; Drake reading on the couch; and Destiny was propped up in a chair reading a book while waiting for her toenails to dry.

“It’s been kind of nice the last two days,” the Red Ranger said, smiling as she marked her place in the book, setting it aside. “No attacks, no nothing. Just that interview thing we did the other day for the talk shows.”

“Yeah, it’s been fun,” Demi admitted, smiling a bit. “Though this stupid game’s pissing me off!” She sighed and tossed her deck down, crossing her arms in defeat. “Stupid solitaire.”

“Demi,” April snickered, pausing her music and heading to the table to observe the game. After a few minutes, she grimaced. “Yeah, you’re pretty well flunked.”

“Yeah, thanks for the brilliant observation, Dr. Watson,” Demi sighed as she rubbed her eyes. “I’m gonna go take a shower.” With that, the Yellow Ranger got up and walked out, her bedroom door slamming behind her.

“What’s with Demi?” Drake asked, marking his book and setting it down. “I mean, she’s been cranky ever since we got back from the fight the other day.”

April sighed, knowing Demi would want the truth out, but she also knew that she’d break her friend’s trust if she told. “Damn,” she sighed. “It’s because of what Dhamphin did to her. She’s not sleeping, she’s not eating, and she snapped at Selena the other day, and she never does that. She’s…scared, a little confused, and more then a little lost on how to deal with the memories of the people she’d hurt and killed under Dhamphin’s influence, and nothing I said can take her pain away.”

The room fell silent, the only sound being Geeps sleeping in his nest. Destiny pulled the cotton from her toes, tossing it in the trash before clapping her hands. “That’s it. Girls day,” she said, standing up. “Go tell Demi. When she’s done in the shower, you and her meet me at Café la Crème over on the west end of town in the shopping center. No questions.”

“Guess she told me,” April said, nodding. “We’ll meet you there.” She watched Destiny slip her socks and shoes on again and head out, going down the hall herself. She knocked on Demi’s door, waiting a minute. “Demi?”

“Hang on,” Demi’s voice called, the sounds of someone shuffling around reaching April’s ears. “Come on in, April.”

April pushed the door open, her eyes taking in the destruction in Demi’s room. Picture frames strewn across the floor, the mattress on the floor as well, the chair from the desk in pieces against the walls, and several large indents in the metal caught her eyes. “Demi…”

“Sorry…about the mess,” Demi said, her eyes cast to the floor. She tensed when she felt April’s hand on her arm, falling into her friend and clinging to her shirt. “I’m just…so freaking scared, April…”

“I know, sweetheart, I know,” April whispered, hugging Demi tightly. “It’s alright to be scared. I know you haven’t been sleeping because of the memories of Dhamphin making you hurt people. It’s going to be alright, Demi. I promise.”

“How can you promise that?” Demi asked, sniffling as she stood back, looking at her best friend.

“Because anyone that tries to tell you otherwise is going to get a size five Pink Ranger boot up their ass,” April said, wiping Demi’s eyes. “You know me. I’ll kick anyone’s ass that threatens my oldest and best friend.”

“Thanks, April,” Demi said, smiling softly. “I guess I’ve just been scared of closing my eyes…seeing Dhamphin’s jaw opening and biting me, the searing pain and…” She kept trying to speak, but she felt April’s finger on her lip. “Hey.”

“Stop,” April said, looking down at Demi. “Just stop, Dem. I know it’s hard to live with those memories, but we have to work past them to make sure you’re alright in the long run. You’re my best friend, have I ever let you down?”

“No,” Demi said, smiling a bit. “Like that day the cheerleader was picking on me our Freshman year and you popped her fake boob.”

April laughed, nodding. “Yep!” she laughed, grinning. “And I’d do it again! But, you need to get dressed. Destiny wants us both to meet her at Café la Crème in the shopping center across town after you’re ready to go.”

“What are the boys going to do without their brains around?” Demi smirked, pulling a pair of jeans on and pulling a shirt down over her head. “I mean, we think about everything for them, so it’s going to be interesting if they don’t blow up the Galleon when we’re gone.”

“Aw, they’ll be fine,” April snickered, stuffing her hands in her hoodie’s pockets. “But yeah, soon as you’re ready, we’ll ditch the dudes and meet up with Destiny.”

“Guess you can say we've got a date with Destiny,” Demi said, pushing into her shoes, sighing as she grabbed a zip up jacket. She heard April groan at the bad joke, and she stuck her tongue out.

"You're terrible," April snickered, shaking her head.
_____________________________

On the Blizkon, Faerin--glowing a light pink with her energy powers--stretched as she rested her arms around the neck of a Timbak soldier who was trying to work. “Drancon, can’t we have some fun?” she asked, pouting.

“Soon, Faerin,” Drancon said, rolling his shoulder. “With Dhamphin dead, we must employ a new strategy if we are to take the Rangers down once and for all. Perhaps….yes, that would work.” He turned around to his screen, frantically typing a message into the computer. “Yes, this is excellent. Yes….”

“Great Gods,” Frakis mused, shaking his head. “Drancon, do you wish to let us in on your plan or must we remain in the dark?”

“Apologies, brother,” Drancon said, tapping some keys before watching an image connect to the main screen. “While most of our forces have been reduced to nonexistent on Earth thanks to the Rangers, we have one operative left in the Kasterberous System who is more then equipped to bring more despair then the Rangers know how to handle.”

“You cannot be serious about bringing him to the Planet,” Mumman said, stepping forward. “The last time that the Ringed One was loose on a planet, nothing was left.”

“Precisely,” Drancon said. “With him on our side, as well as his power to split into eleven versions of himself, the Rangers will be at a loss for words or fighting skill to fend off that many attacks at once.”

“Interesting idea,” Frakis said, his arms crossed over his armored chest, tapping his chin in thought. “However, the fact remains that we are down one Outlying for the Deletion to occur. Or had you not thought of this?” He knew that, if Drancon had an idea, that it would be wiser to simply go with his leaders idea instead of questioning it, but he needed to be sure. “Because, in honesty, I would like a chance to fight the Rangers myself before we let the Ringed One loose. Since you know how unstable his Dragon Forms are.”

“I do know how unstable the Forms are separated, but I also know that he will not allow anything to happen to a planet we wish to conquer,” Drancon said, sending the subspace message. “Now all that remains is his arrival, and the end of the Rangers once and for all.”

With that, Faerin walked out of the bridge, floating above the hard metal floors towards her room, the door sliding closed. “Perhaps I can turn this around to what I wish…” she mused.
__________________________

Down in the woods on the edge of Pan Central City, Dimas sighed as he went through some sword movements, first left then right followed by an upper slash, driving his sword backward. “The Outlying have moved in, my companions dead, my way of living virtually gone to me,” he mused, sheathing his sword again. “Perhaps…it’s time to extend the hand of compromise to the ones that actually have the power to end this battle once and for all.”

He grabbed a bag and stuffed three items into it, knowing that this would change the War for good on the right advantage. Leaving his makeshift home in the woods, Dimas made his way into the city, rolling his eyes as people started running. “Well, that’ll get their attention,” he chuckled, sitting down on a bench before setting his sheathed weapon beside him, deciding to wait.
___________________

On the Galleon, Geeps flapped as he rose from his perch, landing on the computer. “The hell!?” he squawked, shaking his head before rechecking his readings. “Boys, we’ve…got something big here.”

“What is it, Geeps?” Richmond asked, heading over and looking at the screen. “I don’t understand.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m not getting either,” Geeps said, chuckling. “Dimas is downtown, but…he’s just sitting there on a bench. Not even attacking a human.”

“Call the girls and have them meet us downtown,” Alec said, grabbing a coat from the closet before shrugging it on, heading towards the top deck. “Let’s go, guys.”

“Got it,” Drake said, following the Blue Ranger as he heard Geeps open a call to Destiny.

“What is it, Geeps?” Destiny asked, her voice sounding slightly irritated.

“Sorry to mess up your afternoon, girls, but Dimas is downtown not far from your location,” Geeps said.

He heard Destiny sigh on the other end of the call. ”Alright. Tell the boys to meet us there.”

“They’re already on their way,” Geeps said, the line dying as he said it.
___________________________

As soon as all six Rangers were downtown, they followed the empty street to the end, seeing Dimas sitting on a bench staring into the skies. Destiny took her Key in hand as she walked down the street, the others following suit to be quicker on the morph if they were being tricked.

“Dimas,” she said, stepping up.

“Rangers,” Dimas said, bowing his head as he stood, leaving his sword on the bench. “Thank you for coming.”

“What do you want? Honestly, I’m surprised you’re not blowing things up,” Drake said, crossing his arms. “What’s with you?” He cocked his eyebrow, echoing what everyone was thinking. He flinched when Demi glared at him, and he raised his hands. “Hey, I was just saying what everyone was thinking. Jesus.” He shook his head, stepping back.

“Well, first I know that you’ve no reason to trust me, but hear me out. With the four remaining Outlying on the Blizkon in low Earth orbit, they’ve officially kicked me out of the club, so to speak. But, the jokes are on them,” Dimas said, drawing a bag from the bench. He reached inside and took the Rapparatta and Black Empire Key and Caller in hand, setting them down. “Without the Rapparatta, they can’t summon the Monster Key Clones, and without the Black Empire Key, their Dark Duo is duped.”

Destiny shared a look with the Rangers, Demi being the one that was the most skeptical. “Why should we trust you?” the Yellow Ranger asked, moving her way to the front. “I mean…you did kidnap us, electrocute several of us, tried to kill us on multiple occasions, and you planted the idea to turn against Dhamphin in my head. What’s to say that you’re not going to turn on us as well?”

Dimas reached down, setting the Caller, Key, and Rapparatta on the bench again, taking his sword in hand as he heard the Rangers tense before kneeling down, holding it out. “My promise as a warrior,” he said, his head down. “I know I have wronged all of you in the past, but the Outlying have made time on the Blizkon unbearable with their plans, never allowing a moments peace. I do not expect you to trust me fully, just enough that we can end this war. You have my word, as soon as Drancon and his Outlying are destroyed, I will take the remains of the Empire and leave your planet. We will settle a world far from here, and we’ll leave all of you in peace.”

Sharing a look, Destiny sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “You betray us in any form, I’ll cut your head from your shoulders,” she said, taking Dimas’ sword.

“Fair enough,” Dimas said, watching as she took her Caller out. “I wouldn’t call your ship. I have a feeling that Faerin and the newest guest are on the way down.”

And he was right. Landing on the ground near the Rangers, Faerin and a Black and Red clad man appeared, the man in black holding his left hand up where a Ruby-styled Ring glowed on his finger.

“Faerin. You brought Warpstrike, then?” Dimas asked, taking the Key and Caller in his hand again.

“Of course I did,” Faerin giggled, smiling. “After all, you killed my friend. It’s time I returned the favor, and my favorite mystic here wants to help me!”

“Well, you and your mystic user are going to be a dust pile,” April said, stepping beside the other Rangers as they formed a line. “Dest? What’cha say we show this pixie wanna-be the front door to Hell?”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Destiny said. “Ready?!”

“Ready!” six people called out.

“Unleashed Engage!”

“Silver Shift!”

“Empire Change!”

Soon, the Six Rangers were joined by Dimas, holding the saber of the Black Ranger in his hand. Each Ranger held up their respective weapons, grey creatures flowed from under Warpstrike’s cloak, surrounding the Rangers and Dimas.

“Goboklins. Destroy them,” Warpstrike commanded, walking forward before sliding a Ring on his right hand over the belt he wore. DIMENSION it rang out, his hand entering the red dimension portal, retrieving his weapon before it closed, slashing down at Dimas who rushed forward.

“I’ll deal with Warpstrike. You try and get back through the Goboklins to get to Faerin,” Dimas said, locking blades with Warpstrike. “Go!”

Destiny nodded, taking her team and rushing forward, her Saber becoming acquainted with new blood that afternoon. “We need to force through,” she said, slamming her fist into a Goboklins’ face, throwing it backwards. “April! You and Demi keep forcing through! We’ll hold these things off as best that we can!”

“Alright!” Demi called back, trading her blaster for April’s sword, the women getting what the two were more comfortable with. Slashing down two Goboklins, Demi leapt up and slammed her swords into one’s shoulders, knocking it down. “April, I think we need to change it up!”

“You got it,” April said, hitting her belt and taking a Key. “Let’s do it!”

“Unleashed Engage!” the two Rangers yelled, twisting their Keys. DINO THUNDER POWER UP! As the symbol of the Dino Thunder Rangers flashed from the Callers, the two women were soon clad in the Yellow and White Dino Thunder suits. Demi leapt up and slashed out with her Ptera Daggers, flipping over a pair of Goboklins that got in her way.

April slashed out with the Drago Saber, jumping backwards and getting hit hard in the back as she did, landing on her stomach. “Oh, you want to go that route, huh?” she growled, slashing a Goboklins’ chest, throwing him backwards before she leapt up again, drawing thousands of arrows with the Saber, sending them flying. “We need to get to Faerin, Demi!”

“I know!”

Drake yelled out as he landed hard on his back, groaning as he felt something under his shoulder blade. “Alec?”

“Yes. Now get your ass out of my face!” the Blue Ranger groaned, sitting up as Drake rolled off of him. “We need to find a way to get these Goboklins out of the way.”

“The cloak on Warpstrike,” Richmond said, slashing down another set of Goboklins. “They’re flowing from that. We need to get around and cut that cloak off.”

“Good idea,” Drake said, hitting his belt. “Destiny, what do you think?”

“I’m up for anything right now,” the Red Ranger growled, kicking some more Goboklins’ back. As she and the boys hit their belts, Destiny hoped that they’d be able to make this work. “Dimas, move!”

“Right!” the former Empire general called back, jumping backwards and landing in the Goboklins, clearing a path for the Rangers. “All yours!”

“Unleashed Engage!”

“Silver Shift!”

RPM GET IN GEAR! the Callers spouted, covering the four Rangers in the RPM Ranger’s suit, Destiny having a skirt for the Red Ranger.

“Cloud Hatchet! Fire Mode!” Drake called out, flipping two switches on the small hand dagger he had, summoning a fire storm that took out several of the Goboklins, turning to try and attack Warpstrike.

“Street Saber!” the Red Ranger called, jumping forward and slashing out towards Warpstrike only to get hit hard in the chest, sailing backwards into Richmond who was carrying the Bridge Axe. “Sorry, Rich.”

“No problem,” Richmond groaned, standing up with Destiny’s help before throwing his Axe forward, only for it to meet resistance. “The hell!?”

DEFENSE rang out, Warpstrike’s hand over his belt as a black set of runes appeared, blocking the Rangers attacks. “You will be unable to defeat me, Rangers. Especially with this,” he deadpanned, flipping the belt to the other side. He slid a Ring to his left hand, passing it over the belt. FIRE DRAGON BURN! it rang out, changing his suit into predominantly red, the motif of the Dragon he wields adorning his helmet and chest armor. “To the end of the planet earth.”

“That’s my Warpy!” Faerin giggled, leaping backwards to avoid a blast from the Turbo Cannon on Alec’s arm. “Hey! Watch it, you trigger-happy harpy!”

“I was,” the Blue Ranger growled, blasting towards Warpstrike again, only to have the Dragon-Powered Warpstrike absorb the power from the blast. “Oh, that sucks.”

“Nothing you may do in your Ranger Forms can stop me,” Warpstrike said, stepping forward as he summoned dual sabers, slashing the Green and Silver Rangers backward, knocking them out of the RPM Morphs they’d taken. “Even your strongest forms are weak compared to my power.”

“Can’t give up, though,” Drake coughed, standing up as he hit his belt. “I won’t ever quit…not after my planet was destroyed. I won’t let that happen again!” He slammed the Key into his Cell, snarling behind his helmet. “SILVER SHIFT!” OVERDRIVE ACCELERATE As the Key twisted, Drake grabbed the Mercury Overdrive Ranger’s Drive Detector, rushing forward and slashing down at Warpstrike, actually landing a hit as more Goboklins’ rushed from under the cloak. “You jerks get back!” He slammed the Drive Detector out, stabbing more of the Goboklins.

“Destroy them!” Faerin yelled, blasting several shots of pink energy from her hands, hitting Drake and Destiny hard in the chest, throwing the two Rangers backwards. “Kill them! Do something, Warpstrike!”

“Yes, milady,” Warpstrike growled, rushing forward and slashing at the Rangers, knocking them all down and back to their base forms, even throwing Dimas back into his unmorphed form. “Weak. All of you.” He stepped to Dimas, lifting the former General by the throat. “For betraying the Empire, defiling the name of your Line, and betraying your beliefs, the sentence is maximum. Death.”

“At least I’m going to die doing what was right,” Dimas growled, his hand dropping his own sword back to the ground. “And my last words and thought is this. Rangers. Kill these bastards for good.” Hitting the ground as Warpstrike dropped him, Dimas just closed his eyes as he felt the twin swords of Warpstrike’s plunge into his chest, his heart stopping as his blood filled the street, running into the gutter.

Warpstrike reverted to his base form, stepping back to Faerin. The Goboklins receded back into the cloak, leaving the street empty save for the smoldering piles of burning Goboklins that had been dealt with. “Mission successful, milady?”

“Yes, I believe so,” Faerin said, nodding lightly. “Now that all of the former leaders of the Empire have been destroyed in one way or the other, nothing is stopping us from finishing what we came here to do.” She smirked devilishly, blasting at the Rangers again. “Goodbye for now, little Rangers. Until I come back to kill you next time!” With the smoke from the blasts covering the Rangers, Faerin and Warpstrike took their leave, vanishing from the city.

Destiny growled as she sat up, coughing as she did. “That freaking hurt,” she muttered, helping Demi and April up, the Pink Ranger holding her left wrist. “You ok?”

“Sprained my wrist when I hit the ground. I’ll be fine,” April said, wincing a bit. “Drake, you ok?”

Alec, having been the second to rise, looked to Drake, the Silver Rangers‘ chest cut up from some of the blasts. “Looks like he is. Let’s get back to the ship and get everyone fixed up,” the Blue Ranger said, helping Richmond lift Drake up. “For looking like a lightweight, this dude’s heavy.”

“Heard…that…” Drake coughed, groaning. “Ow…”

“Just don’t talk,” Richmond said, grabbing his Caller from his pocket before he teleported everyone back to the Galleon, taking Drake straight to the medical bay.
__________________________________________

On the Blizkon, Drancon laughed as he replayed the battle from Earth, watching how expertly Faerin commanded the battle, rewinding when the Rangers kept getting thrashed by Warpstrike. “I made a beautiful decision to bring him in,” he laughed, shutting off the video feed as Warpstrike and Faerin walked back into the bridge. “Good work, sister. And you as well, Warpstrike. Your mission in Kasterberous System was successful then?”

“Yes, my lord. The resistance did not stand a chance, nor did the factions that rose to the fight,” Warpstrike said, bowing his head. “Despite the Phantom Ranger, Blue Senturion, and Magna Defender attempting to stop me, they fell quickly to my Unlimit Power.”

“Good!” Drancon said, clasping his hands together. “Now, while you two were keeping the Rangers distracted, I sent Mumman on a little errand, keeping something akin to work for him.”

“Oh?” Faerin asked, cocking a violet eyebrow. “What would that be, then?”

“A little kidnapping,” Frakis chimed in, smirking as he watched Mumman walk back in, carrying a small child over his shoulder.

“Let me go!” the girl yelled out, screaming as Mumman dropped her on the cold metal floor.

“The Yellow Rangers daughter,” Drancon smirked, the room filling with dark laughter.
_______________________________

On the Galleon, Demi sighed as she sat down, an ice pack around her neck. “Damn it,” she muttered. “What are we going to do? There’s four of those freaking Outlying left, and we’re almost out of time. If just one Key of Deletion could just take out a whole continent, what chance do we have of standing against all five Keys?”

“We’ve got a better chance then most of the other planets the Empire’s destroyed. We’re fighting to protect something. Other planets didn’t have Power Rangers or Beetleborgs or mutant reptiles under their big cities. Some planets…hadn’t even begun to get out of the dirt and find technology,” Richmond said, sighing.

“Like my world,” Alec chimed. “We’d had council buildings, fire tools, farming tools, irrigation tunnels. But we were a long way off from getting indoor plumbing or television. Hell, before I started working with Thomas, I didn’t even know what the hell a picture was.” He looked up, hearing Demi running in from the kitchen where her teleport landed her. “Demi?”

The Yellow Ranger looked ready to cry, blow up in anger, and rip someone’s head off all in one shot. Hands shaking, she held out a slip of paper. “When I went to get Selena….I found this at my brother’s house, his blood on the walls…” she whispered.

Destiny got up, running over and taking the note. “No doubt you’re just finding the note, Yellow Ranger. If you want your daughter back alive--and relatively unharmed--you’ll do exactly as we command and turn over your Keys and vow yourself to the Empire. If not, say goodbye to your daughter as she plummets back to Earth from Space.,” the Red Ranger read out, taking Demi’s hand as April hugged her best friend.

“They kidnapped my daughter and killed my brother…and they’re threatening to kill my daughter. I’ll kill them myself,” Demi growled.

“We’ll get her back. I promise,” April said, tightening her arms around Demi and wishing she knew what to do.
__________________________

Laughing, Drancon threw Selena into a cell, hearing her small body hit against the cold steel wall. “Hope you enjoy your stay, little one. Soon…this will be the last place you know,” he laughed, walking back out of the cell and slamming the door behind him.

“Mama…” Selena whispered, her arms wrapped around her knees. “Mama….come finds me…”

LAST TIME ON POWER RANGERS UNLEASHED:

“Come on in, April.”

April pushed the door open, her eyes taking in the destruction in Demi’s room. Picture frames strewn across the floor, the mattress on the floor as well, the chair from the desk in pieces against the walls, and several large indents in the metal caught her eyes. “Demi…”

“Sorry…about the mess,” Demi said, her eyes cast to the floor. She tensed when she felt April’s hand on her arm, falling into her friend and clinging to her shirt. “I’m just…so freaking scared, April…”
___________________________

“Interesting idea,” Frakis said, his arms crossed over his armored chest, tapping his chin in thought. “However, the fact remains that we are down one Outlying for the Deletion to occur. Or had you not thought of this?” He knew that, if Drancon had an idea, that it would be wiser to simply go with his leaders idea instead of questioning it, but he needed to be sure. “Because, in honesty, I would like a chance to fight the Rangers myself before we let the Ringed One loose. Since you know how unstable his Dragon Forms are.”

“I do know how unstable the Forms are separated, but I also know that he will not allow anything to happen to a planet we wish to conquer,” Drancon said, sending the subspace message. “Now all that remains is his arrival, and the end of the Rangers once and for all.”

With that, Faerin walked out of the bridge, floating above the hard metal floors towards her room, the door sliding closed. “Perhaps I can turn this around to what I wish…” she mused.
___________________________

DEFENSE rang out, Warpstrike’s hand over his belt as a black set of runes appeared, blocking the Rangers attacks. “You will be unable to defeat me, Rangers. Especially with this,” he deadpanned, flipping the belt to the other side. He slid a Ring to his left hand, passing it over the belt. FIRE DRAGON BURN! it rang out, changing his suit into predominantly red, the motif of the Dragon he wields adorning his helmet and chest armor. “To the end of the planet earth.”
____________________________

On the Blizkon, Drancon laughed as he replayed the battle from Earth, watching how expertly Faerin commanded the battle, rewinding when the Rangers kept getting thrashed by Warpstrike. “I made a beautiful decision to bring him in,” he laughed, shutting off the video feed as Warpstrike and Faerin walked back into the bridge. “Good work, sister. And you as well, Warpstrike. Your mission in Kasterberous System was successful then?”

“Yes, my lord. The resistance did not stand a chance, nor did the factions that rose to the fight,” Warpstrike said, bowing his head. “Despite the Phantom Ranger, Blue Senturion, and Magna Defender attempting to stop me, they fell quickly to my Unlimit Power.”

“Good!” Drancon said, clasping his hands together. “Now, while you two were keeping the Rangers distracted, I sent Mumman on a little errand, keeping something akin to work for him.”

“Oh?” Faerin asked, cocking a violet eyebrow. “What would that be, then?”
______________________________

The Yellow Ranger looked ready to cry, blow up in anger, and rip someone’s head off all in one shot. Hands shaking, she held out a slip of paper. “When I went to get Selena….I found this at my brother’s house, his blood on the walls…” she whispered.

Destiny got up, running over and taking the note. “No doubt you’re just finding the note, Yellow Ranger. If you want your daughter back alive--and relatively unharmed--you’ll do exactly as we command and turn over your Keys and vow yourself to the Empire. If not, say goodbye to your daughter as she plummets back to Earth from Space.,” the Red Ranger read out, taking Demi’s hand as April hugged her best friend.

“They kidnapped my daughter and killed my brother…and they’re threatening to kill my daughter. I’ll kill them myself,” Demi growled.

“We’ll get her back. I promise,” April said, tightening her arms around Demi and wishing she knew what to do.

The Rangers were exhausted. Three days of running around the city stopping whatever small bits of the Empire’s forces that showed up wreaking havoc, to larger scale attacks, usually by Faerin and Warpstrike as the days wore on. They were contacted by Drancon personally two days after the ransom note for Demi’s daughter was delivered, and given a choice.

“The end of the month, Rangers. Four days to decide what you will do,” Drancon had said, his hands crossed behind his back as Selena’s screams could be heard in the background, Mumman’s robotic hand slapping the young girl as Drancon took sick pleasure in the hatred in Demi’s eyes.

“Just give me back my daughter, you bastard,” the Yellow Ranger growled. “Please!”

“Four days. Turn the Keys and your weapons over to us by December 31st, or watch your daughter die,” Drancon said, shutting off the feed.

Demi yelled out, fighting April and Destiny off of her before she tried to retrace the signal. “Get back here, asshole! NOW! AH!” she screamed, collapsing against the console as tears streamed down her face, her dark hair falling around her cheeks. Her chocolate brown shoulders shook with sobs, none of the Rangers speaking for fear of setting her off again.

“Demi. We’ll figure this out,” April whispered, kneeling down beside her oldest friend. “I promise, honey. I promise.”

“I want his head….on a silver platter…”

Now, on the eve of the last day, Demi sat on the railing of the Galleon, the cold winter air feeling slightly delightful against her bare arms as she twisted her Yellow Ranger Key around in her hands. “It’s ok, Sel…Mama’s coming. I promise…Mama’s coming, sweetheart,” she vowed, not seeing a pair of green eyes and brown hair vanish back behind the door leading into the main galley.

“She ok?” Alec asked, looking up as Destiny walked back in, the Red Ranger shaking her head.

“She’s been on that rail for days. I’m worried she’s going to do--” Destiny started, a growl from behind her stopping her.

“What? Afraid I’ll do what, Destiny?” Demi spat, her knuckles turning white from a clenched fist.

“You’ll do something to jeopardize her life even worse then it already is, and you’ll force Drancon’s hand. Do you want that?” Destiny asked, turning and facing her friend. “Demi, we’re looking out for you. You’re our sister, our family. Please.”

“Don’t bullshit me about family, you bitch,” Demi growled. “You got yours killed.” She didn’t realize what she’d said until Destiny leapt over the railing and tackled her into the wall. “Destiny…I’m sorry. I didn’t…I didn’t mean it like that…I…”

“Don’t…ever talk about Adira and Kinu like that again,” Destiny growled. “I atoned for that sin. I’m trying to make sure it doesn’t get repeated here, Demi! Get that through your goddamn head!” With that, she dropped the Yellow Ranger on the ground and stormed off, tears in her eyes as she slammed her own door.

Demi drew her knees up, burying her face against her knees, tears streaming down her face again. “I can’t do this…I keep screwing up…”

“Join the club,” April said, kneeling down beside Demi. “Come on. Let’s get you some hot coffee and something to eat. Maybe that’ll help…” She helped her friend up, leading her into the kitchen. Busying herself, April sighed as she heard Demi sniffling, her heart breaking for her friend. “Demi, it’s going to be alright.”

“No, it isn’t,” Demi said, rubbing her eyes of tears and setting her hands in front of her. “I don’t like that they killed my family and took my daughter, April. I shouldn’t…I shouldn’t have taken the Key when it was offered..”

“Then we’d be down a Yellow Ranger, and you would have been killed by now,” April said, setting the coffee in front of the other girl. “I mean…we took the Keys because Thomas needed us after Andrea died. We did what we had to because we were needed. It’s understandable that we’re skeptical that we’re going to win, but…Demi, you got to understand. We’re going to do whatever we can to make sure we get Selena back and end the Empire for good.”

Demi nodded, wrapping her hands around the coffee cup. “Alright. You’re my best friend, April. I trust you,” she whispered.

“Then you need to extend that trust to Destiny and the boys. Especially Destiny. She know what it’s like to lose everything, Dem. Don’t shut her out,” April said, walking out of the kitchen and heading towards the main galley again. “Anything on radar?”

“Nothing,” Alec said, tapping some keys on the console. “Everything’s fairly calm right now. It’s just…I’s weird.”
__________________________

On the Blizkon, Mumman threw Selena back in her cell, the young girl’s body nearly broken. Slamming the cell door, Mumman smirked under his breathing apparatus. “You do realize, young one, that your mother is not coming to save you?”

“Mama’s coming to save me,” Selena growled, coughing up some blood and spitting it out, wiping her mouth. “And she’s gonna kick your butt!”

“Such optimism,” Mumman said, shaking his head as he turned and walked away. “Such foolish optimism. You will die in that cell.”

“Like heck I will, ugly!” Selena yelled, climbing up onto the cot and wrapping her arms around herself, tears falling down her cheeks. “Mama….come and find me…”

As the doors to the bridge closed behind him, Mumman took his place at his console, Drancon and Warpstrike planning the next moves. Faerin had changed her appearance from her usual energy appearance to a woman in a white cloak, her hands busy over the keys in front of her. Drancon stood, moving to the center of the room. “Faerin, open a channel to the ships we’ve got in orbit,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” the woman replied, tapping some keys as a beep sounded. “Open.”

“Battlesnare Empire. This is Drancon, lord over you. It is time to begin the final assault on Earth. All forces surrounding this pathetic little planet, send all troops down and wipe out human life!” Drancon yelled, the sounds of cheering on the Blizkon ringing in the metal hallways. “Faerin, Mumman, you will come with me to put an end to the Power Rangers once and for all.”

“About time,” Faerin said. “Adalite Make-Up!” She waved her hand in front of her face, the human appearance melting back into her normal violet and pink body. “Let’s make this world bleed!”

“Focus your attacks on Pan Central City first,” Drancon said. “Attack various points. Warpstrike. You will come with us.”

“Yes, my lord,” Warpstrike smirked. “I’ve a new form I wish to test, and this will give me the perfect chance to do so.”

“Very good,” Drancon said. “All forces. Begin the assault!” With that final word, the crews of the ships surrounding Earth teleported down, Pan Central City becoming overrun with Golbaks, Timbaks, and Eternaks. “Let’s go.” He led his three remaining Outlying brothers and sister out of the bridge, Warpstrike on their heels.
__________________________

As the Rangers gathered themselves after Demi and Destiny’s scuffle, Geeps tapped away at the computer before all alarms lit up, the city map shining red with enemy signatures, the galley flooded in red lights. “Oh, damn!” Geeps chirped, hitting the all call for the Rangers. “Guys! Get your butts to the Galley. We’ve got….a lot of trouble.”

The Rangers piled in, Destiny in the lead. “What’s up, Geeps?” she asked.

“Everything. Everyone the Empire could throw at us…it’s here,” Geeps said. “Drancon, Warpstrike, Faerin, Frakis, Mumman….legions of Golbaks and Timbaks. I don’t…”

“We’ll deal with it,” Destiny said. “Let’s Ranger up.”

“UNLEASHED ENGAGE!”

“Silver Shift!”

As the six morphed, Geeps sent them down into town, landing them right in the middle of a crowd. “Oh, fun,” Demi sighed, taking her saber in hand. “Let’s do this.”

“Split up,” Destiny said, taking off and barreling through a group of Golbaks, knocking them down before she slashed, yelling as she got hit in the back, falling forward before popping up again, split kicking two Timbaks before she landed again.

Drancon stepped up from a rooftop, throwing a fireball down at the Rangers, searing their suits off of them, knocking them to the ground. Jumping down, he landed in front of the Rangers and sent a black wave that sealed their Morphers shut, inserts flooding the keyholes on their Morphers. “Hello, Rangers,” he sneered, smirking as he stepped forward again.

“Dran…con…” Destiny coughed, holding her ribs where a bit of blood was pooling against her skin. “Son of a bitch.”

“Thank you,” Drancon growled. “You’ve been thorns in my side for far too long. Now, I’m going to kill you and finish my conquest of this planet before I just blow you up for fun.” He snapped his fingers, Faerin, Mumman, and Frakis walked out of the shadows, surrounding the Rangers as Warpstrike flew in from above. “And you see….with the five of us…killing you will be easy without your powers.”

“You bastard,” Drake coughed, spitting up some blood, a small trickle coming from a cut on his head. “We’ll stop you somehow…”

“I doubt that,” Drancon said, kicking Drake backwards into Faerin, the female Outlying lifting the Silver Ranger up before she rammed a small silver handled dagger into his stomach, letting him fall from her hand before she kicked him backwards as well.

“Warpstrike. Are your men ready?” Mumman asked.

“Yes, my lords. They are prepared,” Warpstrike said, taking a diamond-centered Ring from his belt. Passing it over the scanner belt he wore, Warpstrike’s suit changed again. DRAGON FINALE it rang out, his body changing from black to clad in white, his hands becoming the Dragon’s Hell Claws, a Dragon’s tail growing from the back of his hip as great white wings, shining like diamonds grew from his back. “And now the Final Countdown! Blizkon deploy U.D.C.!”

As the Blizkon lowered into the Earth’s atmosphere, it slowly elongated and changed from a twin-horse fronted ship. The horse heads slid down, forming into knees, while a spinal column grew from the back, stretching out as the Rangers watched in horror. Soon, the formation was complete, and standing in front of the Rangers, and standing much taller then the Megazord, stood the U.D.C., the Empire’s secret Weapon.

“Finally!” Drancon laughed, clapping his hands together. “The Gigant Cannon in that ship will be enough to wipe this planet off of the map, just like we’ve done to Bertrasis and countless other worlds. Come, my brothers. Let us prepare the cannon.” With that, he and the rest of the Outlying vanished in a burst of black fire, the Timbaks and Golbaks surrounding the Rangers and Warpstrike.

“We won’t go down so easily,” Alec growled, helping Drake pull the knife out of his stomach before pressing his shirt into the wound. “Hold that there. We’ll take care of this.” He stood again, blood dripping from his fingers as he stood beside his team who slowly dragged themselves up.

“We’ll fight…even if we die,” Destiny vowed, a renewed sense of power inside the Red Ranger. “Adira, Kinu….just watch. I’ll take these guys down just like the Occupation back home.” Looking at her Caller, she pushed it into her pocket and clenched her fists. “We can’t use our powers, but that doesn’t mean we’re not the Power Rangers any less!”

April stood up, determination in her eyes. “I might have been created by you bastards at the Empire, but I refuse to let my home be destroyed!” she snarled, her hands clenched. “Come on, guys. Let’s end these jerks!”

Richmond wiped a bit of blood from his face, nodding. “Let’s do this for the Earth,” he said. “For those we’ve lost!”

“Thomas, Andrea, Artemis, Dimas. This is for them,” Demi said, tearing her shirt and tying the strip to a cut on her arm, the yellow cloth slowly turning red. “Destiny, just say the word.”

Warpstrike laughed, shaking his head. “You five just do not get it. You are powerless against me, and I will not be beaten by puny humans,” he said, rushing forward with a burst of speed, slamming into the Rangers again before feeling Richmond and Alec grab his arms, dragging him backwards while Demi and April delivered punches and kicks to his ribs and torso, Demi even landing a kick below the belt. Throwing Richmond and Alec off of him, Warpstrike slammed Demi and April backwards, stabbing both of them in the shoulder, pinning them to the ground. “Foolish humans.”

“Thank you!” April yelled, driving her feet up into Warpstrike’s chest, forcing him backwards. “Even though I’m a machine, not human.”

Warpstrike growled, charging his power before he flipped the belt, taking a Ring from his side before sliding it over the bed. FINALE STRIKER FULL POWER the belt rang out, Warpstrike rising into the air, the dragon’s head on his chest making it’s way to his foot as a mighty roar sounded. “HA!” He dove down, slamming into the ground, blinding the Rangers…
___________________________

A little while later, Destiny sighed as she sat up, seeing she was back on the Galleon. “Geeps! What happened?!” she yelled, jumping up from her cot in the medical wing before running out to the galley. “Geeps!”

“Destiny!” Geeps’ voice called from under the overturned table. The Red Ranger ran over, moving the chairs out of the way before yelling out as she lifted the table up, setting it up right. “Destiny…they took…the Keys.”

“Who?” Destiny asked, sitting on the floor and examining Geeps’ wing. “Geeps, your wing’s broken.”

“I know,” Geeps coughed, sighing. “Drancon and Faerin. They snuck on board as Warpstrike tried to kill you guys. They trashed the Galley, trapping me under the table. I heard them tearing the place up, and I was praying they wouldn’t find the chest with the Keys. I wasn’t so lucky. They found the Keys and the Rapparatta, taking the Chest. It had all the Keys. Mighty Morphin to Unleashed. Destiny…they’re planning on using the Keys to help destroy the universe.”

“We have to get the Keys back. We can’t fight without them, and our Morphers are still sealed,” Destiny sighed. “Geeps, don’t blame yourself for this. It could have happened to anyone.” She went back to the medical bay, waking the others up. “Guys, we need to do something stupid, suicidal, and fucking crazy, but…it’s going to save the world.”

“Actually, about that…” Geeps said. “Um…look out the window, guys.”

Destiny helped April and Demi sit up, opening the blinds before she gasped. Demi took Destiny’s hand, feeling Alec’s hand on her back, April burying her face against Destiny’s shoulder, the Pink Ranger shaking slightly. Richmond looked out of the window, his eyes wide.

“The Earth…it’s gone,” the Green Ranger said, clearly stunned. “We failed…we let the Earth get destroyed.”

“We didn’t fail yet. This is just a set back,” Destiny vowed. “We’ve still got to destroy the Empire. We just have seven billion reasons for doing so now.”

“There’s something else,” Geeps said. “The Empire…found the Zeo Zord hangar. Under the Command Center in Angel Grove.”

‘If they’ve got their hands on the Zeo Zords…we’re screwed,” Alec sighed.
____________________________

Standing on the bridge of the Blizkon, the Outlying were celebrating the destruction of Earth. With the Blizkon stopped on the moon, the Zeo Zords, Super Zeo Zords, Red Battlezord, and Pyramidas surrounded them, standing tall in the various Megazord modes. Drancon laughed as he looked out of the window, seeing their conquest.

“The Earth is destroyed! We’ve done what no other enemy in the history of Power Rangers have done!” he cheered over the fleet wide intercoms. “With the Power Rangers destroyed, we should have no trouble using the Keys we stole from them to destroy Phaedos, Miranoi, and Triforia. Liaria is on it’s last legs, so they should fall in the next days. Within the week, we should--”

“Lord Drancon!” one of the Timbaks called. “We’ve got a problem.”

“What is it?” Drancon asked, walking over to the console. “IMPOSSIBLE!” Coming up on the monitor, the Galleon sailed into view, heading straight for the moon. “Get the Blizkon out of here. Evasive maneuver!” As the Blizkon lifted off, they tried to turn and get away from the Galleon, but the Rangers wre just slightly faster. “All hands! Brace for collision!”

The Galleon’s bow colliding with the Blizkon, sending the two ships off into space. “Geeps! Activate the breathing field!” Destiny yelled, holding onto her console. “NOW!”

“I’m on it!” Demi yelled, tumbling over and hitting several buttons, a transparent tunnel connecting the Blizkon and the Galleon. “Let’s go!”

“I’m coming too!” Drake growled, stumbling out into the galley. “Can’t keep me down.”

“You had a dagger plunged into your stomach,” April said. “Drake, please. Stay here.”

Drake sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t like staying behind, but…I’ll do it,” he sighed, slumping down onto the couch.

“Let’s go, Rangers,” Destiny said, grabbing Dimas’ sword from the wall and rushing out into the tunnel, slamming into Timbaks as she landed on the innards of the Blizkon, looking around. “Alright. We need to be careful. They do have all of our Keys.”

As she spoke, twelve pairs of boots stepped into the light, the Mighty Morphing and Alien Rangers as well as the White Ranger stepped out. “Lovely,” Demi sighed. “You had to say something, didn’t you?”

“Sorry,” Destiny said, drawing Dimas’ sword from it’s sheath before dropping the sheath. “We don’t have our own powers to fight the clones, but we can at least improvise.” She rushed forward, slashing out towards the two Red Rangers. “You guys go on! Meet on the bridge!” The Rangers nodded, rushing off and leaving Destiny to deal with the twelve Rangers in front of her. “Come on, then!” She slammed her sword into the Pink Ranger, ducking a swing before she heard the Power Axe power up, flipping back and watching the blast sail over her head and hit the Tricera Ranger square in the chest, his body disintegrating and leaving just the Key. “Of course!”

As Demi and the others ran forward, they were stopped by the Turbo and Zeo Rangers. “You guys go,” Demi said. “I’ll deal here. I’m fast enough.”

“Be careful,” Alec whispered, facing Demi. He gave her hand a squeeze, turning to follow the others.

“ALEC!” Demi yelled, stopping the Blue Ranger cold. “If we die…I’m glad I met you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him. Alec wrapped his arms around Demi, returning the kiss just as eagerly.

“Alright, you two. There’s still a war on,” April said, grabbing Alec and dragging him back. “You’ll have plenty of time to suck face with my best friend after we kill everything on board.” She smirked at Demi, nodding. “Good luck, Demi.”

“Yeah, you too,” Demi said, taking her fighting stance before rushing the Zeo Rangers, tackling the Red Ranger around the waist, his Zeo Power Sword clattering to the ground before she jumped backwards, taking the sword in hand as she held it up. “Alright. So we can separate you from your weapons and I can use them. Bitchin’. Let’s rumble, boys and girls.”

As the remaining three Rangers ran forward, Alec couldn’t help but think that they were being slowed down. “I don’t like this,” the Blue Ranger said, looking around. “They’re sending two teams of Clones after each of us, separating us. Why?”

“Make us easy targets?” Richmond asked. “Who knows? Let’s just keep moving. We need to find the bridge.” As he stepped forward again, another twelve stepped out of the hallway, this time the Clones being the Space and Lost Galaxy Rangers. “Great. I’ll deal here. You guys go.”

“You sure?” Alec asked.

“If you think I’m kissing you, you got another thing comin’, dude,” Richmond said. “Alec, go. I’ve handled tougher then these.” He shook the Blue Ranger’s hand, turning and running towards the Rangers, leaping up and slamming into the two Pink Rangers. “Sorry, ladies.” He wrenched a Quasar Saber from one of them, slashing down the Black Space Ranger’s chest before he tried to fight against the power of both Red Rangers. “GO!”

April grabbed Alec’s arm and drug him along, looking around. “Great. So that’s six teams. Which leaves thirteen. Lightspeed, Time Force, SPD, Mystic Force, RPM, Samurai, Dino Thunder, Overdrive, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, Jungle Fury, Megaforce, and us. Goddamn it,” the Pink Ranger sighed, slumping against a wall. “And with three of us left behind and Drake on the Galleon out of commission right now, we’re screwed.”

“Well, I think we’re screwed right now,” Alec said, standing up as the RPM and SPD teams walked out, fourteen Rangers in all. “April, you go. Find Selena and get her back to the Galleon. I’ll meet you on the bridge.” He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, stepping forward. “Go, April. Find Selena. Now!” He slammed into the Blue RPM Ranger, knocking him down before he grabbed him up, using the Blue Ranger as a weapon on his own.

April nodded, taking off running. “Again, I’m the last one standing,” she muttered. “Least I know my way around.” She took down a hallway, skidding to a halt before she followed a separate corridor, jumping over a staircase and landing on the walkway below. “Getting close to the dungeon, I hope…” She took a corner, squeaking before she ducked back, watching two Timbaks turn the corner and leave, taking off again before she managed to make it to the cell. “Selena?”

“April!” the young girl exclaimed. “Where’s Mama?”

“She’s kicking bad guy butt,” April said. She started looking at the lock, growling. “Shit. No key.” She saw Selena scurry back in her cell a bit, confusion in the Pink Ranger’s eyes. “Sel?” She turned when Selena pointed, looking up and seeing the Unleashed Rangers standing over her. “Great.” She stood up and tackled her Ranger Form, wrenching the Gun out of the Pink Ranger’s hand. “Selena! Get under your bed now!” She turned and fired several blasts, each one knocking down the Unleashed Rangers. “God, what I’d give to morph right now!” She swore loudly, jumping up and wrapping her legs around the Yellow Ranger helmet, grabbing Green and slamming him down, pulling Yellow over her head before she slammed the Saber into Yellows’ chest, dropping down when the body fell apart and left just the Key. “Duh! Key Clones!” She stashed the Key in her inner coat pocket, a renewed sense of energy around her.
____________________

Back on the bridge, Drancon had five separate visuals, each one housing the Ranges fighting and winning against the Clones made from the Keys. “Damn it!” the dragon-based leader snarled, slamming his hand on the desk. “All forces! KILL THE HEROES!”

“Without their powers, my lord, they should go down easily,” Mumman said. He turned to his own console, visibly flinching when Destiny and Demi each finished off their clones, taking off for the next areas. “But, I have been wrong before.”

“Shut up, Mumman!” Faerin smirked. “Can you not see our leader is distressed about this turn of events?” Inside, she was giddy as a schoolgirl. She had grown tired of Drancon constantly housing victory, so to see him disheveled and losing his grip on his army was making her VERY happy. “Drancon, my dear. Why not just go deal with them yourself?”

“Because then you, my dear Faerin, would attempt to usurp my position. You have tried this before,” Drancon said. “However. If you were to take Warpstrike, you would all make short work of them again. I sincerely hope that you would not screw this up again, Faerin. It’d be a shame to end a life like yours, even though your real talents only show up in the bedding chambers.”

Faerin growled, lunging for Drancon only to be swatted aside, the woman becoming one with the wall as she got hit to the side. “Bastard!” she snarled, peeling herself out. “Didn’t enjoy you anyway. Spikes that freaking hurt on reentry.”

As she finished speaking, Drancon slammed his hand down on the desk again. “Damn it!” he yelled, shutting off the monitors. “They’re on the way here. All of them.” He sat down, reaching for a bottle of clear liquid from the side of his desk. “Timbaks. Prepare the Zeo Zords for attack. Destroy the Galleon.”

“Yes, sir,” the Timbaks on the Bridge said, each one getting up and running out, taking a ramp to the moons surface, climbing into the Megazords that were stationary before the systems powered up.

Colliding in a heap in the corridor leading to the bridge, Demi and the other Rangers were happy to see each other. “Mama!” Selena called, climbing into her mother’s arms and hugging her neck. “Mama, I’m scared.”

“I know, baby girl. I’m scared too,” Demi whispered, hugging her daughter tightly. She pulled her Caller from her pocket, growling as she looked at the stopper that blocked them from morphing. “Geeps? Can you get a lock on my daughter and get her back to the Galleon? I don’t’ want her in this fight.”

”You got it, Demi.” Geeps’ voice responded.

“Mama…come back,” Selena said, wiping her eyes. “Please?”

“Of course, baby,” Demi said, kissing Selena’s head. “I promise. And when I come home, we’ll get you all cleaned up, ok?”

“Ok, Mama,” Selena said, sniffling as the teleport happened, taking the girl to the Galleon.

Destiny stood up, helping the others up. “Come on, guys. We’ve still got Drancon and the Outlying to deal with,” she said.

“Hang on,” April said, taking the Ranger Keys from her pocket. “I got stuck fighting us.” She passed out the Keys, sighing. “We can’t use them, but…it’s good to have them.”

“Thanks, April,” Destiny said, smiling softly. Her smile faltered into a hard glare. “Let’s end this for good.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Rangers,” Drancon growled, stepping off of the bridge and into the hallway. “You’ve been thorns in my side for too long! Just die!”

“You first,” Destiny growled.

“Just to make this interesting…I’ll allow you to fight with your powers,” Drancon said, throwing his arm forward and undoing his lock on the Callers, the Rangers able to morph now. “Well, hurry up. Do the flashy morph you’re so good at wasting time doing.”

“You heard the man,” Alec said, taking his Key in hand and clenching his fingers around the key. “Destiny. Call it.”

“Let’s Ranger up!” the Red Ranger smirked, flipping her Caller open. “Ready!”

“Ready!”

“UNLEASHED ENGAGE!”

“Unleashed Engage!” the five Rangers yelled, their suits closing over their bodies. Five multicolored lights later, Destiny stepped in front of the group, her saber in hand.

“This ends today,” the Red Ranger growled. “We need to finish this fight and end whatever scum of the Empire remains.”

“You won’t have the chance,” Drancon roared, launching forward and slamming into the Rangers, throwing them against the wall as white fire emanated from his body, making them scream in pain. “BURN!”

“I don’t think so!” Richmond snarled, grabbing a Key from his belt and slotting it. MAGICAL SOURCE MYSTIC FORCE rang out, his suit changing into the Blue Mystic Ranger, the MagiStaff in hand as he blasted a high pressure torrent of water at Drancon, throwing him backwards and dousing his flame. “Your fire’s been extinguished, Drancon.”

“You little prick!” Drancon growled, his hands clenched. “Faerin!” He stepped backwards, Faerin walking out of the control room and standing in front of the Rangers. “Kill them, Faerin.”

Turning and bowing her head, Faerin held her hand up. “As you wish,” she said, charging a burst of energy to her palm before drawing her arm back. With a devilish glimmer in her pure violet eyes, she turned and blasted Drancon instead, throwing her leader into the wall.

“You little traitor,” Drancon growled, peeling himself out of the wall and launching for Faerin. “You betray us?”

“I’ve been plotting this for years, Drancon,” Faerin said, skirting a swing and kicking her ‘leader’ in the chest, slashing at him with her hair, searing a cut in his face. “Rangers. Go to the Control Room and destroy Warpstrike. I’ll deal with my brother.”

“Why are you helping us after you TRIED TO KILL US!?” April asked, her eyes wide under her helmet at the change of events. Not that wasn’t grateful for the change, she was just curious.

“I’ve hated Drancon’s rule for years. Always ordering us to blow up planets who weren’t even in the Empire’s sights. Bertrasis, Volkrieg, Bolovax Vic. None of them deserved it,” Faerin growled, charging another bolt of energy into her hands before blasting her ‘brother’ again. “Go! I’ll hold off Drancon for now.”

“Alright,” Destiny said, leading the Rangers towards the door for the Control Room before Destiny kicked it in, the metal bending under the force of her attack. “Alright, assholes. This ends today.”

“That is a given, little girl,” Warpstrike growled, stepping up and forcing his change into his Finale form, the diamond glinting in the Control Room’s lights. “This will be the final battle, and all will fall for you!” He rushed forward, throwing the Rangers away from Destiny, putting a wall of fire around himself and the Red Ranger. “You will be the first to die, Red Ranger.”

“Yeah, like hell,” Destiny said, hitting her belt and taking a Key. “Unleashed Engage!” TIME FOR TIME FORCE rang out from her Caller, her suit changing into that of the Red Time Force Ranger. “Chrono Sabers!” Drawing the twin swords from the pocket dimension stored in the Chrono Morpher on her wrist, Destiny broke them apart into two separate swords, she rushed forward and met Warpstrike head on.

Warpstrike collided with Destiny’s Sabers, his own sword locked between hers. “You think a suit change and weapons from a dead Ranger can help you? You’re sorely mistaken,” he snarled, kicking Destiny in the chest and sending her crashing into the wall. The fire fell from around the two, Destiny growling as she stood up. “You don’t know when to quit, do you?”

“I’ll never quit,” Destiny growled, taking another Key from her belt. “Unleashed Engage!” SHIFT INTO TURBO rang out from the Caller, changing Destiny from Time Force into the Red Turbo Ranger. “Lightning Sword!” She rushed forward again, slashing at Warpstrike before she ended up breaking a piece of his diamond-plated chest plate off, driving a kick into his back, sending him forward.

While Destiny tangled with Warpstrike, Demi and the others were busy with Timbaks rushing them from all sides. “Guys, let’s get in gear,” Demi called, taking the Yellow RPM Key from her belt.

“Couldn’t agree more, girl!” April grinned under her helmet, taking the Black RPM Key. As the boys held up their Keys, Demi ran to the front of their line of four.

“Unleashed Engage!” they called out, twisting the Keys in the Caller. RPM GET IN GEAR the Callers rang out, the sounds of engines revving filling the room before the four Rangers were clad in the suits of the RPM Rangers. Taking the Nitro Sabers from their belts, the four went back to work cutting down Timbaks to get to Destiny.

April leapt forward, taking her Wolf Laser and firing several blasts, throwing Timbaks backwards before she ran several through with her Nitro Saber. “Alec, go!” she yelled.

The Blue Ranger nodded, leaping forward and body slamming a row of Timbaks before he used one as a weapon, throwing it around and slamming it into it’s comrades. “Rich, you’re up!”

Richmond nodded, getting a boost over Alec’s head from April, landing with his knees in the Timbaks’ chest before he slashed down with his Turbo Axe, cutting the arms and bodies of a horde that had tried to corner him. “Demi!”

“You got it!” the Yellow Ranger said, taking Alec’s hand as she ran by and getting launched forward. She drew out her Zip Charger, throwing it down her arm and causing it to zip around and slam into several more Timbaks. “Come on, guys. Let’s change it up again and help Destiny out.”

“Unleashed Engage!” As the four twisted the Keys they’d grabbed, each Ranger transformed into different suits once again. In four blinding flashes of light, the Rangers closed on Warpstrike, each one ready for a fight.

Alec grabbed Warpstrike around the neck with the Jungle Chucks, hefting him over his back and into the hard metal floor before jumping backwards. “Unleash the Tiger!” he called, throwing his arms forward and causing a red tiger to burst from his hands, the tiger mimicking Alec’s movements of scratching and clawing at Warpstrike.

Warpstrike stood and roared, the shockwave pushing the Rangers together. “You think that can stop me?!” he yelled, launching a fireball forward.

“Batter up!” Demi yelled, swinging the Lion Hammer hard and hitting the fireball, sending it flying back at Warpstrike, watching it collide with him before she rushed in behind it, slamming the hammer down before she grabbed the sword from her back. “Ninja Shadow Battle!” Curtains came from nowhere, shading Demi and Warpstrike as the Yellow Ranger attacked, slashing and cutting at several angles, the curtains falling away as she landed, putting the sword back on her back as Warpstrike sparked. “Next?”

April flung herself forward, her Spin Sword in her hands and glowing with a spiraling gust of pink wind. “Airway!” the Pink Ranger called, slashing at Warpstrike and breaking the claws on his gauntlets, stabbing him in the shoulder before wrenching the sword from within, flipping backwards as Richmond followed in with his own attack. ‘Go for it, Richy!”

“Don’t call me that,” Richmond said, taking his Quasar Saber and Transdagger out before he changed the dagger to the TransBlaster, a crossbow like weapon. He fired several shots directly into Warpstrike’s chest, black blood falling around Richmond’s feet. “Go to hell.”

“You first,” Warpstrike growled, kicking Richmond back into the wall, hearing the Green Ranger groan in pain.

“My turn,” Destiny growled. She rushed forward, taking her Spiral Saber and charging her power into it before she slammed it into Warpstrike’s chest, pulling the handle and making the Saber spin, Warpstrike’s blood curtling scream music to the Red Ranger. “Let’s finish this jackass the right way.” She pulled the Spiral Saber out of his chest, jumping back to her team. “Think that Cannon of ours is up for one last hurrah?”

“I think so,” Richmond said. “It worked the last time.”

“Let’s do it,” Destiny said. The five Rangers hit their belts again, five small orbs of light coming together and forming the Unleashed Destroyer. She caught the cannon, handing it to Demi. “Take it.”

“What?”

“You deserve a shot at this jerk as much as we do,” Destiny said, getting into Demi’s place while Demi took up residence in the back.

Demi pushed the handle forward, the slots for the Keys extending. The four Rangers flipped their Keys up, putting them in position before Demi pushed her Yellow Key into the back, pulling the handle back and making the Keys start to charge energy, the targeting sights lining up with Warpstrike.

YELLOW CHARGE the Cannon rang out, two bursts of energy charging at the twin barrels in the front.

”Ultimate Blast! Unleashed Fire Storm!” the five Rangers called, Demi pulling the trigger. As the image of the Galleon sailed out and collided with Warpstrike, the Rangers lowered the cannon, Warpstrike laughing the entire time.

“You can’t stop me!” he laughed, trying to force through the blast. “I won’t go down that easily!”

“Too bad,” Demi said, taking two Keys from her Belt and putting them in her Saber and Gun. FINALE WAVE “Yellow Burst!” She fired the gun and slashed down with the saber, the crescent wave of energy colliding with the bullet and sailing into Warpstrike’s head, the explosion from both attacks being enough to end Warpstrike for good.

“We’ve still got Mumman and Frakis to deal with,” Destiny said. “Let’s go!” She led the Rangers out of the Control Room, ducking a blast of red energy from a stray blast by Drancon. “She didn’t finish you!?”

“Like she stood a chance,” Drancon said, laughing as he moved and revealed Faerin’s fallen body behind him. “She was weak. Just like Warpstrike, just like Serpen, Dimas, Furyblaze, Dhamphin, all of them were weak. And like Mumman and Frakis will fall, so will you, Rangers.”

“Like hell,” Richmond growled, his glove squeaking as his fist tightened around the hilt of his sword. “You won’t be able to defeat us. We’ve got the lives of seven billion people on our shoulders who want us to win and avenge them. Thomas, Andrea, Artemis. We’re doing this for them.”

“Then you are a fool,” Drancon laughed. He stepped back, shaking his head. “I will wait at the lowest point of the ship. That area will give us the space we need for our battle. Do not keep me waiting long, Rangers.” He stepped back and melted into the shadows, leaving the Rangers standing alone in the hallway.

“Now what?” Richmond asked, pulling his helmet off and wiping some sweat from his forehead. “We could take the cheap way out, go back to the ship and use the Omnizord, super attack this place and blow it up and get the hell out of the Solar System, or we can go and fight. We’ve got three Outlying left, and I’m getting tired.”

The other Rangers unclipped their helmets, sinking to the wall or onto the floor. Destiny sighed, wiping her head as she thought about what Richmond said. “We’re almost done. Frakis, Mumman, and then Drancon. Then we find somewhere and settle down for the rest of time,” she said. “If we just barrel through the other two, Drancon isn’t going to--oh, shit. I just had a thought.”

“What?” April asked, pulling her hair up. “Destiny?”

“The Outlying might not be living beings,” the Red Ranger said. “Dhamphin's name was taken from “Dhamphir” or Vampire. Other then Necrolai, there’s never been a lot of Vampire enemies for Rangers to take down.”

“You think that Drancon somehow is a vampire and he disguises himself as a dragon to avoid suspicion?” Demi asked, rubbing her arm before she stood up again and stretched. “If that’s the case…we go after Drancon and end him, Mumman and Frakis fall, too.”

“We can’t,” Alec said. “If we’re wrong, and we go straight for Drancon, we’ll screw up, leaving two Outlying alive to reform the Empire, and we’re back to square one.” He sighed as he let his helmet hang from his fingers, looking at his friends. “We need to do this right, and that’s take out Mumman and Frakis first, and then finish Drancon. And I’ve got an idea about how to take Drancon down.”

“How?” Destiny asked, looking at Alec. “We don’t have much, man. Just our power and what we can do with it.”

“The Keys of Deletion,” Alec said, helping April up to her feet. “We were just in the control room, right? Those Keys should be there. If they’re actually Ranger Keys, we’ve got a chance to win this and keep those out of the Empires claws for the rest of time.”

“Let’s find them,” Destiny said, clipping her helmet back on, standing up and prying the doors to the Control Room open with Alec’s help, the five Rangers separating inside to start pulling out drawers and tearing the room open to find the Keys. “Where the hell are they?!”

April, having been sitting in Drancon’s chair and looking through his consoles, pulled open a drawer and pulled the contents out, shaking her head before throwing the papers to the ground. “Damn it,” she growled. Getting an idea, she knocked on the inside of the drawer, hearing it sound hollow. “I think I’ve got something.” She knocked again, taking the tip of her sword and prying the drawer apart, grinning under her helmet. “False bottom, perfect hiding spot.”

She pulled a silver box up, slashing the lock off of it as she pulled the lid open, revealing the five glowing Keys of Deletion. “Let’s keep a hold of them,” Destiny said, running over. “April, you’re good.”

“I know,” April smirked, taking the Pink Key and tossing the Yellow one over to Demi. Destiny handed Alec and Richmond their own, the Red Key in her hand. “Where are we going to put these?”

“I’ll give you a place,” Mumman said, stepping into the room. “Hand them back to me, and you do not die. Failure to comply will result in termination.”

“Failure to comply blah,” Destiny mocked. “Jesus, lighten up, Terminator. Guys, let’s give this walking bandage factory a reason to get out of our way.” Mumman walked back out of the control room, the doors staying out. “Let’s go.”

Mumman bowed his head, drawing two sabers from his back, the handles made of his own bone. “Cuka omd kesrs ka,” he said, the language of his planet shining through. “You will not defeat me as you have Warpstrike.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Destiny said, taking a Key from her belt. “Let’s change it up.”

”Unleashed Engage!” the five Rangers called, twisting their Keys. WILD ACCESS rang from the Callers, covering the Rangers in the suits of the Wild Force Rangers.

“Again with your changing,” Mumman said, shaking his head as he rushed the Rangers. He ducked a swing from the Red Lion Fang attached to Destiny’s hand, hitting the Red Ranger hard in the stomach, throwing her backwards before he kicked Richmond and forced him to drop the Bison Axe on Demi’s foot before he slashed Demi hard, the Yellow Ranger managing to land a hit with the Eagle Saber despite the pain in her foot and stomach. Holding his ribs, Mumman snarled. “Lucky hit.”

“There’s more where that came from,” April said, slamming Mumman in the chest with the Tiger Baton, picking the Axe up and slashing out with it, tossing it back to Richmond as Mumman stumbled back. “Guys, let’s use the Jungle Sword.”

“Got it,” Destiny said, opening the mouth of the Lion Fang before the Tiger Baton connected to the base of the Bison Axe, the Shark Cutters of Alec’s clipping to the side to make a guard while the Eagle Saber clicked and locked into place at the groove inside of the Axe.

“Jungle Sword! Finale Strike!” the five Rangers called, Destiny swinging the sword down and extending a large blade of pure energy, slashing into Mumman.

“No!” Mumman snarled, stumbling forward. “I won’t be beaten!”

“Then you’ve got another thing coming to you,” Destiny said, the Jungle Sword disappearing. “Falconator!” A red crossbow like weapon snapped onto Destiny’s arm, the image of the falcon showing in the design. “Cool! Can I keep it?”

“Armadillo Puck!” Demi said, a purple disk appearing in her hands that was engraved like the Armadillo Wild Zord. “Wow. This is weird lookin’.”

“Sword of Pardolis!” Alec said, the short sword shaped after the Giraffe Zord appearing in his hands. “Ok…not my usual style, but I’ll make it work.”

“Rhino Shooter!” Richmond called, the long Rhinoceros-molded gun appearing in his hands. “Let’s make this a hell of a rampage!”

“Deer Clutcher!” April called, a grappling weapon appearing in her hands shaped like the Deer Wild Zord. “Hey, Mumman! Time for me to get a grip around your neck!”

“Combine!” the five Rangers called out, the Wild Force Jungle Blaster fusing out of the five weapons. As the Rangers gathered around Destiny again, Mumman rushed them with his swords burning with black energy.

“I will not die!” he yelled. “I refuse!”

“Jungle Blaster! Punish!” Destiny yelled, pulling the trigger and sending the blast into Mumman’s chest, throwing him back against the wall. “Stay down.”

Mumman growled, forcing himself out of the wall. “No…I will not…be beaten like this….by RATS!” he yelled, collapsing to his knees as he was engulfed in fire, the dark hatred leaving his eyes as the Rangers returned to their base Unleashed Suits.

“Three down. Two left,” April said.

”Rangers! I don’t know who could have been in it, but I heard an escape pod leave the ship about five minutes ago. I can’t follow the ion engine trail, it’s too faint.” Geeps’ voice came from over the Callers. ”What do you want me to do?”

“Keep trying to find that pod, Geeps. We’ll be on the ship in about half an hour. We’ve got Frakis and Drancon left,” Destiny said. “Keep us posted.” With that, the line went dead. Destiny looked at her team, sighing. “There’s only one bastard cowardly enough to leave in a pod.”

“Someone who doesn’t want to face his destruction,” April said. “Any guesses?”

“We don’t need to guess,” Richmond said. “It’s Drancon.” He sighed, shaking his head. “We need to keep going. Frakis isn’t going ot kill himself.”

“He’s got a point,” Demi said, coughing a bit and removing her helmet, wiping some blood from her mouth. “Apparently I got hit.” She fell into April’s arms, her suit vanishing from around her.

“Demi!” April yelled. “Don’t you die on me, sis. Please.” She laid Demi down, Destiny powering down long enough to give the shirt she was wearing for cloth strips before remorphing. “You’ll be alright. We’ll get you patched up here and then we’ll have Geeps teleport you back to the ship where Selena can hug you until you get better. Alright?”

Demi nodded, her face contorting in pain. “And here I was hoping to land a few hits on Frakis,” she said, feeling April tie the strips around her stomach. “April, kick his ass for me.”

“You got it,” April said, resting her head against Demi’s. “And when I’m done, I’ll come back to the ship and we’ll drool over hot guys on the movies like we did in high school.” She heard Demi laugh lightly, and she smiled. “Yeah, sounds like a good day after this, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does,” Demi said, smiling softly. “Win this. For Earth.”

“You bet,” Destiny said, giving Demi’s hand a squeeze. “We’ll give the last shot for you.”

“Sounds good,” Demi said, closing her eyes. “Get me back to the ship, then you guys go.” April pushed a code on Demi’s morpher, putting it in her hand before her friend was whisked away in a beam of yellow light.

Behind the Pink Ranger’s helmet, tears formed and flowed over her eyes and cheeks. “We’ve got one bastard stepchild of the devil himself left. Let’s end it,” she said, her hand clenched. “Let’s get this over with.”

“You got it,” Destiny said, putting her hand on April’s shoulder. “Come on.” She led everyone down the hall, looking around and stopping when she heard a crashing coming from the wall. “Sounds like a fight going on.” She peeked her head around the corner, her eyes wide under her helmet. “Holy shit.”

“What?” Richmond asked.

“Drancon,” Destiny said, turning back to the Rangers. “He just cut Frakis down for losing the Keys of Deletion.”

“Oh, shit,” April said, her eyes wide. “That means the escape pod was a decoy meant to try and throw us off. And we almost fell for it.”

The sounds of feet against hard metal floors stopped all talking in the hall, Drancon’s shadow slowly coming from the corner and around to the Rangers. “You kept me waiting too long,” he said, silver blood dripping from his fingers. “You know, Rangers…there comes a time when a battle must end. You have been fighting the Empire for how long?”

“Two years,” Alec growled. “And only Richmond and I are the ones left from when we started.”

“Two years. So you must have started out on Solaxsis Prime, then. Where the Chest of Ancients was located,” Drancon said. “A mythical chest that connects six beings to it with the power held inside?”

“We found it,” Richmond said. “So what?”

“The power of the Chest is dangerous,” Drancon said. “If it isn’t returned to Solaxsis Prime…well…let’s just say that humanity would be extinct when it goes up.”

“Like we’d believe that crap,” April said, her hand tightening on her sword. “Why don’t you just shut up and try and win?”

Drancon bowed his head, ripping several large tines off of his back that fused into a doubled bladed sword. Separating the sword at the hilt for two individual weapons, he rushed forward, slashing at the Rangers and knocking them to the floor, stepping on Destiny’s chest. Aiming his swords at the Red Ranger’s throat, Drancon just laughed. “So much for the Rangers,” he laughed, lifting his arms up to plunge the sword into her throat.

“No!” April yelled, tackling Drancon and knocking his swords away, slamming her fists against his ribs, thankful that her internal robotics were working good enough. She aimed a high powered punch into his ribs, throwing him to the side. “You will not….kill anymore of us.”

“Ah, so the creation turns against the creators,” Drancon chuckled, spitting out a mouthful of black blood. “Tell me, little girl. Can you really stop me?’

“Yes,” Destiny said, standing up and putting her hand on April’s back, Alec and Richmond hitting their belts. “And we don’t need to resort to brutal murder to do it, either.” She and April both hit their belts, taking Keys in hand.

”Unleashed Engage!” they called, their suits changing into three Red Rangers and a sole Green Ranger.

“Destiny, take this,” Alec said, the Dragon Shield on his chest glowing before he leapt away, Destiny stepping through it and becoming the Armored Red Ranger. He quickly changed into another suit, waiting his turn to fire.

“Dragon Dagger!” Destiny said, taking the Dagger in hand before she pulled it up to her helmet, playing a round of notes before throwing green tinged blasts of lighting at Drancon, hitting him square in the chest. She rushed forward and slashed out with the Power Sword, slamming her elbow into Drancon’s head at the same time. “Next!”

April ran in, the Drive Lance in her hand as she slammed it against Drancon, lifting him up and throwing him over her head, driving a kick into the back of his head. She twisted around and slashed down, severing most of the spines on his back, dropping him to the ground at the same time. “Anyone else?”

“You bitch!” Drancon yelled, whipping around and slugging April hard in the stomach, throwing her to the side at the same time before he felt a sword slash against his back from Richmond, the Green Ranger wielding the Megaforce Dragon Sword.

“Suck on this,” Richmond growled, stabbing Drancon hard in the side, ripping the sword out before taking the Mega Blaster from his side, firing several shots into his side at the same time. “Alec!” He leapt backwards, helping April up as the Blue Ranger rushed in.

“Delta Blasters!” Alec yelled, firing several smaller blasts before combining the two weapons into one. “Delta Blasters combo mode!” He took aim, pulling both triggers before the blast sailed out, hitting Drancon hard in the chest, throwing him into the wall.

“No! This isn’t possible!” Drancon snarled, peeling himself out of the wall, picking up one of his fallen blades. “You pathetic Rangers won’t win against me!”

“We already have,” Destiny said. “One last change, guys!”

”Unleashed Engage!” they called out one last time, changing into four more suits of varying colors.

“Zeo Power Hatchets!” Destiny yelled, rushing forward and slashing with the two small tomahawk type weapons, cutting Drancon across the chest before she felt the slug to her ribs, hitting her knee. “Rich!”

“V-Lancer!” Richmond yelled, rushing in as the Yellow Lightspeed Ranger and slashing against Drancon again, stabbing him in a shoulder and driving a kick into his head before leaping back and blasting with the bazooka mode, the high power blast hitting the leader of the Empire head on. “Come on, scaly. You can’t beat us!”

“He’s right,” Alec said, rushing in and slashing with the Drago Sword, delivering a blast of a thousand energy arrows that impaled Drancon in the chest, driving him backwards against the metal floors. “April, you want in on this?”

“You know it,” April said, rushing up as the Blue Alien Ranger. “Aquitar Saber!” She slashed at Drancon, cutting more spines off of his back before snapping a kick into his jaw, jumping backwards. “Think you’re so tough now, Godzilla?”

“Insulting me….is not a good idea, little girl,” Drancon growled, roaring as a black wave of energy hit the Rangers, knocking them out of their second morphs and leaving them back in the base suits again. “I will destroy you once and for all, and I will have reign over the Universe!”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” a new voice said, Demi running in morphed and ready to go. “Humans are stronger then you think we are. Yeah, we’re screw ups and we’ve got faults, but what species doesn’t? I’m pretty sure your mother had some faults, Dranny. But, here’s the scoop. You need to know when to back the hell off, and from what I see…that isn’t possible for you.”

“What do you know about backing off?” Drancon asked, lunging for Demi before getting kicked square in the groin, falling to the ground and growling in pain.

“I know when to let my friends do the work, and I know when to help. This is me helping,” Demi said. “Because, for one, they can’t use the Cannon without me, and two, I’d be a bad friend and a terrible Ranger if I didn’t help land the killing blow.”

“And I’d kick your ass if you didn’t help,” April smirked, high-fiving her best friend. “Destiny. Let’s knock this bastard out of the park with our last attack.”

“You got it,” Destiny smirked, hitting her belt in time with the others, the Unleashed Destroyer forming and landing in the Red Ranger’s hand. She pushed the handle forward, the Key slots sliding out and facing their Ranger.

“Ranger Keys! Set!” the five Rangers said, putting the five Keys of Deletion in the slots, Destiny pulling the handle back and causing the Keys to stand again.

DELETION WAVE the Cannon called out, charging a rainbow colored burst of energy at the barrels.

”Unleashed Deletion! Finale Wave Strike!” the five called out, Destiny pulling the trigger and launching the blast, the cannons shot colliding with Drancon and forcing him into the wall, enveloping him in black fire that he stalked through.

“That should have killed you!” Destiny growled. “What the hell!?”

“You think I can be beaten that easily?!” Drancon snarled, slowly moving towards the Rangers. What he didn’t see was the fire die out and start burning him from the inside.

“Geeps! Get us out of here!” Destiny yelled, the five Rangers teleporting out and landing back on the ship, the Red Ranger running over to the computer and getting the Galleon out of the side of the Blizkon, seeing the Zeo Zords on the Moon firing.

“Destiny! What the hell is going on?!” April yelled, running over. “Destiny?”

“Look at the Blizkon,” Destiny said, turning on the outer cameras to focus on the burning Blizkon on the Moon.

Behind them, the Blizkon seemed to start folding in on itself, the gravity well it caused drawing the Megazords the Empire plundered getting pulled in as well. Suddenly, everything stopped before the blast from the depths of the Blizkon erupted, destroying the moon and the remains of the Empire with it. The shockwave from the explosion caught the Galleon, throwing it a few thousand feet before Destiny was able to correct it, turning the ship sideways and stopping.

The Rangers cheered, having the final battle behind them. Undoing the morphs, Demi and Alec hugged, the Blue Ranger kissing the Yellow Ranger and hearing Selena giggle as Geeps fluttered into her arms. Richmond sat down and nodded, watching April hug Destiny before she kissed the Red Ranger who’s eyes went wide before she returned the kiss.

“And so it’s over,” Richmond laughed, causing the four Rangers to separate, Demi and April hugging and giggling as the two of them pounced Richmond with Destiny behind them, all three girls kissing the Green Ranger’s cheeks. Alec laughed, picking Selena up and smiling.

“You asked for that, dude,” Alec laughed, helping Demi and the other girls up. He sat down and took a breath, sighing softly. “Two years, and we’re finally done.”

“No, not yet,” Richmond said. “We’ve got the dregs left, remember? Triforia, Miranoi, Aquitar, and Eltar. Gallifrey fell already, so there’s no hope for them. The planet was destroyed. The last four planets in the United Alliance are all that’s left to save from the Empire.”

“Then let’s get a move on,” Destiny said, smiling softly. “The sooner we end the rest of the Empire, the sooner we pick a planet and stay for good.”

“Sounds good to me,” Demi said, sitting in Alec’s lap. “What do you say, Sel? Wanna see the Universe with Mama?”

“Yesh!” Selena giggled, snuggling against her mother. “I sees the stars, Mama. And we saves everything!”

“Yeah, we’ll save everything,” Demi said, kissing her daughter’s head. “And we’ll find out what Alec really thinks of Mama.”

“Oh, I think you know what I think of Mama,” Alec smirked, kissing Demi’s cheek. “If it wasn’t obvious at all in the last year.”

“Fair enough,” Demi laughed, shaking her head.

“Alright, alright. Keep it PG, you horndogs,” Destiny laughed. “Alright, so where to first? Aquitar, Eltar, Miranoi, or Triforia?”

Sharing a look with the others, April smirked. “Second star to the right,” she said. “And straight on till morning.”

“Sounds good to me!” Destiny said, punching the coordinates in for Aquitar and hitting the button for thrusters, glad to be on a new journey with her friends, hoping that it’ll be a better end then her last.
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