Chapter 11 - Brighter than the Sun

Winter had awakened at the hospital to find a nurse with a blond bob hovering over him. He'd later learned it was Beta Z making sure none of the staff at AG General discovered his new peculiarities. He'd had a precession of visitors from family to friends. He felt a twinge of guilt when he saw Fox's arm, but Autumn literally smacked some sense into him. He didn't think people where supposed to abuse hospital patients.

He was still having trouble speaking but Taran assured him it was temporary, just part of all the damage Widow had done to his insides. Other things she did to his insides are what will actually keep him alive and heal him. It'd just take time. He was already noticing some of it. At random moments his hearing would make even a fly buzzing around near deafening. When Beez would draw his blood, the small puncture would heal nearly instantly. So he was getting a taste of what it was like to be Taran.

He didn't like it.

He was awakened from a doze by the sound of a heartbeat. It wasn't Beez. Though she surprisingly had a heartbeat, there was a difference in the way it sounded from a normal heartbeat. This one reminded him of Taran, which again was slightly different than a human's. He cracked his eyes, expected to be blinded by the lighting but the lights were off and the blinds were closed. Sitting in a chair beside his bed was someone definitely not Taran.

Lammy lounged wearing purple cowboy boots with yellow, orange and turquoise stitching over stone-washed jeans and a tan leather vest for a top. Her hair hung loose and free. "What doin' here?" he asked and cleared his throat. It was dry and he reached for a glass of water.

She sat up and handed it to him. "Nothing bad. In fact I'm helping," she answered. He gave her a skeptical expression. "It's true. Look, I'll prove it," she said. She reached over and pulled a coin from behind his ear, making him jump slightly. His eyes widened when he saw the coin. "It's authentic. We took it off an arms dealer we tracked a year or so ago. I've done a few tests on it. It's Earth origin. I bet if you ask that spiffy little computer girl of yours, she'll confirm," she explained and handed him the coin.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why what, darlin'? I know Widow did a number on your insides but you can be more specific than that," she said, imitating Taran's Kansas twang perfectly.

"Why help?" Winter reiterated. He wasn't sure what to think of her, but she sure was fascinating.

She shrugged. "Not out of the goodness of my heart, I assure you. My plans and Widow's plans don't quite line up. Widow wants Taran erased from existence and I need his help. Earning a few brownie points can't be amiss, especially for what I have planned next. He's going to owe me big when the time comes for me collect. Don't frown. I'm not into World Domination," she said, deepening her voice in a mocking way for the last two words.

She sniffed when he still looked skeptical. "Think what you will, but he'll repay his debts," she looked toward the door and quickly changed shapes into a small gold scorpion that scuttled under his bed.

Autumn and Taran walked into the room carrying bags of food. It had been hard for him to tell Autumn that what she had been bringing him wasn't enough. Taran had sheepishly confirmed that he ate a lot more food than he let most people see. Autumn had rolled her eyes and muttered something unflattering about men under her breath.

"You look chipper," Autumn said as she began to unpack the food. Taran, however, was suddenly on high alert. They weren't alone. He gave Win a questioning look.

Win grinned and pointed under his bed. Taran raised a brow. He took Win's now empty water glass and lowered himself to the floor. "What on Earth?" Autumn asked, noticing his activity.

Taran came back up with a small scorpion trapped between the glass and his hand. "Not quite Earth," he said. Autumn squeaked when the scorpion turned into a tiny blond woman.

Lammy rapped on the glass. "Let me out of here," she said and gave the glass a kick. She turned toward Winter. "You wienie. You told him where I was, didn't you?" she demanded. She turned her back to both men, crossed her arms over her chest and huffed peevishly.

"Now what is she doing here?" Taran asked Winter.

"Helping," Winter said and held up the Power Coin. Autumn gasped again and went to her brother. She took the Coin.

"See, I came in peace. You have no right to--agh!" while she was talking, Taran tipped her out of the glass. She landed full-sized on the floor. "Ouch. I thought you were the good one. That hurt," she grumbled and got to her feet. "What are you grinning about? I won't forget this," she said to Winter. She disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Was that a good idea? Letting her go I mean?" Autumn asked, turning the Coin around in her hand a few times.

"Wants to help. Needs Taran's help. Helped me," Winter answered. "Says she help again. Big," he added, wondering what she meant by that.

"Help big? What does that mean?" Autumn wondered out loud.

"I don't know but I think it's best not to underestimate her. I don't think whatever it is could be bad for us, though. Here, I'll take that to Beez at the Command Center. You stay and feed your brother," Taran said and took the Coin from her. Autumn nodded. Taran teleported. Winter ate his meal feeling better than he had in quite some time.

-x-

Palace on the Moon

Roki awakened to the sound of women shrieking. He stood and dressed himself. Widow was behind him. "Is that your sister?" she asked. They heard another scream and what sounded like an energy explosion. They hurried to the main hall where they found Zita preparing another blast. Griff stood in front of a woman with short hair. His armor was smoking an he had his mace out.

"Out of my way!" Zita ordered him. "I'm going to stop this nuisance now!"

Griff shook his head. "Moriko is no threat to you," he said.

Roki rubbed his forehead. "What is going on?" he demanded of his sister.

Moriko spotted Roki and brightened. "Don't let her kill me, okay? I'm not Good. I swear," she pleaded. It was true. She wasn't Good. She wasn't exactly Evil either but she wasn't going to go into that just then.

"Then what are you? And for that matter, what is Rei?" Widow asked and walked over to Griff. She made him lower his mace. "No one's going to kill her," she assured him.

"I think we're triplets. Something happened when we were children and we weren't anymore," Moriko answered and stepped from around Griff, confident now that she wasn't going to have to battle Zita. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek as a thank you.

"I don't remember having any other sisters," Roki said, narrowing his eyes.

Moriko shook her head. "And Zita never remembered being a triplet. Obviously some powerful magic was in use. What does it all mean? Beats me," she said, lying about the last part easily. It wasn't time for Roki to know and Zita was so not ready to hear it all. While Griff was keeping her presence quiet, she'd sought out Rei. She, at least, knew what was happening and she understood that Zita needed her near until it was time.

"Obviously," Widow murmured thoughtfully. "Zita, dear, put away that energy ball. I believe that she isn't Good," she said.

Zita closed her hand and the energy disbursed. "We'll see about that," she said.

"Maybe she could prove herself," Lammy suggested. She'd been watching the show since she heard the commotion. She didn't know the significance of the triplets but she was willing to bet it was something big if someone had tried to merge them into one being. She watched her brother's protective stance and almost smirked. She even had feeling she knew the thing that broke the spell.

This was all the better for her. If Moriko could distract Widow, Roki and Zita, no one would be paying attention to her.

Moriko brightened. "Yes! I'll make a monster and devise a plan for the Power Rangers. In fact," she said and tapped her lip, "it might be time to use that shiny red jewel of yours," she told Roki.

Roki stiffened. "My Red Orb?" he demanded.

"Well, isn't it perfect? I'll make a skeletal monstrosity and we can infuse it with the power of the Red Orb, which is Tarantules' power," she said and tried not to smirk when she saw the gleam in Widow's eye. This was definitely happening.

"That's actually quite ingenious," Widow said thoughtfully.

"Yes, indeed it is," Lammy agreed. She swallowed. It might be a little too ingenious.

She glanced at her twin. Griff didn't say much but he raised his brow at her. She smiled. She didn't fill him in on her plan. He understood it was for his own protection but didn't like the thought of her going on a dangerous solo mission. He knew what she was thinking, though. They were going to have to say good-bye soon.

"Then I'll go get started with Finster. Zita, would you like to join me?" she asked.

Zita eyed her with a tight expression. "I suppose I can always keep an eye on you," she said. The two of them walked off in wary silence with Griff following close behind Moriko.

Widow watched them go then glanced at Lammy. Her little sister gave her a smile and walked off to the library. That girl was forever reading books.

Roki sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm getting a headache," he said. Widow reached up and rubbed his temples. He smiled blissfully. "Do I really need to give up my Orb?" he asked.

"Only if you wish it," she said. "But it would be a powerful tool against the Rangers," she said.

Roki sighed and leaned down to kiss her. "Then we have some preparations to make. To the lab," he said. He swept her off with him.

-x-

Nathan and Tori were having a pink day. They'd gone shopping. They were giggling together about seeing Adam and Trini having a picnic in the park as they walked through with their shopping bags. "They're so cute," Tori commented as they made their way to the Youth Center.

They were caught off guard by a smartly dressed black woman with caramel curls. She nearly ambushed them."Hi, Aisha Campbell with the Angel's Herald. Can I get a couple of questions from the newest Pink Rangers?" she asked.

Nathan and Tori blinked.

Aisha couldn't help but giggle at their expressions. "Oh, come on. I won't use any names. I'm a reporter and my sources are protected by law," she promised.

Tori shook her head. "She's one of us," she told Nathan, who still looked slightly panicked.

Nath sighed in relief. "Oh. Er..no comment," he said.

"I was afraid of that," Aisha said and grinned. She'd already checked in with Billy. He'd warned her that it probably wasn't a good idea to try and get quotes from the new Rangers but she'd decided to give it her best shot. "Well, let's go in. My treat for the ambush," she said. "I was actually looking for my two," she said. Aisha Campbell, formerly Yellow Smilodon Ranger, Yellow Zeo Ranger and Yellow Turbo Ranger, was excited to meet Wood and Manny.

"Your two?" Nathan asked. So he wasn't up on his Ranger history.

"She means Wood and Manny," Tori explained.

"Oh, well, I'm meeting Wood here," Nath said helpfully. "Don't know about Manny, though," he added apologetically.

Aisha gave him a smile and the trio went inside. They lead her to a booth where Wood sat with Danny and Billie. Wood beamed when he saw Aisha and got to his feet. "Oh, sweet. You're Aisha Campbell," he said. "I'm Wood Johnson," he said excitedly and took her hand.

Aisha laughed. "It's great to meet you. I don't supposed you'd agree to answer a few questions as a confidential source?" she asked.

"I don't know," Wood said, giving it some serious thought.

"She's pullin' ya leg," Danny said. Billie snorted.

Tori sighed. She left the little group and sat down next to Chloe. Her friend grinned, "What's wrong? Put out because Wood didn't see you through the glow of yellow?" she asked.

"Shut up," Tori said.

Chloe snickered, knowing she hit the nail on the head just then. "Look. Win's back," she said and pointed to where he was taking orders at the counter and relaying them to someone else. He'd occasionally rub his forehead but otherwise he was quiet. Tori brightened considerably and a new smile formed on her face. That was better news than a brief spurt of petty jealousy.

-x-

Taran had quite a few things on his mind, the least of which was not his Reavers. He rubbed his neck. He was definitely going to have to get off Tori and Dawn Feather's couch soon. He didn't think his neck was going to be able to take much more. He headed through the hotel hall toward the Reavers' suite. He idly heard the phone ringing. He heard someone pick it up then an uproar started that quickened his pace.

As he entered the suite, jubilation hit him full force. "What the heck is goin' on?" he demanded.

Fey was holding the phone. "It's Teague! Teague! Taran's here!" she said and handed him the phone as she bounced around reminding him oddly of Tori. Taran rather suspected that for all Fey's love voo-doo, she had a major crush on their Commander Memphis Teague.

"Teague?" he asked, putting the receiver to his ear and preemptively turning his hearing down.

A big black man even larger than Shaquil O'Neal, Teague had a voice hat matched. "Tar'n? That yo boi?" he asked, his blaring voice thick with southern Louisiana.

"It's me. I'm not the one that got blown up in the ship and has been missing for three months," he said in a scolding tone.

"Don' yo go and patronize me, boi. I ain't been able to speak to nobody. I been down here on my gran-mammy's land recov'in' from being blowed straight to Ol' Scratch hisself. When I was well 'enough, I mang'ed to get holt of Casey and find yaw. Now, what yaw's been doin'. Wha' happened?" he demanded. Teague's grandmother, it was rumored, was known as Queen Marie, a famous voo-doo priestess. No one who'd ever met Teague doubted that. She owned a patch of swampland in Louisiana.

Taran rubbed his ear before explaining about Widow. All eyes were on him as he spoke to Memphis. Finally, after a few deafening explosions from the man, Memphis told him the good news. "The Command Ship has been rebuilt. Now alls yaw gotta do is find Solaria and free her and we back in b'ness," he pointed out.

"We're doing the best we can, but Teague, Tori and I won't be coming back. We're Power Rangers now and we're needed here," he said. There was a loud silence.

"Undastood, boi, undastood," Teague said and hung up on him. Teague wasn't one for inane pleasantries. Taran hung up the phone. He looked at the Reavers. "You get that?" he asked, knowing Teague's voice could be heard as if he were in the room. They nodded.

"But Taran," Hayden said hesitantly, "how are we going to free Solaria? We don't even know what Widow's done with her," he pointed out.

Taran nodded. He was quiet a moment. "I think I know, but I ain't sure yet," he said. He changed the subject back to the good news, that they had a place to go and that Memphis Teague was still alive.

-x-

Beta Z and Billy were studying the Power Coin they'd been given by Taran's baby sister. Tai wandered over to them. "Well, what's the verdict?" he asked.

"It is indeed one of the stolen coins my father and Zordon created. It is the Velociraptor Coin," she answered.

"Well, what do we do with it now? Find someone to use it?" Tai asked.

"I don't think so. I think, like the Stegosaurus and Ceratosaurus Coins, it found it way into the proper hands," Beez said thoughtfully.

Billy looked at her in surprise. "You mean Lammy?" he asked.

Beez nodded. Tai leaned against a console and thought about that. "We'll see what her big plan to help is going to be before we go giving some unknown variable a Power Coin," he said.

Billy nodded approvingly. "I agree," he said. They looked at Beez for her opinion.

She quirked a small smile at them. "That is acceptable," she agreed.

Alarms went off and one of the view screens lit up to show Putty Patrollers in the financial district. Another screen lit up to show them in the shopping district. Yet another screen lit up to show them appear on the Angel Grove University campus.

"Ay yi yi!" Beez exclaimed.

"They're trying to divide and conquer. Dr. Bill, is Win ready for action yet?" Tai asked. Win had been discharged from the hospital the day before, but no one was clear on how soon he could be back to action.

Billy nodded. "I believe so. His recovery has been remarkable," he answered.

"Beez, I'll meet Chloe, Nathan, Wood and Taran at the University. Have Lani, Danny, Tori and Autumn head to the financial district. Rex, Billie, Manny, Win and Sora to the shopping district," he said.

"On it, Tai," she said.

He nodded and twisted his wrists. "It's Morphin' Time!"

-x-

Angel Grove University was a quiet, idyllic, small-town type of University with a rolling green campus with a variety of buildings and businesses catering to the students. It wasn't that far away from the city center where the Youth Center was located and that's why they got a fair amount of college kids in and out as well.

It was also a pretty good target for the Putty Patrol to cause a little chaos. There were a few students that could defend themselves, as there was a healthy bout of martial arts competitions among the college students, but for the most part, Putties appearing were terrifying. A small group chased down a couple of screaming co-eds.

Black, Pink and Yellow laser blasts hit the Putties as the female Black, male Pink and male Yellow Rangers arrived. "Don't worry, citizens, the Power Rangers are here to defeat this Evil," Yellow announced, deepening his voice to sound more grown-up.

"Get away, quickly," Black told them and started shooting at more Putties, moving away from the girls now that they were safe.

"I got you guys covered from above," Pink said and ran forward and jumped into the air. "Power Bow!" he summoned.

The male Red and Gold Ranger arrived. They didn't get a chance to dive into the Putties. Gold tackled Red and pulled him to safety just as a crater opened up where he'd been standing.

Red whistled. "I gotta get me some spidy senses," he said. "Thanks," he told Gold as they got to their feet.

Gold shrugged. "There," he said and pointed. Zita was confidently making her way toward them, another energy blast in her hands. "I'm beginning to see why you annoy Widow so much," Zita said to Gold.

Gold shrugged. "Brothers annoy their sisters. It's just how it is," he said in a blase` manner. "StegoMace!" he summoned his weapon.

Red drew his blade from it's sheath. Zita smirked and crushed the energy ball in her hand. "We can do this the old fashioned way if you like," she suggested.

Red smiled slightly beneath his helmet. "Handle her. I'll help the others," he said, surprising her. She tried to lunge after him but found Gold in her way. She made a long sound of rage and made her body armor and helmet appear. She flew at Gold but he met her head on.

Red sliced his way through Putties. "How are you guys doing?" he asked.

"We're good, just Putties, no monsters. Taran has the hard job," Black said and nodded to where the two were trading blows. "Power Axe!" she summoned her axe and went after Putties like a lumber jack.

Red nodded. "Don't get too complacent. Just because the monster hasn't appeared yet doesn't mean there isn't one," he said.

"We're on high alert," Yellow assured him. "Power Daggers," he summoned the daggers and leapt over under attack college kids and stabbed Putties with his daggers. As well as basic karate, he'd also been training how to effectively use his given weapons. All his hard work was beginning to show.

"Is that some kind of dig?" Pink asked, slightly amused. A Putty jumped and grabbed his leg bringing him down with a yell and a crash. He dropped his bow, but his lessons weren't for nothing either. He was already in top physical shape because of his gymnastics training, so he'd taken well to his karate lessons. He quickly tipped the scales on the Putty, flipping him and driving the palm of his hand into the Z. He rolled to his feet and back-flipped a few times.

Black giggled. "You and Rex better watch out, you might have some competition on Hard-core Male Ranger of the Year," she told Red.

"I'm not in a competition but for a second there I wondered if Rex was somehow in the Pink suit," Red answered. Yellow almost got his head knocked off when he started laughing.

"Glad to see ya'll having so much fun," Gold panted as he jumped back as Zita began using energy balls in frustration.

"You're the one with newly tapped magical powers. Throw one back at her," Red said.

"Oh, yeah," Gold said. He formed an energy ball in his hand and tossed it at her.

She shrieked and rolled out of the way. "Guess it's time to play hardball, huh," she said with a cold air. Something dark and dangerous formed in her hand.

"Everyone down!" Gold yelled as she threw it. He barely managed to get his Mace up in time. The area around them exploded.

-x-

The financial district was were all the suits liked to work that dealt with money. There were several bank headquarters, a good deal of offices buildings and a lot of people milling around. Perfect for the Putty Patrol to terrorize and make the stock market go haywire. People in high dollar power suits were fleeing for their lives.

Putties were smashing out bank windows. It was pandemonium. Red, Green, Blue and Pink laser blasts caught a few made them disintegrate. The female red, male Blue, female Pink and female Green Ranger had appeared. "This does not bode well for Ma's 401K," Blue commented.

"There aren't as many I thought there'd be," Red said uneasily. "Power Sword!" she said, summoning her weapon. "Be alert," she said and began to take out Putties.

"Power Lance!" Blue summoned his weapons. "Don't worry, I'm alert," he promised.

"Power Fans," Pink summoned her fans. "I'm with Lani, something's off," she said as she began spinning through Putties, occasionally popping her helmet open to scream at them.

Green looked around. Putty Patrollers didn't have auras per se since they weren't technically alive, but her ability could sometimes allow her to read the atmosphere and something dark and blood red hovered at the edge of her vision. "Power Staff!" she summoned. "The atmosphere is bad. Very, very bad; beyond just a few Putties," she said as she took out several.

"I'll call for back-up but we may be on our own for awhile," Red declared wondering what Autumn was seeing that she couldn't.

"We ain't lightweights, are we Tor? We can handle it for awhile," Blue said.

"That's right," Pink agreed.

Red nodded and activated her communicator. "Beez, keep an eye on our location and send us back-up whenever you can. I think things are about to get real bad, real fast," she said.

"Affirmative, Lani. We are monitoring all locations," Beez responded.

"Thanks," Red said half a second before she did the splits in an effort to dodge a Putty's blow. She thrust up with her sword nailing him in the Z.

Someone laughed. Widow and Roki appeared. "Perhaps Zita kidnapped the wrong Green Ranger. This one is a lot more perceptive and brighter than her brother," Widow commented to her husband.

"A lot cuter, too," Roki said. Her annoyed expression was just as he hoped.

"Don't bring me into your marital problems," Green said placing her feet in an offensive stance.

Widow smirked. Her black and silver armor appeared. Roki's blood red armor appeared. "Come on then, let's have your vengeance," she prompted Green.

"Autumn!" Red said but it was too late. Green was already running at Widow. She swung with her staff but the dark witch blocked with one of her armor blades. Green kept advancing, each time, Widow blocked. She swung around and landed a kick to the Green Ranger's middle.

"I'm not some wilting daisy hiding up on my throne because I can't defend myself," she said.

"Neither am I," Roki said and drew a sword that was similar to the Power Sword but it's blade was as red as his armor.

"I think me and you can take him," Blue told Red, She nodded. Together they attacked. Roki, however, was not boasting. He handled his blade well, taking on the two of them with tremendous skill.

"Guess I'll be helping you," Pink said to Green and jumped, landing in front of Widow, who was expecting an attack from the fans but instead her helmet popped open and she let out a sonic screech that managed to knock her off her feet. She barely had a moment to right herself before Green advanced again with the Staff only for Pink to come from the other side with her Fans.

Not that either of them were going to play fair. As soon as it became apparent neither was getting the upper hand in normal combat, they resorted to throwing magic around. Sudden blasts knocked the four Rangers away. They landed near each other and got to their feet ready to try again but Roki and Widow were already sending a combined dark energy blasts at them that took out half the street.

-x-

A loop of strip malls, department stores, big box chains and trendy high-end boutiques was normally a bevy of hustle and bustle in Angel Grove. It was no different now. Except this time, Putty Patrollers decided to attack. One group of industrious Putties was playing around in a high-end dress shop and entertaining themselves by trying on a mish-mash of cute skirts, trendy tops and elegant dresses while the terrified shop girls left them to it.

The Rangers were too surprised to even shoot at them. The male Black, female Blue, female Yellow, male Green and Silver Rangers had their Blasters at the ready but hadn't quite fired yet.

"What on Earth are they doing?" Blue said.

"I guess Putties want to feel pretty too," Black answered.

"I am never shopping here again," Yellow declared and started firing. The others joined her, effectively eliminating them and calling attention to their appearance.

Other Putties began to converge on them. "You good for this?" Silver asked Green.

"Good," Green answered. Even though most of his more serious problems were gone, he still had problems speaking. "Stygian Dagger!" he managed to summon. His body moved better than he could ever remember it moving. But there was also the drawback of him literally not knowing his own strength. He put himself in peril a couple of times by mis-estimating what he was doing.

Once he stabbed a Putty so hard in the chest that his own strength kept him going and he face-planted. Putties were trying to converge on him, but Rei appeared and took them out with her staff. She'd learned to handle it fairly quickly. "You okay?" she asked.

"Good," he answered and got to his feet.

"Almost wish I had a camera for that," Black said. He'd summoned his Power Scythe and was cutting through the Putty Patrol.

"I'm pretty sure you shouldn't make fun of him," Yellow scolded him. She sped through the Putties with her Power Grips.

"I think it's refreshing watching someone else land face-first," Blue declared.  She blinked in and out confusing the Putties when she'd suddenly disappear only to  reappear in a different place to hit, kick or stab one of them.

"You sure you don't still fall down, just turning invisible so we can't tell?" Black asked. Yellow snickered.

"You aren't funny enough to be a comedian," Blue said and tossed a Power Sai that stabbed a Putty coming up behind him.

Green merely shook his head. He wasn't discouraged by their teasing. He was just glad he wasn't being pitied or babied.

Silver grinned under his helmet. "I think she just made her point," he said to Black. He had is CeratoSword

"Literally," Rei agreed.

Green suddenly felt a sharp tingling sensation and jerked around just before a large mace nearly took his head off. "Griff," he said, surprised.

Griff gave him a grin. "Decided to see how you were holding up," he said lazily and propped the mace on his shoulder. Moriko came up behind him. She was smiling as if amused.

Silver stiffened. Rei had told him about meeting her last sister. Rei watched warily. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Moriko gave a negligent shrug. "Earning my evil stripes," she answered.

"And him?" Silver asked, eying Griff.

Griff shrugged. "I just came to play," he answered. It was true in a sense. He'd actually been taxed with making sure the Green Wienie got back on his feet. He was willing to oblige his sister. Besides, she'd told him, it'd look better for him afterwards if he was seen attacking the Rangers.

Black stepped forward but Green shook his head. "Got this," he said.

"And I'll handle her," Rei said.

"Handle me? How quaint," Moriko said, the grin stretching across her face.

More Putties appeared to attack the other Rangers. Silver split himself into three to handle the extra load.

"Neat trick. I'll try it!" Moriko declared and her form shimmered, making two more of her appear. Her true self appeared a staff in which she began to fight Rei with. Griff had taught her how to defend herself, including using a staff. She was pretty good at it.

The other two Morikos made staffs appear as well. One decided to play with the Silver with the CeratoSword and the other cornered Black.

Griff attacked Green again. This time he was ready and deflected with his Dagger. Griff seemed to get more aggressive as his body began to grow accustomed to it's new abilities. It seemed what he'd needed was the right sparring partner. He couldn't tell if Griff was determined to knock his head off or not, but he was determined not to let him.

"I get the feeling we're not very high on their radar," Yellow said to Blue.

"All the better if you ask me," Blue said.

Suddenly, the three Morikos came back to one. "Griff," she said. He stopped trying to knock Winter's head off and went to her side.

"Brace!" Rei called and stepped forward with the armed Silver Ranger just as Moriko let loose a wild volley of energy blasts.

-x-

Palace on the Moon

It was quiet in the Palace. Goldarr and Scorpina had left to return to their home a few days earlier, satisfied that their missing children were well. Lammy had been in the library. When asked if she wanted to join the fun of attacking the Rangers, she'd refused, her excuse being she'd rather read. Widow had given her a suspicious look but then shrugged and moved on.

Lammy could hear Finster's television and Rito snoring. Only Putties were moving about as they saw to their duties of tidying the Palace. She slipped out of the library after ascertaining that everyone else was indeed on Earth. She knew there would be no denying her guilt and she only had one shot.

Widow might be suspicious of her, but there was no way she could imagine what Lammy had on her mind. She quickly made her way to Widow and Roki's room. She turned in a circle and took a deep breath. This was Widow's anchor, where she felt the most at peace and safe. It was perfect.

Lammy took a deep breath and summoned every ounce of strength she had. She closed her eyes and began to chant and drew a circle over and over in the air. From here she was fairly certain she could poke a small hole into the pocket universe where Widow kept things. She had one shot once the hole was open. Widow would know as soon as the pocket dimension was breached. As she chanted, she the object in mind she was after. She'd seen Widow show it off so many times as a fascinated child, it was burned into her mind.

Her entire body was drenched with sweat. There was a sudden give and without hesitation she stuck her hand into the pocket dimension and wrapped her fingers around the bottle that held Solaria. With a gasp she disappeared.

-x-

Jason was checking in with Beez when the intruder alarms went off. Lammy appeared in the Power Chamber. A containment field went up around her immediately. She fell to her knees panting for breath. She held up her arms, one hand still clutching the bottle containing Solaria. "Peace," she gasped, still struggling to catch her breath.

Jason squatted down to look at her. "How did you even get in here?" he asked.

"Tracked. Power Coin. Tagged," she answered.

Beez picked up the Coin and turned it around in her hand. "Dropping containment field," she said. She walked over to Lammy and knelt down as well. She placed it in her hand. "It is the Velociraptor Coin," she informed her.

Jason watched in surprise at Beez's actions.

Lammy frowned, finally able to breath again. "What do I care that it's a Velociraptor--" whatever she was going to say next was cut off by the Coin dissolving into her palm and pale gold cuffs appearing around her wrists. "Oh, no, no, no, no," she denied and got to her feet, shaking her head. "I am not a Power Ranger," she said flatly.

Jason smiled in bemusement as he stood as well. "Sure looks like it to me," he said despite her vehemently shaking her head. Beez nodded and took the bottle of the sleeping goddess away from her. There would be time for that later.

-x-

The male Blue Rangers forcefield were the only things that saved he and his comrades from Widow and Roki's combined attack, and even then, he'd lost his Morph.

Widow smirked. "I doubt you can withstand that again," she said, already eager to test her theory. Except something happened. She gasped, staggered and grabbed onto Roki for support.

Alarmed, Roki steadied her. "What is it?" he asked.

"Someone broke into my pocket! They took it! They took my firefly!" she shrieked. Her eyes suddenly narrowed in rage. "Lammy," she hissed. She disappeared in a whirlwind of black smoke.

Roki spared a glance for the banged up Rangers. "Don't even begin to think you've gotten away with anything. The worst is yet to come," he warned them and disappeared behind his wife.

Danny staggered but Red and Green were there to hold him up. "You were quite heroic," Pink said.

"Thanks. If what just happened was any indication, I'd hate to be Lammy about now," he said and shook himself. "I'm a'ight. I can stand," he said and moved away from them.

Red stared at where the two villains had been. "I wonder what he meant," she murmured.

"I think we're going to find out," Green said as their communicators came online requesting back-up.

"Danny, can you Morph?" Red asked.

He nodded and twisted his wrists. "It's Morphin' Time! Triceratops!"

-x-

Although Gold's StegoMace absorbed much of Zita's attack, there was still a sizeable crater around them and everyone had lost their morphs.

Zita smirked. She shook her head at them. "How pathetic," she said.

They got to her feet. Tai shook his head at her. "You're the pathetic one. You don't even understand that it's not a powersuit that makes a Power Ranger. It's something they have inside where you're empty," he said. He had no problem talking to evil women.

Zita hissed through her teeth. She stepped back a couple of steps and stared at him. Really studied him for the first time. Who was he anyway? All this focus on Taran, an obvious threat because of his strength and magical potential but who on Earth was Tai Stapleton? Why was he staring at her as if she was less than nothing and could see right through her? Zita felt an inkling of fear for the first time that she can remember.

She bared her teeth at them. She turned on her heel and disappeared, telling herself that it was because Roki was summoning her and not because she was afraid that he could see everything she was trying to hide.

Chloe was looking at him as if she'd never seen him before.

Tai felt his ears turning red. "What?" he asked sharply.

"Dude, you scared Zita away by staring at her," Wood said.

"Yeah, man. I can't wait to tell Danny and Billie," Nathan said with a grin.

Taran had to admit he was impressed, but he also knew Zita hadn't just left because she was afraid of Tai. Something was going on. Before he could contemplate what, they were called in for back-up.

"Back to action," Tai and twisted his wrists. He wasn't dumb enough to think he'd scared Zita away either. Something was up. "It's Morpin' Time!"

-x-

Rei had managed to throw up a small magical barrier to ward off most of Moriko's attacks but not all and they'd been hit. None of the blast by themselves were powerful enough to cause a morph failure, but they were still smoking and bruised.

Silver was less effected, his CeratoSword taking the brunt of attacks.

"Still standing I see," Moriko said and gave them a smile and clapped her hands together.

Black dusted himself off. "It'll take more than that to get rid of us," he said.

Moriko waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I know," she said and cocked her head to the side as if listening to something they couldn't hear. She glanced at Griff, who suddenly had a ferocious frown on his face and a white knuckled grip on his mace. She reached out and touched his arm. "We should go," she said. She glanced back at the Rangers. "Oh, and sorry about this but something is about to happen that you'll all like. If you get past the monster," she made a chagrined expression. "I may have gone a little overboard but I have faith in you!" she said and disappeared. Griff gave them a nod and disappeared as well.

"Huh?" Yellow asked, cocking her hip and putting her fist on it.

"Ditto," Blue said and looked at Rei.

Rei cleared her throat when Green, Silver and Black looked at her as well. "So, yeah, that's my last sister, Moriko. She's, um, not exactly an enemy but not exactly an ally either," she explained.

Black sighed. "Any other siblings coming out of the woodwork we should know about?" he asked.

"Just Thrax but he disappeared a few months ago," Rei answered.

"Right," Black said. He was about to call it a day when the earth began to rumble. "Glitch?"

Blue didn't have to use her helmet computer to know that something big was coming. A monster was headed toward them. There was a huge red horse with cracks that seemed to be magma running under it's partially blackened skin. It's eyes were red and steam came from it's nose. Asphalt cracked and steamed under it's molten hoofs. Upon the back of the horse was a skeletal warrior with black bones, blood red armor, and a helmet with obscenely long black bullhorns coming from it. It held a long intricate blade that was even larger than Silver's. One eye was covered with a black eyepatch but the other was a glowing red orb. The Red Reaver Orb.

Yellow crossed herself. And once more for good measure.

"You have got to be kidding me," Black said.

The horse reared and let out a careening neigh. The rider opened it's jaw and blasted them with a long fiery flame. They barely had time to get out of way. "Beez! We need everyone here! Now! We can deal with Putties any time. Get them here," Black said into his comm. He felt feel another blast of fire warm the concrete wall he's sought refuge behind. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If this was Rei's sister not trying to kill them, he'd hate to see what she'd come up with if she were.

The monster laughed. "All bow down to Skelewar," he said in a strangely booming but hollow sounding voice. "I'll rip this puny planet apart and set it ablaze," he declared wildly. He rose his blade over his head as it caught fire. The horse reared again.

Laser blasts hit him from all sides as the rest of the Rangers arrived. Despite it's size, the horse appeared to be quite agile. It Spun around as the monster blew fire. Everywhere Power Rangers where diving for cover.

"Holy moly," Red said as he patted himself down to make sure nothing caught fire. All around him, buildings were catching fire.

"Sorry! He's harnessing the power of the Sun for that fire," Gold called out. He'd spotted the orb in the eye socket.

Skelewar laughed. "You've met your match, Rangers," he said.

"Not quite!" a new voice said. From their hiding places, the Power Rangers saw an unknown Ranger walking toward the monster. She was female with a pale gold and white suit. The helmet was pale gold with red eyes. There was a blaster on one hip. She was holding something high in the air.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Skelewar asked, laughing at her.

"I'm the Electrum Velociraptor Ranger but I'm not what you need to be concerned with," she said. She shook the bottle. The being inside began to stir as if sensing she was about to be free.

The horse reared again, this time in fear.

"Solaria," Gold gasped. The Electrum Ranger threw the bottle on the ground. It shattered. The mushroom cloud that erupted threw her out of sight. No one could look directly at the towering flame. There was a sudden shock-wave that rocked them all.

All at once the fire collapsed back in on itself to reveal a shape of a woman with fiery red hair, glittery gold skin, pointed ears, feral gold eyes, a long tail and wearing some of steam-punk looking captain's garb in shades of brown and tan. She waved a hand an all the fires went out.

The earth rumbled. "All right, you cranky old thing, I'm leaving," she said looking down at the ground. "But first," she murmured and held out her hand. Energy began to collect there. Streams of it came from the sky, which had gone dark against her brightness and another from the ground. Ten crystals began to form. She blew on them and they scattered. "Taran, tell your sister I will never forget what she has done. Both of them," she called out and turned into a ball of fire and rocketed up into the sky until she disappeared.

The Rangers stood around gaping. Had they really just seen a goddess? Male Green was the first to recover and ran to find Electrum. She was sitting up in a rut she'd created in th concrete. She shook her had to clear it. "Look out! He still has plenty of power!" she shouted and bounced to her feet. She staggered and Green caught her.

"Helped big," he said, a smile in his voice.

"I told you, but I'm too sure about all this Power Ranger business but that android you guys have was pretty persistent," she complained.

He just nodded. "We have to get back," he said nodded toward the fight. Even though he was no longer powered by the sun, Skelewar's fires were still a force to be reckoned with. The Rangers were doing all they could to get a blaster fire off at him. It was too dangerous to get too close with weapons. The Sword had a long reach and the horse was dangerous as well.

Electrum quirked a small smile. "Divide and conquer," she said. "VelociRapier!" she summoned a long thin bladed sword and began running. She gained speed, running straight at the horse. It startled and reared, she ducked and slid under it's massive hooves and used her blade to cut the saddle's strap.

Skelewar gave a ferocious roar as he fell off the horse. The animal bolted, attempting to vanquish Rangers on it's own. Everywhere it stepped it left cracked and blackened asphalt.

"Mega Power Cannon he crap out of that one and we'll do this one," Gold called to the male Red, eying the horse.

"How?" Silver asked.

"These weapons were made for each other," Electrum answered.

Gold nodded. "Alpha Legend Cannon!" Silver Gold and Electrum fit their weapons together to make a cannon with a long nose and a trigger. "Fire!" The nose began to glow, pulsing gold and white, gaining intensity before finally blasting into the horse, which exploded.

"All right people, let's go! Mega Power Cannon!" Red called. Twelve Rangers came in close. They combined their weapons, all of them, to form a rather large, multi-barreled cannon.
The male Red Ranger aimed the Cannon. "Fire!" the male Red pulled the trigger. Six points of energy swirled and swept through Skelewar. He cried out in vain as he erupted in a fiery explosion.

The horse and rider grew to enormous proportions but they were still separated.

"Don't worry about the horse," Electrum said. She held up a hand. "Awaken the Velociraptor!" she called. From it's hiding spot, a smaller, lithely agile Zord zoomed toward them. Electrum teleported into the cockpit.

"StegoZord!"

"CeratoZord!"

The two Zords came out of their hiding places and teleported their pilots to their cockpits.

Red nodded. Skelewar was already making use of his massive size to spew fire on anything and everything he could while the horse stomped and kicked like a wild mustang. "TyrannoZord!"

"TriceraZord!"
"MastoZord!"
"PteroZord!"
"SmiloZord!"
"StygiZord!"
The Zords began appearing from various hidden placed around the city. They were bulky yet eerily realistic. The Zords teleported their chosen pilots into their cockpits. The male Red, male Blue, female Black, male Pink, male Yellow and female Green.

"Activating Megazord configuration," the male Red hit a rather large button in his cockpit. The Zords began assembling together. The SmiloZord and the MastoZord formed legs and feet. The TyrannoZord formed a torso while the PteroZord and TriceraZord formed arms. A helmeted head turned out of the TyrannoZord. The StygiZord came apart and formed a larger helmet, a body shield and a long sword. The Rangers appeared in a large cockpit.

"Activating Megazord configuration," Gold said and used a different button than the one that combined him with the core Megazord. The StegoZord formed an helmeted torso. The CeratoZord broke apart and formed arms while the VelociZord broke apart to form legs. The tails came together to form a spile tipped lance. Gold, Electrum and Silver appeared in a joined cockpit. "Legendary Megazord!"

Skelewar didn't seem too intimidated by the Alpha Megazord. He swung his blade at them but the Stygian Sword was quickly brought up to block the blow. Still, the heat was strong.

"We need to end him quickly before he melts us," Blue declared, wincing as his console sparked at him under the heat.

"Ya think?" Black responded and yelped when her console nearly took her arm off.

"Then let's not waste anymore time," Red agreed.

"Alpha Megazord! Horned Spin Sword Strike!" The Sword formed from the StygiZord began spinning and glowing. The Megazord sped forward rammed the Sword into the monster's orbed eye.

The Legendary Megazord ran quickly under the horse as it reared and used the lance to catch it's hooves and knock it back. "Let's see what our new toy can do," Silver suggested.

"Good idea," Gold agreed.

"Well, let's do it then," Electrum ushered.

The Legendary Megazord dropped it's lance and held it as if for a joust. "Legendary Lance!" The lance began to glow and the Megazord zoomed forward, crashing into the horse.

Both horse and rider exploded.

"We did it!"

-x-

Palace on the Moon

Widow was in a rage. Not only had Lammy stolen and freed Solaria but she'd also joined the Power Rangers! "Will this family never cease to disappoint me?" she snarled. She'd flown at Griff only to have Moriko step in front of him.

"Calm down, can't you see that Griff is as disappointed by Lammy's actions as anyone else?" she said in a calm voice. Griff had been in a surly funk, scowling at anyone who dared look his way.

"If you even think about about betraying me, you'll wish you never climbed out of that portal and back to this palace," she hissed at her little brother and stormed off to her room.

Roki followed her. She sat on the bed and watched him steadily. Her expression was unreadable. "Our marriage is binding. Just because we no longer have the Reaver Orbs or Solaria's power doesn' mean a thing," she told him.

Roki raised a brow and walked over to her. He squatted down in front of her and took her hands. He kissed them lightly. They were shaking. "Is that what has you worried?" he asked and smiled at her. "Then don't. You are most underhanded, manipulative, scheming, dangerous woman I have ever met. I wouldn't let you go even if you tried to leave," he told her. "You belong to me now," he said and gave her a wicked grin.

She reached out and threaded her hands through his hair and then bunched them into fists. "As long as you understand that you belong to me as well," she said and gave his hair a little tug.

"You and me from now and forever," he said and leaned up, connecting their mouths in a fierce kiss that neither wanted to.

-x-

The Reavers gathered. Each of them wore crystals on chains around their necks. Tai had offered up a section of his land for this little get together. It a was clearing near a cave with naturally forming crystals within it and a stream with a waterfall. There was a nip in the November air, but that didn't stop Rex and Win from setting up a grill and people from bringing drinks and coolers. Wood had even managed to set up a music station. This was the last time they would see the Reavers and they'd formed several friendships between the two groups.

Fey now had her yellow Venus Crystal back. She was teasing Wood. "Go dance with Tori. You don't want me to start interfering, do you?" she asked him.

Wood blushed. "No!" he said.

Fey cackled wickedly. "Then go," she said and gave him a little push.

Muttering under his breath about pushy cousins, he went over to Tori, who was chatting with Yelena, wearing her pink Neptune Crystal. She happily agreed to dance with him.

Ros, wearing her gray Pluto Crystal, laughed as she joined the other woman with Autumn, "She needs to take her own advice sometimes," she said to Autumn.

"Oh really?" Autumn asked,

"Don't start with me, Rosalind," Fey said stiffly.

Ros ignored her. "She has a thing for our commander, always has done," she commented. Autumn chuckled at Fey's discomfiture. "Oh, I have something for you," Ros said and went to her purse an pulled out a gift bag and handed it over.

Autumn took the bag and peeked in curiously. She gasped when she saw Creepy Alien. "Oh, Ros. I can't," she denied.

Fey was glad to have the focus off herself. "Sure you can. That hole hullabaloo was for your sake," she said, rolling her eyes.

Autumn laughed and hugged the two women. "I'm going to miss you guys so much," she said tearfully.

Taran was talking with Hayden who now wore a red crystal around his neck. "I still can't believe it," he said, shaking his head.

Taran clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You've more than earned it. You'll make a great Sun Reaver. Solaria wouldn't have chosen you if you hadn't," he assured him. "It was great fighting by your side," he said.

Hayden nodded. "It's been an honor, Taran," he said. The two men were quiet a moment then Taran excused himself to talk to the McCall twins who had their own Crystals back. They were eager to speculate on who from the Command Ship Solaria had chosen to take Hayden's and Tori's places.

Chloe wandered over to Hayden. "So, you're the boss now?" she asked with a smile.

Hayden chuckled. "In a manner of speaking. Oh, thank you for the pictures to take home to my parents," he said, referring to scenes from around the city she'd taken. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "You have a great talent. Don't let all this good and evil stuff get in the way of that," he said.

Chloe shook her head and smiled. "I won't. I'm too stubborn for that," she said with a grin. "It was nice knowing you Hayden Bly," she said. He grinned and gave her a wink.

She wandered over to Rex, who was manning the grill. She rolled her eyes at him. "Isn't there anything you can't do?" she asked.

"Nope," he answered without hesitation. She whacked him in the arm. "Ow, geeze. How has Danny's arm not fallen off?" he groused as he rubbed the sore spot. She just smirked, feeling rather pleased with herself. She ignored Danny when he came over to demand to know why Hayden was kissing her.

Lammy was there at Taran's insistence but she was apart from the others, studying some old scrolls under a tree as she listened to the waterfall mingle with the music. She ignored Win when he sat down beside her. He nudged her arm insistently. She sighed. "What?" she demanded and looked at him.

He grinned. "Come eat. You're one of us now," he said. Ever since she freed Solaria, his voice was back to normal. He had a feeling the goddess had a hand in that.

"No, I'm not. It's a means to an end. Don't you forget that," she told him, wagging a finger in his face.

He shook his head and grabbed her finger. "No. You're one of us. We're strangers now, but we'll be your new family. Autumn said you're staying with us until we can get you settled into your new life here. She even agreed that cranky brother of yours can come visit if he agrees not to try and knock my head off again," he said.

Lammy tried to purse her lips but they wanted to smile. "He wasn't trying to kill you," she assured him.

"We'll agree to disagree on that," he said. He stood and offered his hand. She sighed, put her things away and took his hand. He helped her up and she joined the group. Not for the first time, Tori greeted her with a hug. She was currently Lammy's biggest fan for not only helping Win but for freeing Solaria.

Lammy wasn't used to being part of a big group. It had been her and Griff for so long she wasn't sure how she was going to get used to this but she supposed she'd give it a try.

Tai watched silently for awhile and went over to Lani. "Want to see Fort T-Rex?" he asked her quietly.

She looked at him in amusement. "What on earth is that?" she asked.

Tai chuckled. "It's the best dang fort ever made by a couple of eight year old boys," he said. "There's a posted sign that says no girls allowed but I can bend the rules a bit," he teased her.

Lani laughed. "I can't wait to see this masculine paradise," she said. "Are you sure we should go sneaking off?" she asked.

"Rex can cover for us," he said and began leading her away. Blushing but curious, Lani followed him.

Rex snorted when he saw them sneaking away. He flipped another hamburger patty. Things were good right now. If only they'd stay that way. Well, tomorrow was a long way off and today was pretty much perfect. Why mess with that?

-xEnd Chapter 11x-           

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