Chapter 7 - Indomitable Will

Taylor Hicks hadn't been sleeping well lately. He was up early one day due to lack of sleep. It was an ungodly hour. After his morning routine, he decided to nip down to the city for some breakfast before he had to drag Lark to the top of Stark Peak for meditation and training. He was surprised find Enrique Ramon at this time of day. "Ram," he said.

Slightly bleary eyed, the other man nodded to him. He rubbed his face. "Fell asleep in the Lab," he muttered.

"I was going down to the city for coffee and breakfast. Come with," Taylor invited.

"It's too damn early to jump off the floating island," Ram remarked with a wry grin.

"Ha-ha. I was going to take the teleport," Tay said dryly. Grinning Ram decided to join him.

"So why'd you fall asleep in the Lab?" Taylor asked later while they eating at an outside table of an early morning bakery.

"Chasing phantoms," Ram said which made no sense to Taylor. Ram didn't elaborate. "Then I found coding for more Zords," he added the last in a quiet tone. Just by wearing their Astral Dynamics uniforms, they drew wary interest from the city folk.

Taylor raised a brow. "Really? What kind?" he asked.

Ram shook his head. "Dunno yet. I'm still trying to get all the pieces in order."

Taylor nodded. He saw something over Ram's shoulder. Before Ram could react, he was on the move. "I'll pay then. My treat," Ram grumbled and sipped at his coffee. He was a bit worried though, but that guy could move. He quickly paid and tried to see if he could catch up.

Taylor skidded to a halt at the mouth of an alley. Why had she gone into an alley? He approached warily. A near blinding flash of lightning streaked toward him. Had he been anyone else, that probably would have killed him. He threw his arms up in front of his body. His arm caught the brunt of the unexpected attack. He flew backwards and crashed dizzily into the ground. It took him a moment to realize his flesh and clothes were scorched.

He blinked as she approached him. Dressed in white with a wild black ponytail, a girl stood over him. She gripped a staff that crackled with electricity. "Why did you follow me?" she demanded.

"I'm the one that should be ticked. You were supposed to meet me when you were through with your training," he said. Finally when the spots before his eyes cleared, he saw that she wasn't quite right somehow. Her eyes were wrong. He frowned and jumped to his feet.

Azula stumbled back. She gripped her staff fully intending to use it on him again. Her body wouldn't cooperate.

Taylor saw her go still and her eyes go wide. They changed color, burning a deep gold. "Get...her...out," she raged with great difficulty, total recognition and pain on her face. She closed her eyes and her body jerked. When she opened her eyes again, they were pale as ever. She smiled cruelly. "How sweet. You two have history," she said.

"Who are you?" Taylor demanded. "You're working with Sylon, but who are you?" he asked, a rare dark expression crossing his features.

"Wouldn't you like to know, lover," Azula shrugged. She smiled and blew him a kiss before disappearing in a crack of lightning.

Of all the things Ram had seen of Taylor Hicks, shaking in rage was not one of them. The wind suddenly whistling down the street was ominous. He whistled. "Hey, bro, calm down a little," he shouted as people began to get buffeted by the sudden gusts raging down the street.

Taylor blinked. He took a deep breath and the wind died down. "Sorry," he said. "Looks like I'll benefit more from meditation today than Lark," he said. He gripped his arm, only just now becoming aware of the pain.

"We'd better have Tempe take a look at that. Don't tear me a new one or anything, but who was that?" he asked.

Taylor looked at the spot where the girl had disappeared. "That used to be Rena Hart. I don't know what the hell she is now. Whatever it is its living on borrowed time," Taylor said. He activated his teleport without another word. Ram followed along silently. He wondered who Rena Hart was and why she affected Taylor so much.

--/-\--

Devourer

Commander Kragar stomped up to Captain Drage. He pointed at Sylon. "He's failed his last attempt miserably. Allow me a chance to rid this planet of humans the Power Rangers," he demanded.

"My plan was going along just fine until your Lieutenant went off on his own," Sylon said calmly. Something occurred to him. "Did you order him to attack the nurse?" he demanded. Rage simmered deep inside him. How dare that oversized bug dare interfere with his plans!

"Something needed to be done. Just like now," Kragar said without an ounce of remorse.

Drage looked between the two. "You seem fairly confident, Kragar," he said idly.

Kragar straightened. "Yes," he looked beyond the bridge. "Lieutenant, come here," he called.

"Yes, sir!" a squeaky, overly youthful voice called. There was a blur of movement all around the bridge before a large dragonfly-like alien stopped moving. "Lieutenant Swirrun at your service, sir!" he piped and bowed before the Captain.

"Ah, Swirrun. In top form as usual I see," Captain Drage said.

"We will team up to demonstrate how things are accomplished in the Warstars," Kragar said and gave Sylon a smug look.

"I'll leave you to it. I look forward to being shown up," Sylon remarked calmly. He bowed to the captain before walking past the two aliens to leave the bridge.

He entered his quarters silently and took a moment to throw around anything that wasn't bolted down. Finally, shaking in yet more unexpressed rage, he gripped his desk and bowed his head.

"I know the feeling."

Sylon whirled and approached Azula, grabbing her by the neck. "What are you doing here again?" he demanded in a snarl.

"Something happened. You aren't going to like it," she said.

Sylon released her and turned his back to her. "If you're referring to the incident with the Red Ranger, I am aware. If you can keep your hold over your body for a while longer, I'll have something that should help you stabilize your control over it," he said.

Azula rubbed her neck. "She's not strong enough to be rid of me," she assured him.

"Then leave me," he said.

She nodded and disappeared in a crack of lightning.

--/-\--

Lark Walker called a meeting in the Lab to inform the Rangers of the discovery of a new set of DynaZords. She frowned when after fifteen minutes or so, only three of the four other Rangers appeared. "Where's Hicks?" she asked.

"He's yelling at someone in his room," Sin answered.

Lark frowned. She'd noticed he was uncharacteristically quiet and impatient that morning.

"He already knows about the Zords anyway," Ram said.

"Zords?" Gore asked.

"Who's he yelling at?" Tempest asked Sin. He didn't say anything about what happened to his arm when she treated it this morning.

"I didn't stick around long enough to eavesdrop. I was just doing my rounds and heard him. It was unusual enough to warrant investigation," Sin answered.

"Taylor will be fine. He's a big boy now," Gore said, trying not to sound dismissive but he honestly felt that whatever was happening with Taylor was his business until he chose to share it. "What about these Zords?"

"Yes, have we discovered anything more?" Taylor surprised everyone by slouching into the room. "Sorry I'm late. I was yelling at people," he said, a faint grin crossing his face.

Sin stacked his hands behind his back and tried to look innocent.

"Yes," Lark answered. She tapped her tablet and a schematic appeared on the flat screen. "We believe them to be Land Zords," she answered. "We're still compiling the data. Cards should be ready soon," she said.

"Those're ours, huh?" Tempest asked and winked at Gore.

Gore nodded approvingly. "Can't wait to try them out," he said.

"In the meantime; training," Taylor said.

"With that arm?" Tempest asked. "That's more than a sprain, hon. It is not going to heal near as quickly as my leg did,” she pointed out.

Taylor rubbed his arm. "It'll be fine. I've had worse," he said easily. She obviously didn't believe him. He didn't really believe himself. Aside from the burn, the ache was bone deep despite the pain meds he'd been given.

Still not quite believing him, Tempest relented. Gore was right, he was a grown man. They began leaving the Lab.

"Hey, can I come?" Ram asked.

Taylor was taking up the rear and glanced back at him. "Sure. You're supposed to be a part of this anyway," he said.

"Yeah, if I can ever get that Morpher fixed," Ram said. He wasn't sure if it was possible. When it'd exploded, the insides became a mess. It was taking ages just to sort it all out.

Taylor tilted his head. "I was just yelling at someone who knows someone that may be able to help with that," he said.

Ram looked hopeful. Taylor just hoped he could it cleared with Lark. Together the two of them caught up with the others.

--/-\--

It soon became obvious that Taylor's arm was bothering him much more than he let on. Much to everyone's shock, he even fell. He'd jumped to grab hold of a horizontal pole to swing himself across a mud pit, yet as soon as he out weight on his arms, his left one gave out and he fell to the ground, splashing mud all over himself.

Tempest ran over to see to him, but he jerked his hand away. "I'm fine," he said. He sighed through his nose. "Thanks for the concern," he added since there was no need to be a hole to her.

He tried again, and compensated by only using his right arm that time. When he finished the course he watched the others complete it. They'd all improved. Part of it was training; part of it was the molecular changes when bonding to the Morphers and part of it was each of them were now able to tap their ki. Except Ram. He was the straggler. Taylor didn't fault him, he was doing exceptionally well. He was physically fit and naturally athletic. He just wasn't a Power Ranger.

At the end of the course, Ram dramatically fell over. "And you guys do this every day?" he demanded.

"Every other day. And we did an easy set-up because you were joining us," Sin answered.

Ram grunted and got to his feet. "That ain't even right," he declared sourly.

Taylor snickered. "Even with a bum arm I still beat all your times. Go again," he said. They groaned but complied, even Ram.

--/-\--

Awhile later, Taylor was in his room. He'd showered and dressed but was now bandaging his arm. It wasn't healing at the accelerated rate they'd all previously experienced for minor cuts and abrasions; or a serious one in Tempests' case. He flexed his fingers experimentally. He winced. He had to block the pain if he was going to be in any way useful.

He'd stayed behind in the Arena when the others had finished. They were going down to the city for lunch but he'd declined to join them. He'd changed the layout of the arena to a series of uneven bars. His arm had refused to support him every time. Now it hurt like the fires of Hell.

He went to the mini-fridge he'd put in his room and pulled out an energy shake. He was due to start his rounds soon and he wouldn't have time to eat a big lunch.

He glanced at the laptop he'd used to yell at people. He'd actually only yelled at Kane in frustration. But seriously, how could no one think to tell him Rena had been missing for almost three months now? True, no one knew about their plans to meet after her training finished, which is when anyone last saw her. Someone could have at least mentioned it though. He'd been in contact with various people for various reasons.

He'd been a little more restrained when he'd spoke to Xavier Hart, Rena's older brother and a Space Patrol Delta officer. He'd been immensely relieved to find out where she was. He was not happy about hearing she'd been possessed by something.

"I'm going to leave it in your hands, since it's all involved in your commotion. I'm going to warn you now, there'd better be results soon or you'll be seeing me," Rex had warned.

Taylor did not scare easily. While he was working in Angel Grove, Rex had given him pause. There was something about him that told Taylor immediately he was not someone to cross. Frankly, two years and service with SPD made him even scarier.

"If there aren't results soon, I'll look forward to it," Taylor had responded.

They left it at that. He didn't know if Rex would actually crash the party so to speak. A brother's worry might override professional courtesy. He was right; it was involved in his commotion. That meant it was his problem to deal with. He wasn't sure he'd let Rex interfere even if he tried.

The Alien Alert System began to sound. He left his half finished drink behind and headed to the Lab, using every mental technique he knew to block the pain in his arm.

--/-\--

Something was crashing through the tall building around Starkweather Valley. Everywhere it went, it left explosions. Running across the top of building, Dynamic Rangers Blue, Pink, Black and Yellow watched but never seeing what the cause was.

"What is this?" Black muttered.

"What in the blue blazes?” Blue demanded and watched another seemingly random explosion.

Faster than they could blink part of the building behind them exploded. They saw a blur of movement before whatever it was barreled into them. The momentous force sent them flying and crashing into the ground.

Swirrun stopped moving and turned toward the Rangers. "What an entrance! Don't you guys agree?" he squeaked.

The Rangers regained their feet.

"I came here to devastate you humans! How am I doing so far?" he asked, as if eager for praise. He began running again.

The Rangers went back to back. "Where is he?" Yellow asked.

"He's too fast to be seen," Black said.

"I can't keep track of him," Blue said. That was not a good sign if he couldn't even keep him in sight.

Dynamic Ranger Red arrived, running toward them.

"Watch out! There's an alien that moves so fast he can't be seen," Pink called to him.

Red skidded to a halt. The other four remained at each other's backs as they tried to perceive the enemy.

Red went completely still and expanded his senses. He was already too late. The alien ran by him, knocking him aside before he could react. Swirrun stopped and turned giving a jaunty wave. "Just my way of saying 'Hi!'" he called and began running again.

From where Kragar stayed out of sight, he saw the Rangers approach the Red Ranger. "That little push put him down that hard?" he mused. That didn't seem right.

Red rolled to his feet and summoned his Sky Sword. He gave a hop and cleared his mind trying to block the pain again. He gripped his Sword blade in one hand and let out a long breath. He closed his eyes and let his breathing slow even more.

Pink glanced at him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Ssshh. I'm looking for him," he said and closed his eyes and evened out his breathing again. He expanded his senses into the air around him.

He could feel the disturbance by the alien and tracked him. "There we go," he slid himself across the roof and slashed his Sword right into the alien's knee. The alien's own momentum sent him flying and crashing and rolling. His knee crackled where he'd been struck. He clutched his leg.

"You did it!" Yellow crowed and ran over to Red. "Way to go!" The others joined him as well.

"How did you do that?" Sin said and gave a low whistle.

Swirrun got to his feet. "How dare you damage my leg," he bleated pathetically.

"I should have known he wouldn't be that easy," Kragar remarked to himself and decided it was time to join the fray.

The Rangers' attention was on Swirrun. "He's hurt. Now's our chance," Blue said.

"Yes! Let's finish it," Yellow agreed.

As they started toward the injured alien, Kragar made his move. He was almost as swift as Swirrun, but a lot stronger. He knocked them over as he ran past. He stopped and turned back to them and began throwing flashes of explosive energy at them.

The energy hit them all and the rooftop seemed to explode around them. They went hurtling nearby over the edge. Red clenched his hand. "Oh, it's you again," he said and got to his feet. "You still owe me a plane, Kragar," he pointed out and raised his Sword.

Kragar scoffed. "You intend to fight me, Red Ranger?" he asked. "Come at me!"

Red gripped his Sword and gritted his teeth. He ran forward and jumped, using the wind to propel himself forward. He gripped the Sword with both hands. Kragar threw up one of his arm blades to block. They strained against other. Red wobbled a little and felt his arm weaken.

"Why, Red Ranger, whatever is wrong with your arm?" Kragar wondered out load. He knocked the Sword aside and hit Red across the middle, sending crashing backwards into the ground.

Red gripped his arm but got to his feet. "Don't count me out, you gas guzzling freak of un-nature," he ground out.

Kragar scoffed again. He was suddenly jerked back as multicolored blasts hit him.

Behind Red, the other Rangers had summoned their Micro DynaZords and used their blasters. They got to their feet.

Kragar snarled. "Prepare yourself, Red Ranger," he said. He and Swirrun disappeared.

Red lost his morph and fell to the ground, clutching his arm as the pain he'd been trying to block overwhelmed him. The others ran to him, calling his name but at that moment, he was unable to answer.

--/-\--

Tempest shook her head as she bandaged Taylor's arm. "This is not getting better," she said. She was treating him in the Lab because he'd refused to go to the Infirmary.

"It will, probably at the normal rate. I was hit by a bolt of lightning. I'm lucky there's still an arm," he said and gave a wry smile. He flexed his fingers and tried not to wince.

"Don't overdo it," Lark stated. "For now just let yourself rest," she added.

"She's right," Tempest said, though she suspected the admonishments were falling on deaf ears.

"I don't see how you managed to fight with that," Sin said, baffled. He'd known Taylor had gotten hurt but he hadn't realized the extent of the injury.

"The same way I kept half a plane in the air," Taylor said. "My ki and sheer willpower," he said.

"No wonder you look exhausted. Rest for now," Gore said. "We're going to do some special training to defeat that alien," he said.

Taylor's brow winged up. "Special training?" he asked.

Tempest nodded. "We're going to use what you taught us," she said.

"We're going to use our ki to sense him. We've all gotten better at it. We might not be able to control our elements just yet, but we should all be able to sense his energy. That's what you did, right?" Sin asked.

Taylor nodded. "Good guess," he said.

"Rest up, Hicks. If you're going to go toe to toe with Kragar, you'll need all the energy you can spare," Gore said.

Taylor wasn't surprised that Gore knew his intentions to face the alien Commander again. "Here's what I suggest for you're practice. Gore and Tempe should split up. One of you go to the beach with Sin; the other to the mountain with Lark. Take turns mediating and sensing the other doing various things," he said.

They nodded. "Let's go," Gore said. The others nodded and left.

Taylor rubbed his arm.

"You aren't going to rest, are you?" Ram asked him.

"I might meditate," Taylor said evasively. "How's the programming coming?" he asked.

"Slowly but surely," Ram said with a grumpy sigh.

Taylor clapped a hand on his shoulder as he got it to leave. "We'll figure the Morpher thing out. While I'm resting I'll see how Nodroz Corp. and Astral Dynamics feel about each other," he said mysteriously and left the Lab.

--/-\--

Gore and Lark appeared on Stark Peak. They took turns meditating and sensing each other.

--/-\--

Sin and Tempest appeared at his beach. They also took turns meditating and sensing each other.

--/-\--

Ram was not surprised to find Taylor in the Arena. He was bored because he was finally minting Power Cards, but they took ages to mint for something as complex as Zords. He was going to get in a bit of training of his own. He was not surprised to find a series of uneven bars set up around the center.

Taylor tried not to rely on his good arm so much, putting as much weight on his bad arm. If he didn't push past the injury, he was never going to defeat Kragar. He kept loosing his grip and even falling. He'd made the ground soft but it still winded and annoyed him every time.

Ram decided to leave him to it. He could get in some extra training later.

--/-\--

Lark held a side-arm set on its lowest setting. She wore a blind fold. She cocked her head slightly and expanded her senses. She could feel the wind shift, hear the almost imperceptible. She whirled and fired the gun. Gore grunted and rubbed his side. "You got me. Not bad," he said.

Lark nodded. "Thank you," she said as she took off her blind fold. He was several feet away. "You mastered it more quickly than I did," she said.

Gore shook his head. "I'm a trained soldier. I don't think I've gotten to the point where I'm actually sensing anything," he said. It was true, while he knew the other three had breakthrough moments of being able to actually use their Ki, he had not. He was relying on the tricks of a hunter, tracker and soldier.

"Well, it appears to be working," she said. She knew that she wasn't making a sound when she moved. He was feeling something, but that was Gore. He'd always been that way.

"I hope we're ready," he said. "My turn," he said and began binding his eyes and un-holstered his side arm.

Lark made a face and rubbed her side. She wasn't looking forward to this. He'd gotten her every single time before she could ever get close to him. She took off a distance and began to silently stalk him.

Until her Morpher began beeping in tandem with the Base's Alien Alarm System.

--/-\--

Tempest planted her feet firmly in the sand. She felt a vibration. She sensed something. Even blindfolded, she crouched and fired the gun she held.

"Ouch! My leg. How did you get my leg?" Sin demanded and rubbed his shin.

Tempest smirked and removed her blindfold. "I felt it when you took a step. It helped me aim.

"Not bad, grasshopper," he said.

"Not as good as you," she said.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I've relied on my eyesight much over years to steady my aim," Sin said.

"You still got me more than I got you," she pointed out.

Sin shrugged. "Still, best to continue," he said and began to blind himself.

Tempe nodded and prepared to be the hunter.

Their training came to an end when their Morpher's began beeping.

--/-\--

Exploding building were causing panic amongst the citizens of Starkweather Valley. They began running away as a skyscraper exploded downward, floor by floor.

Gore, Lark, Tempest and Sin met up nearby and began running against the crowd until there was no more crowd. "We'd be better hurry up," Lark said.

They came to an abrupt halt when Taylor appeared.

"Can you make it?" Sin asked him.

"Either I can or I can't. I'm going to find out," Taylor answered.

Gore nodded. He turned toward the path of destruction the Warstar alien was leaving behind. "Hey you mangled freak! Come out so we can end it!"

"He has a knack for ticking people off," Sin remarked dryly.

Swirrun appeared in front of them. "You again! Don't think you can try the same thing again!" he warned them.

"That's what you think, Buzz," Tempest said. "Let's go, guys," she said.

"Yeah," Taylor agreed and flipped out his Morph Card. "DynaMorpher! Red Ranger Power!"

The others flipped out their Morph Cards as well.

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

They morphed. Red summoned his Sky Sword.

"Oh yeah? C'mon then!" Swirrun cried in a cracking voice and began running until he was no longer visible.

Trusting the others to do what they had to, Red let his senses expand. He cocked his head and began running away from them. He jumped and swung his Sword.
Kragar blocked the blow. "Not bad, but I'm not Swirrun," he said cockily.

"I know who you are," Red assured him and steadied his grip on his Sword. Luckily he was right handed, but Kragar had a lot of strength behind him and he needed both hands. His eyes widened and knew that the other alien was about to take a try at him. There wasn't much he could do.

Swirrun was hit by four multicolored blasts. The other Rangers held their Zord Blasters.

"Bet you didn't think we could do that," Black remarked.

"Taylor. Leave this alien to us," Blue said.

The four Rangers ran forward toward the alien.

Red nodded and began to engage Kragar.

"Don't underestimate me either!" Swirrun squawked and began to run again.

Dynamic Red and Kragar began a series of swings and blocks. Red managed to catch the big alien just right and pushed him backwards and away from where the other Rangers were. He didn't need them distracted by his fight.

Kragar spun them and managed to break away. He slashed Red across the middle. He flew back and landed on a car. He realized they must be in a parking complex. He jumped to his feet on the hood of the car, narrowly missing a blow from Kragar. As he ran over the top of the car, they traded blows, but the alien was horrendously strong and cunning. Kragar swept him off his feet and he fell into a stack of barrel and boxes.

He managed to get out and defend himself, but Kragar was right on him. He fell over again and managed to bring his Sword up to block another blow.

"I told them you Rangers were a minor nuisance. I was right," Kragar gloated. "The Warstars will eliminate you humans and strip this planet!" he boasted.

"Not while I'm alive. Not while any Power Ranger lives, but especially not me," Red said and risked dropping his right hand to his blaster. He fired without bothering to try to un-holster it.

Kragar stumbled back as the blasts hit him, electricity momentarily crackling around him.

Red scrambled to his feet. "You will never, ever get this planet. There will always be resistance. You are wrong. Power Rangers are the defenders of good and you will never defeat us. If I fall, if my team falls, another will take our place. There is nothing you can do but give up," he said and went on the offensive, attacking with renewed vigor.

Kragar knocked him aside. Red kept trying. "This planet and you humans, in the vastness of space, are nothing. Easily crushed," Kragar said as they fought. Red was not doing well but he was not giving up.

"What did you say?" Red demanded.

Kragar slashed him again. "No more than intergalactic flotsam. Garbage!" he declared and slashed Red several times. He crossed his arm blades and opened them, slashing into Red, sending him flying though a parking lot wall and into a completely different sort of complex. Construction on a new parking garage seemed to be under way.

He rolled, wounded. Kragar came after him with a cocky strut.

Red clenched his fist and began climbing to his feet. "If there's one thing you should know about humans, it's that our will is indomitable. You may kill one of us or a few of us, but you will never break our spirit. Kragar paused, watching him climb to his feet. "We may be savages that kill each other over petty things like land and religion, but that's just family business. We will never be dominated by damn dirty aliens," he said and began stumbling toward the creep. He had to support himself with his Sword like a cane.

"I will finish you off and shut that mouth for good!" Kragar said and began zooming toward him.

Red saw him coming. "I'll show you who's right and who's not!" he said. He noticed he was standing under some scaffolding. He summoned every ounce of strength and willpower he had. He tossed his Sword up then he jumped. He grabbed hold of a crossbar and pulled himself up pushing aside the pain in his arm. He flipped his legs over the bar just as Kragar passed harmlessly beneath him. He continued the turn until he held himself upright with only his arms.

Kragar stopped and began to turn. Red turned and let go of the bar. His body continued the twist and he caught his Sword as it fell back down. He used his downward momentum to add power to his swing. His Sword slashed across Kragar, throwing up a shower of sparks.

"That is the indomitable will of a human being protecting his home," he said.

Kragar snarled. "You scum!" he cried.

Red smirked. "Sky Sword!" He held his Sword and it glowed. "Dragon Blast!" He moved forward and slashed Kragar twice, leaving streaks of red energy that ignited. Kragar stumbled back, smoking and charred slightly.

"So I see. The indomitable will of a human being," he scoffed. "We will meet again, Red Ranger," he warned and ran away, disappearing.

Red collapsed against some scaffolding. His body was wracked with pain radiating from his arm. "And that is what we call bluffing," he muttered to himself. He wasn't sure he'd have actually had the strength to defeat the alien right then. He flexed his fingers and clenched his first. His arm still hurt but he could withstand it. He thought to catch his breath then go help the others. He just hoped they were holding their own against the alien.

--/-\--

Rangers Yellow and Black were sent flying as Swirrun pushed past them. They landed hard but rolled to their feet. Pink and Blue went over to them and they all stood with their backs against each other. They used the protection to their advantage. They held their Blasters at the ready and let their senses expand.

They heard the alien give a pitchy laugh. "Did you think you n00bs could actually take me?" he demanded, his voice never coming from the same place twice.

As one they turned and fired. Four multicolored shots hit Swirrun dead on. He flew backwards and crashed into a cement column. "How did you do that?!" he demanded.

The Rangers rushed forward. "We did it!" Yellow said.

"Can we finish him now?" Pink asked.

"I have an idea," Blue said and pulled a card out of his belt. "Micro Deep Sea DynaZords!" he slid the Card through his Morpher. The Card disappeared and the three Zords in Micro form appeared. They flew around a moment before settling themselves. Hammerhead Zord flew to Yellow. Sawfish Zord flew to Black. Manta Ray Zord flew to Pink. They opened their hands to catch them.

"How did you know this was possible?" Pink asked.

"So boss," Yellow declared quietly.

"I researched. It's possible," Blue declared.

"Let's switch them out," Black said. The Snake Zord disappeared from his Blaster and he replaced it. "Sawfish Blaster!"

The Tiger Zord disappeared from Yellow's Blaster and she replaced it. "Hammerhead Blaster!"

The Phoenix Zord disappeared from Pink's Blaster and she replaced it. "Manta Ray Blaster!"

"Shark Blaster!" The four of them aimed at the alien and the Blasters charged each glowing bright blue.

"Deep Sea Bullet!" They fired. The four bright blue shots combined into one massive shot of watery energy. It crashed into Swirrun and exploded him.

The Rangers turned their backs on the explosion.

--/-\--

Devourer

Sylon scoffed silently. "I warned that fool," he said as he launched a canister of Ooze.

--/-\--

Red stumbled to where the others were. He clutched his aching side. "You guys win or what?" he called out.

Putting away their Blasters they ran to him. "Taylor!"

"Well, I'm alive," he said painfully. Black put a hand up to support him, but he didn't fall. He rested his hands on his knees.

A canister of Ooze exploded over the still fiery remains of Swirrun. The slime reconstituted him and increased his mass.

Red let out a sharp breath. "Naturally," he muttered. He straightened and pulled out his Macro DynaZord Card. The others did the same.

"Dragon DynaZord!"

"Phoenix DynaZord!"

"Shark DynaZord!"

"Tiger DynaZord!"

"Snake DynaZord!"

The Zords appeared and teleported their pilots aboard.

"Dynamic Megazord!"

The Zords combined to form the Dynamic Megazord with wings and a dragon's tail for a sword. They appeared in the combined cockpit. Red slumped a bit but at least he was sitting down.

"Watch out," Swirrun said in a voice even higher and squeakier than before. "I'm faster than ever now!" he said and began running around the streets. He would blow past the Megazord sending up sparks each time.

He stopped a little ways ahead of them. "How was that? Don't think it's going be like before," he warned them. He began running again.

"We'll catch up to him by flying," Red said. Before he could get the Megazord to take off, though, a spasm of pain rocked through him. He went black for a moment. His Morph failed.

Yellow got up and went to him. "Taylor?" she asked and attempted to take his pulse.

He brushed her hand away. "Sorry," he said and managed to sit up.

"Don't worry about it, baby. You just rest. Me and Gore have this," she declared and moved back to her seat. "If we can't fly, we'll run," she said and gripped her yoke.

Black nodded. "An old fashioned foot race it is," he agreed and gripped his yoke as well.

Taylor gave a wry smile. "This should be interesting," he mused thoughtfully. The cockpit lurched slightly as the Black and Yellow team went to work.

The Megazord began running after the alien with everything it had.

Swirrun was chortling to himself as he imagined victory. He started to gloat until he noticed the Megazord behind him, gaining. "What!" he squelched. He began running in earnest.

The Megazord stayed on him. "How about we take out one of his legs again," Yellow said.

"I'm on it! Snake Head-Butt!" Black launched the Snake Zord's head. It flew toward the alien and clamped onto one of its pumping legs.

He stumbled to a halt. "Stubborn little leeches," he said and grabbed the Zord and threw it at them. It reattached easily. Swirrun began running again, legs pumping harder than ever.

"It didn't work!" Pink gasped. "He's getting away!"

"Don't worry. Now is about the time Ram decides to hand us a miracle," Black declared.

"Until then, let's keep after him," Yellow said. They gave the Megazord all the power they could muster.

Swirrun was really beginning to sweat. He glanced back at them and fired lasers from his eyes, directly at the Megazord's feet.

The Megazord stumbled. Yellow and Black righted the Megazord.

"Hmm, did someone mention Ram and miracle?" Ram's voice declared. "Sorry it took so long. Gore, Tempe, you have a go," he said.

"About time," Black said and the two of them reached into their belts and pulled out new cards.

"I knew you wouldn't let us down," Yellow declared to Ram as she looked at the Card. "Ready?" she asked Black.

He nodded. "Let's do it," he agreed.

"Macros DynaZords!" The two of them swiped their cards. "Summon Core Earth DynaZords!"

The ground rumbled and a large blackish-yellowish-orangey portal formed in the center of the park. Three Zords emerged. One was an orange bear head, one was a black beetle head with antler-like pincers and the other was a yellow rhinoceros head with a long drill for a nose.

"Wow, here they come!" Yellow said, trying to get a better look.

"Nice," Black said. In tandem they took out another Card and swiped them. "Core Earth Megazord!" The three Zords sped in front of the Megazord. The Snake Zord's head slid up to the knee to be replaced by the Rhinoceros Zord. The Tiger Zord's head slid up to the knee to be replaced with the Bear Zord. The Megazord's default flipped back into its chest and the Beetle Zord attached to the neck and formed a new helmeted head.

Swirrun almost stumbled when he looked back at them. "Wh-wh-what!" he squalled. He began picking up speed.

The newly wheeled Megazord began gaining speed as if skating. Closing in on him. "You're mine," Black said quietly and depressed a button on his yoke. "Beetle Head-Butt!" The Megazord reared back its head and banged it forward, the Beetle's pincers widened. The Megazord banged its head into the alien and the pincers closed.

Swirrun sparked and fell over. "Ha! That was the stuff right there!" Yellow cried.

"I'm the fastest being in the Warstars! How did you catch me!" Swirrun demanded as he managed to get to his feet.

"We didn't just catch you, sweetie. We're ending you," she said pleasantly. "Bear Kick!" She jerked her yoke and the Megazord kicked out, the Bear Zord opening and closing its jaws, grabbing a nice hunk of alien.

"Ok, enough playing around," Black said as if weren't guilty of the same thing. He pulled another Card from his belt.

Yellow nodded and pulled the same Card from her belt.

"Victory Charge!" They swiped the cards. The Core Earth Zords powered up. "Core Earth Crush!" They Megazord went into a flying kick. The nose of the Rhino Zord began spinning as it led the jump. It crashed into the alien.

The Megazord landed with its back to Swirrun. The alien crackled with energy. He felt over and exploded.

Yellow jumped to her feet again. "All right," she said and clenched her fists in victory.

"You still with us?" Black asked Taylor.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Tay answered with his usual crooked grin.

Black nodded then he was pounced on by Yellow hugging him. He laughed. Taylor chuckled. Nope. He wouldn't have missed this at all.

--/-\--

Tempest checked Taylor's arm. "It looking good," she declared. "Looks like the accelerated healing is finally beginning to take effect," she declared with a smile.

Taylor nodded.

"When are you going to tell us about that?" Sin asked him.

Taylor sighed. He rubbed his arm. "There were a few times I thought someone I knew. It was slightly jarring at first. We were supposed to meet three months ago at certain date. She didn't show, so I thought that meant she didn't want anything to do with me any more." he shook his head.

"I know, I probably should have followed up but, eh, you guys get it," he said, glancing at the other guys in the Lab. They nodded.

Tempest rolled her eyes. She patted his arm though. "Even invincible ninja masters can be hurt," she said. He smiled briefly.

"So, then what?" Sin asked.

"It was when we dealing with that crazed musician that something really strange happened. I somewhat noticed her then. When Sylon ran from the fight, he didn't disappear immediately. He went to someone. I saw a flash of lightning. I didn't get it. I was quite confused," he admitted. "I couldn't be sure it was her. Why would she be here now?"

He rubbed his face. "I saw her again this morning. I followed her, except when I caught up to her, she attacked me using the Thunder Ninja Techniques she'd been studying the past couple of years," he said. "Except I realized it wasn't her," he said. "She's been taken over by something. Whatever it is, I think it's working with Sylon," he said. "She matches the description Gore and Sin gave me for the nurse that was with him at the clinic."

"Who is she?" Lark asked.

"Rena Hart," he answered. "And she's one of us. She was a Power Ranger. I have to figure out a way to save her," he said. He gave a wry grin. "If I don't her brother may kill me," he added.

"We'll help however we can," Tempest said. "Right guys?" she asked, looking around at them.

"We don't need you prompting us. It's a given," Gore said.

"Absolutely," Lark and Sin agreed.

"You know it, brother," Ram agreed.

Taylor smiled. "Thanks," he told them. "Oh, Lark. You'll be getting a call soon from Dr. Billie. She wants to help repair the Green Morpher," he said and slipped out of the Lab.

Lark watched him go with a frown. "Dr. Billie? Who--wait! Do you mean Dr. Wilhemina Davis-Doyle?" she demanded and ran after him. He was already gone. "I hate when you do that!" she called out, receiving strange looks from passing staff. "Get back to work!" she snapped and went back to the Lab, ignoring the snickering foursome within it.

-/End 07\-           

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