The Power Rangers series and all associated characters, settings, and events are property of Disney Entertainment. They are used here without permission. All stories on this site are not for sale and not intended for profit.

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. If I do, I promise to donate the money to one of those foundations that prevent animal cruelty. By the way, no animals were harmed in the production of this series... well, except that gerbil, but he's fine now. I swear.

A/N: This takes place a few months after Power Rangers Virtual Force. While its designed for you to be able to read it without reading the first one, it wouldn�t hurt to brush up on your history before checking this one out.

Reefside, California August, 2005 AD

He opened his eyes slowly, only to find himself in a hospital room of some kind. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his shoulder, forcing him to lay back down. There was still a bit of disorientation, blurring his vision slightly, and the throbbing pain in the back of his head wasn�t helping matters either. He tried to recall the events leading up to him ending up there, but his mind was a complete blank. The only thing rushing through his mind was blurred images and jumbled phrases, none of it making any sense to him. The last few months for him had been disconcerting. He had no knowledge of who he was, where he was from, or what he was supposed to be doing. The only thing he did have was a sense that he was meant to do something, that his purpose was much higher than he realized. �But what?� he wondered.

Just then, he heard voices, but he wasn�t sure if they were in his head, or if someone was actually in the room with him.

�H-Hello?� he mumbled, taking almost all of his energy to do so.

�Oh my God, he�s awake,� a voice said. His vision was still blurry, so he couldn�t see anything, but he did feel the warmth of someone�s hand on his forehead, then someone grab his hand slightly. �Are you alright?�

He tried to speak, his mouth moved, but nothing came out.

�Save your strength, you need it. I don�t know if you remember, but you saved my life last night,� the voice said.

His mind quickly flashed to the incident in question. There were robbers, several of them, trying to steal from a woman on her way to her car. As he recalled, she was holding her own, so to claim that he saved her life was a bit of an exaggeration.

�I-I...� he was cut short.

�You were shot in the shoulder last night. I brought you here. The doctors say you�ll be fine, but you need to rest,� she glanced down at her watch. �I have to go, I start my new job today, but I�ll be back later on today to check on you, okay?�

�O-Okay,� he groaned.

He felt her lips press against his forehead before she walked away, and he slowly drifted out of consciousness again.

�Come on mom, California? With all the crazy stuff that goes on around here, you didn�t think another state would have been better?� Estel asked her, folding her arms as she leaned up against the wall.

�Reefside High is a perfectly good school. You�ll do fine there. Besides, its not like you�re a student anymore,� she assured her.

�I�m sure the school is fine, I�m talking about this place. California ranks an 8.5 on my weird shit-o-meter. Giant monster attacks, big robot battles, I even read rumors on the internet about a vampire slayer living in Sunnydale. Well, whats left of Sunnydale these days, not to mention Arnold Shawrtz-a-terminator is the governor. This entire city is an accident waiting to happen,� she brought up.

�You can�t believe everything you read on the internet. This city was ranked number five in the country�s safest cities. Besides, the power rangers protect the city, what could possibly go wrong?�

�Um, how about giant monster smashing buildings and the rangers have to call on Voltron or whatever the hell they call that big robot to fight it. I see the news, I see the cars getting stepped on, the buildings that get destroyed. I�m surprised there�s a building in the city left standing after all the fights that go on here.�

�You�re making a big deal out of this for nothing. I�m sure everything will be fine.�

�Okay, its all fun and games until Megatron steps on our house. Then what?� Estel asked.

�Aren�t you late for school?� her mother asked.

Estel glanced down at her watch. �I prefer to call it fashionably late,� she pointed out.

�That�s not a very good way to start your first day at a new job, is it?�

�Its just a teaching assistant job, if they ask why I was late, I�ll just say there was a monster attack in the warehouse district or in a rock quarry. Have you noticed that every city in California has a rock quarry?� she mentioned.

�Just go Estel.�

She sighed. �With my luck, I�ll get turned into a cardboard cut out by some evil clown dude,� she said.

�What?�

�My friend Sophie said it happened to her once over in Angel Grove. I bet...�

�Just go Estel,� her mother repeated.

�Okay, you�ll see. Weird stuff happens around here, and when it does, I�ll be the first to tell you I told you so.�

Patrick pulled up in front of the school, putting the car in park, and then turning to her.

�Good luck,� he said cheerfully.

Jen glanced out the window at the school, getting a good look at it. Somehow, it seemed much smaller than it did last year. There were still students all rushing back and forth, heading inside the building, but this time around it wasn�t as intimidating as she remembered it.

�I wish we could have at least one class together,� she sighed.

�I�d love to, but...�

�I know, I know, you�re a senior now. Why do you have to be so much older than I am?� she asked.

�Its only three years. When I�m one hundred you�ll be ninety seven and we�ll both be so wrinkled no one will be able to tell the difference,� he told her.

�Yeah, but when you were three I was born, we would have made a hell of a couple back then,� she mocked.

�All that matters is that we make a good couple now,� he leaned over, kissing her warmly on the lips. �Now lets go in there and learn all those useless facts that you�ll never apply in any real life situation,� he said.

�When you put it like that, it sounds so exciting,� she groaned sarcastically.

�Try to contain your excitement. You can head on in while I park.�

�Maybe I�ll bump into you in the hallway,� she said.

�I do, I promise not to totally ignore you for my older, much cooler friends,� he told her.

�Whatever gayfer!� she said as she opened the car door and stepped out, closing it behind herself.

He cracked a smile as she flung her book bag over her shoulder, walking towards the school. Before he could pull away, he heard a beeping sound. He quickly reached into his back pocket, pulling out his morpher.

�This is Tempest Ranger, go ahead.�

�Sorry to bother you so early Patrick, but I�m picking up a muffled energy signature. I was hoping you�d go check it out,� a voice said.

He recognized it right away. �Sure Hayley, where is it?�

�In the rock quarry where you and the others...� she paused. �Where the final battle happened. I know this is your first day of school, but...� she was cut short.

�I�ll go check it out and let you know what I find.�

�Thanks Patrick, and be careful.�

�Come on mom, you can�t do this to me. This my senior year for God�s sake, I have a...� he was cut short as his mother walked over to him, folding her arms.

She didn�t have to say a word, the look on her face said it all. There was a void, monotone expression on her face, and that expression (or lack thereof) spoke volumes. �Paolo,� she sighed.

�Don�t Paolo me mom. I have my hands full this year. Senior trip, I just a job done at Hayley�s Cyber Space, senior dues, not to mention...� he was cut short again.

�It won�t hurt you to show your cousin around. He�s going to need you,� she said.

�But mom, I don�t have time to hold hands with this guy. I just want to...� he was interrupted again.

�Paolo,� she repeated, this time frowning slightly.

He sighed, realizing it was a losing battle. �Fine, where is the little brat?� he asked her.

�Upstairs in his room getting ready. If you get him now, I can drop you off on my way to work,� she mentioned.

�So now only do I get to escort my goofy ass cousin around for my senior year, I get to pull up on the first day of school in my mom�s station wagon. Yep, its official; my social life is dead,� he told her.

�Just go get your cousin,� she instructed.

Without a word, Paolo rushed out the room, heading upstairs.

Silver Ranger roamed through the city with a weapon in each hand, remaining on guard just in case someone or something was planning an ambush. The streets were quiet, not a civilian in sight...

�Yeah, too quiet,� he mumbled to himself.

At the end of the street was another ranger. From his distance, it was hard to tell what kind of weapons he had, but it was obvious by the readings coming from the ranger that he was incredibly powerful. His first impulse was to approach the ranger, perhaps join forces, but that hadn�t worked very well for him in the past. His next thought was to simply attack him, but based on the difference in their power levels, he was sure he wouldn�t last too long against him.

That left him with one option.

Silver Ranger turned around, running around a corner and ducking into an abandoned building, then quickly rushed up the steps. He peeked out a window, getting a visual on the ranger in question. He reached for his belt, grabbing a grenade, popped the top and tossed it out the window, then leaned down, hoping to avoid hearing the blast. As he kneeled down, he was shocked to see the grenade come flying back in the window.

�Oh bugger!� he sighed, trying to run, but the grenade exploded, and the blast was enough to knock him across the room.

GAME OVER

�Sorry Parmy old mate, I had to do it,� a voice said in his headset.

�That�s a bloody shame I fall for that every time,� he said.

�You�ll learn my friend, you�ll learn.�

�I have to go, I have to go to school.�

�Right now?�

�Yes, its almost 8am.�

�Really? Oh yeah, time difference. Well, have a good day mate.�

�I will. See ya.�

Parmy took the headset off, stood up and turned around, only to see Paolo standing behind him with his arms folded. �We�re going to be late for school because you were up here playing some online game?� he snapped.

�Well, I...�

�I don�t know how you guys do things in your country, but...�

�Sorry mate, I...�

�What the hell did you just call me?� Paolo asked.

�Um, a mate?�

�Save all your fancy lingo for your friends in England while you�re sippin� tea,� he paused. �Mate sounds like we�re a gay couple or something,� he sighed. �Come on, lets just get this over with,� he sighed.

Parmy rushed over to the bed, picking up his book bag and tossing it over his shoulder. �I�m very excited. Going to school with my favorite cousin in the states, just being in the states is an adventure,� he told him.

�Yeah whatever, let's just go.�

�You think we�ll get to see the Power Rangers today?� he asked. �Maybe a monster attacking the city or something?�

�If I�m lucky, a zord will step on you and solve all my problems. Then again, my mom will find a way to blame me for it,� he said.

Parmy walked over to him, putting his arm around Paolo. �Cheer up old chap, this�ll be fun,� he told him.

Being back at the rock quarry brought up a lot of bad memories for Patrck. Just looking around the place made him recall the events leading up to the destruction of Thoron once and for all, but at a horrible price.

�We all knew what we were getting into when we signed up for this. I say we ALL go, and whatever happens... happens,� Aqua Tech said.

�Agreed,� Allumier said.

�Agreed,� Blizard said.

�Agreed,� Spectra said.

�Agreed,� Tempest said.

�So it�s settled,� Predator sighed. �Ethan was right, you are a fine group of rangers. Lets go!�

The zord picked Thoron up, pushing him towards the rift. Soon, both the zord and Thoron were inside the rift, but continued to battle.

�Its working, its time for us to do our part,� Predator said. �Concentrate, focus all your energy into one controlled burst. It should be enough to close the rift from this end.�

The six of them closed their eyes as the zord itself began to glow. There was an energy buildup around the zord as all of them focused their energy on the rift.

�Wait... something is happening,� Aqua Tech observed as she felt a tingling sensation rush through her body.

�Its Ethan and Ms. Fairweather, they�re trying to teleport us out.�

�But the beam is only strong enough for two of us,� Blizzard said.

�I know. Its important that whoever makes it out of here, we don�t come back looking for the others. If you do, Thoron could be released again, or something even worse could come out,� Allumier said.

�But we should...�

�No, the two of make it out should do their best to carry on as the new leader of this group. Consider that my last order,� Predator told them.

�We understand,� Tempest said, speaking for the group.

At the time, it seemed like a good idea. He understood what Predator Ranger was saying, but at the same time, it was difficult trying to lead a normal life knowing it was at the cost of four other lives. There was no way they could have survived in the demon dimension for months at a time, and he regretted not trying to back and save any of the others.

Out of frustration, he kicked a rock, sending gravel and dust flying around the quarry. As the dust settled, the light from the sun reflected off of something on the ground. Patrick leaned down to investigate, picking up...

�Oh my God, a morpher,� he sighed.

To say that that Dr. Howard Fritz was a genius would be a severe understatement. He graduated from high school at ten years old, and by his fourteenth birthday, had gotten his masters degree in not only science, but in computer technology. All of his professors agreed that one day, Howard Fritz would go on to do great things, and now, he was convinced that time had come.

He�d only been at Mercer Industries for two years, but had worked his way up to department lead in charge of development. That didn�t make him very popular with the other scientists and employees there, but there was no denying that his theories were sound, his methods were proven and his results were nothing less than impressive.

He sat in front of a monitor in his lab, going over the last of the readings from his latest experiment. He�d been working on it for months; losing countless hours of sleep, but he was convinced that it would all be worth it. Next, he glanced down at the writing on his clipboard, comparing it to what he�d seen on the screen... and the results seemed promising.

�I think I�m ready over here Ethan,� he said with a touch of excitement in his voice.

Ethan, who�d been more than eager to work alongside someone with the reputation of Dr. Fritz, hurried over to him, handing him another clipboard. �Are you sure about this doc? I mean, if it works, this will...� he was cut short.

�This could be the cure for cancer, for the common cold, for AIDS itself. Nano technology is the future my young intern, and you will be here to witness the dawning of a new era in mankind,� he told him.

�The simulations have all worked at 99% efficiency, but I can�t account for the 1 percent variance I keep getting,� he said.

Dr. Fritz smiled. �Don�t worry about that, it�s the way they were designed. The Nano-probes are designed to learn as they go, evolve so to speak. They will continue to accumulate data, using it to perform even the most complex problems and solve them without being programmed to do it. Each one will be smarter than the last, and working together, will be able to enter the human body, repair or even remove harmful bacteria and cure them. It�s a marvelous theory, and it will change the way the world deals with injuries,� he explained.

Ethan�s look of excitement turned to one of concern. �Have you tested this?�

�Of course. We�ve run several experiments on disease-ridden rabbits, and within minutes of the nano-probes being injected, the cells causing the disease were pinpointed, isolated and removed from the rabbit safely. I�m pleased to report that Mr. Hop-a-lot survived the procedure and there were no traces of anything ever being wrong with him,� Dr. Fritz assured him.

�I just have concerns about this. I mean...�

�I know what you�re feeling Ethan, because I felt it too. All my life I was told my theories were based on a science fiction show than real life, that the things I were capable of doing sounded more like Star Trek than actual scientific practices, but I�ve proved them wrong,� he turned to Ethan. �Do you know why I picked you of all the people who applied for my internship program? Because I read your application, and you know what its like to have your theories be looked down on even when you knew what you were talking about. I knew I wanted someone like you by my side when the time came. And today my friend, we make history,� the doctor told him.

Ethan nodded with approval. �I believe in you Dr. Fritz, lets do it.�

Dr. Fritz picked up a needle, holding it up slightly. �Inside this needle is over 10,000 nano-probes, all of them programmed with what they�ve learned from the rabbit, all of them ready to search and destroy any virus that may infect the human body. The theory is that they will be able to repair any damage done and leave the host not only one hundred percent healthy, but even better than they originally started,� he said.

�So who or what do you plan testing it on? The board will never approve human testing, not this early in the testing phase,� he pointed out.

�Of course not, why is why I have something else in mind,� he walked over to the middle of the room, where they was an examine table with a white sheet over it. He quickly pulled back the sheet, revealing a human body. �This will suffice nicely.�

�But sir, he�s human.�

�He�s been dead for over eight hours now. He died of natural causes, I assure you. The nano-probes should be able to find what caused his death and repair it. It won�t bring him back to life, but it will give us the results we need to present to the board. With the data we get from our John Doe here, the board will have to approve human testing of the probes,� he told him.

�Sir, this is a major step. Why are you willing to...� he was cut short.

�Its my wife,� the doctor blurted out.

�Wait... what?�

�My life has lung cancer. She�s been suffering for years; hooked to machines, barely conscious. I have been working on these probes for years now, hoping to perfect them... hoping they would...� he stopped, allowing his sentence to trail off.

�But sir, I still don�t think that...�

�What if it were someone you loved, someone you cared about? What if they were hurt, or worse, dying, and you knew of a way to save them; would you do it? Would you take the risk, or would you sit back, do nothing and watch the person you cared about slowly wither away into nothing?� he asked him.

�Into nothing,� Ethan sighed inwardly. He remembered watching the rangers sacrifice themselves, entering an unknown hell dimension with the most powerful being he�d ever seen. They were willing to stay there for the sake of the world, and though he had the means to find a way to bring them back, he hadn�t. He hadn�t acted as quickly as he could have, done as much as he could have, explored all the options. Instead, he hid behind unforeseeable consequences, concerned about circumstances that may or may not have done more damage. The truth was, there was no way to know if opening the vortex again would have released Thoron, but he hadn�t been willing to take the chance.

Now, here was a man who was not only willing to, but had dedicated his entire life, sacrificed everything he was to find a way to save the woman he loved. Ethan secretly wished he had been as dedicated to helping the rangers, and tacitly told himself that he would help Hayley in any way he could to find the rangers and bring them home. But, in the meantime, Dr. Fritz needed his help.

Ethan nodded. �Okay, lets do it.�

The doctor picked up the needle, slowly injecting it into the body, then paused. �Any minute now, we should be able to pick up some kind of tissue regeneration,� he told him.

The two of them glanced over at the equipment, but nothing. There was no chance in the readings, no unusual beeping, not even a variance in the instruments.

�Are you sure the probes are active?� Ethan asked.

�Not only are they active, they should be self replicating. We should have seen results by now,� he said.

�Maybe the damage to the body is too far gone, maybe the probes can�t repair the cells.�

�Perhaps you�re right, but without this data, the board will never approve my funding, and we�ll never be able to move to the next phase of the experiment. I�m afraid its back to the drawing board my young intern,� the doctor sighed, quickly pulling the sheet back over the body. �I�ll call the morgue, have them pick up the body.�

�Don�t worry doctor, we�ll figure out what went wrong,� Ethan said as the two of them walked out the room.

As soon as the door closed, the body sat up, opening its eyes to reveal an eerie red glow. �We... are alive,� it groaned in a deep, mechanical voice.

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