The Red Ranger woke up to the sound of birds singing.

For a split-second, that made the seasoned warrior freeze in disbelief. Then he gained his feet in one swift blur, ready for anything except the situation in which he found himself.

He was in a small clearing in a peaceful forest. Judging by the sun, it was late afternoon. He could only stare in disbelief.

How had he gotten here? The last thing he remembered was his Zord exploding around him; and his own horror, caused not by his imminent death, but the realization that he had failed. The Rangers had failed, falling before the might of Serpenterra...and

the world was doomed.

He closed his eyes, the images assaulting him with a pain that was physical. The Command Center in ruins; Alpha 5 shattered into a thousand pieces; the corpse of Zordon lying in the ruins of his tube. How ironic that he had finally been freed from his confinement...in death.

And the dead bodies of his teammates, buried under the flaming rubble of their Zords.

And it was all his fault. He had started the chain of events that lead to Zedd's victory. The grief threatened to drive him mad, and he fell to his knees sobbing. How could he have survived? What good was life now, when there was no hope? Was this some new torment devised by Zedd; punishment for his betrayal?

"WHY??!!" he screamed at the uncaring sky.

---

Cassidy kicked her car's tire angrily, but it stubbornly remained flat. "Damn it!" she cursed.

"Can't we just put the spare on?" asked Devon.

"That IS the spare!" Cassidy huffed. "The regular tire won't be fixed until tomorrow."

"So...now what?" Devon asked.

Cassidy calmed down. "We walk," she said simply, opening the rear door and grabbing her backpack.

"Walk to Doctor O's?" Devon looked forlorn even as he grabbed his own bag, plus his ever-present camera.

"Why not?" Cassidy asked, surprised. "We were on the way there anyway."

"It's a long walk," Devon pointed out. "And he's not exactly expecting us."

Cassidy waved that away. "We're his students. Of course he'll help us. And I'm sure he'll agree to our request."

"You really think filming his acreage will get you on TV?"

"I told you, they're doing a special on rural areas. Doctor Oliver's house is about as rural as you can get in Reefside."

Devon gave up, knowing from long experience that nothing could discourage Cassidy Cornell when it came to her goals.

However, they only taken two steps when a scream echoed from the forest to the north of the road. Both teens jumped a foot in the air.

"What was THAT?" Cassidy gasped.

"Could we please not find out?" Devon begged.

"Are you kidding? This could be news! Come on!" Cassidy took off into the trees.

Devon gave a long-suffering sigh. After all this time, he still couldn't decide whether Cassidy possessed extraordinary courage or absolutely zero survival instincts. He reluctantly followed.

---

"My lord Mesogog..."

"What is it, Elsa?"

"I have detected an energy surge near Doctor Oliver's house. While I have never seen this type of energy before, it bears some resemblance to the Dino Gems."

"More Rangers, Doctor Oliver? That is not acceptable. Take Zeltrax and the Tyrannodrones with you to that location. Capture the energy source if possible, whatever it may be. If that's not possible...destroy it."

"Yes, my lord."

---

The Dino Thunder Rangers were in the middle of a training session in Tommy's back yard. The teenagers had paired off and were sparring; Conner vs. Kira and Trent vs. Ethan. Tommy stood off to the side and watched, occasionally giving advice.

"Keep your left up, Ethan. Conner, watch..." he broke off and winced as Kira flipped the Red Ranger onto his back, knocking the wind out him. "As I was saying, watch her feet. That will tip you off that she's going to do that move." A gasping Conner nodded.

Tommy broke off when his morpher chimed. The kids, hearing their own morphers, quickly stopped and headed towards him. "Yes, Hayley? What's so urgent you couldn't walk out here and tell us?"

"Just thought you'd like to know, Oliver, that I've picked up an energy surge about two miles from here," she responded tartly. "It's a little like an invisoportal, but at the same time, it isn't. I've also found readings that look a Dino Gem activating."

Tommy sobered immediately, and so did his team. That last time a new Dino Gem had surfaced, it started the whole evil White Ranger nightmare. "We're on it." He turned to the teens. "Let's get the cycles, guys."

They nodded and took off running, but not before he heard Conner mutter "please don't let this one be evil."

Tommy kept silent, but he agreed whole-heartedly.

---

Devon wondered at first if Cassidy had any clear idea of where she was going, but the duo soon head the sounds of sobbing coming from up ahead. Devon winced. This was the part of journalism he really didn't like: intruding on someone's grief. Not that that ever stopped Cassidy, of course.

They finally reached a small clearing, and found a large man dressed in a red shirt and blue jeans sitting on his knees. He was so wracked with grief he didn't even notice them. Cassidy assumed her interview mind-set and motioned for Devon to start the camera. She walked up to the man and began her spiel. "Cassidy Cornell, reporter for..GAAK!!"

With amazing speed, the man leaped to his feet and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her feet a foot off the ground. Devon took several steps backward in shock. This guy wasn't just big...he was huge! He had to be 6' 6", and built like a mountain. The blond-haired, blond-bearded man dwarfed the blond girl he was now clutching in one hand. His expression was thunderous. "I just watched my friends die, and you want an INTERVIEW!?! Zedd is even more cruel than I thought!"

Zedd...Devon recognized that name. To her credit, like any good reporter, Cassidy had done her homework, and as usual had dragged Devon along for the ride. Zedd had been one of the villians the original team of Rangers had fought, but that had been over a decade ago. And wasn't he good now?

Devon realized he had a more immediate problem. Cassidy was turning an ugly shade of purple. Dropping his camera, he raised his palms in a beseeching manner. "Hey, dude, chill...". Weak, he knew, but what was he suppossed to do to a guy who looked like he could turn Devon into hamburger just by looking at him?

To his surprise, it seemed to work. The giant's shoulders slumped, and he dropped Cassidy to the ground. "Go. Just go." He turned away.

Devon wasn't about to question him. He helped Cassidy to her feet, her still-rasping breath not stopping her from shooting the giant a very impressive glare. Shaking off Devon's hand, she started to stalk away.

Only to come to a screeching halt as a swirl of energy deposited Zeltrax, Elsa, and ten Tyrannodrones.

---

The Red Ranger's battle instincts screamed their warning, and he spun around even before the villians finished landing. He immediately recognized them for what they were.

Elsa pointed her sword at him. "Lord Mesogog wants a word with you!" She seemed to think that would be enough to intimidate him.

She didn't know him very well.

When he just stared back impassively, she motioned to the Tyrannodrones. "Sieze him! And get rid of those annoying teenagers."

The fog in his mind burned away in an instant. Never mind his grief; never mind the fact that he didn't have a clue what was going on. Innocent lives were being threatened.

And he was a Ranger.

There was only one thing to do.

"Run!" he shouted at the frozen teens, throwing himself at the eager Tyrannodrones.

---

"You're almost there," Haley's voice sounded in the Ranger's helmets.

"Look!" Connor (he was in the lead) pointed ahead. The Rangers slowed down as two familiar figures came running out of the woods. They stopped in surprise when they saw the morphed Rangers.

"You two all right?" Tommy asked as the Rangers dismounted.

They nodded, gasping for air. Devon managed to get out "Those crazy cyborgs and some Tyrannodrones are attacking someone back there!"

The Rangers stiffened. "Who?" Ethan demanded.

Cassidy shook her head. "I don't know, but he's scary!"

"No lie!" Devon agreed. "He's tearing those 'drones apart with his bare hands!"

The Rangers looked at each other in surprise. That wasn't the usual response of civilians when threatened with the villians' foot soldiers.

Tommy put authority in his voice. "You two keep going. It's not safe here." He was surprised again when Cassidy didn't argue. She must have been geniunely shaken. The two teens nodded and took off again, albeit at a slower rate.

The Rangers headed in the direction the two civilians had been running from.

---

They arrived in the clearing just in time to witness the giant -- there was really no other way to describe him -- tear off the head of the last intact Tyrannodrone. It fell decapitated to the ground, sparking. The blond man tossed the head away contemptously and faced Elsa and Zeltrax again.

The Rangers stopped at the edge of the clearing, shocked. "Dude..." Connor breathed.

"Remind me never to piss this guy off!" Ethan agreed quietly.

"We still have to help him," Kira pointed out. "He handled the 'drones, but those cyborgs are another story."

And indeed, the two villians, though they looked just as surprised as the Rangers (well, Elsa did; it was impossible to tell what Zeltrax's expression was), were closing the gap between them and the big man. "You may have handled them," Zeltrax raised his weapon threateningly, "but we're a lot better than they are!"

The giant chuckled grimly. "I've heard that before. But I must admit you do have a bigger mouth." Both cyborgs growled at him. "So allow me to dress for the occasion!" Golden fire erupted from his form.

When it faded, Goldar of Titan bared his fangs at his nemesis.

---

The Rangers had been about to enter the fray, but this sudden transformation stunned them into immobility.

"Hey, he looks familiar..." Trent started.

Ethan agreed. "Dr. O, wasn't he in your vid-"

"Shut up."

The teen Rangers blinked. Dr. O had never been that rude to them before.

Ethan tried again. "I was just saying..."

"Shut. Up."

The teens stared at Tommy in astonishment. He was standing rigid, his hands curled into fists as he stared fixedly at Goldar. The was a tone in his voice--something beyond his rude words--that they had never heard before. They didn't understand

this at all. But they knew one thing.

They didn't like it.