From the Ashes, Reborn
Part Three
By: Don Berry

Spectra felt the first stirrings in the weave of magic. Someone had started a spell of world-shattering proportions. She extended her consciousness to investigate.

When she found the beginnings of the spell, she realized Phaedra's plan. She had to contact Spectrum Force and their new allies before all was lost.

Rachel Summers looked over the new members of Excalibur. Rocky DeSantos seemed like a nice kid. She had met Rahne Sinclair when she was with the New Mutants. Trini Kwan was one of the most centered people she had ever met. Even if she was worried about her boyfriend. Amanda Sefton she had met before.

It was Piotr Rasputin and Pete Wisdom that surprised her. The last time she had seen Piotr Rasputin he was going back to Avalon as a follower of Magneto. He seemed to be very much changed. It was Pete Wisdom that got her attention, though. At first glance he looked like the type of seedy private detective that Dashiel Hammet wrote about. And he seemed the same at second and third glance.

"Kitty, has Logan met this guy yet?" Rachel Summers asked.

"Yes... they had a nice long talk. Rachel, how have you been? We haven't seen you for a long time." Kitty said.

"Well I went forward in time, set up the Askani, a group that will eventually help Cable. Then I was brought here. I met Rachel and the others. The Denebians detected the Phoenix force and captured me and another. While the members of Spectrum Force worked to free me, the Denebians started to drain me of the Phoenix force. Chris and I were eventually rescued and then I left to get help. While there, I met this guy named Zordon..."

"You saw Zordon ?" Trini interrupted.

"Yeah, do you know him?"

"Yes, I do. I first met him when I was chosen to be a Power Ranger." Trini said.

Rachel Castaneda and the other members of Spectrum Force all stiffened when they felt the telepathic summons of their mentor, Spectra.

"Spectra would like us to come to the Cloud Castle. She has important news." The Purple Enforcer told them.

After they had worked out how they were to transport everyone to the Cloud Castle, they found themselves before Spectra.

"I have grave news. Phaedra is using the Phoenix Force to power a spell designed to penetrate the shield surrounding the Cloud Castle. It will then enable her to kill me and destroy the Castle." Spectra said.

"How long will the spell take?" Amanda Sefton asked.

"Three to four days. It is a slow spell but no less deadly because of it. Normally a spell of this nature would require the willing sacrifice of over fifty thousand willing souls and more than a month of casting time, but the Phoenix Force is so powerful that Phaedra was able to find another way. You must go to her flagship which is in orbit and destroy it and the containers which hold the Phoenix Force."

"Do you know where the ship is?" Kitty asked."Yes. But Spectrum Force must recharge first. I can tell that their energy reserves are almost depleted. You must wait until you are all at peak streak before attempting this. Rest now. I will have quarters set aside for all of you. It would be best if you stayed here. Phaedra would only send her forces to assail you while you tried to rest. I will lead you to your sleeping quarters."

Spectra then led them to their rooms.

Phaedra summoned Stone and Wind to her. After they had arrived and Celea had appeared she spoke to them. "I want you to draw out Spectrum Force and their allies. You have determined the capabilities of those bodies by this time and now you will use them. While the three of you and a significant force of Shadows have engaged them in combat, I will send several small units of Shadows to disrupt Langstrum Alps. It is time, that the Earth learn the true price of war with the Denebians. Move."

As her warriors left the room, Phaedra stopped Stone. "Make sure nothing happens to Celea. You have three hours until the sun will rise in Langstrum Alps. It is imperative that they be defeated before they can recharge. Go and do not fail."

Stone looked at his Queen. "My Queen, I never fail. In the end, I always win. It may take years but I have never known defeat. Never ."

"Which is why I sent for you and your brother. Now go, assassin. Go and do what I made you to do. Kill my enemies."

Stone inclined his head and then left.

Phaedra watched him go. Stone and Wind had served her a very long time as her assassins. They and the other members of her personal corps of killers, Flame and Flood, were the ultimate instruments of her will. She had word sent to Flame and Flood to arrive at her base. Phaedra had the feeling she would need them. And need them soon.

Phaedra looked down upon the Earth. She still found it hard to believe that such a small, insignificant planet could cause so much trouble. Then again , she thought. It does alleviate the boredom. I wonder what Acheron was doing when he checked the containers that hold the Phoenix Force...

Angel Grove, California

Zordon appeared in the tube that allowed him to converse with his chosen defenders. "Alpha, please contact the Rangers. This is of the direst importance."

"Right away, Zordon." Alpha 5 said.

A few minutes later all the Rangers appeared in the Command Center.

Tommy looked over at Zordon. "What do you need, man?" Tommy sleepily asked.

"The Spectrum Force is in great danger. You must all go to Langstrum Alps and help them defend against Phaedra and her Denebian hordes." Zordon said.

"Excuse me, Zordon. But who is the Spectrum Force and all the others you mentioned?" A voice with an Australian accent asked.

"Katherine, they are friends of the Power Rangers. I know that you have only been Kim's replacement for several days so I will have Billy and the others tell you what they can. For now, all of you must prepare for the journey. Alpha, prepare the dimensional interface."

As Alpha started to work on his console, Billy took Kat aside and started informing her of when the Power Rangers had first met Spectrum Force and about Alexis, the Purple Ranger. As Billy was finishing, Alpha informed them he was done.

"Excellent work, Alpha. Rangers, be careful. Your Ninja and Morphin abilities will work in the other dimension, but you will not be able to call upon your zords. Now go. And may the Power protect you." Zordon said.

The Rangers morphed into their Power Ranger uniforms first and then went through. Tommy went first, followed by Kat, Aisha, Adam, Rocky and Billy. Alpha closed the portal behind them.

"Zordon, what will you do if Rita attacks while they are gone?" Alpha asked.

"Contact Ninjor and tell him of the situation. Continue scanning for monsters and keep Ninjor informed of any attacks. I am needed elsewhere." Zordon told Alpha before leaving his tube.

Alpha looked around the Command Center. The full import of his situation hit him. He was the first line of Earth's defense. "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi...."

Langstrum Alps, California

Ted Pickett had been a cop for a long time. He liked working in Langstrum Alps. The property values were low enough that he was able to afford a house for his family. The college kids didn't try and destroy the town ever Saturday night. And the town was rather quiet most of the time. Until those aliens from beyond attacked, of course. But they normally just bothered Spectrum Force.

He liked the night shifts. After the bars closed, the town pretty much shut down for the night. So when he saw the shadowy figures moving around the water reservoir he knew this wasn't good. For one thing, they weren't wearing the uniforms of a worker from the LA Water & Light. For another, they wore all black.

So he parked his car. "This is 15-34, I got suspicious activity at the reservoir. Requesting backup."

Ted looked at the radio. For some reason it wasn't working. He pulled his 12 gauge out of it's holder and chambered the first shell. Then he put another shell in the magazine and put 10 shells from the box into his pockets. Instincts that he hadn't felt in years kept screaming at him to leave. He didn't listen.

.

Taking his flashlight out, he clicked it on and then started walking towards the reservoir. He had to check this out. His wife and kids got their water from there and if terrorists had put something in it, then it'd be up to him to do something about it.Ted held the flashlight tight against the slide of the shotgun. Moving quietly, he came to the fence that enclosed the reservoir. The gate was busted open. Quickly moving through the gate he heard some mutterings in a language he had never heard before.

{When can we kill the human? His stupid light is annoying me!}

{Wait for him to get closer. His boomstick can't kill us but it does hurt. Besides, this is fun. Just be glad you aren't with the 15th and the 26th. They have to fight Spectrum Force and those weirdo humans with powers. That steel guy hits hard. And that one with the light that comes from his fingers, he killed Fritz! The stinking humans killed Fritz! Death to the humans!! Death to the humans!!! }

{Relax, Max. I'm right here.}

{Fritz! You're alive!}

{Can we get back to business here? The human is almost upon us.}

Ted took to more steps forward. He saw several containers of some sort by the waters edge. He knelt down and moved one of the containers towards him. He sniffed the liquid oozing from it but could detect nothing. He then stood and turned around.

In front of him were four figures that looked to be made of shadows. He covered them with the shotgun. "All right, get your hands up."

The shadows all looked at each other. Fritz looked to Max. {Lunch.}

Several miles away, a paperboy heard what sounded like thunder boom out three times. Then there was nothing else.

Spectra detected the arrival of a Denebian strike group in Langstrum Alps. Although she was loath to do so, she knew she had to send Spectrum Force and Excalibur to fight them. So she went to get them.

Spectrum Force and Excalibur appeared in the market district of Langstrum Alps. They looked around but saw nothing.

"Do we split up or stick together?" Rocky asked.

Rachel, Rachel and Kitty conferred for a moment. "Rachel Castaneda will lead Piotr, Jocelyn, Rocky and Rahne. Rachel Summers will lead Amanda, Matthew, Douglock and Keith. I'll lead Pete, Tamara and Craig. Be careful. Let's go." Kitty told them.

They broke up into their teams and then set out.

It soon became obvious to all of them that they were being led into an ambush of some type. What it was precisely, they would have to find out. It wasn't a question of if they were to be attacked but when.

Apparently when was now.

The Purple Enforcer's team had Rahne on point followed by the others. They had gone about seventy yards out of sight of the others when they were attacked on all sides by Shadows. Colossus was the only one not knocked off his feet. Grabbing the two that were on his legs, he hoisted them up, cracked their heads together and then threw them in opposite directions.

Rocky rolled with the one that had tackled him and using his martial arts training, sent his opponent flying away from him. Rahne shifted her weight when tackled so that she was on top when they finally finished rolling. She then drove her claws through the throat of the Shadow beneath her.

Jocelyn was having a more difficult time. She had been attacked by two of the Shadows and they were keeping her to busy protecting herself for her to summon her ice-bow or fire off a light blast. Rachel Castaneda had gone down under four of the attackers. Before the pile had even finished moving she had surged up and broken free. Using her kickboxing skills she managed to drive them off long enough to check the situation she was in. She then ran over to help Jocelyn.

She got four yards before she was faced with Nightcrawler. He had a sword in each hand and had one clenched by his tail. He made several slashes in her direction, then stopped. Bowing slightly before her, he went into a guard position. The Purple Enforcer summoned her lightning saber. She then sent an arc of electricity towards her opponent.

With an almost negligent movement he used his swords to intercept the lightning. "I was prepared for you, my dear. These blades were treated to absorb your lightning. Enough tricks. Shall we dance?"

"I didn't come here to dance." Rachel told him. She noticed that he wasn't talking with his German accent.

"Then you can die. It matters little to me. For the glory of Queen Phaedra." Then Nightcrawler attacked.

The Phoenix stopped her team. "Rachel's team is under attack. We need to get to them."

"Before you worry about her, you might want to worry about us. We're surrounded." Keith told her.

Phoenix felt more than saw the wave of Shadows that overran her team...

Kitty Pryde was a Ninja. Trained by the last authentic Ninja Master of Japan. A real psychotic power-monger with a hankering for immortality named Ogun. Kitty had skill beyond her years for the simple reason that Ogun had transferred much of his knowledge to her in a mystical training exercise. She had received a lifetime's worth of training in one night.

So when she saw the ambush that the Shadows had set up for her team, she knew she wasn't facing an amateur. But she wasn't worried. After all, her skill and mutant ability had gotten her out of worse situations than this.

Which was why she was surprised when the Shadows attacked and they went intangible that they were able to tackle her. But her training was thorough enough that she was able to escape the grasp of the Shadows and she then started to fight back against them. She saw Pete Wisdom using his "hot-knives" to keep the Shadows back. Kitty noticed that the knives seemed to hurt them more than anything else she had seen used.

Tamara and Craig had their backs to a wall and were fighting side by side. None of the Shadows had managed to move them from their position. But both could feel the attacks of the Shadows growing in strength as their stones lost power.

The two of them didn't know how much longer they or the other members of Spectrum Force could last.

Rachel Castaneda was losing her duel with whatever had become Nightcrawler. She knew it, it knew it. It's speed, strength, greater skill, three weapons to her one and it's ability to teleport were all deciding factors that she could not win against. She knew that if this kept up, she and the others would be killed or captured. And she could not let that happen.

"Rachel, have all the other teams regroup where we first came in. There are to many of them for us to fight in small teams." Rachel Castaneda sent to the Phoenix.

"I understand. I'm telling them now. My team is already on it's way." Phoenix sent back.

The Purple Enforcer was being forced back by Nightcrawler when she tripped over a bench. Before Nightcrawler could run her through, he was hit by a thrown Shadow, which knocked him down. Rising quickly to her feet, she ran to where the other members of her team were.

Colossus was carrying Jocelyn, while Rocky and Rahne were holding each other up. Rachel looked at Piotr. "Thanks. Let's go."

They then started to fall back.

No matter how many of the Shadows Phoenix blasted away from her, there were always more coming. The sheer number of opponents was enough to help them get past her shields. Then there was the archer working with the Shadows. Whoever it was kept shooting arrows at the others. This diverted Phoenix's attention, which enabled the Shadows to get closer to her.

Amanda Sefton finished the spell she was preparing. With a flash of light, the Phoenix's team was gone.

Celea ran forward from the crowd of Shadows. She checked the spot that her prey had been. Finding nothing, she sent them out to look.

She hadn't had this much fun in a long time.

Kitty Pryde had always sparred with Billy Cranston at slightly less than her full capacity. She knew he did the same thing. Neither of them cared who was better. Besides, a contest of that sort would only interfere with their friendship.

So when Kitty found herself facing what used to be Billy, she knew she was in trouble. She couldn't phase away from his attacks nor could she rely on just her skill to defeat him. All in all, she had had better nights.

When she received the recall order, she was down to one option to buy enough time to escape. I hope Trini forgives me for doing this , Kitty thought.

She waited until "Billy" got close and then she brought her knee up into his groin. After he dropped, she got her team together and they fled the area.

All the members of Spectrum Force and Excalibur were gathered together. They were clustered around an alcove of an office building. There, they had put Jocelyn and Tamara. Both of whom were unconscious.

Rocky had expended almost all of his magical energy in unleashing explosions of light. They had managed to drive the Shadows and their leaders off, but they would come always come back. Now he was fighting with a five foot long metal pipe he had found.

Rahne, trying to prevent her bestial nature from controlling her, was keeping an eye on Rocky. Her claws were hurting the shadows but not enough to keep them away.

Douglock was in a quandary. These Shadows did not follow any laws of science and nature that he knew of. He could keep them away but there were always more of them. He computed a less than 15% chance of survival for this battle for his teammates. He knew better than to tell any of them that though.

Keith was enjoying himself, just a little. This was a great fight. Of course, he also knew that he could die at any time, but rationally, he never expected to reach old age anyway.

Matthew was worried about Jocelyn. She hadn't looked well. Luckily the Russian had managed to bring her in. He was scared. He just hoped no one noticed.

Craig was not enjoying this fight. His friends were hurt, people who shouldn't be here were helping defend his planet, and he had a headache.

Pete Wisdom was enjoying this fight even less than Craig. He never liked to use his mutant ability. He had never liked to fight, unless it was a friendly bar-brawl. He would rather be in a pub, drinking and smoking while contemplating an enjoyable evening with Kitty. The worst part about this fight was that one of the bleedin' Shadows had smushed his cigarettes. That one he had given the full treatment of "hot- knives".

Kitty was trying to keep her new friends alive. She was also trying to figure out what had happened to Kurt and Billy. Kitty knew that only chance for survival lay in Spectrum Force lasting long enough for the sun to come up so they could recharge. How much time that was, she wasn't sure.

Rachel Summers was worried that she may have summoned her friends to help her, only to get them killed. She knew that she hadn't fully recovered from the draining she had experienced. She had been in desperate situations before. But few were like this.

Rachel Castaneda knew that there wasn't enough energy left to teleport her team or the others out. The power in her stone was almost gone and the attacks of the Shadows were starting to get through. She wondered how Chris was doing.

Piotr Rasputin had resigned himself to what he knew would eventually come. He had died before in Dallas. He was just glad that he would end his life doing something heroic. He looked forward to seeing Illyana again.

The three leaders of the Shadows looked at each other. They had reached the critical point and knew that if their opponents were not defeated now, they would lose their best opportunity. So they prepared to enter the battle.

It was Stone who first noticed the portal opening. Out of it flew six figures in uniforms of a similar type but that were colored differently. The six quickly rose to their feet.

Billy was the first to realize that they had appeared in the middle of an army of Shadows. He looked to Tommy. Tommy just looked at all the Shadows before him.

"Switch to Ninja Power!" He commanded.

That was when he heard a slightly familiar voice yell out, "Kill the Rangers!"