"Hold the thought... Okay-- it's coming clearer. Okay-- I got it! You're thinking I've lost it, right?" A man clad in a green ranger's uniform questioned Z who sat across from him.

"You're right," Z teased, as if it were a fact already, she gave him a small smirk and looked to the other guy in blue who squatted.

"I was thinking that too," Shaking his head and agreeing, he didn't have much room to speak after that when a woman in pink, who sat in a chair with a magazine, said Me three.

"Go ahead and mock me guys. Thoughts are energy. Energy travels-- thoughts are my weapon of the future," The guy in green wanted to impress and prove his theory, but no one seemed to want to believe him.

"Okay, Thought-Man, do Jack," The blue-uniformed Ranger nudged his head toward the red Ranger and watched Z move her attention to her brother, the moment Mr. Green placed fingers to his temple.

"It's not fair. If Cruger let me use the Shadow Saber, I'd beat him. He knows that too, that's why he won't let me use it," As if he were a recorder who played back thoughts to others, he acted as though he truly did know what he thought.

"Jack... Jack!" With a raised voice to get the said Ranger's attention and watching him turn around with a quick What, it was Z's turn to speak up.

"What were you just thinking about?" A minuscule tilt of her head showed her curiosity, but his answer, when he opened his mouth to speak, left her surprised more than anything.

"Oh-- Thinking it's not fair. I know if Cruger let me use his sword, I could beat him. He knows that too, that's why he won't let me use it," Clearly he seemed annoyed, the quick turn he made indicated that he continued his thoughts.

"The weapon of the future.~" Mr. Green tapped at his temples and smiled, to which Z pointed at him, a gesture to say 'Gotcha'.

However, an alarm blared as a voice over the com called everyone to attention. The nice little lounge room they all chilled in was soon emptied with hurried movement. Rangers! Report to the Command Center immediately! Urgency laced the words as if it were practiced millions of times.

Through the halls they ran, passing employees and other workers who were out to do their jobs. "Jack-- When do you think is a good time to ask? Earlier, when we reported back, I didn't have much time since he left to eat lunch," Through faint but heavy breaths, her eyes moved to meet her brother who glanced at her before they turned a corner.

"Maybe after we see why we're being called to the Command Center. Otherwise, you won't have any time because we'll be out there-- most likely to take down some alien," Closer and closer, they both neared the entrance to the Center and barged in unannounced.

Inside stood a tall blue dog with his arms against his back and a strong stance, a male dressed in a Commander's black uniform. Next to him, a woman stood, sporting a unique choice of clothes and cat ears that twitched upon their approach. However, neither of the two seemed to tear their gaze from a screen in front of them.

"There's been an abnormal temporal energy reading in Kyoto Japan! Someone has opened a time portal. My guess is Gruumm," The very name seemed to have held weight to it, for a faint growl escaped his throat, and a sharp glare at the futuristic screen was given.

Z could see a layout of Kyoto, the shape of the land, and a light to show the location of the event.

"I've got a visual," The feline before the Rangers, who held a tablet in her arm, worked her fingers and brought up a closer view of the situation. On the large screen was a Samurai of sorts, an alien, who acted and sounded confused by the whole thing.

Angry, away from the monitor he walked and growled. It was no secret to them that he despised the creature Gruumm and it wasn't a surprise to see that he had brought someone from the past to the present. "Gruumm has pulled a warrior from the past!" Turning around to face them, he saw how they all paid attention to his explanation and waited for him to continue. "I want you to go to Kyoto Japan. This warrior wears the garb of the Ancient Samurai, so don't underestimate his swordsmanship," With a quick gesture of his finger, he was planning to take his leave, but out of the Rangers came Jack who seemed rather determined.

"Sir-- there is no better time. Let me have the Shadow Saber," Arrogant, and serious, the man in red truly believed that the sword itself was stronger and not the wielder.

"It is not your weapon... You have all you need to defeat him-- go!" The tall commander tried to reassure and nudged his head toward the door, however, he couldn't help but notice the annoyance on Jack's face when he marched his way out of the room. Everyone else, save for Z, left and lifted a curious brow when he watched her face him once more. "What is it?" It was strange to see her not tag along with her brother, but he knew she would after whatever she had in mind was spoken.

"Commander. After this is over, if it's alright with you-- I'd like permission to investigate someone," Resolve glinted in her eyes when she watched the big dog cock his head and place a finger to his chin. His silence was an indication for her to explain and with a couple of steps closer, the look on her face proved that it was dire.

"I've had a few encounters with this woman... She's been running away from us. She acted scared and she asked us to stay away. This one time I saw her attempt suicide on an apartment building and when I ran up there she was gone. I can't stop thinking that she might be in sort of danger and can't go to anyone about it. She was also one of the homeless people Jack and I met when we gave out food and clothes, before we... Became something more," With the best of her ability, she pleaded Cruger and recalled how shaky she appeared the last time she spoke to her.

"It could be possible she's just afraid of people. Or perhaps she's afraid of the drama that people bring and doesn't want to get involved. There could be many cases regarding her behavior... However-- you mentioned she tried to suicide and found her missing when you tried to reach her. I'll have to admit, that is suspicious. No one simply disappears that quick, unless there was a stairwell she ran down," Cruger pondered her words carefully and hummed questionably, for he knew something was amiss. He knew none of the Rangers would bother coming to him about something like this unless they felt it was necessary.

"Please, Commander. I just have a gut feeling that something is wrong and she can't tell anyone about it," Again, Z remembered when Jack approached her with the bags of groceries in her hands and noticed how distant she tried to be. Her fists clenched at the thought, of knowing that she could be in some kind of danger, a citizen who couldn't ask for help, made her insist.

"What does she look like? Do you have any solid details?" Cruger made his way toward his station and picked up a holographic pad to jot down some information.

"It was hard to tell, really, but I know she had wavy dark brown hair and she was pale. She had the jacket I gave her during one of my give-outs with Jack, shorts on, and acted very timid. She wouldn't let me see her face and kept her head down a lot, but I could've sworn I saw purple eyes for a minute... Maybe it was a trick of the sun though," She watched her Leader nod as each detail she gave was put onto the holographic touchpad.

"Commander, I think I remember someone like that being mentioned some time ago. I decided to look into it and found one of the articles that was posted roughly five to six years ago. The person who posted the articles talked about mass murder and said they saw a hooded woman flee from the scene. Maybe the woman she saw, was the same one from that time," Kat spoke up, walked over to him, and showed him the article she pulled up from a website she found.

"What? Yes, that was some time ago and none of my past Rangers could find her... She was a witness and we weren't able to question her about the scene," From viewing his assistant's discovery to turning back to Z, a nod was given to her. "I permit you to investigate. If this woman is the same as the one who fled those years ago, then we have to question her. Z, this will be your side mission. Do this during your free time and if you figure anything out, report back to me. Now go," To say he was elated about the case several years ago being brought back, would be an understatement. To finally find a clue to that incident and figure out the cause of it or the culprit, a sense of justice filled his mind. Happy to continue the investigation and solve the mystery. To give justice to whoever brutally and gruesomely slaughtered hundreds of innocent people.

"Yes, sir!" Her knitted brows proved how serious she felt about it and appeared rather relieved to be given permission. With a fist to her chest, the salute she gave, her feet moved closer together before they turned to sprint out of the room.

~~~~

Through the sky, across the ocean, thoughts swirled Feige's mind. Flashes of the bloodied corpses and severed limbs brought back nasty memories she didn't want to resurface. Then there was Grim, who dragged her out of the alley and escorted her back home in blissful silence.

She wasn't in the mood to talk, let alone to herself. She couldn't stop thinking about Grim and how unphased he was by the whole thing. Others would run away, and most likely call her a monster, or a woman who's haunted by a possessive spirit. Hatred over herself filled her heart, how much she just wanted to get away from it all, from people, from everything, and be by herself where no one would have to get hurt.

Finding a new home would be difficult but she knew, if she had to pick a location to start looking it would be somewhere around Japan. In their serene forests, the outskirts of the cities, or even in the mountains. It was after some time when Grim left her at home. She had spent about an hour wallowing in bed thinking about the alley and chose to take off early to Japan.

She was thankful that her flight was faster than most hovering vehicles, but it did drain her rather quickly. Finally, after flying for an hour or more, to which she practically lost count on her way there, ahead of her sat Japan. A faint but relieved smile graced her lips when she realized how much further she had to go, until, she could start her search for a more peaceful home.

She wasted no time and pushed herself to pick up her speed, enough that the sound barrier broke with a large wave from the ocean in her wake. Closer and closer she saw the land come. Seconds turned into minutes before she found herself high above a forest outside of a city. Beautifully lush and green, tall trees she could easily sleep in at night or use to hide from hungry predators.

However, below her were paths that vehicles could take. As her purple eyes followed along its length, there ahead she saw Kyoto Japan, and its tall structures. "I'll have to stay away from the roads," quietly she whispered with her gaze focusing on the path again. The ground drew closer when her form lowered, the light thud of her shoes, when she landed, reached her ears and watched some birds fly above her head.

Her hand lifted, it was evident that she was still shaken by the event hours ago and struggled to keep her hand steady. Not even flexing and clenching it a few times would help. Nonetheless, she pushed them into her jacket pockets and kept her head low.

Pebbles crunched beneath her feet then grass brushed across her tattered shoes, into the thicker part of the forest. However, the faint rustle of leaves and grass ahead of her caused her head to lift and see an alien with a blade. Quickly she hid behind a tree and peeked around its side, caution riddled her body as if she were tailed by a predator.

From side to side, she watched him examine the forest and mumble questions she couldn't quite hear. The moment she saw him look in her direction, it was upon instinct to move her head away and completely hide her form.

Breathe, Feige, breathe! Her hands clasped together tightly and shook from the fear. Shaky breaths, her heart rammed against her chest, and a pulse could be felt in her neck the moment she hunkered down against the base of the tree. Devastated, the soft crunch of the leaves behind her became louder and made her curl up. The large hood was pulled over her head when her knees pressed against her forehead, frightened by the one who approached her and scared that she could accidentally kill someone else.

However, when her eyes peeked past the edge of her hood, there in front of her feet stood another pair. Frozen, she was, for fear had clouded her mind and made her body tremble. Very slowly she took in the appearance of who was before her and took notice of Samurai details.

With a sword on their hip, a garb that she didn't know was from ancient times, and red spots on their otherwise blueish-pale body. Quickly, to her feet, Feige weaved around the tree halfway and began to back up. Don't come close! Whoever you are, please don't come any closer! Frantic thoughts echoed, she prayed deep down that her body language could be read by him.

"Judging by your stance, you're afraid. You don't seem to have a weapon on you. Are you trying to hide from danger?" Stock-still, he kept his gaze on her, however, it was difficult to see her face from under the hood.

To her ears, his voice was stern and clear, genuinely concerned but it wasn't enough to calm her down. "P- Please... Just stay away," As fast as her feet could run, the cracks from sticks and small pieces of deadwood resonated through the air.

"You have no reason to be afraid! I am Katana, the protector of Kyoto!" Strong and honest words, he tried to stop her when his hand reached for her arm but missed entirely.

Her lungs were on fire as her legs carried her through the grass and past trees. She could hear them, agile footfalls behind her becoming louder, that alone made her push herself and fly high. On a branch, hidden in the shadows, below her, the Samurai ran past and still gave chase to wherever he thought she went.

Now that they were closer to the dirt road she watched him walk around and examine his environment. "Miss!" She heard him call out and mumble something she couldn't hear, only pieces of his sentence such as 'Kyoto' and 'not the same'.

His mumbles came to a halt when he unsheathed his blade, lifted it with the end of it in his other hand, and caused a couple of vehicles to stop. "You! In your armored dragons! If you try to come closer to Kyoto you will face my wrath!" The people were frightened, they all ran out of their cars when he skillfully handled his sword and brought it down. Bolts of electricity zipped across the ground where his weapon pointed, which nearly singed the vehicles and pushed the citizens back. "Good-- Kyoto is safe," Relieved, he'd smile if he had a human mouth.

"Hey!" From the side came a voice that caught the Samurai's attention.

The earthy-haired woman in the tree looked where the forest showed a clearing and saw the same people whom she tried to avoid before. What?! Why are they here?! They're everywhere! I can't get away, I swear! She wanted to groan so badly but knew if she did, it could give away her location.

"Your stance indicates aggression! Are you warriors of some invading tribe? Trying to take over Kyoto?!" Angry, he was, no amount of words would be enough to reason with him.

"We're S.P.D.!" Announced the Red Ranger, next to him was the man in blue who continued after him.

"Do yourself a favor and come quietly," Demanded the blue boy, as guns were pointed at the Samurai.

Up in the trees, there Feige watched the whole display. The fighting, the lightning, and their skills paled in comparison to the Samurai. However, there was a moment when she saw the alien return the red Ranger's weapon and continued. Honorable? In the past, in school, I learned that Samurai were honorable people. I guess this info helps in this kind of situation, thanks to accidentally overhearing students gush about Samurai in anime. As she watched the fight, her thoughts echoed but quickly had to move her head when things got a bit dicey.

Especially since the yellow ranger, who began to stand up, looked in her direction and barely saw her hair before she returned to the fight. That was close! Clinging to the base of the tree among the leaves, her fingers hysterically dug deep into the bark for dear life.

One particular thing occurred, though. A pair of red eyes in the trees below had glinted. Next, a silver ball of sorts was tossed into the clear where the rangers fought and brought down countless drones or robots. "Eee!" The surprise was enough to make her fall from the branch and land on top of a stray robot. Metallic sounds filled her ears, for the mechanical body beneath her thrashed and pushed her off with a harsh shove. On her back, she quickly sat up and began to scoot away.

Panic made her form shake. Watching its arms move with threatening gestures and seeing it pull a foot up to kick her, made her shield herself. An accident, unintentional, countless piercings rang through her ears as though something had run twenty blades into its frame.

Very slowly, she peeked and saw hundreds of sharp rocks, pointed branches that were snapped off with her power, and a giant boulder above its head. It's... It's a robot! I can destroy it, right?! It's not a living thing! Disperate she was. Watching the robot twitch from all of the spear-shaped branches through its chest and the hundreds of sharp rocks embedded into its limbs. I can't let those rangers realize I'm here! She rushed to a stand and flung her hand down to let the boulder she accidentally lifted, fall.

It was swift, all in one go, the robot was smashed into pieces and flattened down into mere fragments of its former self. Parts flew and the metallic sound ceased, but the fight out in the open looked as though it started to calm down. Around the base of the tree and with a light touch to its bark, a careful peek was given to the rangers who finished off what remained of the robots. From her distance it was hard to hear what they were talking about, it was a bit relieving to know they didn't notice her.

However, in her peripherals, a flash of the same red eyes moments ago caught her attention. Whipping her head to the side, she could've sworn there was someone there staring at her. Was there someone there?! That alien-- he had red eyes, he was the one who tossed that ball out there. Is he still there? Whatever... I don't care! Her trembling hands and breaths were proof of her adrenaline kicking her butt. One last glance at the robot cost her what time she could have used to fly away, for a voice rang through the air and made her halt. She wasted no time now, regardless of the call, her feet trudged through the grass and sprinted as fast as they could.

"Wait!" It was Z. She ran just as fast and did the others. Through trees and over bushes they leaped to keep up with the hooded woman. "Stop! We won't hurt you!" Desperate now, duplicates of herself appeared, moved about, and surrounded the woman before she could lose her.

"Stay away from me, stay away!" Feige had enough of the chase. Her body shook and tears began to fall when the thought of more slaughter came to mind. Images of blood and severed limbs on the ground kept her trauma in place. Crouched close to the dirt, her arms wrapped around her chest and her head remained low to avoid eye contact. She wasn't aware that the green ranger stepped forward, pulled out his glove, and placed his fingers on his temples.

Stay away! Stay away! No more blood, please! No more! No more! I can't take this! No more deaths! I-- I have to fly! I have no choice! I have to leave! Fearful eyes let tears trickle down her cheeks as her fingers tugged harshly onto the edge of her hood. They could all hear her unsteady breathing and whimpers. Cracking and bending of trees around her, birds flew out of their nests to get away from the possible danger.

"G- Guys... We need to take this slow," The green ranger, who was stumped by the words he heard from the telepathy, had suggested. He knew she watched him from beneath the edge of her hood and his slow movements towards Z. Into the yellow ranger's ear he whispered and informed her of Feige's thoughts.

The mysterious woman watched Z nod to her comrade and gulp. She saw the yellow ranger's hand reach for her and tried to scoot away until her back hit the duplicate's feet. She couldn't escape unless she flew, one more move, and she was done.

It was like she was trying to approach a frightened kitten, however, when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder it was hard not to flinch and curl more into herself.

"Z, be careful... "The green ranger warned and stepped back to whisper to the others about what he heard.

Unexpectedly, into the yellow ranger's arms, a warm hug was given to her. "It's okay! It's okay, you're fine!" Z did her best to calm her down with a few pats on her back. "You're fine," Softer this time, her duplicates disappeared and her eyes closed.

"N- No, you don't understand... You don't understand! Leave me alone! Please!" Her words were muffled, tears stained the uniform, as she tried to push her away and deny any kind of comfort.

"Miss?" It was the Green Ranger. A foot away from Z's backside, he crouched and gave her a concerned stare. "Deep breaths will help you calm down. Want to try it with me?" Again, he did it, two fingers to his temple to make sure he could catch her thoughts. However, what he caught, wasn't something he was expecting.

Images quickly flashed through her mind of what she thought could happen at any minute. Purple eyes shone brightly when she saw the Green Ranger's severed head lying on the ground and blood pooling around his corpse. "Go away!" Through a harsh scream, a wave of telekinetic energy pushed everyone several feet away and onto their backs.

Her quick burst of speed when she took to the sky, left the rangers dumbfounded and at a loss of breath. To have the wind knocked out of them and for it to be so sudden, had them in a temporary state of shock.

~~~

"What... Was that?" The Pink Ranger questioned and struggled to catch her breath when she sat up.

The others wondered the same, for their expressions seemed identical to the pink ranger's and all looked at each other in hopes of an answer. "You heard what Bridge whispered to us, right? She was afraid... Why would she say no more blood? Wait... Bridge! I saw the look on your face before she screamed! Did you hear anything else?" Jack stood and brushed dirt off of his pants then helped Z to her feet.

Everyone looked down at the green ranger now, curious as to why he didn't answer. It looked as though he was in the most shock, for astonishment and fear riddled his face. Pale and speechless, both hands on either side of his head, he hadn't moved an inch after he was blown away.

"Bridge!" Z reached down to his face and snapped her fingers, which caused the man to blink multiple times.

"S- Sorry! I was... Lost in thought. I saw something... Something in her eyes. They glowed violet or... purple and when I was trying to read her mind I saw myself," In a sitting position, crossing his legs, the very image he saw was tainting his mind. Still flabbergasted, bewildered eyes proved how he felt when he started to stare into the space before him.

"What do you mean by, I saw myself?" The blue ranger stepped closer with a lifted brow and a tilt of his head.

"I... Think I saw my own severed head and blood around my corpse. It was weird, but... I think that's what she saw and that's why she screamed. How was I able to see that? That's never happened to me before," With Bridge still on the ground, looking up at them, he saw them exchange glances as if a new potential threat had shown up.

"We need to report to the Commander about this. Now, let's go-- we have a Samurai to catch!" Jack didn't want to admit how uneasy that made him feel, he did his best to hide it on his face and trudged past them.

Z, however, wasted no time and pulled her communication device close to her lips. "Commander, sir! I'm reporting about the mission you gave me," From there, she continued and ran along with the others in search of the alien Samurai.