Kendrix opened her eyes. How could it be? He was trapped in hell! Could he have somehow found his way - after all these years - back to Earth Realm? Kendrix shuddered in fear. They already had one evil Ranger on their hands - Carter. They certainly didn't need another, especially considering the fact that this Ranger's power rivaled that of Matt's. How was it that she had never remembered him until now?

"I see you have many questions." Lillith smiled. "Let me answer them."

Darting forward, dark energy sizzled around Lillith's lance as she caught Kendrix off guard and completely overwhelmed her with a strike. The attack was too much to bear, and her armor gave up, dewarping around her as she fell unmorphed to the ground. Coughing, she was picked up by Lillith, who looked her in the eyes. "Are you ready to finally be made into one of us? Join the side that would never let you down. Return to Sekaz, for my lover misses you, dearest friend."

Lillith didn't notice that in the distance a shadowed warrior was slowly making its way through the Succubae Childers, plasma energy sizzling around the warrior's fists as it slammed its way through the ocean of ferocious vampires, slowly and without mercy making its way towards the succubus and her minion.

"You won't kill a Ranger today, demon!" the warrior muttered, activating an energy blade and leaping forward into the fray. The armored warrior rushed forward, easily slashing its way through several vampires as its sensors locked in on the succubus holding Kendrix within an arm lock.

"I'm going to turn you into one of us," Lillith whispered into Kendrix's ear. "I'm going to bite you, and then lock you away in the dungeon of Skull Cavern. When the thirst for human blood is finally too much for you to bear or fight, and you're consumed with its unquenchable rage, I'm going to bring you a human; an innocent for you to feed upon and kill. How do you think you'll like that, Kendrix?"

Bending Kendrix's neck to the left, Lillith prepared to sink her fangs into Kendrix and transform her into a succubus.


The Hunter Cometh

Joel and Kelsey fought against Vypra and the Succubae Childers that accompanied her with all their might. With their V-Lancers and super charged battle armor, they effortlessly tag-teamed the succubae Vypra sent against them, stabbing and slashing away at the frenzied animalistic vampires until only a cloud of sift and ash hung in the sky.

Vypra rushed forward and slammed into Joel, knocking him to the ground. Joel swung his V-Lancer across the pavement, but Vypra easily leapt over the swift strike as she hit the ground. She wasn't so lucky escaping Kelsey's attack as the young woman struck the demoness from the back, knocking her to the ground. Joel leapt into the air, firing off several rapid blasts of sizzling energy from his blaster. The energy struck Vypra, causing the Saiman to scream in pain as her flesh burned. Slowly standing, Vypra smirked as the human flesh slowly healed itself.

"You seem a little more violent today Rangers!" She chuckled. "Is there a problem?"

"Pay with retribution!" Kelsey finished.

The Green and Yellow Lightspeed Rangers didn't say anything as they crossed their Lancers, sending forth energy that sizzled throughout their weapons. Swinging them in unison, they cut a powerful X across Vypra, the demoness screeching as she attempted to block the energy wave that assaulted her defenses. She managed to deflect the excess of the strike, the energy exploding outwards and killing some of the Succubae Childers moving about their battle.

Blood dripped from Vypra's lip, and she angrily wiped it away. "Damn it," she muttered. "Improvements to their armor and new weapons."

"You're looking at the new and improved Lightspeed Rangers," Joel stated. "That means your little reign o' terror on Earth is over!"

"I highly doubt that." Vypra spat back. Pointing her sword forward, several Succubae Childers answered her call and came rushing forward. The two Lightspeed Rangers continued their fight against the ferocious vampires, as Vypra knelt to the ground and tried to recover her wounds. She stared in horror as Joel and Kelsey dispatched the vampires, stalking forward with determination radiating from their auras.

"Another day, I've had enough of this!" Vypra hissed, black lightning surrounding her as she teleported away.

"Shit, she got away!" Joel angrily growled as he cut the last of the Succubae Childer in half.

"We've got more important things on our hands! Look!" Kelsey suddenly screamed, pointing across the battlefield. Despite the dense light of the sun, now eerily blocked out by Lillith's dark magic, they saw one figure struggling to hold another within her arms. Activating his night vision, Joel gasped as he realized Lillith was holding an unmorphed Kendrix within her arms, and the succubus had her deadly fangs extended as she prepared to bite down into the unprotected neck of Kendrix.

"Oh my god..." Joel muttered. Immediately he and Kelsey rose forward, and into the sea of Succubae Childers that separated them from their team leader.

Ryan and Chad each raised their lancers, stabbing through the frenzied succubae with their own form of ferociousness. Diabolico stood calmly between them and the sea of Succubae Childer waiting for the two Rangers, his huge golden sword within his hands. Last time he had fought against the Blue Lightspeed Ranger, Chad a nearly died as a result of trying to kill him. Would he die this time?

And then there was the Red Lightspeed Ranger to consider, a powerful force to reckon with in his own right. Diabolico watched as the Red Ranger battled and sliced his way through the ferocious Childers, and grimaced as seven succubae ganged up on the Ranger at once, completely enveloping him. Yet there was an explosive fissure of energy, and the vampires were flung backwards, exploding into ash as the Red Ranger leapt upwards from the vampires, fire swirling about him.

"You're next!" Ryan shouted at Diabolico. Aiming his V-Lancer forward, he sent a fiery blast of energy pulsing at the demon lord. Diabolico laughed, effortlessly spinning out of the way as he levitated himself over the battle. Extending his hand, he effortlessly shot several blasts of energy down at the two Rangers, knocking them from their feet as Succubae Childers swarmed over the two, nearly overpowering them. But Chad and Ryan persisted, and working together, the two began to tag-team each individual Succubae Childer, one at a time as they tore their way through the vampires with equal ferociousness.

"Time for action," Diabolico muttered. Swooping down to the battle below, he caught the Blue Ranger off guard, slashing him across the back and sending Chad stumbling forward. The Red Ranger spun across the crumbling body of succubae, stabbing forward with his V-Lancer. Diabolico leapt backwards, but Ryan dashed forward, quickly stabbing with his Shield Saber, arcing his slice upwards and causing sparks to explode as he actually managed to harm the demon.

"Enjoy your lucky strike; it won't happen a second time," Diabolico growled. The golden demon darted forward faster than the Rangers expected, slashing away at the two Rangers. He disappeared and reappeared, repeatedly slicing at them with his sword. It was almost more then the Rangers could handle, before Diabolico appeared in front of them laughing heartily. The Rangers fell forward, holding onto their V-Lancers.

"How do you expect to defeat the Empire, when you can't even destroy one of many demons within its kingdom?" Diabolico inquired.

"We will destroy you!" Ryan coughed. "I won't let this world fall to you!"

Jumping forward, flames exploded around his V-Lancer, and with a scream Ryan brought the Lancer slicing down upon him, cutting a huge gash in Diabolico's chest and causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Ryan stood above the demon as his visor retracted. "Talk about spoke too soon, huh?" He narrowed his eyes as he brought up his Lancer. "You're gonn'a pay for what you've done to Carter!"

"You'll never get the chance impudent human. I'm not destined to die by your hands!" Diabolico shouted, before disappearing in a wave of black flames.

"Damnit! We almost had him!" Chad angrily growled. He slammed his V-Lancer into the ground as he angrily kicked at a rock. "I'll have his head someday, Mitchell, I promise!"

Ryan nodded before his com-system suddenly beeped. "What's up, Kelsey?" he demanded.

"It's Kendrix! That bitch Lillith is about to turn her into a succubus!" Kelsey screamed. "We have to stop her, meet me and Joel where we all split up."

"No!" Kendrix screamed. She tried to struggle, but the iron grip of Lillith was too much to resist. The other four Rangers rushed forward to help their comrade, but a wave of darkness sent forth from Lillith smashed into them, knocking them out of their transformation and onto the ground.

"Pitiful souls," she muttered. Turning her attention back to Kendrix, she sneered. "Prepared to be turned..."

Right before she was about to bite Kendrix's neck, a huge wave of plasma energy slammed into Lillith. The hell lord screamed in pain, her burned flesh sizzling and smoke rising from the fresh wounds. A second energy wave smashed into her, and releasing the young woman from her grip, Kendrix stumbled away as Lillith fell to her knees in pain. "Who the hell would dare to attack me?!" she screamed. The five Rangers looked up to see an armored warrior slowly approaching from the distance, pulse burst cannon in hand.

"I dare," the armored woman stated. "I am the Quantum Hunter, and I'm here to see you go back to Hell!"

Without a second more of explanation, the Quantum Hunter darted forward with incredible speed. Effortlessly leaping over the Rangers, she landed near Lillith and began to fight her way through the remaining Succubae Childers. Dispatching them with quick strikes of her sizzling energy weapon, it was not long before the powerful vampires were reduced to ash and the newly arrived Quantum Hunter turn to face the demon behind her.

"A hunter?" Lillith weakly gasped. At first she feared this was the deadly Demon Hunter that had once haunted the Saiman. But this was a woman, and clearly different from that of the ancient Demon Hunter.

"I'm usually no hunter of demons," the woman stated coldly. "However, I'm willing to make a change of pace for now!" Slashing downwards, she meant to kill the hell lord, but this time the succubus was ready for the Hunter's attack, and easily blocked the blow. Spinning away, she struck several times at the woman before the Hunter fell backwards.

"You will regret your interference in my arrangements regarding this particular Ranger, Hunter!" Lillith growled. After a moment, she shifted her gazed toward her original intended victim. "You have not seen the last of me, Kendrix Morgan."

The remaining Succubae Childers tore across the battlefield at the five unmorphed Rangers, but the Quantum Hunter met their charge. Effortlessly entering the fray, plasma energy swarmed around her fists as she began to punch her way through the vampires. After the remaining Childers had been dispatched, she turned to face Lillith who stood with a shocked expression on her face. The five Rangers shook their heads, as they watched Lillith teleport away in a surge of lightning. The Hunter relaxed and attached her saber to the pack on her back. "I know you must have a lot of questions," she stated calmly while turning to approach the Rangers. "And I am willing to answer some of them. However, who I really am is not one I can answer...for my own safety."

Having been in that kind of need for secrecy before, Kendrix nodded in consent. "We can work with that," Kendrix said as she held out her hand. "I'm Major Kendrix Morgan, commander of this team. I think we should probably return to our base of operations before you explain too much."

Captain Mitchell and Angela Fairweather sat within the briefing room of the Lightspeed Aquabase. On one side of the table, sat the five Rangers, and on the other side of the table opposite of them, the Quantum Hunter sat. She glanced at Captain Mitchell as she finished telling her story, explaining her origins to the Rangers. "Ever since then, I've been fighting the Maverick threat, hoping to save humanity from falling to a threat from the future."

Captain Mitchell nodded his head. It was a fantastic story, but one he knew was not fabricated. "You are certainly doing this world a great deal, and I commend you for your good work." He paused and glanced to Angela before continuing. "To be honest, however, most of the project heads haven't been too keen on your activities, since you're not part of any kind of government task force, nor are recognized by any kind of enforcement agency. Being that you are a vigilante, it might be hard getting around bureaucratic red tape on this situation."

There was a shrug from the Hunter. Apparently, it didn't matter much to her. "So long as I'm not caught up in some kind of office politics war, I don't have a problem." She tilted her head slightly, glancing toward Ryan. "I take it you don't trust me, Red Ranger?"

The man was quiet, then shook his head. "It's not you," he stated quickly. "I've just seen first hand the results of a reckless vigilante, back in Angel Grove after the war."

The Hunter didn't respond right away. She knew what Ryan was talking about, and who it had concerned. She'd actually had a bad run-in with the same person who'd been involved. "Understandable. Sometimes we forget about others around the battle who have nothing to do with it, though I try my best to watch out for them. However, you guys look like you could use some help, and I'm able to give it. I wouldn't just toss that out before you get a chance to see what I can do."

Lillith stormed through the throne room, angrily swearing as she drank a potion to restore her body and heal her physical wounds. Pausing, Lillith tossed the empty bottle aside as Diabolico and Vypra appeared into the throne room, drinking similar potions as well. "That damned hunter ruined everything," Lillith snarled. "I had the Ranger of Heart right where I wanted her, and that bitch completely disrupted my plans!"

"It was an unfortunate turn of events," Diabolico mused, though the tone of his voice indicated that he was not as distraut as Lillith. It as best to have some questions answered. "Might I inquire, though, as to who this Quantum Hunter is?"

There was a high pitched snarl, but the Succubus Quenn merely bite her tongue on retoring. "She is a Hunter of a group known as the Mavericks," she explained. "Much akin to the Demon Hunter, the legendary warrior that once hunted your ilk as well."

Vypra shuddered. She remembered the Demon Hunter well. "That maniac took us down like we were nothing when we were sealed! We should be grateful that he doesn't exist anymore!"

Lillith held back her retort against the demoness. Despite her anger, she had taken a liking to Vypra, who the rest of the Saiman, excluding Bansheera, seemed antagonistic against. Perhaps it was the fact that Vypra once had served Lillith, and how she had once been a small player vying for power. She definitely saw a dark future ahead of Vypra, seeing as she made the right decisions within this power struggle for authority...

With a shake of her head, Lillith regained her composure. "At least I have had my first encounter with the Ranger of Heart and her soldiers, and I know what to expect from each of them."

"Why the interest in the Pink Ranger?" Diabolico asked. He left out the fact that he too had interest in the mentioned solider. "I have noticed two things since your arrival. You have yet to state the purpose from which the Emperor has sent you, other then he has put you in charge of our operations, and you focused entirely on the Pink Ranger in our skirmish with the Rangers, leaving us to worry about the other four. Why?"

The succubus snorted, almost considering the notion that she shouldn't bother with an answer. That, however, would cost her the aid she needed. "You can say someone close to both me and the Emperor has a very vested interest within the Pink Ranger," Lillith finally stated, careful with her words. "I could elaborate, but that would go against my orders." She paused for a moment. "However, while our encounter with the Rangers may have gone sour, it was not in vain. I managed to use my black magic to block out the sun. The Earth has been cast into an Eternal Night."

"Which shall aid in our power growing, with darkness slowly spreading across the planet." Diabolico noted in agreement. "Can the spell be broken?"

A snort, but it was amusement and not distain. "In a way, it is permanent," the succubus explained. "The Eternal Night can only be shattered with my death. However, no human power is capable of killing me...so that is all but impossible."

"What is the second part of your mission?" Vypra asked.

Lilith looked toward the demoness. "As you are both aware of," she began, "this city of Mariner Bay is important to the Emperor because it is built upon the ruins of Skull Cavern, an important piece of operations that the Emperor once had assigned to Bansheera." The succubus paused as she considered how to explain further. "The area is a nexus leyline, a point where the life-energy of this world is strongest. As well, within the catacombs that lie beneath this city lies an artifact that is of particular interest to myself and shall greatly aid me in the mission the Emperor himself personally assigned me. I need to find this staff to complete the second aspect of my mission."

"When shall you grace us with the details to this mission the Emperor has assigned upon you?" Diabolico inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Curiousity may have killed the cat, but I am no cat."

"You shall learn soon enough," Lillith replied. "I have seen both you and Vypra in battle alongside me on the war field. You have another warrior at your disposal and a summonist, which I think will be rather helpful with the mission I seek to carry out. The Titanium Ranger and Jinxer, I request their presence."

Diabolico nodded and snapped his fingers. Jinxer appeared within the royal throne room with a blaze of fire while Carter chose to walk in from the entryway. Lillith stared upon the elfin demon, who appeared rather weak to her. "Give me your deck of cards," she ordered.

Confused, Jinxer removed from his side the deck of cards as Lillith searched through them, finding the five most powerful cards within the diminishing deck of Saiman summon cards. Handing the cards to Vypra with a knowing look, Lillith knew Vypra would keep careful watch over the deck. Extending her hand, Lillith showed the five cards Jinxer.

"These are your personal favorites?" Lillith demanded.

"Yes," Jinxer stuttered, confused. He didn't understand what was going on at all.

Without a word, the succubus queen flicked her wristand hurled the cards at Jinxer. The demon summonist screamed as the cards slammed into him, digging into his body, merging into his essence, and duplicating the process that he often used on humans to summon Saiman spirits. With a scream, Jinxer fell to his knees as power from the summoned spirits fed his being, and his physical form began to shift and change. His skin ripped off as muscles tore outwards, spikes growing from his flesh as he slowly stood.

"What did you do to me?" he asked, his voice now carrying a heavy tone of power rather then the sniffling drawl it once had moments before.

A smirk formed. "I made you better," Lillith replied, now taking the deck of cards back from Vypra. "And you shall thank me in the long run, because it will help you live. I'll hold on to these for you." She turned toward the human servant of the demons. "Transform into your armor."

With those words, Carter activated the Titianium changer and morphed into the Titanium Ranger. With the newly evolved Jinxer at her side and the Titanium Ranger behind her, Lillith glanced at Diabolico and Vypra. "I am going to go ensure that I obtain the artifact I am seeking. Keep a watchful eye on the cavern and the city above for me?"

With those words, the three vanished. Vypra glared at Diabolico momentarily before storming off. Diabolico had a bad feeling about Lillith, and what effects she would have within the power structure of the Saiman operating within Skull Cavern. He was also worried about the intense change that Lillith had brought about in his Grand Dame, Bansheera. She seemed to be operating rather oddly lately, and it worried him. The future was certainly quite uncertain.

With a moment of rest since the attack on Mariner, Joel was finally getting some long overdue food. Seated at her usual table was Kelsey, who had a plate of steak and vegetables in front of her. "It's gotten a bit more tense around here," he said as he sat down with his friend. He wasn't exaggerating, as the mood around the aqua base had gotten more alert ever since the arrival of their guest. "I know she's not up on telling us who she really is...but-"

"They're military, Joel," Kelsey replied as she cut a piece of her steak and popped in her mouth. "They don't trust someone who doesn't have much reason to trust them."

The Quantum Hunter entered the mess hall, glancing over to her left to see both Kelsey and Joel hunched over bowels of warm soup. "Care to join us?" Joel called out. "Or still keen on playing secret agent and hiding your identity?"

"I can't eat," Quantum Hunter exclaimed. "And I don't know how either of you can just sit by, knowing that the Saiman are out there somewhere plotting the destruction of Earth and all its inhabitants."

"What are you saying?" Kelsey asked with a raised eyebrow. "If you're implying we afraid, you got another thing coming to you."

Quantum Hunter shook her head. "No. What I am saying is we need to be out there, taking an offensive front against the enemy. All you guys ever do is defend. Isn't it about time you started attacking as well?"

"The thought has crossed our minds on more then one occasion." Joel nodded. "Why are you proposing? I won't go AWOL on Lightspeed if that's what you're hoping for."

"I'm saying that Lillith is out there right now. When I fought her, I injected a tracker into her skin. She's in the catacombs beneath the city and we need to stop whatever she is planning. Lillith is dangerous. She almost turned your Major Mogran into a vampire and cast an eternal shadow across the planet with her black magic. We have to take her out no matter what!"

Extending her hand, the Quantum Hunter projected a hologram depicting the position of Lillith, which also indicated that two other Saiman lords were also in her presence. Glancing at each other, Joel gave an exasperated nod as Kelsey stood up. "We're in," the girl stated. "Should we alert the others?"

"No, command will just get in the way." Quantum Hunter paused. "We'll try to keep this fight fair. I'll take on Lillith, Kelsey you take on the human life force signature and Joel, take on the Saiman accompanying the two."

Both Kelsey and Joel nodded, standing quickly and transforming into their respective Ranger forms. Walking forward, the Quantum Hunter placed a hand on both Kelsey and Joel, before nodding and teleporting the three away. The area around the three shifted as they warped between a dimensional rift, emerging into the underground chasm that lay miles below Mariner Bay.

"Damn," Joel coughed after they had finished teleporting. "I feel like someone stuck me inside a microwave."

"The effect is only temporary," Quantum Hunter said. "You're a big boy, you'll live. Kelsey's already recovered."

Joel shook his head and slowly stood, following the two girls that started to walk ahead of him. They emerged from the end of the tunnel to find a huge temple located before them, and both Kelsey and Joel gawked in shock at what they had stumbled across. "Regret coming along for the ride now?" Quantum Hunter demanded. "You should be glad that I invited you. Most likely whatever Lillith is searching for is inside that temple, and I have no doubt that whatever artifact she is trying to find will be used for something really nasty. We have to stop her."

"But..." Kelsey trailed off, worried they were entering such a dangerous mission without backup. "What about Kendrix, Ryan, and Chad? We could use their help. I don't think we are dealing with just any normal situation here."

"We don't have time to think about that!" Quantum Hunter snapped. "Let's go."

Dashing forward, the two Rangers watched as their Hunter companion began to head towards the temple. With a shake of her head Kelsey followed, Joel not far behind her. The two knew they could defend themselves in a life and death scenario. However, they were worried about the consequences once they got back to base.

Lillith stood before the altar within the center of the temple, shaking her head as she walked forward. Carter and Jinxer walked alongside her, and she paused before the shrine as she stared down upon it. "I need your hand Carter," She demanded.

Carter nodded, obediently extending his hand as Lillith grasped it in her hand. "Jinxer, please give me your ceremonial dagger- I require its use."

Without argument, the sorcerer Saiman quickly handed her his dagger. Pressing the tip of the dagger against Carter's open palm, Lillith cut his hand and watched as blood immediately swelled against his open palm. Turning his hand over, Lillith allowed Carter's blood to drip down upon the alter, and watched as the blood quickly soaked the alter. There was a loud click, and the center of the alter opened and a small staff extended upwards from the center of the alter. Reaching outwards, Lillith smiled with joy as she grasped the staff within her hands.

Finally, everything was within her reach. Before reaching for the staff, a sound in the distance caught her attention. Whirling around, Lillith raised her saber upwards, and extended it outwards, as the Quantum Hunter suddenly materialized before her. Their two blades cashing, Lillith carefully extended her left hand, a second sword appearing in it and brought the new blade slamming forward, slashing the Hunter across the chest and sending the young girl sprawling backwards.

"You stupid bitch, you think I would let you sneak up on me a second time?1" Lillith snarled.

"You can't blame me for trying," the Quantum Hunter quipped with a smirk.

"Kill her," Lillith ordered Carter. Immediately the young man switched on his Changer, triggering his transformation as his Titanium armor slowly formed across his body. Titanium Cutter in hand, Carter charged forward, as he raced at the recovering Hunter.

Suddenly the Yellow and Green Rangers appeared, Kelsey and Joel extending their V-Lancers in an effort to provide a temporary feasible defense so the Quantum Hunter could recover from the blow that had injured her. Lillith turned and snatched up the staff from the alter, before whirling to face Jinxer.

"Just don't stand there," She snarled. "Do something Jinxer! Use that new body I created for you to intimidate the Rangers and show them exactly what kind of terror a sorcerer Saiman can create!"

Jinxer hesitantly glanced at the fight between Carter, the Lightspeed Rangers, and the Quantum Hunter, and ducked into the brawl. Kelsey turned on Jinxer, but Jinxer dove beneath the reach of her V-Lancer, spinning and launching upwards as he repeatedly began to kick into the stomach of the Yellow Ranger. Turning, he swept his leg upon the ground and knocked Joel off of his feet. Carter took the chance to leap forward as he repeatedly began to fire his Titanium Cutter at the Quantum Hunter, who leaped up and began to run along the wall in order to avoid the deadly barrage of lasers.

Lillith ignored the battle and focused on removing the staff from the alter, using the human blood Carter had spilt to break the curses that held it in place. Successful, Lillith stared at the small obsidian staff with delight, knowing that this was the key to successfully opening a portal to the Emperor's home world.

Lillith attached the staff to her side, and turned to face the fighters. Opening her hand, she began to send pulse wave after pulse wave of energy into the fray, knocking the Quantum Hunter off of Carter and sending Kelsey and Joel skidding back from their fight with Jinxer. Before the three could recover, Lillith telekinetically grabbed them and threw them away, tossing them from the room and into an unknown passageway. With the threat gone, Lillith turned and smiled at Carter and Jinxer.

"Let's go," she said, and the three teleported away.

Slowly the Quantum Hunter, Joel, and Kelsey stood, each feeling defeated. With a grumble, Joel shook his head. "We lost bad," He muttered.

"No kidding," Kelsey said. "Can you get us back to base?"

Without saying anything, the Quantum Hunter placed a hand on either shoulder of Kelsey and Joel, and within a moment teleported the two back to the Aqua Base. The three were surprised to find Kendrix waiting for them, and she glared at the two standing alongside the Quantum Hunter as they dropped their armor into sub-space storage.

"You both could've been considered AWOL if you had been gone any longer," Kendrix muttered, shaking her head. "Where were you?"

"We'll tell you in the briefing," Kelsey explained, and the four began walking towards the briefing room.

As Captain Mitchell spoke, several figures entered the room through the back entrance. Neither the Rangers, nor Angela or Mitchell truly paid attention, thinking it was an ensign dropping off a report. Everyone was stunned when a bolt of lightning suddenly fired across the room, tearing toward the Quantum Hunter. The young woman suddenly cried out as the bolt struck dead on, knocking her unconscious and causing her to fall to the ground. As she slowly fell to the ground, her armor slowly untransformed as it returned to subspace. The Rangers stood in shock as a young girl hit the floor, the electrical discharge still crackling over her body.

Kendrix and Ryan leapt to their feet in anger, but a chuckle caused them to whirl around to see General MacKnight standing at the entrance of the room with several attendants. "She's under arrest," he snidely explained as his attendants picked up the unconscious girl and carried her to the entrance.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Captain Mitchell growled. "Let her go, now!"

"That's not going to happen," came the flat tone reply. "This woman is a dangerous threat to world safety." MacKnight narrowed his eyes. "But at least she can provide some sort of service to the world by aiding us in analyzing her armor. I know a lot about this woman Mitchell, more than you can imagine."

With those words he removed the device from her wrist, stripping the woman of her powers. He left a folder on the table, before smiling darkly at Mitchell, Angela, and the five Rangers. "I bid you farewell," he said, curtly bowing before leaving the room. Ryan angrily punched the wall in frustration as Mitchell helplessly stared at the contents of the folder.

"I'm outranked on this one..." Mitchell angrily spat, tearing up the folder.

"Dad," Ryan paused, ignoring the fact he had referred to Mitchell as his father. "We can't let that girl get caught up in the latest of MacKnight's schemes...we have to do something!"

"We will," Mitchell responded. "Count on it son. We're going to get her out of there."

"No telling what Black Ops might do if she doesn't give them the answers they want," Angela whispered with a shudder.

Lillith sat on Bansheera's throne, lazily filing her nails as she awaited the arrival of the Saiman. First entered Diabolico accompanied with his daughter Dara, and his brother Loki. Lillith playfully smiled at Loki, who was still skulking about the fact that he had easily lost in their earlier skirmish. Next entered Vypra alone, who glared with great animosity and jealousy at Dara who was playing with baby Impus. Lillith made a mental note of this, that Vypra was at odds with the rest of Bansheera's court regarding her placement within its power structure. Finally Bansheera appeared, as the entire Saiman Royal Court assembled before her.

"You failed to defeat the Rangers, I want command over my Saiman and court reinstituted." Bansheera flatly stated.

Lillith raised an eyebrow. "Such a bold request, Grand Dame. One that, unfortunately, I must fail to consider." The succubus said, raising a goblet of blood to her lips, and drinking it. She pointed her finger forward at the Grand Dame Bansheera, sneering at the spirit. "However - the orders of destroying the Lightspeed Rangers remains a task you and your court have given by the Emperor. Their death may be something I seek, and given the chance, I will surely take their lives with my bare hands. The Emperor himself gave me personal orders to carry out a different mission however."

"And what mission would my beloved Emperor overlook his Grand Dame who has served him for so many years with undying loyalty to give to a Succubus Hell Lord half my age?" Bansheera growled.

"The simple task of delivering Earth into his hands," Lillith said, her eyes narrowing. "By fixating the moon in front of the sun, the Eternal Night has been instilled over this planet. With darkness shining across the world - our power shall continue to grow tenfold. That was the first aspect of my plan."

Diabolico's eyebrows were raised with interest. Before heading into battle he had noticed that his Titanium Ranger, and Jinxer had gone mysteriously missing. He had wondered if their skirmish involving the Succubae Childers and the Rangers was nothing more then a mere distraction for the Lightspeed Unit.

"While the Rangers did indeed defeat my Succubae Childers, that is insignificant compared to what was accomplished below the city." Lillith continued to explain. "While myself, Diabolico, Vypra, and our Succubae Childer fought against the Rangers, below the city - in the sprawling catacomb maze that exists below, I tasked Carter and Jinxer with locating a particular staff the Emperor was once fond of."

Black lightning flowed through the air, and both Jinxer and Carter appeared before the succubus knelt. Carter slowly stood and handed the Scepter of Shadows to the hell lord. Lillith took it within her hands, staring at the legendary weapon of darkness. "With this staff and its magicks, I shall open a portal to the Emperor's home world - a portal that will allow the armies of the Emperor to come through and claim the Earth in his name. The Lightspeed Rangers, and any other task force in existence - will be unable to stop him! The armies of the Emperor are invincible, we have evolved into beings your nightmares are incapable of processing." Lillith breathlessly said.

Diabolico and Loki nodded, clearly impressed. Even Vypra's eyebrows were raised, and she looked at Lillith with admiration. However, Bansheera's face was one contorted with rage. Jealously flared dangerously in her eyes; obviously she was mad about having been overlooked for such an important task. Lillith noticed the rage and jealously instantly and sneered. "To tell you the truth, Bansheera, you are from an age from which things was done differently. Like this relic, you have your uses, but they are only temporary to suit the new needs of an evolved Empire."

Bansheera snorted. "You will regret embarrassing me this way in front of my royal court succubus."

"We shall see," Lillith responded. Turning to Jinxer, she handed the demon the Scepter of Shadows. "See to it that the device is fully empowered with the souls of the victims you Saiman have managed to harness thus far in the name of the Emperor."

"Of course my lady," Jinxer said. Taking the staff in his hands, he turned to glance at Bansheera sadly before fading away in a blast of black flame. Lillith stood and walked down the steps of the throne, and stared into the eyes of Bansheera. "Your work here is finished my Grand Dame. Leave now. I have important matters to discuss with the Saiman."

Bansheera warped away in a bolt of lightning, the residue of her immense hatred of Lillith remaining. The succubus ignored it however; the spirit could do nothing against her. She was powerless and had to use whatever power she could muster to maintain her astral manifestation within the physical realm.

"You all know how CyberForce has been a thorn in our side," Lillith started, as she stared at Loki, Dara, Carter, Vypra, and finally, Diabolico. "It's time we put them to good use. There has been a recent development within that CyberForce project, an interesting one that will surely turn the tide of war in your favor. Without realizing it, the humans have combined the Maverick technology with their CyberForce Ranger development; in essence, creating Super-Mavericks with the appearance of Power Rangers. Mavericks are machines from the future, androids obsessed with destroying humanity an altering the timeline. I've had several experiences with them. The Quantum Hunter is a young woman that hunts them; she is the bane of the Mavericks existence. Which is interesting, considering the moment the CyberForce Rangers evolve into Mavericks, the Quantum Hunter arrives on the scene and becomes a power player."

Lillith mused. "With this turn of developments, Carter, you are tasked with eliminating the Quantum Hunter. I want her dead, she is a threat."

"Yes my lady," Carter nodded.

"Diabolico, Loki, "she continued, turning ot the golden demon and his black-blue brother. "I want you to oversee Jinxer and the empowerment of the Scepter of Shadows. Make sure everything goes according to plan. Vypra, you shall attend me as I curb these Maverick Rangers beneath our thumb. The human's beloved creations shall surely be his undoing."

"Of course my lady," Vypra said. The demoness paused for a moment, staring thoughtfully at Lillith. "Why are you so interested in the Pink Ranger?"

"I have seen in the souls of more beings than you ever shall see. There have been few that have impressed me, on the side of light or darkness. That human is one of them," Lillith simply stated. "She could be a valuable tool to the Empire, a deadly weapon as well. Which is why I approach matters regarding her cautiously."

"Best of luck then," Lillith announced, as the group departed, each heading in separate directions to carry out their specified mission.

The end of the Rangers was certainly near.

Bansheera appeared within a forest, floating throughout the trees as she silently fumed and raged to herself. That arrogant succubus! How dare she waltz in unannounced and attempt to completely assume command of her royal court? The mere arrogance of the stupid woman completely infuriated her.

Suddenly the spirit felt another dark presence, far more powerful than any she had felt before, suddenly appear within the clearing. For a moment, the Grand Dame feared that the Emperor had come to pay her a personal visit. But this was different. While this energy signature was sinister and deadly, it wasn't that of the Emperor, that was for certain.

"Show yourself!" Bansheera barked.

From the shadows a young man came walking, and he let the hood of his cloak fall backwards to reveal a cold set of blood red eyes. Encased around his right hand, he wore a gauntlet that almost appeared infused into his flesh. On the palm of his left hand, a complex design that resembled a series of pentagrams was tattooed.

"Who are you?" Bansheera whispered.

"Sekaz," the young man stated, giving a swooping bow. "I am the Lord of the Third and Fifth Spheres of Hell. I am the Dark Ranger of the Empire. I am the Right Hand of the Emperor as well. I carry out his orders and deal his justice accordingly."

He suddenly smiled, chuckling slightly. "I'm his spokesperson I guess you could say."

"It is an honor to meet you Sekaz," Bansheera said. She was on guard. If she made allies with this person, he could prove a powerful ally. However, he could just as easily be made into an enemy. Hence the reason she remained on guard. She didn't have the time to deal with any more enemies.

"As are you," Sekaz muttered. "You're a legend of sorts."

"I am," Bansheera pompously agreed.

"I've come to issue a warning from the Emperor," Sekaz simply stated. "If you fail to destroy the Rangers within the specified timeframe he has given you, he shall personally come to this planet to wipe you from existence."

Bansheera froze. "I... I..."

"Indeed, you have a limited time to complete your task. Either accepts your enemies as your allies, such as Lilith and succeed. Or face the darkness of simply ceasing to exist."

Sekaz snapped his fingers and vanished in an instant. Bansheera floated in a state of shock, immersed in her thoughts. "I will destroy them," She muttered. "I will wait for Lilith to fail, I will wait for the right moment. And when that happens, I will resurrect myself in my former glory - and destroy the Rangers were they stand!"

"And I will see Lilith's head crushed beneath my feet."

Floating above her, invisible to the specter, Sekaz scowled. "So you want to play that kind of game? Double cross me or one of my minions - I will certainly double cross you as well."

Within an instant, he had warped himself into the chambers of the baby Impus. The guards posted within the outside of the chamber could not detect him, and even if they did, it would be impossible for them to fight him.

"This child contains humanity within it," Sekaz muttered in surprise. Demon children were those most closest to Hell, without any trace of good in them. Yet, Prince Impus contained that spark of a human soul within him. How was it that Bansheera's child was tainted by the soul of a human child?

And then, he realized that this would be the Saiman's downfall. "We'll see how loyal your mother truly is Asmordian's cause," Sekaz whispered, holding his hand over Impus. "You have a portion of humanity within your soul, a concious. You hold more in common with the humans than with your own blood, and you shall surely question the ways of your fellow Saiman."

Staring down at the baby demon, Sekaz suppressed a wicked grin as the baby giggled innocently at him. The events within the near future would prove to be most interesting indeed. Bansheera, Vypra, and Impus...the three played an important role in Earth's fate.

Sekaz could only grin as he saw the fires of Hell in the future of the world.

To Be Continued...