Back Home?
by: Cynthia

Even now, part of him was yearning towards the strange, beautiful, exotic, evil woman who had caught his heart so easily and so well. He had no idea why he wanted to go back the way he did. No, if he thought about it, he did. He and Divatox were soulmates. It was something he'd never really thought about when he was fighting her, and it was absolutely something he hadn't wanted to consider while he was her pet slave.

But in a way, being under that spell had been good for him. He'd been able to figure out what it was he felt about Divatox, and he'd accepted it then. Of course, having been taken from her by Dark Spectre hadn't been all that fun, but he and the other new Turbo Rangers had been able to get free. Or rather, Divatox had set them free, indirectly.

And I want to go back to her. He knew the others didn't, especially Rocky. Rocky wanted to stay as far away from her, and as close to Kimberly, as he could. T.J. didn't know that much about his new fellow Turbo Rangers, but he had the feeling Emily, Kimberly, and Jason would want to stay away from her too. They want to go back to Earth.

He didn't, though. His parents missed him, he knew, and he might want to visit, but unless Divatox was with him, he didn't think he wanted to stay. He'd already missed several months of school, and there wasn't much he could do besides try and catch up. That, he could do in space as well as he could on Earth, and probably better. With a mental grin, he wondered if Porto would be of any use as a tutor.

But what about my powers? He knew he couldn't keep them, not if he wanted to be with Divatox too. Dark Spectre would probably be after them anyway, and that meant that the Red Turbo powers had to be somewhere where he couldn't get them. Divatox's ship wasn't safe. Would he just want me or the powers? Hard to say. He wished Erutan were there. He liked the quirky Spirit of the Woods, and though he hadn't seen him since before his initial capture by Divatox, he had the feeling Erutan was a friend. And a friend was just what he needed, someone who wasn't involved in this fight, who could maybe give him some objective advice.

Was it wrong to be in love, when the person you loved was supposedly on the side of evil? But when you couldn't help it, when the whole matter was taken out of your hands by something you couldn't do anything about, and you really didn't mind all that much...was it really something that you should question? He loved her, and he had a pretty good idea that she loved him back. But still, every time, that ugly notion about them being on opposite sides reared it's head.

As did the next question in his mind. Was she evil? She had sent the spell that would free them. What were her reasons, though? Was what she'd told the others the only thing going through her mind? Or was it something more? Without asking her, he couldn't tell. And he couldn't get in touch with her right now. Wherever she was, she wasn't telling anyone.

Did he have the right to leave things as they were, to fight against evil once again, and just hope somehow, in some way, this whole thing would somehow end and they'd have a chance to be together? Could he effectively fight evil when there was a part of him that loved it? And there he was right back where he'd started. Was Divatox evil? Was he evil and just hadn't noticed? He didn't feel evil, not like he had when the spell was on him. But did evil feel evil? There was so much he didn't know, and so much he'd like to know.

But for now, all he could do was wait, and watch, and think. And try with all his heart to make some kind of sense out of it all.

She stole my Dark Turbo Rangers from me. His eyes flashed with menacing anger as he thought out ways he would take his revenge on her. Spreading word of her treachery throughout the United Alliance of Evil would only be the beginning. He would humiliate her. He would destroy her. He would do everything that was possible before killing her, her mother, her brother, and anyone else he could find who bore even the most distant blood relation to her.

She would be the last, though. She'd be the one who got to watch it all, before he slowly tortured her to death. He knew some of the most sophisticated methods of torture in the known universe, and he would enjoy working them all on her. By the time he was through, she would not only be beyond begging for mercy, she'd be begging to kill herself!!

He licked his lips as he thought over a few of the other things he could do first. He wanted to take his time on this, really. To get things just the way he wanted them. Which, even if he hadn't wanted to, meant he would have to take time. He hadn't yet managed to get his personal torture center set up just the way he liked it; there were still quite a few devices and things he hadn't yet found that he wanted.

Hmph. You'd think any decent salesman would've have a full stock of Santhoian Death Squid, but the moron acted as if he didn't even know what I was talking about! What a backwater corner of the Galaxy. Even the advanced Alliance planets are inadequate for my needs!

Damien contemplated asking his father for the rest of what he needed, then shook his head to himself. He was a grown man, he didn't need 'Dad's' help all the time. If he had to, he'd lead the Rangers on a wild goose chase, as they called it around here, and while he was leading them around by their noses, he'd pick up the things he needed to stock his torture suite. Imagine how stupid they'd feel if I dropped in on a half a dozen different planets for no other reason than some shopping. He snorted to himself. Those female Rangers would probably love it, actually. I've seen them shop for hours on end.

It made no sense to him, really. That was something he had in common with the male Rangers. He'd watched the Pink Ranger drag her disgustingly adoring soulmate along with her to no less than five shopping centers in a single day. When it was over, the Phantom Ranger had distinctly said he'd rather face ten squads of Quantrons than do that again.

And then when I sent ten squads he was so ungrateful. Damien smirked to himself, then turned his attention back to the plans for dealing with Divatox's treachery. His father knew, of course, and had placed the responsibility for taking care of things on him. The Red Turbo Ranger. She has some kind of bond or something or other with him. He nodded to himself as he remembered. Yes, soulmates. If I could claim him back again, then I could use him to control her and the Rangers.

He thought that one over for a short time, then something else occurred to him. So much better than control...I could use him as a way to teach a lesson to them all. For her treachery and for their continued opposition to me. I don't have everything I need here for her demise, but for his...I wouldn't want to waste such things as the Death Squid or the Pleasure Pods. He smirked to himself at the thought of Divatox's final moments being a twisted mix of pleasure and pain, suitable for someone who styled herself as the most exotic and experienced pirate queen there had ever been. She'd practiced pain and pleasure on all her lovers. It would be a most fitting end for those to be the way she perished.

Maybe I can even brush on my martial arts now that Jason's around again. The rivalry he'd once had for the other former Red Ranger had long since faded, and it would be nice to have someone to talk to again. Someone who wasn't a Piranatron or a prisoner or a flunky of Divatox's. Or Divatox herself. He felt a shiver go down his spine at the thought of her. I am so glad this happened. Well, not the being a temporary evil Ranger. He could've done without that. But being free...that he wouldn't have traded for anything.

His eyes flicked over to where Kimberly was sitting, talking quietly with Emily. The two of them had hardly known each other at all before this, except through letters Jason had sent to his old school chum that had mentioned his new girlfriend. But now, they had a much deeper bond than Kim had experienced with anyone else but Trini or Aisha.

And he loved her. Oh, he'd always known that, it wasn't that much of a shock. She had filled his dreams from the first time he'd seen her. But she'd also been quite unavailable as she was dating someone else. Then that whole Florida and her other guy thing came up...

He'd been meaning to go to there after their first encounter with Divatox, to talk to her, but he'd been trying to get his dojo set up, and had been working hard day and night. Just one night of sleeping in his dojo wouldn't hurt, he'd thought...and I woke up with her. Definitely not one of my better wake up calls.

But that part of his life was over now, and he was glad of it. He wasn't certain if he wanted to forget, since his sensei had taught him to never forget anything, to take every experience and learn something useful and good from it. He turned the thoughts of his months of slavery over in his head. What could he learn from it.

Never to let his guard down, for one thing. And to always keep up his hope. He'd never lost it during his whole ordeal, and he was free now. His eyes flicked again to Kimberly, only this time she was looking back at him. He could see she wasn't the froth-headed girl she'd been once. There was a fire and a spark in her that he loved deeply.

"Hey, Kim." He smiled softly at her, and she returned it. "Going back to Florida once we get settled?"

She shook her head. "I was already making plans to leave there when this happened." She laughed a little. "I was actually heading for the plane when they grabbed me, so my luggage is probably seated in Angel Grove Airport waiting for me to come get it."

"It'll be nice to be there again," Rocky mused. "And..." Without another word, he held up his Turbo Key and looked at it. She nodded in understanding.

"I've missed it, but I'll be glad to get back to it." Kim smiled. "It might not be Pink, but I think I can live without that." She leaned back into the comfortable chair she was in, watching as Emily and Jason leaned into each other and talked quietly. She had a pretty good idea of what they were discussing, and she had to admit, they made a really incredible pair. I wish I'd been able to meet her back when I was visiting before. Back then, when Divatox had first started to make trouble, Emily had went to take care of her grandmother on the East Coast, and had only returned to Angel Grove a few weeks before their kidnapping by the Piranatrons.

The four ex-evil Rangers all relaxed. They knew that their new lives, and new adventures, were just beginning.

It wasn't what she was.

Dimitria could see that very plainly. She had never before seen Divatox face to face before now, and this contact enabled her to find the answer to something she'd been searching for since the Blue Senturion had come to Earth all those months earlier. She is my sister. She is my twin sister.

Her eyes pulsed softly, both in the immaterial and the material worlds. How would Divatox react to learning this information? She'd never been all that close to her family before. Havoc, her adoptive brother, was the closest one to her, and they hadn't spoken in a century before his arrival with the SpaceBase. And once he'd left, they hadn't spoke again. She doubted they would for another hundred years, really.

But there was another reason Divatox wasn't all that impressive. Right now, she looked amazingly like a human teenage girl, stripped of her makeup and garish outfit, and dressed only in a simple gown of pale green. She lay on the bed, her eyes distant and dark and very sad. Dimitria knew what the reason was, the fact T.J. wasn't with her. She needs him. I know quite well how she feels.

Dimitria herself had felt the pangs of loves, and she knew that being away from the one you loved was something no one cared for. I, at least, have the chance that Zordon will be rescued. Only by T.J.'s own choice will he come back to her. The sorceress of Inquiris knew many things but whether or not any one human would choose one course or another was something that was definitely beyond her.

Dimitria gazed at her sister for several moments, trying to think of what to do. She had journeyed spectrally here, in hopes of finding some reason for what Divatox had done in aiding the Rangers. I most certainly didn't expect to find my sister and a force of evil with a soulmate on the side of good.

What to do...that was most definitely the question. She couldn't sit here and watch her all day, but if she appeared, she doubted that Divatox would welcome her with open arms. She doubted that the pirate, no matter how soft her heart might've become towards T.J., would care to see her at all. Perhaps sometime soon, though.

She remained watching Divatox, however. She couldn't really take her gaze away from the face that was so like the mirror image of her own. She wanted to talk to her, to find out if Divatox knew about the fact of their twinhood, if she cared at all...

With a wrench she brought herself back to her body. Spirit-traveling wasn't easy, even for one as skilled and experienced in it as she was. She took a moment to get used to being back in her body and thought over what she had learned. She wasn't exactly certain just what she was going to do with that information as of yet. She still had yet to figure out what the keycards that Zordon had given her were for, and the Rangers didn't seem to be inclined to arrive on Aquitar any time soon to come get them. I would give them directly, but I trust Zordon. He can see the future on occasion, and I'm certain he has something, many things, that he has kept from me. She loved him deeply, and always would, but sometimes he infuriated her just as much as she had infuriated others with her questions at one time.

She could hear sounds outside of the door, sounds of footsteps. They weren't those of the Aquitian Rangers, she would have sensed their auras, or that of Billy Cranston; his aura was muted, but she would have sensed the flavor of the Power that was still his. They were probably servants, just taking care of their normal tasks. Then she felt a stronger aura drawing nearer, and knew it was Tideus. She wasn't certain what he wanted, but she knew it was something she was going to have to deal with herself.

"We really missed you, Teej," Cassie hugged her old friend and smiled warmly at him. As he looked back at her, he could see there was something different about her, a confidence and a feeling of completion. Ashley looked the same way.

Then he remembered something he'd seen when he had come on board. Ashley and the Silver Ranger, what was his name again....oh, yes, Andros...they had been holding hands. Cassie and the Phantom Ranger...and that was a surprise, had also been close. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what it was that had changed them both.

"So, were Earth guys so boring you two had to go into space to fall in love?" He teased the two of them. Both female Rangers turned bright red at that, and he felt the light tension that had been in the room vanish. His eyes flicked over momentarily to Cassie. They had never dated, but there had always been a special understanding between the two of them, forged when they had saved Tommy Oliver together. She glows when the Phantom is mentioned. He knew he had never been able, could never have been able to make her this happy.

"Nah, we just got bored waiting for them to come and find us, so we went for them." Ashley teased, then hugged him as Cassie stepped back.

"It's been way too long." Carlos shook his hand, as did Justin. Both of them looked subtly older and more mature; space was obviously something that aged you fast. "I'd ask what you were doing, but we kind of already know."

T.J. nodded, looking somewhere in between shame and love. "It...you know it wasn't my idea, any of us."

"We know." Justin nodded quietly to his former team leader. "But one thing we don't know is, why do you want to go back?" That was a subject they had yet to touch upon.

The Red Turbo Ranger glanced from one to the other of his friends. He knew they wouldn't reject him; but just the slight trace of horror, or of hatred, on their faces would burn in him forever, he knew it. He clenched his fists slightly. He had to do this. "Because I love her. And I think...I hope she loves me back. I have to find out, anyway, I just can't let it stay like this."

He didn't want to look around to see what they were thinking, but he couldn't stop himself. As he looked from face to face, he felt something inside of himself loosen. None of them looked upset. Shocked definitely, surprised and stunned absolutely...but not angry. Not hating. Not wanting to tear him apart or call him names. "Um, guys, I just said that I was in love with someone who nearly killed us all."

Ashley shrugged. "We sort of figured something was going on when Divatox gave us the spell to free you all. No matter how attached she was to something, it's just not in her nature to try and release them. If she weren't in love with you, she would have just tried to steal you back from Damien, or somehow doublecrossed us."

"And if you didn't love her, you wouldn't be going back there," Cassie added. "Phantom's been teaching me about how things are different out here in the big universe." The black-haired Ranger grinned. "There's what he calls soulmates." As she explained the theory, T.J. listened intently, and blushed deeply as he realized that what she was saying matched exactly to how he felt about Divatox. And how he hoped she felt about him in return.

He smiled faintly once she was done. "So...I guess I should try and talk to her, shouldn't I?"

Carlos chuckled. "That wouldn't be a bad idea. And at the rate all of you are going finding your soulmates, I'm going to be the only one left single before too long!"

He fully intended to perform the service he'd agreed to do for Dark Spectre, the murder of Dimitria, the Aquitian Rangers, and their human lackey, but he would do it in his time and no others. He wanted to make contact with the prince first, and make certain arrangements for future plans of his. He is still angered over the loss of his Rangers, and Divatox's treachery. That will make him quite easy to manipulate. Darkonda had no fears that Dark Spectre would discover this side trip of his, nor of what he would do if by some chance he did. He had a dozen explanations, all equally plausible, for how he had come to be in the Dark Fortress instead of on his way to the water planet, and he would use any or all of them if he had to.

"I will not permit my plan to fall through," the bounty hunter could hear the prince's mutterings quite clearly from his hiding place. He listened carefully, then nodded inwardly. This was exactly what he needed. Carefully he removed himself from his hiding place and stepped forward. "Could you perhaps use assistance, Highness?"

Damien whirled around, magic sparkling on the ends of his fingers, his sword appearing in his other hand. Darkonda gave him a few more mental points, he might have been surprised, but he recovered in seconds. "Who are you and what do you want in my home?" Both the sword and the spell were pointed directly at him, and Darkonda honestly had no idea if he could take on both. He was a masterful sorcerer and warrior, but he did happen to be at a slight disadvantage here when it came to combat.

Which is why I am at an advantage if I work this right. Darkonda did his best to smile ingratiatingly and bowed slightly. "I am Darkonda, bounty hunter, sorcerer, and warrior extraordinaire. I have served your father before, and I now offer my services to you, great prince."

His mental estimation of Damien rose another couple of notches as the prince didn't relax his guard at the mention of his father. There was perhaps more to this stripling than met the eye. He would have to be far more careful than he'd originally intended. But in all honesty, that just added spice to the game.

"And just what kind of services are those? I have warriors aplenty, and any magic I need I am more than capable of doing for myself." Damien declared, and Darkonda added arrogance and conceit to his mental description of the boy.

"Ah, but you do need an extra hand, one that can be unseen when you need it the most. I believe you were scheming to craft some form of clone or some such, to enspell the Black Astro Ranger?" Damien looked slightly curious, and Darkonda continued. "Your plan to acquire the necessary items fell through, Highness, but I can gain them for you. With great ease."

Damien's eyes narrowed. "And just why should you assist me, Darkonda?" The lack of any courteous title didn't escape the bounty hunter. There had even been rudeness in the words. Yes, Damien was quite arrogant, and that was going to work in his favor.

"I have my reasons, Highness, and I will disclose them if you so desire." Now was the time to be humble and proper, yet mysterious at the same time. He let a gleam of hatred show in his eyes, visible to the arrogant one. "But shall we let it remain that I have as many reasons to bring down the forces of good as you do, and this may well be something that can at the least confuse them, if not destroy them utterly. Played correctly, of course."

Damien began to slowly relax, the magic dancing on his fingertips fading away. "Speak your plan, if you have one. Or do you come with hollow words and false promises?"

Darkonda concealed his inward smirk. Hollow words, no, I can fulfill everything I've said to you and more. False promises...yes. For I seek to destroy the Rangers and you and that pretentious father of yours. But that would come all in due time. For now...for now it was obedience and results he had to deliver on. For now.

"Where are you guys going to go now?" Justin asked as he gently stroked Storm Blaster's hood. He didn't think of the vehicle as a form of conveyance or a battle machine as much as he thought of him as a friend. And Storm Blaster was definitely a he, there was a sense of masculinity about him that was unmistakable to the teenager.

The blue jeep wiggled in a way that translated roughly to a shrug. Justin couldn't understand the beeps and flashing lights, but he had a sensation in his mind that Storm Blaster wasn't certain.

"Space really isn't a good place for them," Ashley said a trifle sadly. She and the others weren't as close to the two vehicles as Justin and T.J. were, but they were still friends. She'd fixed Storm Blaster once, after all, and had driven it before, in what almost felt like another life after all that had happened.

T.J. nodded quietly. "You guys need a planet to live on, to be able to drive around and things." He was going to intensely miss Lightning Cruiser, the car was something he thought of as a true friend and companion. He could never forget all the happy hours they'd spent flying together...how he'd protected him from Divatox...he paled slightly, wondering what his friend would think of his soulmate.

Almost as soon as he thought that, he felt Cruiser nudging against his leg. He glanced down and felt his cheeks turning faintly red, recalling that they'd been captives of Divatox too, she had boasted of that to him before. "Um, you guys do know how I feel about her, right?"

Both the cars nodded their hoods, and T.J. felt himself blushing even more. "Does it bother you?" This time it was a shake of the hood, and he found himself wondering all over again just how expressive they could be considering that they couldn't speak human, or at least English.

"Given how old they are, I'd say they've seen a lot weirder things than this." Justin chuckled. "But I have an idea on where they can go and what they can do." Everyone turned to look at the youngest of them, and Justin just grinned. "They can have their old job back. The Turbo Rangers can go back to Earth and protect it while we keep searching for Zordon, and Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster can help them out, just like they did us in the old days."

Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser both beeped and flashed their lights in obvious signals of enjoyment and delight at the idea, and wild grins of joy spread across every face. "That solves everything!" Carlos laughed. "We can go out and find Zordon without having to worry about someone attacking Earth behind our backs, and Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser can stay where they can do the most good!"

"We'll miss you, though." Justin touched his old friend's hood gently. "And we'll come visit when we can, I know Karone will let us."

"But it's your choice." T.J. amended suddenly. "You're thinking beings with the ability to choose for yourselves. What do you want to do?"

The lights, sounds, and movement that this question elicited made all five of them wince, until Cassie waved a hand for silence. "How about we ask it like this? Do you want to do what Justin suggested?"

Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser both nodded their hoods vigorously. The Pink Ranger grinned. "You're sure?" Once again hoods were nodded and lights flashed in agreement. "All right. But there's still one thing we're going to have to settle."

"What's that?" Carlos wondered.

T.J. knew what his old friend meant. "Who I'm going to give the Red Turbo powers to."

But there were still a few others who needed to be dealt with before he could fully call himself the unchallenged master of all that was evil. Most of his minions could take care of the loose cannon evil servants without a hitch, and any they couldn't would probably throw their lot in with him of their own will as they saw his power rise.

It is these two I must deal with on my own, however. His eyes glinted coldly as he gazed at the images of Gasket and Archerina, Prince and Princess of the Machine Empire. They were still heirs to it, technically, though they hadn't yet conversed with Mondo and Machina since he had ordered the elder machines reconstructed. Spectre would have given quite a bit to be present during their first conversation, considering that their last parting had been somewhat. . .heated. I wonder if they know it was Gasket who sent Zedd the bomb that destroyed their first bodies. The great mass of lava severely doubted it. If they had, they would have already sent assassin-bots to take care of the duo.

And since that had not occurred, it meant he would be able to recruit them and force a reconciliation. Or at least declare that they hold off any fighting amongst themselves until Zordon's inevitable destruction and they were assigned their proper holdings in the universe.

It took him a moment to pinpoint their location, and if it had not been beneath imperial dignity, he would have rolled his eyes. They were right where they'd last been seen, barring Earth: the planet Horvat. It was rather pathetic in a way. Dark Spectre smirked to himself; he was going to enjoy terrifying them. A simple threat of obliteration had been all that it had taken for Gasket's parents to follow him, and he didn't doubt that the same thing would work for him. Weakling fool. He has emotions for that wife of his, and if I have to, I will turn them against him. Emotions are weakness. Evil can have no weaknesses.

With the merest flicker of magic, he appeared in the arena where Gasket was having his normal fun with some captives. The minute he appeared, and was recognized as what he was, every creature, mutant, humanoid, robot, and other lifeform there was on their knees before him, including Gasket and Archerina. He smirked inwardly once more. This was going to be too easy.

"Great Dark Spectre," Gasket spoke up as he turned his gaze onto the kneeling creature. "To what do we owe the honor of this visit?"

"This is no visit, Gasket." Dark Spectre spat the words out. "Gather up all your troops and prepare for a full-scale invasion of Earth."

The prince stared at him in shock. "What do you mean, my lord?"

"Just what I said." Spectre's eyes gleamed. "There have been new developments, and I am recruiting you and your piddling little 'empire' to take care of that backwater planet once and for all. There will be opposition, of course, but I expect you and the allies I will give you to take care of it."

Archerina looked curious as she dared to raise her head. "Allies, great one?"

"Oh, you'll see." Dark Spectre couldn't help but visibly smirk. "You have one month to make all the necessary preparations before you depart. If you disappoint me...it will be the last act you do."

As he vanished, he could see Gasket and Archerina started to babble to one another, and he laughed inwardly. While they keep one set of Rangers busy on Earth, the others will be Damien's to toy with. And I have some rather amusing plans for them all. It had been child’s play to figure out how they would split up. It only made rational sense, after all, and anyone with half an I.Q. point could know that the Turbo Rangers would stay on Earth while the Astros took care of the quest. He chuckled to himself. This was definitely worth anything that might happen.

"So, you're going to be defending Earth." Karone's flat statement was nowhere near a question. "And that leaves us free to deal with Damien in space."

Rocky nodded. "Well, we have the Power again and we have to use it." That was something simple that even a first year Ranger knew. If you had it, you used it. End of discussion. "Earth needs some kind of defending force in case of attack, and if you guys can't get away from the place, you're not actually going to do anything constructive on finding Zordon."

Jason shuddered faintly, the thought of his old friend and mentor being imprisoned was still rather a shock to him. But he knew these Rangers could do the job. "Most of us have enough Rangering experience so anyone who attacks will have a heck of a fight on their hands. And we can teach anyone else who doesn't." His eyes flicked for a moment to his girlfriend, and both of them reddened slightly.

"The only thing we have to do is find someone who can take the Red powers," T.J. added his comment in. There was no argument on what he was going to do, once the nature of his soulbonding to Divatox was made general knowledge in the group, they'd all known he'd be returning to her somehow. "Anyone have any ideas?"

All was silent for a few moments, then Carlos blinked, an idea crossing his mind. "Hey, what about Adam? I've been keeping in e-mail contact with him, and he said something the other day about wishing he could be a Ranger again sometimes."

"Adam?" Karone lifted one eyebrow elegantly, and Carlos felt himself feeling rather...squishy inside. She was so beautiful....and so unattainable she might as well live in another galaxy.

Rocky nodded briefly. "He's one of my best friends, he and I became Rangers for the first time together, and he gave Carlos the Green Turbo powers." He leaned back in the comforting embrace of his seat for a few moments, thinking. "I e-mailed with him for a while before..." He shrugged to indicate his capture by Divatox, "but we'd kinda drifted apart by then. I think he just might be the right guy for the job." He frowned, thinking about the other former Rangers. "What are the others up to, though?"

"Tommy's in college, he changed his mind about the stock car racing after seeing a couple of his friends smashed up," Jason recalled how he'd had to hold his old friend during the funeral, the former Ranger had been devastated. "He and Kat got engaged about a month ago; she's still in London with the ballet there. Billy's on Aquitar still, I think he and Cestria are expecting, and I have no idea how, the last I heard Aquitians and humans weren't compatible enough."

Rocky snorted. "You know Billy. If there's something he really wants..."

Jason nodded in agreement, then continued. "Aisha's moved back from Africa, she and Trini are sharing an apartment and going to college together in San Francisco." He kept to himself the other things he'd heard they were doing together. That wasn't anyone else's business, really. "Zack's still in Switzerland, he's having the time of his life there. Tanya's seeing her old boyfriend Shawn again, he's working with her on her latest recording contract."

"Oh?" That sparked Rocky's attention again. "I thought she and Adam got together." This was the sort of thing he missed when he was traveling about the universe with the forces of evil.

"It didn't work out," Carlos recalled what Adam had told him in an e-mail about that time. "They broke up once she went on the road for that first tour. Mutual decision, relatively painless, or so he said."

Jason nodded his agreement. "Apparently Shawn grew up a lot in the last year or two, the last I heard, they were very close. But I think they're all too busy to join up again. Adam's not, though. He's still working as a stuntman, but they don't have a lot of work for him right now."

T.J. nodded quietly, recalling his one meeting with the former Green Ranger. "Then let's go talk to him."

And that was what she wanted now. She wanted to be able to wake up next to him and just look at him, her heart pounding with the realization that she was his and he was hers, in all the ways of the great love stories of the past. Mother was right. I read too much of those and now I've lost my edge. If I were a proper pirate...

The pirate queen sighed mentally. If she were a proper pirate, none of this would have happened in the first place. If she were a proper pirate, she would have merrily slit his throat when she'd captured him and enjoyed the sight of him dying. Or at the least, she would have sold him off as a slave. Havoc probably could've used someone with his muscles. A proper pirate would never let her heart get involved with her work.

A proper pirate...

You are not a proper pirate, Divatox. You were never meant to be one and only now does your true nature emerge.

The voice that rang through her mind nearly shattered what self-control she had left. She'd only heard it a few times, and never in her mind like this, but once one had heard the voice of Zordon, one never forgot it.

Her eyes narrowed at once. What do you want, Zordon? She knew she would inform Dark Spectre that his captive was capable of speaking out of his small cage, but the touch of his powerful mind was so unfamiliar, and so clean and pure, like light and strength incarnate, like the taste of water to a being in the desert, like food to one who hadn't eaten in eons. She just couldn't bring herself to draw her mind away from that after that one little taste.

To speak to you only of the truth. You were not born to the one you have called your mother all your life. Nor is General Havoc your trueborn brother.

Divatox blinked for a moment, uncertain of just what he meant. She would have accused him of lying, if she hadn't known it was impossible to lie mind to mind, along with the fact this was Zordon. He was no more capable of lying than ...than..than Momma D was of telling the truth! She frowned, though. Why are you telling me this now? What does it matter? I am what I am, they're the only family I know. That I've ever known. That I have.

His response was not what she expected. Perhaps the only family you know, but not the only family you have. There is another who is your blood-kin, closer than any, and she wishes to be reunited with you. She is very dear to me, and because of that, I have chosen to contact you.

What are you talking about? The thought of actually not being related to any of them was very intoxicating. Especially as she heard Elgar and Rygog outside her door, prattling about what they should do next. The thought of being related to anyone who wasn't as dumb as her doorpost nephew was virtually a dream come true. Who are you talking about, anyway?

She felt what had to be a mental laugh. Only the one you have considered your opposite in every way since the moment of your first meeting all those eons ago. There was only one person that could be. She could feel the disbelief rise in her, and it was countered by Zordon's certainty. Yes. Dimitria. She and you are twin sisters. You were stolen by the one who raised you all your life and twisted into what you are now.

The pirate queen shivered, recalling how the few times she'd seen Dimitria, she had felt a connection. She had made herself think it was because they were total opposites, but what if it were something different? Something better? Something. . .like twins? What do I do?

His response was immediate. Wait. Follow your true heart as it awakens from it's slumber. And be ready for anything. Great things are happening, Divatox. And you're going to be part of them.

As she felt his mind slip away, she found herself smiling for the first time in days. Maybe. . .just maybe. . .she wasn't so numb after all.

He drew his attention back to the hideous creature when something was said that truly caught his attention. "I cannot be with you all the time, my prince, as I have also received an assignment from your Lord-Father, but I will serve you at every chance I get."

Damien raised one eyebrow slightly. "And does my father know you're here now?" Darkonda made no answer, which was answer enough for the dark prince. He chuckled softly, liking this one's audacity. "Very well." He lifted his head and called, "Ecliptor!"

A heartbeat passed before the green and black creature appeared in the doorway. "Yes, Prince Damien?" His eyes flickered around the room carefully, and as they lighted upon Darkonda, they flared into red fury. "And what is he doing here, my prince?"

"Serving evil, of course." Darkonda responded before the prince could. "As I have always done, Ecliptor." He smirked faintly at the warrior as if hunting at something.

Dark Spectre's son frowned minutely. "You know each other?" This was something he hadn't heard of, and he believed that Ecliptor had kept no secrets from him.

"We met many years ago, my prince." Ecliptor said flatly, obviously not liking this new arrival. "I had hoped we'd never meet again, either."

Darkonda only smirked. "I always go where I am needed, Ecliptor. And the prince most definitely needs competent help."

Ecliptor's sword appeared in his hand in a moment and he was about to lunge forward when Damien stopped him with a word. "Enough." Damien looked from one to the other of them. "Whatever rivalries you may have had before are null and void now. You both work for me and you will cooperate if I have need of that. Once we've destroyed the Rangers then you two can slice each other to ribbons if that's what you want. Until then, there will be no infighting. Is that understood?"

Darkonda and Ecliptor both executed nearly perfect identical bows. "As you wish, my prince." Ecliptor's voice was just a tad on the frosty side. "You summoned me, what do you wish?"

"I wished for you to meet Darkonda, but it appears you already know each other." Damien folded his arms and gazed from one of them to the other. "Darkonda is going to be working with us for a while." He smirked a little. "At least when he's not working for my father..." The smirk widened. "Or pursuing whatever personal course of action he has." He couldn't yet read Darkonda's body language enough to be certain if he'd taken him by surprise or not, but he had the idea that he had. The servant of evil who has only his master's interests in mind and not his own is either loyal beyond reason or a fool. And Darkonda strikes me as neither a fool nor that loyal.

Ecliptor nodded briefly, obviously holding back whatever his own opinion of the situation was. Damien wondered just what history these two had together. He considered asking Ecliptor about it, knowing that his servant would tell him if he did so. No. It isn't important, as long as they obey me. If it were something fatal, Ecliptor would have already told me. Probably nothing more than two beings of evil who simply can't stand one another. Powers of Evil know that I feel the same way about most of Father's minions. "Ecliptor, have there been any new developments with the Rangers?"

"Nothing yet, my lord." His servant and teacher reported. "They appear simply to be talking, though that could change at any moment."

Damien nodded, then glanced at Darkonda. "Depart at any time you choose to claim the things I need. The sooner the better." He grinned maliciously. "And don't fail."

Darkonda bowed again. "I never fail, my lord. Never."

Billy Cranston frowned slightly. "That doesn't quite sound like the Divatox I've heard of from the others."

"Apparently falling in love changed her rather dramatically." Dimitria's lips twitched behind her veil for a moment. "When I can, I will speak with her myself." There was a trace of wonder in her voice at actually speaking with the sister she had not even suspected had existed for most of her thousands of years of life.

Delphine nodded, glancing down at the report pad she held in one hand. "According to all our reports, Divatox has parked the SpaceBase in a stationary orbit just outside of the Sol system and has made no moves for some time. The Dark Fortress, however, is just outside of Earth's orbit and looks as if it's going to stay there for a while."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Cestro asked. "Are the reports of more Turbo Rangers accurate?"

Dimitria nodded and quickly gave a thumbnail report of what had happened with them. "T.J. will be returning to Divatox and I presume giving his powers to someone else. Knowing the way they think, they will leave the Turbo Rangers in charge of Earth's defense, and the Astro Rangers will take to the stars to conduct the search for Zordon."

"Sounds like Ranger-thinking." Billy grinned a little. "Are they going to be dropping in here at any time?"

"I believe so, but I have no idea of when." Dimitria knew that they would come, and her pocket burned for a moment with the cards that Zordon had given her. "Zordon once told me they would."

Delphine nodded; they all trusted Zordon with their lives and beyond. If he had said it, it would happen. "Is there anything else that we can do? We've been organizing the fight against Dark Spectre's forces all over the universe..."

"Recent information indicates that Prince Gasket and Princess Archerina were recruited by Dark Spectre not that long ago. He didn't send a minion as he normally does, however, he went himself." Billy recalled something he'd picked up from the information section. Telepathic and magic-using spies had been set near any force of evil that was thought might possibly attract the evil Emperor's attention, and everything they knew was transmitted on an hourly basis back to Aquitar by the most secure methods known.

Cestria glanced at her husband. "Is there any indication of what he might have wanted them for?" The other shook his head, and she frowned lightly. "What could it be? He wouldn't normally do something like that."

"Not a clue." Billy frowned as he recalled all the other things that the intelligence report had said. "The spy wasn't able to get close enough to hear the conversation, all she could report was that Archerina and Gasket talked with Spectre and have been making arrangements to go somewhere. No clues yet on as to just where."

Dimitria considered. "Too many options at the moment, so have everyone everywhere stand by. He could be starting a new attack somewhere else, they could be a diversion from somewhere else, or support troops for an already in progress attack." Her voice was crisp and decisive, a far cry from what the Turbo Rangers had heard from her when she was their mentor. "Make certain all the spies everywhere keep an eye out for them. They could be trouble."

Billy nodded, recalling all the problems that the evil duo had caused while he was still on Earth. "Will do." He thought for a moment, checking over everything he'd wanted to remember to bring up and found nothing. "That's about everything from me. Is there anything else we need to deal with?"

The small group got back to work, but in the back of Dimitria's mind there was still the wonder of having found her sister, and the worry over what the dark emperor was up to. She had the very strong feeling it was no good.

Of course, that was the whole point of this thing, it was set up to transfer his energy into Dark Spectre. That was rather annoying, but there wasn't much he could do about it that he wasn't already doing, or had made arrangements for someone else to do for him. Dark Spectre has no idea my mind is as free as it has ever been to range around, and I have absolutely no intentions of telling him. After ten thousands years I've gotten very used to delegating through mind-links.

In a way, those eons spent in that time warp had been very good for him. He'd learned to control his powers to a degree that had never before been matched by any of his fellow wizards or magi, he had become self-controlled to the point many suspected he couldn't get angry any more, and he was skilled at sending his mind and spirit anywhere that they needed to go. If he'd been given a choice, he would gladly have left both of these warps behind forever and made his way in the normal fashion.

But that choice was not his, at least not at this point in time. He knew many things by his art, but he still had no idea if he would be rescued before all his powers were drained. And the longer this draining continued, the harder it would be for him to reach out and contact those who needed it. I must not think of that. He reminded himself harshly. He had to keep thinking of the future, of ways to help the others.

His mind raced, remembering things that had been set out on Eltar before his capture. He had not known it was coming, but he had suspected there was something in the air from the moment Lerigot had released him from his time warp. He told me there was something coming, but I had no idea it was going to be this.

That was almost terrifying in a way. He knew that Lerigot knew so much more than he did about the future, but the Liarian was bound by rules not to reveal everything he knew. That was the curse of all those who knew the future. Only in very rare cases could they speak of what they knew. I knew there would be an evil Green Ranger, but I was forbidden to speak, hoping it wouldn't come to pass. It had been rather easy for him to know. When Kimberly had visited the Wild West era so many years before, she'd been so upset and nervous she'd spilled everything about the Rangers' future, including that Tommy Oliver would become first the evil Green Ranger, then the Good Green Ranger, and that he would one day lose those powers to become the White Ranger. I concealed the knowledge rather well with that bilge about a 'prophecy being fulfilled'. And she never knew the difference.

It was nice to know that once again Kimberly was back in action as a Power Ranger. Her short stint with the powers of evil had given her a maturity and a growth she had not gained while away from the job before, and now she was going to be doing what she and all the others had been born to do: defend Earth once more.

I must make plans for a few other things. They will need the Delta MegaShip as well. Soon...but not now. They're too far from it and if I reveal it's location, then it could be destroyed before they can put it to use. His mind raced endlessly over the things that needed to be done. The Rangers would also need the Mega V Zords, but that would have to wait until they were on Aquitar. Any sooner and it would be the same as for the Delta MegaShip: premature destruction.

That was something he refused to risk. He wasn't planning for his own survival, he knew. That was absolutely ridiculous. He was planning for the universe's survival. And in the long run, that mattered far, far more than his did.

The shock quadrupled when everyone rippled and their morphs faded out to show the real people beneath it. Standing there were Justin Stewart, Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond, T.J. Johnson, Carlos Alvarez, Rocky DeSantos, Kimberly Hart, Emily Maddison, and Jason Lee Scott. He didn't recognize the blonde girl, the two-toned haired boy, or the other boy with hair even blonder than the girl's.

"I don't think I have enough space for everyone, so I hope no one's planning to spend the night." He said, staring at the group before him.

Carlos shook his head and grinned at his predecessor. "We have some things to tell you, and we need to ask you something. Well, T.J. has to ask you something."

The ex-Ranger nodded briefly, then stood up. "Anyone want something to drink? And who are your friends?"

As he got the drinks, he waved briefly to the newcomers. It seemed that they'd acquired a few new Rangers while they were in space, and now were being led by Karone, the Red Astro Ranger. The revelation of the blonde boy as the Phantom Ranger was rather interesting, and the one with blonde and brown streaks proved to be Ashley's new boyfriend, the Silver Ranger, Andros.

"All right." He nodded as he sat back down and looked at the varied Rangers scattered throughout his living room. "What do you need from me?"

T.J. traced a mindless design on the table's surface for a moment, obviously in thought. Finally he said, "I need you to take the Red Turbo powers. I'm in love with Divatox and I think if I can spend some more time with her, then maybe I'll be able to help her realize she's not really that evil and we can help rescue Zordon."

Adam stared at the younger man for several moments, blinking in astonishment. He'd never thought that much about taking back on a set of Ranger powers, though in his heart he had always wanted to. The most he'd hoped for was maybe a chance to do something as Billy had, to mentor a group for a while. But this. . .this was nothing at all what he'd been expecting.

His mind raced in how to deal with it, but his voice and his heart had already made the decision already. "If that's what you want, I'll do it."

T.J. grinned, he'd had hope Adam would go along with this. Once this was settled, they would use the MegaShip's teleportation system to get him onto the SpaceBase. Back to her. Back...home.

Jason cleared his throat lightly. "We can figure out a base and all the rest of it later, but we're going to be watching over Earth and any attacks that get launched from here while the others are hunting Zordon down."

"You'll have Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster to help you out, too," Justin added. "I'm not sure, but I think they might know something that can help that they're just not telling us. It's kind of a feeling I get from Storm Blaster, but it's kind of hard to put into words."

Adam nodded slowly, he'd never formally 'met' the two sentient cars, but he had a high degree of respect for them, just based on what he'd heard. "I'll do what I can. I haven't been doing much lately, and I want to get back in on this."

The Red Turbo Ranger nodded, then flicked his wrists, his Turbo Chargers appearing on them. "These are yours." He said simply, sliding them off and holding them out to Adam. "Good luck with them."

Adam nodded, then suddenly stared at T.J. "You're in what with Divatox??"

It had only been moments earlier when Zordon's voice and mind had touched her again. He had told her something that had set her nerves afire and her heart aglow. T.J. was coming back to her...he loved her...

If it were anyone else I'd never believe it. But Zordon was incapable of lying. That was a fact as old as time itself. As annoying as it was at times, Zordon could not lie. If he said T.J. was coming back, he was. He hadn't said how, the indication was that the other Rangers would be helping somehow. She had a thousand questions, but all she could do was just wait.

A flicker of white light appeared in one corner, and her head snapped around to see a teleportation stream dissolve into the familiar smooth-headed figure of her beloved. She remained where she was, refusing to give in to a show of affection.

Then her resolve crumbled, and she was in his arms, and hers were around him, and she knew in the depths of her soul that Divatox the Space Pirate was gone forever.

"Of course." Adam shook the spacefaring woman's hand firmly, and glanced at the other Astro Rangers. "You're certain T.J.'s going to be happy where he is?"

Cassie nodded firmly. "He's with his soulmate. You can't get any happier than that." Her eyes flicked for a moment over to the Phantom, and they both smiled.

"Good." The new Red Turbo stepped back and looked at his friends and teammates. "You guys better get moving. The faster you find him, the better."

Karone nodded. "Let's go." The seven Astro Rangers touched their communicators almost in one simultaneous moment, and melted away into color-coded lights. The Turbo Rangers watched them go, feeling a sense of loss and gain as they did. They were the only defenders of Earth now.

But they would do their job.

The End