And a special thanks for all of his love and support to our newest Sisterhood member, our Brother, Jeremy Ray Logsdon. You have also helped more than you'll ever know. .. and be glad you didn't bet money on an August release, bro. . . you'd have to pay up right about now if you had. :)

Then soft footfalls sounded behind her, and Sheena knew who she believed in, who she followed, and who she would give her entire being to, if asked. "Zimmer... Please hold me..."

With a possessive smile, the wizard silently complied. Staring off through a nearby window at the distant stars that marked the Milky Way Galaxy, he chuckled triumphantly to himself. I hope you did escape my little prison, Cranston... I want you to live out your life with your friends, knowing you will never know the sweetness of Sheena's love ever again. Then he cast his gaze upward, knowing that those who dwelled in the hereafter could be anywhere and everywhere, and could hear anyone they loved, cared about... or hated. I've won, Kahva Kilanye... I'VE WON!!!

"Not until we're sure you're okay," Adam gently rebuked him, making the Sapphire Ranger stand still for a few moments longer. "Hey look, we're checking you out here in the main chamber, not the infirmary, and that's the only concession we're giving you, okay?" A forced, half-amused snort from Billy answered the Green Ranger, but he offered no more resistance as Adam and Alpha finished up their medical scans. "Okay, you've got a clean bill of health."

"I could've told you that, and have been trying to tell you that," Billy grumbled. His tone changed immediately to one full of worry as he made fleeting contact with Kahva's eyes before she hurriedly looked away from him. I wish I could take the past few hours away from her... Heck of a way to spend a birthday... "Kahva is the one who needs to be checked over," he finished softly. Both Rangers looked at their older friend, who had been standing just out of the Rangers' cluster; arms folded tightly, her hands and wrists hidden beneath them, hiding the bruises that Rocky had spotted earlier. They all had seen the small purplish spots after arriving back at the Power Chamber before she could hide them though. "My clone... attacked her." The others don't seem to know exactly what he did, and Kahva needs to be the one to tell them, not me... But if she doesn't tell them, I will. I swear Zimmer Delnas, whoever and whatever you are, you are going to pay dearly for what you've done today!

"He certainly did something to her," Adam stated, beginning to move towards her. "She's not been this quiet since she first arrived here in our dimension. Wait... how do you know what the clone did - never mind, you will explain that later. I'm going to check Kahva over." It took a bit of convincing from Adam, Alpha, then finally Tommy before Kahva would agree to be scanned. Even during the scan, she tried to hide the bruises without being obvious, but couldn't. When Jason asked her what the clone had done, she retreated further into herself, not saying a single word to anyone. Wordless nods or shakes of her head as Adam and Alpha asked her questions were the only responses anyone could extract from her.

What did that clone do to her? Tommy asked himself over and over again, examining her with a critical eye. Little things were catching his attention now, such as her shirt, pulled out instead of tucked in, and the bottom two buttons were unfastened. Dirt and grass stains covered her shirt and jeans, and her shoes were scuffed up, as if she'd taken a bad fall... or had been in a struggle. You should have noticed these things at the carnival, Tommy! You saw her dirty face, how scared she was, but you should have noticed these other clues there, not here! How slow can you be?! You should have seen this all before!! You should have seen it ALL!! "What did he do to her?" he muttered under his breath, not intending for anyone to hear him.

A soft step sounded behind him as his girlfriend came up behind him. "She's safe now, Tommy," Kat slipped her arms about his waist reassuringly. "And so is Billy. As for Sheena, we will find her, and then we'll all be together again, so quit blaming yourself, because I know that's exactly what you are doing right now." Moving to his side, but keeping an arm about his waist, the Australian beauty smiled a little. "Don't try to deny it, I know you too well, Tommy Oliver."

Tommy let out a small, quiet sigh of admittance, gently hugging his girlfriend. "Yes I am... because I should've taken Kahva more seriously to start out with today. Maybe it would've kept Sheena from leaving with Zimmer, maybe it wouldn't have, but I'm sure that at least whatever that clone of Billy did to Kahva wouldn't have happened. We could have prevented it." Adam and Alpha were treating Kahva's bruises at that point, and it was all the Red Zeo Ranger could do not to growl with anger as her short sleeves were pushed up, revealing even more small bruises, and now minor scrapes and a few tiny scratches. She'll be fine in a couple of days, the bruises will go away in a week or so, she's safe here. Minor injuries, all very minor. Any of us could've gotten them from falling in a game of basketball, they're all very minor... But what the heck did that clone do to her? What did he say to Sheena to prejudice her so against us? What has happened here?! "I could have prevented it. Why didn't I see this all before? Why didn't I listen to her earlier?!" Tommy hissed at himself under his breath, jaw tightly clenched. "I know I tend to be forgetful at times, but I would've thought that I'm not this dense!!"

A gentle nudge and a worried look from Kat made him realize he was literally shaking with rage, and it took several slow, deep breaths before he could calm himself enough to take charge of the situation. "Okay team, our leader has been kidnapped, though she seems to think that she's been driven away from us, by us, that we have betrayed her somehow. We've got to figure out what has happened here today, and where this Zimmer Delnas could have possibly taken her, so we can find her, and make her see the truth." Tommy wanted to ask Kahva to recount her day's experiences first, but she wasn't looking anyone in the eye. I won't put you through all that again, not just yet. But I'm going to have to at some point, I'm so sorry... "Billy? Everything that happened today seems to have started in the Hall of Mirrors, tell us what happened to you starting from when you, Sheena and Kahva first went in there."

"Actually," Billy started, "from the way Zimmer gloated over me, it sounds like this may have started from the point where he first met Sheena a year ago. Today was just the climax." The Sapphire Ranger then launched into a careful account of what had happened to him, and what he had seen. He almost told the others exactly what his clone had done to Kahva, and what he'd felt the clone would have done to Kahva if not for Zimmer's summons, but thought better of it. I heard that summons myself through my clone, and he didn't want to leave Kahva right then, he wanted keep going... The older girl was listening intently to him, he knew, but she still wouldn't look any of them directly in the eye. Or she can't just yet. I'll give her a little more time to tell everyone what my clone did on her own, but if she can't, or won't tell, I will. The truth of his assault on her can't be kept silent. A few minutes later and Billy had finished his side of the story. "I don't know anything else that Zimmer Delnas was doing today, I wish I did," he sighed.

Why haven't we heard of this guy Zimmer Delnas before as a potential threat, why was he after Sheena? Why did he do all of this to us, wouldn't it have been simpler for him to just grab Sheena? Why the big elaborate show, what are we missing here? Jason shook his head in disbelief as at Tommy's request, Billy detailed his imprisonment, and then the wizard's silencing of him before creating his magical clone. "You couldn't even talk in there? Oh man..."

"Not at all," Billy replied. "I don't know what he did to me, but every time I tried to say something to him, I couldn't... Wait a minute," he stopped himself, thinking back through the day's events. "Whenever Delnas, Zimmer, whatever his name really is, wasn't in that place with me, I could talk. I don't think I imagined myself yelling at my clone when he was with you guys, or calling out to Sheena..." His voice trailed off painfully then, as the memory of Sheena teleporting away with Zimmer replayed vividly in his mind. It was all he could do not to cry when both Kat and Tanya hugged him, trying to comfort him. Sheena, why? What hold does he have on you? I love you, please believe that, wherever you are, please believe that!

"Then whatever he did to you only worked when he was near you?" Tommy asked gently, a faint trace of eagerness in his voice. Then maybe, just maybe... At Billy's nod, Tommy turned to face Zordon. "Could that mean Zimmer isn't as strong a wizard as Vile, Zedd or Rita?" he asked hopefully. "If so, then maybe if he's put a spell on Sheena, we can break it without too much trouble?" The long silence from their mentor quashed all of Tommy's hopes more utterly than any flat negative answer ever could.

Finally Zordon sighed and replied, EVEN THOUGH THAT IS POSSIBLE, I AM AFRAID WE CANNOT HOPE FOR THAT, RANGERS. THIS ZIMMER DELNAS APPEARS TO BE A VERY POWERFUL WIZARD, IF HE IS MAGICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING THAT TRANSPIRED TODAY. IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF POWER TO CREATE A POCKET DIMENSION TO HOLD SOMEONE PRISONER IN, MAGICALLY TAKE THAT PRISONER'S VOICE AWAY, AND CREATE A PERFECT CLONE ALL AT THE SAME TIME. THE ONLY CLONE LIKE THIS YOU HAVE EVER FACED BEFORE RANGERS, WAS THE CLONE OF BILLY THAT RITA AND ZEDD MADE FROM A STATUE. ACCORDING TO BILLY'S ACCOUNT, THE CLONE YOU SAW TODAY WAS CREATED FROM ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. ALSO, DO NOT FORGET THAT ZEDD AND RITA'S DARK DIMENSIONS WERE CREATED LONG AGO -

"But they are permanent, aren't they?" Rocky interrupted, not wanting to believe that the Rangers might be facing someone stronger than the wizards they had fought before. "How powerful can this guy be, if his collapsed once he left with Sheena?"

YES ROCKY, RITA AND ZEDD'S DARK DIMENSIONS ARE PERMANENT, Zordon continued. BUT WHEN THEY WERE CREATED, NEITHER ZEDD OR RITA WERE HAVING TO CAST OTHER SPELLS AT THE SAME TIME. THE SAME THING GOES FOR THE DARK DIMENSIONS MASTER VILE HAS CREATED OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS. IF ANY OF THEM WERE HAVING TO CAST OTHER SPELLS AT THE SAME TIME THEY WERE CREATING A POCKET DIMENSION, ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE SPELLS WOULD HAVE FALLEN APART, IF NOT BOTH SPELLS. Zordon's expression turned troubled then, his voice growing very grave. DO NOT FORGET THAT WHEN THE CLONE OF BILLY WAS MADE FROM THE STATUE, ZEDD AND RITA WERE WORKING TOGETHER. IF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TODAY WAS CREATED OR CAUSED BY THIS ZIMMER DELNAS' MAGIC ALONE, THEN HE IS AT LEAST AS POWERFUL AS THE TWO OF THEM PUT TOGETHER. HE MAY EVEN BE AS POWERFUL AS MASTER VILE, IF NOT MORE SO. Zordon gazed at his young charges sadly, wishing he could give them some good news. ZIMMER DELNAS WILL NOT BE EASILY DEFEATED, I AM AFRAID.

I won't give up, there has to be some way to get my wife back from that slime! Billy took a deep breath, then strode over to the scanning consoles. "Then the first thing we have to nail down is just what kind of power this guy has; if he was using all magic, or some other kind of power - or even if he was using someone else's power."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Adam interrupted. "You don't think he could have been working with Vile or Mondo or someone else, do you?"

"I don't know, Adam... That's what we have to find out," the Sapphire Ranger answered without looking up from the scanning controls. "We have to know exactly who we are dealing with before we can save Sheena." The next several minutes went by with a maddening silence broken only by the soft beeps and chirps of the computers in the main chamber. No one could bring themselves to voice their shared fear: Zimmer Delnas was more powerful than any wizard they had ever faced, and he had their friend and leader at his mercy. Unable to stand it any longer, Tommy teleported out abruptly, without a single word to anyone. Only the sensors picking him up walking about the park, conducting his own search in the area they had seen Sheena and Zimmer come from kept the others from immediately bringing him back. The fact that no Cogs or any other threat was showing up on those same sensor sweeps was the only thing that kept them all from teleporting out to where he was. "Find something we can use, Tommy..." Billy whispered hopefully to the viewing screen, keeping anxious hands on the teleportation controls if any danger should appear before his friend. He had lost his wife that day, he was not going to lose anyone else! "Please find something that will bring my wife back," he breathed softly, watching Tommy go deeper and deeper into the forest.

"Please come back to me Tommy," Kat whispered, moving to stand beside Billy, watching her love intently. If anything dared to come within a mile of him that might hurt him, she fully intended to teleport out and rip the threat apart with her bare hands. "What's he doing?" she asked Billy as Tommy suddenly knelt down, picking at something in the grass.

"I don't know - wait, he's coming back." A flash of red, first on the viewing screen, then in the main chamber a half-second later signaled Tommy's return. Before anyone could ask him what, if anything he'd found, Tommy pressed something into Billy's hands.

"That's all I could find... They're all broken, three of them had been lit..." Tommy paused for a moment, then finished quietly, "They were all in a circle, at the cardinal points... Sheena must have been casting her circle so she could think, but something stopped her. The fourth candle was crushed and unlit, as if it had been stepped on. I'm willing to bet Zimmer interrupted her, he stepped on the candle and stopped her, maybe he even broke the others. Though I can't imagine Sheena letting him do that. I'm sorry Billy. I wish I could have found something more... hopeful." Tommy sighed deeply, moving to take Kat into his arms. "If only she'd been able to cast her circle... She's always said it helps her, that it shelters her from evil and lies..." he muttered softly, hugging Kat close to him.

Billy nodded in wordless thanks, clutching the broken candles tightly in his hands, refusing to let the tears that threatened to spill out of his eyes fall. Sheena... What did he do to you? I love you, please believe that, please! Wherever you are, please know deep within your heart that I truly love you, and always will! Oh Sheena...

After several more tense minutes of seemingly endless scanning, Zordon finally broke the uneasy silence for them all. OUR SCANS SHOW THAT THERE WAS AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF POSSIBLY MAGICAL ENERGY FLOWING AROUND THE CARNIVAL AND THE WOODS WHILE ALL OF YOU WERE THERE TODAY, THOUGH NOT IN SUCH CONCENTRATED AMOUNTS THAT IT WOULD HAVE SET OFF OUR ALARMS. SOME OF IT WAS CENTERED AROUND WHERE YOU WERE CAPTURED, BILLY. THAT SMALL POOL OF ENERGY WAS CONNECTED TO SOMETHING MOBILE OUTSIDE, MOST LIKELY YOUR EVIL CLONE. THE REST OF THE ENERGY SEEMS TO BE EVEN MORE MINOR, JUST THIN THREADS THAT SEEM TO HAVE FLOATED ALL AROUND THE CARNIVAL AND EVEN INTO THE WOODS. WHATEVER ZIMMER HAS DONE, HE HAS -

"Wait a minute," Kahva softly broke in, speaking for the first time since they had all returned to the Power Chamber. The sudden sound of her quiet voice made nearly all of the Rangers jump with startlement. "Zordon, did you just say threads of energy?"

YES KAHVA, WHY DO YOU ASK? Instead of answering him however, Kahva moved to Alpha's side at the sensor controls, asking him to overlay a visual representation of the energy threads over surprisingly limited surveillance video of the carnival. KAHVA? Zordon asked again as the threads were now shown floating through the park as the young people had been enjoying themselves earlier in the day. At Kahva's urging, Alpha skipped forward in the records, showing the moments before Sheena, Billy and Kahva had reached the Funhouse. Billy gasped and Tommy uttered a low growl as the combined readings showed where the threads had fallen. THE THREADS SEEM TO BE WRAPPING AROUND SHEENA, RANGERS. BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THIS SCENE TOOK PLACE, IT SEEMS LIKELY THE OTHER THREADS THAT FLOATED AROUND THE CARNIVAL AND THE WOODS WERE ALSO DIRECTED AT THE SILVER RANGER. KAHVA? IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO COMPARE THE RECORDS THIS WAY, BUT WHY DID YOU ASK ALPHA TO COMBINE THE SENSOR LOGS LIKE THIS? WHAT MADE YOU -

"It's pure fascination... Zimmer's got her bound up in a fascination trance, that has to be it," she whispered breathlessly, interrupting the great mentor. Looking up at him apologetically, she explained, "It was the only possible thing that was starting to make any kind of sense, but I had to be sure first, though."

"Wait a minute here... a 'fascination trance'? What is that supposed to be?" Billy broke in, a trace of disbelief coloring his tone. He had expected some kind of explanation of what Zimmer had done to come from Zordon, or maybe from Ninjor, if they were to call on him... but not from Kahva.

If his doubt bothered her, Kahva gave no sign of it, her realization bringing its own excitement and confidence. "A fascination trance is a spell that is woven very carefully, thread by thread, forming a 'net' around the victim, for lack of a better term. With each thread, the victim's responses are dulled ever so slightly, and gradually their perceptions are not are sharp as they normally would or should be. They can't tell that they are in any danger at all, and in latter stages of the spell, even scoff at any suggestion of the notion. As the 'net' gets larger, grows, then tightens around the victim, they are unable to disbelieve anything that the caster tells them," she explained quickly.

"In other words, Zimmer could tell her the sky is polka-dotted and she'd believe him?" Tommy asked in a worried, but skeptical tone. There I go again, doubting her when what she's saying feels right and true. Why do I doubt her, why can't I wholeheartedly believe her? We've heard and seen strange things from Vile, Zedd and Rita before, so why can't I believe Kahva in this strangeness now? I know I don't want to believe anything's really and truly so wrong, but... Tommy shivered suddenly as he found the answer within. We can't believe her... We've lost the ability to believe her somehow, at least the ability to trust in what she's saying that we used to have. Are we all enspelled? Dear God, if he's really done that, if Zimmer can pull off this kind of magic, what are we going to do to stop him? How do we stop him... Can we stop him?

"Basically yes," Kahva replied, deliberately ignoring Tommy's doubting tone and beginning to pace a little. "The base thread takes no real magical preparation at all to cast, just physical contact, and the skill and desire to do it. With constant physical contact, a fascination trance can be completed in two to three weeks, from what I know about it."

"Kahva... How do you know all this?" Jason asked lightly, not doubting her in the least. What Kahva was saying was making a kind of sense of sorts; it did seem to fit the facts as they knew them. It's the only answer we've got to work with. Why haven't we heard about Zimmer before? Why?!

"Just because I believe in God, not Sheena's Goddess Isis, doesn't mean that I haven't read about Sheena's religion, or magic and spells and other stuff!" Kahva snapped back. Their earlier doubting of her still hurt very deeply. Now Tommy's unconvinced tone, with Jason's question, though not a doubting one, had brought the hurt back full force. At the Gold Ranger's alarmed reaction, Kahva immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jump on you like that Jason. You are right to ask how I know." Kahva took a deep breath to settle her nerves, then continued, "I read a lot, and there are very few limits I've placed on what I will read. Sheena always says it's one of the reasons I 'speak Billy' so well, I'm very well read," she replied, forcing a dry, humorless laugh. "Getting back to the point, Zimmer obviously hasn't had constant physical contact with Sheena, so he's had to do this from a distance, it's the only way left to him. Otherwise, someone would've noticed what was going on long before now and could've gotten Sheena to use her Silver Flame, or cast her circle to try and break it. Zimmer wouldn't want to risk that... Based on what Zimmer boasted to Billy, and from what Sheena has told me about Master Madas, he may would have sensed a base thread for a fascination trance, so Zimmer most likely cast it just before she left Eltar.

"She did say that someone wished her well and safe journey when she got back to Ladiska, but she couldn't remember who, that it was probably a Power Ranger fan. She did remember he had cold hands, though," Adam recalled. "Zimmer, maybe? I don't remember if she ever said a name."

Kahva nodded her head eagerly, convinced she was right far beyond a shadow of a doubt now. "That has to be when he did it. If he has a scrying crystal, and I'd be very surprised if he doesn't, then he could just tell it to find her and show her to him. After the first thread, the base, is cast, all he needs is line of sight to continue weaving the 'net'."

Billy nodded a little, a memory flashing before his eyes. "I think he does have one. At least, I saw him with a crystal, one not much bigger than mine or Sheena's." Billy moved closer to Kahva, there was still something that didn't make sense to him. "But why come here, Kahva? Why not finish the 'net' as you call it, from a distance, and when it was finished, simply command her to come to him?"

Kahva winced ever so slightly in seeming pain before she answered the Sapphire Ranger. "Because... because there must be two points of physical contact for a fascination trance to work. The beginning thread, and the ending thread." Kahva began to pace more rapidly now, her steps agitated. "At the end of a fascination trance, in the last day or two, there has to be physical contact, to prepare for the final thread. The caster has to be absolutely sure that the 'net' is tight before the last physical contact that casts the final thread. Casting the final thread takes a lot out of the caster, they'll be out of it for a few days."

"Could we try to rescue Sheena then, Kahva?" Tanya asked gently. The more Kahva had explained about the trance, the more she had been able to push her own doubts about what the older girl was telling them aside. "If he's not up to full strength, wouldn't we have better odds of rescuing her then? We could worry about breaking the spell on her later... right?"

A sad shake of her head was the answer. "I wish. Let me finish, please," Kahva begged. "You all have to understand the trance if we're going to have a snowball's chance in Hades of saving Sheena." The young woman took a deep breath, gathering her wits and nerve about her like a shield. Billy is going to absolutely hate me for this... "If the 'net' isn't secure, there's the chance the victim may be able to break free, no matter how unlikely that slim chance is. Zimmer can't take any chances, however, with Sheena. He can't risk Sheena breaking free of the fascination trance at a later time, not if he wants to keep her with him, as he seems to want to do. I think... or rather hope, based on what's happened today, that he's had to speed up his timetable. And I think I know why." Kahva indicated the Red Ranger then. "Tommy found Sheena's candles in the woods, broken, three had been lit. We know that when Sheena goes off to be alone, she's going to find a place to cast her circle and center herself. Zimmer may not have known what she was doing exactly, but he may have felt a barrier beginning to form between him and her. If Sheena had completed it, I don't think he could've crossed the circle."

Tommy nodded, "Sheena told us after a fight she had with Mondo shortly after she joined us that she didn't think he could cross it. That's how it appeared to her, anyway. So if Mondo couldn't cross it, and let's say Zimmer couldn't either... Maybe, just maybe, the circle might have broken the fascination trance, or weakened it?" he guessed.

"That's my guess," Kahva agreed, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. "Look, maybe Zimmer hadn't even planned on taking a day or two to get Sheena used to him being around before kidnapping her, maybe he had, but whatever his plan, the point is moot right now. Sheena's had the strength of will to try and cast her circle once, who's to say she won't try again? She always casts it when she's troubled. As far as she's concerned, she's been betrayed by her team, her friends... and her husband. I know Sheena, she will try to cast her circle again, unless Zimmer has her mind clouded up enough that she can't think to do it. Either way, he's not got the day or two he may have planned on to set up the final contact."

Billy shivered, rubbing away at the goosebumps springing up on his arms. I'm not sure what's scaring me more, what Kahva's telling us, or the way she's acting. Billy had found himself studying the girl's movements, watching as her pacing had grown agitated, nearly frantic and panicked, but still somehow keeping herself under a steely control, being as clear as possible, as if to make sure they all understood the importance of her words. Why do I feel like my world is about to end? he wondered as the older girl continued her explanation-theory.

"So I'm willing to bet that he's casting the last threads as fast as he can, so he can make the final contact and close the 'net' on her before she might possibly get the urge to cast her circle again... for once the final thread is woven, the fascination trance can never be broken. She'll be his forever. But with the last threads being so hurriedly woven, that part of the net won't be as strong," Kahva finished up in a rush. "It might be just enough for us to break it somehow. But we've got to do it before he... makes the final physical contact and casts the last thread." Kahva's voice had fallen eerily soft then, and her store of self-confidence and courage that had helped her to talk in front of all of them so empassionedly seemed to flee her abruptly.

It was Billy who finally pulled up the courage to ask the question that was left. "Kahva, what aren't you telling us? What do you not want to tell me?" Billy placed a hand on either of the brunette's shoulders, determined to have his answer. "She's my wife, tell me, please," he begged softly.

He is going to hate me forever... "B-Billy, the final contact has to be a... personal one. The closest way you can ever touch another living, loving being. At that point, she'll be his forever, mind, body, soul, heart... we'll never get her back. Sheena will never know that it's a spell, she'll think that it's all been her decision to make." Avoiding his gaze, she finished quietly. "We have to show her that it's all lies and illusions somehow, before that happens. We have to show her the truth, get her to see it for herself... Or we'll never get her back, ever." Kahva didn't, and couldn't look at Billy's face to see his reaction to her revelation, the not-quite bruising grip he had on her shoulders screamed out his understanding all too clearly.

"Kahva, you had better tell me you're joking," Billy growled softly. "I'll believe that he can cast threads of some wild magic on my wife, make her not believe any of us, only him... But I'll never believe that she'd go that far with him willingly!" At her silence, Billy's demand changed to an angry plea. "Tell me you're making a very bad joke! Please!" Kahva shook her head sadly, which only seemed to make Billy angrier. He released her finally, muttering dire threats under his breath at Zimmer, stalking over to the scanners red-faced, fists tightly clenched. At the light touch of her concerned hand upon his shoulder, his rage exploded. "Don't touch me!" he snapped, his anger flying out at the bearer of bad news.

The sight of Kahva's pale face, the trembling of her shoulders silenced the Sapphire Ranger immediately. The fear building in her eyes of him, one she considered near-brother and friend shamed him as she somehow found the strength to talk to him calmly, gently. "Billy, she's your wife, and she's my soul-sister. We have to find a way to make her see that Zimmer's fed her all lies and illusions somehow. We have to do that." Her voice cracking at last, she turned away from him then. "Zimmer is not going to get away with this," she promised softly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you," Billy apologized gently, reaching out a remorseful hand to her. "Zimmer is the one who did this, not you. You're just the one who had to tell me, I'm sorry, Kahva. Please forgive me?" he begged softly. After what seemed like an eternity, Kahva turned back to him, accepting his hand, then gentle hug of apology with a faint, but forced smile.

KAHVA, YOU SAY THAT THE FASCINATION TRANCE IS WOVEN OF LIES AND ILLUSIONS? Zordon gently broke in at that point, trying to break the tension filling the main chamber. WHY DO I NOT KNOW OF THIS ZIMMER DELNAS? SURELY I WOULD HAVE CROSSED PATHS WITH A WIZARD OF HIS STRENGTH BEFORE. THERE HAVE BEEN NO TRUE WIZARDS ON ELTAR FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. WHAT INFORMATION ARE WE MISSING HERE? WHY IS HE SO INTERESTED IN SHEENA?

"Yes, the caster wants the will of the victim to be theirs for all time," came the nearly whispered, slightly shaky reply. Billy's outburst had frightened Kahva badly, though she was fighting herself not to show to the others just how seriously it had scared her. Billy's face twisted in pain at her answer, shamed further of the way he'd reacted to her bad news.

Their mentor fell silent and thoughtful for a few agonizingly long moments, then stated carefully, THERE MAY BE ONE WAY TO BREAK IT THEN, RANGERS. IT IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE ANSWER I CAN THINK OF, AT LEAST. THERE IS A CRYSTAL, THE CRYSTAL OF TRUTH, THAT IS SAID TO BE ABLE TO SHOW WHOEVER LOOKS INTO IT THE TRUTH THEY ARE BLIND TO. BUT I MUST WARN YOU ALL... THERE IS THE CHANCE THE CRYSTAL DOES NOT EVEN EXIST ANYMORE. THE FORCES OF EVIL HAVE ALWAYS HUNTED RUTHLESSLY FOR IT, AND IT MAY VERY WELL HAVE BEEN STOLEN LONG AGO. NO ONE HAS HEARD ANYTHING DEFINITE ABOUT THE CRYSTAL FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. BUT IF MAGICAL LIES AND ILLUSIONS ARE THE TOOLS OF OUR NEW FOE, THEN THE CRYSTAL IS OUR ONLY HOPE, I FEAR. I HAVE NOT SEEN A WIZARD WITH THE APPARENT STRENGTH AND SKILL OF THIS ZIMMER DELNAS IN MANY MILLENNIA.

The Rangers glanced at each other a bit nervously, then up at Zordon. His voice had grown soft and extremely worried, a tone they had rarely heard from their mentor. Tommy found himself remembering the last time Zordon had sounded this worried: when Sheena had been under Mondo's evil hold, serving him as his ultimate warrior. Now this Zimmer wants to control her, he already has a hold over her. What happens if we're too late, and if he orders her to attack? If Kahva's right, and Zimmer casts that last thread, we won't be able to break his hold on her... I'll have to destroy my own cousin... NO! I won't think like that! The terrible dread and urgency tightly gripped all their hearts, as each of them fought down the fear of not knowing what to do to save their leader and friend, but knowing they had to do something, and fast. Billy was the first person to speak, forcing himself not to think of the horrible consequences of what Kahva had just told him, of all the myriad of things Zimmer could be doing to Sheena right now. The Sapphire Ranger's fists balled up tightly in steely determination as he spoke.

"The Crystal of Truth is our goal, then. How do we get it, Zordon? How do we save my wife?"

"Zimmer." The cold, evil wizard looked down into his prize's tired eyes and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face almost absently. "T... this is a beautiful home you have here." She seemed to be groping for words to say, out of politeness and a desperate need to talk to someone who hadn't betrayed her more than anything else.

"Thank you," he smiled softly and tenderly at her. "My family has lived on and ruled over this planet for an extremely long time, and the people here love us," he lied smoothly. They'll love you too."

One eyebrow raised, as her mind caught on a word he'd spoken. "Ruled?"

He nodded. "Yes, I am a king here," he smiled briefly. "And before you ask why I didn't tell you before... Sheena, I wanted us to become friends without you knowing anything about who I really am. Also, I don't consider being king all that important. It's just a job I have," he shrugged, hiding his pleasure at her enspelled attention, "an ordinary job that has been passed down in my family for many generations. I much prefer wandering around the universe and meeting beautiful maidens such as yourself, though you are truly the fairest of them all, my dearest one."

Sheena blushed deeply at the compliment, shaking her head. "I'm certain you've seen much better looking women than I in the past, and I'm not a maiden. I'm a married woman... at least, I was..." Darkness filled her eyes as she remembered the pain of her betrayal, of the many treacheries bestowed upon her by those she had called friend and beloved. The darkness was followed by tears, until Zimmer slowly wiped them away.

"Please don't think about that," he whispered to her, taking her hand. "Come, let me show you my palace. It's a magnificent place, and I'm certain you'll love it. Don't think about your past anymore, it's over with, Sheena. Think about your future, our future, together forever."

To someone gifted with the ability to see magic, they would have seen several threads of magic extending from Zimmer, slowly wrapping themselves securely around Sheena, interwoven, locked together firmly about their prey. As they settled into place, the enspelled Ranger's shoulders fell just the tiniest bit, but it was enough for the wizard to know he had won again. "Yes, I want to see this palace of yours, Zimmer." Her voice sounded totally normal, not touched by magic in the slightest bit, but around her there was one of the tightest webs of magic in existence, continuously bending her mind and will to the thin man's dark desires. "If I'm going to stay here, I want to learn everything about it."

The wizard's lips thinned briefly as he smiled. "Come, then," he invited her, gesturing to the hallway they stood in. He had been gazing out over his royal city while Sheena had been coming to the decision she truly believed was her own. His personal bodyguards, constant companions except when he ordered them otherwise, fell into place behind the couple. "This is the royal palace; my home, and now yours as well, my lady."

"Sheena," she said firmly, touching his hand with hers. "I've told you that before, Zimmer. Just Sheena. We're friends, best friends, you don't have to treat me so formally. You've helped me more than anyone else ever has, and stuck by me no matter what. Call me by my name. Please."

He repeated it softly, barely holding back the dark pleasure that wanted so badly to flood into his voice. "Very well," he laughed gently, taking her hand. "It shall be Sheena then, always Sheena, my dearest one." Zimmer cast a veiled dark look at his bodyguards, a warning glare they knew all too well. "This is now your home as well, Sheena, and the servants here will treat you as they do me, or better." Or else!! he sent to them harshly.

The two bodyguards exchanged silent glances behind the couple as they wandered through the hallways. In all their years of service, never before had they seen their master so happy, or so nervous at the same time. Automatically knowing better than to dare speak a single word, they remained silent, hoping that whatever was making him nervous passed most swiftly.

Zimmer was not one who was known for his even temper.

She glanced over to him as they wandered through a wide, fragrant garden, and smiled softly. "You have such a lovely home, Zimmer," she said quietly. He seemed to blush a trifle as he touched her hand tenderly in silent thanks. The blush seemed to travel to her own cheeks at the contact, and she turned her attention to the exotic flowers and extravagant bushes all around them. Tears filled her eyes suddenly at the sight of a rosebush. White roses... No... White roses...

"Sheena? My sweet Sheena, what's wrong, you're crying!"

Zimmer sounds so concerned over me, how can I ever doubt his dedication to me? He truly is the only one who really ever cared... loved... loves me. She slowly wiped her tears away, accepting the silken handkerchief he offered her. "Those roses," she whispered. "I carried roses like that at my weddings. White roses... my favorite flowers. I'm sorry, I'm being silly, they're just flowers."

Her eyes widened suddenly as he reached out and plucked one from the bush, twining it into her hair so that the sweet fragrance easily reached her nose, encircling her with its wonderful scent. "Forget those painful, cold memories of that deceitful fool and all those traitors you've left behind, my dear one," he murmured. "I give you this rose, my lovely Sheena, in token of all I hope we shall have together, for all eternity, if you will only accept my love." And obey my every command, as you so blindly do right now!

She touched the petals of it gently, smiling and blushing at his attentions to her. "Thank you," she whispered, the memories of all she had gone through before leaving Earth with her wonderful true friend fading away at this reminder of his caring for her. Slowly, she reached out and took his hand, squeezing it with just the tiniest bit of care and compassion. "Thank you for everything, Zimmer."

As they walked through the garden, hand in hand and followed in solemn silence by the ubiquitous bodyguards, Sheena did not notice the rose bush Zimmer had taken the flower from wilting, then crumbling silently into dust from the wizard's lethal touch.

"Keeper?" Kat looked concerned. "Who is this Keeper?"

NO ONE KNOWS THEM BY ANY OTHER NAME THAN JUST THE KEEPER OF THE CRYSTAL, their mentor explained. THEY HAVE KEPT WATCH OVER IT AND GUARDED IT FOR NO ONE KNOWS HOW LONG, AND THEIR ENTIRE PLANET IS GEARED TOWARDS TESTING THOSE WHO WOULD CLAIM THE CRYSTAL.

Rocky frowned deeply. "So other people have tried then? Zordon, how do we know they didn't succeed? What if your fears are true, and someone's stolen it long ago?"

"Yeah," Adam nodded. "Someone else could have the Crystal and we wouldn't know until we got through the trials, and by that time it could be too late to save Sheena!"

NO RANGERS, Zordon shook his head. YOU CANNOT START TO THINK THAT WAY, OR YOUR QUEST FOR THE TRUTH THAT SHEENA NEEDS IS DOOMED BEFORE IT BEGINS. WE MUST ALL HAVE FAITH THAT IF THE CRYSTAL HAD LEFT THE POSSESSION OF ITS KEEPER, THEN ALL THE MINIONS OF EVIL, AND DISCIPLES OF THE POWER OF GOOD WOULD KNOW OF IT. Zordon looked at each of them in turn gravely then, wishing he could face the trials to come for them. BE WARNED, MY RANGERS... SHOULD YOU ACHIEVE THE CRYSTAL, YOU MUST BEWARE OF THE DANGER YOU SHALL FACE, FOR THE ENERGIES INVOLVED IN A PROPER, SUCCESSFUL PASSING OF IT FROM THE KEEPER INTO YOUR HANDS WILL BE KNOWN TO ALL BEINGS OF GREAT POWER, WHETHER GOOD OR EVIL. BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED TODAY, I FEAR THAT WILL ALSO INCLUDE ZIMMER. IF HE IS AWARE OF YOUR COMING WITH THE CRYSTAL, HE COULD STEP UP HIS TIMETABLE. STAY ALERT AND EXTREMELY CAREFUL. IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT HE IS THE MOST POWERFUL EVIL WIZARD YOU HAVE EVER BATTLED. RANGERS... GAINING THE CRYSTAL MAY NOT BE ENOUGH, BUT IT IS THE SILVER RANGER'S ONLY CHANCE FOR FREEDOM... OTHER THAN BY HER DEATH.

Everyone paled a little at that thought, and Billy went beyond pale as his fists clenched. He calmed himself as quickly as he could, invoking the ki-see mental rituals Sheena had taught him. We're coming, Sheena. Just don't let him touch you, please don't let him touch you. Keep your slimy mitts off her, Zimmer, Delnas, or whatever you want to call yourself. I really don't care. Just don't touch her!! Don't you dare lay a hand on my wife!! He looked up at Zordon again, then back to the others. "We have to go for it," he said softly. I have to go for it, I can't ask the rest of you to take this risk -"

"As if we'll let you go by yourself?" Tanya snorted, moving to take Billy's hands. "We're all going for this, we are not going to let him keep her! We're a team, and she's our leader and friend, so we're all going. Right, guys?"

Tommy agreed at once. "It's the only chance we've got to get Sheena back." His eyes flicked around to each of the Rangers, receiving nods of firm assent in return. When he got to Kahva, he took a deep breath, knowing she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. This isn't something for a non-Ranger to endure. From the sounds of it, we may not make it at all. But we have to try...

"I'm going with you," the older young woman asserted before he could try to speak. "Sheena is my soul-sister and my best friend, so you are not doing this without me." Her voice invited neither protest nor debate, completely flat with an unshakable determination. "I'm going."

Every word of protest that Tommy might have attempted died on his lips at the burning look in Kahva's eyes. It was a look he knew well, for it had been mirrored on his own face moments before when he feared Billy might insist no one help him in the quest. He took a deep breath, and nodded in resignation, hoping he wasn't allowing another friend to come to possible harm. "All right," was all he said in answer to her however, as he turned back to face Zordon. "How do we get there and what do we do when we get there?"

I AM AFRAID NO ONE KNOWS, TOMMY, the Eltarian said quietly, to the chagrin of all the Rangers and Kahva. ALPHA AND I CAN SEND YOU TO THE PLANET WHERE THE KEEPER AND THE CRYSTAL ARE SUPPOSED TO BE, BUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT, NO ONE KNOWS. NOT EVEN ME.

Sighing, Tommy nodded, glancing around at the team. "I'm sure that this is going take a while guys, right now I'd bet on it. I think we should all go home quickly and make some sort of excuse to our parents and anybody else we have to as fast as we can. The sooner we get started on this quest, the better." Tommy then made what sounded like to the others as a strange request: for all of them to be scanned for spells. The scans were quick and efficient, and though the readings for Tommy, Kat, Adam and Tanya were slightly off, Alpha could find no traces of spells upon any of them. When asked for a reason for the scans, all Tommy did was shrug his shoulders and say, "Just taking precautions. Let's go people," he quietly urged. "If Kahva's right, we don't have a lot of time here."

In various colored streams of light, the Rangers who had families to deal with teleported out, until only Kahva and Billy were left in the Power Chamber with Alpha and Zordon. The young shifter wasn't looking at him, being more intent on studying what looked to be the tips of her fingers, the ceiling, the floor... anything and everything but the Sapphire Ranger. Billy paced briefly, helping Alpha get the coordinates together for the planet where the Crystal was kept, once the anxious little robot had found the correct galaxy. Kahva simply sat there on the main chamber's floor; whatever she was thinking a mystery behind her shuttered eyes. Billy wanted for all the world to put his arms around her shoulders as he normally would, tell her that everything was going to be all right. Thanks to that evil clone, I can't. And from the way she's acting, I don't think any of the others can do it either, not now. In my case, maybe not ever again. But I've got to try and put things right, I've got to...

"Kahva?" The brunette jumped a little when Billy softly spoke her name, breaking the tense silence at last. "How are you feeling?" That had seemed to be a fairly safe thing for him to say, he had thought, until he saw the slight hint of fear and shock in her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare..."

His voice trailed off, not quite sure how to finish the sentence. She just nodded, not looking at him as she spoke. "We have to hurry, before Zimmer can put that... last thread into place." Her voice was tight as she spoke, remembering how he'd reacted when she had told him of it. "We just have to..."

Billy sighed, leaning against a console and taking several deep breaths, trying with all his might not to think about it too hard. "I know," was all he said, though. "I don't want to think about what could happen if we fail."

Neither of them said anything else for several minutes, though they both knew they were thinking about what had happened at the carnival, between her and his clone. I can't stand this just doing nothing, saying nothing!Billy moaned silently to himself. Maybe if I work on something. Tanya had given the Sapphire Ranger back his communicator soon after their arrival at the Power Chamber, so Billy decided to busy himself with patching it up. Fortunately, the pieces Kahva had found easily snapped back onto it, though they weren't really vital to the device's operation anyway. Well, that took all of thirty seconds. Maybe I should just dismantle the thing and put it together from scratch! he mentally growled. Go talk to her, for God's sake! Avoiding what happened isn't going to make anything better!

But even before he'd finished the thought, Kahva got up from the floor and moved almost woodenly down the hallway, heading for her quarters. Billy hesitated for a few seconds, then rushed after her, only to hear her door shut softly before he had even gotten close to it. Sounds floated out into the hallway, telling him that the young woman had gone into the small bathroom attached to her room, no doubt cleaning herself up and changing into clothes more suited for a trek through who knew what. Too slow, Billy, too slow!! the young man berated himself. Might as well take her lead, though, he decided, teleporting back to his own house to change as well.

Standing inside the house he had shared for so short a time with the woman whom he literally shared part of his soul, Billy Cranston, the Sapphire Ranger of Earth, had never felt so lost or lonely. Quietly, he sat down on Sheena's side of the bed, and picked up a picture she always kept on her nightstand. It was a dual frame, with one side holding a picture of the two of them on their wedding day, and the other graced with a photo of the entire Earth Power Ranger family: Alpha, Zordon, Jason, Zack, Trini, Kim, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Kat, Tanya, Kahva, Sheena, and himself. Even Tommy's brother David was in the picture, at Sheena's insistence. He smiled faintly, remembering how Kahva had protested firmly that she wasn't a Ranger or any other kind of superhero or skilled fighter like David, of no blood relation to anyone there, and really shouldn't be in the picture. Sheena had told her bluntly it was a family picture, and her soul-sister was going to be in it if she had to tie her down and sit on her!

Tears fell onto the picture as Billy stared at it, then slowly touched the wedding picture. His voice was harsh and firm as he spoke. "I will get you back, Sheena. I will free you from that monster. Wherever you are, whatever he's done to you, is doing to you, or is going to do to you, I hope that you remember somehow that I will always love you. That I will love you forever."

He stretched his mental link to Sheena to the very limit, trying to connect to her mind, only to find she was completely cut off from him. Billy could actually feel the net, now that he knew what to try and break through. But the web of lies and magic Zimmer had spun around his beloved was too tight and strong for him to tear apart. Billy dropped his head, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "I will get you back," he whispered through his hoarse sobs. "I swear by all that's holy, I will get you back!"

"So you have tried your tricks at last, old wizard," she chuckled. "And now those destined come for that which is theirs, prepare themselves for the trials they know nothing of. So it has ever been, so shall it ever be. I can only hope they pass the trials, for the sake of all that is."

She leaned back into her stone and earthen chair, then smiled again. "Good luck, my young warriors."

She closed her eyes for a moment, putting a hand out to steady herself. "I... I'm all right," she whispered, not wanting to give in to the terrible exhaustion that was threatening to overwhelm her. I don't want to dream, she thought. If I dream... I'll see them again... and... She shivered, and Zimmer wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"You're tired," he whispered softly, turning her so that they were returning to the palace. "You need to rest. You have to sleep."

Sheena couldn't hear the magic in his voice, but as the words sank into her mind, she could hardly keep her eyes open for another second. "Yes," she whispered weakly. "I think I should rest. Do you have some place where I could lay down for a while?"

Zimmer only smiled and guided her to a bedroom she couldn't remember seeing on their tour earlier, one decorated in soft shades of red and silver. Situated on a small dais was a wide bed, covered in what looked to be pure silken sheets. Sheena barely noticed the look Zimmer cast around the room quickly as they entered and he guided her over to the bed, so tired and worn out was she, that she wavered badly if left to walk alone. He gently let her sit down, and smiled tenderly as she yawned.

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized for practically opening her mouth in his face as she yawned, and he simply smiled at her again. "I really am tired, I'm so sorry Zimmer."

"I can see that," he said as she began to lean back onto the bed, "but you have nothing to be sorry for. You need to rest." He gently pulled the blankets over her, quite literally tucking her in as gently as if she were a baby. "Sleep now, Sheena. You've had a long day. Sleep, and forget your pain. Forget your betrayers."

He could just barely keep himself from laughing as Sheena slipped deeper and deeper, not just into the ensorcelled sleep he had not really needed to cast on her, but also into the web of magic wrapped tightly around her. So far, this has been well worth the waiting! Of course, once she's mine, talking to her will be like talking to my own reflection, since every thought she has will stem from a desire to make me happy. Oh, well. Conversation isn't exactly what I want her for anyway.

Zimmer leaned over her quietly and placed his lips against hers once he was certain she would not awaken. "Sleep well, my lovely Queen," he whispered. "For soon you will be mine... forever."

"Is everyone ready?" the Sapphire Ranger asked, all traces of the storm of weeping he had survived gone now. Receiving empathetic nods from all around the room, he glanced up at Zordon. "Let's hope this works."

GOOD LUCK, RANGERS, Zordon said. BEFORE YOU GO, YOU MUST - Before he could say anything else, Billy was hitting the teleportation controls. The small group shivered away into their usual columns of light, starting to rise out of the Power Chamber, when they suddenly collapsed back down into their solid states, spread about the room like fallen dominoes.

"What happened?!" Jason groaned. "If Mondo's got our teleportation blocked, I'm going to hurt him! Badly!!"

Billy was already checking for just that, rubbing a bruise he had acquired in the fall. "Nothing's being blocked," he reported moments later, confusion in his tone. "I don't get it!"

"That is because you aren't thinking clearly, nor being polite. But I can forgive that, under these circumstances, William Cranston, Sapphire Power Ranger of Earth, husband of Sheena Devereaux Cranston, Silver Power Ranger of Earth, leader of the Power Rangers of Earth."

Everyone went stiff at the soft, female voice that floated throughout the Power Chamber, hardly daring to breathe. Kahva frowned slightly. Where have I heard that voice before? It seems... familiar, somehow. Finally, like all of them, she simply listened.

"Rangers, I am the Keeper of the Crystal of Truth, and though I know the urgency of your quest, there are rules to this that must be followed. Your leader, Zordon, was about to tell you about those rules when you attempted teleportation, William. Still your rage, Sapphire Ranger." Everyone looked to see Billy's mouth was wide open as if he were about to protest against the delay. "First, you must summon allies to defend Earth, should it need to be protected, for I shall choose from all of those who know of your secret to determine who comes upon this quest. Only a few shall be called, and those who are chosen, and do have them, must leave all weapons behind, as well as any transformation tools they do so possess. Only your own wits, strength, intelligence and learned or natural born skills may gain you the right to ask for the Crystal, should it be your destinies to gain it for the freeing of your leader. I, and your quest, await you. Your time is short."

The voice then faded away, and everyone found themselves staring at each other in shock, then grudging acceptance. "I don't think we have a lot of choices," Tommy said quietly. "All right then... who should we call?"

"The Aquitian Rangers, and the Treys," Jason responded. "Maybe call in your brother too, Tommy? The Keeper said she would choose from everyone who knows about us, and he certainly does."

"What about the former Rangers, and Prince Dex, the Masked Rider?" Kat suggested. "Do you think she'd pick any of them?"

"Don't forget that 'all' the Keeper referred to includes my mother, as well as Ninjor and Master Madas, plus Telvok and Alacor," Billy reminded them. "Not to mention the others back in Sheena and Kahva's old dimension. Where are we supposed to draw the line? The Keeper also said that our time is short." Billy's voice was perfectly calm, but his anxiety was betrayed by his nervous shifting from one foot to the other, and the slight tremble of his hands. Tanya put a gentle hand upon his shoulder, which after a few seconds seemed to help him settle down slightly.

Rocky shrugged. "Let's just start with getting the ones we can get in contact with easily in here. As for the ones past the Aquitian Rangers and the Treys, I don't think we need to call them in. They've got their own things to be doing, and it would be very suspicious for that many people to suddenly take off so unexpectedly. I don't think she'd pick them anyway." Not that I wouldn't mind seeing Kim... and the others again myself.

Adam clapped a hand on Rocky's shoulder, smiling a little. "And who says you can only think of food, food, and more food. You're right, Rocko. Hopefully, we'll have all the people we need for the Keeper to choose from once the Aquitian Rangers and the Treys get here."

"Who knows," Tanya added, "if the Keeper can't find all the ones she needs here in the Power Chamber, she might just pull them in herself. Somehow, I think she has the power to do that. She did keep us from teleporting, after all." Tanya smiled and gave Billy a reassuring hug. "Look at it this way - if she can block teleportation that easily, then maybe the Crystal is still there, and safe. I don't think she'd bother to select people for a quest for the Crystal if it wasn't there anymore. We've still got a chance of saving Sheena."

"As long as this isn't her idea of a cruel joke," Billy muttered. Finally though, he nodded in agreement, for Tanya's logic was sound, and could not be easily argued with. "Let's get everybody in here, fast. My wife needs us."

No one noticed Kahva hanging to the side and out of the way as they made preparations to call in their friends from quite literally all over the cosmos. Please don't let her say I can't go, I have to go! This is all my fault somehow, I should've made the others believe me earlier. If I had, Sheena would be here with us right now, not with this Zimmer character! She'd be away from him, he wouldn't be in position to cast the last thread, and we could be trying to break the fascination trance right now! Or at least convincing Sheena to cast her circle. Please God, don't let the Keeper leave me out, please don't let her leave me out of this. Though she probably will, everyone else is far more qualified for this quest than I am, I'm sure. After what felt like an eternity, the Aquitian Rangers and the Treys were in the Power Chamber after a mere five minutes, and were quickly brought up to speed on the situation. Tommy slipped out somewhere along the line and came back with his brother David soon after. As everyone was told of Sheena's kidnapping, and the quest and the Keeper's instructions, Kahva silently moved over to Alpha. "Alpha? Can I ask you a question? A couple of them, actually."

"Ay-yi-yi, Kahva!" Alpha squeaked. "You snuck up on me!" In the next moment the excitable little robot was his normal fretful self. "Ask away, Kahva!"

"Umm... Alpha, why is there so little video of us at the carnival today? I thought the scanners always tracked us." Kahva bit her lip, hoping that she wasn't somehow breaking any rules, or insulting Alpha or Zordon somehow... and fearful of what the answer might be.

"Zordon decided long ago that when things are reasonably quiet, the scanners would not listen in on or visually record the Rangers constantly, as a courtesy to them. Zordon doesn't want anyone to feel like he's prying into their private lives, after all. That's the same reason he doesn't constantly record video in the Power Chamber either, or the Command Center before it. Nothing is recorded in the private quarters at all, unless a specific request is made to do so. It would be invasive. But our scanners are always on the lookout for unusual energy readings that could mean trouble." Alpha shrugged his shoulders sadly. "Until today, it's a system that has worked pretty well."

"It's not your fault or Zordon's that you didn't have the cameras on us all of the time, Alpha. Umm..." she started again nervously. "You - you didn't see much of the clone with me, I guess, then?" Kahva hoped that Alpha couldn't detect the slight hopefulness in her tone. I can't deal with the others maybe seeing that at some point, I can't! They'll think I'm weak and stupid... And I am, I should've known better than to believe that was Billy, no matter how much he seemed to be him, I should've been stronger. I should've fought harder, did something different... He was a creation, not a real person, I must have done something to make him target me. It's all my fault, and I can't bear for the others to see just how stupid I really am! They'll never trust me again, they probably don't trust me much now... If they did, they would've believed me sooner.

Alpha's answer was not exactly what she wanted to hear, however. "We might, but right now I don't think we do. Kahva, if we had seen the clone threatening you, we would've brought you back at once! I'm so sorry we didn't, can you ever forgive me?"

"Alpha, there's nothing to forgive!" Kahva softly exclaimed in surprise. "Nothing that happened today is your fault, nothing at all!" How can he blame himself? He didn't do a thing wrong, neither he or Zordon did anything wrong! I'm the one who screwed everything up somehow. After this quest, I'm going to pull away from the Rangers more when there's trouble, I'm just getting in the way. "Alpha, no one is blaming you or Zordon at all, you didn't do anything wrong. I should've tried harder to make the others believe me, that's all." Before the little robot could tell her differently, Kahva rushed out one more question under her breath. "Do you think the Keeper will let me go on the quest?"

"I don't know, Kahva. The Keepers of the past have always had free rein in their decisions. Whoever she chooses, and how many she chooses... There's no way to know for certain." Alpha watched his master's part-daughter walk away with a silent nod and slight smile of thanks, then turned back to his scans of the day's events at the carnival. How do I make her feel better? I'm not sure, but I think she's blaming herself for everything. Why didn't the Rangers believe her though, if she was telling them something wasn't right? They've listened to her before... Could that be why Tommy asked for the scans, to make sure they weren't under some kind of spell? My scans don't show any though, so why didn't the others believe her at the carnival? Why did they all seem so skeptical about what Kahva was telling them in here until Zordon spoke up? The sound of the Keeper's voice interrupted the thoughts and words of human, humanoid and robot alike as it crept back into the Power Chamber.

"You have chosen wisely and well, Power Rangers of Earth. Though there are others with equal right to be here, to bring them here at this moment would create alarm and difficulties that would be hard for them to explain." Everyone suddenly felt as if eyes were looking at, through, and in them all at once. "Everyone must lay aside all weapons and transformation tools before the choosing."

One by one, everyone laid all weapons and morphers into a neat pile in the center of the chamber. Jason called forth his Power staff and added it to the pile, then Billy brought his crystal out from inside his body, carefully laying it in the pile along with Sheena's. David had carried a small pocketknife with him that wouldn't have been of much use as a weapon, but he added it to the pile as well. Kahva was the last to come forward with her quarterstaff, recently repaired from where it had been damaged while they had been dealing with Sheena's dangerous sleepwalking episodes. "Kahva Briton and David Trueheart, you two may take back your weapons, for you two are not Power Rangers. The rules were designed long ago to prevent warriors with magical powers and magical weapons from circumventing the rules of the quest. You two are exempt from the rule of magical weaponry."

Silence reigned as neither David or Kahva would take back the pocketknife or quarterstaff. "Very well then. You both are noble and brave, and much stronger than you think. Look within yourselves, and you will find the strength you need for not only this quest, but throughout your lives as you meet the challenges of living in the light of right and good. Everyone here needs to do the same, for when magical powers and weapons fail, the heart that is armored in love and good cannot, and shall not be vanquished, not ever. Love is truly the greatest gift, and power, that will ever exist. Without it, no other power can ever hope to work, or stay on the course of good." There was a brief pause, then, "The selection shall begin in one minute. Once complete, the questors will be instructed."

Silence once again filled the chamber as everyone looked at each other nervously, wondering who would be chosen for the quest. David broke the stillness first. "I don't think I'm going to be chosen. I feel my place is here, until whoever goes gets back. I feel I should stay in the Power Chamber - though I'm not exactly sure why." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled a little. "I guess my Dad is rubbing off on me more and more. I'm sounding about as mysterious as he usually does."

"That you are," was all that Tommy could say before he vanished from sight.

"Tommy!! What happened to Tommy?!" Kat yelled in panic before she too vanished.

"What is going on?!" Adam demanded, trying to stay calm.

RANGERS, DAVID, TREYS, KAHVA... THE SELECTION HAS BEGUN. PLEASE DO NOT BE ALARMED, THE KEEPER WILL NOT HARM ANYONE WHO IS CHOSEN. PLEASE REMAIN CALM, came the soothing, deep voice of Zordon. Everyone looked about nervously as they tried to calm themselves from their collective shock.

"She certainly doesn't waste time. I wonder who's next?" Jason managed to get out before both he and Rocky disappeared. Tanya and Adam followed soon after, vanishing before either could comment on the selections prior to their own.

Several moments passed by without anyone else being chosen. "No... Don't leave me out of this, please! She's my wife, please don't leave me out of this!" Billy called out to wherever the Keeper might be. "Please!!" But he received no answer, and no one else disappeared. "Noooo..."

"Billy," Kahva softly put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "I think we can trust her to choose who should go... though I want to go just as badly as you. But she's not said she's finished, so don't give up, please." Then Kahva looked up to the ceiling, not knowing if the Keeper could hear her, or would even listen to her, "Please, Keeper... I don't know why you haven't chosen Billy, unless you are trying to decide between him and somebody else maybe, but please let him go. You know Sheena is his wife, you've said so yourself. Sheena is also his life mate and soul mate. Please don't leave him out of this quest, please?" Kahva was afraid she had offended the Keeper somehow after two more agonizingly long minutes passed in painful silence. "I'm sorry Billy, I've made her mad or something, I'm -"

"Two more have been chosen, two who call the Silver Ranger family, and who truly are family," came the Keeper's voice at last. "My choices have been made." With that, Billy disappeared instantly, leaving Kahva, David, the Treys and the Aquitian Rangers alone in the Power Chamber with Alpha and Zordon.

"Be careful, David. And be strong on the Quest, Sheena needs all of you."

"Me? Kahva, what makes you so sure this Keeper has picked me?" David asked her in surprise. He had already started to move over to Alpha to see if there was anything he could do to help the little robot.

"You heard the Keeper: 'two more have been chosen, who truly are family'. Billy is Sheena's husband, you're her cousin by blood, however distant."

"But you're her soul-sister though, Kahva. I can't think of anyone who better qualifies as true family than you," David protested.

"The Keeper will soon show who she has picked, my friends," Trey of Wisdom came to the pair, laying his hands on their shoulders. "We must trust in her choice."

"Yes, we must trust that she has chosen the ones who can pass the trials and claim the Crystal of Truth," Delphine, the White Aquitian Ranger added. "Though I must admit, and I think I speak for everyone here... We all want to go. Sheena is a fellow warrior of the power, and a dear friend." Everyone nodded in agreement, then fell completely still and quiet as a light seemed to engulf both David and Kahva, then quickly began to shrink to surround only one of them. A second light formed in the ceiling, coalescing into a roughly human form.

"It is time to join the quest for the Crystal of Truth," came the Keeper's voice from the second light. "For those who are left behind, keep the Earth safe, be vigilant, for I sense King Mondo has detected the energies of those who have left, and you who have arrived. Should he realize the Earth Power Rangers have left the planet, he will attack. If he attacks, he must not be allowed to succeed." Then the second light floated down to David and Kahva, making it difficult to tell just which one of them had been finally picked by the first light.

"Please find the Crystal so Sheena can be saved," Kahva softly begged David, barely able to make out his form in all the light around them. She felt his hand start to touch hers... then felt nothing at all.

The last words of the Keeper rang gently throughout the Power Chamber as the lights blinked out as quickly as they had appeared. "The quest begins..."

"I need answers... But from who?" Zimmer wondered aloud to the empty room. "Who?!" A large ornate wooden candelabra standing by his throne caught his attention then, and since it was getting dark, Zimmer waved a hand to light the many candles it held. He was not in the mood for the electrical lights in the room to turn on just then. "Who?" he muttered to himself under his breath over and over again as he gazed into the flame of the largest candle, centered in the candelabra. Zimmer let his mind drift into the hypnotic dance of the flame, falling into the rhythm and heat, his senses becoming one with the fire as together they grew higher, brighter, hotter... Then he let his mind float out of the flame, becoming one with the mildly stinging smoke that leapt from the flame tip, then curled lazily into the room. "Smoke..." Zimmer muttered softly, entranced now by the fragile, thin, grey path the candle-smoke traced in the air, rising, thinning more and more, until it vanished completely, never to return. "Smoke... That's it! That is who I need." Zimmer smiled a cruel smile, laughed, then quickly teleported himself with his magic back down to Earth, back to the very spot where his evil clone had collapsed into smoke. "There should still be the slightest hint..." Carefully sniffing, following a conjured scent only he could detect, Zimmer slowly rose higher and higher, floating high above the ground until he spotted the last minuscule particles of the magical smoke that had once been his evil clone. "There you are, my servant... what is left of you, anyway. Just barely enough of you left... Come," he commanded the smoke, magically drawing it into a small vial he always kept in his pocket, just in case he needed it for samples from nature - or victims. "You have not quite completed your service to me."

"Hmm? Oh!! Your Majesty, I dinna hear you call on the intercom if you tried to summon me," Klank lied as his master burst into the lab. How am I supposed to get anything done with him yelling at me all the time? I can't work with all of his constant racket! Rita Repulsa is quieter than him!!

"Then turn your intercom up louder! When I call you, I expect you to answer me at once! Do you understand?!"

"Yes, sire," Klank sighed with a tired metallic creak. "How may I help you, sire?"

That question was greeted with a powerful swipe across the face that propelled Klank all the way across the lab, sending him crashing to the floor. "How do you think?! I want to know what those energy readings you detected are!!" Mondo heaved his great bulk across the lab and yanked his majordomo back to his feet. "What do those readings coming to and from Earth mean? Has something been brought there, or sent away? Why was there interference with your scans? What do the readings mean, what are they?!"

Klank gulped nervously; were he human, his palms would be sweating. "I - I don't know yet sire. But I am working on it!"

Mondo growled, and knocked Klank across the room again. "You had better find out what those readings mean, or else!" he warned before storming out of the lab. "If the Rangers are planning something, I want to know about it!"

"Y-yes, sire," Klank groaned, carefully picking himself up off of the floor, his gears and joints grinding together noisily as he made his way back to the sensors. He couldn't deny that his master was right about one thing: if the Rangers were up to something, then they needed to know, and fast.

"Ticked off, that's how I feel, what do you think?! I couldn't take the Crystal!!"

"Well, I see you have your memories still intact, my servant," Zimmer emphasized the word. He stared at his clone, unblinking, until the double of Billy Cranston finally cowed a bit. "I know how disappointed you must have been when you couldn't take the Silver Crystal," he purred. "It must have been so heart-breaking to know that you couldn't stay real. I'm truly sorry, I didn't know that you wouldn't be able to touch the crystal," the wizard lied.

"Yeah, right, I can hear you crying now. If you're wondering, I didn't let on to anything before I went 'poof', I just shrugged my shoulders and ceased to exist quietly. The Rangers don't know anything about what you or I have done, at least not from me," the impostor growled. When Zimmer only stared at him silently in reply, he could barely control his anger at his creator. "What do you want, master?" the clone spat out in disgust. "Surely there's some reason you brought me back into existence. Are you finally going to let me get my hands on that girl for good this time? I want her Zimmer, I want her... Do I get her for good this time?"

"Perhaps," Zimmer nodded to the clone. "If you can help me with one last thing concerning the Silver Ranger."

"Perhaps? Perhaps?! I may have been created for the first time in the past few hours, but I'm no fool! You gave me the ability to tap into that wimp's genius mind, after all. No, master, you won't get any help from me this time. If I can't stay real so I can take that girl for my own purposes, then no deals!"

"If you don't help me, then I'll do away with you right now, my clone."

The fake Billy opened his mouth to protest, but found that he couldn't argue with that fact. Until he could somehow gain his freedom, he belonged to Zimmer, and Zimmer could get rid of him at any point and time. I've gotten rather used to existing, how do I keep this to my advantage? Then the clone smiled, his immorally gained intelligence allowing him to see a possible Achilles heel in his master. "You won't get rid of me... not yet, at least. You need me."

Zimmer growled ever so softly at that, his clone was starting to get on his few remaining nerves. That the clone was speaking the truth irritated him ever more. "Why should I need a being I created out of smoke and nothingness? A being who owes his every breath to me?"

The clone gave an exaggerated bow of false acquiescence to his master, "And I am so grateful for those breaths of life, my master. But why else would you bother to recreate me, with all that I know and learned on Earth intact? Surely you need me for something that only I can give you, or else I wouldn't be here." The clone sauntered over to the raised dais where Zimmer's throne rested and hopped onto it, sitting with one foot on the floor, and the other in the air as he arrogantly swung his leg over the armrest. "Get rid of me now, and whatever you need me for, whatever problem has come up, could come back to haunt you. If it hasn't already..."

"What do you want then, clone?" Zimmer rumbled softly, a dangerous color in his tone.

That was too easy... But it's my only shot at living, and getting my hands on that Kahva Briton again. I want to terrify her so much, own her, kept her as my captive for all time, MAKE her love me, fear me, obey me... I've got to take this chance, it's the only one I'm going to get! "It's simple, really. I want to live - on Earth. I think you can guess why." The false Billy stared at his master, waiting for his answer.

Zimmer smiled thinly, shaking his head. "Out of the question. You cannot live on Earth."

"Then there's no deal!!"

"Hear me out, my servant," Zimmer calmly said, holding up a hand to still the clone's shouts. "I said you cannot live on Earth. There is a reason for that. Earth has very little magic, almost none. If I make you real, you will need to live on a planet that has magic, so that you can stay real." The evil wizard chuckled a bit, "Any one of the worlds I rule should suffice. But don't worry, I'll let you go to Earth long enough to kidnap that irritating child. There's something about her... You can have her," he finished. "I'll be glad to know that she's out my way for good."

Kahva Briton scares him... Why? He doesn't even know her name, but she scares him. I wish that I could have tapped more of her background out of Cranston's mind, her background and Sheena's, he kept most of that from me somehow, I was only able to learn about the past year or two... It doesn't matter, once I have her as my captive, her past, no one's past, will mean anything - for she will be mine forever! But I don't, I can't trust Master Zimmer... ahh, that's it! he brightened up as he realized how guarantee his price for helping his creator. "I want it in writing, Zimmer. I want a contract. A magical one, that not even you can break," he added as Zimmer went to a nearby desk to pull out some paper. "And I want witnesses."

Zimmer growled and nearby ended the clone's existence right then, but instead bellowed out a call to his bodyguards to have a few prisoners brought up from his dungeons. The wizard was pleased to hear them report that there were none, all those who had been held there had died in the past month from either starvation, or torture... or both. "My bodyguards shall be your witnesses then. Agreed?"

"I don't care who the witnesses are, just as long as the contract is magical."

"It shall be done then." Zimmer quickly conjured up a magical scroll, with the terms of the contract burned into the paper with his own blood. "I'd ask for you to sign the contract with your blood, but yours isn't true yet, so I suppose ink will have to do," he told the fake Billy, handing him a magical quill. The clone quickly glanced over the contract, then eagerly signed it. Zimmer smiled, then signed his own name in an elegant scrawl, making the contract binding for both parties. "It is done, you have a contract."

The clone smiled, then gave his master another exaggerated bow. "How may I serve you, oh great evil Master?"

Zimmer's voice dropped so low and cold that the flames on the candelabra actually froze from his evilness, then slowly fell to the floor, shattering like so much glass. "I want you to break my future wife's heart."

"Ay-yi-yi!! I'm not sure, Zordon! All scans of the planet are being blocked! I don't understand it, we were able to scan the planet before, though we couldn't find any signs of the Crystal, I don't know what is wrong, -"

"Calm yourself, Alpha-5," came the Keeper's voice unexpectedly. "I am the reason you cannot scan the planet. I do this for every quest, to keep the trials honest, and the questors safe from prying eyes. I must also tell you that I tried to keep the arrival of those gathered here, and the departure of the questors cloaked as well, but even now, King Mondo is scanning the Earth, trying to find out the meanings of the energy readings his servant Klank detected."

"Then he knows we are here?" Cestro asked. "Is he planning an attack?"

"He does not know yet, but my magic here will soon fade. At that point, it will be only a matter of time before he discovers the source of the readings, and their meaning. You must all be prepared to defend the Earth," she warned. Then the voice seemed to almost sit on Alpha's shoulder, growing concerned and even softer. "I am worried that there is something wrong with the questors, for I detect tiny slivers of magic clinging to some of them. Dark magic. Please try to find out what it may be. It is too late to stop the quest now, for your Silver Ranger is in great danger of losing herself to Zimmer Delnas forever. But you must try to find out where these whisper-like dark threads have come from. Once the quest is over, they must be removed from the affected questors."

DARK MAGIC, KEEPER? Zordon's voice resounded throughout the chamber. BUT ANY DARK MAGIC WILL INTERFERE WITH THE QUEST, WILL IT NOT? THEY MUST BE BROUGHT BACK, AND THE MAGIC REMOVED, SO -

"Once the questors are on the planet, they cannot leave until the trials are over, or unless they are grievously injured. Nor can anyone talk to them, or come to their aid. As Keeper, I can appear to them, watch over them, even answer a few questions as they pass their trials. But I cannot assist them in any other way, not even to try to remove the dark threads. If I do so, now that they are already on the planet and due to start their quest soon, it will violate the rules of the Quest. Once on the planet, each questor must face their trial as they are from the moment they step onto my planet's soil. Any alteration attempted will be seen as a possible attempt to skew the results of the trial, and most likely will destroy any hope of their attaining the Crystal. I am sorry, Zordon. I did not detect the dark threads until the questors arrived on my planet. Until the quest for the Crystal of Truth is over, there is nothing that can be done for them... except to pray for their success." The Keeper's voice rose above them all, fading away, "Take heart, chosen defenders, I will watch over them and care for their well-being as much as the rules of the Quest will allow. I have chosen these questors for good reason. Now it is up to you to keep faith in them, as they must keep faith and believe in themselves."

An eerie silence filled the main chamber as those who were left behind looked at each other, wondering just what the Keeper could mean. "Ay-yi-yi!!!" Alpha screamed suddenly, shuffling over as fast as possible to the records they had of the park. "She said threads, she said threads!!"

"What is wrong Alpha?" Aurico asked, surprised by the outburst, then by Cestro's sudden gasp and own running over to the consoles to help Alpha. "What are you -"

"The Keeper said 'dark threads', Aurico," Delphine said softly, as the full impact of the words hit her as well. "The spell on Sheena is woven of dark threads of magic. Dark threads that keep her from seeing the truth."

"Rangers!!!" Alpha screamed out, a few sparks flying from his neck now. "It happened at the carnival!! Some of them were surrounded by dark threads at the carnival!! The records show it!! Ay-yi-yi, that is why they didn't believe fully that something was wrong!! This is terrible!!" Alpha started shooting out more sparks then, and spewing traces of electrical smoke, anything else he might be trying to say garbled as his circuits overloaded with worry. Cestro quickly shut him down, then went for a repair kit as the others all worriedly discussed this turn of events.

Zordon gazed down upon them all, growing more fearful for the success of the questors, and the fate of the Silver Ranger. HOW CAN THEY PASS THE TRIALS IF THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO SEE AND FEEL THE TRUTH FOR THEMSELVES? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY RANGERS - MY CHILDREN, IF THEY CANNOT SUCCEED? GREAT POWER OF LIGHT AND GOOD, PLEASE LOOK OUT FOR AND PROTECT MY CHOSEN ONES - MY CHILDREN, ALL OF MY CHILDREN. GIVE THEM THE STRENGTH TO FIND THE TRUTH WITHIN... KEEP THEM SAFE...

Quietly he reached out and stroked her cheek, wishing with all his soul he could continue, then complete the spell right here and now. I can't though. To do so this soon would ruin everything I've worked for since that first moment I saw you in the museum on Eltar. Even then I knew it was you, he thought. Your face and form are the perfect mirror image of your ancestor. Kahva escaped me, first with that Dalien, then with the Power Rangers, and finally with her death. But you shall not escape me, not ever. For all time you will be mine!

"If you could possibly drag your mind out of the gutter and back to business, master?" the cool, mocking voice of the clone interrupted his thoughts, and he glared at the fake. He kept forgetting that he had crafted the clone to consider Sheena one of the most despicable beings in creation, though he would never harm her physically. But emotionally and mentally are two things that are altogether different, however. I will tolerate him... for now.

Zimmer straightened up and smiled wickedly at the copy. "You are a fine one to speak of a 'gutter', Billy-clone," he said frostily. "But we'll settle your half of the bargain later. First, on to this."

He held his hand out to the clone, who took it somewhat reluctantly. It would require both of them to cast the spells that would do what he wanted done to her. A faint silvery glow coldly shone from where their hands met, then floated down to wrap itself around Sheena, insinuating its amoral essence into her mind. Zimmer couldn't contain the laughter he wanted to break into this time, but managed to keep it reduced to a simple chuckle. "Sleep well, my future wife," he purred, stroking her cheek again. "And dream of the horrible things that your friends are doing while you are gone, and all that they did to you while you were still with them. Dream of how much I love you, how I am your only friend, how even your husband and so-called sister betrayed you, with each other no less."

The evil sorcerer wished he could let his caresses go even farther, but that was not yet to be. He licked his lips a little, deciding to risk just one thing. He could almost sense his clone rolling his eyes as Zimmer leaned over and placed a long, soft kiss on Sheena's lips. The sleeping woman smiled very faintly as she turned over, and Zimmer longed for so much more... that I will have in time, he reminded himself harshly, taking the clone by his arm roughly and dragging him out of the chamber. With a simple gesture he locked it behind him, he didn't want anyone interfering in Sheena's dreams before he was ready.

"And now," the clone growled. "It is time for my part of the deal. Remember? I get the child."

Zimmer smiled thinly. "Not just yet. I want to be certain Sheena's heart is shattered beyond repair first. After all," his eyes narrowed and filled with a mocking laughter. "You wouldn't want me to interrupt your little sojourn with that girl, would you?"

The clone said nothing in response, his eyes flaring dark blue with rage. Zimmer only smiled, gesturing for the creation to precede him down the hallway, the bodyguards still following silently. The wizard chuckled mentally, well pleased so far with how his plans were proceeding. The fool has no conception of my true plans, and he never will. He was as easy to deceive as the fool I based him on! Ah, what a wonderful day this is...

"Well, gorgeous," he grinned at her, letting himself forget for just a few moments as to why they were there. "Falling all over yourself for me?" Tommy couldn't help the teasing tone of his voice, despite the seriousness of the situation. There was just something about being this close to the woman he loved that brought out the romantic in him at the very worst times, it seemed. Or is it because this quest is starting to scare me before it even starts? Get a grip, Tommy Oliver, Kat should slap you for that comment!

"Funny, Tommy, very funny," she half-groaned, getting to her feet. "Where are we?"

"Looked like you were about thirty seconds to lip-lock to me," Rocky's dry voice caused them both to look up and see the Gold and Blue Zeo Rangers standing side by side next to each other. "I could be wrong, though."

Jason shook his head, a small half-smile crossing his face. "I doubt it," was all he managed to get out before Tanya appeared with a small 'pop' of dislocated air, and Adam came into existence right behind her, the two of them steadying each other almost automatically. The six of them looked at each other almost nervously as they formed a small, tight knot, looking around for whoever it was would be next.

Silence reigned for almost a full three minutes with no more arrivals. "She wouldn't... she couldn't have left Billy and Kahva out, would she?" Tanya asked. It would be a travesty of the very worst kind of Billy didn't come along, with the very fate of his wife's life at stake, and though none of them wanted Kahva to put herself in danger, they knew she deserved to go just as much as any of them did. "Could she?"

Then another 'pop' sounded, and there stood Billy, looking around rather wildly, then relaxing slowly once he saw where he was, and that he wasn't alone. "Thank you," he whispered softly, starting to walk over to them. "Hi, guys." His greeting was somewhat subdued, but still carried a little warmth.

"Hey," Jason nodded. No one said anything more. They didn't really seem to need to. Without knowing how, they knew there was still one more to come. They didn't know who it was, they just knew the choosing wasn't yet complete. They stood in an open ended circle, waiting patiently for that last one of their team. "I wonder who's next? There is going to be someone else, isn't there?"

"The Keeper said, "Two more have been chosen, two who call the Silver Ranger family, and who truly are family," then I was teleported right after that. So there should be someone else," Billy answered him.

"Then we're waiting for David, sounds like," Jason stated, disappointment coloring his tone. He blushed then, and looked at Tommy apologetically. "I'm sorry Tommy, I don't mean anything bad by that, but - "

"I know," Tommy replied. "I was hoping for Kahva to come too. Though I'll be glad to have David here, I think we were all hoping for Kahva to be included on this."

"Families aren't always born or formed from blood," Kat softly pointed out. Silence reigned as the questors waited for their last team member, whoever it was. At last, they were rewarded with a now-familiar soft 'pop' as the last of their team appeared with the same displacement of air as had announced their arrivals. Their teammate landed gently in their midst, with eyes as wide as saucers from the trip.

"Glad you're here," Tommy greeted their compatriot. "And I'm glad that you had a much better landing than I did," he chuckled softly.

Kat smiled broadly, "I knew the Keeper would pick you, after what Billy told us," she said, crossing over to the newcomer and drawing her into a warm hug. "You're the best one for this, Kahva."

Kahva bit her lip a little, not having had a chance to move away from Kat's impulsive gesture. Something about it gave her a little more courage, however, and she smiled a cautious smile, a smile tempered with the knowledge that they didn't have a lot of time. Before she could say anything, the Keeper's voice sounded, and she was distracted both by what it said, and that same nagging sense of familiarity she'd had before. Why can't I place that voice? Why did she choose me, David is Sheena's blood cousin, and a much better fighter and all-around athlete than I am. Why me?

"The Questors have been chosen. Rest for the night, and with the breaking of the dawn will come the beginning of your quest." Blankets and bedrolls appeared on the ground a few feet away, far out of reach of the incoming tide. "Sleep well tonight, and may all that is good guard your quest on the morrow, my young warriors."

"Guys? Guys, where are you? I'm back, there's been some sort of misunderstanding, we have to talk. Guys?" Sheena's voice echoed eerily down the dark, empty hallways of the Power Chamber. "Where is everybody?!" she called out again. If there was an attack going on, then she needed to reclaim her Silver Crystal, they needed to defeat the menace, then talk out everything that had happened that day. "What's that?" she wondered softly to herself as voices drifted towards her, drawing her to the main chamber. "Billy? Kahva? Guys? Are you in there?" Sheena crossed the entrance into the main chamber, then froze in horror and pain. "No... It can't be!"

TAKE THE SILVER POWER CRYSTAL, MY DEAR DAUGHTER. AS THE RIGHTFUL AND TRUE DESCENDANT OF KAHVA KILANYE, IT IS YOUR DESTINY.

"Thank you, father," came the soft reply. "I only hope I can take the power now, that Sheena's holding of them hasn't tainted them somehow." Carefully, the dark-haired beauty took the crystal offered to her by Billy, then stood in the midst of the Power Rangers. "Here goes nothing."

"NO!! You can't take them, you aren't a Power Ranger, you can't possibly want this!" Sheena screamed, but no one heard her. Against all that she knew to be true about who could hold a power crystal, there stood her best friend and soul-sister, holding that which should be passing through her hands. The Silver Power Crystal. Sheena's Silver Power Crystal. "She's - she can't be meant to be a Ranger, Zordon would've said something before now, she can't possibly hold the Silver Power, can she?" Sheena muttered to herself in disbelief. "This can't be happening! Kahva, don't!! Please!!"

There were exuberant cheers in the Power Chamber, cheers of joy and relief as Kahva Briton held the Silver Crystal over her head and shouted out words that cut Sheena to the quick. "Silver Ranger Power!" With a brilliant flash, she morphed into the Silver Ranger, standing just as tall and proud as Sheena ever had. Billy grabbed her tightly in his arms and embraced her, a joy on his face that Sheena had only ever seen turned towards herself before.

"I KNEW you could take her powers, I knew it!" he grinned as Kahva removed the helmet and waved to them all. Everyone seemed incredibly happy over this new Ranger, far happier than they'd been when Sheena had arrived there the first time.

Kahva's lips thinned briefly in something that sort of vaguely resembled a smile. "Of course I can. After all, didn't the blood tests show that I'm the TRUE last descendent of Kahva Kilanye?" It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact as she turned back to look at their mentor, her near-father.

Zordon nodded from his time warp, obviously greatly pleased at seeing his near-daughter in the silver uniform. I SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT YOUR POWER SIGNATURE WAS SO GREAT NOT MERELY BECAUSE OF YOUR INHERITED POWER FROM ELYSIA AND MYSELF, BUT BECAUSE OF THE KILANYE BLOODLINE, WHICH ELTARIAN RECORDS SHOW MARRIED INTO ELYSIA'S BLOODLINE. WE SHOULD HAVE STRIPPED SHEENA OF HER POWERS AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVED.

Tanya shrugged. "Well, at least this way we know she's not going to be coming back to try and attack us. We're rid of her, and we've still got the Silver Power on our side. No more worries about a traitor in our midst. Sheena is finally gone from us."

"True," Tommy agreed. "And I'm glad you guys still want me as your leader. I knew I shouldn't have given my spot to her. She just couldn't take it," he shook his head. "I don't think I even want to consider her a relative anymore. Thank God she's from Kahva Kilanye's sister's line, and not Tilrak's after all, like Kahva is." Tommy laughed at the arched eyebrow the new Silver Ranger shot him. "Tilrak's line, and Elysia's, you're doubly over-qualified for the position," he proclaimed with a happy laugh, giving their newest Ranger a bow. "Unlike Sheena, who was obviously under-qualified. In fact, from now on, David and I will no longer consider her a relative, nor call her one."

Billy looked down at his left hand in disgust, and jerked the wedding ring Sheena had picked out for him with such care and love off, tossing it to the side as if it were a thing of foulness. "I know I won't, not anymore, not ever again. I can't believe I was actually married to her for over a year!!"

Kahva placed a loving hand on his shoulder as she powered down. "We don't have to worry about that anymore," she said, smiling sweetly. "All we have to worry about is each other, and making some real progress in defending this planet."

The Sapphire Ranger glanced around and nodded. "And you and I can have a real wedding," he wrapped an arm around Kahva, drawing her closer to him for a tender and loving kiss.

The other Rangers cheered them on as the kiss continued. "NO!!!" Sheena wished with all her soul in that moment that she could get her hands around both of their necks and just squeeze them so hard... But all she could do was stand there in the Power Chamber and stare at the people she had thought were her friends and family, who she had trusted in and given her trust to, only to have it broken beyond belief.

Kahva nodded happily as their kiss ended at last. "Yes, a beautiful church wedding," she smiled, starting to describe the sort of elaborate ceremony that Sheena knew Kahva had always thought was pretentious and pompous, not at all what her soul-sister had desired in the past for her dream wedding. Her own religious beliefs had led them to the much simpler ceremony that they had gone through, but it was obvious from the look on Billy's face that he much preferred what Kahva was planning.

"How could you turn like this? How could you possibly want such a monstrous, conceited affair? Kahva, how could you want or do this?!" Sheena screamed at them, rushing into their midst, but no one seemed to even notice she was there. "Why won't anyone listen to me?!"

"I love it, Kahva! So much nicer and so much more appropriate than the little farce I had with her," he half-growled out the final syllable. "I never was all that comfortable with her beliefs, you know. They just didn't seem... right."

Almost as if they were puppets on the same string, everyone else nodded in agreement with him. Sheena could feel her heart being crushed under the weight of their words, tears filling up her already tear-reddened eyes. "How could you?" she whispered hoarsely. "Why didn't you ever say anything? Why did you all pretend? Why?!"

She crumpled to the floor, not wanting to see the others as they gathered around to welcome Kahva as they had once welcomed her, as the new Silver Ranger and Billy's bride-to-be; in the background she could hear the Aquitian Rangers and Prince Dex, then the Treys from Triforia sending their own greetings and welcome to her.

"My dear Rangers," came another familiar voice, as two columns of light suddenly shimmered into the Power Chamber, then quickly faded away to reveal two old friends.

"Master Madas! Ninjor!" the young people all exclaimed happily, rushing to greet their wise old friends.

"Kahva, Billy," Master Madas spoke again, his voice warm and full of love. "Congratulations on finally finding each other, and finding the truth of your love. I knew it would only be a matter of time before your destinies brought you two together at last."

"Thank you, Master Madas," Kahva and Billy replied reverently.

"Yes, congratulations, my dear niece," Ninjor joined in. Several more agonizing moments passed by for Sheena as she watched the two wise old warriors continue to congratulate and wish Kahva and Billy well.

"Kahva, after you and Billy return from your honeymoon, would you like to come to Eltar and train in ki-see?" Master Madas asked. "I think you're a natural, and have the potential to be a ki-see master, perhaps one of the best."

"I would be honored, Master Madas!" Kahva exclaimed happily. "Do you really think I could become a ki-see master? Oh wow, if I could, then I could teach the others, and then our enemies wouldn't stand a chance!"

"Yes, I think you not only can become a master of ki-see, I know you will," Master Madas smiled. "Something that Sheena proved to be a great disappointment in." Frowning, the ki-see master continued, "I once thought that she had the potential to be a minor master of the art, but she failed at even that task. Anyone of you here could become a minor master, I can see now that all of you have more skill and intelligence that Sheena ever did."

"Master, no!! How can you say that?! Master Madas, don't you turn on me as well! Master, please!!" Sheena begged. But her pleas were all for naught as Master Madas asked one last thing of Kahva: the honor of giving her away at her wedding. Casach was then teleported to the Power Chamber from Eltar, and included once again as a ring-bearer. The big cat seemed even closer to Kahva than ever before, and even growled at very mention of Sheena's name. "Casach?" Sheena whispered brokenly. "Even you? Why can't anyone hear me, why do you all despise me so? Why?"

Then the scene shifted abruptly, and somehow, some way, they were in a grand cathedral, a place that Sheena didn't think even existed in Angel Grove, and everyone she had come to know in this world was gathered there to witness the marriage of Kahva to Billy. A breathtaking figure in white rustled softly by Sheena, walking with queen-like grace on the arm of Master Madas. "Elysia's wedding dress," Sheena mumbled to herself in a daze. "Kahva no, please don't do this to me, please... Please don't take him from me..."

Sheena helplessly watched the ceremony, a piece of her heart shattering with every loving look, every caress Billy's hands gave Kahva's. "I now pronounce you man and wife," the preacher exclaimed with pleasure. "William, you may now kiss your bride."

The cheers from the congregation were deafening and painful, cruel hammers that pounded away at Sheena's heart without any mercy. Tears spilled down her cheeks, as she cried out with all her heart and soul for someone, anyone, who wouldn't turn away from her, who would always stand by her as she stood by them, no matter what...

But there was no one who would even look at her... Then suddenly, Sheena felt eyes upon her, familiar eyes, and a familiar mind touching hers. "Kahva?" she sent brokenly, hoping for some assurance that this was all some horrible mistake. The former Silver Ranger hopefully lifted up her head to look at the one person she'd always sworn to love and protect, and give her life for, if need be. The one person who had sworn to be her friend and sister, for all eternity. "Kahva?"

Her soul-sister stared at the broken-hearted Sheena, her lovely dark brown eyes a cold, bottomless pitch black, her warm features now frigid, void of any compassion or empathy. She gave a slight smile, and sent back only two words to the one she had once called friend and soul-sister.

"I win."

"Please rest well, my young warriors. You will need all your strength renewed and your minds not fogged by sleep if you are to succeed, and save your leader." The Keeper's spirit rose out of her body and floated down to the sleeping young people, trying to determine just which of them had been tainted by the threads of dark magic, and whether or not they would interfere with their chances in the trials. If only I could remove these threads myself. But even if I could, the rules of the Quest prohibit me from aiding these brave souls in any way but to care for their basic needs, and to take them to safety if seriously injured. At least the threads were slight, and not all of their number had been affected by them. The Red, Pink, Green and Yellow seemed to be the only ones that the threads clung to; the Sapphire, Blue and Gold were free of all traces of dark magic. But you, my dear troubled child. You have been harmed by the source of those foul threads - no, I sense he was a carrier, not the true source. He borrowed those threads from his master, and cast them as he saw fit. The spirit of the Keeper hovered over Kahva, tapped into her mind, and saw the terror she had endured that day. Poor child. You mustn't keep this inside, you must talk to your friends.

The spirit floated to Billy next, and saw in his mind what he had lived through, and had just barely escaped. Zimmer Delnas is even more twisted than my incantations had showed me. These young people simply must succeed, they must! But her heart fell as she continued to read their slumbering minds. They have all been so badly betrayed by that monstrous, vile wizard. and they are all blaming themselves so harshly for not seeing his treachery, when none of them are to blame at all! Great Light, I cannot aid these brave young warriors, please keep them safe! If they fail, I fear for what evil may befall their world, and also many, many others.

Then the Keeper tapped into the deepest reserves of her power, and sought out the one who the eight questors desired to free. Her spirit found the sad, now-former Silver Ranger deep in ensorcelled sleep, lying in no less than Zimmer's personal bedchambers. A soft moan, followed soon after by a despairing cry, told the spirit without any magic at all that the young woman was caught up in a nightmare. Searching deeper, using what energy she had left to spare, the Keeper discovered that the nightmare was not purely her own, but one conjured from her fears, and the twisted mind of Zimmer's depraved creation. Fight it Silver Ranger, fight against the magic that clouds your mind and will, fight it! Your friends love you, they have not betrayed you! But the magical web wound tightly around Sheena kept the Keeper's spirit from reaching her. Suddenly, the Keeper felt a link powering up between the dreaming captive and her soul-sister so very far away. Even the distance and the magic that separated them now had not quite yet completely severed their precious link and bond. Yes, find each other, know that your love is true, do not give in - No!! The backlash of their combined pain repelled the Keeper's spirit fiercely back into her own body, knocking her against the sacred altar.

"No!! They were so close." Quickly the Keeper reached for the pouch of magical dust she always kept attached to her waistband, and poured a small amount into the bowl-like indentation in the top of the altar. The dust shimmered in the moonlight, then transformed into a watery mirror, showing her both Sheena Devereaux and Kahva Briton as they slept, trapped in their hurtful dreams. Their link had flared up instinctively in their nightmares, each seeking out the other for aid - but their awful pain had repulsed each other, throwing them both helplessly back into their nightmares. The images then faded, and the Keeper sank to the ground, tired, saddened, and close to tears herself from the terrible things she'd seen. "Great Light and Good, have you forsaken these children? Why must they endure this torment? Why?!" she screamed, even as her powers told her the nightmares were beginning once again for Sheena and Kahva. "Why?!"

Instantly a rapid series of visions assaulted the Keeper, as she was shown the barest of glimpses into many possible futures, tiny shards of the what-may-be. The Keeper closed her eyes and whispered a prayer of safekeeping over and over again for the nine young troubled lives, desperately hoping for the sake of all that was good and right that some how, some way, the eight on her world would be able to pass the trials, then answer her questions correctly. If they cannot succeed. May all that is holy save us all from the darkness to come.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Kahva, wake up!! KAHVA!!!" Jason shouted, shaking the screaming, sleeping Kahva. "You're dreaming, wake up!!"

"Kahva, wake up!" Billy pleaded. He'd awoken to her screams and discovered he'd placed his arm on her side in his sleep; he'd been dreaming about Sheena, reaching out for his wife. Oh no, he thought, as the awful, painful images from Kahva's nightmare slammed into his mind through their link. Please let her wake up, please! Billy gently pulled his dreaming friend up, holding her in his arms, trying to comfort and awaken the young woman. "Kahva, please wake up!"

"GET OFF OF ME, LET ME GO!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! STOP IT!!!!!!!!" she screamed, struggling violently in Billy's arms, waking up in an instant. "DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!!!!" she cried out, striking out wildly, blindly behind her, accidentally punching Billy in the face. "I WON'T LET YOU HAVE ME, BI-!!!" she screamed, turning to face him, then stopped herself as full awareness set in. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, nooooo.." she moaned, crying as she saw Billy holding a hand to his eye, looking at her in shock. "Nooooo."

"Kahva, it was an accident, you were dreaming -"

"DON'T TOUCH ME, LEAVE ME ALONE, PLEASE!!" the distraught young woman shouted, breaking from his hold and scrambling to her feet.