Transitions
by : Cynthia & Kahva

"Hey, Kimberly, you got a letter from home. Looks like a long one. Must be from that ex of yours." The thick envelope came soaring into Kimberly Hart's room and landed on her bed. She looked up from where she was doing her exercises and shook her head. Who would write her from Angel Grove? After she'd broken up with Tommy, she would have thought none of them wanted to talk to her again.

She took a look at the letter, then snatched it up. She couldn't have read that right. But the writing didn't change. It was a handwriting she knew as well as she knew her own. It was Jason. She sat down and tore the letter open, wondering what he was doing back in Angel Grove.

Almost half an hour later, she looked up, her mind swimming with information. A Gold Ranger... Jason the Gold Ranger. A woman from another universe, a Silver Ranger... Billy being married! She smiled. She could hardly imagine Billy married, but it seemed it was so. From what Jason said, they were an excellent match, and were quite obviously (and sometimes nauseatingly) in love.

"I've got about a week of vacation," she studied the calendar. "I think I'll take it in Angel Grove."

She didn't appear to be. "Where do you suppose she is?"

"How would I know? I mean, you're her husband and everything," Rocky teased. "You guys have that psychic bond, right?"

"Yes." Billy sounded a touch exasperated.

"What's wrong?"

Billy shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it. Sheena and I are having some problems, that's all."

"Problems? The perfect couple? Billy, touching you broke a spell over her. I didn't think you guys could have problems."

"It's just, well," Billy sighed. "She's been spending more and more time here in the Power Chamber and less and less time with me. Whenever we see each other, it's like it was when we were first married. But we don't see each other like we did then."

"I know, you two were inseparable. I couldn't even see daylight between you most of the time."

A muffled shout sounded just then, and both the Blue and Sapphire Rangers headed for the sound. It turned out to come from the workout room, a place where the Rangers could practice their skills at odd hours or when they wanted privacy for something. Slowly, Billy opened the door and they looked inside.

Sheena was on the mat, a sword in her hands. Her long dark hair was tied back from her face in her usual style, and her green eyes were intent. The way she moved was liquid, beautiful. She was doing what appeared to be a kata of some type, but it was one neither of them had ever seen. They could only watch in awe as she moved.

Sheena bent, swayed, and whirled, the sword moving in precise patterns that somehow seemed to deviate what metal should be able to do, even in the hands of a master warrior. It was impossible to describe how flawless and beautiful she was as she danced around the training area. She didn't seem to notice them, or if she did, it didn't interfere with her training trance.

When she drew to a halt, she was facing them with a proud, triumphant grin on her face. She leapt off the mat and came towards them, a fire in her eyes that even Billy had never seen before. "What did you think?"

"It was-it was-" Rocky stammered, not able to form a coherent answer. Billy filled in, "Fantastic!"

Sheena actually blushed. She turned to hang up her swords, then threw herself into Billy's arms. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure I was good enough to use it. That's why I've been spending so much time here lately. I was training in ki-see."

"In what?"

"Ki-see. That's what I was doing. It's Old Eltaran, and means something like," she closed her eyes, trying to remember.

IT MEANS DANCE OF LIGHT, Zordon supplied. His voice could be heard from anywhere in the Power Chamber complex. IT IS THE OLDEST OF MARTIAL ARTS FROM MY HOMEWORLD. NO OTHER POWER RANGER HAS STUDIED IT BEFORE. IT SHOULD BE QUITE A SURPRISE TO KING MONDO AND HIS COGS.

Sheena nodded. "I found out about it about three months ago, when I was browsing through some history files. There were extensive training tapes, and I studied them all. It absolutely fascinated me. I started training at once. Zordon and Alpha have helped me as much as they can. I wanted it to be a surprise for you guys."

"Well, I was surprised," Billy said. Sheena turned her face to him, and they lost each other in a deep, passionate kiss. Finally, Rocky cleared his throat, and they stepped apart.

"Sheena, I came to ask if you wanted to go to the movies with Jason and Emily tonight." They started to head for Sheena's quarters.

"He finally got up the nerve to ask her out?" Sheena chuckled. "I thought I was going to have to hit him over the head with a board to get him to notice she liked him."

"It didn't go quite that far," Rocky laughed.

"Now you," Sheena appraised the Blue Ranger. "You I wouldn't have to hit with the board. You think all the girls like you!"

"Who, me?" Rocky affected innocence.

"Just cause you wear blue now does not mean you're the 'Girl-Magnet of Angel Grove'," Sheena teased him, referring back to when Billy was the Blue Ranger, and had attracted almost any girl who took the time to look beyond his glasses.

"But blue's such a handsome color," he teased back.

"I prefer," Sheena wrapped an arm around Billy, "sapphire myself. I'd love to go to the movies. When?"

Billy checked his watch. "In about an hour."

"I'd better start getting ready then. I look horrible."

"Not from this view," Billy examined her. "You look perfect."

Rocky rolled his eyes, but said nothing as Sheena went to the room Zordon had given her in the Power Chamber. It had come as a surprise to them all that the Power Chamber had sleeping quarters, much less that Zordon let the Silver Ranger stay there. But her apartment had been devastated by Cogs, once when she'd led them there in the search for her Crystal, while she'd still been under Mondo's control, and again after she'd escaped his power. Mondo had apparently taken some petty revenge by trashing everything Sheena owned.

Feeling guilty over it, Sheena had paid her ex-landlord for all the damages, and managed to pass the whole thing off as a case of mistaken identity before moving to Angel Grove. She hadn't had enough money to get another apartment, so Zordon had opened up the Power Chamber to her. She and Billy were hoping to be able to get a place of their own once they were 'officially' married.

"Billy," Rocky asked tentatively. "What's it like to be in love?"

The Sapphire Ranger looked at his friend, his brow furrowed. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

Billy grinned. "I don't think that's quite the reason, but as for being in love... 'it's wonderful' doesn't begin to describe it. I wouldn't trade this for anything."

Suddenly a booming voice filled the room again. BILLY, SHEENA, ROCKY, PLEASE COME TO THE MAIN CHAMBER AT ONCE. WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY.

Sheena's door flew open, and she came out, her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She was efficient about changing, and already wore her customary blue jeans and silver-tinted blouse. "What are you two waiting for? Let's go."

"Were you going to wear that on our date?" Billy asked as they headed for the Power Chamber.

"No," she almost snapped. "I threw this on when Zordon called." As the three of them emerged into the main room, they saw that the other five Rangers were already there. "What's going on, Zordon?" Sheena asked.

MONDO HAS SENT A MONSTER TO EARTH, RANGERS, CALLED THE DECHARGER. IT IS CAPABLE OF DRAINING THE ENERGY FROM ANY HUMAN, EVEN FROM YOU, AND IS CURRENTLY WREAKING HAVOC AT THE ANGEL GROVE POWER PLANT. YOU MUST STOP IT BEFORE IT DRAINS EVERYONE THERE.

"On the way, Zordon!" Tommy looked at the Rangers. "It's morphin' time!"

"Zeo Ranger I, Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II, Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III, Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV, Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V, Red!"

"Sapphire Ranger Power!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

"Silver Ranger Power!"

The eight Rangers arrived at the power plant. Tommy glanced around. Things were quiet there. Almost too quiet. "Sheena, take Adam, Tanya, and Rocky and check things out on that side of the plant. The rest of us will see what's going on on the other side."

"Sure thing, Tommy," Sheena started off with her team. Tanya edged up to her as they got out of sight of the others.

"Sheena, aren't you worried about Billy?"

"Why should I be? He's been a Ranger longer than any of us. He can take care of himself."

"Well, sure, but," Tanya wasn't sure how to frame her thoughts. A moment later, she didn't have to worry about it.

"Cogs!" Adam pointed. Under her helmet, Sheena bit her lip. Fear and a lust for revenge both boiled up inside of her. She immediately locked down both under ki-see discipline. The machines ran towards them, and she began to recite the ancient litany of ki-see under her breath as she fought, entering the same half-trance she had been training in.

A ki-see warrior does not fight with her body. She fights with her mind. Discipline, dispassion, and dedication are the hallmarks of a true ki-see warrior. See the mistakes your foes make and turn them against them. They have no minds, no souls. A warrior of the ki-see is a master of using body, mind, soul, and heart as one.

As the litany ended, Sheena emerged from her trance. The other Rangers were staring at her, especially Rocky. The Cogs had all been reduced to spare parts.

"It's ki-see," she told them.

"It's awesome!" Tanya breathed.

On the other side of the plant, Billy stopped suddenly. Tommy looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"Sheena and the others were attacked by Cogs." Billy closed his eyes for a second, sensing first Sheena's fear, then her intense joy as she used her new skills against the Cogs. "They're going to be all right, though. Sheena's using ki-see."

"What's that?"

"An ancient martial arts style. I'll see if she'll show it to you sometime."

"You have no time left to see anything, Rangers, except me destroying you!" a metallic voice laughed. They turned to see a huge robot with several long metallic tentacles lumbering towards them.

"That must be the Decharger," Kat said.

"My, but you're a bright one! Let's see how smart you are when it comes to me draining your energy from you!" The Decharger leapt towards Kat and wrapped her in its 'arms'.

The Pink Ranger glowed as the energy began to leave her body and entered the Decharger. Tommy drew his Zeo Sword and charged the monster, forcing it to drop Kat. She lay on the ground, trying to catch her breath. The Decharger turned on Tommy, its tentacles wrapping around the Red Ranger.

Tommy bit back a scream of pain as he felt his energy leaving him. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the monster dropped him. He fell to the ground, trying to recover, and looked up to see Sheena standing between him and the monster, the Silver Sword in her hands.

"You'll pay for stealing my friends' energy, Decharger!"

"Yours will taste just as sweet as his, Silver Ranger!" The Decharger reached for her, but she wasn't there anymore. Sheena catapulted over the monster and kicked it in the back. The Decharger recovered quickly, only to find himself surrounded by six Rangers.

"Tommy, Kat, you guys better get back to the Power Chamber," Billy advised. "I think we can handle this creep."

"Good idea." It went against the grain for Tommy to leave a battle, but he trusted his fellow Rangers. He and Kat vanished in respective flashes of red and pink.

"Now what do we do?" Adam asked.

"Let's try this for starters." Sheena launched herself at the monster with a ki-see scream. The Decharger vanished just as she would have landed in it, with a maniacal laugh. Sheena turned her leap into a roll, coming to her feet and sheathing her sword in the same motion. She turned around.

"Where'd it go?"

"It just... vanished." Rocky looked around. "That's strange. It's not like Mondo to retreat."

"Unless he's got a plan in mind," Sheena frowned. "Alpha, are there any readings of the Decharger around here anywhere?"

"No, Sheena, it seems to have vanished," Alpha's voice came over her communicator.

"We'd better get back to the Power Chamber." Sheena looked around one last time. Something wasn't right here. "We can get back in a flash if the monster shows up again."

The sense of 'not rightness' preyed on Sheena's mind as they teleported back to the Power Chamber. Tommy and Kat would be all right, Alpha reported, once they got some rest. There were no signs of the monster; so Zordon dismissed them all until it showed up again.

"Not quite that far," she muttered. "I can't get my mind off that monster. There was something about the way it just - just left. Something I can't put my finger on."

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Emily leaned over Jason to ask. Sheena reacted with lightning speed, draping an arm about Billy.

"Oh, nothing important," she grinned in a fashion Emily seemed to understand. Sheena brushed her lips past Billy's, then murmured, "We can talk about it later."

"How much later?" he whispered, returning the kiss with equal passion.

"Just later."

Emily looked over at them, then looked away. "How long have they been dating?"

"Oh, about six months now," Jason said innocently.

"And they're that serious?" Emily looked impressed.

"You might say, love at first sight." Jason turned his attention back to the movie.

"Real good," Kat agreed. "So, where do you want to go tonight?"

"How about the park?" he suggested. "A nice quiet evening star-gazing."

"Sounds like fun to me."

Neither Tommy or Kat saw the figure who entered the Juice Bar just then. When Ernie saw who it was, he grinned. "Welcome back!"

"Shhh, I want it to be a surprise."

"You want the usual?"

"Sure." There was a vacancy at the table where Kat and Tommy sat. The newcomer turned to see who they were looking at, and saw a tall, dark-haired woman on the practice mat, going through a graceful martial arts routine. Billy stood near the woman, a look in his eyes that couldn't be mistaken for anything but true and pure love.

The new arrival sat casually in the empty seat. "So, who's the new girl?"

"Sheena Devereaux," Tommy replied automatically. "She and Billy are really close, Kim." He turned suddenly as his ears heard what his mouth had said. "Kim!!!!"

The ex-Pink Ranger laughed at the expression on his face. "Hi, guys!"

"Kim!" Kat hugged her friend. "It's been a long time!"

"So I see," Kim grinned. She examined Tommy for a few seconds, then said, "When do I get to meet this new Ranger?" That last was spoken in an undertone. "And what is that she's doing?"

"Ki-see. I'll let her explain it, she knows more about it," Kat told her. "I'll go get them."

She headed for the gym area, leaving Tommy and Kim by themselves. "So uh, Kim, how are you?"

"Good." She looked at him. "I uh, heard you and Kat were going out?"

"Yeah, yeah." Tommy suddenly didn't know what to do with himself. "Look, Kim, it's not like she's your replacement or anything. I just like her."

Kim was about to say something else when the rest of the gang joined them. Sheena looked a little nervous. Kim could understand why. "You must be Sheena. Hi, I'm Kim."

Sheena blushed almost as red as Tommy's shirt. "Hi. Yes, I'm Sheena. It's an honor to meet you."

"Well, I'm honored to meet you." Kim did all she could to put the young woman at ease. "It's not everyone who goes through what you did."

"I had help," Sheena managed to sit somehow. "Oh, Goddess, do you know how awkward this is!! It was bad enough seeing Billy in person, but you-,"

Billy sat next to her. "Calm down, Sheena. Breathe."

Kim was glad Jason had explained everything about Sheena's origins to her in his letter, otherwise she would have been very confused. Finally, Sheena looked at her again. "Let's start this over." Her voice was much calmer this time around. "Hi, I'm Sheena."

"Hi, I'm Kim." They both broke apart laughing; it was obvious that these two would be good friends.

"How long are you down for?" Tanya asked. This was really the first time she'd met Kim as well, though she'd heard about her from the other Rangers.

"A week," Kim replied. "You must be Tanya."

"If I must, I must," Tanya grinned. Suddenly their communicators beeped. "Oh, great," Kim groaned. "I remember what that means."

They went to the usual spot, and Tommy answered the call. "What is it, Zordon?"

THE DECHARGER HAS APPEARED AGAIN, THIS TIME IN DOWNTOWN ANGEL GROVE. YOU MUST MORPH AND BATTLE IT AGAIN. KIMBERLY, WELCOME BACK, IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. WE WILL TELEPORT YOU TO THE POWER CHAMBER DURING THIS ATTACK, IN CASE MONDO HAS ANY IDEAS WHILE THE RANGERS ARE AWAY.

"Thanks, Zordon." That thought had crossed Kim's mind when she'd decided to visit. She felt the familiar grip of teleporting, then was in a place unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Alpha was there, and Zordon. They were a welcome sight indeed.

WELCOME TO THE POWER CHAMBER, KIMBERLY. Zordon smiled. YOU MAY WATCH THE RANGERS ON THE VIEWING GLOBE.

She looked around for it, then Alpha pointed to the new one on the wall. "Much more convenient, but it does give the Rangers a sore neck after a while."

She laughed, then watched as the Rangers fought the Decharger. It had grabbed hold of Adam this time, and Rocky was busy trying to get him out of its grip. Billy and Tanya were keeping it occupied, to give Rocky more of a chance to get Adam out of there. The others were busy fighting Cogs that had come along with the monster. Just when Rocky managed to pry Adam loose, the Decharger vanished, as did the Cogs.

"Any signs of it this time, Zordon?" Tommy wondered.

NO, TOMMY. RETURN TO THE POWER CHAMBER FOR DEBRIEFING. Zordon told them. With Rocky supporting Adam, they teleported back home. In the Power Chamber, Kim turned to welcome them back. Billy went to Adam's side at once, guiding him to an examining table. "I'll be all right," the Green Ranger assured them.

YOU MUST REST, ADAM. RANGERS, THIS CONCERNS ME. IT APPEARS THE DECHARGER COULD BE PLANNING TO USE YOUR OWN ENERGY AGAINST YOU AT SOME POINT. THAT IS WHY HE IS TAKING IT FROM YOU DURING YOUR BATTLES, AND NOT FROM THE PEOPLE SURROUNDING YOU.

"You're probably right, Zordon," Sheena nodded. "What gets me is he keeps vanishing and reappearing. Like he's trying to draw us out. He knows we can't just let him tear up the city."

"Right," Tommy nodded. "So we'd better be careful."

"As you wish, my lord," the Decharger bowed. "They will soon fall before your might!"

"You are a fine warrior, Decharger," Mondo approved of him. "The Rangers will soon be no more!"

FROM ALL OUR REPORTS, YES, Zordon told them.

"Maybe if we can avoid getting caught, or tie his arms up so he couldn't touch us," Sheena suggested.

Tommy nodded. "But we can't do anything until the Decharger comes back."

Kim looked at him suddenly. "Tommy, we need to talk. Now."

Tommy looked almost like a trapped animal when he heard that. "I think you're right, Kim," Kat nodded.

"Teleport us to the park, please, Alpha," Kim suggested. Alpha flipped a switch at the console, and they vanished in red and white light.

"So, um, you said we need to talk?" Tommy was fidgeting like someone who was trying to quit cigarettes, but there was a pack being waved in front of him, tempting him. It would be so easy to just take Kim in his arms again, tell her to come back to him and try to forget how cold her letter had been over a year ago.

No. It wouldn't be that easy. It had hurt too much. And he had fallen head over heels for Katherine now. No. It could never be the same between Kim and him again. But he still loved her. And would until the end of time. That was what was making this so weird, he loved Kim, but he wasn't in love with her, and that wasn't a feeling he was used to having when she was right there in front of him, in living color. Just what he needed, something else to turn his emotions all topsy-turvy. He sighed, and sat down by the pond. He hoped that whatever Kim wanted to talk about, that she would just go ahead and do it.

Then she kissed him.

Tommy couldn't tell if only seconds passed before he found his voice or an eternity. That was not what he had expected! He stared at her, wondering how she could have done that, what in the world had come over her, did she expect to pick things up right where they had left off before she went to Florida?

She didn't. "That offended you, didn't it? It didn't wake up any desire to be with me again." Kim sighed, then sat beside Tommy . "I didn't think it would. It didn't do anything for me either, I was pretty sure it wouldn't. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, that's not how I had wanted to handle this." Tommy went from shock to anger to wanting to comfort his ex-flame in the space of a heartbeat. He'd been so wrapped up in how he felt, he hadn't stopped to think how hard it must have been for Kim to come back to Angel Grove, to revisit her past. Their past.

"It's ok, I can think of worse things that can happen to a guy." Kim shook her head and turned Tommy to face her.

"No, it's not ok! I shouldn't have written you like I did, I should've called, or at least been more sensitive in the letter. I should've handled this differently from the very beginning." Kim stopped, willing herself not to cry. She had to do this, she had to get things set right between them. "When I left for Florida, I thought that everything would stay the same, that nothing would ever change. But I was wrong. The more we spent time apart, the more I realized, that the love I had for you was strong, it was just as deep as it ever was, but it wasn't the love that two people who want to spend the rest of their lives together have for each other. It was the love that is between two friends, a love that never ends. And it's the kind of love that makes it so easy to hurt the ones you love. Because you take it for granted. You know that it will always be there, no matter what, and you take it for granted. And that's when you lose the most." Kim paused, not sure how to go on. "Am I making any sense?" Tommy didn't answer, so Kim pressed on. "I'm not good at this, I don't know if I'm making sense or not. Tommy, I should've told you, talked to you, the very first time I realized that my feelings had changed, I should've talked things out with you." Kim got up and walked a few steps away. Part of her absently noted she was standing in the exact same spot where Tommy had first kissed her. She would have to talk to Alpha about how he picked teleportation spots. "I will always love you, Tommy, don't ever doubt that. But it isn't the kind of love that I thought it was. I love you as a friend, a former teammate, a brother. It's the same kind of love I have for all the Rangers, but it's different with you, it touches a different level. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, but it seems that's all I managed to do. You can't even say a complete sentence around me and look me in the eye at the same time."

The wail of a distant police siren floated through the park, mingling with the singing of birds and the laughter of children just out of sight on the playground. "Tommy, if you can't I understand, but I need to tell you I'm so sorry for what I did to you. And ask that maybe, one day, if you ever can, to forgive me. " Tommy was so quiet that Kim thought for a moment he had left. His arms draping about her shoulders a second later told her he hadn't.

"I love you, too. And you're more than forgiven. I just hope you can forgive me." Kim looked over her shoulder at Tommy, puzzled.

"Forgive you? For what?"

Tommy hugged her tightly; he really wasn't good at this himself, but he had to talk about it. "Kim, don't take this wrong, but after I got your letter, I just shut myself off. I didn't want to feel anything, for anybody. Billy had just gotten back from Aquitar, Mondo nearly killed him, trying to catch him that time -" he caught her confused look. "I'll tell you about that later. It felt like everything was going to get back to normal for a while, as normal as Angel Grove ever gets, anyway, then your letter came. Everybody tried so hard to cheer me up, they all thought I was hurting so much. Billy and Kat took me skiing, Kat set me up with Heather Thompson, to get my mind off things, everybody was trying so hard to make me feel better. But the truth was, I didn't feel anything. I didn't want to. I thought if I just ignored my feelings, that the emptiness would go away. I denied myself one of the best things that had ever happened in my life: my love for you." Tommy rested his chin on her shoulder. "Oh man, Kat tried so hard to make me feel better, everybody did. After a while, I think maybe they all thought I was okay, but I just wasn't letting myself feel anything. Then I started feeling something for Kat, and I felt so guilty about it, like I didn't have the right to love anybody else. But I ignored that too, and we started dating. I tricked myself into thinking I had handled everything so well. But when I saw you in the Juice Bar today, I knew I hadn't. I haven't handled anything." Tommy turned Kim to face him. "I need to ask you to forgive me. I should've called more, written more often, something. I shouldn't have shut you out. I still love you, Kim. But it's like you said, it's not the love I thought it was. It's there, but it's different from what being in love is." They just smiled at each other for the longest time, finally connecting after so long apart. Kim kissed Tommy again, this time on his cheek. And this time, neither one of them felt weird about it. Kim laughed as they finally broke their embrace and started to walk along the edge of the pond.

"Well, I must say one thing."

"What?"

"Kat has done the one thing I never could. She has gotten you to the point where you can actually talk for more than two sentences at a time." Tommy laughed, he felt like so much of the weight he'd been carrying had been lifted from his heart.

"Don't sell yourself short, you laid in all the groundwork." Tommy took a deep breath, then continued. "She's really great. I don't know what I ever did to deserve having her in my life. Or you. I'm really lucky, how many guys get to have such a special woman in their life, much less two of them?"

"Have you told her?"

"Told her what?"

"That you love her, you crazy lunk!" Kim punched him lightly in the arm. Tommy pretended that it hurt.

"Ow, you're going to break my arm, girl!" Tommy smiled, then stopped walking. "No, I haven't actually said 'I love you', but -"

"But nothing! Tell her!"

Tommy cleared his throat and suddenly found the ground around his sneakers very interesting. "I'm scared to," he mumbled.

"If you weren't a little scared, then I'd be worried! Tommy, no one ever knows for sure how someone else feels exactly, in something like this, until the words are said. And nobody ever knows how much time they have left to say the words. Love is a risk worth taking, to never take the chance is to deny yourself all over again. Tell her. Look at Billy and Sheena. I've only been here for a few hours, and I can see half a world away how much they love each other. Can you imagine what it would be like if they never found the courage to tell each other? Love like that doesn't come around every day, you have to take the chance while you can. Tell her."

"You sure you... I mean..." his voice trailed off.

"Now there's the Tommy I remember. When it comes to his heart, he stumbles over the words. Kat and I talked things out over the phone a long time ago, I'm the one who told her to go ahead and act on her feelings for you, if she really thought she loved you. And she does. But as much as she needs to say the words to you, you need to say them to her. You guys especially need to say it, you're still Power Rangers. You know the risks and responsibilities that brings. Mondo could be defeated five minutes from now, or one of you could be lost..." Kim was having trouble finding the words now, to voice her fears. "No one knows how much time they have, and being a Power Ranger makes the stakes even higher. I'm not saying that the two of you need to get married right on the spot like Billy and Sheena did, but you need to tell each other how you feel. And don't worry about me, it's all right with me. I couldn't pick a better couple." Kim laughed as they started to walk again. "Though you guys have quite a ways to go before you're as 'nauseatingly in love', to quote Jason, as Billy and Sheena." Tommy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, who would have guessed Billy would be the first of us to get married?" Tommy's face clouded for a moment. He tried to hide it, but Kim spotted the change.

"There is something else bothering you, I thought there were some weird vibes. What's wrong? There isn't anything wrong between Sheena and Billy, is there?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that..." Tommy looked around, as if to make sure that no one else was around, especially no other Rangers. He pulled Kimberly over to a large shade tree to sit down, where they were completely out of sight. "Promise you won't say anything to anybody. Anybody." Kim started to protest, but nodded reluctantly.

"I promise. On one condition."

"What?"

"That whatever this is, you talk it out with the other Rangers later. It does have something to do with the team, doesn't it? What, is Sheena making waves or something? She seems really nice, a real team player. I've only talked to her for a short time and I feel like I've known her forever."

"No, Sheena's fine, great, wonderful, fantastic."

"Then I don't understand. You're not falling in love with her, are you?"

"No!!" Tommy yelped, a bit louder than he'd intended. "No, I mean, I like her, I love her as a friend, and according to what we've learned about our ancestors, she and I are kind of distant cousins, in a way. Sheena's a wonderful addition to the team."

"Then I'm really confused." Tommy took a deep breath and charged ahead, if he didn't tell somebody about what he'd been thinking, feeling, he'd go crazy.

"How much do you know about the first Power Rangers?" Kim shook her head, and Tommy quickly gave her a basic rundown of how that first team of defenders had lined up.

"So, originally, the Silver Ranger was the leader of the Power Rangers. She - , Kahva, you say? She was the most powerful of the Rangers, and a great leader. So what does that have to do with Sheena and the Rangers now?" Kim was confused, why would the lineup of the Rangers over fifteen thousand years ago have an effect on the here and now?

Tommy paused, afraid to go on. But he had to. "Sheena is the most powerful Ranger on the team, that can't be denied. She comes up with great ideas, and she's saved all of us several times over. She's a natural leader, I've found myself depending more and more upon her to do things... I feel sometimes... like maybe the Rangers would be better off with her as the leader. I've been wondering if I should step down."

"What?!" Kim had a hard time imagining anyone other than Tommy, or maybe Jason, as leader of the Rangers. Jason had been their first leader, and even after Zordon had made Tommy 'the leader' after he got his White Ranger powers, Jason had still been the unspoken leader. It was only after Jason, Trini, and Zack had left for the Peace Conference in Switzerland that Tommy had really stepped up into the leadership role, and he had filled it splendidly. "Tommy, what makes you think that? Being the strongest member doesn't make you a rightful leader. If that were true, we'd have dictators like Mondo in charge all over the world. Not that Sheena would be a dictator, I mean, but there's more to being a leader than sheer strength."

"I know. And that's why I'm so confused. I'm not thinking of handing over leadership because she's simply the strongest, it's because she has so many qualities that would make her a good leader. I've had so much on my mind the past year or so, and I haven't handled most of it well. It's even flowed over into my Ranger duties, there have been times where I've been so distracted that I could've put the team at risk. My friends at risk. In fact, I think I did. A good leader also knows when to step down, and let somebody else take over. When Jason first came back, he made it clear to me that he didn't want to be leader again, he felt he'd been out of the loop too long. He also didn't want anyone to think he was trying to make things the way they used to be. If Sheena wasn't here, though, he'd be the first one I'd consider. He and Billy. Kim, Billy got us through so much after Master Vile turned time back, and when Zedd and Rita took over again he risked so much, without powers to protect him, he could've been crippled, killed, imprisoned forever... I don't want to think about what would've happened to us without him. I don't want to think about what it would be like to lose him. He's like a brother to me, to all of us." Tommy plucked blades of grass, trying to put his thoughts together. "I want to do what's best for the team, but I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to slight Jason, he's deserving of leadership, so is Billy. But Sheena is so good. And I don't want to make it seem like I would be handing the reins over to her just for the sake of tradition, or because she's older than the rest of us, or because she's married to Billy. And to put anyone else in the position of leadership puts them at a great risk. Jason knows that, he was Zedd and Rita's target so many times while he was leader. I've been the target more times than I can count. Billy just automatically stepped up to take charge when I couldn't, when the rest of us were still affected by the time warp, and Zedd and Rita went after him, trying to keep him from putting the crystal back together. He knows the risk too. But Sheena hasn't been on the team long enough to know how much she would be targeted if she were leader. It isn't fair to put her in the middle of the bull's eye like that."

Tommy stopped pulling the grass, he'd already cleared a small patch of ground. "But to have her be the leader feels - so right, like it's what I need to do. I don't know, I'm all mixed up. I can't think straight, everything is all turned and twisted inside. And I know that whatever I decide, unless it threatens the safety of the team, the others won't say anything openly against it. I don't know what to do, I have no clue," he finished helplessly. Kim was quiet for a long time, thinking over what had been said.

"Tommy, you have to do what your heart tells you is the right thing to do. Trust in your feelings. You're the leader of the Power Rangers, and unless you're completely incompetent, they aren't going to challenge you. And you're not incompetent. Zordon would have never chosen you if you were. This is a decision you have to make on your own."

"But I'm so mixed up right now, I can't! I can't think straight about it, my mind and heart get all jumbled up. I've tried workouts, sparring, long hot showers, and longer walks alone to try and clear my mind, to calm myself, but nothing's working." Kim searched for the right words to say, but couldn't find them. The beep of Tommy's communicator kept her from getting any closer.

"Yes, Zordon?"

MONDO HAS SENT DOWN THE DECHARGER AND SQUAD OF COGS AGAIN, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PARK FROM YOU AND KIMBERLY. THIS TIME IT SEEMS TO BE TRYING TO ATTACK CIVILIANS, NOT JUST SCARE THEM AND DESTROY PROPERTY. KIMBERLY, PREPARE FOR TRANSPORTATION BACK TO THE POWER CHAMBER.

Kimberly and Tommy got up, but before Kim stepped away she whispered to Tommy, "You will make the right decision, I know you will. When your mind is clear and calm, you'll find the answers you need. In the meantime, don't forget. Tell Kat you love her." In her normal voice, Kim spoke into Tommy's communicator. "We're clear, Zordon, I'm ready. Be careful," she said to Tommy, just before she disappeared in a swirl of white.

Tommy exhaled, trying to calm himself. "Thanks for listening, Kim. It's morphin' time!! Zeo Ranger V, Red!"

Tommy found himself in the midst of a sheer panic. There were several civilians here, a church group had been having a picnic evidently. The other Rangers arrived a second after he did. "Silver! You and Sapphire get these people out of here! Blue, Yellow, Pink, get the Cogs! Gold, you're with me, we've got to keep the Decharger from grabbing anyone else!" Everyone automatically went into action, doing what they did best: defending the Earth and her people. "How's Green doing?" Tommy asked Jason as they ran over to the Decharger.

"He'll be okay, but he's too weak to fight now. Zordon wouldn't let him leave. Neither would we," Jason grinned under his helmet. The slight humor went out of his voice as he saw who the Decharger was holding. It was Emily. "Let her go!"

"Gladly, 'Brass Ranger'," the monster sneered. "She doesn't have as much energy as one of you, anyway." He dropped Emily, she collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Jason rushed over and gathered her up.

"She's unconscious, but ok, I think."

"Get her to the hospital and get back here as soon as you can!" Tommy ordered. Jason teleported away with Emily as Tommy faced the Decharger alone. Sheena and Billy had evacuated the civilians, now they were helping the other Rangers fight off the Cogs. "Don't you know when to quit?"

"On the contrary, Red Ranger, I know exactly when to quit. Do you?"

"What?" Tommy was frozen in his tracks. Had Mondo been listening to his talk with Kim? The thought was literally knocked out of his mind as the monster threw him back with a single swipe of a tentacle, then started after the others, his target: Billy. "Billy, watch out!!" Tommy screamed, but Decharger had already shot out a tentacle and grabbed Billy from behind. This was the first time that the monster had grabbed one of the three Rangers whose power didn't come directly from the Zeo Crystal, and it showed. The monster glowed a dark blue as Billy screamed and writhed in pain, the monster draining him just as it had Tommy, Kat, and Adam before him. Tommy struggled to his feet, he had to get that thing away from Billy. He'd just been telling Kim how Billy was like a brother, now that brother was in danger. Tommy cursed himself mentally for being so slow to react.

"Tanya, Rocky, distract him, Kat, you're with - Tommy! Are you okay?" It was Sheena.

Tommy nodded, then shook his head to clear the cobwebs. "Just a little dizzy, he sent me flying. Didn't try to drain me, though. Weird. Jason should be back soon, he had to get Emily to the hospital."

"Ok. Kat, you and Tommy be ready to pull Billy away, I'm going to try and loosen Decharger's grip." Sheena started in on Decharger's blind side, then pulled out the Silver Sword. she charged the monster, landing a blow on the monster's 'shoulder' of the tentacle that held Billy. Her sword bit into metal, went part of the way into it, then stopped. But that blow had been enough, the monster's grip on the now unconscious Billy slipped just enough for Kat and Tommy to pull him to safety. The monster pulled away from Sheena's sword, then managed to swing another tentacle at her. She dodged it easily with a flip, but it had served Decharger's purpose. Just as Jason teleported back into the battle, Decharger wrapped one of its other tentacles around Tanya and started to drain her.

"Tanya!" Sheena yelled. "Jason, hit it in the shoulder with your staff, that's a weak point!"

"Right!!" Jason replied. "Power Staff!" His weapon appeared and he struck the monster in the shoulder all in one movement. He didn't cause as much damage as Sheena had with her sword, but he did dent its shoulder. The monster turned and laughed at the Rangers.

"You can't stop me, puny humans!" Tanya continued to struggle in its grip.

"Want to bet?" Jason leapt again at the monster, striking its shoulder again. This time, the monster loosened its grip on Tanya, and Rocky and Sheena could pull her away. "Call me 'Brass Ranger' will you?"

"Your time will come," the monster answered with a laugh, looking at Jason, Rocky, and Sheena. "For all of you." Before anyone could move, the monster and the Cogs vanished.

Sheena turned from watching Billy on the table and moved to Jason, trying to comfort him. "I wish I had answers for you, Jason." Sheena looked at Tommy for a sign of confirmation, then continued, "Why don't you go to the hospital and stay with Emily for a while? We'll call if Decharger shows up again." Jason looked at all the Rangers, three of them on examination tables, his gaze stopping on Billy, the first one of them that had been rendered unconscious by Decharger's attack. First Emily, now Billy. He wanted to rip apart that monster with his bare hands! Sheena put her hands on his shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. "Blind anger won't help anyone, not Emily, not Billy, not you. It will only blind us to what he's up to." Jason looked at Billy again, then Sheena. "That's the first lesson ki-see teaches. Never let your emotions interfere with your job."

"You're right." He hugged her, then moved away, preparing to teleport. "Call me the moment anything happens."

"Will do." Jason teleported away, and Sheena moved back to Billy, holding his hand. "C'mon Billy, wake up." After a few minutes, Billy finally revived and smiled weakly at Sheena. Kat and Rocky were with Tanya, Adam had insisted on going to her, though he still needed to rest himself. They brought him up to speed on what had happened, and after Sheena tenderly kissed Billy before he fell into a deep sleep, she joined them to check on Tanya. They were all discussing this recent attack, puzzled over why the attack had gone the way it had. Tanya wasn't in as bad a shape as Adam, Kat, or Tommy had been, the only reason anyone could come up with was that the monster had already absorbed what energy from Emily she had, then a tremendous amount from Billy, which was why he was so weak. They continued to puzzle over everything while Kimberly applied salve to Tommy's back, which was cut and bruised from where the monster had knocked him aside. He spoke softly to Kim for the first time since teleporting back after the fight.

"See what I mean? She took charge out there, like she was born to it. I was too slow, if I had warned Billy sooner, he -" Kimberly shushed him, then walked around to face him.

"It's not your fault. I watched the fight on the viewing globe, that monster seemed to know exactly who he wanted to go after the whole time. I've got a feeling that he would've gotten Billy and Tanya even if they had eyes in the back of their helmets. There's nothing anyone could have done." Tommy didn't look convinced as Sheena and Kat came over.

"Tommy, you okay? You've been awfully quiet." Sheena frowned, she was worried about their leader. Kat moved behind Tommy to check his back for herself.

"I'm okay, just going to be sore for a while. Good job out there, Sheena."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm sorry for jumping in like that, I didn't mean to try and take over out there."

"It's ok, you did the right thing. Thanks to you, we know a weak point on the Decharger now, his shoulders. The joints are not as well protected as the rest of him. If we just knew what he was up to..." Tommy's voice trailed off as Kat hugged him, trying to reassure him. What do I do now, he wondered. The monster was slowly wearing them down, and he didn't know how much more they could take.

"I am glad you are pleased, my Master. Did you see how uncertain the Red Ranger was? It was child's play to get past him to go after the Sapphire Ranger," the monster gloated.

"Yes, I did. I don't know what is going on with that human, but I intend to keep an eye on him. We may find something we can use for our purposes there." Mondo turned to stare greedily at the Earth, visible through one of the Skybase's portals. "Keep them guessing, Decharger. The fall of the Rangers will happen soon, it's only a matter of time."

"Kim, it's been so nice to get to know you this week, I feel like I've known you forever, and not because of a TV show." She glanced over her shoulder at Tommy, but he and the other Rangers were already moving to a place where they could watch Kim's plane take off. "Is everything ok between you and Tommy? He's been acting a little weird this week."

"We're fine, we got everything talked out that first day. He's just got a lot on his mind. Give him some time, he'll be okay." Kim hated not saying more, but it was not her place, Tommy was the one who would have to talk to the Rangers when the time came. "I think I've maybe got an idea that will help him. I'm going to have something sent to him. Tell everybody that it will be here later today, I think I'll have it sent to the Juice Bar."

"Ok. What is it?"

Kim laughed. "That's for Tommy to find out first, I'll call him after I make the arrangements. That, and I haven't completely decided what I'm going to do just yet, but I've got a general idea." Sheena looked like she was about to burst. "What? What is it?"

"Will you be one of my bridesmaids at our wedding?" the words rushed out. "I'm sorry, I meant to do that with a little more control. But I'd really like for you to be one of the bridesmaids, if you can."

Kimberly blushed. "I'd be honored, Sheena. I have to admit, I'm surprised, but I'm honored. When will the wedding be? Your 'real one', that is?"

"In six months. We're planning on telling Billy's parents soon, but all the battles recently have kind of thrown us for a loop. We want to wait for things to settle a bit, so we can concentrate on how to tell them we want to be married. Oh, Kim, thanks so much, you don't know how much this means to me!" The girls hugged happily.

"Who is going to be your maid of honor?"

"I haven't decided yet, it's a hard choice. I don't -"

"Flight 315 for Miami, Florida, last call at Gate 12."

"That's me, I've got to go. Take care, Sheena!" Kim waved and ran down the hall to her plane. Sheena joined the others at the observation window, and they could all see Kim a few minutes later, waving to them through her window on the plane. Sheena smiled, she and Kim had become fast friends. She had agreed to be a bridesmaid, just like Sheena had hoped. If only picking a maid of honor could be so easy...

"Yes, milord?"

"Make a poison that we can put into Kimberly's little gift for Tommy. Something that will dull his responses and his mind. I don't want him to be able to lift a finger, much less lead the Rangers!! As a matter of fact, if this works, I'll use it on every human on the planet! With their minds dulled, they won't be able to resist my orders, no matter how hard they try!"

"I can make the poison, milord, but since the tree is organic, it will kill the tree."

"I don't care what happens to a stupid tree, Klank!"

"Yes, I know, my liege, but if the tree dies, then Tommy will suspect something and not handle the tree, which will be necessary for the poison to get into his body." Mondo considered this problem.

"Make a phony tree, one that looks just like the real one. After Tommy gets the tree, we'll send down a platoon of Cogs to distract him and switch the trees. Get to work on it now, Klank!"

"Yes, milord."

"And Klank? Don't mess up this time!!!"

"So what is it?" Rocky asked. "Just what did Kim send you?"

"A bonsai tree."

"You mean like in the movies?"

"Something like that," Tommy frowned. He knew that Kim was trying to help him focus, but he wasn't a gardener. Why was she sending a tree of all things? Billy walked in just as Tommy took the tree out of the box and heard Rocky's question.

"Kat said I'd find you here, that Kim's gift had arrived. Which species did she send, Tommy?"

"What do you mean, which species? A bonsai tree is a bonsai tree, right?" Rocky was confused now. "I mean, that's what they call them, so that's what they are, right?"

Billy laughed as he got a closer look at the small tree, already potted properly. Kim must have told the nursery to deliver it ready to go. Ernie had already taken the box to the recycling bin. "There are several kinds of trees that can be used for bonsai. Bonsai is more the art of tending, pruning, and caring for the trees. It deals with harmony..." Billy continued his explanation as the guys left and headed for Billy's lab. As he listened, Tommy realized just why Kim had sent the tree. The art of bonsai did have to deal with the harmony of nature, and man trying to mold it, without looking as if he were molding it. It seemed like a contradiction in terms, but the spiritual side was what Kim was aiming for in sending her gift. Just as one tried to find the balance and harmony in bonsai, he needed to find the balance and harmony in his mind, heart, and soul. He needed to be calm and focused, so he could find the answers he needed. But how could he be calm with the Decharger around? How could he be calm not knowing what to do about the Rangers? Rocky's hand on his arm broke his thoughts.

"Cogs!" Tommy looked around to find that they were surrounded.

"Great. Now what?" he muttered.

"It is ready, milord. I shall teleport down now." Klank vanished with the poisonous copy of Tommy's bonsai. Mondo actually laughed as he continued to watch the battle on Earth.

"Oh, you'll have plenty of time to think about things now, Red Ranger. All the time in the world, trapped inside your own body."

"Right!" Billy and Rocky called, but they never got the chance. Each boy was promptly tackled by three Cogs each, and had to fight them off before they could even try to morph. None of the guys saw Klank teleported down by Tommy's tree and exchange it with the fake one. He was there and gone in a few seconds, and shortly after, so were the Cogs. The guys picked themselves up off of the ground, shaking off leaves and dirt. Rocky's jeans were torn from where the Cogs had shoved him onto the sidewalk.

"Aw, man, not again! My mom must think I'm the clumsiest guy in the world! That's the third pair of jeans this month! She's gonna kill me." Billy helped Tommy up as Rocky lamented about his jeans, then they all looked for the bonsai tree, which was exactly where Tommy had placed it, amazingly enough. "What was that all about anyway? It's not like the Cogs to do a hit and run. I mean, not without the Decharger showing up, or them stealing something. They must have wanted something." Rocky brushed the last of the dirt off his jeans. "I've got to get home and try to patch these up before Mom sees them. I'll meet up with you guys at Billy's later, ok?"

"See ya, Roc. And don't worry too much about your mom. Mine has finally gotten used to the rips in my jeans." Tommy watched as Rocky jogged off in the direction of his house. He was right, it wasn't like the Cogs to hit and run without the Decharger showing up. What had they wanted?

"You okay Tommy?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm okay. I'll be better if we can figure out just what Mondo is up to, though. Let's get over to your place before anything else happens." Billy and Tommy continued on the way to Billy's lab, not noticing that the tree was glinting slightly in the sun.

"Oh, yes, Klank, for once you've done something perfectly. They won't know what hit them until it's too late." Mondo would've scowled at the real tree Klank was holding if he could. "Get that stupid tree out of here, I hate real plants."

"Yes, sire. At once, sire." Klank went to the nearby furnace and tossed the tree in. It was incinerated instantly. Klank could feel his pride swelling, he had outdone himself this time. He had created the tree so precisely, mimicked every line and curve. And had put a little surprise of his own into it, to insure it carried out its mission: the poisoning of the Red Ranger.

"It won't get pruned by itself, you know," Billy teased. He was busying himself with the carcass of what was going to be a china cabinet for the house that his Uncle John had announced he was thinking about renting. Billy had planned for the cabinet to be for Sheena and himself, but they hadn't announced their 'engagement' to his parents yet, so when John had seen all the wood and the frame, he asked Billy if he could make a china cabinet for the house. Billy agreed, to say no to Uncle John was unthinkable. And if he had, then he would've had to explain to his uncle that he and Sheena were 'engaged', and to do that before even telling his parents... Billy didn't even want to think about what that little scene would've been like. Billy walked over to Tommy, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Just let the tree 'tell' you where to start. Follow its form and let it guide you. Clear your mind, center yourself."

"Easy for you to say. What do you think the Cogs were up to?"

"I don't know, Rocky's right, it was weird. But everything Mondo has done lately has been weird, even for him. And you're stalling. Working on the tree will help calm you, and maybe you'll find some answers." Tommy's hand stopped just above the tree. Did Billy know what was bothering him? That he was wondering whether or not to hand over leadership of the Rangers to his friend's wife?

"Answers?"

"Yeah, maybe you'll get an idea about what Mondo is up to." Billy looked closely at Tommy. "You really do need to do something to calm yourself, your hand is shaking. Are you all right?"

Tommy stilled his hand with effort, he hoped it didn't show too much. "Yeah, I'm fine." He laughed nervously and tried to throw Billy off. "I guess I'm just afraid that this thing is going to bite me or something." Billy laughed and shook his head, turning back to the china cabinet. Tommy exhaled in relief, Billy didn't suspect anything, or if he did, he wasn't saying. Either way, Tommy was glad. He steeled himself, and started for the closest branch of the tree. "All right, here goes nothing." He closed the shears on the branch - and nothing happened. The branch didn't cut. He pulled the shears away and looked closely at the branch. There wasn't even a scratch. "That's weird," he muttered. Tommy tried again, putting more pressure on the shears. "Hey, Billy, this thing won't cut the branches."

"You're kidding. Mom just sharpened those things yesterday."

"I'm telling you, it won't cut - ow!!" Tommy dropped the shears in pain, the branch he'd been trying to cut had wrapped itself around his fingers. Blood slowly trickled from where the 'leaves' were biting into his flesh. "Billy! Get this thing off me!"

"What?!" Billy rushed over, grabbing the shears that Tommy had dropped. "Hold still." Billy tried to cut the branch with the shears, but had no better luck than Tommy.

"Be careful, it might stick you, too," Tommy warned. Billy searched through his toolbox and pulled out a pair of wire cutters.

"Sorry, didn't schedule getting bitten by a plant today. Perhaps tomorrow?" he joked, then frowned. Tommy was turning a bit pale. "These should do it, hang in there." Billy put as much pressure as he could on the wire cutters, and finally the branch was cut with a metallic sounding snap. Billy put on a pair of gardening gloves and carefully unwrapped the rest of the branch from Tommy's finger, a piece about two inches long. A greenish liquid was oozing from it, and from the tree at the cut. Tommy's finger was angry and red where the branch had punctured him. "We need to get you to the Power Chamber, and the tree. Something's not right, trees don't act like Venus Flytraps."

"That's what Mondo was up to, has to be. He's done something to the tree." Tommy shook his hand, there was a weird numb feeling in it, starting from where he'd been pricked. "But why? He's got the Decharger running around loose, why mess with a tree?"

"Remember, the Decharger has drained each one of us once each. He hasn't attacked since. Maybe Mondo's trying a new tactic, by going after you." Billy had grabbed his first aid kit and was applying a quick bandage to Tommy's injury.

"Why me?"

Billy gave a dry laugh. "You have to ask? You're the leader of the Power Rangers. Might as well paint a bull's eye on your back." Tommy stared at Billy, he had said those same words to Kim. "That's the only thing I can think of. Come on, we need to go."

"What? Hey!" Three Cogs had already grabbed Billy from behind, holding his arms to prevent him from fighting them off, a fourth was closing in. "Sapphire - mmph!" The fourth Cog roughly shoved a gag into Billy's mouth before he could call on his power. They had learned long ago that though the other Rangers needed their Zeonizers to morph, Sheena and Billy only needed to call on their powers verbally. So their tactics in dealing with them had changed, they usually tried to keep Billy and Sheena so busy that they didn't have time to morph. The gag was a new trick, however, and one that disturbed Tommy as he made himself move in to try and help his friend. Were they trying to kidnap Billy now? As Tommy struggled, he found himself noticing two things. He was having more trouble with two Cogs than he should be. He was the more experienced fighter of the two, he'd had more training than Billy, but Billy was putting up more of a struggle than he himself seemed to be able to. And there were a few other Cogs trashing Billy's lab. Why was that? Tommy concentrated his efforts and finally broke free of his attackers.

"Zeo Ranger V, Red!" As soon as he morphed, Tommy felt better, or at least back to normal. He felt his body responding the way it should in a fight, not slowed down like it had moments before. The Cogs seemed to notice the change as well, they renewed their efforts to subdue Tommy. The four Cogs that had been holding Billy had him tied up in a net now, his arms firmly bound, keeping him from removing the gag while they started to drag HTML>

"Hey, Kimberly, you got a letter from home. Looks

"You heard the man, let him go!" Rocky had just arrived and had promptly morphed when he spotted the Cogs, tackling the nearest one. The Cogs that had been taking Billy away threw the helpless Ranger at his teammates, sending all three of them to the ground, then teleported away. Tommy and Rocky untangled themselves from Billy, powered down, and worked on freeing him from the net. It took a few minutes, but finally Billy was free and pulling the gag out of his mouth.

Thanks, guys. That's something they haven't tried before. Not sure I like being trussed up like that." Billy winced as he turned his head, and started to rub his neck.

"You okay, Billy?" Tommy was worried, he hadn't been able to warn Billy as quickly as he'd tried to, and it had nearly gotten him kidnapped. If it hadn't been for Rocky showing up when he did... Tommy shoved the thought from his mind as he and Rocky helped Billy to stand.

"I think I'll be okay, but when they gagged me, they wrenched my neck pretty badly. It really hurts right now. I guess that's two of us that need to get checked out at the Power Chamber."

"Two?" Rocky asked. "What's wrong, Tommy? Are you okay?"

"Billy's the one who's really hurt, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I just got bitten or something by that bonsai tree - where is it?" Tommy walked into the mess of Billy's lab. Everything was smashed or on the floor, the china cabinet Billy had been working on was kindling now. But the tree was nowhere to be found. "That's why they attacked, they wanted to get the tree back. I guess they tried for Billy, too, so he couldn't figure out what made it prick me like it did."

"Or they were using me as a distraction, so you wouldn't see them taking the tree and stop them. Either way, they've got at least one thing they were after, the tree. We've got to get to the Power Chamber, guys. I don't like this one bit." The three Rangers teleported to the Power Chamber and were greeted by a worried Alpha. Zordon was not visible in his warp.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi! Are you all right, Rangers? Zordon and I have been searching for more information on the Decharger, so I didn't see the attack until it was over. I'm sorry, I should've kept a closer eye on all of you," the little robot fretted.

"Billy's neck was wrenched in the fight, and Tommy was pricked by his bonsai tree, but other than that, we're all okay Alpha, don't worry. You can't be watching all of us all of the time, even though you are a robot." Rocky patted Alpha's shoulder reassuringly.

"Let's get Billy's neck checked, Alpha, they might have pulled a muscle or something when they grabbed him." Tommy felt a little silly. Billy had been in the most danger, all he had were a few little pricks on his finger, it wasn't even bleeding now. The other Rangers teleported in, all clamoring for answers. After Rocky filled everybody in on what had happened after they had left the Juice Bar, Alpha determined that Billy did have a strained muscle in his neck.

"It's going to be stiff and sore for a while, Billy, but nothing too serious. Be sure to take some ibuprofen every four to six hours, that will take the edge off the pain."

"Yes, sir, Doctor Alpha," Billy stiffly saluted his metallic friend, then immediately wished he hadn't. The pain had started to travel into his shoulder.

"Sit still, I think I can take care of that," Sheena ordered. She gently started to massage Billy's neck and shoulders for a few minutes and as everyone watched, Billy's face showed the difference as the pain started to ease. "How's that?"

"Thanks sweetie, that does help."

"A friend of mine from back home taught me. The only person I've ever known who can massage even some of the worst pain and headaches away."

"Really? Which one?"

"Umm, well -" Sheena suddenly found herself stumbling for words. She hadn't talked much about her friends, about her best friend, since she'd met the Rangers, and couldn't bring herself to talk about them just then. Tommy's paling face caught her eye, and all thoughts of home were banished. "Tommy? Tommy, what's wrong, you're as white as a sheet!"

It took a few seconds before Tommy could answer, long enough for Rocky and Kat to make him lie down on one of the examining tables. "I'm okay, really, I just got pricked by that stupid tree. It's nothing."

LET US BE THE JUDGE OF THAT, TOMMY. Zordon was back in his warp. Tommy wondered how long he had been listening to them. ALPHA, BEGIN A SCAN OF TOMMY'S VITAL SIGNS IMMEDIATELY. BILLY, WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE TREE? DO YOU STILL HAVE IT? Billy quickly explained what had happened in the lab, and that the Cogs had apparently taken the tree with them during the attack.

"But what could Mondo want with a tree?" Tanya wondered.

"I still think that he's been after Tommy this whole time, from the moment he got the tree. I touched the branches myself while Tommy was talking to Kim on the phone after we got to my lab. They didn't prick me." Tommy looked at Billy curiously. "You didn't see me, and I didn't think anything of it till now. If the tree was to poison the first Ranger who touched it, or any Ranger, then it would've pricked me. But it only pricked Tommy. It didn't try to prick me when I was cutting the branch off, either."

"The question remains, what is Mondo up to?"

"I don't know, Sheena. I wish I did. Alpha, do your scans show anything?"

"No, not exactly, Billy."

"What do you mean, 'not exactly', Alpha? What do they show?"

"Tommy's perfectly fine except for the pricks on his fingers. But his pulse rate is a bit slower than normal, considering he's just been in a fight."

"I feel like I'm slower, mentally and physically. The only time I felt up to normal speed was after I morphed," Tommy finally admitted. "I tried to warn you about the Cogs behind you, but it was like I couldn't get the words out for a second or so."

ALPHA, WE NEED TO RUN SOME TESTS ON TOMMY'S BLOOD. I FEAR THAT THE TREE MAY HAVE POISONED HIM. TOMMY, IT WOULD BE SAFER FOR YOU TO REMAIN HERE FOR NOW.

"Won't get any arguments from me, some sleep right now sounds pretty good." Tommy settled down on the table as Alpha prepared to draw some blood for testing. "Hey Jase, how's Emily? Did she get out of the hospital today?"

"She's okay, Ernie has told her not to come in to work for another week, though. Physically she's almost up to speed, but she's still a little spooked." Jason hit the table Billy was sitting on with his fist, jarring it. The vibration made Billy wince and rub his neck. "I'd really like to get a hold of Mondo and - oh, man, I'm sorry, Billy. I wasn't thinking."

"Don't worry, it was an accident. Mondo's attacks have got us all on edge."

RANGERS, ALL OF YOU NEED TO TRY AND REST. MONDO'S ATTACKS HAVE WORN ON ALL OF YOU, MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. YOU NEED TO BE AS RESTED AS POSSIBLE, FOR I FEAR HIS WORST IS YET TO COME. WE WILL CALL YOU THE MOMENT WE KNOW MORE. Reluctantly, the Rangers all left except for Tommy, Billy, and Sheena. Billy only laid down to rest after Alpha promised to wake him if Tommy's condition changed, and Sheena only agreed to go to her quarters and rest after Alpha made her the same promise about Billy and Tommy. Tommy caught her hand as she walked by.

"Tommy? Something I can get for you? Anything at all?" she asked. He shook his head. He was finding it a little harder to concentrate, and tried to hide the little mental battle he was fighting to simply talk to her.

"Make me a promise, Sheena."

"Anything."

"If whatever that's going on with me slows me down too much, I want you to take over the Rangers. I want you to be the leader." Sheena started to protest, but Tommy cut her off somehow. "Face it, I'm having trouble just talking, much less giving orders. Promise me, Sheena. If you have to, take over." She was quiet, solemn. For a moment, Tommy feared she would say no.

Sheena nodded. "I promise." She patted Tommy's hand, he was already drifting off to sleep. Billy's breathing had slowed a bit, he was finally asleep too. Sheena went to her quarters and tried to relax, but couldn't. She pulled a small photo album from her purse and automatically opened it to two pictures. The first was the one she had been looking at on that fateful day when the Cogs had captured her and taken her to King Mondo. But it was the second one that held her attention now, it was of her and her best friend. "What do I do now?" she asked the photographic image of her friend. "I'm not a leader." The image didn't answer, it couldn't, of course. Sheena finally drifted off into a fitful sleep, still clutching the album tightly.

"Yes, I am, Klank, thanks to you! You've done splendidly this time! Tell me, what made you think of using the Sapphire Ranger as a distraction while the Cogs recovered my poison bonsai? Tommy and Rocky were so worried the Cogs were kidnapping him, they never saw us take the tree!"

Klank gulped, then hurried to cover his nervousness. Actually, he had told the Cogs to kidnap Billy also, but they had panicked when Rocky had shown up and left Billy behind instead. Klank hadn't wanted to take the chance that Billy could find an antidote to the poison. But he wasn't about to let Mondo know any differently. "Uh, it was... a sudden inspiration, sire! I, uh, knew that Tommy would be so worried about Billy that he wouldn't see us recovering the tree. The Blue Ranger was distracted also, when he showed up. I thought you would be pleased, milord."

"Oh, I am, Klank. Tell me, how long before Tommy is completely overwhelmed by my poison?"

"Well, sire, if he had stayed in his Red Ranger form, the poison wouldn't have really started to slow him down until about twenty-four hours after the tree pricked him. After that, if he stayed morphed the entire time, the poison would permanently incapacitate him in three days."

"Permanently?"

"Yes, sire, in the dose he received, the poison's effects would be irreversible after three full days. He would be in a waking coma for the rest of his life. You see, sire, the poison is designed to interfere with a human's nervous system, slowly blocking the synapses until only just enough information is getting through to keep their body alive. Just as you requested, sire, he'll be trapped inside his own body, unable to even whimper, much less lead the Rangers. Since he powered down after the Cog attack, and is most likely still powered down, the poison is traveling through his system faster, though he may not be able to tell the difference at the moment. Even if he powers up again, I estimate that now he has only a day and a half before he's done for."

"Yes!! Well done, Klank. But tell me, will I still be able to use the poison to enslave all of mankind?"

"Oh yes, sire. All we have to do is make the tree the size of a normal tree, and plant it near Angel Grove's water plant. Its roots will start to slowly travel through the earth, undetected, and make their way into the water supply. Once they reach it, they will release the poison into the water. The poison will be diluted, and each person who drinks the water will receive enough to have their senses dulled, and leave them vulnerable to say, a hypnotic suggestion that you could broadcast. They will be aware of everything, but unable to resist. And the humans will know that the Power Rangers have been defeated and can't save them. We can poison the entire Earth's water supply in a matter of days."

"I like this, Klank! But we must make sure that the Rangers aren't able to stop us from planting the tree. Decharger! Decharger, come here at once!" Mondo's monster appeared, ready for battle.

"Yes, milord?"

"Tomorrow morning, I will send down a squad of Cogs to draw the Rangers out into battle. When they least expect it, you will go down and fight them, but don't drain them. You've stolen enough energy for our purposes. Keep them busy while Klank plants my tree. And try to battle the Red Ranger one last time. I want his last moments of movement to be the most sorrowful moments of his life! I want him to collapse, knowing that he can't fight, he can't lead, his Ranger friends will be defeated, and there's nothing he can do about it!" Decharger bowed and left the throne room, he was ready to serve his master. Mondo turned back to Klank. "Klank, there's one thing that worries me. What if the Rangers try to destroy my tree? You can't let that happen, Klank!"

Klank was thoughtful for a moment, if the Rangers ever got a sample of the poison, then that interfering Billy might be able to make an antidote for Tommy in time. Klank couldn't let that happen, not when everything was going so well... "Yer Majesty, I've got it. I programmed the tree to attack only Tommy, to make sure he was the one who was poisoned, I can reprogram it to attack anyone who gets too close. If it is an ordinary human, they will be instantly killed, of course, the strength of the poison is increased with the dosage, the dosage is increased with the size of the tree -"

"Klank, don't patronize me, do you think I'm stupid?! Of course the tree puts out more poison if it is bigger!! What about if a Ranger gets too close?"

"If they are not using their Ranger powers when the tree attacks them, then they will have only a few hours before they are in the same shape as their leader. If they are using their Ranger powers, then they will have a day at most. But if they power down during that time, then their time will run out faster. The Rangers will be unable to stop us, sire, I promise. You will be victorious!"

"I had better be, Klank. Or else, you are the one who will have to explain why you failed me."

"Y-Yes, sire."

The Sapphire Ranger turned from the microscope he'd been hunched over for three hours already, thought it was only seven in the morning. "Hey Tommy, how are you feeling?" Billy was cautiously straightening up and turning his head, his neck was still bothering him a bit. Tommy slowly got off of the examining table he'd slept on and went to his friend.

"Other than few cobwebs, I feel ok, I guess. Oh, man, I didn't call my parents, they're gonna freak!" Billy put a hand on Tommy's shoulder to calm him.

"Don't worry, the others took care of that. Alpha told me that Adam and Rocky called David after they left and told him what happened. Mr. Trueheart is out of town, so David called your folks and mine and told them that we were staying over with him at the reservation, 'to keep him company'. Adam contacted Alpha and let him know that everything was covered. Don't worry, we shouldn't get skinned alive by our folks." Billy grinned at Tommy, the leader of the Rangers couldn't have looked more relieved. "Your brother knowing who we are comes in handy."

"Knowing who we are or not, I'm just glad I found him." As Billy turned back to the microscope, Tommy's face clouded. That was another thing he hadn't dealt with as well as he had first thought. It had only been a few years ago that his parents had told him he was adopted, and in the last days before Master Vile had turned time back, Tommy's parents had found out that Tommy had a twin brother. It had taken a while, but they had finally found where David was, only to discover that he had been looking for Tommy with Mr. Trueheart's help. Tommy shuddered, remembering taking David to the Juice Bar after their first meeting and the sparring match that David lost. He had stormed out, feeling bad, only to be kidnapped by Cogs. Mondo had wanted the Power Rangers to surrender to him as ransom. They managed to save David after he had teleported out of the cave with the monster that Mondo's evil had awakened, but David was so frantic about Tommy, that maybe something had happened to him, that Tommy had no choice but to reveal his identity to his brother. By doing so, he'd ended up revealing the other Rangers' identities, and Billy's status as a then former Ranger. So much happened, so fast. He and David both wore arrowhead necklaces, they had been given to them by their adoptive parents, the Olivers and Mr. Trueheart, when they were young. After David's kidnapping and rescue, they found out that the necklaces had actually been with them when they were given up for adoption, they were from their real parents.

No, birth parents, Tommy corrected himself. That was something he'd shoved to the back of his mind, trying to bury the thoughts and emotions. They had not been able to learn just why they had been given up for adoption, and it had continued to bother Tommy. How did David manage to have such peace with it? Tommy shook his head, his heritage was something else that was turning him inside out, and he didn't know where to begin to deal with it, or anything else in his life. Billy's voice broke his thoughts.

"I don't understand this, Zordon. We've checked for every known kind of poison or virus in Tommy's blood, but there's nothing there! That tree had to have done something, but what? Where are the traces?"

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT TOMMY HASN'T BEEN POISONED AT ALL, BILLY, THOUGH I FIND THAT HIGHLY UNLIKELY. BUT UNTIL WE CAN GET A SAMPLE OF WHATEVER WAS IN THE TREE, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FIND OUT ANYTHING FOR SURE. TOMMY, DO YOU FEEL ANY DIFFERENTLY FROM YESTERDAY?

"Not really, Zordon, I just kinda feel like I'm not quite awake yet, like I'm slow getting started this morning. Then again, I've never been an early riser," Tommy laughed, trying to make light of the situation. "Really, other than feeling like I'm a little sluggish right now, I feel fine. How's your neck this morning, Billy?"

"Stiff, but better than yesterday. Just have to be careful turning my head."

"Well, that's good to hear," Sheena's voice floated into the main chamber. She was up and dressed, and immediately went to Billy and started to massage his neck and shoulders. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really. I've been up since about four, I think. This thing with the tree has got me bugged. There should be something in Tommy's blood, but we can't find it. Anything yet, Alpha?" The little robot had been checking another sample, but hadn't had any better luck than Billy. Billy sighed and rubbed his eyes. "This is going nowhere and it's driving me crazy."

"Then you need to take a short break from it, clear your mind. Sit still, breathe deeply, clear your mind. Think of a calm, peaceful meadow. There's a small pond there, and all sorts of animals are there. Everything is serene, still, and safe. Nothing can disturb this place." Tommy watched in wonder as Billy began to relax, Sheena's voice was even and smooth, her hands slowly working away the tension and stiffness in Billy's shoulders and neck. He could see Billy's face start to relax just as it had the day before, as his pain and soreness started to fade. Sheena was amazing, Tommy wondered just how she was able to be so calm and so calming. Then Tommy saw the ugly dark purple bruise on the back of Billy's neck for the first time, from where the Cog had grabbed him and wrenched his neck, cruelly stuffing the gag into his mouth... Tommy shuddered at the memory. If Rocky hadn't shown up when he had, they would've lost Billy, he just knew it. Every instinct told him that the Cogs had been after Billy as much as the tree. But why? Because it has done something to me, Tommy thought. Mondo didn't want Billy to figure out what. He realized that Sheena was staring at him. her face showed her question, he shook his head at her. Her eyes narrowed, her gaze speaking volumes, saying she knew he was hiding something, but she would talk to him later. If she only knew...

"Sheena? If I ever meet the friend who taught you how to do this, I'm going to give him my undying gratitude, 'cause I'll never have enough money to pay him properly. I feel so much better, thanks sweetie." Billy took her hands in his and they turned to face Tommy.

"I heard you say that you were feeling like you were slow getting started this morning?" Sheena was plainly worried about Tommy, he tried to put her at ease.

"Yeah, but I'll be fine. I just need something to get the blood flowing." Alarms blared throughout the Power Chamber.

"You were saying?" Billy smiled humorlessly.

"Not what I had in mind, Billy. What's up, Zordon?"

MONDO IS GETTING AN EARLY START TODAY. HE HAS SENT A SQUAD OF COGS TO THE PARK. ALPHA, NOTIFY THE OTHER RANGERS TO MEET BILLY AND SHEENA THERE.

"Right away, Zordon." Alpha started to a console as Tommy protested.

"Wait a minute! Zordon, I'm fine, really. I'm going, there's no telling what Mondo is up to." He looked at Billy. "You said you couldn't find anything in my blood, right?"

"Not yet, anyway," Billy admitted.

"Then I'm going." Everyone in the Power Chamber stared at Tommy, they didn't like the idea of him going into a fight when he might be ill. "Look, if I start not feeling right, I'll teleport out immediately, ok? But right now, I feel fine, and I'm going out there." While I can still do something, he thought. Zordon reluctantly nodded his permission.

THIS GOES AGAINST WHAT I FEEL IS BEST FOR YOU, TOMMY, BUT YOU ARE RIGHT IN THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT MONDO HAS IN STORE. ALPHA, KEEP A LOCK ON TOMMY AT ALL TIMES AND MONITOR HIS VITAL SIGNS CONTINUOUSLY. TOMMY, DO NOT TAKE ANY UNNECESSARY RISKS, AND IF YOU FEEL ILL AT ALL, PULL OUT OF THE FIGHT. YOU MUST BE CAUTIOUS UNTIL WE DETERMINE JUST WHAT, IF ANYTHING, THE TREE DID TO YOU.

"I promise, Zordon. It's morphin' time!"

"Zeo Ranger V, Red!"

"Sapphire Ranger Power!"

"Silver Ranger Power!"

The three Rangers appeared in the midst of the Cogs and immediately started to take them out. The other Rangers joined them moments later, and more Cogs appeared to fight them. The Rangers all found themselves being slowly separated from each other as the battle continued. More and more Cogs showed up as each previous group was defeated. Tommy was the farthest away from any of the Rangers, and had been holding his own, but he could feel his responses starting to slow. "Not now," he muttered as he dispatched another Cog, then spotted five more heading his way. About twenty yards away he saw Sheena trying to make her way to him. She kicked and punched her way through Cogs, but Tommy knew that even Sheena couldn't get to him just yet.

"C'mon, Tommy, wake up," he told himself. "You've got to fight this."

But as cold metallic eyes watched from the Machine Empire, Tommy's movements slowed even more.

"Yes, milord." The Decharger teleported away, and Mondo could hear Klank bossing around the Cogs assigned to help him with the tree. Mondo chuckled, pleased with himself. "Yes, Zordon, your pathetic attempts to stop me with those teenagers will all end in vain. Today is the last day Tommy will lead your pitiful group. And soon after, there won't be any Rangers left."

Tommy whirled at the sound of the now familiar voice. "Decharger!" he managed to shout. What is wrong with me?? Tommy was finding it harder to move, to think.

"What's the matter, Tommy, can't fight anymore? Maybe I should find somebody more challenging then, like maybe, oh, let's say your precious Pink Ranger?" Decharger laughed, making Tommy angrier. He ignored his promise to Zordon to teleport back if he felt ill, he wasn't going to let Decharger hurt Kat or any of his friends. Not while he could still fight.

"I'm a challenge enough for you, do you dare to face me, Decharger?" Tommy launched himself at Decharger, but his motions were too slow, the monster easily knocked him aside. Tommy struggled to his feet, his arms felt like lead. He tried to rush Decharger again, but the monster picked him up and threw him like a rag doll. Tommy tried vainly to get up once more, but he couldn't even manage to sit, much less stand.

"Tommy! Tommy, are you all right?" Sheena had made her way to him, and was cradling him in her arms. "Tommy, speak to me!" Tommy was breathing heavily and struggling to talk. "Guys! Tommy's down!!" Sheena yelled to the Rangers. As they all ran over to them, Tommy put a hand on Sheena's arm to get her attention.

"Remember, you promised." Tommy's voice was barely audible. "Be careful."

"Tommy? Tommy!" Sheena couldn't get a response out of him, Tommy wasn't able to talk anymore. "Alpha, lock on to Tommy and teleport him back, something's wrong. We'll keep fighting Decharger," the Rangers could hear her say as they reached them. Tommy disappeared in a flash of red, then Sheena took a deep breath and stood to face the Rangers. "I don't know if the Decharger did something to Tommy or if this is because of the plant, but he can't even talk now. It's up to us, guys."

"And you will do no better without your leader, Rangers! Your end is at hand!" Decharger sent seven energy bolts at the Rangers, sending them all to the ground. He laughed as they lay stunned for a few seconds. "My master, King Mondo, will rule this pitiful planet, its people will be his slaves! And you can't stop him!"

I can't move, Alpha. Tommy heard his mind say, but his mouth couldn't form the words, his voice couldn't make the sounds. What's wrong with me?

"He's unresponsive, Zordon! Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!" The viewing globe crackled, shifting away from the battle in the park to King Mondo's throne room.

"Something wrong, Zordon?" Mondo's metallic voice broke in.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO TOMMY, MONDO? YOU MUST REALIZE THAT YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH IT.

Mondo laughed, then leaned in closer, as if trying to get a closer look at Tommy through the globe. "I'm not going to get away with it? Ha! I already have gotten away with it! How does it feel, Zordon, to have one of your Rangers trapped inside his own body for the rest of his life, and you can't do anything about it? You might as well give up now, but I hope you don't. I want to see my monster defeat your leaderless Rangers. You are finished, Zordon!" Mondo's image faded from the viewing globe, his cruel laughter echoing through the Power Chamber for a few seconds longer. Zordon sighed, then looked at Alpha.

DRAW ANOTHER SAMPLE OF TOMMY'S BLOOD, ALPHA. WE MUST FIND OUT WHAT MONDO HAS DONE AND REVERSE IT. Tommy could feel Alpha drawing some more blood for testing, but his instincts told him that they wouldn't find anything this time, either. He would've kicked himself if he could have moved. Zordon had been right, he shouldn't have gone into battle. Tommy cursed himself for letting his pride get in the way of his better judgment. He thought about what Mondo had just said, and took comfort from one thing. The Rangers aren't leaderless, Mondo. And that's the one thing you haven't thought about. Tommy concentrated on trying to move his hand, a finger, tried to open his eyes as Alpha removed his helmet. Guess I'm going to be here for a while. He stopped trying to move and listened to the sounds of the battle coming through the viewing globe. Hang in there, guys.

"At this size, no, not anything that will hold him. If he were Zord size, we could use the chains that tow Kat and Tanya's Zords, but considering how strong he is now, I don't know if they could hold him for long at that point." Rocky stepped up to Sheena then.

"Maybe we could drain him?"

"I don't see how, Rocky." The Rangers ducked and scattered as Decharger sent another set of energy blasts at them. "We've got to pin his arms somehow!" Sheena shouted over the explosions. "Jason, Billy, Rocky, let's see if we can grab his arms and tie them together! Kat, Tanya, Adam, keep him distracted!"

"You got it!" Adam shouted. He and Tanya started for the monster, Kat seemed to hesitate for a moment, then she went with her teammates. Sheena looked at her team. "Ready guys?" Jason and Billy nodded, Rocky shrugged his shoulders.

"You're the boss," he said. "I guess," he added quietly as the quartet rushed to sneak up on Decharger. The monster was swinging his arms wildly, apparently trying to grab Adam, Kat, or Tanya, but they stayed just out of his reach. Jason and Billy rushed in from behind, grabbing an arm, Sheena and Rocky quickly grabbed another and pulled it to meet with the other captured arm. Together, the four Rangers tied the arms together, then each duo grabbed another arm each and tied those together. Soon, all of the monster's tentacles were tied together, all around his body. Decharger roared in anger, he whirled about, trying to free himself.

"What's the matter, Decharger, all tied up in your work?" Sheena called. "We did it, guys!"

Billy pointed past Sheena to Decharger. "I don't think so!" With a deafening roar, the Decharger pulled all of his arms apart, then rushed at the Rangers, scattering them in all directions as they avoided his power draining tentacles. Sheena found Rocky beside her. "What's your plan, Rocky?"

The Blue Ranger gulped, startled for a moment. "My plan?" Sheena called the other Rangers over, they needed to regroup.

"Yes, your Metal Meanness, but I haven't found the best spot for the tree to be placed yet, where its roots will reach the water supply the fastest, without alerting Zordon or the Rangers."

"I don't care about that, go ahead and get down there! When you've found the right spot, call the Cogs to make sure that no one interferes. Do it now, Klank!" Klank bowed nervously, then teleported down. Mondo turned back to watching the battle, it couldn't be going better if he were fighting the Rangers himself.

"Well, Decharger drains us, and that makes us weak, right?" Everyone nodded their agreement, there was no disputing that fact. "So, what if we could drain Decharger? Say, get him to use up his energy, wear him down? Then maybe we can get him." Sheena looked at Billy, he was still for a second or two, then nodded.

"It just might work. But the question is, how do we get him to expend his energy?" A blast of energy that knocked Billy off his feet answered his question.

"We get him to keep doing that," Rocky said as he helped Billy to his feet. "As long as he can't recharge by draining one of us, he should lose power after a while, right?"

"Affirmative. At least in theory."

Sheena ducked as another energy blast sailed over her head. "Well, Decharger seems willing to oblige. Everybody scatter, draw Decharger's fire! but remember what Rocky said, we can't let that monster recharge by draining one of us." The Rangers all ran around the monster, ducking and turning, making him angrier and more confused by the moment. Decharger bellowed threats as the Rangers came at him from all sides, landing blows when they could, but mainly just keeping out of his reach and drawing more of his fire. After they had kept up this odd version of 'dodge ball' for some time, Rocky came in for a flying kick to Decharger's chest. The monster was able to deflect him though, and sent him flying into a tree. Sheena went to help Rocky up, Silver Sword in hand. Decharger shot a blast directly at them, there was no time to dodge the blow. Sheena instinctively held her sword up against the blast. It knocked the sword out of her hands, but the energy bolt had been deflected successfully. "It's working, Rocky! Good job!" They both got up and Sheena retrieved her sword. "Jason! Let's see what your staff and my sword can do against him now!"

"Right!" Together, they charged the mechanical beast and for the first time, the Rangers saw Decharger fall back from one of their attacks.

"I'll be back, Rangers, count on it!!" The Decharger and the few Cogs who had hung around to watch shimmered and teleported back to the Machine Skybase. The park was finally free of monsters after nearly a three hour battle.

"And we'll be ready, Decharger!" Sheena called after him. She sheathed her sword and turned to the others. "Let's get back to the Power Chamber, maybe Tommy's better now." The Rangers teleported back, and Kat rushed to Tommy as soon as she materialized.

"Tommy? Tommy? It's Kat, the Decharger's retreated. we drove him off. "Tommy?" The Red Ranger didn't move, didn't open his eyes. "Zordon, what's wrong?" Billy had already gone back over to the microscope he'd been using earlier to look at the new blood samples Alpha had taken. His frown had told the others that Zordon's news wouldn't be good.

TOMMY IS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH US, OR MOVE. HIS VITAL SIGNS ARE GREATLY SLOWED, AS IF HE WERE IN A DEEP SLEEP. WE STILL CANNOT FIND ANYTHING IN HIS BLOOD AT ALL, BUT I FEAR THAT THE TREE DID POISON HIM AND THAT POISON HAS INDUCED A FORM OF A COMA. WE MUST GET A SAMPLE OF THE POISON TO CREATE AN ANTIDOTE. Zordon paused, his face creased with worry. WHILE YOU WERE FIGHTING DECHARGER, MONDO BROKE INTO OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND BRAGGED ABOUT WHAT HE HAS DONE, AND CLAIMED THAT TOMMY WILL BE LIKE THIS FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.

Trapped inside his own body for the rest of his life, Tommy thought, Mondo's words echoing inside his head. He could hear Kat stifle a sob, he felt her hands closing about his. I'm still here, Kat, I just can't talk! I'm here! Kat! Don't give up! Don't give up on me, or yourself! I'm not through fighting yet, and neither are you! Tommy wished that he and Kat had the kind of psychic bond that Billy and Sheena had, Kat would be able to hear him then, or at least sense that he was trying to talk to her.

Tommy heard a shuffling, then a soft step that he recognized as Sheena's. She must be walking over here. There was a second or two of quiet, then Sheena's voice gently broke through. "Don't give up, Kat. Tommy's still here, he hasn't left us, and he won't. He doesn't want you to give up." Tommy wasn't sure what happened, but he could feel Kat's hands tightening on his. Could Sheena hear him? Sheena, tell them I asked you to take over! Tell them what you just told Kat, I'm still here and I'm not giving up! Sheena!!

Sheena started, it seemed like she was hearing something in her head, but it was faint, a whisper in the back of her mind. She stared at Tommy, willing him to open his eyes, to do something, but all he did was lie on the table, unmoving, except for the slow rise and fall of his chest to show that he was still breathing, that he was alive. She needed to tell the others that Tommy had asked her to take over if the poison put him out of commission. And they needed to find a way to get a sample of the poison. "Guys, I -" Blaring alarms cut her off. "What's happening, Zordon?"

KLANK HAS APPEARED AT THE ANGEL GROVE WATER PLANT. OBSERVE THE VIEWING GLOBE. Sure enough, Mondo's henchman was fussily inspecting the clear grassy area around the back of the water plant, well out of sight of anyone who worked there. He seemed to be studying the ground for some reason. HE IS ABOUT THREE HUNDRED YARDS AWAY FROM THE MAIN PUMPING STATION, BUT EXACTLY WHAT HE IS DOING IS UNCLEAR.

Billy looked up from the microscope and stared at the globe. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was surveying the site. But why?"

"That's what we need to find out. Billy, stay here for now and see if you can find something to help Tommy, we'll call if anything happens." There was no need to morph, the Rangers hadn't bothered to power down after they had returned from fighting the Decharger, they had only removed their helmets. The Rangers were about to teleport when Sheena noticed that Kat hadn't joined them, she was still over by Tommy. "Kat?" The Pink Ranger either didn't hear her, or didn't want to.

"I'll stay with her, make sure she's all right," Rocky offered. Sheena started to object, then nodded.

"Okay, Roc. Join us as soon as you can." Sheena and the others teleported out. Rocky went over to Kat, speaking softly so Billy wouldn't hear.

"She didn't wait long to take charge, did she?" Kat didn't say anything, but Rocky was sure she felt the same way he did. "I mean, she did a good job out there, but it was like all of a sudden, 'I'm the boss, here's what we need to do'. Who died and made her leader all of a sudden?" Rocky stopped himself there, Kat was staring at him, angry and shocked. "I'm sorry, Kat, bad choice of words. It's just that, she jumped in so quick..." Kat turned back to Tommy, biting her bottom lip, trying so hard not to cry.

"I know. Tommy should've been the one out there. But Mondo made sure he wasn't." Kat's voice was hard, bitter. "And she's all business, 'It's up to us, guys'. How can she just grab everything and go like that?"

Because that's what I asked her to do!! Kat, please!! Rocky! Sheena's not doing this because she's glory-hungry, I ASKED HER!! Please, Kat hear me... Tommy wanted to scream, kick, do something to get their attention. But of course he couldn't. Mondo had probably counted on the Rangers splintering with Tommy out of commission, and it was happening, at least with Kat and Rocky. Sheena, you've got to tell everybody what I asked you to do, I can't tell them. You've got to pull the team together, it's the only way you're going to defeat Mondo. Can't anybody hear me??

Alpha was bringing Billy a new slide to look at when he noticed a spike on one of the monitors keeping track of Tommy's vital signs. "Hmm, there seems to be quite a bit of brainwave activity registering here." Billy looked up and took the slide from Alpha, glancing at the monitor.

"That's good, Alpha. It means that he's still with us." For now, at least, Billy thought. He mentally whispered a prayer for his fallen friend. He couldn't be sure, but he had a feeling that Tommy's time was running out. The Sapphire Ranger shook his head and started back to work, looking for something, anything, that would show him the way to save his friend.

"What's he doing?" Jason whispered.

"I could be wrong, but that tree wasn't there before we teleported here, was it? I don't remember seeing it in the viewing globe. Where did it come from?" Sheena wondered. She tapped her communicator. "Billy? We've got something here I think you should take a look at."

"On my way." Two seconds later, Billy materialized next to Sheena. "What's up?"

"The question is, what is that?" Sheena pointed to the tree that Klank was circling.

Billy stared hard at the plant. "It looks like a Joshua Tree, but I've never seen one with so many branches. It seems to be a little larger than normal, too, and it definitely has more flowers..." Billy's voice trailed off as he seemed to stare at one particular part of the tree.

"Weirdest looking tree I've ever seen," Tanya commented.

"Well, Joshua Trees are actually branched arborescent yuccas -"

"English, please, Billy. You've lost me here."

Billy gave a dry laugh. "Sorry, Tanya. Arborescent yuccas are yucca plants that resemble a tree in their properties, growth, structure or appearance. Yuccas are fibrous plants, their leaves can be very sharp. More importantly, however," Billy continued, "this is a modified version of the fake bonsai that got Tommy. It fact, it's the same tree. I can see where I cut the branch off originally from here. Looks like Klank has added several branches though, and made them longer than usual. He's done his homework, the flowers are very realistic."

"So why is the 'tree' here, then? Surely Klank isn't becoming a gardener." Sheena watched Klank as he stopped inspecting the base of the tree, and started checking on the flowers.

Billy thought for a moment, then stiffened. "If the tree did poison Tommy, then there's only one reason why Mondo would have Klank put it here. He wants to poison the entire town."

Kat hadn't moved from Tommy's side the entire time, hadn't let go of his hand. Part of her was afraid that if she took her eyes off of him for even a second, he would slip completely away from them forever. From her, forever. And she couldn't bear the thought of never hearing his voice again. Rocky put his hand on her shoulder, wishing he knew what to say. "Kat, Billy and Alpha are going to find an antidote, don't worry. Tommy will be back with us and everything will be all right. You've gotta believe that." Kat seemed to consider Rocky's words, then nodded.

"Yes. Billy, have you - where is he?" The Pink and Blue Rangers realized for the first time that Billy had left. "Alpha, where's Billy?"

"The others found something he needed to look at. I'll bring them up on the viewing globe now," the little robot offered. The globe flashed, then showed the Rangers observing Klank and the tree. As if on cue, Billy called back to the Power Chamber at that moment.

"Alpha, Zordon. Looks like Klank has made his fake bonsai into a full grown Joshua Tree, with a few modifications. We're going to try and get a sample of the tree. If it's still carrying the poison, and I'm positive it is, then we'll finally have something that can give us some answers. Billy out." Kat and Rocky watched as Billy and the others slowly circled around, sneaking up on Klank and his poisonous tree. They turned from the globe and resumed their watch over Tommy.

"What did I tell you? Billy will get a sample of the poison and Tommy will be as good as new in no time. Then things will be set back right, you'll see." Neither of them saw the dark gray figures that were sneaking up on their teammates in the viewing globe.

"We've already got trouble, Sheena. Cogs!!" Several Cogs appeared all around them now, cutting them off from the tree. Klank seemed to be oblivious to everything, making a last round of checks on his tree. Sheena knocked one Cog away that got too close.

"Billy, you've got to get a sample of the tree's poison. Adam, stay near him, run interference against the Cogs. Jason, Tanya, let's see if we can't lure some of them away from the tree." The Rangers split up, each team intent on its task. Wish Kat and Rocky were here, Sheena thought as she battled a group of Cogs. We need them.

Billy and Adam fought their way to the tree, taking out several Cogs in the process, but more Cogs kept appearing. "The tree must still be carrying the poison, they don't want us to get near it!" Adam yelled.

"Hate to disappoint them, but I'm going to get a sample of that tree. Tommy's depending on us." Billy somersaulted over the last two Cogs that stood in his way, twisting in mid-air and kicking them both in the back, knocking them away. "Keep their attention, Adam, I'm at the tree!"

"Keeping their attention won't be a problem, trust me!" he answered as he fought off two Cogs who decided to tackle him at that point. They didn't see the branches near Billy shifting, moving closer to the Sapphire Ranger.

I love you, Kat. Please, hear me! I love you!! And I'm going to make sure you know that somehow. Grab her hand, Tommy, make her know you're still here! Tommy told himself. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make his hand obey his mind. The frustration was overwhelming, he wanted to cry, wanted to scream so badly. A noise in the viewing globe drifted to him, the sound of battle. The other Rangers are in trouble. Kat, you've got to go to them, you and Rocky! They need you! The team needs you!! Kat! Tommy put as much mental energy as he could into sending his thoughts to Kat. He had no assurance that it would work, but he had to try. He willed Kat to hear him, or at least hear what was on the viewing globe.

Kat drew in a shaky breath to steady herself. She couldn't fall apart now, Tommy needed her. The team needed her... the team. Kat whirled back to look at the viewing globe, she had heard something, she thought. "Rocky! The others are being attacked!" The globe showed Jason, Sheena, and Tanya surrounded by Cogs, too many to fight. Adam was being tackled by two Cogs, more were moving in. Billy had gotten to the tree finally, and Kat could've sworn that a few branches near him were moving. "We've got a job to do." She turned back to Tommy and tenderly kissed his cheek, whispering, "I love you. And I'm not giving up on you, Tom." Kat and Rocky teleported out, not seeing the single tear that slowly flowed down Tommy's face.

I love you, too, Kat.

"Thanks! Look out!" Sheena pointed behind her. A Cog was now trying to ambush Kat. Sheena launched herself at the Cog, taking him out with a powerful flying kick. For the moment, the Rangers were a team again.

Rocky ran over to Adam, who was in the grip of three Cogs, tackling two Cogs that were heading there to gang up on the Green Ranger. "Five against one? That's not fair odds, metalheads!" He jumped up and kicked away one of the Cogs holding Adam, then Adam was able to shake off the other two.

"Thanks, Roc! Two against five makes it even. Where's Billy? Has he been able to get to the tree?"

"Yeah, we saw him in the globe, he's -" Rocky turned and saw a branch moving in on Billy's blind side, a cluster of blossoms less than a foot from his face. "Billy! Look out for the flowers!"

Billy had been preparing to pull his blaster and shoot off a branch for a sample. "What?" Movement on the edge of his vision caught his attention, he tried to move out of the way, but the flowers shot out a cloud of pollen-like dust, coating his visor. The fumes quickly filtered into his helmet, making him drowsy and disoriented for a couple of seconds. Just as his senses cleared, he felt something wrapping around his neck. "Somebody help!" There was a sharp pain as his earlier injury was made worse, the branch was dragging him across the ground.

"Guys! The tree's got Billy!" Rocky ran to the tree to help his teammate, Adam right on his heels. All of the branches on the tree were waving now, the flowers were trying to zero in on the Rangers.

"Watch out for the pollen! It's a sedative!" Billy croaked. The branch was tightening on his throat, making it difficult to breathe, and with each deep breath he could manage, he was inhaling more of the pollen fumes, making him even sleepier. He tried to raise his blaster and shoot the branch, but more of itself wrapped around him like a vine, pinning his arms and legs, totally immobilizing him. If they didn't get it off him soon, he knew he'd pass out soon from lack of oxygen. The tree was crushing his chest now, quick breaths were all he could manage. He felt his body being lifted off of the ground.

"Billy! Hang on, we'll get you!" Sheena yelled. "Jason, Kat, Tanya, keep those branches busy, give them moving targets! Rocky, Adam, get ready to catch Billy, I'm going to try to cut the branch!" Sheena leapt up, her sword flashing as she slashed at the branch holding Billy. She could only cut it part of the way through though, before another branch knocked her down, then tried to grab her. "This thing's more grabby than Decharger! Rocky, think you can blast it from where I hit it from here?"

"No problemo, just be ready to grab Billy." Rocky pulled out his blaster and took careful aim at the cut, then blasted it several times in quick succession. He was rewarded with a visor full of pollen as the tree's branches waved and slashed through the air even more frantically. Pollen was flying everywhere and the Rangers were all covered with it in moments. Had he been successful? Rocky couldn't see a thing through all the pollen on his visor. The familiar grip of a teleportation beam made him hope that he had. The next thing he saw, after he managed to wipe off his visor, was the others and himself on the floor of the Power Chamber, all covered with pollen. Billy was motionless on the floor, still bound tightly by the branch, one end burned from where Rocky had blasted it off of the tree. He crawled over to Billy and started to unwind the tightly coiled branch.

"Be careful, don't let it stick you," Billy warned hoarsely. His visor was completely coated with pollen, he had no idea who was helping him.

"Doesn't look like it can get through our uniforms," Rocky reassured him. "Hang on, this thing doesn't want to let go of you. Guess the tree has a real crush on you."

"Very funny, Rocky. Remind me to throttle you later."

"Count on it. Hey, I need some help here, this thing has really got a hold of him." Sheena and Jason had cleared off their visors by this time, and were already at Billy's side, helping to unwind the branch. In the end, it took all the Rangers to free Billy. They were glad that Billy's visor was still covered for the moment, so he couldn't see what they saw. There were indentations all over his uniform, where the tree had tried to puncture him through his uniform. Miraculously though, it hadn't been able to, and with the branch sealed off from Rocky's laser blast, it seemed that they finally had their poison sample. Finally able to breathe and move, Billy stood with help from Adam and Rocky.

"Thanks, guys." Billy wiped his visor clear, then yelped in pain. "My neck!"

NO DOUBT YOUR PREVIOUS INJURY HAS BEEN MADE WORSE, BILLY. RANGERS, BEFORE YOU POWER DOWN, GO TO THE DECONTAMINATION UNIT SO THAT THE POLLEN CAN BE REMOVED. The Rangers all started for the hallway, Billy was walking on his own, with a hand from Adam. Sheena moved to Rocky's side quickly, and motioned to Kat, also.

"Thanks, guys. We couldn't have done it without you. Rocky, looks like I need to take some shooting lessons from you." Sheena clapped him on his back, then joined Billy. Rocky and Kat looked at each other through pollen fringed visors. The initial anger either of them may have felt towards Sheena for taking over so quickly had faded, but they still had reservations about her being in charge. They followed the others to the decontamination unit, eager to rid themselves of the pollen that made them all look like pale Yellow Rangers. Alpha scooped up a sample of the pollen for analysis, then activated a portable device that shot out a sterilization beam. He waved it over every place that the Rangers had lain or walked, following their trail all the way to the decontamination unit. A few minutes later, the Rangers stepped out, completely free of pollen and all feeling much better. Everyone except for Billy powered down, he just removed his helmet and automatically went to the microscope to check the pollen sample that Alpha had prepared.

"Good news on the pollen, guys," he said a moment later. "It's just regular pollen that Klank laced with a mild sedative, nothing else. All it will do is put a person to sleep for a while, or make somebody with allergies sneeze like crazy, then fall asleep."

ALPHA, CONTACT THE WATER PLANT AND TELL THE OFFICIALS TO EVACUATE, TO BE SAFE. WE DON'T WANT ANY OF THE PERSONNEL TO GET TOO CLOSE TO THE TREE.

"I'll contact the Angel Grove Police Department and ask them to cordon off the area as well, Zordon." Alpha busied himself with the communications while Billy examined the branch that had held him prisoner.

"That's twice that something of Mondo's has yanked me around in less than a day. At least this time, we got to keep a piece of the tree - ohh," Billy's statement ended with a moan of pain. He slowly moved his head and neck. "Man, this is worse than yesterday."

Kat had taken her position by Tommy, but turned to look at Billy. He was a bit pale. "Maybe you should take a short break, Billy." He shook his head, and reached for the bottle of ibuprofen that Alpha had left for him on the counter.

"Later, maybe." The Rangers all looked at each other, they knew what Billy was thinking. Tommy's time was running out, and none of them wanted to stop. They couldn't help Billy with his search for an antidote, but they didn't want him to harm himself by working injured, either. Zordon settled the matter for them all.

RANGERS, ALL OF YOU TAKE THIS TIME TO TRY AND RELAX. WE WILL CALL IF ANYTHING CHANGES. IT SEEMS FOR NOW, MONDO IS WAITING TO MAKE HIS NEXT MOVE. UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT THAT IS, ALL WE CAN DO IS WAIT. The Rangers all gratefully left except for Sheena and Billy. Kat was the last to leave, torn between knowing that Zordon was right and her need to stay with Tommy. She left though, leaving Billy to his work. She had to sort out her thoughts, and wanted to talk to Rocky about how things had been going.

"Sure." The two of them went back out and walked through the park for several minutes before Kat said a word.

"Sheena did a good job out there again, didn't she?" Rocky didn't respond for a while, then nodded. Kat sighed, the two of them had reached the pond by that point. She sat down, staring into the water. Rocky settled down by her and hugged her, trying to comfort her. "I guess it's ok that she's doing this, but she's taking on so much at once. I don't know, it's just so - sudden." Rocky tossed a pebble into the pond, then finally spoke.

"So, what do you want to do?" Neither of them spoke for a very long time. They just sat at the pond for the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon, not moving, each lost in their own thoughts. Kat finally ended the silence.

"We need to talk to Billy."

"I can't think! My head, my neck, they hurt too much!" An involuntary gasp of pain escaped from him. He had refused when Zordon had told him to rest for a few minutes, saying he wasn't hurting that much. Tommy had been certain Billy had been lying, now he knew it. Tommy wanted to tell his friend to rest, that he didn't have to drive himself like this, that it would be okay. There are some things we don't have control over, Billy. Like needing to rest. There are times when we have to do something we feel we can't, like admitting we need help... Tommy's thoughts trailed off, it was as if a light had just been turned on in his mind. The same things he wanted to tell Billy were the same things he needed to realize for himself. What's the line, 'Physician, heal thyself'? Or more simply, take your own advice? Tommy mentally sighed, it had taken all this to get him to slow down enough to start thinking things through. Okay, he thought, providing I get through this, what do I need to do? He heard Sheena's footsteps coming down the hallway, and heard a chair squeak, it sounded like Billy was trying to put himself together before Sheena saw him. It didn't work. Tommy heard Billy take the water, the rattle of the pill bottle, then the sound of the glass as he set it down a few moments later.

"You're hurting worse than you're saying." Tommy could feel the silence, as Billy no doubt was deciding on how much to tell his wife. "I think you've gone beyond what my massage can do, will you stop and rest for a little while?"

Billy finally spoke. "Yes, I'm hurting, it's hard to think it hurts so bad. But I can't stop. Tommy doesn't have much time." Tommy heard the chair slide, then the sound of what he guessed was the branch being dragged across the floor, or maybe a table. How long is that thing, anyway? It had him completely tied up, from the sound of things when they got back.

"Is there anything I can do?" A moan from Billy provided an answer.

"Help me cut this thing, I can't even handle standing over it for very long. Ohh, my head," he groaned. Tommy heard Sheena move to Billy, then moments later there was the sound of a small saw cutting the branch up into several pieces. Okay, first item on the list: tell Kat how much I love her. Tommy bided the time by remembering the first time he and Kat had danced, their first date, meeting her parents, Kat meeting his, and then his brother, David... David. I need to talk to you so badly. I'm all torn up inside about our birth parents, the not knowing why they gave us up. I know that I may never get any answers on that, that we may never get any answers, but I need to talk to you about it. I know that my parents love me, they couldn't love me anymore if I were their blood son. You know the same about Mr. Trueheart. I need to know how you feel about trying to find out the truth, maybe one day, about our birth parents. And I need to let Mom and Dad know that I want to find out, but that doesn't mean I love them any less. They may know that already, deep down, but I need to tell them, they need to hear the words. More memories filled his mind, family picnics, holidays, birthdays. The first Thanksgiving and Christmas that he got to spend with his brother. The wanting to tell his family the day he became a Power Ranger...

That was the thing he needed to settle on first. A good leader knows when to step down, was what he'd told Kimberly. Well, that decision was settled. When this was over, providing he could talk to anyone besides himself ever again, he would announce that he was stepping down as leader. As for who to take his place... Sheena would help him make that decision. Tommy had no idea how much time had passed when he heard Billy's fist hit the table.

"Nothing! Seven feet of artificial tree branch and nothing!! There's not a drop of poison in it anywhere!" Billy collapsed into his chair, the pain in his head and neck had spread to his shoulders, and his frustration was making it worse. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then, "I'm sorry. It's just that I was so sure that we would find something." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "How long have we been at it?"

"You've been going at it non-stop for a few hours now, it's early in the afternoon. You need to stop and eat something." Sheena crossed over to Billy and pulled him out of his chair. "We could go to the Juice Bar."

"No. The others will probably be there and right now I don't have any answers. And I want to be somewhere quiet, anyway. How about we go to my house? I need to check on what kind of shape the lab is in anyway. We'll be back in a few minutes, Alpha." Tommy heard Billy and Sheena teleport out, then Alpha shuffling over to check on him again. The little robot was talking to himself, fretting over Tommy, Billy, all of the Rangers. Hang in there, little buddy. As long as there's a Power Ranger left standing, we're not beaten yet. You understand that, Mondo? Tommy mentally shouted at the Machine Skybase. We aren't beaten yet!