"Truth cannot be oversaid, really." - Willow Blessing
"Metal has to be tempered, Lil Bro, or it never gets to be strong enough to survive a fight." - Julia Holochwost
"That's quite touching, in a strange, twisted way." - Ellen Brand
"It was getting dark so suddenly that Alice thought there must be a thunderstorm coming on." - Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass"
"I hate quotations." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sigma's Universe
August 22

Omicron looked up from beneath the console as the white teleportation booth flashed with an incoming teleport. "Hello Sydney," Omicron said, returning her gaze back to the task at hand. "What are you doing here so early? It's not even six a.m. yet."

"Pattern nightmares," Sydney muttered. "Can't really sleep."

"Well, would you care to give me a hand with this?" Omicron asked. "The wiring system on this computer keeps shorting out for some reason. I think I've got some crossed wires."

"Yeah, I'll be glad to," Sydney said as she hurried down the lighted stairway. "What do you need me to do?"

"Can you take the top of the console off?" Omicron asked. "It's unbolted; just lift it right off."

Sydney nodded and hooked her fingers under the back of it. She gave it a hard yank, and the large piece of silver metal came off easily. "Ooh," Sydney muttered, looking at the mass of wires beneath. "An electrician's nightmare."

"My nightmare, at the moment," Omicron muttered. "We have three of the most powerful Swords in this universe here, but sometimes, you just can't beat a little elbow grease."

"What does this console do?" Sydney asked.

"Well, this one controls the interaction of Sigma's Sword with the material properties of our Rangers when they're morphed."

"Really? And that means-?"

"It keeps their bodies intact when they're morphed," Omicron answered. "Without this, we could conceivably cause them to disintegrate when they morph or de-morph. A morphed Ranger isn't a flesh and blood human being. This system here helps the transition to and from Ranger mode. They would most likely be able to morph without this console safely, but, as Sigma says, why take chances? All you really need is a Power Coin and a universal Morphing Grid."

"What exactly is the Morphing Grid?" Sydney asked, leaning her elbows on the console.

"Dana came up with a pretty good analogy once," Omicron said. "Do you know anything about computers?"

"Just enough to be dangerous," Sydney answered.

"That's enough. The Morphing Grid is like a giant computer, and the Power Coins are like programs. The program won't run without the Morphing Grid to make it run. That's a really loose analogy, but that's the gist of it," Omicron told her. "Most universes have some form of the Grid, even if they don't have any Rangers. Very complex and above most mortal comprehension."

"Computers, program, got it," Sydney said with a smile. "What does this here do?" she asked, poking at a crystalline orb that seemed very out of place amid the wires and machinery.

"Uhm, that's the relay," Omicron answered. "An extension of the Sword, sort of." Sydney reached out to gently caress it with her hand, just as Omicron said, "Don't touch it."

The orb flashed, and energy coursed through Sydney's body. She screamed as the energy lifted her off of her feet and threw her across the Power Core. "Sydney!" Omicron cried, crawling out from under the console. A glowing white after-image of Sydney being thrown across the room lingered in the air for a few seconds like a photographer's flash. She looked over to the other wall and saw Sydney lying in a moving heap at the base of the wall. White light was gathered up around her, although it, too, was dissipating. "Are you okay?" Omicron asked, hurrying over to her side.

"I think so," Sydney remarked, sitting up. However, as soon as she said it, she realized something was very different. "Do I sound different to you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Omicron told her. "You-... Look at me."

Sydney turned to look at Omicron. A quick glance down at her body told her what had happened. Extending her arms, she looked at her hands and was startled to see that they were smaller. "Omicron?" Sydney asked.

"You're, uhm, younger," Omicron remarked. "I would guess... fourteen or so."

"I'm younger," Sydney sighed, tugging at her now very loose clothing.

"The Sword must have done it for some reason," Omicron said. "But this is incredible. Your face is younger, your body is younger... Is your mind younger?"

"I don't think so," Sydney said warily. "I think I can still think the way I could before. Kind of catch-22, isn't it? A mirror. Is there a mirror around here?"

"In my room," Omicron offered. She pulled Sydney to her feet and then escorted her into her bedroom. Sydney walked up to her dresser and stared at a reflection she hadn't seen in seven years.

"I'm fourteen, again," Sydney realized. "Omicron, this is just like in my dream! I dreamt I was a teen again last night!"

"It's definitely correlated," Omicron said. "Well, not a biggie. We shouldn't do it real quick, but tomorrow, we can restore you to a twenty-one year old you."

"So I've only got to be flat as a board for twenty-four hours," Sydney complained, running her hands down the length of her body. "This is SO weird."

"Did your dream involve Justin?" Omicron asked warily.

"You know about that, too?" Sydney sighed.

"Everyone knows about it," Omicron answered.

Frowning, Sydney tugged at her oversized clothing. "I think I am going to have to get used to a life of perpetual weirdness," she muttered.

Jenga's Universe

Jenga, wearing a full-bodied cloak, walked cautiously down the hallways of the UDAB headquarters. Many divisions for the Universal Department of the Allied Benevolence were situated across the universe. Jenga had chosen the closest one on the planet Triforia. Since it was a universal organization, beings of every imaginable size, shape, color, and genetic make-up roamed the building. Many were contained in stasis fields, as many beings could not breathe the nitroxy mix in the atmosphere.

She stepped toward her goal, the office of the Triforian named River. River was one of a handful of universal experts on the manipulation of unbonded Ranger Powers. She had to have his expertise to redefine the Thunder Orbs.

"How may I help you?" a mechanical voice said as she stepped up to his door.

"I request permission to speak to River," Jenga answered in a deep baritone.

"Have you spoken with River before?"

"Yes sir," Jenga said. "My name is Driforzer."

"We will need to perform a retina scan for identification purposes."

Jenga smiled. "Understood," she answered. She reached into a pocket of her shawl and pulled out a pint-sized jar. It was filled with a clear liquid, and floating in the center was a perfectly shaped eyeball with a red iris. It was removed from Driforzer's dead body not more than three minutes prior. She positioned the iris at the scanner.

A second later, there was a ding as the computer said, "You may proceed, Driforzer."

"I give you the thanks of a million lands," Jenga sighed, bowing as she did so. Thus far, she had kept up her charade of Driforzer perfectly, speaking in his voice and mannerisms, dressed in his very shawl, and carrying his eye. The door opened, and she entered an office that an Earthling would have found remarkably familiar.

"Greetings, Driforzer," River said as he stood up. He extended his forearm. Jenga rubbed her own forearm against his, the alien equivalent of a handshake.

"It is pleasing to make your acquaintance again, River," Jenga lied.

"How can I help you?"

"I was wondering... Have you heard anything of Jenga Xett, lately?"

"No more than usual, I suppose. Why do you ask?"

"I have heard rumors in the Azaria market that she has obtained the Thunder Orbs and is going to make a team of evil Rangers with them," she said. "Is such a thing possible?"

"For some, yes," he said. "I could manipulate the Thunder Orbs to serve evil, assuming I would want to." Smiling, River strummed his fingertips together and added, "But not Jenga. She isn't very adept at working anything you can't yell at."

Jenga scowled beneath her hood. With a flip of her hand, the door to his office slammed shut. River was promptly on his feet. Jenga was smiling as she pushed the blue hood down. River's eyes widened in fear as he saw that the most evil person in existence was in his office. "Jenga?" River grunted.

"The one and only," she said. "I cannot believe you talked bad about me!"

"Jenga, I didn't mean it," River said sympathetically. "I promise."

With a flick of her wrist, Ioaeu Sjknth flashed into existence in her hand. "Oh, dear Sophia," River groaned.

"You recognize this, don't you?" Jenga asked.

"Please don't kill me," he pleaded. "Please. I'll do anything."

"You can do nothing for me," Jenga told him. "Your intelligence will do much for me, however."

"I have a wife and children," he insisted. "Please."

Rather than pay any heed to his concerns, she lashed out with Ioaeu Sjknth, beheading him. Plunging the blade into his body, she drew on Ioaeu Sjknth's powers and absorbed all of his knowledge, intelligence, and memories. She quickly discarded what she didn't need, placed the jar holding Driforzer's eye on his desk, and walked away.

Sigma's Universe

Sydney held her toothbrush and toothpaste in her hand, leaning against the wall. She was waiting for whoever was taking a shower to finish so she could use the bathroom. Suddenly, the door opened and Billy stepped into the hallway, loosely holding a white towel around his otherwise bare frame. "Good morning," Sydney said.

Billy did a double take, unconsciously tightening the towel as he did so. He hadn't really expected to find anyone else awake so early. He certainly hadn't expected to find someone he didn't know awake so early. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Sydney," she answered. "I went to the Power Core this morning and accidentally had seven years knocked off of my life."

"You're kidding?"

"No, but it's just temporary," she told him. "I'll be changed back tomorrow morning. So... Bathroom mine?"

Sydney stepped past the scantily clad Billy and entered the bathroom. She widened her eyes and exhaled a sharp breath as she closed the door. "Trini is a lucky woman," she muttered to herself.

Jenga's Universe

Back at Earth, the Space Base was making its fourth revolution, now colored bright green and streaking through the daytime skies. Zordon was once again the only disembodied Eltarian on Earth. After the kidnapping of Dimitria, Catalina had left for Triforia to resume her old mentoring job. She insisted it was only temporary, as she had no doubts Dimitria would return to the side of Good. Meanwhile, on the Earth's moon, Jenga was in the Lunar Palace, preparing to activate her Thunder Orbs.

"We don't have prospects in mind, just yet," she told everyone. "Just the basic concept. A team of five evil Rangers, just for my very own. Astronema, I'll need a fire crystal."

"Got it, sis," she said, summoning one with yellow flame inside. She tossed it to Jenga, who caught it, and then broke it on DECA. Yellow flames danced around the blue object. Jenga was silent for a moment, silently chanting an incantation. A moment later, DECA flashed with yellow light. Jenga opened the top and pulled out the closest Thunder Orb. It was about as big as the circle made with her thumb and index finger. It gave off a bright, red light, and within it was the power for a Thunder Ranger.

She set it down on the ground and quickly pulled out the rest, blue, pink, green, and yellow. Then, she pointed her hand at them. A colored tendril of light leapt off of each of her fingers and stuck the orbs. They quickly began to change shape and size, growing to full Ranger size and forming an empty shell of armor.

"That is hideous," Jenga commented. The chest of each Ranger was white with a golden line running from neck to navel. "Nope, we gotta change that." She waved her hand, and immediately, the armored section of white was replaced with a chest not unlike that of the Morphin Rangers. However, instead of a white diamond on their chest, they had a white circle. "Much better." The Thunder Rangers' gloves were colored, instead of white. The glove was their Ranger color, as were their boots, while their wrist and ankle cuffs were white with gold trim. A small strip of gold, no more than an inch wide, stretched around both biceps of each Ranger. The belt was gold, with an intricate black and gold belt buckle that looked not unlike an entwined knot or a design by Escher.

"There's only one girl," Divatox commented, motioning toward Pink Ranger. All of the others had male-formed armor.

"No matter," Jenga said. "I'm hoping we might get an Orange and Purple Ranger out of this."

"How so?" Dark Spectre asked.

"In most of the universe, blue is the color for male and pink is for female. As such, Blue Powers were designed for men and Pink Powers were designed for women. However, if a man has the Pink Power, it makes his armor orange. If a woman has the Blue Power, it makes her armor purple," Jenga explained. "But this is applies only to powers that are under Ninjor's guard, crystals, coins, stuff like that. The Triforian Powers, for instance, work on a totally different principle."

"Isn't it kind of odd that blue and pink as a standard for male and female has arisen on so many planets?" General Havok asked.

"No, not really," Jenga answered. "It's such a universal concept that it works its way into every culture on its own. On Earth, blue and pink were assigned in 12th century England. Blue was used to cover boy babies at birth to protect them from evil. No demon would want a girl, so the saying goes, but people felt they needed a color, too. Red would have been chosen, but it's too strong, so it was watered down to pink.

"On Eltare, there was a pink flower called the Yager whose perfumed scent was used to adorn female corpses at death. It had a blue counterpart called the Layon which was used on male corpses," Jenga said. "But I'm getting away from myself."

"I really like their helmets," Astronema commented.

Red Ranger's animal was the Red Dragon. The visor was shaped not unlike two eyes, tilted to their side and with the insides merged. A golden dragon's snout was placed at the center of the top of the visor, set off by two small red dragon eyes. The golden design flared out to the edges of the visor, and the golden imprint of two ears were set above the eyes. The tail of the dragon, complete with a black stripe down the middle, extended down the center of the helmet towards the back. His mouthpiece was merged with the bottom of the visor. It was a sheet of silver, but there were no lips imprinted on it. Instead, three lines stretched across it horizontally.

Green Ranger had the power of the Lion. The visor was very thin. The mouthpiece had two curved lines on it, one near the top and another near the bottom. The visor was in the mouth of the lion. Two green eyes were above the visor, and the mane stretched out to the top center of the helmet. The golden design extended down the sides of the visor and curved around to go all the way down to the bottom of the mouthplate.

Blue Ranger's visor was much the same as Red Ranger's. However, his animal was the Pegasus, not the Unicorn as Zordon had named the Blue ThunderZord. The mouthplate, like the others, went straight up to the edge of the visor, although it had neither lips nor lines bisecting it. It was most similar to that of the White Ranger. A golden line outlined the mouthplate and the visor before merging together to form the Pegasus' head. Blue eyes, as per usual, were set above the visor. Horse ears completed the head, as did a few golden lines representative of the horse mane.

Yellow Ranger had a Kirin, a creature of Chinese mythology, on the helmet. It was a creature most similar to a unicorn. The visor was like that of Green Ranger. Yellow Ranger's helmet had the most gold on it. A rough outline of a face was set above the visor, and golden lines were straight out behind the face, indicative of the mane. The mouthplate had five lines across it horizontally.

Pink Ranger bore the Firebird. Her helmet was the most simple. A firebird head was into the center of the visor, and the wings curved across the top of the visor. The body of the firebird extended down the midline of the helmet, complete with black highlights. The mouthpiece was a triangle, its apex situated at her chin.

"How will you select people to wear the armor?" Lord Zedd asked.

"I'm going to pick people with totem animals most similar to the Thunder animals," Jenga said. "Red Ranger will be a rattlesnake, Green Ranger a lion or jaguar, Blue Ranger a killdeer, Pink Ranger an eagle, and Yellow Ranger a flamingo."

"How will you keep them evil?" MasterVile asked.

"Rita Repulsa kept Tommy evil for a time with her Sword of Darkness," Jenga said. "I have created my own Dark Thunder Weapons to keep my five Rangers evil. The Red Ranger has a Thunder Whip. Blue Ranger, Thunder Dagger. Green Ranger, Thunder Spinning Blade. Yellow Ranger, Thunder Claws. Pink Ranger, Thunder Nunchaku."

The weapons, all black as darkest midnight, appeared in the hands of each set of armor. In both of Pink Rangers hands was a set of nunchaku, not unlike that of Zeo Ranger II. Yellow Ranger's Thunder Claws were frighteningly reminiscent of Freddy Krueger’s glove. A handle was connected to five, curved blades. The blades were set in a manner that almost looked like a hand, and they would no doubt inflict a wide swath of damage. Green Ranger's Thunder Spinning Blade was a long chain with a circular, tri-sectioned, saw blade at one end. Blue Ranger held a simple dagger with a sharp blade, simple but deadly. And the Red Ranger held a cylinder with a dragon's claw at the end. With a simple flick of the wrist, an infinitely long red whip would snake out.

Jenga snapped her fingers, and all five Rangers disappeared, leaving the five Thunder Orbs behind. They all flew into the air and entered DECA, which Jenga picked up and tucked under her arm. "Now if you will excuse me, I must scan the Earth and select my Rangers."

Neither she, nor anyone else present, realized that DECA had been activated when the Thunder Orbs were removed. Already, the mechanical gears of DECA's brain were spinning, trying to come up with a plan.

Heather looked in what had been Willow Blessing's office. After the rather-young-herself Blessing had taken a big risk and put the even-younger Heather St. John on the air, she was suddenly an even more valuable asset. While Willow had been happy at KBKO, she knew she would be happier at WKRZ in Houston. Her family was in Houston, and not only that, but the job was going to hold much more promise for her.

It hadn't been an easy decision, but it was one she made quickly. As soon as Heather had shown up the next morning, she told her the news. After a rather tearful goodbye, Willow left KBKO studios with a promise to write. As Heather looked into the office, she realized that someone had already moved in. A middle-aged black man was unpacking things from a cardboard box on his desk. Turning around, he saw Heather at the doorway, and he said, "Hi, c'mon in."

"Good morning," Heather smiled, extending her hand. "Heather St. John."

"Oh, I know who you are, Ms. St. John," he said. As he shook her hand, she caught sight of a very unusual wedding band on his left hand. It was silver, but it glinted with blue and green highlights. "My name is Andre Ferguson."

"Very nice to meet you, Andre," Heather acknowledged. "So, uhm... Do you know about my little weird story?"

"Intern turned superstar overnight."

"Yeah," Heather commented. "I suppose that's the one. So, what do we do today?"

"First thing we gotta do is get you some good PR. We have to get your face all over Angel Grove and Stone Canyon before Monday," Andre said. "You ready to take some pictures?"

Sigma's Universe

"Justin, stop kicking me," Skull mumbled.

"Sorry," a deep, baritone voice came back. Instantly, both Skull and the person he was sharing the bed with sat straight up.

"Justin?" Skull asked in disbelief.

Rather than be his normal thirteen-year old self, Justin had aged considerably overnight. "What happened to me?" he asked in his deep voice again, delicately touching his facial features. Glancing down at his body, he saw a broad, bronzed, muscular chest. His arms were also built up with muscles, and more golden-brown hair than before covered his forearms. "Skull?" Justin asked, turning to look at him.

"Are you Justin?" Skull asked.

Justin turned slightly and picked up the shreds of the t-shirt he had worn to bed. Whatever had happened had happened quickly enough to shred his clothing to bits. He slowly picked up the sheets, stared for a moment, and then lowered them again. "Skull, I turned into a man overnight." He touched his jaw and smiled proudly as he said, "I need to shave!"

Jenga's Universe

"Oh!" Cassie cried as she ran into a person coming into the Youth Center. She dropped both of her milkshakes to the floor, and the two people tumbled to the ground in opposite directions.

"I am so sorry," the other person apologized. Looking up, Cassie saw that an attractive, albeit nerdy, girl was frantically picking up her books that had been spilled in the tumble. She had brownish-blonde hair that stretched a bit past her shoulders, and a pair of brown eyes that sparkled behind a pair of thick, black glasses. "Let me replace your milkshakes."

"No, it was my fault," Cassie insisted. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I didn't get any on you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine," she said. "Are you sure I can't replace your drinks?"

"I'm positive," Cassie said as she stood up. "What's your name?"

"Uhm, Ashley Hammond," she answered, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I sat behind you in English last year."

"Oh," Cassie muttered sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's okay," Ashley said with a smile. "I'm a rather forgettable person. Uhm, if you're sure I can't pay you back, then I guess I'll be on my way."

"I'm very sure," Cassie told her. "Sorry again." Ashley smiled as she walked off to find a table, her arms filled with various books.

"Hey Cassie," Carlos called as he hurried up to her side. "Have an accident?"

"Yeah, I bumped into that girl," Cassie answered.

"That's Ashley," Carlos said. "You don't know Ashley?"

"Should I?"

"She sat behind you in English last year," Carlos told her.

"So I hear," Cassie sighed. "Is, uhm, she sort of a-?"

"Nerd?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, she is. But she's really cool. She's been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember," Carlos answered. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

"Would she, possibly... be good for Tanya?" Cassie asked as guardedly as she could.

"Yes!" Carlos cried, his eyes wide. "She'd be great!"

"Well, I'm going to talk to Tanya about her replacement," Cassie said. "I'll mention her. Ashley Hammond, right?"

"She's the one," Carlos said. "Catch ya later."

"David?" a meek voice asked.

Turning on his bar stool, David Trueheart saw Marge Lubbock standing a few feet away. "Marge!" he cried, jumping off of his stool. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Smiling, she tilted her head to the side and said, "I've been visiting my grandmother."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a smile. "So, what brings you back?"

"Well, school starts next week, but... I heard that Phantom Ranger left town," she answered. "Are the rumors true?"

"What rumors?"

"That Phantom Ranger turned good?" she asked hopefully.

"That's the word on the street," David said, smiling. "Come on, sit down. I don't bite unless I'm asked."

Laughing, Marge took him up on his offer and sat down next to him. "I'd like to apologize for the way I acted last time I saw you," Marge said. "I was pretty freaked out. If it makes you feel any better, you weren't the only person whose face I screamed in."

David kept his grin under check as he said, "It's okay. It's forgotten. Emily wanted to see you a while back, but I haven't seen her for a few days."

"I guess Em would want to see me," Marge sighed. "We... have a lot to talk about. I hope she's okay..."

"Are you okay?" David asked.

"David, I know we aren't really all that close, but I have to tell somebody this or my cranium is going to implode!" Marge cried. "Can we go someplace private?"

"We can go see if there's anybody at the reflecting pool," David suggested. "It's pretty early; I doubt the rollerbladers are out yet."

"Okay," Marge agreed, nodding.

Sigma's Universe

"Sigma!" Billy shouted as he and Kimberly rematerialized in the Power Core. "We've got a weird problem here!"

"What kind of problem?" Omicron called from somewhere down beneath. "If it's about Sydney, we already know about it."

"It's about Justin," Kimberly said.

"Is something wrong with Justin?"

"He turned twenty-one years old over night," Billy said.

"He's like six three, two hundred and forty pounds, and he's got the physique of a bodybuilder!" Kimberly clarified.

"I've never shaved anyone else before," I said as I guided Justin on how to apply lather to his face. "And I've never had anyone shave me. Even when I broke my arm, I learned to shave with my left hand. Granted, I about shaved my lips off a few times, but still..."

"This might hurt, Justin," Jason told him. "But it might not."

"Either your new body is used to shaving, so your skin will be tough, or this is like the first time you've ever had a razor on your skin," I told him. "In that case..."

"It'll hurt like hell," Jason clarified.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Katherine asked, leaning against the doorway. "I mean, it's probably not even permanent. If I was you, I'd just walk around with some face fuzz for a while."

"No way," Justin said in his adult voice. His voice still had a juvenile lilt to it, but the tone was definitely mature. "My face feels all weird."

"Are you ready?" Jason asked, holding up a disposable razor.

"Go for it."

Jenga's Universe

"Ashley Hammond?" Tanya asked, looking at her yearbook photo. "My goodness, those are ugly glasses."

"I know, and she's really cute, too," Cassie said. "But Carlos spoke pretty highly of her."

"She was actually on my prelim list," Tanya realized, flipping back a few pages through her notebook. "I took her off because I couldn't find anyone who knew her. That was before Carlos showed up."

"Finalist?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Tanya said, writing her name on a sheet of paper with two other names. "So, I've narrowed it down to three people. Ashley Hammond, Kelly Roarke, and Barbara Gordon."

"I don't know either of those two girls," Cassie commented.

"You know, I should probably choose Ashley," Tanya realized. "Kelly and Barbara are both Seniors. Ashley is a Sophomore..."

"So, you're choosing Ashley to be the Yellow Ranger?"

Tanya looked at the sheet of paper for a few moments longer. "Yeah. Oh, man, this feels so strange. But, yeah, I'm picking Ashley."

"Do you wanna do it now?" Cassie asked. "She's at the Youth Center with Carlos."

"I guess so," Tanya sighed. "I mean, I'm leaving for UK tomorrow. I gotta do it sometime today, I might as well do it now."

"I'll go get them," Cassie volunteered. Patting Tanya's arm, she hit her communicator and teleported away in a pink flash.

Sighing heavily, Tanya pressed her own communicator and went to the Command Center in a streak of canary yellow.

Sigma's Universe

"Now was that really so bad?" I asked as Justin washed his face off.

"You never touch me again," Justin snarled, pointing a threatening finger at Katherine.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking when I put the aftershave on you," Kat said. With a shrug, she added, "I like the way it smells."

"Why is everybody congregated in the bathroom?" Sydney asked as she peeked her head in the door. "I- who is he?"

Justin looked at the door. "Sydney?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "And you are-?"

"This is Justin," Jason said. "He had a growth spurt last night."

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"It happened at the Power Core," Sydney said. "I had a bad dream about turning young, and I touched something I shouldn't have, and I actually did turn young. But I can be fixed tomorrow morning. What's up with this?"

"I just woke up like this," Justin informed her.

Sydney's eyes slowly widened as she realized, "You turned old in my dream, too... I must have done it, somehow."

"C'mon, we'll go ask Omicron," Katherine said. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, the two teleported away.

"Omicron?" Kat asked as she stepped out of the white teleportation booth.

"All right," Omicron called from beneath. Sydney looked over the railing and saw Billy, Kimberly, and Omicron clustered around one of the viewing screens. Looking up at the balcony, she said, "If Rocky, Skull, or Jason have turned into women, if anyone has sprouted horns, or if anything is growing hair that shouldn't be growing hair, it is NOT my fault."

"I think my dream is what made me and Justin... change," Sydney said. "Is that possible?"

"With the Sword, anything is possible," Omicron told her. "Well, almost anything. If you dreamed exactly this, you turning young and Justin turning old, then that's probably what the Sword made happen when you touched the conduit. But... that brings up a really big, ugly problem."

"What kind of problem?" Kat asked.

"The Swords aren't very adept at fixing biological problems," Omicron said, "and especially since they kept everyone going a while back during that Armageddon thing, they are fairly well drained. I can fix one of you tomorrow morning, but it'll take a week or longer to fix the next person, just because it will take that long to recharge."

"We probably won't even be here in a week," Kimberly realized.

"Yeah," Omicron sighed. "I know. It means either you have to stay young or Justin has to stay old."

Jenga's Universe

TJ Andrews looked up to see two well-built men in red clothing approaching him. He knew neither, but from the way they were walking toward him, he knew they were coming after him.

"Hey man," the white man said. "Are you TJ Andrews?"

"The one and only," TJ answered warily. "And you are-?"

"Tommy Oliver," he said, shaking his hand. "This is my good friend Zack Taylor."

"Hi," TJ said, still a bit cautious. "Uhm, can I help you guys?"

"Yeah, actually you can," Zack said. "Are you familiar with the Power Rangers?"

"Who isn't?" TJ returned.

"There is just no easy way to bring this up, is there?" Zack asked of Tommy.

"I don't think so," Tommy agreed. "Look TJ, it's like this. Zack and I have both, at one time or another, been the Red Turbo Ranger. It is time for both of us to retire, and we've picked you to be the new leader of the Turbo Rangers."

"Did Cindy Beth put you up to this?" TJ asked. "I am going to kill my sister."

"Uh, no. We don't know Cindy Beth," Zack promised him. "We're legit. Am I clear Tommy?"

"Go for it, man," Tommy told him.

"Shift into Turbo!" Zack shouted, taking the Turbo stance. With a flick of his wrists, he summoned his morphers. A moment later, he inserted the Turbo key and shouted, "Red Lightning Turbo Power!" TJ shielded his eyes from the intense light put off by the morphing process. Then, when he opened his eyes, he was more than mildly surprised to see the Red Turbo Ranger standing before him.

"You're serious?" TJ asked. "You want me to not only be a Power Ranger, but the LEADER of the Power Rangers?"

"We've done a lot of background stuff on you," Zack told him. "If you aren't Ranger material, then no one is."

"If you are willing, and we have to warn you, it involves a lot of work and danger, then we'll go transfer the power now," Tommy said.

"Yes!" TJ shouted, throwing his baseball bat and helmet to the ground. "I'm ready!"

"We're outta here," Tommy said, reaching out to touch TJ's arm. In two streams of red and one blinding white, the three teens teleported away from the batting cages.

"Hey Carlos, Ashley," Cassie panted as she stopped at their table.

"Cassie," Carlos acknowledged.

Cassie looked at Carlos and tapped her communicator. "Ashley," Cassie said, "this might sound strange, but Carlos and I have something very important to show you."

"Okay," Ashley agreed. However, before they could leave, two gorgeous woman with long blonde hair approached them. Carlos did a quick double check before he realized they were just Ashley's twin Valley Girl sisters.

"Hi Ashley," one of them said.

"Hello Maggie, Molly," Ashley acknowledged. "What do you want?"

"Oh my goodness," Cassie muttered as the two identical blonde twins marched a set of identical brown-haired triplet girls into view.

"We need you to watch the kidlets so we can go to the mall," Maggie said.

"These are your family?" Cassie asked.

"They're like the biggest family in Angel Grove," Carlos told her. "Two sets of twins, one set of triplets..."

"Both of our parents are twins, and they're extremely fertile," Molly said to Cassie. "It like runs in our family."

"Didn't Mom ask YOU two to watch them?" Ashley challenged.

"Come on, Ashley," Maggie said. "Stop being so difficult."

"Look, we're busy," Cassie told the twin girls. "We gotta go."

"Well, can you watch them?" Maggie asked, turning to Carlos.

"He's coming with us," Cassie said.

"Thank you for cooperating," Molly sneered. Ashley returned the sneer as she hurried away with Carlos and Cassie.

"So," Maggie tried, looking at their three siblings, "you guys wanna go to the mall?"

"No," they all said in unison.

"Ugh, what is wrong with our family?" Molly griped.

"Oh, I know," Maggie drawled. "Let's just take 'em back home."

"Thank you for treating us like human beings," the eldest triplet, Randi, quipped.

Outside the Youth Center, Ashley was being led by Carlos and Cassie to a secluded spot. "Just how big is your family?" Cassie asked.

"Too big," Ashley returned. "There are fourteen of us in all. There are the triplets, two sets of twins, and five singlets. See, Mom and Dad are each a twin, so it runs in our family, anyway. And apparently they don't believe in birth control or abstinence."

"It's clear to go," Carlos said.

"Go where?" Ashley asked.

"Ever wanted to be a Power Ranger?" Cassie asked her.

"Pardon?" Ashley asked.

In unison, Carlos and Cassie reached out and touched her arms. Activating their communicators, they teleported away in pink, white, and green sparkling trails of light.

"Jenga, I've got a question," Dark Spectre asked.

"Shoot," she told him, still scanning Angel Grove for suitable Thunder Rangers.

"It's been said that you were Supreme Evil since the dawn of time. Is that true?"

"Quite true."

"But, you also said you've only been the UAE's Supreme Evil for about seven hundred and ninety thousand years."

"That's how long I've been official," Jenga said. "How old do you think the universe is?"

"I have no idea."

"No one does," Jenga told him. "Literally no one. The farthest any type of conscious thought goes back is eight hundred thousand years ago. There was a Supreme Evil before then. Now, the Supreme Evil is in me. It is me and I am it in a way that you'll never understand. Now I was Supreme before the UAE decided to elect Zilactin. Of course, I had to take him down as soon as I found out."

"So... Darkonda never actually had a chance of defeating you?"

"No shit, Sherlock," she said. Suddenly, she cried out, "Oooh! I've found a Jaguar!" In a rush of blue fire, Jenga disappeared.

"Oh my God," Ashley sighed as they rematerialized in the Command Center.

"Welcome to the Command Center, Ashley," Alpha commented.

"That's Alpha," Cassie said.

"Hi, Ashley," Tanya welcomed. She stepped up to Ashley and said, "Are you up for this?"

"Up for what?"

"We didn't have time to explain to her what was going on," Carlos said. "We had to get away from her sisters."

Just then, red and white light flashed as Tommy, Zack, and TJ arrived. "Two at once," Bulk commented. Chuckling nervously, he said, "That makes me Senior Member."

"Ashley Hammond and TJ Andrews," Zordon boomed, "you have been brought here today to join the world's supreme and only supernatural fighting force. You have both been selected for your outstanding place in the community. Should you accept, Ashley, you will be the Yellow Turbo Ranger, and TJ, you will lead the Rangers as the Red Turbo Ranger."

"I'll do it!" TJ cried happily.

"Me?" Ashley asked. "A Power Ranger? I mean... if you're sure, then yes. I accept."

In a yellow flash of light, Tanya silently morphed. Zack moved to her side, and Tommy stepped between them with the Sword of Light. The yellow and red gems on the side of the golden blade flashed brightly. A string of red and yellow light leapt from Tanya and Zack into the Sword. The gems flashed brightly, and then a burst of appropriately colored light shot out and struck TJ and Ashley. Their bodies glowed brightly for a moment, and then they were clad in the Turbo armor. For a few seconds, there were two Red and two Yellow Turbo Rangers in the Command Center. However, that changed when Zack and Tanya's armor disappeared in a flash of light.

"This is incredible!" TJ shouted as he removed his helmet.

"Prodigious!" Ashley agreed. She removed her helmet, and her glasses reappeared in a brief glimmer of yellow. "Wow."

"In a few days," Bulk said, "your team will be complete. I'm just a temp."

"And Emily will be joining us as Phantom Ranger again before long," Cassie said.

"This is so cool!" TJ cried. "When do we get to go fight or something?!"

"It'll happen soon enough," Carlos said.

"C'mon, let's go back to my place, and we'll tell you about what you can expect," Cassie told them.

"I'll get you some communicators later," Alpha said. He then teleported the four Rangers away, sending them off to create what would be a lifelong friendship.

"You okay, Tanya?" Zack asked.

Sighing heavily, she answered, "Yeah. I think so. It's just-"

"Gonna take some getting used to," Adam told her. "Come on, we'll go to the Youth Center and drown your sorrows in some smoothies."

The elder members of the team teleported away, leaving Zordon and Alpha alone.

Sigma's Universe

"I don't want to be fourteen years old for forever!" Sydney cried. "You don't know how bad fourteen was to me! I had to wear a back brace for scoliosis for six weeks, and every time I turned, it squeaked! No, there's no way. I'll just stay behind and wait for the Sword to charge up so I can turn twenty-one again."

"We can't leave you behind," Justin said. "Heck, I want to stay big! This is awesome!"

"Justin, you can't be an adult," Rocky told him carefully.

"You're thirteen years old in there," Trini continued. "You have to be aged down."

"Aw man!" Justin complained. "Why?! I've been missing for so long, I can just take on a new identity! We can tell Mom and Dad, and..."

"No," Billy said. "I'm not really all that fond of having a little brother who is seven inches and seventy pounds bigger than me. But, if you are going to be that much bigger, then you have to go through the hell that is puberty."

"OH!" Justin shouted, jumping to his feet and giving the living room a jolt. "I just thought of something! No matter which one of us gets changed, me and Sydney are gonna be the same age! You don't have a good excuse anymore!"

Sydney dropped her head forward onto the table, her head colliding with a heavy thud along with an exclamative but whispered, "Dammit."

Jenga's Universe

Tandy Sparks looked up as a beautiful red-headed woman walked up to the front desk of the lobby in KBKO studios. "Hi," Tandy said warily. "Do I know you?"

"Yes, you do," Jenga said, handing her a business card.

Tandy took the card, and then looked back up at her. "Oh," Tandy sighed. "Uhm, are you here to see someone?"

"I'd like to speak with someone in charge," Jenga said.

Not taking her eyes off of the space demon, Tandy pressed the intercom and said, "Andre, there's someone here to see you."

"Who is it?"

"The Queen of Darkness."

"Janet Reno is here to see me?"

"No, it's Jenga Xett. Shall I send her back? Please don't make me turn her away."

"Send her back," Andre said.

"Thank God," Tandy sighed as she started to stand up.

"No, I can find my way back," Jenga told her, smiling warmly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Xett," Andre acknowledged, extending his hand.

"The pleasure's all mine, and please, call me Jenga," she said with a smile.

"You know, you aren't at all what I imagined," Andre said bluntly.

"You're a very brave man, Mr. Ferguson."

"Thank you."

"Very few people have the guts to say anything that isn't a mindless compliment to me," Jenga continued. "I respect that."

"Again, thank you. How can I help you today?"

"There is a mystique about me," Jenga said. "I don't want to get rid of it; actually, I'd like to expand on it, and the best way for me to do that is to do an interview."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes sir," Jenga said. "I'd like KBKO to do my first Earth interview."

"That would be wonderful," Andre agreed. "We can get our top anchors in here in the next few minutes if you like-"

"Actually, I want to be interviewed by Heather St. John," Jenga said firmly. "Is that a problem?"

"She's here now," Andre said. "I'll go talk to her."

"Please do," Jenga smiled as she leaned back in her seat to wait.

"Jenga Xett?" Heather asked. "No, I don't think so."

"Heather, please!" Andre pleaded. "This could be the biggest break of your life! You could be the most well-known person on the planet tomorrow morning."

"But it's Jenga!" Heather cried. "Are you trying to get me killed our first day on the job together?"

"I'm trying to help us all out here," Andre continued. "This could be a monumental interview for the entire planet! Imagine it, Heather St. John is the brave soul who interviewed the epitome of evil and survived to tell about it."

"Imagine it, Heather St. John is the stupid idiot who interviewed the epitome of evil and ended up the main dish at a lunar barbecue."

"All right," Andre sighed. "I'll go tell Jenga we need to find someone else."

Heather watched as Andre turned to walk away. "Wait," Heather called. Sighing heavily, she relented, "I'll do it. But you owe me big."

"Hello, Ms. Xe-"

"Jenga."

"Hello Jenga," Heather said. She shook Jenga's hand, already startled at the amazing calm of the evil woman. "So... I'm gonna be interviewing you."

"That's my plan," Jenga agreed. "Now I would prefer to do this on my Space Base, but we can do it anywhere you're comfortable."

"Your Space Base?" Heather asked.

"Mmm hmm. So...?"

"Oh-kay," Heather agreed warily. "I just need to get some stuff ready. A camera, a..."

"No camera," Jenga insisted. "Tape recorders are fine, but no video."

"You do realize I'm in television news, right?"

"You do realize I said no cameras, right?"

"Okay," Heather agreed. "Just the tape recorder and a notepad. Can I take a few minutes to gather my thoughts before we leave?"

"Certainly. Will fifteen minutes do?"

"Fifteen minutes will be fine."

"Excellent. I have other matters to attend to." She magically produced a golden hourglass with blue sand. "I'll be back..."

"Emily St. John is the Phantom Ranger?" David asked.

"Yeah," Marge said, nodding. "I saw her change into Phantom Ranger right over there. I- I was kind of freaked out that day. I'm sorry I ran away screaming from you. I just wasn't ready to handle human contact."

"It's okay," David accepted. "I understand perfectly."

"Thank you," Marge returned, lowering her gaze. Her long, silken brown hair drifted off of her shoulders and she quickly brushed a hand through it, pushing it out of her eyes. "I'm glad you aren't going to hold it against me."

"Hello, David, Marge," someone said saucily. A quick glance around revealed them to be alone.

"Uhm, hi," Marge said, looking around.

"Do you see someone?" David asked.

"Not at the moment," Marge answered.

"Marjorie," the same someone said. The water in the reflecting pool began to roll and bubble.

"David," Marge said warily.

Water shot straight up in the air and in a rush of flames, Jenga stepped up onto the sidewalk. Half of her face was hidden by her tousled hair, but the half that could be seen possessed a seductive smile. However, seduction comes in many forms, not just that of sexuality. Seduction also comes with power and promises.

"Marge, David," she acknowledged. "I have a proposal for you!"

"Run Marge!" David shouted, pushing her toward the hedges. However, before they could run for safety, a giant slab of stone fell from the sky, flattening the hedges and blocking their way. Three more slabs fell around them, enclosing them in a giant box with Jenga and the reflecting pool in the center. Lastly, a gargantuan lid, also made of stone, dropped from the sky and sealed them in. Blue and red light was flashing in the reflecting pool, giving their sudden, dark prison an almost surreal look.

"Marge, David," she said a bit more harshly, "I have a proposal for you."

"What do you want from us, Jenga?" David asked firmly. Marge cowered behind him, trying to look strong but failing miserably.

She smiled and raised her right hand to chest level. Between the thumb and index finger was a glowing orb of red light, while an otherwise identical blue orb was held between her middle and index fingers. "Just your undying service."

DECA winked her camera-like eyes open. She slowly scanned the room, and her infrared scanners picked up no life forms. Activating her tiny thrusters, she lifted up into the air and hovered there for a few moments. She quickly put herself back online entirely, and she took a few moments to re-integrate all of her systems. She had rested in MasterVile's belongings for over ten thousand years before finally being placed in the Space Base.

She had her plan formed. She knew what she had to do to stop Jenga from bringing her plan of evil Thunder Rangers to fruition. DECA set one of her internal computers to replicate sufficient money to complete her project. By her estimates, she would need a minimum of three million in Earth American funds.

With an almost inaudible whoosh, DECA moved off of the Space Base. As she left the protective atmosphere of the satellite, she stabilized her internal pressure and flew off through space to the humongous planet Earth, looming before her.

"Oh my God, I HATE rude people!" Molly cried, commenting on the man giving a cashier at the help desk a hard time.

"Me too!" Maggie agreed. "Geeze, you'd think if they didn't have anything good to say, then they wouldn't say anything at all."

"Really," Molly nodded.

"You know what we should do?"

"What?"

"We should go over there and just chew that guy out for her," Maggie said, "'cause she can't say anything or she'll get fired, but we can rip that guy a new butthole if we want to."

"Ooh, you think?"

"It's not right that he's just allowed to yell at her for something that's probably his fault in the first place."

"That's true," Molly agreed solemnly, nodding her head.

"Wanna go rumble?"

"Okay," Molly said quickly. The two blondes started to walk toward the Sunglasses Hut when blue light flashed before them, producing Jenga Xett. Maggie and Molly both gasped and backed away.

"Maggie, Molly," Jenga acknowledged.

"Uhm, hi," Molly said slowly. She glanced at her twin and shrugged.

"Can we talk?" Jenga asked. She held up her hand, holding two glowing pink and yellow orbs in her palm.

"Those are beautiful," Molly sighed, only to have Maggie slap her on the arm.

"We're busy," Maggie answered plainly. "C'mon Molly."

"Margaret Tobin and Molly Brown Hammond!" Jenga shouted. "You come back here right now!"

"Run!" Maggie yelled, pushing Molly into the crowd of people on the second deck of the Galleria.

Jenga smiled to herself as the twin blondes ran off into the crowd of teenagers, parents, and Senior Citizens. They would be her's soon enough.

"Is she still back there?" Molly asked, pausing to look behind them. They saw plenty of people, but no red-haired demonness.

"No, I think we lost her," Maggie groaned as she leaned against the railing that overlooked the lower level. "She knew our middle names."

"I can't believe our parents actually named us after that 'Titanic' chick," Molly complained. "What kind of middle name is Brown?"

"Like Tobin is any better?" Maggie asked. She glanced over and saw that the escalator leading people up onto the second deck was just a few feet away; the one they needed was on the other side. "Come on, let's go."

Molly need in agreement and turned around to walk away. However, she was immediately face to face with someone and bumped into them, taking a few steps back instinctively. "Going somewhere so soon?" Jenga asked, flashing Molly the Yellow Thunder Orb.

"NO!" Maggie screamed. She reached out and grabbed Molly by the forearm and yanked her around. "MOVE!" Maggie bellowed as she plowed down the Up escalator.

"Hey!"

"Watch it!"

"Bite me!" Maggie returned as she pushed her way through the angry mob of people trying to make their way up to the second deck. People were getting out of their way, however, although many took the time to toss a few choice insults at the pair. Excepting the men, of course. They eagerly got out of the beauties' way.

Even without the people in their way, running down the escalator would have been a trying job. They had to run twice as fast as the escalator did, just to stay ahead. But suddenly, their job was made much easier when everyone vanished.

Maggie slowed to a halt, pausing on the now empty escalator that was slowly carrying her back to the top deck. "Where is everyone?" Molly asked, still running down the Up escalator. Her voice was extremely loud in the dead silence of the mall.

"I dunno," Maggie muttered. "Let's get outta here."

Before they could reach safety, however, everything changed around them. The black steps of the escalator turned into wooden planks, and the moving banister became an old rope. The mall disappeared, and the escalator finished its transformation into a swinging bridge above a ravine. With a scream, the plank Molly had both feet on broke through. "Molly!" Maggie cried, lurching forward. She grabbed her younger twin by the forearm, and she was pulled down onto her knees as Molly fell.

"Pull me up!" Molly pleaded, dangling above a roaring river where what a few minutes before had been the Galleria.

"Molly, Maggie," Jenga acknowledged again, kneeling beside the gaping hole in the suspension bridge. She lifted her hand up, holding the glowing Yellow and Pink Thunder Orbs. "Will you accept my proposal now?"

DECA hovered near Little Angel's Haven. A quick interior scan of the building revealed a large number of children, ranging from infants to the age of eighteen. According to everything in her scanners, she would have the most luck working with a child around the age of thirteen or fourteen. She quickly narrowed her search down until she found one final person.

Cross referencing her galactic files, she soon had a detailed report of the person. Tasha Young. Thirteen years old. Orphaned. Free-lance computer expert. _Perfect,_ DECA realized.

DECA did have access to the UDAB's records, which included a detailed account of virtually every person born on practically every planet in most of the universe. It was quite a comprehensive list, but for DECA, it wasn't a daunting task to scan through it. She was built with an internal computer systems that made Earth's most impressive computers' internal processors seem like lines drawn in sand. DECA was a bit concerned with having to carry her plan out using Earth technology, but she had no other option.

After checking for any onlookers, DECA entered the shelter and flew up to the second floor. She entered the room of Tasha Young, who was currently lying on her stomach on her bed, reading a magazine on computers.

"Hello Tasha," DECA said sweetly.

"Hey," Tasha muttered. However, she slowly lifted her eyes up and saw the blue UFO-like object hovering in the middle of her room. "Uhm... What are you?"

"My name is DECA," DECA said. "I am a Didactic Electronic Computerized Amalgamation, and I seek your help."

"My help?" Tasha asked, still staring at the blue object.

"I need to build a Blue Senturion unit, and I will need you to assist me."

Tasha, while at first skeptical, soon found herself enthralled with the elaborate story DECA was telling her. "So, if you can't make a Blue Centurion-"

"Senturion," DECA corrected.

"That's what I said."

"You said Centurion with a C. These are Senturions with an S."

"Okay, Senturion," Tasha said. "If you can't make a Blue Senturion, then the Earth could be doomed."

"That is one way of saying it, yes," DECA said. The blue contraption was hovering, quite placidly, beside Tasha's bed. "A Blue Senturion unit is our best line of defense against Jenga's Thunder Rangers."

"Well, if these Blue Senturion unit things are so hard to make, how can we make one?"

"I have full blueprints downloaded from the UDAB to create a fully functional Blue Senturion unit," DECA said. "I just need a native of this planet to assist me in getting the necessary materials."

"I don't have enough money to build a robot," Tasha quipped.

"Money is no object," DECA announced. The top of DECA opened and a robotic arm extended with numerous money notes in her hand. "I can make us as much money is needed."

"Wow," Tasha sighed as the arm withdrew and the top closed. "Counterfeit money." Cocking her mouth into a mischievous grin, she said, "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Let's go make us a robot."

"Excellent," DECA announced. "But first, I need a personal opinion on what type of Blue Senturion unit to build."

"How many types are there?"

"The Blue Senturion is merely a type of intergalactic police officer unit," DECA said. "However, the body housing the unit varies from planet to planet. Based on my own personal studies of this planet, I have devised two basic styles which I think would be effective." With a whir, the top compartment opened like a hinged lid. A video screen was on the bottom of it. "Blue Senturion, Unit One." The screen showed what could best be described as a robot from a bad B movie. It was humanoid and had a row of blue, yellow, and red lights across the chest. It was blue with large sections of white, black, and silver highlights.

"Nope," Tasha said. "Unit Two."

The scene flickered to a robot that looked much more impressive. There were no blunt edges, lights, or labels. It was almost entirely blue with silver highlights. To Tasha, it brought to mind one fictitious robot : Robocop. "Definitely," she said with a nod. "That looks cool." It had a silver face, but a blue visor covered the top half of its face, leaving only lips and the chin exposed. A silver holster rested on its left hip. A silver belt set off its waist, and its chest and legs had a brief hint of what was designed to look like organic musculature beneath. "So, what can I do to help?"

"The first thing we must do is rent a hotel room at the Hilton," DECA said.

"Why the Hilton?"

"Isn't the Hilton the finest hotel in Angel Grove?"

"Well, yeah."

Without saying another word, DECA turned tail and floated out of the room. Shrugging, Tasha followed her.

"You know, maybe I should carry you," Tasha suggested. DECA was hovering near her left shoulder as they walked toward one of the world's fanciest hotels. "I mean, this is Angel Grove, but still... tiny UFO's?"

"That is not advisable," DECA said. "Many of my internal wiring is Triforian Silver."

"What does that mean?"

"Triforian Silver is one of the universe's densest metals," DECA said. "A lump of Triforian Silver the size of your fist would weigh nearly two Earth tons."

"Really?" Tasha asked, a curious tone in her voice. "Well, if we're confronted by a police officer or something, then what will we tell people?"

Robert Sparling, doorman at the Hilton, did a doubletake as a young girl walked up to him, holding the hand of a metallic arm that looked both robotic and skeletal. The arm was attached to a blue object that looked like a stereotypical flying saucer. "What is that?" he asked.

"It's an optical illusion gag," Tasha said. "You know, like those people who walk invisible dogs."

"Good deal," he said with a smile as he opened the door to let her in.

"I can't believe that worked," Tasha whispered to her flying companion.

"People will eagerly accept the simplest hypothesis," DECA informed her. Changing the subject, DECA said, "Please try and get one of the best rooms here."

"If you've got the money, I can get us any room in this hotel," Tasha announced.

Tasha walked up to the counter as DECA lowered in altitude. The sentient blue robot hovered just beneath the edge of the counter. "Hi," Tasha called.

"Hello," a friendly voice returned. The clerk, an attractive woman with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair, stepped up to the desk. "My name is Sheila. How can I help you?"

"I need to rent a room for me and my family," Tasha lied. "We'd like one of the best."

"Money is no option," DECA whispered.

"Money is NO option," Tasha repeated.

"Are your parents around?"

"Well, no..."

"We can only rent rooms to people who are eighteen years of age or older," Sheila said. "I'm very sorry. Have your parents come by, and we'll be glad to give you our finest room."

Before Tasha could walk away, DECA popped up from beneath the counter. Sheila gave a short cry of alarm. Tasha reached out to take DECA's hand, but the arm had already been drawn back in. "Are you familiar with the concept of bribery?" DECA asked.

"I think that's illegal, DECA," Tasha said.

"We will not be doing any harm or damage to anyone or anything," DECA said. "Quite the contrary. I am on your planet to save you from an evil plot devised by Jenga Xett. I am willing to both pay for the room and give you, and the manager of this hotel, twenty thousand dollars each if you will rent my young friend here a room."

"Twenty thousand?" she asked in a small voice.

"I can't believe that worked," Tasha muttered to DECA as one of the bellhops, a young man by the name of Tim Shell, led them to their room.

"According to my databanks, bribery is a wonderful Earth method of getting what you need," DECA announced. Tasha was still holding DECA by the hand, just in case someone confronted them about it. So far, they had only had to use their optical illusion excuse on the doorman. Sheila had been too content with her twenty thousand dollars to question much.

"Here is your room, madam," Tim said, opening the door.

"Wow," Tasha sighed as she entered the luxurious room. She had never seen anything so fancy.

"I think we're supposed to give him a tip," DECA realized.

"How much is usual for your tip?" Tasha asked.

"Different patrons give different amounts," he said calmly.

"Gimme twenty," Tasha requested.

"Certainly," DECA answered, extending a mechanical arm with a thick wad of bills in it.

"Here ye go," Tasha said. "Buy yerself somethin' pretty."

"How much money is this?" Tim asked.

"Twenty thousand dollars," DECA answered. "Thank you for serving us."

With a happy yelp, Tim literally bounded out of the room. "It takes so little to amuse Earthlings," DECA said.

"Yeah, twenty thousand here and there and you've got people falling over all each other," Tasha remarked. "So DECA, what do we do now that we've go the room."

"We start planning," DECA answered. Floating over to a window that looked out over the city, she continued, "Jenga will release her Thunder Rangers on Angel Grove tomorrow morning at dawn. We have until then to get the necessary materials to build our Blue Senturion unit."

"Overnight?" Tasha asked. "I'll have to be at the shelter for supper and I can't leave after eight o'clock."

"Ordinarily, I would not ask one to break the rules, but could I persuade you to stay with me all night if I can keep you out of trouble with your organization?"

Tasha grinned. "I don't have a problem with breaking some rules," she said. "If you can do the impossible, then I'm with ya 'til dawn, girl."

DECA slowly opened a lid on the top. A marble-sized blue bead floated out of it. It hovered off of the ground, and then it glowed white. A holographic image of Tasha formed around it, hiding the floating hologram bead. The image was mildly transparent for a moment, but it quickly solidified. Tasha stared wide-eyed at the exact replication of herself. The replication said, "I don't have a problem with breaking some rules. If you can do the impossible, then I'm with ya 'til dawn, girl." Then, the image disappeared, leaving only the floating blue bead behind. It darted over to DECA and flew inside her.

"Is this a satisfactory replication?" DECA asked.

Tasha blinked a few more times in disbelief before giving a one-word answer. "Yep."

"Legal pad, tape recorder," Andre said, handing Heather the objects. He pulled something out from behind his ear and said, "And my lucky ink pen."

"Thanks," Heather grumbled, taking it from him. "This is very weird." She tapped the top of the blue hourglass on Andre's desk with the ink pen. Watching intently, she saw the last few grains of blue sand drop into the bottom.

"Times up," Jenga announced as she burned into being in the room. Heather shielded her eyes from the blue fire.

"You sure like the color blue, don't you?" Heather asked.

"Very much," Jenga agreed. "Shall we go to the Space Base?"

"All right," Heather grumbled. Before they teleported away, she shook an angry finger at Andre and said, "You owe me BIG."

"Take a look at that view," Jenga said, pointing Heather's gaze out into space. "At this moment, you are seeing the Earth from an angle that less than a handful of her residents have seen. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's absolutely amazing," Heather murmured. From the balcony, the Earth hovered effortlessly against a never-ending backdrop of stars. It was both beautiful, awe-inspiring, and terrifying all in the same glance. She paused for a moment before turning to Jenga and saying, "Can I be candid?"

"Certainly."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"I hadn't planned on it," Jenga returned. "Why?"

"I was just afraid you were going to kill me."

"Well, provided you don't say anything stupid, you'll be fine."

"What qualifies as stupid?"

"You're pushing it." Jenga couldn't stop the grin that followed. "I'm kidding, Heather. Geeze, you kill a few people, try to take over the planet, and suddenly everybody's all up in arms about you."

"Sorry," Heather apologized.

"It's okay, kid. Come, let's go make history."

Sigma's Universe

"I'm continually remembering things I would have liked to have done before I left home," Sydney complained. "I have friends I could have said goodbye to, I wish I had my mother's Bible, and oh! I had the neatest set of t-shirts! It was a set of fifty-six, and they were all either red or black, and printed on it in either black or red was a playing card. The whole deck."

"Don't you mean fifty-two?" Trini asked. The two girls, plus Justin and Jason, were driving to the local town to pick up some supplies.

"Fifty-two?" Sydney asked. "No, fifty-six."

"How many cards were in the decks of your world?" Jason asked.

"Am I the only one surprised that she had a set of fifty-six t-shirts?" Justin asked, mostly to himself.

"There were fifty-six," Sydney repeated. "There were four suits, hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. The low card was ace, two through ten, the joker, the jack, the queen, and the king."

"You played with the joker?" Trini asked.

"We played with all four jokers," Sydney said. "I'm missing something here."

"Our universe, and this universe too, doesn't have a joker face card," Jason explained. "Ace through ten, jack, queen, and king."

"That is so strange," Sydney said thoughtfully. "Fifty-two cards. What a concept."

"You really had fifty-six t-shirts?" Justin asked.

"Match set," Sydney said. "I made them myself. I guess whenever we get to your world, I'll have to make myself another set." She paused then, and said, "Whenever I get to your world..."

"Something wrong?" Jason asked.

Sydney sighed as she took the cap Sabrina had given her many weeks ago off of her head. Her brightly colored hair swung free, glistening in the bright sunlight. "It's just now occurring to me," she said. "I mean... we're almost there."

"Isn't it great?!" Justin cried.

"It's terrifying," Sydney whined. "What if I can't be changed back in time? I'll have to stay fourteen! I can't support myself if I'm fourteen! What will happen to me then?!"

"See, that's all the more reason for her to be aged up instead of me aged down," Justin said, thumping his hand on the seat back for emphasis.

"No, Justin," Sydney said forcefully. "It isn't an option. You are going to be seriously screwed later on if you miss your teenage years."

"She's right," Jason agreed. "You're older than all of us now."

The quartet drove in silence for a few moments before Justin asked, "You really had fifty-six matching t-shirts?"

Jenga's Universe

Heather was absolutely dumb-founded. "Will that suffice?" Jenga asked. The two were slowly walking through the corridors of the Space Base. They had just left the Hangar where a variety of space ships were parked. "I'd really like to see this in all of the big name papers, if you can manage that. 'Time' and 'People' would be nice, too."

The young reporter grinned as she flipped through the dozens of pages of notes she had taken during her conversation/interview with the Space Demon. "I'm sure I won't have any problem getting in any newspaper or magazine I want to be in."

"Oh, a final quote," Jenga said. She raised her right hand and magically produced an envelope, held between her middle and index fingers. "Please don't open this until you've written the article. You can add this at the very end. And remember, if you open it before you write it, I will know, and I may kill you."

Heather's eyes flared open as she took the envelope from Jenga. "Really?" Heather asked. Jenga had been so friendly and open during the interview, the sudden death threat was startling.

"I would say you could find out for yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it," Jenga quipped. "So, any final questions."

"No, I think I've got everything," Heather said. Turning around from looking at the planet Earth, she extended her hand and said, "Jenga, it's been a real pleasure."

"Likewise," Jenga said, shaking her hand. Jenga leaned on the balcony and stared out into space. As if gathering her thoughts, she waited a moment before saying, "But before you go, I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" Heather asked.

"I've just given you the story that will make you the world's most famous mortal woman," Jenga said. She turned around and rested her back against the railing. "All I ask in return is a little bitty favor?"

"What's that?"

Jenga lifted her left hand up to reveal a glowing, green orb of light. "Ever wanted to be a Power Ranger, Heather?"

Tasha and DECA were walking and floating respectively toward the Galleria. "I gotta be honest with you, DECA," Tasha said, holding a print-out in her hand, "some of this stuff just doesn't exist on Earth."

"I had anticipated as much," DECA countered. "I suspect we will have to make many substitutions. Provided I can find six ounces of reforyl triklate or a decent substitute, we can make ourselves a Blue Senturion unit. It is a type of precious gem."

"Reforyl triklate?" Tasha asked. "Granted, I'm not really into jewels, but I've never heard of it."

"I have cross referenced reforyl triklate with all of my Earth knowledge, and I have not yet located either of these words. However, I'm sure a substitute can be found."

"What is it exactly?"

"It's a type of jewel," DECA answered. "Blue Senturion units use it to extract energy from the environment. It is in essence a never-ending battery."

"I gotta be honest with you, DECA," Tasha started. "I don't think anything like that exists on Earth."

"In that case, I will have to sacrifice myself."

"What do you mean by that?" Tasha asked.

"My power source is reforyl triklate," DECA said. "Although I do not particularly like the idea of turning myself off to complete our Blue Senturion unit, my sacrifice is a much smaller sacrifice than that of the entire planet." For the rest of the walk to the Galleria, the two new friends were deathly silent.

"Power Ranger?" Heather asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Very simple concept," Jenga said. "I'm making a team of evil Rangers, I need someone with the totem of a fierce cat to be the Green Ranger, and you just happen to be a Jaguar. Join me? I can make it worth your while..."

"You want me to be an evil Ranger? An evil GREEN Ranger, at that?" Heather said. She shifted her legal pad from one hand to the other and said, "Thanks, but no. Bad karma, all that stuff. Can I go home now?"

"I am gonna have to stop talking in rhetoric," Jenga said. Chuckling, she flipped her hair over her shoulders and said, "When I ask you to do something, I'm not giving you an option. Please reconsider."

Heather felt her stomach churning. She had never been so terrified in her entire life. _How could I have been so stupid!_ "Please let me go home," Heather said, not nearly as firmly as she had hoped.

"Certainly," Jenga said, standing up. She extended the glowing green orb. "Just take the power. It's delightfully wicked being evil. You can have any man on the planet, anything... Just touch this Green Thunder Orb, and the world is your oyster."

_Kill me or not, but..._ "No," Heather said defiantly.

"I'm in a generous mood today, so I'm going to give you a second chance to accept," Jenga announced. "There are two very easy ways out of this situation. One, accept the orb." After saying that, Jenga summoned Ioaeu Sjknth. The hilt was purple, angry. "Two, accept death. The choice is yours."

In a flash, Heather was off. She dropped the notepad and tape recorder as she bolted down the nearest corridor. Only one thought came to her as a means of survival. She knew it was a long shot, but as she saw it, she had nothing to lose.

She rounded the corner and ducked into the Hangar. _Get a little ship,_ she thought to herself. She hurried to the back of the room where she saw a small red ship, not much larger than an oversized car, a few ships over. It was floating effortlessly in the hangar. Heather glanced down and saw that the catwalk she was standing on was all that separated her from the oblivion of space. Getting to the small ship was going to require a leap of faith unlike any other.

Heather stretched out with her foot and tapped the nearest wing. It seemed stable. She had never been a particularly religious woman, but as she stepped off of the attached catwalk and onto the floating spaceship, she was praying harder than few humans had ever prayed. Every prayer, song, and Bible verse she had ever heard was whirling through her mind in a confusing mix.

Then, she pushed off with her other foot and landed on the ship. Falling to her knees, she grasped the shiny black surface of the craft. She waited just a few moments, and once satisfied that she was safe, she crawled across the dome-like bubble perched atop the ship. Upon crossing the peak, she slid down the slippery surface and landed chest-first on the other wing. Before getting to her feet, she tore her shoes off and tossed them aside. She reached up under her skirt and quickly removed both of her tan-colored stockings. "Much better," she muttered to herself. However, as she got into a kneeling position, she made the mistake of looking down and saw her shoes tumbling into the infinite reaches of space.

_Stop it, stop it, stop it!_ Placing one hand behind her for stability, she slowly got into a half-kneeling position. Her bare feet were already providing better traction than her slippery shoes had. Summoning up another burst of courage, she leapt onto the next ship over. Landing effortlessly, Heather's nerve was starting to build up. This time, she didn't pause. She ran from the end of one wing to the next. The small red ship was just a few feet away. It was shaped a bit like a Stealth Bomber, only there was a round dome covering the cockpit. Standing up to her full height, Heather looked again. She had to jump about four feet, and she would be there. She took a step back, and then she leapt.

She slammed into the dome, but she had made it. "I hope I can fly this thing," she muttered. She ran her hands across the dome, looking for a way in. Before she could dedicate much time to that, however, her weight overbalanced the ship and it tipped over. "NO!" She felt herself falling, and in a panic, latched on to anything she could. Her arms jerked, and the next thing she realized, she was hanging onto the inverted craft by one hand, holding on to one of the wings with a death grip. However, the surface was slippery, and her fingers were sliding. There was absolutely nothing she could grab onto, and as soon as her grip was gone, she would end up plummeting through space. Once she fell past the protective atmosphere of the Space Base, she would enter the cold vacuum of space and explode, dying instantly.

Jenga floated by, riding Ioaeu Sjknth like a stereotypical Halloween witch rides a broom, side-saddle. "Quite a predicament you've gotten yourself into," Jenga smirked.

"So this is the Galleria?" DECA asked.

"The one and only," Tasha said. "What do we need to buy first?"

"I would like to build the Blue Senturion's mental processing unit so that it can download information from the UDAB's data files while we are building his body," DECA said.

"So we need to buy computer parts first, right?" Tasha asked.

"Correct. Do you know of a place?"

"Cynthia's Computer Shack," Tasha announced. "That's the best place in Angel Grove to go for computer stuff." Tasha headed toward the escalator with DECA hovering behind her. She stepped on the up escalator and began her slow descent to the second floor. "Will Earth computers really suffice?"

"I will no doubt need to make modifications, but you have to work with what you've got," DECA said. "I must admit, Tasha, I expect more people to take notice of my unconformity."

"This is Angel Grove," Tasha sighed. "We could have a golden flying monkey attached to an organ grinder and nobody would blink an eye."

Tasha stepped off of the escalator while DECA surveyed the mall. "A rather impressive layout," DECA commented. "For an Earthian design."

"Of course. It's over here."

"Tasha, none of these computers are attempting to contact me," DECA complained. "Cynthia doesn't seem to have any sentiency machines running."

"That's because we don't have sentient computers," Tasha said. "Problem?"

"I should have known better than to even attempt to build a Blue Senturion unit on this still-water berg of a planet," DECA griped. "Well, let's get busy."

"Hi, can I help y-?" Cynthia started. She spied the blue object hovering behind the young girl.

"Yes you can," Tasha said. "We need to buy a lot of computer stuff."

"A lot," DECA repeated.

"As in probably everything you have," Tasha said. "Of course, we'll pay, but if you'll help us out and not ask any questions, we can give you a little bonus."

"Will twenty thousand suffice?" DECA asked as she extended a robotic arm with a thick wad of bills in her grasp.

"Cynthia?" one of the mall security guards asked. He knocked on the back door to her shop.

"Hi Daniel," Cynthia smiled. "Problem?"

"Well, I was wondering why you are closed early. Is there a problem?"

"No problem," Cynthia answered. "Just decided to close early. You take care, Daniel." Smiling again, she closed the door, leaving the man to ponder why she had closed her store during the peak shopping hours.

"Where are we going to get the metal to build the Blue Senturion unit?" Tasha asked as she took the cover off of yet another computer.

"The metal store?" DECA suggested.

"The metal store," Tasha repeated incredulously.

"Is there any shop in the mall that sells raw ore?"

"'Fraid not," Cynthia answered.

"What is the purpose of being on this useless planet?" DECA snapped. "You can't buy anything you need!"

"What kind of metal do you need?" Tasha asked with a sigh. "Maybe Lowe's or some place like that will have enough."

"Any type of steel or tin that I can reinforce," DECA said. "Do you know of a source?"

Tasha lifted the computer cover and pointed at the thin sheet of metal inside. "How about this?"

One of DECA's eyes turned red as she scanned the metal. "I would need approximately five hundred thousand sheets of metal at that density to compose a Blue Senturion unit," she said.

"But this kind of stuff would do?" Tasha asked. "How will you shape it into a robot?"

"The welding process is no problem," DECA said. "In my body cavity, I have a micro-laboratory that can manipulate metal far better than any of your supposed Earth technology."

"Then give me some money," Tasha suggested. "I'll run to the Toy Store and bit some die-cast metal cars."

"How much money will you need?" DECA asked.

"This is a lot of cars," Lucas, owner of Lucas' Lazer-Tag Palace, said. The gaming arcade was unique in that it also had a fair amount of toys for sale. Tasha currently had all of their die-cast cars stacked up on the counter, trying to buy them.

"Is there a limit?" Tasha asked, peeking around the massive stack of boxes. "I have money."

"Well...," he said slowly.

"Here's twenty-thousand," Tasha sighed as she handed over a wad of bills. "Keep the change."

"Do you need any help getting those out of the store?" Lucas asked.

"I have hard drives of many different sizes," Cynthia said. "The largest I have is five gig."

"Five gigabytes?!" DECA cried. "That's it?!"

"That's it. That's about the biggest they make."

DECA actually groaned as she took in the information. "Just downloading the Blue Senturion unit records will require forty-five terabytes."

"Terabyte?"

"One thousand gigabytes makes up one terabyte," DECA said. "I suppose I could make modifications... And perhaps place these 'hard drives' all throughout the body cavity... Please gather all of the hard drives that you have." DECA's top opened and two robotic arms extended, each holding a very alien tool. "I shall see if I can increase the performance of this five gigabyte drive."

"I got all kinds of metal now," Tasha announced. "Over five thousand dollars worth of model cars."

"You just have money rolling out of your ears today, don't you?" Cynthia asked as she began bringing boxes full of computer components out to DECA.

"Wait!" DECA cried. One of her optical scanners pointed its gaze at Cynthia's hand. "Reforyl triklate!"

"Excuse me?" Cynthia asked. DECA abandoned her current job and darted over to the young woman. She withdrew both of her arms only to pop one back out, this time with an empty hand. DECA delicately took Cynthia's left hand by the wrist and stared at the ring perched there.

"What is this stone called?" DECA asked.

"That's a moonstone."

"DECA?" Tasha asked.

"Moonstones are not rare on Earth," DECA realized. "Tasha, go purchase as many moonstones as you can."

"Sure," Tasha said as DECA handed her money. "Why?"

"I may be able to use it to make reforyl triklate."

Jenga literally danced down the hallways of the Space Base. She had five evil Rangers, and better yet, they had all agreed of their own volition to serve her. Granted, their only other option was death, but it still pleased her that they had all agreed to serve her. The Thunder Orbs wouldn't have worked for her otherwise.

"I can't wait until dawn," she purred. However, she paused when a realization came to her. "DECA."

From where she was standing, she turned and shot blue beams of light from her eyes to gaze upon the Earth. "You're building a Blue Senturion," she grumped. Shaking her head, she said to no one in particular, "Fine. If we want to involve the Senturion units, then we will." She disappeared in her customary teleport sequence of blue flames.

"I got us all kinds of rings," Tasha said proudly.

"Gold as well," DECA observed. "Excellent, Tasha. I can use the gold to rewire these hard drives back at the Hilton. It will make them run much faster."

"How exactly will this Blue Senturion unit work?" Tasha asked. "I mean... locomotion. Won't we need to have an engine of some type?"

"I can devise the parts from metal," DECA said. "However, I will need to observe an Earth machine to study the principles of locomotion, factoring this planet's gravity in, of course. Do you know of such a machine we could buy?"

"You want to buy a car?"

"Yes sir," Tasha answered. "Something expensive, of course."

"Of course. I'm sorry, but I can't sell a car to anyone who isn't old enough to drive."

"I don't want to drive it. I just want to buy it," she insisted.

"How will you get it off the lot?"

"I can pay somebody to drive to the Hilton for me," Tasha said with a shrug. "I don't know! Just let me buy a car! I've got the money!"

"I'm sorry, miss, I-"

With a thump, Tasha sat a large stack of green notes on the counter. "Is this real?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Tasha said proudly.

"Do you mind if I check?" he asked smugly.

Tasha's eyes widened as he took one of the bills off of the stack. He removed a brown ink pen from a drawer and drew a mark on the five hundred dollar bill. His eyes got even wider than Tasha's when the brown mark turned blue, a sign of quality. He rummaged through the stack and pulled a bill from the middle, drawing a quick mark on it with the counterfeit pen. He began to mark on the bills at random, a slight chuckling at first turning into a near-hysterical laughter when he realized the bills were real.

_That was too close,_ Tasha groaned. "Well, since you aren't interested in selling me a vehicle, I'll take the *two hundred and twenty thousand* I was going to give you in addition to the sticker price and leave."

"Any type of car you are looking for?" he asked as he escorted the young girl through the lot. "Sports car?"

"I want something really, really fancy," Tasha told him. "What's the most expensive car you've got?"

"Well... How about a Lexus?"

"What colors?"

"Black with gold trim?"

"Perfect."

Planet Thurmoth in M-51 Galaxy

Jenga couldn't help but smile as the Thurmothians leapt to their feet and bowed as she walked past. It was definitely nice to have a reputation that proceeded you. She walked up to the main desk of the Senturion Dealership. The man, his face highlighted with feline-like qualities, behind the counter stood up as she approached him. He took her hand in his, turned it over, and licked her palm.

"I love this royal treatment," Jenga smiled. "I'm here to buy some Senturion units."

"What type? And I must say, I could never charge anyone as beautiful as you."

"That's so sweet of you to say," Jenga returned. "And I'm looking to buy a Red Senturion unit. Three of them, actually."

Earth

"Heather?" Andre asked.

The attractive blonde stood with her back to him. She pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her coat pocket and slipped them over her faintly glowing green eyes. Turning back to him, she asked in a sweet voice, "Yes?"

"Your interview. How did it go?"

"Remarkably well," Heather answered. "I've got quite an article to write."

"Do you know where you are going to submit it?"

"Time, Newsweek, People, here and there, everywhere," Heather said. Her voice was strikingly normal, giving no hint to the evil coursing through her veins. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get started on writing it."

"Do you need any help?" he asked. "I mean, you're t.v."

"I'm so new I'm hardly anything," Heather quipped. "I'm sure I can do fine."

Sigma's Universe

"Geeze, Sydney," Jason laughed. "You're as bad as Rocky."

"Can I help it that I have a healthy appetite?" Sydney asked as she polished off her third order of chili cheese fries.

A short distance away, an attractive black woman, dressed normally, watched the quartet. Smiling wickedly, she produced a quartet of her own, four teenage thugs dressed in leather. Then, she summoned a quarter, walked over to the pay phone, and dialed a quick number. "Hello? Police? There's a big fight at the Sonic! You had better get out here before these four kids beat up these nice old Senior Citizens!"

Jenga's Universe

"Tasha, I am going to teleport you to our room at the Hilton," DECA said. "Please rearrange the furniture in an attempt to make room for all of our belongings. Including the Lexus. I will teleport you back here in exactly fifteen minutes."

"The Lexus."

"Yes."

Tasha had already realized that the simplest thing to do was just go along with DECA; she certainly seemed to know what she was doing. "Go for it," Tasha said. Her body began to glow, her form a swirling mass of white light. However, rather than streak up into the sky, she merely faded away.

Sigma's Universe

With a battle cry, Sydney leapt off of the table, only to have Justin catch her in mid-leap. "Lemme go!" she demanded as he held her with only one arm by the waist effortlessly.

"Sydney," Justin complained, "we're being arrested."

"I'm fourteen years old," Sydney said as she stopped struggling. Even so, Justin continued to hold her. "I can't be arrested."

"No, but you can be detained," Jason quipped as he was led past them by a police officer, his hands cuffed behind his back.

"I'm a peaceful person," Trini complained as she was escorted into the back of a cruiser. "Yet I've still managed to be arrested twice this summer!"

"I think it's kinda cool," Justin remarked as he handed Sydney over to a uniformed officer.

"Shut up, Justin," Sydney groaned as he was cuffed, and they were both pointed in the direction of the police car.

Jenga's Universe

Red Senturion Units One, Two, and Three walked into the Galleria with the utmost of ease. Their mechanical joints were as silent as organic ones, but they could move with more ease and considerably faster. Each possessed an incredible internal radio system that allowed them to stay in continuous contact with one another. In a sense, they were all extensions of the same Red Senturion unit. When one had gone as far as he could, another would promptly pick up the chase.

(I do not believe Tasha Young is at the Galleria,) Three said.

(You stay here,) Two thought at neither of them in particular. (I will go to the Hilton where she is recorded as staying.)

(I will check the Shelter,) Three announced.

(I will continue searching here for DECA,) One finished. Red Senturion units Two and Three disappeared with nary a teleport sequence. They just vanished. Red Senturion One, a gleaming red humanoid six feet tall with broad shoulders and black highlights, walked through the crowd of people, attracting remarkably little attention.

Red Senturion Three walked past a group of young children playing in front of Little Angel's Haven. They all stopped their game and looked up at the red robot walking toward the doors. He scanned their faces, vital information on each child becoming known to him. Realizing that none of them was Tasha Young, he continued into the shelter.

He stood in the center of the downstairs main room, scanning through the floors and rooms.

"Can I help you?" one of the shelter workers asked, no hint of amusement in her voice.

Red Senturion Three looked at her, information on the young woman filing across his field of vision. First name Akiko, worked at the shelter for several years... Negative match, not Tasha Young. "No," he answered simply as he turned and walked away.

With a grunt, Tasha got the couch out of the way. "Finally," she groaned as she flopped down onto it. She had pretty much emptied three of the rooms in their suite. She made a mental note to talk to DECA about the weight of the car on the floor, but there was certainly room for their Lexus otherwise. A knock on the door snapped her out of her reverie, and with a groan, she sat up. "I'm coming," she muttered.

Opening the door, she found a red robot standing before her. _Robocop._ It was identical in body to the Blue Senturion she and DECA were building, but it was red and black instead of blue and silver. "What are you?" Tasha found herself asking.

"I am Red Senturion Two under the charge of Jenga Xett," he answered. "My objectives are the assassination of Tasha Young and DECA."

He reached for the red and black pistol on his hip. With a yell, Tasha slammed the door in his face and darted into the suite. Red Senturion Two twisted the door knob, discovering it automatically locked. With a simple yank, he pulled the gilded knob and locking mechanism out of the door. As the door swung open, he removed the pistol from its holster and calmly walked into the room.

"Oh crap," Tasha muttered as she entered the side door of the bathroom. Pausing for a moment, she could just barely hear Red Senturion's near-silent footsteps on the carpet. Walking on the balls of her feet, keeping her heels away from the ground. Suddenly, the mirror over the sink exploded, causing Tasha to scream. She bolted from the bathroom, running through the second door and into the living area. Tasha darted through the now empty rooms and out the door, pulling it shut behind her.

Breathing hard, she leaned against the door only long enough to formulate a plan. "C'mon DECA," Tasha pleaded. Groaning, she ran a short distance down the hall to the stairwell. "Stupid, psychopathic robot."

DECA turned one optical receptor away from the hard drives she was currently dismantling. Switching to infrared, she scanned the area all around her. Nothing but the steady stream of humans past the store lit up as red in her vision.

"DECA?" Cynthia asked as she brought yet another box of computer components out from the storage area. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," DECA answered. She switched her vision back to normal. "It was nothing."

"Generic penthouse," Tasha puffed as she finally made it to the lobby. She had taken no more than a few steps, however, when Red Senturion Two stepped out from behind a column. With a tiny eep of alarm, Tasha darted out of sight, dropping to her knees behind a large potted plant. _So far, so good,_ she thought to herself. She crawl-walked across the lobby, darting behind a luggage cart. Peering over the luggage, she saw the shiny red robot slowly scanning the room.

"Now what," she muttered. She spared another glance back over the luggage. This time, the first thing she saw was a tiny red dot on the top of the cowhide baggage. Throwing her eyes up quickly, she saw him standing with his left arm outstretched, his laser pistol in his grasp. Silently, Tasha hurled herself to the side, a mere second before the luggage exploded. Cries of alarm rose up all over the lobby, but Tasha paid them no mind. She was already running by the time she made it to her feet.

Red Senturion Two calmly lowered his left arm and began to follow her, stalking her with the calm of a seasoned veteran or, in his case, a machine. He stopped again to raise the gun. However, his target disappeared into a swinging door before he could fire.

Tasha, headed for the Hilton's indoor pool, collided with a young girl in a purple swimsuit. Both girls went flying to the ground, Tasha going further with her momentum. "Hey," the other girl complained.

"You have to get out of here," Tasha warned.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. The girl wasn't but a year or so younger than Tasha.

"Somebody is wanting to kill me," Tasha answered. "Get out of here so he won't kill you, too!" Tasha ran off, leaving the young girl to stand there confused.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Red Senturion Two stepped in. He glanced at the young girl before him, information on her instantly filing across his vision. Kris Thomas, 12 years old, Negative match, not Tasha Young. "Excuse me," Red Senturion Two said calmly as he walked past her.

"Who are you looking for?" Kris asked. "A young African American girl?"

"Yes," Red Senturion Two answered simply.

"She went that way," Kris lied, pointing in the opposite direction of the pool.

Kris Thomas, 12 years old, accelerated heart beat, increased epidermal temperature, false statement. "No she didn't," Red Senturion Two told her as he strode toward the pool.

Tasha eyed the pool nervously. The only other place she could run that wouldn't take her through the entrance were the two saunas, and she seriously doubted that either of them had an exit. A few people, mostly Senior Citizens and a few kids, dotted the pool area. _The pool._ Tasha ran to the deep end and slipped into the water, pressing herself tightly into one of the corners. She kept as much of her body below water as he could, hoping with all of her soul that the Red Senturion wouldn't find her.

Then, she saw it. Red light glanced off of the water. Looking up, she saw him standing on the other side of the pool, his laser pistol pointed at her. One metallic finger rested against the trigger. "Please," Tasha pleaded, pressing herself even harder against the pool wall.

"I am not programmed to feel sympathy," he informed her. Then, he squeezed the trigger. Debris and water exploded up into the air as the corner of the pool was obliterated.

"NO!" Tasha screamed as she landed on the ground along with a rush of water. With a frightened gasp, she looked around.

"Tasha?" DECA asked, hovering near her. "Why are you wet?"

"Thank God," Tasha groaned as she stretched out on the floor. "DECA, if you had waited another second to teleport me..."

"What happened?"

"This thing that called itself a Red Senturion tried to kill me," Tasha answered. "Almost did, too. He said his two objectives were to kill the two of us."

"A Red Senturion?" DECA asked, her voice tinted with alarm. "Things just got a lot more dangerous, Tasha."

Sigma's Universe

"I don't like that one," Sgt. Mooney quipped.

"What a coincidence," Sydney smarted back.

"Put her with the new guy."

"Guy?" Sydney asked. "I'm a girl. Aren't you required to put me with the women."

"Eh," Mooney shrugged. "Nobody cares what we do in this town."

"Figures," Sydney griped as she was led to her cell. "Hey, this place is actually pretty nice."

"Hey Duke!" Mooney shouted. "We got yourself a cell mate."

Sydney's soon-to-be cellmate was a gargantuan bald man. His head was shaved, and he actually had a spiked dog collar around his neck. A big barrel chest was just barely contained in a black leather vest, and his blue jeans were purposely torn and ripped. "How old is she?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"How old are you?" Sydney returned with a sneer.

"She's just gonna be here for an hour or two," Mooney said as he opened the cell door. Unlocking Sydney's handcuffs, he urged her into the cell.

"So you're Duke."

"Yep."

"My name is Sydney," she said extending her hand. "I'm a 20 year old woman trapped in the body of a fourteen year old."

"Whatever," he grumped as he ignored her hand and returned to his bunk.

"Oh, we're just gonna have scads of fun together."

"Loose! Footloose!" Sydney sang, lying on her back on the top bunk. "Kick off your Sunday shoes..." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "I have no idea what the rest of the lyrics are."

"Oh no, does that mean you're going to stop singing?" Duke asked in a monotone.

"She's got it!" she sang again. "Yeah baby, she's got it! I'm your Venus, I am your fire, At your desire... Well, I'm your Venus, I'm your fire, at your desire..."

"You have a very beautiful voice, but your taste in music really sucks."

"Hey!" Sydney protested. "I love songs from the eighties. Bananarama is awesome!"

"If you're going to sing, could you at least sing something I enjoy?" he asked.

"Well, what do you like?"

"Country."

"Yeah, well the joke's on you pal!" Sydney shouted as she leaned over the bed. He looked up to see her upside face staring at him. Her hair, all five colors of it, streamed down like a curtain. "It so happens I love country. Any preferences?"

"Something quiet?"

"How about the Dixie Chicks?"

"How about Bocephus?"

"Never mind. I won't sing."

The two sat in silence a bit longer before Duke said, "Go ahead and sing."

In a deep, sultry bass, Sydney belted, "Unchain my heart, baby set me free. Unchain my heart, 'cause you don't care about me."

"No."

She paused only briefly before singing, "Somewhere between like and love, much more than one not quite the other! How-"

"Sing country, dammit!"

In a hideous drawl, she began, "There's a tear in my beer 'cause I'm cryin' for ya dear!"

"Sydney, I could kill you without breaking a sweat," Duke threatened in that same monotone. "I suggest you take me seriously."

"All right, all right," she said. "Give me a song title. What do you want to hear?"

"Do you know any ballads?"

"Born on a mountaintop in Tenneeessee, killed him a b'ar, when he was only three. Davy! Davy Crockett! King of the wild fr-!"

"You're going to burn in hell for this," Duke warned.

In a sing-song, Sydney taunted, "You MUST be RE-ligious." She paused, thinking hard, before she finally said, "Well, if you don't want me to sing, are you willing to do anything?"

"I have a deck of cards," he offered.

Jenga's Universe

"Tasha, it is an impossibility to build a Blue Senturion unit while running for our lives," DECA said.

"Well, we have to do something!" Tasha cried. "I don't know about you, but I have no desire to be killed."

"I have no desire to be deactivated myself," DECA agreed. "Is there any way to get in contact with the Power Rangers?"

"None that I know of," Tasha groaned. "Maybe if I alerted the press? Called 911?"

"Try anything," DECA said. Opening her lid, she extended a metallic hand and dropped a few quarters into Tasha's hand. "And be careful. Keep an eye out. Red Senturions are capable of instantaneous teleportation." Tasha nodded as she ran from the store.

"Dammit, I'm not kidding!" Tasha yelled. With an angry scowl, she threw the receiver at the phone, splintering the plastic handset. So far, her calls to 911 had been met with ridicule. Apparently, they received more than a few requests for the Power Rangers.

With a heavy groan, Tasha all but collapsed against the public telephone. She looked up, suddenly catching a glimpse of red metal. In a shiny, glass store-front, she saw one of the red robots walking through the now slightly-thinned throng of people. It was late afternoon, and the lunch crowd had dissipated. However, there was more than enough people for some stray shots to produce disaster.

Immediately, the telephone she had just been on exploded. Tasha screamed and scrambled away as plastic, metal, and change scattered all around her. She shielded her eyes instinctively, but a split second later when she dropped her hand, she saw one of the Red Senturions standing there. He pointed his laser pistol at her, never saying a word.

Tasha, likewise, rolled away. His fired shot struck the floor, digging up a considerable crater in the tile. By the time he fired his second shock, she was already to her feet and running.

She turned the corner of the mall, grateful that the Galleria at times was almost like a labyrinth. Its unique design had prompted numerous articles in various architectures magazines. Today, Tasha counted on it to save her life. However, she had taken no more than a few steps when she saw another Red Senturion. She gasped and ducked into the nearest store.

"Hi, and welcome to Dimension X," someone said. Tasha turned to see a young woman, probably a Generation X'er, standing behind the counter. She was stacking beanie babies. "My name is Katie, and we've just got a shipment of beanie babies, including the Finster beanie baby, based on the actual Finster from the Dynasty of the Apocalypse."

"I'm just hiding," Tasha commented as she disappeared into an aisle of comics.

"Thank you for shopping Dimension X," Katie commented as she returned her attention to the task at hand.

Tasha crept through the store. Being one of the interior stores, it could be entered from one of two directions. It lay in the midline of one of the mall's corridors. The escalator to the second deck lay just a short run away.

Ducking around one of the aisles, she leaned against the shelf, obscured from view. She knew what she had to do, but she didn't know if she could do it. Just to run out into the mall could be committing suicide.

She waited, listening intently. She heard no mechanical sounds of any type, no footsteps, nothing... Praying one quick, desperate prayer, she ran out of Dimension X. As she rounded the corner, she looked back and saw no hint of a Red Senturion unit.

Tasha slowed to a normal walk, still glancing behind her. _Did they give up?_ She turned her attention forward, just as she walked into Red Senturion Three.

With a loud whir, one of DECA's "eyes" whipped toward the closed storefront of Cynthia's Computer Shack. Switching into infrared, she saw it. Red Senturion One was walked past.

_It's times likes these I wish I hadn't been blessed with sentiency,_ DECA thought to herself, not really all that sarcastically. There were Red Senturion units out there, and there was only three things to stop them once they had been assigned a goal.

Completion of the goal, deactivation, or instructions from Jenga Xett. DECA only foresaw one of the three possibilities being completed, and she didn't like it.

She instantly lowered her temperature, dropping to zero degrees Celsius. It wouldn't keep her invisible, but it might buy her time if the Red Senturions relied on infrared. "Cynthia," she whispered. She dropped to the ground, hovering only an inch or so above the carpeting. "Cynthia," she repeated again. She darted into the backroom, looking around.

"DECA?" Cynthia asked, still getting boxes out of storage.

"Is there a back way out of here?" DECA asked. "I'm being stalked."

"Stalked?"

"There's no time to talk. How can I get out?"

"There's a back door, straight through," Cynthia answered, pointing.

"Thank you," DECA said in a hushed whisper as she glided away, silently.

Tasha backed up a step. There was no running now. "I am Red Senturion Three under the charge of Jenga Xett," he told her. "My objectives are the assassination of Tasha Young and DECA."

"Why are you going to kill me?" Tasha asked, fighting hard to keep back the tears. "Because you were told to?"

"Yes," Red Senturion Three said, pulling his laser pistol from his hip.

"Please don't," Tasha pleaded. "You have no reason to murder me. I'm just a worthless kid."

"I am not programmed to make judgment calls," Red Senturion Three answered, leveling his gun at her chest. "I am only programmed to serve Jenga Xett's every order."

"I AM DECA!" a loud voice yelled. "DECA STANDS FOR DIDACTIC ELECTRONIC COMPUTERIZED AMALGAMATION!!!"

Tasha and Red Senturion Three both looked up. DECA was hovering at the edge of the second deck's "balcony." Red Senturion Three pointed his gun at DECA and fired. The blue object darted to the side, safely missing the blast. "Run Tasha, run!" DECA shouted.

As soon as the second blast at DECA was fired, pandemonium erupted. Screams filled the air, and general chaos ensued. Tasha bolted for the escalator.

DECA dropped down behind the railing and grabbed a rack of clothing, swiped from the closest clothing store. Seizing it with both hands, she hurled it over to the bottom deck. It hit Red Senturion Three, knocking him to the ground. His red and black laser gun hit the ground and clattered away.

Tasha ran up the moving escalator. It was empty, unlike the escalator going down. Everyone was desperate to get out of the Galleria. Suddenly, Red Senturion Two stepped into the spacious walkways. Raising his gun, he fired at the escalator. Tasha couldn't help but scream as plastic shrapnel belched out of the escalator's railing. Another shot, this one directly on target, destroyed the escalator's motor, and Tasha tumbled to her hands and knees.

The sharp edge of the steps cut into her knees and the fleshy heels of her hand, producing no pain but the first sticky bubbles of blood. However, she ignored that and crawled up the final steps. Another shot streaked past her, striking the gargantuan skylight above her. She put her arms up around her face as she ran through the shower of glass raining down.

She ran to DECA, only to have another Red Senturion unit appear before her instantly. Screaming in shock, she backpedaled several feet. "I am Red Senturion One under the charge of Jenga Xett," he said. "My objectives are the assassination of Tasha Young and DECA."

"Ma'am, we have to get everyone away from the Galleria," the policewoman said.

"There is a young girl still in there," Cynthia said. Glancing at the badge on the policewoman's chest, she said, "Elizabeth, her name is Tasha Young. She's African American, and she's about 13 or 14 years old."

"I'll make sure she gets out," Elizabeth promised. "Now you get away from here as quickly as you can."

Elizabeth turned to go into the Galleria when a young girl approached her. "Hi," the young girl said. "My name is Tasha Young. Can you point me in the direction of the Monster Shelters?"

"Certainly," Elizabeth said, relieved. She gave the girl directions. She vanished from Elizabeth's gaze in the crowd of people. Tasha stopped moving. Then, in a white flicker, she disappeared. A floating red marble was all that remained. It darted back into the mall, inconspicuously merging back into Red Senturion Two.

Tasha cringed as Red Senturion One raised his laser pistol. "Here I am, Red Senturion!" DECA yelled. Blue flashed before Tasha as DECA flew between them. She cried and jumped back as Red Senturion One yanked his aim from Tasha to DECA. The blue sentient computerized being flew across the Galleria, sailing high above the open roof of the lower deck. She dodged and weaved as shots from Red Senturions One and Three streaked past her.

"What are you doing?!" Tasha yelled as Red Senturion One ran along the balcony, trying to hit DECA.

"I'm their number one priority!" DECA answered. "Get out of here, Tasha!"

She started for the escalators, only to see Red Senturion Two running up them. Tasha looked down to the bottom deck and saw the elaborate fountain at the other end of the balcony. She tore off for it, hunkering down to avoid a stray shot. The lasers from the Red Senturion units were invisible. The only sign that DECA was being shot at was the fact that every time a laser struck something, whether it was stone, tile, marble, or brick, it exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere.

Tasha reached the pinnacle of the oval-shaped opening of the second deck's floor. About ten feet below, the very utmost layer of the fountain bubbled merrily. Placing her knee against the railing, she hauled herself up to the top.

Far below, DECA was flying in rapid circles, going fast enough to avoid death but slow enough to keep the Red Senturion units' interest.

Holding herself essentially by her hands, Tasha looked at the fountain. The top of the fountain wasn't very deep, probably not more than a foot or two. However, as she turned to see a Red Senturion getting ever closer, she let go off all her fears and leapt.

She plunged beneath the water, sliding to her back as the water covered her face. Sputtering, she sat up and glanced behind her. The spray from the center obstructed her view of one side, but she didn't see a Red Senturion too close by where she could see. She trudged over to the edge of the top layer and stepped down into thigh-deep water.

The fountain was essentially a series of layers, water from the top trickling to the bottom. However, there was a smaller fountain in the center of each, sending water high. Coins lined the bottom, making it a bit more tricky to walk than she would have guessed.

Just as she hopped down to the next layer, she looked up to see Red Senturion Two jump onto the top of the fountain. "Crap!" Tasha cried, wasting no time in getting to the next lowest level.

Red Senturion Two pointed his gun at her and fired. However, just as he fired, one of the random founts spurted, deflecting the laser. It broke up into numerous beams, all of which traveled in wildly varying directions. A wide swath of minor damage was inflicted as it struck all around the mall. Windows broke, tile chipped out of the floor, and plaster fell from the ceiling.

Tasha finally made it to the bottom level. She hurried through the knee deep water and jumped out of the fountain, soaking wet. As she took off running, she glanced up behind her to see Red Senturion Two calmly walking through the water.

DECA whizzed up to Red Senturion Three, turning sideways and passing through his legs in mid-stride. He turned his gun and fired, hitting the ground.

"Come and get me, Red Boys!" DECA taunted. Floating about a foot off of the ground, she tore through the already greatly damaged Galleria's food court. She continually whipped around tables and chairs, producing plenty of plastic shrapnel. If not for the fact that they were machines, Red Senturion One and Three would have been seeing red in their attempts to destroy the elusive DECA.

She took a right turn into Sears, disappearing in the maze-like women's clothing department. Resting her base against the carpeted floor, she changed her temperature to that of her surroundings and she switched her vision to infra-red.

Tasha ran to what she hoped was the nearest exit. Red Senturion Two, the unit from the Hilton, was calmly following her, his laser pistol drawn and ready to kill. _Oh no..._ Tasha found herself facing a dead end. Rather than run into a lobby that would lead out of the Galleria, she was in the corridor that ended only in the restrooms.

She turned, hoping she could backtrack. However, the long shadow of Red Senturion Two was already creeping toward her. "Oh God," she groaned, panicked. She ran to the end of the corridor, hoping and praying that there was an exit, an exit she couldn't see it.

Nothing.

She stepped to the side, patting the wall, just as a shot from Red Senturion Two's laser pistol hit the wall. Screaming, she ran into the men's restroom. She slammed the door shut, hoping to find a lock but not surprised that there wasn't one. The Galleria's restrooms were gargantuan, holding twenty stalls.

She ran to the very back of the room and entered the back stall on her left, locking it. Tasha crouched on the back of the toilet. Her heart leapt into her throat when she heard the door open and Red Senturion Two's metallic feet click against the tiles. _You are dead meat if you don't run!_

Tasha got off of the toilet and got on her stomach in the stall. The fact that her stomach was rubbing against the tiles of the mens' room didn't occur to her. Survival was the only thing she could think about. She saw his red and black feet at the far end of the restroom. He was definitely looking for her, but he wasn't moving.

She suddenly got an idea. She stretched one arm up, pausing it near the handle. Her hand quivered nervously. Then, in a lightning quick jab, she flushed the toilet. She bit her lips hard in an effort to remain silent as she crawled on her stomach, pulling herself along with her elbows, beneath the tiles. She heard his feet moving toward the back of the restroom. Tasha crawled as quickly as she could, passing by toilet after toilet.

After crawling through about ten stalls, she heard him kick the stall door open. Biting on her lip hard, she kept moving. Then, she heard him open the next stall door. _He's going to find you!_ her mind screamed. The sensible part of her mind insisted she wasn't going to live, but she still didn't stop crawling.

Suddenly, the door to the restroom crashed open and DECA flew into the room. "It's me, Red Senturion!" DECA shouted.

_DECA!_ Tasha cried gratefully in the silence of her mind. She heard one of the laser pistol's shots hit the brick wall, and DECA darted out of the restroom. Red Senturion Two was close behind.

Shaking, Tasha climbed to her feet and sat down on the toilet. She knew she should be running, but she was shaking too much. Gasping for breath, she buried her face in her hands. _Stop it. You still aren't safe._

She wiped her cheeks, even though she wasn't crying. _Right._ Standing up, she cautiously pushed the stall door open. The restroom seemed to be empty. On her tiptoes, she hurried over to the main door of the restroom. _Please God, just one break._ She stepped out into the Galleria, breathing a sigh of relief at seeing the immediate area devoid of Red Senturion units. Keeping her back to the wall, she hurried to the main area of the mall.

Wherever DECA was, Tasha assumed the Red Senturions were as well. The mall was totally deserted; destruction was everywhere. At the moment, the only sound was that of the fountain. The water still rolled and bubbled merrily. She walked off, just as an explosion sounded behind her. She felt the bits of the wall hit her in the back, and as she spun around, she saw a blackened hole in the granite.

Glancing up, she noticed Red Senturion One walking out of Dimension X. Unable to keep from screaming in a mixture of fear and rage, Tasha tore off as fast as she could. He pointed his gun and fired, striking a glass case filled with various gadgets from Spencer's. The glass collapsed, tinkling as it struck the floor.

This time, Tasha followed the sunlight. However, as she darted down the final corridor leading to the exit, she realized something was wrong. Numerous police cruisers were parked on the sidewalk in front of the doors, their red and blue lights flashing. Chains were stretched across the door handles to keep a curious onlooker, or reporter, from sneaking in. Unfortunately, it was also going to keep Tasha in.

"NO!" she screamed, slamming into the door. She looked behind her and saw the shadow of Red Senturion One creeping around the corner. "Let me out!" Tasha yelled, jangling the door. She beat her fists against the glass. A quick idea occurred to her, and she dropped to the ground. Sitting down and leaning back on her hands, she kicked out with both feet. The glass, however, was safety glass, technically unbreakable.

"Please break," Tasha pleaded as she lashed out again, slamming both heels into the pane of glass stretched across the lower half of the door. The glass bent with her force, but it didn't even make an attempt to break. It just sent shock vibrations shaking up her legs.

Turning around, she slowly got to her feet, pressing herself against the door. Red Senturion One was in full view, slowly walking toward her. Tasha scurried from door to door, still finding them locked.

"Come on," Tasha taunted. "Shoot me." It was a simple plan, but as she saw it, it was her only chance. He would shoot at her, she would dodge, and the door would be blown to shreds.

Unfortunately for her, Red Senturion One wasn't stupid. His mechanical brain realized that, and he was going to wait until he could press the gun to her forehead to pull the trigger.

Tasha's legs gave out beneath her, and she slumped to the floor. "DECA, please," she moaned.

Suddenly, what sounded like the world exploding filled Tasha's ears. She screamed and ducked down as glass and metal burst out of the front wall of the Galleria. Tasha looked up just in time to see a pink truck land inside the mall, sliding to a stop. It slammed into Red Senturion One, sending the red killer robot flying.

The Pink Turbo Ranger was behind the wheel, and the Yellow Turbo Ranger was in the tailbed. Hopping out of the truck, Ashley hurried over to her. "Are you all right?" she asked, quickly examining Tasha for any injuries.

"I'm okay," Tasha breathed, disbelieving.

"Yellow Ranger, get her out of here!" Cassie cried as she leapt out of the truck and took a defensive stance.

"Right!" Ashley agreed. "Where to?"

"Monster shelter," Cassie said, placing herself between Red Senturion One and Tasha. Ashley wrapped an arm around Tasha's shoulders, and the two disappeared in a flash of yellow and white.

Red Senturion One casually climbed to his feet, staring at the Pink Turbo Ranger before him. "You can't teleport into the Monster Shelter," Cassie said defiantly. "If you want to get her, YOU have to go through me."

"You are not in my objectives," Red Senturion One said calmly, "but the assassination of Tasha Young is. If I must go through you, then so be it."

"You gotta go through us, too," Carlos said as he and TJ ran up.

Blue light streaked down through the ceiling, producing the broad-shouldered Blue Turbo Ranger. "And me," Bulk affirmed.

"Don't forget me," Ashley quipped as she reappeared in the Galleria.

"That is an acceptable proposal," Red Senturion One decided before he launched an all-out attack.

Sigma's Universe

"I'm sorry, but those big eyes scare the hell out of me," Duke said. "My girl loves Sailor Moon, but... ungh." He was reclined on his bottom bunk, while Sydney sat on the ground beside him.

"You know, most men like the idea of women trotting around in sailor fukus."

"I'll have none of that, thank you," Duke muttered. "I'll just take my women naked."

"That explains the playing cards," Sydney said with a grin. Each card had a buck naked woman in a variety of positions with the same vacant stare. "Now, it's ten, jack, queen, king, right?"

"I've never seen anyone have a hard time understanding the concept of a deck of cards," Duke grunted.

Sydney raised her eyebrows as she took in her hand. "So, it just goes, ten, jack, queen, king?"

"Right," he said.

"All right," she said as she rummaged through her cards. There..."

"Why is your hair so..."

"Metallic?"

"Yeah."

Sydney brushed her fingers through the silken, colored locks of hair. "It's dyed," she lied. "I just got some good hair dye. But the grey is real." They played cards in silence for a while longer, before Sydney asked, "What're you in for?"

"Same as always. I had to protect my smart-mouthed teenage daughter. You?"

"Public brawl," she said. "We won. Did you?"

"I ain't dead, am I?"

"I still find it very strange that they put a 14-year old girl in the same jail cell as a hardened criminal."

"Hardened?"

"Aren't you?"

"I wish. No, I'm strictly a misdemeanor kind of guy."

"I once kidnapped a member of the royal family," Sydney said.

"You did not."

"I could if I was twenty," Sydney griped.

"What is it with you and the obsession with being twenty?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"I can't believe they got arrested," Tara griped as she parked in front of the jail.

"I can't believe Sigma won't just teleport them out," I added. "I mean, it was Sheila's fault!"

"He said he'll wipe everybody afterwards," Katherine commented. "Apparently, disembodied mentors like to jerk their students around."

"I'll go jerk Mooney around," Tara complained.

"He's her uncle," I told Katherine as Tara stormed up the sidewalk.

"Mooney!" Tara yelled as soon as she entered the building. "Get your sheriff hiney out here!"

"Tara, please don't get us arrested again," I pleaded. "I'm not a fan of community toilets."

"You hush," she threatened sternly, pointing a finger.

"See how she treats me?"

"What- oh," Mooney said as he came out front. "It's you."

"You can just see the love in the air, can't you?" Katherine asked.

"You arrested four of our friends, one of which is a minor? Why did you do that?" Tara snarled

"They were in a public brawl!" Mooney shouted.

Tara ran right up to him and stared him directly in the eye. "They were just defending themselves!"

"Mr. Mooney, sir, we're just here to pay their bail," I sighed.

"And who are you?"

"I'm Garland's boy," I muttered.

"Oh yeah!" he realized. "How's your daddy doin', son?"

"He's doing just fine," I said, attempting a smile. "He'll be back in town next week."

"Stop talking to him," Tara snarled, slapping me on the arm.

"Come on," Mooney said, stepping away from his angry niece. "We'll go get 'em out. You stay here." Tara sneered at him as the rest of us went to the back.

Jenga's Universe

TJ grunted as Red Senturion One kicked him in the ribs. As he stumbled away, Bulk and Ashley jumped at the robot. Each struck home on the beast, only to have it whirl around and simultaneously spin-kick both of them.

"Thunder Cannon!" Carlos shouted, stancing himself as he called on his Power Weapon. A burning green ball of energy shot out of the cannon, striking him in the stomach. With an oomph, Red Senturion One stumbled backwards, his metallic feet clanging against the floor.

Cassie jumped in next with Wind Fire, shooting a continual stream of pink lasers into Red Senturion One's body. Bulk followed suit, summoning his Hand Blasters and firing them in one fluid movement.

"Star Chargers!" Ashley cried.

"Lightning Sword!" TJ shouted.

"No you guys!" Bulk yelled. "Turbo RAM! That'll finish this guy off!"

"Right!" the others agreed. They quickly lined up and touched their weapons together. In a bright white flash, the Turbo RAM assembled. Ashley and Cassie knelt beside it and grabbed the handles there. Bulk took his place behind Cassie, with Carlos behind Ashley. Lastly, TJ stood behind the object.

"Turbo RAM!" they all shouted. "FIRE!" A giant, gleaming burst of energy shot out of the cannon, streaking the short distance to Red Senturion One. It hit him in the chest, and he exploded, gleaming red parts flying everywhere.

"We did it!" TJ yelled. "I love being a Ranger!"

"Awesome!" Cassie agreed.

"Were there any others?" Carlos asked.

With a flick of her wrist, a Turbo Navigator appeared in Ashley's hands. "Two more," she said quickly. "Maybe three... They are all in the... that way. There is something else in here, but... It's not registering as hostile."

"Let's go take back the Galleria!" TJ shouted happily as he ran off.

In Angel Grove Park, a bizarre assembly of people were walking down one of the few sidewalks. Molly Brown Hammond, wearing a bright yellow shirt, walked directly in front of David Alan Trueheart, dressed in jeans and a blue t-shirt. At his side was Margaret Tobin Hammond, better known as Maggie, in a pair of pink short shorts and a white tank top. Her long blonde hair was tied back with a pink scrunchie. In the lead was Marjorie Carol Lubbock, known to more as Marge, in red dress shorts and red blouse. She was positioned in the midline of the group. Each and every one of them had on a park of dark black sunglasses. There was a curiously empty space in front of Maggie.

Just then, a woman in a green business suit walked toward the group. She, too, was wearing the same black sunglasses. She effortlessly stepped in front of Maggie and began to march with them, not causing the group to break form.

They walked in perfect unison, each stepping forward with their right foot at the exact same time. Their arms swayed in unison, and the distance between them was equal. The group walked off of the sidewalk, heading into a nearby cove of trees. There, they broke form, making a circle. In perfect unison, they removed their sunglasses, reveal ten glowing eyes.

"Why are you the leader?" David asked, turning his blue eyes onto Marge's red ones.

"Our Queen selected me," Marge answered, cocking her head arrogantly. "She must have had her reasons."

"I am the oldest," Heather announced. "I should be the leader. Just because you are wearing red doesn't mean anything."

"I should be the leader," David said firmly. "I have the greatest physical strength and fighting ability."

"I am the leader, and I am justified in being the leader," Marge informed them. "I have the greatest intellect."

"It doesn't matter who is the leader," Maggie snapped, fixing her pink eyes on the three squabbling Rangers. "We're serving Jenga Xett. There is no greater honor."

Marge slid her sunglasses back on and said, "I agree completely. We avoid each other until the fight."

"That's kind of hard for some of us," Molly smirked.

"Other than the twins, of course," Marge snapped. "This is important to Jenga. We aren't going to fail her."

"Stop talking to us like we're stupid," David growled. He put his own sunglasses back on and said, "I'm gone. I'll see you all tomorrow morning." He turned and left, leaving the four women alone.

"She should have gotten five women," Heather quipped, leaving as well.

Maggie, Molly, and Marge stared at each other. "Don't forget whose team this is," Marge threatened, walking off.

"Some people turn into total ego-maniacs when they receive a world of power and become evil," Maggie realized.

"Oh, I know," Molly agreed. She put her glasses on over glowing yellow eyes. "I'm glad we didn't."

"Totally," Maggie agreed, covering her pink eyes and walking off with her sister.

"Somebody help me!" DECA yelled as she streaked through the mall.

"What was that?!" Carlos cried, spinning around to look at the blue object which whizzed past them.

"I don't know, but here come some Red Senturions!" TJ shouted.

"The Turbo RAM worked before," Bulk said. "Let's use it again!"

"Right!" the others agreed. Quickly, they reformed the Turbo Ram and took their positions. "Fire!" Red Senturion Three looked at them just as his death-blast came hurtling for him. He tossed his laser pistol at Red Senturion Two, just before he was struck and exploded.

"Aim for the other one!" TJ cried.

However, before they could fire, Red Senturion Two raised both guns at chest level and fired at the Turbo Ram. "Abandon ship!" Bulk shouted. Carlos was struck in the chest, blasting him to the other side of the corridor. The Turbo Rangers leapt aside as a barrage of laser shots struck the Turbo RAM, sending into oblivion, at least temporarily.

"Now what?!" Ashley yelled.

"We take this guy out with brute strength," Bulk replied as he dropped into a kneeling position. He unholstered his Auto Blaster, turned it full force, and let loose with a string of blue lasers. Each bounced effortlessly off of Red Senturion's body, doing no more damage than a few dings.

"HI-YAAH!" a female voice yelled. Looking up, the Rangers saw the White Ranger standing on the second deck. "Go get him, Saba!" Aisha yelled as she threw her enchanted saber at Red Senturion Two.

The saber flew, straight as an arrow, at the robot. It quickly circled his body repeatedly, disorienting him. Then, Saba hit the guns in his double grip, knocking them both away.

With a yell, Aisha flipped off of the second deck and caught Saba as she flew back to her. "Good job!" Aisha complimented her sword.

"I aim to please," Saba said.

"You guys need a hand?" Adam asked as he ran up to the group in his Green Zeo Ranger garb.

"I've got two," Tanya added, morphed as well as Zeo Ranger II.

"Don't forget us!" Tommy shouted. He and Zack were close behind as Zeo Ranger V and the Black Morphin Ranger.

"I'm always ready for a rumble," Crystal remarked, their visitor from another dimension. She stood ready and gleaming in her shiny red armor with the Tyrannosaurus on the helmet. In her hands, she held the Senturion Pistols that Saba had knocked away.

"I am Red Senturion Two," Red Senturion Two said. "My sole objectives were the assassination of Tasha Young and DECA. Do you all stand in my path?"

"You better believe it," Zack growled as he summoned his Power Axe.

In a golden glimmer, Bulk as the Blue Turbo Ranger morphed into the Gold Zeo Ranger. He crossed his left arm across his chest and produced the Golden Power Staff. "Pistols up!" TJ shouted. The four Turbo Rangers unholstered their Auto Blasters.

"Cosmic Cannon!" Zack yelled as he turned his weapon around.

"Zeo Cannon!" Tommy, Tanya, and Adam cried, producing the weapon with Alpha's assistance to override Rocky and Katherine's presence.

"Saba!" Aisha yelled as she pointed the saber out before her, the tiger's eyes ready to fire.

"It's time for a Gold Rush!" Bulk shouted.

Crystal spun the pistols in her hand as she took a wide stance. "I always wanted to have a gun with these powers," Crystal growled.

"FIRE!" TJ yelled. The Galleria was lit up with a rainbow of colors as all of the weapons let loose at once. Red Senturion Two covered his face with his arms, but it was futile. In a loud explosion, he disintegrated, a black puff of smoke rising up in his spot.

"We did it!" Aisha cried.

Suddenly, a white wash of light covered the mall. The automatic spell that dictated all Ranger-related battles removed all evil influence of the fight, returning the mall to near perfect condition. The only sign that the Rangers had been there was from where Wind Chariot had plowed through the lobby.

"Back to the Command Center," Tommy called. In a dazzling display of lights, the Rangers teleported away, just as the All Clear siren began to sound.

Sigma's Universe

"Hey jailbirds," Katherine taunted, leaning on the cell bars.

"Took you all long enough," Justin complained.

"We looked at the video," I said. "It really does look like you all were beating up on Senior Citizens. Remarkably disturbing."

"Where's Sydney?" Kat asked, just seeing Jason, Trini, and Justin in the cell.

"Aw," Sydney complained. "I was just starting to have a good time."

"Isn't that always how it works?" Duke quipped. "Anybody here to let me out?"

"Not yet," Mooney said as he opened the cell. "C'mon, kid."

"I'm only gonna be in town for like more two days," Sydney told Duke. "Any chance I'll get to see you around again?"

"Who knows?" Duke remarked as he stood up. "Can I have a hug?"

"I wouldn't leave without one," Sydney told him as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled him tight against his chest.

As he released her, he cuffed her chin and said, "Keep yer nose clean, little lady."

Standing on tip-toe, she planted a kiss on his cheek. "You too," she said, smiling as Duke blushed. She then walked out of the cell, leaving with Mooney. "I liked him," she commented, much to her jailor's chagrin.

Jenga's Universe

Tasha stood on the sidewalk in front of one of many of Angel Grove's Monster Shelters. "DECA, please be alive," Tasha muttered.

"Looking for someone?"

"DECA!" Tasha cried. The blue contraption hovered complacently by Tasha's shoulder. "You survived!"

"The Power Rangers came to my aid," DECA said. "And the Red Senturions have been destroyed."

"What's to keep Jenga from sending more?"

"Twenty-four hour grace period," DECA said. "As Earth is under the guard of UDAB, it can't have more than three evil Senturions on it in any twenty-four hour period. By the same token, any planet under the guard of the UAE can't have more than three good Senturions on it in any one of their rotations."

"Infodump, DECA," Tasha sighed. "Now what do we do?"

"Let's head back to the Galleria and finish getting our supplies," DECA said calmly.

On the outskirts of Angel Grove lies a very small school of martial arts, known simply as Yoshi's Dojo. It was a small business, and most of the classes were owned by the ancient Yoshi himself. Except for his adult classes, he had only three assistants, all young college-age students.

David Trueheart walked into the dojo, still wearing pitch-black sunglasses. "Dave's here," Julia, one of the three assistants, said with a nod.

"About time," the other, Ellen, remarked. "Hey David, what's holding you up today?"

"I'm busy," he answered coolly. As the third and senior assistant, he had a set of keys to open Yoshi's office. "Do you know if Yoshi has a dagger?"

"Dagger?" Julia asked, glancing at Ellen.

"Yes," David said. "I need to practice."

"Probably," Ellen said with a shrug. "Practice for what?"

A moment later, he stepped out of the office with a dagger in his hand. Using the sharp point, he pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. "Found it," he said as he turned to leave.

"I've got one in front each wheel, DECA," Tasha said. "Now what?"

"Do you know how to drive?"

"Not really. What do you need me to do?"

"We just need to drive the car onto the floating props," DECA said. Each floating prop was shaped much like a fish bowl. It was spherical but the top was sawed off, providing a flat surface for the wheels to rest on. Each was bronze in color, and they could all levitate up to ten tons each.

"I'll give it a shot," Tasha smiled as she got behind the wheel.

It took a few attempts, but eventually, the two managed to get the Lexus on the floating props. It hovered simply about two inches above the ground. "This should keep it from crashing through the floor," Tasha said thankfully.

"I believe we have everything," DECA said, smiling if she had had a face.

"We bought out every computer place in the mall," Tasha said, looking at the numerous boxes stacked all around them. After DECA had purchased every computer hardware Cynthia had, they had been forced to move on, ending up in Radio Shack.

"Now we teleport to our suite," DECA announced. "Hang on tight." In a suppressed white glow, the Lexus, DECA, Tasha, and all of their boxes vanished.

Sigma's Universe
5:03 p.m.

"I think I've got it figured out," Rocky said. Billy, Skull, Rocky, and Kimberly had decided to wash my car in an attempt to get some sun and play with the waterhose. That, and everyone else was either in jail or trying to bail people out of jail.

"Figured what out?" Kimberly asked. They were all dressed in the barest necessities, seeing as it was a smoldering hot day. Kimberly wore shorts and a bikini top, Rocky bare to the waist, and Billy and Skull in thin tank tops.

"He likes Katherine best, right?" Rocky asked.

"Right," Billy agreed.

"So that means he would want her to be happy, and it was obvious from all that stuff on the show when she was evil that she wanted Tommy," Rocky continued. "Therefore, for Katherine to be happy, he would want her to be with Tommy. That's why he likes Tommy and Katherine so well together."

"I wonder if meeting some of us in person has changed his opinion on us?" Kimberly mused.

"He'll probably think he imagined it all because of those painkillers he's been taking all summer for his arm," Billy suggested.

"Allison said he has been looser this summer," Skull agreed, reaching for the water hose. He was standing in the bed of the truck, washing the top of the cab.

"I wonder how much longer we'll be here?" Kimberly asked, handing the hose to her boyfriend. "I'm really anxious to get home."

"We all are, Kimberly," Billy said. "Maybe we'll get lucky, and we can go home just as soon as Crystal gets back here."

"The ex-cons are home!" Rocky called, pointing to the blazer pulling into the driveway.

"So help me," Trini said as she got out of the vehicle, "if I get arrested one more time, I'm going to do something worth getting arrested for."

"I, for one, had fun," Sydney commented. "Learned to play cards with your flictated decks, met a very nice criminal by the name of Duke- I've just got to make sure that Sigma doesn't wipe his memory of me. That man was awesome."

"And made an enemy of my uncle," Tara smiled. "That's always a plus."

"No offense, you all, but it gets really boring around here," Kimberly complained. "What is there to do?"

"We're doing it," I said. "It is boring around here."

"Gregory's Place," Tara realized. "It's a non-alcoholic bar in Bowling Green," she said for those who had yet to go.

"I love Gregory's Place!" Kimberly squealed. "Dancing, mechanical bulls, it'll be a blast."

"Then let's go," Sydney said.

"Maybe I can pick up some chicks!" Justin shouted happily.

"We gotta keep an eye on him," Rocky muttered.

Jenga's Universe
6:28 p.m.

"Supper!" Ruby yelled. Dinner time at the Hammond House was an event worthy of full media coverage, but as was Ruby's experience, it was fairly thankless. She didn't mind, though. This was her family, her large family, and their smiles were thanks enough. Usually.

Children began streaming in from everywhere. Her husband, Samuel, already had the youngest set of twin, two-year-old terrors Harmony and Melody locked in their high chairs. He also had their very youngest, seven-month old Wyatt, balanced in the crook of his arm. Four-year old Autumn stood beside the table, resting her chin on the very edge. "Daddy?" Autumn was the only of the Hammond daughters to inherit their mother's light auburn hair.

"Sorry," Samuel said. He pulled the heavy oak chair that was reserved for Autumn out from the table.

"Thank you," she said politely as she climbed up into it.

Ashley, the only child in the family to share their parents love of history, came downstairs with six-year old Andrew Jackson on her back. He wasn't the only Hammond child to have as a middle name the last name of someone famous from history. Andrew possessed the other set of red hair in the family, something that delighted his father no end, given that the original Andrew Jackson also had red hair. "Siddown, rugrat," Ashley teased as she knocked Andrew off of her back.

In a screaming whirlwind of giggles, the three brown-haired triplet girls known collectively as Randi, Sandi, and Kandi, streaked into the kitchen, making several laps around the mammoth oblong table before taking their seats. They continued to chatter endlessly, talking faster than most people could follow.

Jesse James, the eleven year-old already obsessed with girls, sauntered into the kitchen, talking on a cordless phone. "Say goodbye to Missy, Jesse," his father said sternly.

"Dad, this is Lauren," Jesse sighed.

"Lauren? What happened to Missy?"

"She was last week."

"Just what I need, another air-head sibling," Ashley smarted, snatching the phone from his hand. "Lauren, Jesse'll call you back later."

"Ashley! You big geek!" Jesse cried. "I can't believe you did that!"

"She does it every night," Ruby commented. "I figured you'd be used to it by now."

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten," Samuel counted off. "Who's missing?"

"The two who think they're too good to watch us," Sandi complained.

"Be nice to your sisters," Ruby chided.

"All of 'em?" Kandi whined.

"Margaret Tobin! Molly Brown! Get down here!" Samuel yelled.

"Sorry we're late," Maggie said calmly as she stepped into the kitchen from the backyard. Samuel turned around from the stairs to see his twin daughters walk into the kitchen.

"Thank you for joining us," he said. "Care to remove the glasses, girls?"

"Not especially," Molly commented as she took her seat by her father's left hand at the head of the table.

"We just bought these at the Sunglasses Hut," Maggie said, taking her seat between Ashley and Samuel. She sat opposite her twin. "We intend to get our money's worth."

At the far end of the table, the three triplets simultaneously pressed the back of their hands to their foreheads, thumb stuck out and forefinger straight up in 'Loser' pose. Ruby, at the foot of the table, flashed them a stern glare. Autumn and the two-year olds promptly imitated them. "See what you started," Ruby complained, trying to get the other three children to stop.

"Can you remove them for our prayer?" he asked.

Maggie and Molly were already bending their heads as they slipped their glasses off. With their eyes shut tight, they folded their sunglasses and set them on their plates in an eerie mirror reflection of each other. "You two get weirder every day," Ashley commented.

"Ashley," Samuel said. Glancing at the rest of his family, everyone slowly bowed their heads. "Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for this meal we are about to partake. We thank you for giving us good health, a happy home, and a free country to live in. We also thank you for giving us the Power Rangers to protect us from Satan's armies in whatever form they may take."

Suddenly, to Ashley's horror, she heard Maggie snort, as though biting back a laugh. "What's wrong with you?" Ashley snapped in a whisper.

"Sorry," Maggie apologized. "I inhaled wrong." Jesse, opposite Ashley, crinkled his nose and looked at his eldest sister in disbelief.

"In your name WE pray," Samuel said firmly, his patience stretched to the limit, "Amen."

"Amen," everyone but Maggie and Molly said in unison.

The twins lifted their heads with their eyes still closed. As they slipped their sunglasses on, they muttered in closing for the prayer, "Whatever."

Sigma's Universe

"Duke!" Sydney cried happily.

"Sydney?" the bartender asked, turning around. His eyes actually lit up as he realized his former cellmate was standing before him. "Sydney!" Leaning across the bar, he hugged her tightly.

"Is this your bar?"

"I just work here," he answered. "My wife owns this place."

"I see she bailed you out of jail," Sydney smiled. "Somehow, you don't seem to be the type to be a bartender in a bar for teenagers."

"Gotta make a living."

"Hurry up, Sydney!" Kimberly called from across the room.

"Hey, before you go," Duke started. Leaning across the bar, he whispered in Sydney's ear, "In exactly three minutes we're going to start a Bladder Blast. If you need to go the bathroom, go now."

"Thanks Duke," Sydney smiled. As she walked back to their large table in a corner of the darkened room, she passed the mechanical bull. A blonde girl who would have had a noticeable accent had she not been squealing was being shook into a state of numbness on it. Jason and Rocky were goading her on from the sidelines.

"You guys, there's about to be a Bladder Blast," Sydney whispered.

"Bathroom time," I agreed, jumping to my feet. Dana, Tara, and Allison were close behind.

"What's a Bladder Blast?" Trini asked.

"The drinks are free until somebody either pees or leaves," Sydney answered. "You best hurry."

"I don't have to be told twice," Skull said.

"I'll go warn Jason and Rocky," Billy offered.

I had no more than entered the restroom when Jason, Rocky, Skull, and Billy threw the door open in a hurry. "The girls are panicked. They've still got two minutes," Jason said.

"Think about what you just said," Skull quipped. Then, he stopped, taking in the mens' room. The bathroom at Gregory's Place is an experience unlike any other. There were only two stalls at the very far end, but lining both walls were about fifty urinals. The bathroom is purposely kept dark, and neon tubing of varying colors lines each of the white urinals. There is also a red light perched at the top of each, casting a bulls-eye onto the bottom. "This is the coolest bathroom I have ever seen," he sighed.

"Wait until you activate the motion sensor," Rocky commented, waving at a nearby urinal. The purple glow around it brightened.

"Kinda makes you wonder what the women's room is like, doesn't it?" Billy asked.

"Oh my gosh," Katherine groaned as Justin helped her stand. "I can't stand up."

"You stayed on for the whole time!" Justin laughed. "C'mon, let's get you to the table." He was practically dragging the giggling Pink Zeo Ranger to their table. He had just set her down in her chair when a loud siren went off.

"What's that?" Katherine asked.

"The Bladder Blast has started," Allison announced as she returned to the table.

"It did?" Katherine asked. "Great. Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the bathroom."

"If you pee before ten o'clock, you'll be roasted," Tara told her.

"I don't have to pee," Katherine whispered. "I just need to go to the bathroom."

"Why?" Justin asked, perplexed.

"If you must now, that mechanical bull has my underwear so far up my bum I'm surprised I'm not walking on my tippy-toes," she snapped.

"Bum?" Beth asked as Katherine hurried off.

"Hold up," Angela, the female bouncer, said.

"I need to go in the bathroom," Katherine said.

"I won't stop you, but you'll ruin the Bladder Blast if you do," Angela answered.

"No, I don't have to pee. I have to do something else."

"If you need to wash your hands, there's a sink behind the bar."

"No, I have to do something else."

"Such as?" Angela asked.

"I was just riding the mechanical bull," she whispered.

"And?"

"I need to pull my panties out of my bum!" Katherine shouted, frustrated. Her cheeks instantly flushed bright red, but no one heard her over the music.

"Sorry, can't let you in the bathroom," Angela said with a shrug, "unless you want to break Bladder Blast. Last girl who broke Bladder Blast ended up covered in mayonnaise in the parking lot."

"But I'm not going to pee!"

"Bladder Blast is over when the tape on the bathroom or main doors is broken," Angela said, fingering the hot pink tape stretched across the door.

"Well is there a closet I can go into?"

"Nope," Angela sighed. "I would let you go in the manager's office, but the last person I let do that ended up peeing in the aquarium."

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

"Try riding the bull backwards," Angela smiled.

"Come on, Kat," Rocky prodded. "Just do something to take your mind off of it. Let's go dance."

"I can't dance, I can barely move," she griped through clenched teeth.

"All right, guys, clear out," Kimberly ordered. "Chicks, help me with the table."

"What are you going to do?" Kat asked.

"As soon as the guys are gone, we are going to turn the table on its side so you can fix your drawers," Kimberly answered.

"In front of everyone?!" Katherine hissed.

"Either that, or you can wobble around all night," Beth suggested.

"A group of guys headed for the bar together," Jason commented as we all left. "Oh yeah, this looks good."

Curiosity got the best of us, and as soon as we were a safe distance away, we glanced back to see that the six girls were holding the table on its side. Katherine was nowhere to be seen, although a second later, she popped up and announced, "Finished!"

"That wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it might be," Justin complained.

"Hey cutie," a soft voice said behind Justin. Turning around, he saw a young college student standing there. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Yeah!" Justin cried eagerly, following her like a love-struck puppy to the bar.

"I'll keep an eye on him," I volunteered.

"Now about that dance," Katherine said, looking greatly relieved as she walked up to Rocky.

"You're gonna have to wash your hands first," he announced.

Jenga's Universe
9:49 p.m.

Tasha lifted one eyelid. She had fallen asleep, apparently, because she was waking up in one of the nicest beds she had ever seen. "DECA?" Tasha grunted.

"You fell asleep," DECA answered. "I saw no need to wake you."

"How comes the Blue Senturion?" Tasha asked sleepily.

"Rather well, given what I have to work with," DECA said.

Tasha sat up in bed and saw that the Lexus was no longer a beautiful car. Instead, several large sections of the body had been cut away, and through the open hood, she saw that the engine was missing. "I am already downloading files from the UDAB headquarters," DECA said. "By four a.m., I will be finished. If you like, you can go back to sleep."

"Getting stalked through a mall is surprisingly draining," Tasha mumbled as she curled back up to drift off to sleep.

Sigma's Universe
10:43 p.m.

"I, for one, love the girly drinks!" I announced, holding my Strawberries and Creme in the air.

"Here, here!" Jason agreed, clinking his Fuzzy Navel to my glass.

"You guys are as bad as chicks," Beth complained, taking a swig from her Iced Tea.

"You all realize that these are nonalcoholic, right?" Skull asked.

"Doesn't matter," Allison answered. "You have to act out of it. Everyone does."

To illustrate Allison's point, Kimberly tilted her head back and let out a loud whoop. A few people scattered here and there across the entire bar echoed her "fake drunk call."

"Is the bladder blast over yet?" Dana whined, resting her head against the table.

"Just go pee," Beth said. "Somebody has to break it."

"I don't want to get covered in mayonnaise again," Dana groaned.

"We got you hosed off," Jason said. "No permanent damage."

"Besides, you went to the bathroom before ten o'clock last time," Tara told her. "That's what got you in trouble. It's almost ten thirty. Go ahead and go. In fact, go now."

"Tara has to pee, too," Allison whispered to me.

"Mayonnaise or not, I gotta go," Dana said firmly. Getting up, she walked to the bathroom. Tara and Kimberly looked at each other for a moment before following her.

"Check this out," Rocky said to Skull. "As soon as everybody realizes that Dana is going to break the Bladder Blast, every single woman in this room will race toward the bathrooms."

About five minutes later, the longest Bladder Blast in the history of Gregory's Place was over. Promptly, new drinks that had to be paid for were ordered.

"Attention," Beth said, tapping her glass with a fork. Standing up, she raised her glass to everyone at our table. "To the most exciting, interesting summer we've ever had, and to our friends from another dimension."

"To the best summer of our lives," Katherine agreed.

Smiling faces were all around as we clinked our glasses as a group for what would be the last time.

Jenga's Universe
August 23
4:12 a.m.

"Tasha, I hate to wake you, but I need assistance," DECA said, reaching out to gently shake the sleeping teen.

"Okay," Tasha murmured, getting out of bed. "What do you need me to do?"

"There is some internal workings that need to be done on our Senturion units," DECA answered. "I need an organic hand to help me."

"Units?" Tasha asked. As she swung her feet over the edge of the bed, she was startled to see two Senturion units, a Blue Senturion with a male's body and a Purple Senturion with the form of a female. She was a bit shorter than the six foot tall Blue Senturion, and her coloring was royal purple. She wore a purple helmet over her silver face, but lilac-colored metal hair reached down to her shoulders. "You made two?!"

"It turns out there is a lot of metal in automobiles," DECA said, "and I was able to replicate some more hard drives. Earth computers turned out to be astonishingly simplistic in design, but adequate as memory storage vesicles."

"Why is she purple?" Tasha asked. "Not that I mind, of course, but..."

"There are ten types of Senturion units," DECA said. "Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, black, white, silver, and gold. Barring Red and Blue, each type of Senturion unit has something different to offer. Red and Blue Senturion units have their own rules they follow. Red Senturions are always evil, and Blue Senturions are always good. Each are methodical fighters. Purple Senturions, which can serve either good or evil, depending on their programming, are excellent strategists. Should the mode of fight change, then she will be able to come up with a new plan instantly."

"Awesome," Tasha said, summing up her entire thoughts with one word. Looking around, she saw that except for a few scraps, and the car seats, practically everything they had purchased the day before was gone. Even the tires from the Lexus were missing. "You actually got all of this stuff in these two robots? How come they aren't so heavy they're crashing through the floor?"

"I have a microprocessing laboratory in my internal cavity," DECA said. "I can manipulate the empty space in matter, decreasing or increasing said space to suit my needs. Essentially, a lot of our materials were shrunk so as to be more dense and be better conductors of electricity and knowledge. Understand?"

"Shrunk it, got it," Tasha said. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just activate them," DECA told her, her mechanical eyes winking happily. "Reach your hand into the compartment at the small of their backs. You'll probably have to go in up to your elbow. Reach in until you come across a thick wire. You may have to feel around, but there should be a plug for it. As soon as that is connected, our Senturion units will be activated."

Tasha walked over to the silent, still Blue Senturion. She found the tiny opening on his back. Plunging her arm in up to the elbow, she quickly found the large wire. A few seconds later, she had it connected. Pulling her arm out, she closed the compartment just as Blue Senturion was activated. "Greetings," he said in a calm voice. "I am Blue Senturion."

"It is an honor, Blue Senturion," DECA said, hovering before him. "My name is DECA, and this is Tasha. We created you."

"For that, I give you thanks," he said. "For what purpose have you created me?"

"Jenga Xett, head of the Dynasty of the Apocalypse, has created a set of evil Rangers from the Thunder Powers," DECA told him. "We need you to assist us in destroying her link to their powers."

"Then I shall do all I can to assist you," Blue Senturion said. He turned, seeing the still Purple Senturion nearby. "Is she my partner?"

Tasha smiled. She could actually hear hope in his voice. "Yes, she is," DECA said. "Tasha, would you please activate her so they make acquaint themselves?"

The young girl was unable to keep from shaking her head in disbelief as she reached in to activate the Purple Senturion. _Robot love. What a concept._

4:30 a.m.

Jenga, now in the Lunar Palace on the moon, assembled an eclectic team of fighters. Quantrons, Piranhatrons, Putties of all types, Cogs, Tengas, and even a few Wulf Warriors stood in a group, waiting for further orders. "You will be easily defeated," she said to the enchanted fighters. "Fight only hard enough to make them believe you are trying to win. I want their confidence level as high as possible. The Thunder Rangers have been given their directions. Go." In a variety of teleport patterns, the fighters disappeared.

Divatox and Astronema flanked the auburn-haired space demon. "Do you expect to win?" Astronema asked.

"I've long since learned it is best to expect nothing," Jenga answered truthfully. "That way, you're always surprised."

"It's about time," David snarled.

"Forgive me for being two minutes late," Heather said, returning the same tone. She removed her glasses. All five Thunder Rangers looked remarkably eerie in the darkness of early morning. Without their pitch black sunglasses, their glowing eyes were all the more bright, while their faces were highlighted in the color. Marge, with her red eyes, looked particularly evil.

"They're almost defeated," Marge said. The five Turbo Rangers were the only ones called out for what Zordon and Alpha suspected to be a standard fight.

"Do we reveal our identities?" Molly asked.

"Never," Marge returned. "Let's do it, guys." In a leader voice, she shouted, "Thunder Bolt, Now!" The five Rangers thrust their right arm out before them, their glowing Thunder Orb held between their thumb and index fingers. Their left arm was bent at the elbow and pulled up and back, parallel with the shoulder. The fingers were opened, briefly haloing the side of their heads.

"Red Dragon Thunder Power!" Marge shouted.

"Green Lion Thunder Power!" Heather yelled.

"Blue Pegasus Thunder Power!" David cried.

"Yellow Kirin Thunder Power!" Molly called.

"Pink Firebird Thunder Power!" Maggie bellowed.

Each Thunder Orb glowed brightly and melted into their bodies. In a bright flash, each ordinary mortal instantly morphed into the shiny Thunder Armor. "Colored gloves," Maggie observed. Each pair of gloves and boots on each Ranger was their Ranger color. Instead of a white chest, as the Thunder Ranger Armor had originally been, it was now entirely colored, except for a white circle in the center.

"We fight, until the death," Marge said simply.

"Sie-kyuh!" TJ shouted as he spin-kicked the last of the Quantrons. He flipped away as soon as his feet touched the floor, and by the time he had righted himself, the Quantron was gone.

"Zordon, is there anything thing else out here?" Cassie asked.

"Turbo headlights," Carlos commanded quietly. He shined the lights around, trying to see if there was anything else. As far as he could see, the park was empty except for them.

"We are picking up some unusual readings near you," Alpha said.

"That would be us!"

The five Turbo Rangers quickly dropped in line as the five Thunder Rangers approached them. "What-?" Ashley asked.

"Power Rangers?" Carlos asked.

"Thunder Rangers," Heather said. Each Thunder Ranger lined up with the Turbo Ranger of their color. Marge and TJ, Heather and Carlos, David and Bulk, Cassie and Maggie, and Molly and Ashley. Neither team knew the other's identity, and at the moment, that thought was the furthest thing from everyone's mind.

"Zordon?" Bulk asked into his wrist. "We've got some weird stuff out here."

"Who- Where are you from?" Cassie asked. They had already told who they were.

"It doesn't matter where we're from," Marge said. "All that matters is where you're going."

In five flashes of blackest ebony, a weapon appeared in the hands of each Thunder Ranger. The weapon was purest black, absolutely no highlights of any color on it. Their evil was contained within those weapons. The Red Ranger held a cylinder with a claw at the top, the Thunder Whip. Green Ranger held a length of chain between her hands with a saw blade at the end, the Thunder Spinning Blade. Yellow Ranger possessed a set of metal claws, attached to a short handle. They were aptly named the Thunder Claws. Pink Ranger held two pair of Thunder Nunchaku. Blue Ranger's weapon was the simplest, and most efficient, of all, the Thunder Dagger.

"Rangers," Marge said softly. "Attack."

The Turbo Rangers weren't prepared for the onslaught that followed. Yellow Turbo Ranger just barely had time to summon her Star Chargers as Yellow Thunder Ranger brought her Thunder Claws down at her chest. "Don't do this!" Ashley cried, kicking her sister, unknowing to her, in the stomach. Molly stumbled back a few feet, but she wasn't deterred. She spin-flipped to Ashley's left, bringing her Thunder Claws down in a swipe at her leg. Ashley cried out in pain, not prepared for the intense rush of pain that followed. So far, the Power had led her to believe she was invincible. Although the pain quickly fled, leaving her none the worse for wear, it had hurt like nobody's business.

Maggie pressed forward with her nunchaku, keeping Cassie from gaining any ground with Wind Fire. "You should be fighting with me!" Cassie shouted. Maggie threw her weight forward, putting it on Cassie. She leapt into the air, sailing over Cassie's body. As she landed, she brought her Thunder Nunchaku together, slamming them into Cassie's helmeted head in unison.

Heather spun the tri-section blade in a circle above her head, much like a lasso. "Don't make me fire!" Carlos threatened, holding his Thunder Cannon out before him.

"Thunder Spinning Blade, Thunder Cannon, I wonder who'll win," Heather taunted. She took a broad stance and flicked the blade at him. The sharp, serrated edge knocked his weapon out of his grip. It melted away into sparks of green light as soon as he lost contact with it. He was so startled that Heather was easily able to launch into a tornado kick and knock him flat on his back. With a hard yank of her wrist, she sent the blade at the center of his chest. He rolled away, the blade sinking deep into the ground instead of hitting his armor. However, before he could be too happy, she launched the blade at him again, striking him full on the chest. As he rolled away, sparks glancing off of his armor, she said, "Looks like I win."

Bulk grabbed David by his biceps, planting his knee into the Blue Thunder Ranger's stomach. David, however, spun free, the back of his heel catching Bulk in the chin. The considerably larger Blue Turbo Ranger was futile to do anything as he spun wildly through the air. Slamming into the ground, he barely had time to turn around before the blade sliced across his back. Bulk's armor kept the blade from sinking into him, but David still managed to get in a painful hit.

"Hand Blasters!" Bulk shouted. Calling his weapons, he pointed them both at the Blue Thunder Ranger and fired a double shot. However, before he could relish in his temporary victory, a black saw blade streaked past him and slashed across his chest.

"Ha!" Heather taunted from a short distance away.

An ebony whip coiled up TJ's Lightning Sword, rendering the weapon useless. He yanked hard, but Marge's Thunder Whip held him tightly. She pulled equally hard, yanking him toward her. She leapt into the air, her red-booted foot slamming into his chest. Retracting her Whip, his Sword tumbled from his hands.

"Give in, Red Turbo Ranger," she snarled, "and I'll make your death quick." She thrust her Whip out before her, the tip flying toward him and striking him in the chest. With an oomph, he flew backwards through the air and landed in a painful heap.

"Zordon, we need help!" he yelled into his wrist.

"We can offer assistance," a calm voice said. Every player in the fight turned to see a Blue Senturion and a Purple Senturion approaching.

"What are those?" Yellow Thunder Ranger asked.

"I am Blue Senturion," Blue Senturion said. "My objectives are the destruction of the dark Thunder Weapons."

"I am Purple Senturion," Purple Senturion said. Her voice had a feminine lilt to it, not to mention a faint English accent. "My objective is to devise an effective solution to destroy the Dark Thunder Weapons while defending myself in any manner necessary."

"Hold on tight, guys!" Alpha cried through the radio systems. "Help is on the way!"

Blue, crimson, and purple fire spiraled up out of the ground, producing Jenga, Divatox, and Astronema, respectively. "Destroy them!" Jenga demanded. Ioaeu Sjknth appeared in her hands, and she, too, leapt into the fray.

"Crystal," Tommy whispered.

"You're in the wrong room, Tommy," Chelsea mumbled.

"What?" Crystal groaned from the cot beside Chelsea's bed.

"There's some stuff happening in the park," Tommy said. "Are you up for it?"

"Yeah," she grunted. He helped pulled her to her feet. "Squirrel," she muttered, morphing quickly, albeit half-heartedly, for the adrenaline rush. "Whoo! That's much better!" Touching her belt buckle, she melted away in a streak of red.

"Green Ranger, take the Senturions," Marge ordered.

"Right!" Heather shouted, coiling the slack of chain around her right forearm. Leaping away from Carlos, she hurried over to the Purple Senturion.

"Would it be possible for us to solve this dispute in a democratic manner?" Purple Senturion asked.

Rather than answer her verbally, Heather, holding the black blade in her left hand, slashed at the robot. "I presume not," Purple Senturion said. Heather attempted to punch the robot with her right hand, but Purple Senturion blocked the blow. Heather's green-gloved hands were a blur, but Purple Senturion blocked them all. The mechanical fighter lifted her leg and pushed her foot into Heather's stomach. Heather grunted as she was forced backwards. Falling to her knees, she lashed out with the chain. Purple Senturion cartwheeled backwards, the black chain whizzing uselessly past her ankles.

Heather caught a flash of movement in the corner of her eye. She dropped the blade and held the chain double-handed. Blue Senturion attempted to punch her, but she quickly wound the chain around his wrist. She flipped over his wrist and side-kicked him in the back.

Purple Senturion watched as Blue Senturion was being held captive by the Green Thunder Ranger. Purple Senturion pulled the pistol from her holster and pointed it at Heather. "Here goes," Purple Senturion said. She fired a single shot, which struck the black blade at the end of the black chain. Amazingly and miraculously, the black coloring fell off of the weapon, leaving it colored emerald green. Black beads of light dropped out of Heather, falling from every single inch of her body. They abruptly faded away, leaving her standing next to Blue Senturion, horribly confused.

"Green Ranger?" Purple Senturion asked.

"Oh my God," Heather gasped, placing one hand over her mouthplate. She let go of her Spinning Blade, which promptly dissolved away, freeing Blue Senturion. "What-?"

"There are two things you can do," Blue Senturion said. "You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can help us on this side of the fight."

"I'm in," Heather practically growled, clenching her fists tightly.

TJ dropped to the ground in a full-split, just as Jenga swung Ioaeu Sjknth at him. She kicked him, hard, in the chest, knocking him out of his split and onto his back. Jenga stood over him, holding Ioaeu Sjknth above his chest.

"No!" Cassie cried. Lifting Wind Fire, she fired two shots of pink energy at Jenga. "That Sword is very powerful! She could kill you with it!" The two beams of pink energy hit Jenga, causing her to stumble back a step and grunt. She glanced down at her body; Cassie had struck her on the chest and stomach. Both shots had burned through her clothing but otherwise done no real damage.

Jenga frowned as she lifted her gaze to the Pink Ranger. She thrust her Sword out before her like a scepter. A pink beam of energy shot out of it and slammed into the Pink Ranger, knocking her back, sprawling, several feet. "Mind your own business!" Jenga snapped. Her eyes flashed angrily as she looked back to TJ, lying at her feet.

He summoned Red Lightning in a flash of red light. Jenga chuckled. His Sword looked puny in comparison to her's. "Stand up," she ordered, kicking him in the ribs.

"What?" he asked, doing as she asked although he had no idea why.

"More honorable," she answered simply. Then, she swung Ioaeu Sjknth like a baseball bat. TJ put his Sword up to parry her thrust, when suddenly, white light exploded between them. Both the Ranger and the space demon were tossed backwards by the explosion.

"What the hell?" she grumped. However, as soon as she sat up, she realized what had happened. "Dimitria," she growled. The Inquirian had placed a spell of her own on the Sword. It could be used by evil, but the blade itself could never be used in a fight between the two sides. "No matter," she said, more to herself than anyone. Putting Ioaeu Sjknth away, she somersaulted backwards, rising to her feet. Then, she cartwheeled forwards, spinning around backwards and kicking straight out behind her, striking TJ in the stomach with her ordinary Reeboks.

White light split the sky in half, coming to land in the middle of the fight. As the teleportation beam dissolved away, what was actually the White Thunder Ranger was revealed. Aisha took a double take upon seeing the evil Thunder Rangers. The similarities in her helmet design and their's was apparent. _Zordon's gonna have some explaining to do later,_ Aisha decided. "Saba!" As she extended her arm, the enchanted saber was already there.

"White Ranger?" he asked.

"More evil Rangers," she said. "You up for it?"

"What else do I have to do?" he inquired.

Two streams of red light arrived at almost the same time, forming Crystal and Tommy as the Red Zeo Ranger.

"Tommy," David growled under his breath. He darted away from Bulk, lining himself up perfectly with his younger brother. David held the dagger by the tip of the handle. After lining it up, he threw it, straight as an arrow, at Tommy's chest.

"No!" Heather cried. She hurled the Spinning Blade straight out in front of her. The black dagger hurled toward the unknowing Red Ranger, but her shining green blade blocked it. The blade dropped straight down and the dagger flipped away, falling pitifully short of its intended target. She was about to grab the Thunder Dagger for one of the Senturion units, when a pair of powerful hands clamped around her throat. Her weapon fell from her hands as she clutched desperately at the blue gloves at her throat.

"You've betrayed us," David growled, the evil dripping from his voice startling her. He lifted the already tall Green Ranger off of the ground, her green booted feet swiping at the ground but missing. "You were supposed to help us."

"You're evil," she rasped. His hands couldn't actually close her airway, but the strength with which he held her was terrifying. "But it's not who you are!"

Purple Senturion hurried across the battlefield, her pistol out to shoot the evil Thunder Dagger. However, just as she fired at it, a tendril of blue light streaked across it, making it disappeared. She followed the tendril of light with her gaze, seeing it stop with Jenga. Jenga flicked her hand, breaking the string of magic. To David, she shouted, "Put your weapons away when you aren't holding them!"

"Nice claws," Molly taunted.

Crystal gasped and backed away from the evil Ranger. "Not another one," she spat. Her brief spat with the Phantom Ranger had been more than plenty for her.

The Yellow Thunder Ranger swung her blades at Crystal's chest. She hopped back, narrowly missing them. "Would a nice little pep talk help at all right now?" Crystal asked. She gave a sharp cry as Molly slashed both of her Thunder Claws at her again. Crystal crossed her Tyrannosaurus Talons and blocked the weapon. "You gotta remember, I've got nearly two years' experience." She inverted her wrists, knocking both Thunder Claws out of Molly's hands. She placed one foot on Molly's stomach and flipped, kicking her in the chest as she sailed past her. However, as Molly fell, she grabbed Crystal by the foot and yanked, throwing her flip off-kilter. Both Rangers fell to the ground, Crystal's weapons disappearing as she lost contact with them.

"Somebody help me!" Heather pleaded. David had no intention of releasing his grip on her.

Suddenly, a black form streaked past them. Heather, David, and the form in black all oomph-ed, falling to the ground. Turning her gaze, she saw the Black Morphin Ranger lying beside them. "Thanks!" Heather shouted. Launching herself into the air, she dove for Molly's Thunder Claws. Just as she was about to touch the black weapons, Molly made them disappear. Her fingers bit into the grass, instead. "Dammit!"

"YOU!" Molly shouted. Heather, practically lying on the grass, looked up to see Molly standing above her. Crying out, she rolled away as Molly brought her foot down where she was standing. Heather extended one hand, calling on her Spinning Blade. She swiped the blade behind Molly's feet, bringing her to the ground.

She then heard metal clinking against metal. Looking the other way, she saw the purple-haired Astronema running toward her. She rolled away again as Astronema's sharp diamond-shaped scepter plunged into the ground next to her. She grabbed a length of the chain in her hands and lashed it around Astronema's ankles. Then, giving a hard yank, she pulled her off of her feet. Hurriedly, she leapt to her own feet and somersaulted away before either could attack her again.

"Where's Zeo II?!" Bulk asked as Maggie approached him, her Nunchaku swinging wildly. The woman who wore the armor of the Yellow Zeo Ranger possessed the same weapon, and he theorized that she would be best to tackle the Pink Thunder Ranger.

"In an airplane on her way to the University of Kentucky," Adam answered, suddenly appearing beside them. He already had his Power Hatchets out, and he swung them both, catching Maggie in her wrists. She cried out as she dropped both weapons. Rather than be deterred, however, she punched Adam in the helmet, knocking him back a few steps.

Blue Senturion appeared beside them in a brief glimmer of blue. Without saying a word, he pointed his gun at one of Maggie's Nunchaku. He fired a single shot, which hit the ebony weapon. Black bubbles of evil rolled up and out of Maggie, disappearing into the air around her. "What?" she asked simply.

"An evil spell that was placed on you has just been broken," Blue Senturion said. "Purple Senturion!" Purple light flickered beside him as the gleaming purple robot appeared.

"I will explain, but we must be quick," Purple Senturion said. Purple Senturion started to lead her away, but Maggie held still, looking back at the fight. She saw the Yellow Thunder Ranger fighting with the Red Zeo Ranger.

"No," Maggie said. "I want to help."

Without waiting for permission, she ran between Molly and Tommy. "Don't!" she cried, putting her hands on Molly's wrist. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"I know what I'm doing better than you!" Molly growled. Maggie pushed her backwards, away from Tommy and out of the fight. She looked around her, and then she reached up to her helmet, unlatching it.

"Molly, don't," Maggie pleaded, her voice rich with sympathy. Her eyes were not glowing pink. Instead, they had returned to their vibrant but pale blue color. "Just give me your weapons, and everything will be all right."

Molly gently raised one hand, still holding a Thunder Claw in it, to Maggie's face. She rested the sharp points on her sister's face. Maggie's heart was beating painfully fast in her chest. She suddenly realized she was in way over her head. "Molly, don't hurt me," Maggie said bravely. "Please."

"Sorry," Molly said. "You don't order me around anymore." She pulled her hand back and thrust it forward.

Maggie screamed as what she could only describe as chaos whirled up around her. Pink light flashed and black metal scraped across her field of vision. In a start, she realized that her helmet was back on her head, and Molly's Thunder Claws had scraped across the hard material instead of her face.

"Fine!" Maggie yelled. Not even realizing the full extent of her new abilities, she jump-kicked her sister, making her stumble backwards.

A black leather whip coiled around Ashley's arm. "Hah!" Marge taunted. Ashley attempted to pull away, but Marge's Thunder Whip held her far too tightly.

"No!" Ashley yelled. She pulled her Auto Blaster out with her spare hand and fired. However, Marge blocked the shot with her free hand. Then, turning around, she flipped Ashley over her head, the Yellow Turbo Ranger sailing high into the air. Ashley landed on her feet, albeit off-balance. The Thunder Whip retracted, but Marge ran toward her. Stopping on her right foot, she pivoted and thrust the full of her left foot into Ashley's chest. Ashley grunted as she was thrown airborne.

"Oh yeah," Marge sighed happily.

"Hi-yaah!" Aisha and Zack cried in unison as they flipped forward. They landed, each on one side, around the Blue Thunder Ranger. Aisha had Saba in her hand, and Zack had his Power Axe out before him. David held his Thunder Dagger loosely in his hand.

"Don't do this, man," Aisha said slowly.

"We can help you!" Saba agreed.

"I don't want your help," David growled. He kicked Saba out of Aisha's hand, startling everyone. Then, he slammed his elbow into Zack's chest and snapped his hand upwards, slamming it into his face. He took advantage of the brief disorientation and flipped away.

Cassie found herself being double-teamed by Astronema and Divatox. The space pirate she wasn't worried about, but Astronema was proving to be a worthy opponent. As Astronema brought her scepter up for a good hit, Cassie thrust Wind Fire down, blocking the blow. However, with both hands filled with her weapon, Divatox was able to back hand her with more force than Cassie had expected. She yanked Wind Fire away and slammed it into Divatox's chest. Then, in a fluid return motion, she did the same to Astronema.

Unfortunately, before she had time to relish in her temporary victory, a pair of human hands grabbed her bow. Jerking her head up, she saw Jenga standing before her. "Ahh!" Cassie screamed, startled at the Earth's prime nemesis before her.

"Good to see you, too," Jenga smarted. Holding tight onto Wind Fire, she turned in a quick circle. Cassie, somewhat disoriented, held on. Then, Jenga let go of the weapon, the momentum sending Cassie across the park. Spinning, the Pink Turbo Ranger screamed as she flew through the air. She hit a nearby tree full-on, falling to the ground on her hands and knees.

"Cassie!" Carlos cried, flipping over to her. He clasped her forearm and pulled her up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alr- Duck!" she shouted. She pushed Carlos aside as she threw herself backwards. With a thunk, the Thunder Dagger was buried up to the hilt in the tree.

Purple Senturion took sight of this. Raising her weapon, she fired a shot at the enchanted weapon. Unfortunately, David called it back to him. The weapon disappeared, and nothing but chips of wood rained down on Cassie and Carlos.

"Triple team!" Adam encouraged. He fired his Zeo pistol at Molly, who easily dodged the bolt. However, she couldn't dart away, because Maggie was standing in her way.

"It's for your own good!" Maggie cried. She hooked her leg behind Molly's and pushed her forward.

"I got her!" Heather shouted. Holding the blade close against her body, she lashed out with the chain attached to it. It coiled around both of the Yellow Thunder Ranger's feet. Combined with Maggie's attack, Molly was forced to the ground, her Thunder Claws falling away.

Blue Senturion ran toward them, his weapon drawn. He fired a shot while moving. It struck the edge of one of her Thunder Claws, but it was enough. The twin weapons turned canary yellow, and black energy bubbled up out of Molly. Maggie reached down to her and clasped her hand. She pulled her sister to her feet and promptly pulled her into a tight hug, much to Adam's surprise.

"It's okay," Maggie whispered in her ear. "You'll be all right."

Crystal skidded to a halt. A gargantuan oak tree was before her. Turning around, she saw the Blue Thunder Ranger racing for her. "Going up!" Crystal shouted, leaping effortlessly into the tree. High above the ground, at least fifty or sixty feet, she landed on a sturdy branch. Glancing straight down, she saw David getting ready to leap up into the tree. She hopped to a nearby limb so he wouldn't come straight up beneath her. It swayed unnervingly with her weight, but it was big enough that it wouldn't break.

"Power Scan," she whispered. There were so many leaves all around her, visibility was limited. That was on top of the near total darkness due to it being before dawn. The leaves rustled and the whole tree seemed to shake as David landed in the branches with her.

"Turbo headlights!" Bulk shouted. Light streamed through the tree branches.

_Bulk is up here with me,_ Crystal realized. But then, David jumped onto her branch. With a shout, Crystal jumped away. His Thunder Dagger swiped at her, catching nothing but leaves.

She hopped from tree limb to tree limb with David close behind. The branches and leaves slapped against her helmet, adding to her disorientation. Crystal jumped off of her branch and grabbed onto one above her head with her hands. Swinging, she spun around and kicked a Blue Ranger in the back with both feet.

"Crystal!" Bulk shouted as he fell out of the tree.

"Sorry Bulk!" Crystal apologized, horrified. Sharp pain suddenly shot across her back. Spinning around, she almost slipped off of the branch. However, with a hop back, she righted herself and saw the Blue Thunder Ranger standing on her branch. She stepped back a few feet, although it was quickly apparent she could go back only so much. "All right," she growled. "Bring it on!"

The light didn't glint off of his Thunder Dagger, and were it not for her enhanced vision, she wouldn't have been able to see it at all. Looking down at the ground, she saw Blue Senturion standing nearby. "Hang on tight!" she yelled. She ran at David, grabbed onto his biceps with both hands, and then jumped backwards.

She saw nothing but his decorative helmet as they sailed backwards. Painfully, she slammed into the ground. David brought the Dagger up over his head, but she put her feet up and kicked him away. Blue Senturion shot at the Dagger, but David was ahead of him. The Dagger disappeared, and the shot streaked past him.

"Go Saba!" Aisha cried. She threw her saber at the leader of the Thunder Rangers. The silver and white weapon flew of its own accord at Marge, spinning in circles around her. However, much to Aisha's horror, Marge stuck her hand out and caught Saba effortlessly. "Saba!"

Saba twitched in Marge's hand, trying to get away. Her grip tightened, crushing Saba's hilt. "NO!" Aisha yelled again, running toward her. "Saba!"

"Stay back, White Ranger!" Saba ordered. His eyes were shooting red lasers at Marge, but the shots only bounced off of her red armor.

Aisha knew the weapon couldn't be permanently destroyed. However, Saba was sentient, and she had no idea if that could be restored. Aisha looked around her quickly, and seeing no one, she dropped to the ground, extending her right leg. "Power down!" she cried. As her armor dissolved away, Saba did likewise. Marge pointed her whip at Aisha. The long, black whip snaked out of the cylinder, headed for Aisha. "White Tiger --- Bear!" she cried quickly. White light welled up around her, and she was the White Ranger again only a split second before the whip lashed around her forearm.

Tommy spin-kicked the Blue Thunder Ranger, the thought that it might be his brother the furthest thing from his mind. Adam and Zack double-teamed David, hitting him with such force that he flew through the air and landed beside Marge.

"Fire!" Blue Senturion shouted to Purple Senturion. Both robots lifted their guns and fired. The black coloring fell off of the Thunder Whip and the Dagger as the shot hit them. Black light flowed out of both Marge and David. The entire fight halted as the balance of power shifted. Then, each of the Thunder Rangers began to glow their color. The amorphous figures of light faded away, leaving the park empty. Blue and Purple Senturion were close behind in shimmers of their color.

"Is it over?" TJ asked, his voice echoing strangely in the now-silent park.

Jenga produced Ioaeu Sjknth again. Spinning the blade in her hand, she said, quite simply, "No, it isn't." Thrusting her Sword out before her, white light leapt off of the end and plunged into the ground. A hole gaped open, flames shooting out of it. With a snarl, a metallic dog-like creature, more of a partial exoskeleton than anything, leapt out. Red and orange flames danced across his shiny black surface. Jenga, Astronema, and Divatox disappeared, leaving the Rangers and the dog alone.

The flames were never-ending, burning without fuel. At the end of each paw was a series of sharp, curved claws. "Now what?" Ashley asked.

Blue lightning danced across the sky before reaching down to strike the dog. With a boom, he surged skywards, growing to mammoth proportions. "We need TurboZord power, now!" TJ shouted.

The Thunder Rangers found themselves in a large, circular room. The walls glowed with a white-silver light, and silver and black computer consoles lined the entire room. The ground was glowing as well, and standing in the middle of the room were five colored pedestals, one for each Ranger color. The two Senturions were nowhere to be seen.

"Rangers," a female voice said from above them. The voice boomed in the large room. "You may remove your helmets. You are safe here." A black screen on one wall had a green line stretched across it. As the voice spoke, the line oscillated.

They were all very slow to move. There were no questions to be asked; they all knew exactly what they had done. After a painfully silent pause, Heather asked, "Where are we?"

"You are in the internal cavity of DECA, a Didactic Electronic Computerized Amalgamation," the voice answered. "Your stature has been reduced so that you can safely fit inside me, as my actual size is only two feet in diameter. I am currently residing in the Angel Grove Hilton."

"What do we do now?" Marge asked, her voice sounding flat.

"Rather than feel sorry for yourselves because you were violated, you can help in the fight," DECA answered. "Yes, you were evil, and yes, you did essentially become evil of your own accord."

That struck deeper than any physical wound they could have been given. They had all voluntarily accepted their Thunder Orbs. Granted, for each, the only alternative was death, but it had still been voluntary. No one could bring themselves to look any of the others in the eye.

"But that is in the past. You know hold a great wealth of power," DECA said, "and no one but I could take it from you. I am the guardian of the Thunder Powers, and if it is to your agreement, then we can form a secondary force to fight against Jenga."

"Ally with the Power Rangers?" David asked. "My brother is a Power Ranger."

"It's a way to set right what we did wrong," Marge said. "I'm in."

"Me too," Heather agreed. David nodded.

"Totally," Maggie and Molly said in unison.

"Should we tell them who we are?" Heather asked. "I mean... I would be pretty upset if someone had done to us what we did to them. It might be best if we kept our identity secret."

"I agree wholeheartedly," DECA said. "While Zordon of Eltare is a fine individual, and I firmly support his role on this planet, the UDAB has decreed that it is within his power to mentor any and all Rangers protecting the planet Earth. If you keep your identities secret, then I can mentor you myself."

"A secret identity," Maggie giggled. "It sounds so... exciting!"

"But we're all from different ways of life," Heather said. "I'm not in high school anymore. I'm about to become an anchorwoman who will be broadcast over most of the West Coast."

"I live on the Reservation outside of Angel Grove," David said.

"The rest of us are Seniors in High School," Marge announced.

"I will devise a method of communication so that we can all stay in touch," DECA told them. "Your different lives will not be an interference. Also, it is not as if we are the only force defending the Earth. We are a supplement to the Power Rangers, not a replacement."

Marge looked at the oscillating green line that was apparently DECA's voice. "Are we still called the Thunder Rangers?"

"If you so desire," DECA answered. "But for now, you can begin to pay back your debts to the Power Rangers." The floor between the five colored pedestals lit up like a movie screen. The five Rangers moved toward it, unconsciously aligning themselves with the pedestal of their color. The scene playing in the floor was that of the Turbo MegaZord fighting with a flaming, metallic dog. "You also have Zords. The ThunderZords, used several years ago by the Morphin Rangers after their DinoZords were destroyed, can now be called on by you. Go pilot them into battle."

"Let's do it, guys," Marge agreed. A phrase occurred to her naturally. In a proud, loud voice, she shouted, "Back to Action!"

The five Thunder Rangers watched in amazement as the ThunderZords responded to their call. "Awesome!" Maggie cried.

"All right, Rangers," Marge said.

In unison, the five shouted, "ThunderZords, Power up!" They all disappeared in a swirl of color, only to reappear in the cockpits of their ThunderZords.

What had originally been the Blue UnicornZord, the Yellow GriffinZord, and the Black LionZord underwent a sudden change as they were reunited with the Rangers who were meant to pilot them. David's Zord became the PegasusZord, complete with shining wings on its back giving it flight. The GriffinZord turned into the KirinZord, a shining horn on its forehead. The black LionZord turned green, and all three changed in shape. No longer were they bulky, solid Zords. They became agile, capable of running, jumping, and leaping.

"Unbelievable!" Marge cried. "The computer system in this Zord is mind-boggling!"

"Man, this is incredible!" David shouted.

"All the pretty lights!" Molly sighed.

"Nice stereo," Maggie giggled. She and Marge flew high above the other ThunderZords.

"Marge, what's the plan?" Heather asked.

"Am I the leader?" Marge asked back.

"You're wearing red," David reminded her.

"Well, in the case, let's split up," Marge suggested. "We regroup at the dog... thing."

"Right!" the others agreed. The quintet separated, sailing off into all directions of the desert.

The Turbo MegaZord brought its Sword down on top of the Dog. However, the flaming beast rolled out of the way, clanking noisily.

"We're gonna have to try a different tactic!" Ashley cried. "A quadropedal creature has too many advantages over a biped with a sword!"

"What?!" TJ cried, spinning around in his seat.

"We're gettin' our butts whooped!" Carlos translated.

"Perhaps we can offer assistance," a voice said through the radio systems.

"We'll take any help we can get," Bulk answered.

"Then step back!" another voice returned.

Maggie circled high over the fight in the pink FirebirdZord. "Is it clear?" she asked.

"Go for it!" TJ answered.

"All right!" she cried. She flipped a row of switches on her console, activating the missiles. She pushed her control lever forward, zooming toward the Earth. "Ooh, I'm high up."

"You're looking great, si- Pink Ranger," Molly said.

The flaming dog beneath her got larger and larger. "FIRE!" she yelled, pushing the button on the control lever. Sections on her wings opened, and a rush of pink missiles shot out. The dog glanced up, seeing what could have been his doom. However, it rolled away, the missiles striking the sandy desert floor. As a punishment for Maggie, he lashed his flaming tail up, striking her Zord. She was thrown off-course, sailing far off into the desert.

"I'm okay!" she cried as she sailed off.

Heather ran up to the Dog in LionZord, the green paws biting into the loose sand beneath her. "Loading hydraulics!" she said. The Lion sat back on its haunches, getting ready to leap. However, she was sorely surprised when the flaming dog leapt at her. "WHOA! I'm down!" LionZord tumbled onto her back as the Dog clawed and scratched at her.

RedDragonZord flew like an arrow at the Dog. Smoothly, the RedDragonZord transformed into Warrior Mode, turning into a bipedal "man." As she touched down on the ground, a silver bo appeared in her Zord's hands. "Is everybody ready?!"

"Ready!" David shouted, swinging PegasusZord around.

"And willing!" Molly finished.

"Hurry please!" Heather pleaded.

RedDragonZord thrust the bo between the Dog and the Lion. With a mighty heave, she knocked the Dog away. It landed on its back, but it quickly rolled over.

"FIRE!" David yelled. A flurry of blue lasers streaked out of Pegasus' eyes, striking the Dog and knocked it asunder.

Then, before it could right itself, a web of yellow energy surrounded it. A long, thin, yellow tendril of light from Kirin's rounded horn held the web. "Electro-static field, initialized!" Molly cried. Tilting her Zord's head back, the web, with the Dog held in it, was lifted into the air.

"Turbo Saber!" the Turbo Rangers shouted. The Turbo MegaZord stepped toward the Dog and slashed down through Molly's web, destroying the beast. Flames shot out as metal parts flew everywhere.

"It's gone!" Cassie cried happily.

"Hey, you guys," Bulk said slowly. "Look. They're already gone." The five Turbo Rangers looked all about them, but the ThunderZords had already disappeared, just as mysteriously as they had arrived.

"Let's head back to the Command Center," Carlos suggested. "Maybe Zordon will know something."

The five Turbo Rangers had demorphed without thinking first as they arrived in the Command Center. They were all in varying states of dress, ranging from brightly colored boxer-like gym shorts for Carlos and TJ, a thin, pink nightgown for Cassie, and full-fledged pajamas for Ashley and Bulk. However, not intending to stay any longer than possible so as to get a few more hours sleep before they had to wake up, no one bothered to morph back.

"But... why won't they join us?" Cassie asked.

"They are not setting off any alarms, so they must be in the UDAB's registry," Alpha said. "Unless they serve evil, we have no right to attempt to determine their identity."

"They are the Thunder Rangers, which means they serve under DECA's watch," Zordon said. "I am sure she will have them fight alongside you, only in secrecy. We should welcome their presence."

"Maybe they'll tell us who they are," Carlos said. "But in the mean time, it's just nice knowing we have five more allies."

"I wonder who they actually are," Maggie said. "Think about it. Those Turbo Rangers could be someone we know."

"Like Ashley?" Molly giggled.

"As if," Maggie said, shaking her head.

"Rangers," DECA announced, "I have devised a method of communication." Atop each pedestal, there was a glimmer of light. Sitting on each was a silver sheet of paper.

"What is this?" David asked, picking his up. Turning it over, he saw a blue Pegasus drawn on it.

"Tattoos," DECA answered. "Place the emblem on the back of either hand. The image will be transferred to your skin painlessly. By touching it, you will be able to communicate with me and each other. You will also be able to teleport yourself into my body cavity with it. It will be visible only when you are using it, when I am paging you, and even then, only by your fellow Thunder Rangers."

"I've always wanted a tattoo," Maggie said. She pressed it to her skin, and when she peeled it away, a faintly glowing emblem of a firebird remained on her skin. As she stared at it, it faded away.

"These will really keep us in contact with each other?" David asked.

"We're the tattooed teenage alien fighters from Angel Grove," Molly announced, taking a defensive stance, giggling.

"DECA, where will you stay?" Heather asked. "If you need a place, I'm moving into an apartment this afternoon. You can stay with me, if you need to."

"Thank you, Heather," DECA said. "If it is no trouble, I will take you up on your offer."

"You guys, it's almost dawn," Marge announced. "I need to get home."

"We all do," David agreed.

"You may go," DECA told them. "But before you go, I must thank you. I have waited millennia to receive a group of warriors. I thank you for giving me a purpose, again."

9:04 a.m.

Frantic, Ernie ran down his sidewalk. He had overslept and was an hour late for opening the Youth Center.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you panicked," his neighbor said. Glancing over the white fence separating his property from the Fergusons', he saw Adelle watering her flower garden.

"I've never been late before!" Ernie cried. "I've just got too much going on. What I need is a miracle."

"What kind of miracle?" Adelle asked. She reached up to adjust her wide-brimmed hat, sunlight glinting off of her silver wedding ring.

"What I really need is someone I can trust who would be interested in being a co-partner," Ernie said. "I've got the Youth Center, the Beachside Club, the Outdoor Diner, too much! But I could never risk selling half my business to a total stranger."

Adelle turned off her waterhose and removed her hat. "How 'bout someone who's just totally strange?"

Molly lay flat on her stomach in bed, one arm behind the headboard and another off the mattress. Her pillow was missing, and the covers lay half-on and half-off the bed. "Is someone going through my closet?" she grunted.

Maggie sat up in her bed on the other side of the room. "It's just Ashley," she answered. Wiping her eyes, she picked up the alarm clock from her nightstand. "Geeze! It's after nine o'clock!"

"Ashley?" Molly asked.

"I had a thought this morning," Ashley told Molly. "I know that you don't like yellow, and I love it, so I thought we might trade some clothes."

"Touch anything of mine that's yellow and die!" Molly warned, jumping out of bed.

Ashley rolled her eyes. She didn't even question her older sisters' eccentricities anymore. "How about you, Maggie?" Ashley asked. "Can I trade you for some yellow stuff?"

"No, she gave it to me," Molly insisted.

"I will trade you for anything pink, though," Maggie offered.

"I can't wait to get home," Crystal said. "It's been real being here, but... I want to go home."

"Eight hours isn't long to wait," Tommy reminded her. "How do you want to spend your final day in Angel Grove?"

"We don't have any beaches in Kentucky," Crystal said. "Can we go to the beach?"

"Absolutely," Tommy told her. "I'll get as many of these bums together as I can, and we'll rock the coast."

"Let's get together, yeah, yeah, yeah," Maggie sang as she all-but danced down the sidewalk. "Two is twice as nice as one..."

"Hey, Maggie," Marge said. She waved at the Pink Thunder Ranger from her parked car.

"Hi Marge," Maggie said back. Smiling, she jogged over to Marge.

"It occurred to me that if we're going to be on the same team, we should probably get to know each other," Marge said as she got out of her vehicle. "I mean, if you don't want to, that's okay, but I thought, it might be good to..."

"Hang out or something?" Maggie asked. "Yeah, that'd be great!"

"Yeah?" Marge asked happily, her eyes lit up.

"I was going to wait for Molly to show up in the Youth Center," Maggie said. "Want to wait with me? We're going to the mall later."

"Sounds like fun," Marge smiled. "I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Smiling as well, Maggie said, "Okay."

"They're already here?" Heather asked. She looked up at Andre as he came into her office.

"A green contact for your left eye, and a clear one for your right," Andre said, opening the box.

Heather pulled a mirror out of her desk and took the sealed package containing her contacts from Andre. A few moments later, she had both of her contacts in. "Does it look the same as my right eye?" she asked, opening both eyes wide.

"That's a beautiful shade of green," Andre said. "You look gorgeous."

"I am a bit partial to green," Heather told him. "So, I hear we have more pictures to take?"

"Public relations never ends as far as I'm concerned," he announced. "Meet me on the set in five minutes."

"You got it," she said with a smile. He left her alone in her office. She was there for a few last moment photos and video clips to plaster all over the broadcast for the weekend. On Monday night, she was going to be on her first, official live broadcast. Spinning around in her seat, she was able to look out over the city of Angel Grove.

This was her city. Her home. And now, she was one of its protectors. She touched her right hand, briefly seeing the green lion tattoo there flare up. "I'm the first female Green Ranger," she realized, not knowing that Aisha Campbell had briefly worn the Green Dragon Morphin Armor. "I'm making history all over the place." Smiling and unable to stop, she left her office and headed for the photographer's set.

Tasha had said her proper good-byes with DECA early that morning. The Blue and Purple Senturions were currently residing inside of DECA. She had teleported them into her internal cavity after they had helped her get the room back in order.

Now, as she lay on her back in her room, she couldn't help but realize how boring her life was. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she said, sitting up.

"It's just me, Tasha," Akiko said. "I've got some mail for you, first of all." She handed Tasha an envelope. "And, some wonderful news."

"How wonderful?" Tasha asked.

"You've been adopted by a prominent family from Washington, D.C.," Akiko told her. "The paperwork came into our office last night, marked urgent, we got off our butts, you were approved at ten o'clock, and they're flying out here this morning to pick you up."

Tasha suddenly felt numb. "I'm adopted?" she asked in awe. "Who... What are their names?"

"Marcia and Laurence Bradley," Akiko answered. "They have another adopted daughter, about fifteen named Kay, and a younger child of their own named Angelica."

"Why would they adopt me?" Tasha asked, still shocked.

"You aren't upset, are you?"

"No, of course not," Tasha said. "I'm just... surprised, is all. Do you know why?"

"Well, I don't want to say this to make you feel bad, but they're just your run-of-the-mill Good Samaritans," Akiko answered. "You just happened to be the one they went for."

"I'm gonna be adopted," Tasha said again. She was so happy, she couldn't even express it. She just felt numb. "Oh my God..."

"I'll leave you alone for a while," Akiko said, patting her on the shoulder. "I'll stop by in a while to help you pack."

As soon as she was left alone, Tasha tore the letter open. Inside, she found another envelope and a letter. It was printed with a machine, rather than by hand. "DECA," she realized with a smile.

If you're reading this, then you must have found out my surprise. I hope you don't mind that I pulled a few strings and got you adopted. The best family for you is from Washington, D.C. I tried to keep you in Angel Grove, but that didn't pan out. But, on the plus side, you will be rich. Your new family is very prominent in the nation's capital.

Tasha, I really enjoyed working with you, and I am very appreciative of your friendship. And please, stay in touch. My e-mail address is deca@deca.com. E-mail me as soon as you arrive in your new home.

The world owes you a debt this morning, Tasha. Without your assistance, I would not have been able to build the Senturion units that successfully destroyed the Thunder Rangers' evil weapons. Although the world can never know the truth, you should be rewarded. There should be another envelope.

Smiling, Tasha took the envelope out. Inside it was a bank book from Washington, D.C. Opening it, she laughed out loud when she saw the balance. "Twenty thousand dollars."

"Are you sure about all this?" Adelle asked. They were at Ernie's lawyers, getting the official papers drawn up.

"Adelle, you and Andre are the best neighbors I've ever had," Ernie said. "I'd be honored to share my business with you."

Ann, the lawyer in question, looked over the paperwork one final time. "Well, congratulations Mrs. Ferguson," Ann said, extending her hand. "It's official."

"Great!" Adelle cried. "Okay, now I'm thinking we could get us some Hooters women to wait on the tables, and some Hooters men for the beach. You know, the kinds who strut around shirtless in those really tight bicycle shorts."

"Ha ha," Ernie chuckled as they left Ann's office. "Although I do think all the guys who frequent the Bar wouldn't mind being waited on by scantily clad women."

"I don't do scantily clad," Adelle informed him.

Sigma's Universe

White light swirled around Justin. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was small again. With a heavy sigh, he looked at his hands. "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

"Please work, please work, please work," Sydney pleaded.

"Here goes," Omicron said. After tweaking a few of the controls on the console before her, the three Swords began to glow. Light surrounded Sydney. She began to slowly grow up, her clothing magically changing so as to keep her from tearing through it.

"It's working!" she cried happily. However, she had no more than said it when the light disappeared and she shrank back down again, fourteen years old. "Nooo...."

"It could be worse, Sydney," Trini said sympathetically.

"If we can't get you aged up before we have to leave, we'll make sure everything is taken care of in Angel Grove," Katherine agreed.

"Maybe someone's parent will adopt me," Sydney sighed.

Jenga's Universe

"Hi," the waitress said as she sat menus down on the table in front of Maggie and Marge. "And welcome to Ernie and Adelle's Outdoor Diner. My name is Kittie, and I'll be your server today."

"Ernie and Adelle?" Marge asked. "What?"

"Ernie took on a partner this morning," Kittie said. "Take some time to look over the menus, and I'll be back in a moment."

As she walked away from the table, she passed Molly with her hand out-extended. "Thanks," Molly smiled as she took a menu. "Ladies."

"Have a sit-down, Molly," Maggie said, kicking a chair out for her.

"Can I join you?" a male voice asked. Without waiting for permission, David pulled a chair out and sat down with them.

The four friends looked at each other almost nervously. In just twenty-four short hours, they had been through more than practically any mortal had ever been through.

"I thought I might find you all here," Heather called as she ran up to their table.

"Heather?!" Molly and Maggie cried in unison.

"Lunch break," she said. "They can't expect me to stand around and do nothing while they take pictures of me all morning long, can they?"

There couldn't have been a more eclectic group of people. The only two with anything at all in common were Maggie and Molly. Marge was mature beyond her years with a fierce intellect. David was an incredible fighter with just enough angst to keep him interesting without being depressing. Heather was a grown woman with a powerful job, while Maggie and Molly were the most stereotypical Valley Girls someone was going to find in southern California. At that moment, as the five sat looking at each other, they knew they were all going to the best of friends.

Later that afternoon, Heather put the final touches on her article about Jenga. All that remained was the final paragraph, the conclusion. She had been inspired to write the article after everything that had happened.

Even though she had finished the article, she still held her breath as she opened the envelope Jenga had given her. There were just two simple sentences on the card, and it confused her at first. However, after just a few seconds thought, it made all the sense in the world, and it frightened her beyond measure.

"Enjoy yourself. These are the good old days you're going to miss in the years ahead."

Heather couldn't help but chuckle, however. She should have known that Jenga would find some way to make her intentions known without actually threatening. She quickly typed it at the end of the article, adding a few thoughts of her own around it.

But when she looked back at the card, there was a new message there. A grin stretched across her face at the new message. She deleted the conclusion and wrote a new one.

'Who is better to close this article than the Queen of evil herself, Jenga Xett? "No one knows what I want. Not even myself all the time. But I do know that I want to be happy. My happiness might not be your happiness, and I'm quite certain the opposite is true. But nonetheless, be happy. Let your light shine. Don't let anyone or anything put it out, including my desire to own the Earth. And above all, be thankful for whatever you have. A man by the name of Alphonse Karr sums it up best. 'Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses.'"'

2:15 p.m.

"They're here for you, Tasha," Akiko said.

Tasha put her backpack on as Akiko slid her arm around her shoulders. She had already had her goodbyes with all of her friends at the shelter. A black limousine was parked in front of Little Angel's Haven. She couldn't help but grin.

An attractive black couple got out of the back, hurrying over to Tasha's side. "You must be Tasha," the woman said. "My name is Marcia Bradley."

"Hello, Mrs. Bradley," Tasha smiled.

"Call me Marcia," she insisted, grinning a smile that made Tasha feel warm all over.

"And my name is Laurence," her husband said.

Two girls got out of the car, a young girl who was apparently Marcia and Laurence's flesh and blood, and a fifteen year old white girl. "Hi, my name's Kay," the white girl said.

"You're white," Tasha said, honestly not meaning to.

"I'm white?" Kay asked. Slowly, she lifted her arms up before her. She stared at her limbs for a few seconds before opening her mouth and letting out an ear-piercing scream.

"Kay," Marcia said sternly. "You'll have to excuse Kay. She's a thespian."

"Mama called you a lesbian," Angelica giggled, earning a glance from her father.

"I'm sorry," Tasha apologized. "It just slipped out."

"I don't mind," Kay said sincerely. "Honestly. Come on, Tasha. Let's get to know each other better."

"Let's go home," Laurence said with a smile.

Kay took her backpack as Tasha turned around to look at the shelter. Everyone she had lived with for so long was out to greet her. Then, she saw something that really made her smile. Floating above the roof was a tiny, blue U.F.O. A silver, metallic, skeletal arm was extended from the top, slowly waving at her. Tasha smiled one final time, waved at everyone, and got in the limousine. Her time in the shelter hadn't been unpleasant, and although she wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, she had always wanted to be adopted. DECA had helped her with that wish. Tasha was finally going home.

6:46 p.m.

Crystal and all of the Power Rangers stood in the desert before the Command Center. "It just reached zero," she said, chewing on her bottom lip. She had said her goodbyes with everyone. Tanya had even teleported back from her new dorm room to see her off. Opening the device, she pushed the button on it.

Nothing happened.

"Why didn't it work?" she asked, pushing the button again. Still, nothing happened.

"Because you aren't a Ninja Ranger," Tommy realized. "I'll have to go with you."

"Tommy?" Adam asked.

"We gotta get Crystal home and our friends back here," he said. "If I'm gonna end up gone for several days, then... well, whoever among you is the best runner can tell my family." Taking the slider from Crystal, he pushed the button. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the gleaming white wormhole appeared before them.

"Thank you all for having me here!" Crystal said, waving. Then, she ran at the portal and leapt into it.

"I'll be back!" Tommy promised. Holding the timer tightly in his hands, he jumped into the portal. Stained red, it closed shut, leaving nothing behind.

Sigma's Universe

"Crystal!" Allison cried.

"I'm home?!" Crystal asked hopefully. The Purple Ranger pulled her to her feet and wrapped her arms around her.

"Tommy!" Katherine shouted as her boyfriend tumbled out of thin air and landed on the manicured grass of Mammoth Cave National Park.

"Check the timer, Tommy," Billy encouraged.

Tommy, still sprawled out on the ground, flipped the device open. All color dropped from his face as he took in the read out. "Forty-seven," he answered numbly.

"Forty-seven days?!" Rocky cried.

"Or hours?" Jason asked.

"Seconds," Tommy answered.

I raised my hand to my mouth as I pushed my index finger and thumb together. "Omicron, set up an energy corral and teleport everything out to us."

"Done, and done," she said. White light streaked through the sky and landed around us, producing several duffel bags filled with the clothing she had synthesized for them earlier that summer, the things they had collected during their stay, and a complete collection of Power Ranger episodes, movies, and toys.

"We're actually going home," Katherine murmured.

"I can't believe it's happening so quickly," Beth said.

"Thirty seconds, guys," Tommy announced.

"Looks like I'm gonna stay a teenager," Sydney said to herself with a shrug.

"Everything'll turn out okay, Syd," Justin assured her.

"Oh my God, we love you all," Kimberly said. Beth stepped up to her and pulled her into a hug. Hugs were all around, as we realized our close friends for the summer were leaving very soon.

"Zero," Tommy said. He held the timer out before him and pushed the button. With a rush of wind, a white wormhole opened up.

"We still have Sigma, Nadia, and Catalina," Dana said. "We can stay in touch."

Justin and Sydney picked up the duffel bags and moved toward the portal. "Go on through, kid," Tommy said. The two tossed the duffel bags into the portal, where they disappeared with nary a color change.

"Let's go, Justin," Sydney said. Taking his hand in her's, the two ran at the portal and jumped into it. It flashed blue and white.

Skull, Trini, and Tommy, sensing that the others would want a few extra seconds, prepared to slide. Tommy pressed the slider into Billy's hands. The three Rangers leapt into the wormhole as one.

The eleven of us remaining, Billy, Jason, Rocky, Katherine, Kimberly, Tara, Dana, Allison, Crystal, Beth, and I all joined in a big group hug. Many an eye was moist with unshed tears as we said our goodbyes, silently. "Make sure you stay in touch," Tara said. Her cheeks were shiny with tears. She could be tough, but she also had an emotional side to beat all others.

"Let's go home, guys," Jason said. He walked toward the portal, staring into it. Kimberly was at his side. They turned to look behind them.

"You better leave," I reminded them.

"Thanks for the memories!" Allison called out.

Rocky, Billy, and Katherine joined their friends at the precipice of the portal home. All five friends cast one look back at us. The six of us had grouped together, knowing it was more likely that we would never see them again than that we would. "Home," Katherine said simply. As one, the five Rangers leapt into the portal. It gave off an explosion of blue, pink, and red light, and then, everything was silent.

Instantly, our communications system beeped. "Nadia says they made it home safely," was all Omicron said. Then, it was silent.

We stood in a circle, looking somewhat confused. Then, Beth wrapped an arm around my shoulders with her left arm and Crystal's with her right. The six of us linked up like that as we walked out of the park.

"Do you think we'll ever get used to things being quiet around here?" Tara asked as we walked away. The sun was slowly setting, casting orange and pink light over the whole world.

"Have things ever been quiet around here?" Dana asked in turn.

"It's good to have you back, Crystal," I said.

"It's good to be back," she agreed.

"This has been the most incredible summer of my life," Allison said, "but everything has to end at some point."

"No it doesn't," Beth told her. We were walking away, the spot where five strangers had arrived and five friends had left disappearing further and further into the distance. "It just changes."

Home

Billy and Justin raced into the house, nearly knocking the door off of the hinges. Kimberly was close behind, making a beeline for the phone.

"We're home!" Billy called.

"Billy?" Rebecca asked. She gasped as hot tears sprang to her eyes. "Justin? Is it really you?!"

"We're home, Mom," Justin smiled. Rebecca didn't even attempt to stop the sob that followed as she rushed to her sons, pulling them into her arms. David, hearing the commotion, rushed out to join the hug, crying as well.

Kimberly's voice left her when she heard, ever-so-casual, "Hello?"

"Dad?" she asked.

"Kimberly?" he asked, his voice so rich with hope that she broke into happy tears.

"It's me, Daddy."

"Do I smell lasagna?" Rocky asked as he bounded into his living room.

Rosa was the first to gasp at seeing her older brother in the flesh for the first time all summer. Maria, his mother, came out of the kitchen, still wearing an apron. "Hijo?"

"Si, Mama," Rocky said, his eyes tearing up at seeing his mother.

"Rocky!" she cried, bursting into tears as she rushed at her son. She had just wrapped her arms around him when the rest of his siblings swamped him, nearly pulling him to the floor.

"Thank the Lord, I've missed you so much," Maria sobbed. "And you're grounded for forever."

"'Member me?" Katherine asked.

The silence that followed was the most unbelievable thing Katherine had ever heard, or not heard, as it were. Her younger sisters, Tracy and Brooke, looked up from their spot in front of the television in complete awe. Lisa Hillard, her mother, walked into the living room, holding a clay pot she had spent the past few days working on. "Katherine?" she asked in disbelief. The pot tumbled from her hands, collapsing on itself as it hit the ground. "KATHERINE!"

Her mother raced across the living room, grabbing tall daughter.

"Kitten?!" a deep voice shouted.

"I'm home, Daddy!" Katherine shouted.

"Kat!" Brooke and Tracy finally cried in unison. The twelve and eight year-olds launched themselves at their sister, latching onto her. Ryan came racing down the stairs a second later. He, too, wrapped his arms around his Nordic-looking family, everyone sobbing uncontrollably.

"I didn't know if I would ever see you again," Katherine sighed, losing herself in her family's arms.

Jason rang the doorbell, waiting impatiently for one of his parents to answer the door.

"Yes?" Karen Scott asked, opening the wooden door. Her eyes widened and her knees nearly gave out beneath her as she saw her son standing a few feet away, just a storm door between them.

"Mom," he sighed. He hadn't expected it to be so emotional, but he suddenly felt like crying. "Mama..."

Karen Scott's cry of glee was so loud, it gave all of Evergreen Terrace something to wonder about. John Scott practically tore the storm door off as he joined them. A few of the neighbors came out on their porches and front lawns to look at the crying, hugging pile of Scotts.

10:30 p.m.

It had been an impossibility to actually break away from the parents, so soon after arriving. Instead, everyone had opted to have a spur-of-the-minute party at the Scott's house. Situated near the outskirts of town, but still in suburbia, with a thick patch of trees that could practically be described as woods, the Scott house was a prime place for parties. All of the Rangers were there, including the Turbo Rangers, and a good portion of parents.

Five of the teenagers managed to get away from everything. They sat on a swell in the yard, looking up at the sky above them.

"It just makes you feel small, doesn't it?" Jason asked.

"Minute," Billy agreed.

"The stars are the same," Kimberly murmured. "It's amazing."

"You realize we'll be lucky to get to bed before dawn," Katherine giggled. She had never seen so many happy people in her life.

"Rocky!" Maria's voice suddenly called out.

"I better get back," Rocky said. "Mama goes nuts if I disappear on her again for more than five minutes."

"We'll go with you," Kimberly said, speaking for everyone. As the five Rangers walked back to the bustling party, thoughts and friends from two distinct worlds filled their minds and memories.

A slow song began to play from the speakers, set up about the well-lit patio. "May I have this dance?" Tommy asked as he slithered up to Katherine's side.

"It would be an honor," Kat returned as Tommy took her into his arms. As the two danced, she looked up at the sky. "The stars really do look the same."

"Hmm?" Tommy asked, looking down at her.

"Nothing," she said, kissing him on his cheek. "I'm just glad to be here with you."

The End