Troy, Emma and Gia's helmets were lined up on the top of one of the control consoles as they rested up in the Command Centre after their second straight defeat at the hands of Shadow Serpent. They had hoped that going to meet him in the open, by calling his bluff together with their combined use of their powers to block out the sunlight would throw him off his game long enough to take him down. Unfortunately, they were the ones that were caught unawares.

Emma watched as Troy paced back and forth, while Tensou worked on a city wide scan. The next thing that had come as a nasty shock for the Rangers was that when they teleported back to the Command Centre was that Noah and Jake hadn't come with them. None of the Rangers were touching them when they teleported, expecting them to teleport themselves as they usually did. Unfortunately, it seemed that when they were frozen, so too was their own teleportation signal. It appeared that they needed the Rangers to hold onto them, much like if they wanted to bring another person or object with them. To all intents and purposes, once their shadows had been taken and they were frozen, they were inanimate objects.

That was when they got another nasty shock. When they switched the viewing screen back to the riverbank, they found that Noah and Jake were gone. Since they were incapable of moving, it seemed that the only explanation was that Shadow Serpent had taken them with him. This now left them with the problem of where exactly they had gone.

"There's no sign of them." Tensou told them dejectedly.

"Then search further." Troy told him.

"I've already done a planet wide scan." Tensou told him.

"Then search FURTHER!" Troy reiterated. "Search the Warstar flagship if you have to!"

"Troy, it won't do any good, their signals just aren't registering." Tensou told him. "It looks like the signal is frozen just like they are!"

"I am so over this magic shit!" Jordan snapped, kicking one of the control consoles. "That cloud attack should have worked, but he blasted it away like it was nothing!"

"We were just totally unprepared for it." Gia admitted. "It seems like just when we figure him out..."

"He pulls out another power we didn't know about." Emma sighed, nodding in agreement. She looked up to Gosei. "How are we meant to fight against this magic?"

"You have faced unknown threats before." Gosei told them. "Magic may open up the possibilities beyond what you thought was possible..."

"Yeah, like just when we think we've got him on the ropes, he pulls ANOTHER power out of his ass!" Jordan interrupted Gosei. "You said this magic came from Lord Zedd right? How did Zordon and the Rangers beat him?"

"Not easily." Gosei informed them. "They had a number of means at their disposal. Even then, they needed other abilities and powers. Our allies utilised many strange and exotic powers. Zordon learned from many of them, and blended them into Technomancy."

"Technomancy?" Emma asked, looking a little puzzled. "You mean...technology backed up by magic?"

"Technology blended with magic." Gosei corrected him. "He saw the awesome abilities of his enemies and saw that their arsenal was greater than his, and began to study under any mages he could find in white magic."

"Whoa, hold up. I thought magic was forbidden to Eltarians." Jordan chipped in, remembering his time in the library. The others just looked at him in shock. "Back on Eltar, one of their leaders, Lord Scimitar, started to use magic to bolster his power so he could take over the universe. He wanted to preserve the Eltarian race in his image. Zordon fought him for turning on the Eltarian people and their ways..."

"In time though, he listened to the mages he found. They explained to him that magic is a tool like any other. Magic is neither good nor evil; it is the intent of the user that determines how it is used." Gosei continued. "You cannot believe that all of your technology is merely machinery. The Zords, your weapons, even the very suits you wear contain elements of the magic Zordon was taught."

"But Shadow Serpent's magic..."

"A hammer can be used to create, or it can be used to destroy." Gosei interrupted Jordan. "Just like magic."

"One of these teams...they used magic." Troy said, looking to the figurines lining the room. Gosei lit up the Mystic Force team.

"Yes, this team tapped into the vast magic of the Earth, and utilised that over all else." Gosei told them.

"Great, so all we need is some magic." Jordan said sarcastically. "So, what do we do? Point at him and shout Avade Kadavre?"

"There will not be time to find a greater source of magic than Shadow Serpent." Gosei told them.

"What do you mean?" Gia asked.

"Your friend Cat, her vitals are starting to weaken." Gosei informed them. "It appears that when Shadow Serpent takes the shadow, he takes the person's spirit. Once separated, the spirit and the body can only last a short time without each other. In time, the spirit will move on."

"We need to stop this." Gia rushed out in a panic. "Troy, we can't..."

"I'm thinking!" Troy told them. He had to think very carefully about what he had heard. He wanted to find Noah and Jake, to bring them back, and find a way to unfreeze them and attack in a united front.

"Noah's gone; we can't use his water power." Emma reminded him. "We can't try our cloud trick again without him."

"We can't wait until we find them." Troy announced. "If Shadow Serpent's destroyed, his magic will be destroyed too right Gosei?"

"That is correct Troy." Gosei confirmed.

"Then we need to destroy him." Troy announced. "Once we do that, Jake and Noah won't be frozen anymore, and we can bring them back. Tensou, cancel the search for Noah and Jake for a moment. "

"Yeah, there's just a little problem." Gia reminded him. "You see that big yellow thing in the sky? It's not going away anytime soon, and there isn't a cloud for miles."

Troy thought about it for a moment, before something in the room caught his eye. He smiled.

"I have an idea." Troy told them. "But we're going to have to draw him out."

"Well, that's what I'm talking about." Jordan responded, his armour forming up around him as Emma and Gia collected their helmets. "I'm sick of letting this guy dictate the pace of battles."

"I've found Shadow Serpent." Tensou told them. "He's by the polluted lake..."

"Perfect!" Troy snapped. "We need to draw him further down the banks to...here!" He stated, pointing to a map. He looked to Gia. "Are you ready?"

"Trust me; I am all for turning this guy into a purse." Gia stated as she put her helmet back on.

"For once, I agree." Emma added, also replacing her helmet.

"Alright Tensou, we're ready to go." Troy told him as he replaced his helmet. Tensou punched in a few keys and teleported the Rangers away.

Elsewhere, Noah was standing in a room, behind thick, bullet proof glass, still frozen as he had been in his battle with Shadow Serpent. Jake was with him, a little way to the right of him. A number of machines had been linked up to him, presumably some form of scanning equipment.

Noah was, unfortunately, completely conscious, and fully aware of what was going on. These men had found him and Jake, and put them in a van, bringing them here. He had no idea exactly where "here" was, since the van didn't have windows, and he was only unloaded once inside, but he knew the drive wasn't long, so he presumed they had to be close to the city, if they weren't still in it.

The place they had been taken looked pretty non-descript, but it was also clear that it was here for a purpose. There were huge banks of computers and devices studying the Rangers, while lab technicians kept track of them. Two of the men that had taken them were in the room, presumably as guards. They had removed their helmets, so Noah could see their faces now. The sniper was a toned man, around his thirties, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His rifle was propped up next to him, while he was standing, observing the Rangers. The other man, the one who had been carrying the scanning equipment, was black, bald, and looked like he had to weigh close to three hundred pounds without his body armour. He was wearing mirrored shades, and had a goatee style beard.

The sniper approached Noah, inspecting him thoughtfully.

"Dave." The other man snapped, gesturing to his colleague to come back. Dave though didn't seem to take much notice. Instead, he pressed buttons on a keypad, opening the glass partition and allowing him to come in. "Dave! We're meant to keep an eye on them."

"Don't worry; the merchandise isn't going to get damaged." He replied, looking around, beginning to circle Noah and checking out his suit. Noah could do nothing as he seemed to inspect him. "Wow, I thought they always looked bigger when I saw them on the news."

"Dave, we're not meant to..."

"You worry too much Sam." He interrupted him. "When are we likely to get the chance to get this close to Rangers?"

Sam didn't say anything, just continuing to watch as Dave inspected them, seeming to take a certain amount of joy in getting to see them up close like this. He moved across to Jake, beginning to circle him as well, taking care not to disturb any of the wires attached to them.

"This guy's bigger, but he's still not huge." Dave commented.

"OK, so they're not huge." Sam stated. "Will you get out of there? If the General..."

"He's too busy on a conference call to Washington." Dave said with a dismissive wave, coming back around to the front where Noah could see him. He started waving a hand in front of his face, making Noah wish he could say or do something, even if it was just to tell him to cut it out. "You think they're still in there?"

"The vitals are hard to track; our technology barely penetrates the suits." One of the lab techs stated. "But they both seem to be alive."

"So what's the deal with these guys?" He asked. "What are they?"

"As near as we can tell, they're humanoid at least." The lab tech responded. "The energy readings from their suits are huge; it's making it hard to tell if they're even human."

"You know, there is one way to find out." Dave said with a smile, seeing a catch on the side of Noah's helmet. Checking around the other side, he found another just the same.

"Dave..."

"Come on, this is what they're here for right?" Dave asked him. "We're finding out about them."

"We don't know what these things are, or what could happen!" Sam snapped at him. "Now, get out here!"

"Oh, lighten up; I'm just taking a peek." He replied.

Noah could only watch as he reached for the clasps. He could do nothing as Dave took hold, ready to expose his identity to everyone in the room. He wasn't even able to close his eyes. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, and prepared to watch, focusing entirely on Noah. Just then, as he was expecting the whole room to see a terrified High School kid standing in front of them, he saw Dave's face twist into a frown. He rocked Noah back and forth as he fumbled with the clasps.

"Well?" Sam asked.

"They won't open!" Dave stated.

"Maybe they're locked?" One of the lab techs suggested.

"There aren't any locks on them." Dave pointed out. "They're...they're stuck!"

Noah would have breathed a sigh of relief if he could. Whatever power had frozen him in place seemed to have done the same with the clasps to his helmet.

"Maybe an angle grinder..."

"The helmet's on his head genius!" Sam cut Dave off as he shook his head in disbelief. "If you want, you can explain to the General why his brain's on the floor."

"Whatever." Dave groaned as he finally gave up, stepping back outside the room, closing the glass again. He pointed to Noah. "We'll figure out who you are soon enough. Then we'll see about figuring out how to take all those cool little toys of yours."

"Dave, we need to go." Sam told him, holding an earpiece as he seemed to be getting a message. "The General said we've got a sighting."

"Don't go anywhere." Dave teased Noah and Jake with a smile. "For now, we're on Ranger watch."

With that, they ran out of the room, leaving Noah and Jake in the hands of the lab techs as they went back to work.

Shadow Serpent was at the banks of the lake when Vrak arrived. Vrak just looked to him, impatiently.

"Well Vrak, I did as you asked." Shadow Serpent said smugly, posturing as he gave him the news. "Two Rangers have been frozen, and all before midday."

"Yet I do not see you making efforts to destroy the others." Vrak replied.

"They ran away." Shadow Serpent laughed arrogantly. "I doubt we'll be seeing them again, they know what will happ..."

Just then, he and Vrak were blown off their feet by a massive whirlwind.

"What the...?" Shadow Serpent started to say, before looking down the banks, where a power blast fired upwards into the air.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Vrak asked him.

Shadow Serpent used his power to teleport further down the bank, to where the Rangers were waiting. Troy, Emma and Gia were standing in the open.

"You just don't learn do you?" He asked. "So, there are a couple of trees here for shade, that won't save you!"

"We'll just see about that!" Troy answered. "Now!"

Emma and Gia ran away from Shadow Serpent, heading into shade and heading even further up the bank, while Troy rushed Shadow Serpent. He brought his Dragon Sword to bear, hacking away at him wildly, while the mutant tried to stave off the attack.

"You think you can save your friends like this?" Shadow Serpent asked. He smashed Troy aside, and lashed out with his tongue, taking his shadow as he lay on the ground, freezing him in place. He turned as a few blasts hit him, to see Emma a little further down with her phoenix shot at the ready.

"Come and get us!" She yelled at him, breaking into a run. He followed her as she headed even further up, finally getting close enough to take her shadow. Her momentum carried her body to the ground as she was frozen, but unable to react to the impact.

"Alright, so where are you hiding Yellow?" He asked.

"Who's hiding?" She asked him, standing by a cliff face. Shadow Serpent just smiled as he approached.

"So, you've finally stopped running have you?" He asked.

"No, I've just done my part of the plan." She replied. Shadow Serpent looked around, seeing that here; he was surrounded on three sides by cliffs. Too late, he realised that he had been led here as Gia slammed a power card into her morpher. Smashing a fist into the side of the cliff, the rock cast upwards, reforming into a wall, which created a long shadow over them both.

"That won't save you!" He snarled as he hit Gia with a power blast, sending her crashing into a wall. "I may not freeze you, so I guess I'll just have to do this the old fashioned..."

Just then, he was cut down by the Robo Blade. Gia was quickly back to her feet, using her Tiger Claw to pin Shadow Serpent to the wall, keeping him from retreating.

"Alright Jordan, now would be a good time!" Gia told him. She looked back to Shadow Serpent. "This is for my girlfriend!"

Jordan had just finished attaching the Vulcan Shot to his blaster, and levelled it at him.

"Knight Spectacular Victory Charge!" He called out. "Gia, clear out...NOW!"

Gia shoved off, throwing herself clear just as Jordan pulled the trigger. Unable to move quickly enough, Shadow Serpent took the full force of the hit. What little was left of him fell to the ground lifelessly. Gia got back to her feet as Jordan came over to her.

"That...that was a little close." She told him. "Thank God you're a good shot."

"Look!" Jordan stated, seeing Troy and Emma starting to stir and run towards them. "The people he's frozen...they're turning back to normal!"

"It looks like good timing too." Gia responded, seeing Vrak summoning his Zombats.

"Great, that's all we need." Jordan replied, pulling out his Robo Morpher.

Back at the lab, Noah and Jake suddenly fell to the ground, finally able to move. The lab techs saw this and started to panic.

"Noah, what the...?"

"The others, they must have found a way to unfreeze us." Noah concluded, ripping wires from his suit.

"Full alert!" One of the lab techs screamed as soldiers started to pour into the room, before turning to them. "Stay where you are..."

"Yeah...we'd rather not." Jake stated. "As much as the hospitality's been great, we really need to be going."

"Tensou, send us to wherever the others are." Noah yelled into his morpher as the soldiers opened the bulletproof glass. "Um...now would be good!"

With that, Noah and Jake disappeared, leaving the lab techs and the soldiers dumbfounded. One of the soldiers just looked to the empty cell and gulped.

"The General is not going to like this." He said in a worried tone.