"So its like that," finished Jake as the three Rangers stood around the pool tables of the local bar that Alan and his crew haunted on many occasion. "We came here, and now you know the rest."

"So...it just fell out of the sky?" said Alan, somewhat mockingly. "The whole ordeal began with you saving another Ranger's life?"

"Yeah," Jake told him. "Pretty much, except he ended up dying anyway."

"Man, that's bull," said Alan with frustration. "That kind of stuff is only in the movies."

"Yeah, well pal, it looks like that's what we've got ourselves into one now," said Jake.

Alan was not listening to Jake, though if he had he would have agreed with the Red Ranger. Instead his attention was focused on the bracelet on his wrist, the blue gem glowing brightly in the light of the pool hall. He had avenged the death of his brother by killing the being that had done him in, but part of him still felt empty. He knew he now had this large responsibility with this gift which had been "bestowed" upon him, and that with this power, he could protect his neighborhood a good deal more than before. He would be unstoppable, and his neighborhood would be safe for once. What was that old saying his grandfather had once told him? Power Corrupts. With this power would he turn into someone like Gomez, forcing his will on other neighborhoods in a move to try and keep everyone safe? Would he go that far? What if he was killed and someone took the power, like another of his crew which had ulterior motives and sought power for himself, or worse, a Sen who would use it against anyone he came across. The Sen seemed bent on getting this power, that would mean more could be on their way. That meant even more danger than before for his family and friends.

"It can be overwhelming," said Nicole, breaking into his thoughts. Jake had accepted the responsibility, and acted accordingly. He almost seemed like he had been born to be a Ranger, but she had always had doubts about herself, and the way she could wield power. "I remember the first time I morphed. I killed a Sen, just like you. You stand there in a fit of anger and this…." She paused for a moment, her fists clenched with emotion. She had not realized she had clenched them, and for a moment it frightened her, but she continued. "..This, amazing rush of power throughout your body, and you feel like your invincible." Her face changed, and the look of strength and confidence was slowly replaced with sorrow, and doubt. "Then it leaves you, and you realized what you've done. You also start doubting yourself, who you are, what you'll do? Are we really any better then the Sen ourselves?"

Jake watched her critically, as this was a side of her he'd never seen, but always suspected. To him, being a Ranger was a dream, and he had met the challenge head on that first day in the alley way. He had come to the aid of someone who needed him, never once worrying about whether or not he could handle the power, or how he would wield it. To him, it almost came naturally, protecting those who needed his help. He looked over at Alan who had been listening, and pushed himself off the table he was leaning on. "The power as we've seen it, doesn't distinguish between good or evil. There is no light or dark side to this energy, it is all dependent on who wields it, and what their intentions are. What you've done here Alan before you ever received the power should tell you what kind of person you are, and the actions you'll take. You're a man, both good and bad runs through you and you'll use the power to those ends inside of you. I think that means you'll use it to protect those who can't protect themselves."

Nicole looked over at Jake and smiled. He had a deep side after all, which she had only seen the brief flicker of before in his eyes. She smiled, and thought about what he had said to Alan. Was it the same with her, was she capable of controlling who she was when she wielded this power. Her discipline and grace in battle were one thing, but when it came down to it, would she be able to stop herself from killing again? Was this what was holding her back deep down from being stronger? She remembered again how she had watched helplessly as the Sen charged up his shot at Jake. All she could do was lay there in the alleyway, stunned by the last blow. She was so frightened at the thought of losing Jake, especially after what happened earlier today when he took off this morning. But there was more too. She had felt rage. She had felt hatred. She was angry at herself for being unable to do anything; hate for the Sen who was going to kill Jake, once she was up, she knew she would have killed that Sen. The worst part though, in the midst of it all, she had hated Jake. She had hated him for the way he had left her alone earlier in the morning, and she hated him for the way he was about to leave her alone again during the fight.

"What do you want to do?" Jake asked Alan, staring at him again, as Nicole came back from her deep thoughts.

"What are my options?" asked Alan skeptically.

"Well, you could surrender the Blue Bracelet, and give it to us," said Jake, betraying his own thoughts. Jake had already made his decision deep down. He respected Alan, and appreciated the work he had done in his community, but at the same time, he had suspected that Alan was probably a loose cannon, especially after what he had done to Gomez. It was one thing for Rangers to fight aliens who threatened their very life, but it was another thing completely to fight humans, and then end them.

"You could join us," said Nicole, voicing her opinion. She had been the most shocked by the way he had dealt with Gomez, but at the same time, she knew that he had been right, and she did not know the history between the two. It was none of her business to get involved with that past, and she was sure he had reasons that were his own to what he had done. She also realized that in his world, he was most likely justified for it. She looked at Jake thoughtfully, and knew though that it was not Alan's world he was thinking of when he attempted to justify Alan's action. Jake was using the scale of the Ranger powers.

"Or I can protect my home," said Alan, not as a statement, but more as what it was, an option. "I can use this power to do more good around here." He knew what Jake was thinking, that he had killed, and now he was wielding powers that would make him stronger, and more dangerous, especially if he lost control again.

He was no fool though, he had been paying close attention as to the threat the Sen had posed. The two other Rangers were barely a match for the lead Sen without his help which meant that the way the powers were designed, it meant that together as a team they were stronger than apart. If he stayed here to protect his home, he would only bring about its downfall as Sen swept in, and they would not only kill him, then strip him of his powers, but then would use it against the people he cared about. That was a much bigger threat than a hundred Gomezs put together. He pushed himself off the pool table he was leaning against, and then unfolding his hands, held out his right one to Jake. "It would probably be best if I tossed in with you. It seems that these powers were meant to be used in combination. I would probably do a lot of a good around here, but only til these alien dudes showed up, and took me out. I have my own ways, and they might be different from yours, but I think you need my help, and I could use yours."

Jake eyed Alan's hand, and then turned his gaze to Alan's eyes. Was he prepared to have this man join him, and Nicole in their quest to return the powers. Alan had killed a human in a petty dispute, not just an unarmed man, but a man who was already incapacitated, showing no mercy to him whatsoever. Were he, and Nicole safe with someone like this along for the ride? At the same time though, he remembered how Alan had thrown himself in front of the Sen's blast meant for him, and it not for this man, he would be dead right now. He would have to trust that Alan was changed after the loss of his brother, or at least, at the very least, that his hatred for the Sen was strong enough to keep him on the path of light for now. He nodded, and shook Alan's hand reluctantly.

Nicole smiled, but at the back of her mind knew that even though they shook hands before her, tensions were strong between the two of them. Maybe not now, or next week, but soon the two of them would either have it out, or learn to trust one and other completely. She feared though, that the latter was just not possible.

"So what's next?" asked Alan, letting go of Jake's hand and resting it on the pool table's edge.

"I've been thinking about that for some time, and I think I finally stumbled onto a lead," said Jake, changing his glance from Nicole to Alan as he spoke.

"Is this what you were doing earlier today?" Nicole asked, her face brightening.

Jake nodded, and grinned, "We know we can't find Souza. If he's routed deep in EA intelligence or something then he probably won't want to be found, especially after his team went MIA."

"But if we can't find this guy of yours, then what good is your mission deal?" asked Alan.

"Maybe we can't find him," said Jake, turning his attention to Alan, and grinning. "But there are others who might be able to help us."

"Like who man?" asked Alan, his skepticism building. Nicole looked confused as well, but suddenly it dawned on her, and she turned and looked at Jake.

"You mean…" she said, but was interrupted by Jake.

"Yeah," he said, nodding, "We find the first Rangers."

Alan shook his head, "Man you must be on something. There ain't no way we're going to find the rangers. They didn't even give their real names on television once they saved the world. They probably don't even look the same way anymore, ain't no way we're going to recognize them. The only one we know for sure has more security around him then the Pentagon."

Nicole dropped her arms in shock, "You can't be serious. We've been over this, there's no way to get to him, no one knows his schedule. Even if he was in the embassy, he would be surrounded by who knows what kind of defenses."

Jake reached into his pants pocket, fishing for something, and slowly he brought his hand up, producing a card. He turned it over, and on the back lay something scribbled, a name perhaps. "It helps though when you have a time and a place."

Alan took the card, and looked skeptically, "Are you suggesting...that we just go Mission Impossible or something?"

Jake nodded, his smile reluctant, "Not that extreme, but I think all we need to do is get his attention."

"Get his attention?" asked Alan. "We can't just march up, and be like, Hey, We're part of your secret club now, let's go meet the president. His guards would blow us to hell and back, Rangers or not."

"This is crazy," said Nicole, coming to stand between the two of them.

"Look, I honestly believe that since we have yet to find Souza," Jake told them, "or anyone else besides the Sen who know about our powers, that means that whoever invented them in the EA, tried to keep them a secret, and since the Ambassador and his people are the only ones so far that have this kind of technology, they would probably want to know about it."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Alan skeptically.

"Its a hunch," the Red Ranger replied. "But if you were him, and you had that kind of advantage in technology, and suddenly someone showed up on your doorstep with the same kind, wouldn't you want to know? Besides..." Jake paused, and then let the air clear his lungs before he inhaled again. "...he's one of us."

Nicole turned towards him, her face full of faith, and trust. Alan had never seen such a determined look on a woman before as he had now on Nicole, and for a moment, the look almost frightened him. She had no doubt in her features at all; it was if she more than just knew it, she believed it with every ounce of her being, and spirit. She nodded as Jake finished. "He's one of us."

Figuring the Sen still needed time to regroup before their next strike, Jake and Nicole risked leaving Alan behind to be with his family. They were all still mourning the loss of Carl, and the two Rangers felt that their presence would be somewhat inappropriate to the situation. Alan neither confirmed nor denied their suspicions, but merely sent them on their way with a promise that he'd meet up with them tomorrow at the agreed meeting spot.

Nicole and Jake moved about the darkness without fear, for they knew very little out there could truly hurt them anymore. They arrived at their building without episode, and safely made it into their apartment. Only once inside though, did they truly feel relaxed as the world around them seemed to return to a form of normal, or at least normal for them. Tonight their ranks increased, and they no longer shared the burden of their task jointly, but now the weight could be distributed equally among three.

Jake was the last one in, and shut the door behind him. Nicole stood just in the entrance way, her back to him, deep in thought. A cool summer breeze came in from one of their windows which had been cracked slightly to allow circulation, for their apartment of course did not have the luxury of air conditioning. A solitary lamp was on by the couch, and it cast about the room a dull light that even with the summer night seemed to echo the darkness of winter. If feeling the chill, Nicole rubbed her arms. Jake turned and looked down, as she turned to face him, their eyes meeting again. She forgot about the cold as they slowly locked eyes, their feeling for each other absorbing any other emotion or reaction.

Suddenly she broke away though; her gaze fell towards the open window. Jake sighed, and looked towards the open door to her bedroom, frustrated. The entire walk home he could tell something was wrong, but when he attempted to ask her about, the only thing he got was a brush off.

"What's wrong Nicole?" he asked her, the frustration evident in his voice. "You've been acting strange since before we even met Alan today."

"Its nothing," she said, her voice filled with emotion though, betraying her thoughts.

He reached out, and put a hand on her arm, and she turned to look at him. "You can tell me about it, you don't have to hold it in."

"I don't want to talk about it Jake," she told him, slowly breaking his grip on her arm. She walked over towards the couch, and stood in front of it.

"If you don't talk, its just going to fester and get worse," he told her. "Just get it off your chest."

Slowly, her eyes started to moisten. She thought back to the alleyway when they were lying there helpless, and she was watching as the Sen was about to kill him. She felt so guilty about feeling alone. The same feeling she had when she thought for the briefest of seconds in the morning that he had run out on her. "It's just," she said, shaking her head. "You were lying there, and I couldn't get to you." Her emotions flooded out though like a storm surge, and her tears ran full power, starting to flow down her face.

Jake slowly moved over to her, his frustration and anger turning to concern, and remorse. He reached out, and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her tightly. "It's alright, everything is fine. I'm alive, I'm right here."

"But you left me all alone," she cried, holding on to him for support. "All alone, and by myself. I can't do this fight alone Jake."

"I'm right here Nicole," he told her, trying to sound reassuring. "I'll always be right here."

She sniffed, and held on to him tightly. She felt secure like this, being held by him. Jake rested his head on hers, and slowly rubbed her back. He had very little experience with this before, and was not sure how to quite comfort her. He wanted everything to be okay, but he knew that sometimes even he, a Power Ranger just could not make everything alright. He knew that no matter what he said, the possibility still existed for him to die in combat, to fall in some battle. He knew that was just as true for her, as it was for him, that in any battle he might lose her and that scared him almost as much as the thought had scared her.

"I'll always be right here," he repeated, feeling her relax, and slowly her body began to sob less as the tears faded from her eyes. She knew it was not the truth, and she knew, especially after today how easily it would be for him to break that promise, but for now it was the only thing he could say to comfort her. She realized then, what had to be done.

"Jake," she said fixing her eyes on his again. "This is a dangerous situation we're in, I know that." She searched his eyes for any sign of emotion as she talked; any hint that what she might be saying could be disturbing him. "I really care about you, very deeply, and I…"

She couldn't finish though as Jake leaned slowly in towards her and kissed her softly on her lips. They felt it both then, the consummation of their deep mental bond, with their latent physical attractions that had led up to this very moment. It was like every second that they had been holding back their true feelings had been slowly filling this pond of energy until it could no longer contain its contents, and a great flood was all around them. They were not just kissing each other, while standing there with the skylight of New York in the backroom with the shadows of the night being dispelled by the single lamp, but they were uniting their souls. They were more than just two young people in love, they were partners, equals, who had fought beside each other, knew how the other one thought, and moved. They were in a sense two halves, forged in combat, that had been finally brought together by the magnetic force of their love.

"I love you," he told her, as they slowly broke apart, a soft smile upon his lips.

"I love you too," she replied, his smile being reflected back at him by hers. "And I know you want to stay apart, because of the situation were in, but maybe…maybe we should just live for the moment."

He stared at her cautiously for several moments, as he tried to put the turbulent thoughts in his own mind into some form of order. If they became too close, that could be a weakness, but if he lost her, would that not be worse? She was right though, should they not just live for now, and worry about the bad when it comes. Deciding his mind at last, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close to him, kissing her more deeply this time, she reciprocating as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The world faded around them, and slowly they began to melt into each other.