Return of an Old Evil

Disclaimer: Same as always.

A/N: I hope you like this chapter! Thank to those who reviewed.

Chapter 10

"Holy shit!" TJ yelled in amazement.

"What in the name of space is going on?" Ashley asked of no one in particular.

"Why the hell is she helping us?" Cassie asked at the same time.

"This doesn't make any sense," added a very confused Carlos.

"Who the hell is she?" Tommy wanted to know.

"She's Astronema, and she's our worst enemy," Ashley explained. "She works for Dark Specter, the Monarch of Evil, who wants to rule the universe."

"If's she's your worst enemy, then why is she helping all of us?" Rocky asked suspiciously.

Tommy had a theory. It had to do with the exact moment she arrived, but he didn't want to say anything about it yet because he wasn't sure that it was his place to do so and he knew it was outrageous and no one was likely to believe it anyway, since he no evidence to back it up, and it would provoke a long discussion and now was not the time or place for that. So he kept quiet and said nothing.

"There's way of knowing, but I say, don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Tanya spoke up after a moment of silence.

"Tanya's right," TJ said. "But something is definitely going on, and after the battle, I'm going to find out what."

The other Astro rangers voiced their agreement and all of them returned to the fight. Between Astronema blasting at them continuously with her staff, and all the other rangers using their own blasters, they made short work of the remaining Tengus and Oozemen.

The moment it was over, TJ wasted no time in running straight up to Astronema. "Just what are you up to?" He demanded sharply. To his shock, she appeared not to have even heard him. She just walked right by him and right up to where Zhane still lay unconscious with his helmet off and Andros still at his side. She just stood there silent and unmoving until Cassie came up and brushed her aside.

"Zhane, are you okay," she asked anxiously.

"He's still unconscious," Andros told her sadly. "I don't know when he'll wake up. He hit his head pretty hard."

Astronema brushed Cassie aside and knelt down next to Zhane, on the opposite side from where Andros was. She reached out and gently brushed his hair back from his forehead.

Carlos pushed his way forward past the others, who had by now all surrounded the silver ranger and roughly grabbed Astronema's shoulder. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded furiously. "We all know you don't give a shit about him, so just stay the hell away!"

"Carlos," Tommy began, putting a comforting hand on the Hispanic boy's shoulder as Astronema shrugged Carlos's hand off her own shoulder, still not saying a word. She just continued to gaze at Zhane. "I don't think you need to get so worked up right now. I realize she's your enemy and all, but she did just help us and probably saved our butts as well."

Carlos rounded on him. "Look, you don't know anything about her and how she works, so just stay the hell out of it!" He screamed angrily in the other's face. "She's up to something and I'm going to find out what it is and send her ass right into the hottest star there is!"

"Carlos, this is only making the situation worse. You've got to get control of yourself. Just close your eyes and take some deep breaths."

"Screw you, man!" Carlos shot back. "Why don't you just shut the hell up and leave me alone!" Tommy tried once again to calm Carlos down but the only thing that accomplished was starting a shouting match between the two. Several of the others tried to break it up, but didn't have much luck. Finally Andros had had enough. He got to his feet and went over to the others, yelling at all of them to shut up.

The amazing thing, though, was that Astronema seemed completely oblivious to all the commotion behind her as she just kept gazing at Zhane through it all. She stroked his hair again and leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Please, Zhane, you've got to be okay," she murmured, speaking for the first time since she had announced that the battle was going to end. She put her mouth to his ear and whispered her next words. "I love you, Zhane. Please wake up. I can't fight my feelings anymore. I just want to be with you." At this point, tears started to well up in her eyes. "I love you so much, and I have since that day in the woods after you saved me from my own monster. Please, just wake up and I'll never leave you again." Unable to hold back any longer, she burst into tears. She buried her face in the side of Zhane's chest and just cried and cried, huge sobs wracking her body.

Meanwhile, after several minutes, Andros had finally gotten Carlos and Tommy to end their shouting match, although they were still glaring at each other, and the others to calm down as well. In the relative quiet that ensued, they were able to hear something that no one, especially the Space rangers, had ever expected to hear; Astronema crying.

"Is Astronema actually crying?" Cassie asked in total disbelief.

"She is, and it looks like crying over Zhane," Ashley responded, amazed. For Astronema was crying over Zhane. She was on her knees by his side, crying into his chest.

"I'm completely lost here," TJ spoke up as Andros ran back over to where Zhane still lay. "Why in the world would she be crying over Zhane?" The rest of them just shook their heads, they didn't have a clue.

Andros reached Zhane's side and made sure his pulse was still strong and his breathing even. They were and he then gently put his hand on Astronema's shoulder and spoke softly. "We need to get him back to the Megaship where we can diagnose his injuries and treat them."

Astronema raised her head up and looked at him and Andros's breath caught as he took in her tear streaked face and red, puffy, eyes. She shook her head and clutched Zhane tighter. "No," she murmured, her voice quivering, with fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't take him away, please."

"Astronema, I have to," Andros replied gently. "You want him to heal, don't you?"

"Yeah, but---," her voice trailed off she put her face back in his chest.

"Hey, he'll be okay, don't worry," Andros tried to reassure her. Astronema raised her head again and started to speak but before she could, Zhane stirred and opened his eyes.

"Astronema?" He murmured groggily. "Is that you?"

She squeezed his hand tightly. "Yeah, it's me, I'm here," she told him but Zhane didn't hear her. He had lapsed back into unconsciousness.

"Zhane wake up," Astronema urged. "Please talk to me."

"He needs medical help, Astronema," Andros replied, and before she could answer, he told DECA to teleport him and Zhane back to the ship and to the Med bay. An instant later, the two of them had vanished. The other rangers followed seconds later, leaving Astronema there by herself.

She sank all the way to the ground right where she was and drew up her knees and rested her head face down on them, wrapping her arms around her legs. Having no desire to go anywhere, she just sat there, unmoving.

Back on the Megaship, in the Med bay, Andros, Alpha 6, and DECA were busy determining the extent of Zhane's injuries, while the others were discussing Astronema's weird and unexpected behavior. Billy, Zack, Kim, Jason, and Trini had joined them upon hearing their return and Tommy had hurried over and told them everything that had happened with the battle, including Astronema showing up and helping them and then crying over Zhane.

"Wow, this is beginning to seem like a soap opera," Trini said, shaking her head in amazement.

Jason chuckled. "Makes you wonder what's going to happen next," he added.

"Whoa, guys, what happened to you?" Rocky asked in his usual blunt way, coming over to stand beside Jason and seeing his and Trini's disheveled appearances and flushed faces. "You look like you just ran a marathon or something."

Jason clapped a hand on Rocky's shoulder. "That's kind of private, man," he replied as Trini blushed.

Rocky looked confused for a moment then gasped as comprehension dawned on him. "Oh! You mean you two were d---," He was cut off abruptly as Jason clamped his hand firmly over his mouth.

"I told you, it was private," he repeated as Zack let out a wolf whistle. Trini blushed harder as he took his hand away from Rocky's mouth and gave Zack a noogie on the top of his head. "You're a bonehead, you know that?"

"That's Mr. Bonehead to you!" Zack replied.

"You're impossible, Zack!" He responded giggling and playfully pushed Zack away.

"I try," Zack replied and shoved him back and a shoving match ensued.

Kim shook her head in exasperation. "See what you started," she told Rocky.

"You have to excuse Rocky," Adam spoke up. "He had no idea what the word 'tact' means."

"He also has a big mouth," Trini put in, causing giggles to erupt from his teammates.

Hearing the giggles behind him, TJ spun around. "There's nothing funny here, guys," he told them sharply and indicated Zhane lying on the medical bed. "This is a very serious situation we're in."

The giggles stopped. "I take it he's hurt pretty bad," Jason said.

"You could say that," TJ snapped. "Unless you call a concussion with swelling in the brain, contusions of the shoulder, four cracked ribs, and a bruised right side of his pelvis not serious."

"Wow, he has all that?" Adam responded, startled.

"Yeah, they just finished scanning him a few moments ago," TJ replied.

"But how can he have a head injury? Don't our helmets protect us from that?" Rocky asked bluntly.

"They do protect us, but it's not foolproof by any means," Tommy answered. Besides, he had already taken a hit several minutes prior to his being thrown into the wall."

"Oh," was all Rocky said in response.

Their attention was drawn back to Zhane as he groaned and began to move around on the bed. "Astronema," he whimpered.

"Zhane, you need to say calm," Andros was quick to tell him.

"Astronema," Zhane whimpered again, not paying any attention to Andros whatsoever. "I know you're here. Where are you?" He raised his head to look for her but lay it back down as he was immediately hit with a wave of dizziness and pain.

Andros put his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "You have to calm down, Zhane," he repeated, more forcefully than before. "If you don't, you could injure yourself worse than you already are."

"Astronema, I heard you, where are you? Don't leave me," Zhane said louder, panic creeping into his voice, as he continued to ignore Andros.

"Zhane!" Andros began sharply but he was cut off as his best friend looked at him for the first time and spoke angrily.

"Andros, where is she?" Zhane demanded. "If you did something to her---," he began but broke off and groaned loudly as another wave of dizziness hit.

"Enough of this, Alpha please sedate him before he does more damage to himself," Andros commanded as Zhane continued to groan. He didn't really want to do this, but he didn't really have a choice at this point. Zhane's greatest danger came from himself right now and Andros knew his body couldn't handle moving and jerking around in the state that it was in.

Alpha picked up a syringe and quickly filled it with the sedative and injected it into Zhane's arm.

It took effect almost immediately and with a last murmur of Astronema's name, he was out cold within several seconds. Andros and the others could only look on worriedly.

Back on Earth, nearly a half hour had passed and Astronema still hadn't moved from where she sat. She had no desire to move or even raise her head. She felt completely drained and it wouldn't do her any good anyway, so why bother. She just kept sitting there feeling all alone in the world.

"Well, if it isn't the pretty little traitor!" A voice jeered suddenly out of nowhere from somewhere around ten feet in front of her, scaring the shit out of her, and making her jump a mile. She looked up and saw the last person she wanted to see right now.

"What the hell do you want?" She demanded.

"I want to know why you attacked my forces," he replied angrily. "I thought be were on the same side here."

Astronema jumped to her feet at Ivan's comment. "You're delusional, you old geezer, if you ever thought we were on the same side!" She spat back.

"You're the one whose delusional if you think you can get away with what you've done," Ivan responded dangerously.

"With what I've done?!" Astronema's voice was incredulous. "You've got a lot of nerve to say that, you slimy scum. What about what you've done? Kidnapping and hurting innocent people, not to mention nearly killing Zhane!"

"Since when do you give a shit about Zhane? He's a ranger and your enemy for crying out loud! Next thing I know, you'll be joining forces with the rangers!" Ivan shot back.

"That's none of your damn business!" She retorted angrily.

"Oh, it is my business when it affects me and my plans," he informed her, his eyes narrowing as his anger increased.

"You know what, Ivan, to hell with your plans and to hell with you!" Astronema snapped.

"That's it! You just made yourself the most dangerous enemy you could ever have," Ivan told her. His eyes had narrowed to angry slits by now.

"Oh, I'm really scared now," she retorted sarcastically. "And furthermore, you the one who doesn't want me for an enemy!"

"We'll just see about that," Ivan threatened. He raised his right hand and shot a blast of purple energy at her.

Astronema raised her staff and blocked it easily. "Is that the best you can do?" She scoffed and shot a purple blast of her own from her staff back at him. He blocked it and sent another blast at her. She countered it. The fight was now on!

A/N: What do you think of the story so far? Do you thing I'm doing a good job on it? I hope I'm keeping everyone in character or at least very close. I apologize if that's not the case. Please review and tell me what you think! Remember reviews=faster updates!