A/N: The main reason my updates are so sporadic is because avoiding clichés is difficult for me. However, each one I do avoid makes the story stronger. One thing I should point out first. Karone upgrading the Green Coin means that the suit and weapons are gaining all of the excess power, not Karone herself. But enough of that, on with the show!

(Chapter 12)

"DRAGONZORD!"

As she felt her suit form around her, Karone took note of her new powers. Unlike the calm flow from the Pink Quasar Saber, this energy was much more volatile, and it crackled with power.

Wow, no wonder Zedd and Mondo wanted this coin so badly. I've barely charged it at all, yet it's already matched my Saber at full power. Okay, keep it together, Karone. After being beat down already, the last thing the Rangers need is another crisis on their hands. Stay. In. Control.

Drawing the Dragon Dagger, the new Green Ranger motioned toward Trakeena, daring her to attack. With her staff now re-energized, the insect queen rushed forward firing multiple blasts. Leaping into the air, Karone met the charge with a powerful kick. A walkie-talkie clattered from her opponent's belt.

"Trakeena, what's going on?" Gasket was shouting from the other end, "Report now! Respo—" CRUNCH!

The Green Ranger removed her boot from the pile of sparking metal, "Sorry, but your prince can't afford to know that I'm in town just yet." Trakeena came back for another go-round, but Karone was ready. With uncanny speed, she threw her Dagger into the air, sidestepped a stab from the staff, wrenched it out of the other's grasp, knocked her away, and kicked the falling weapon right into Trakeena's unprotected chest! She howled in pain and yanked out the point along with a lot of green slime. Now wounded, the insect queen reverted to what can only be described as animalistic fury; still screaming, she hurled Karone into a stack of supply crates then pounced on her, scratching, slashing, and even biting like a rabid dog.

The Green Ranger defended herself from the onslaught as best she could, but her foe's unexpected vigor had caught her off guard.

What's gotten into her? I've never seen her fight like this before! Another slash hit her torso hard under the suit…yet the material itself was undamaged. That's strange. Usually when the suits take a hit, energy leaks out as sparks. After landing several more hits, Trakeena panted and backed away to recover. But even though I'm certainly feeling the blows, The Power around me isn't. In fact it seems…stronger. Did my upgrades allow it to absorb kinetic energy too? Suddenly, it was like a dam giving way. There was a massive rush of force as the suit absorbed all of the strength from its earlier beating. The very air around her crackled with power.

"Whoa, this is intense! So much power. Too…..much…..power…. I can't…I can't control it!"

Then everything froze.

(In the infirmary)

"Tommy, I'm worried."

"What's wrong, Kat? The doctor said that as long as you don't move, your back should still heal enough for you to walk."

"It's not that. I'm worried about Karone."

"What about her?"

"When I talked to her earlier, she seemed distraught. She can't seem to forgive herself for what she did as Astronema. I fear that if she doesn't make peace with herself and with Andros, she might return to the darkness."

"I know the feeling. Perhaps you and I can—" He abruptly stopped talking, overwhelmed by a heavy sense of dread. He glanced at his wife.

"I sense it too. Go help her quickly!"

He ran off, hoping he wasn't too late.

(Back in the Zord hanger)

Trakeena had regained her composure; while, Karone just stood in the center of the room, her eyes closed.

"What's wrong, Karone?" The insect queen snarled and began walking towards her, "Have you run out of fight already? That's just typical. I don't know what Dark Specter ever saw in you. One of his generals brings in a stray, and he has her trained as his apprentice. You did nothing to earn that title at all. Not like me. My father and I worked hard to be a part of the Alliance of Evil, and I was all set to move up until you arrived. I should have been trained. I should have been feared throughout the galaxy. I should have become Astronema!" She rushed forward for a final strike.

A gloved hand caught the outstretched fist and pulled it close. A large boot slammed into Trakeena and knocked her away. Two glowing green eyes snapped open and narrowed towards their foe.

"What fool is this, so weary of life, that she takes the name of Astronema, MY NAME, in vain?"

The other's eyes widened in absolute terror, "No. No, it can't be…."

"You stand before me, yet deny that I am here? You are not a fool; you are simply mad." In an instant, Astronema grabbed Trakeena by the throat, "Now tell me why Gasket sent you here."

Scorpius's daughter trembled with fear, but she didn't give in, "I won't tell you anything."

"A foolish attempt to maintain some sense of nobility. But that was not a request." Her hand began to close and cut off even more air from her victim, "You will tell me why Gasket sent you, or you will learn the upper limits of the human capacity for PAIN."

Maybe it was her chilling voice. Maybe it was her reputation for torment. Or maybe it was just her soulless, glowing, green eyes. Whatever it was, it was enough to break her opponent.

"Very well, I yield. Gasket sent me to steal blueprints for his cog foot soldiers in order to build up the forces of the Syndicate."

"I see. Here's what you're going to do. You're going to take the blueprints back to Gasket just like he told you to. However, you will not tell him of your encounter with me, nor will you tell him of the reactivated Green Ranger powers."

"And what will you do if I do tell him?"

She sneered, "I was hoping you'd say that." With a wicked laugh, The Green Ranger plunged the point of the Dragon Dagger into the insect queen's mouth! Trakeena tried to fight back but was quickly overpowered. All she could do was scream in indescribable pain as Astronema pried a cluster of teeth out of her mouth!

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Does that answer your question?"

Fortunately, any further torture was interrupted by a banging on the outer hatch. The hatch opened, flooding the room with water. While Astronema managed to grab one of the walls for safety, Trakeena was pulled outside by the current. Right afterwards, steel floodgates closed over where the opening had been, and special drains, installed for just such a purpose, began to siphon the water away. Through a nearby porthole, Astronema saw a small submarine pull up next to Trakeena and a retrieval claw pull her inside. The Princess of Evil had demorphed and was just weighing the odds of pursuit when….

"Karone? What's going on in there? Karone, answer me!" Astronema suddenly felt her head grow hazy. She swayed dangerously before bracing herself against the wall and sliding down to the floor.

It had taken a while, but Tommy had finally found Karone. But for some reason, the door to the Zord bay had been barricaded. He'd heard sounds of scuffling, an agonized scream, and water filling the room. The water had weakened whatever it was that had blocked the door, so he had been able to pry it open at last. Karone was soaking wet and unconscious on the ground, the green morpher on her wrist. He gently picked her up, and carried her off to the infirmary.

"Looks like you and Kat will be roommates again."

(The Syndicate's headquarters)

"And you're sure that's all that happened?"

"Yes, Prince Gasket. General Havoc is deciphering the blueprints as we speak."

"That's very good, but I'm more concerned about you. You look like you fell into a wood chipper. You say a Ranger did that to you?"

"Indeed sir."

"Last I checked, breaking teeth wasn't part of their protocol."

"My opponent wasn't aiming for my mouth, sir. It was a misfire."

She could tell he wasn't quite buying it, but he didn't press further, "If you say so. I must say, I'm impressed. Even in the face of such painful injuries, you managed to accomplish the entire mission. For that, I'm giving you two of your own cog servants to be programmed however you choose."

"Really? Thank you so much, sir."

"You're welcome. You have some time before our next mission. I expect you to prepare accordingly."

"Yes sir."

"And how go your efforts with the prisoner?"

"Kira continues to resist the Psycho serum."

"Still? She's more resilient than I first anticipated. We may have to alter our plans if she doesn't cooperate. Still, that's another problem for another day. Great job today, Trakeena."

(Back to the infirmary)

"Karone."

"Hmm?"

"Karone, wake up."

"Who's there?"

"Ahh, finally. It's much easier to communicate when you're asleep."

"So, I was dreaming inside a dream?"

"What do you think dreamless sleep is? But I digress, I need to talk to you urgently."

"Where are you? I can't see you."

A bright light appeared before her, then slowly materialized into a young woman. She had dirty-blond hair, pink clothes, and a pair of glasses. Karone gave a small gasp.

"I see you remember me then," the woman smiled, "I haven't seen you in a while."

"K-k-Kendrix?"

(End of Chapter)

A/N: I'm back. Ugh, exams are such a hassle. A couple of things to address here. First is our first glimpse of Astronema. I've built her up as a terrifying threat throughout the story, but this is where you see how dangerous she truly is. Second, the teeth. I needed to find a way to keep Trakeena from telling Gasket about Karone. Because if he know, he'd kick their plans into overdrive, and it would be all over for everyone. Since other methods seemed too unorthodox, I decided to go with sheer intimidation. Thirdly, Kendrix. Since I've made several references to her death so far, I figured I'd be able to get much more of an emotional response if she actually appeared in person (so to speak). After all, Astronema's Psycho Rangers were responsible for her death. Reviews help the Power protect the Rangers.