Author's Notes: You know, I'm a sick puppy. Tell me in a review if you agree.

Reviewer thanks: Ghostwriter, Drachegirl14 (I had actually forgotten that the Billy clone episode happened MUCH later. Of course, I also misplaced the Jason/Tommy rivalry episode, so that fits. Off topic, but in the Billy clone episode wasn't that girl crushing on Billy hella creepy? Also... I wonder if I've crossed the line yet. I dunno. You'll have to tell me.), Bahamut Slayer (Okay, I've had Tommy get it on with Scorpina and Scorpina get it on with Goldar, and I've never delved into anything approaching a lemon. I will occasionally include some risque stuff—if you remember Kimberly's vision at the Island of Illusion—but I will never go into "he thrust his purple-headed warrior into her quivering mound of love pudding" or anything like that. Oh, and Tor? Probably not. Maybe for a bit of comedy...), PinkRangerV, sj (Tommy will have his own evil clone later, remember?), alias093001 (Interesting guess.), chibi heishi (You'll definitely hitting on all the major themes.), brankel1, qwerty avelat (I think the glasses clue is going to get a bit fuzzy here... pun intended), Ahkalia (Yes, Rita will come back. Come on, I'm not giving up on our favorite love connection in all of the PR universe. Screw Tommy/Kimberly, give me Rita/Zedd any day of the week.), and CalcBoy91.

Darker Shades

Book 5: A Darker Shade of Blue

Chapter 20: Personal Attacks, part 3

The phone rang, and after a few rings Tommy realized it wasn't part of his dream. Somehow, he willed himself to slump to the side, finally reaching the phone extension in his room.

"Hello?" His voice sounded like it was filtered through steel wool.

There was a pause. "I'm sorry, Tommy. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Trini. What the hell? "It's okay. Is it an emergency?"

"Billy's in his lab, right?"

Tommy glanced over at Billy's room through his open door. It looked decidedly unoccupied. "Yeah. He'll probably be there all night. Why?"

Anther pause. "I guess I'm still worried about him," she said in a small voice. "Did you see how he was acting at the Youth Center? And then later when we were all talking?"

For a moment, Tommy considered there might be something more behind Trini's worry for Billy. He'd never really gotten the romantic vibe between the two. That was more Kimberly's realm. But why else would Trini call at one in the morning?

"Trini, take it from an expert at depression," Tommy said. "Cause that's what I think Billy's going through. If you push, you're just going to make him angry, or make him feel guilty that he's not feeling better. Sometimes, it better just leave a depressed person alone for a while."

"You might be an expert at depression, Tommy," she answered, her voice a little stiff, "but I'm an expert at Billy. He spent elementary school depressed and angry at everyone. I don't want him becoming that person again." She paused, and when she started talking her voice was softer, more cautious. "When he was in the hospital, if we had left him alone, he would have quit being a Power Ranger."

Tommy's jaw clenched. Trini may not have meant it as such, but that reminder had guilted him onto her side. "Okay, I get it. Look, why don't you spend the day over here tomorrow getting ready for the party. You can observe and prod Billy to your heart's content that way."

"Thanks, Tommy," she said. She sounded a bit more at ease. "I'll hang up now. Sorry I woke you up."

"No problem," Tommy mumbled, and hung up. He was asleep again before his head hit the pillow.

Will was surrounded by Putties.

In another life, he reflected, this would have been a cause of worry, especially since he was alone. It was getting harder and harder to remember that other life, however. The clay foot soldiers moved all around him, dashing in ways that, to Billy, they would seem like blurs. Will didn't have that problem. Time slowed to a crawl.

One dashed for him, and he was ready. He threw the attacking Putty into another one, clearing the way for him to kick a third straight in the Z. Another attacked, expecting at least a full second of weakness on Will's part. There was no such weakness, however, and Will dispatched the rest of the Putties in quick, methodical succession.

After a mere two minutes of fighting, Will was alone in the middle of the throne room. He wasn't even breathing heavily.

"Was that satisfactory?" he asked.

"That depends," Lord Zedd's voice came from the darkness. The room brightened at a flick of his clawed hand. "How much would you say you are affected by the power-draining abilities of my Putties."

Will frowned, considering. "I only started feeling any effects by the eighth Putty. I suppose the power drain is having some sort of effect on me, though my regenerative properties more than compensate. I realize, though, that I will be putting those abilities to a more practical test in the next few days."

"We both know you can easily defeat the Power Rangers while they are in their unmorphed forms, yes," Lord Zedd said, considering Will carefully. "It will prove perhaps more challenging when they are morphed and working as a team, you realize."

Will furrowed his brow. As Lord Zedd was talking, he'd gotten a sudden, sharp headache. It would have brought Billy to his knees, but Will just acknowledged the pain and stood firm. The pain passed as Lord Zedd stopped talking, and Will could breathe easier.

"We have already deprived them of one important member of their team... my creator," Will added with a touch of irony. "I must admit, I will not be able to stand in for Billy for very long, and I have little desire to, in fact. We must break up the team further if we're to succeed."

Lord Zedd was still staring at him curiously. "I would like to know one thing," he said slowly. "It is certainly one thing to say that you want to stay alive, to prevent your creator or any of the other Rangers from trying to take away your life. It is also understandable that in accepting my help, you are accepting the necessary evil that targeting and eventually defeating the Power Rangers will be part of the bargain." He paused. "It is quite another thing, though, to actively plan the destruction of those who you remember as friends. I have put no spell on you; I have not coerced you against your will, and I do not plan to. You could have, in fact, accepted my offer to simply send you to another planet, where you could live your life in a far more exciting way than on this speck of a planet."

"So you're wondering why I chose to stay and help you in your fight against the Power Rangers, especially when I was seemingly unwilling to kill my creator?" Will finished for him.

Lord Zedd indicated he go on.

Will smiled. "I may not be Billy, but I have his memories, his experiences. What I don't have is his inhibitions. I find I just can't leave this planet with so much unfinished business."

"Billy's business," Lord Zedd pointed out.

"Business I inherited, when that idiot gave me his DNA," Will pressed on. "Billy was weak. He never could take what he wanted. He never let people know how he really felt. He was always afraid of how people would react to him, that people would reject him. So he let everyone walk all over him, and he never called them on it. Even if they apologized, he would just say that everything was fine... all the while pushing all that resentment and other, more interesting, emotions deep within him. He never let his will be known."

Lord Zedd laughed. "I believe I have cracked the clever code surrounding your name."

Will looked at him strangely, a bit put out that his rant was interrupted, but then he smiled. "I suppose it was a little on the nose, but I couldn't resist the pun." Will turned serious. "Billy created me to be his version of the ideal. Not just physically, though I am nearly unstoppable physically. He wanted to overcome all of his own shortcomings through me. I am Billy's will... all the things Billy couldn't or never would allow himself to do or be."

"It doesn't seem to be working out very well for Billy, though," Lord Zedd commented.

"There's an old human saying," Will remarked wryly, "though I suppose the idea is not exclusive to Earth. Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it."

Lord Zedd glanced at his own Z-staff, though the motion was so quick Will wondered if he had imagined it. "Yes, that idea does not only apply to Earth." Again, an unexplained twitch, as Lord Zedd shook his head. "I gather, then, that you have certain plans for the Rangers?"

"I have," Will said, "if you'll allow me to operate."

"I will monitor your progress," said Lord Zedd. "I would suggest, though, that if you wish to pass as your creator you should not use your powers too dramatically. We know that Zordon has safeguards against his signal being scrambled, so we can't get rid of him. You must work under his radar. Don't give him or anyone else cause to suspect you until it is time to strike."

"That won't be a problem," said Will. "Just keep Billy up here, and once I'm done with the Rangers, they'll be too broken to do anything against you."

Billy woke up shivering, lying on what felt like cold stone. It certainly didn't feel like the floor of his lab.

He opened his eyes slowly. His brain sluggishly assimilated all the new information, and none of the new information was pleasant.

He heard a whirring next to his head, and his instincts kicked in. He pushed up with his hands and let his body whiplash around to make his feet connect with the source of the whirring. It was a move Tommy had taught him, and Billy did it so unexpectedly that it would have worked... if he and the source of the whirring were not separated by a force field.

Billy yelled at the sudden shock that shot through his leg. Darkness again passed over his vision, but he made himself recover. He would not pass out again, not when he needed to stay as alert as possible.

"Now, now," a kindly voice admonished. "You will undo all of my medical attentions at this rate. I suggest you relax, for there is no escape from this cell."

Billy forced himself to breathe normally. He was still on the cold floor, and the tingles in his leg were fading to a dull ache. He realized his vision was not clearing up because his glasses were gone. All he could see was a white blur moving across a dark blurry background.

"What have you done with my glasses?" All in all, this was probably not the most important question, but Billy knew that his lack of sight would be the most daunting obstacle to his escape.

The voice sighed. "They were unfortunately broken in an accident. I wear glasses myself, so I would have never taken them from you. I cannot remedy this situation, as Lord Zedd would most assuredly say that lack of glasses would make you more helpless and less apt to escape."

Lord Zedd... Billy's brain raced through the list of Rita's minions still left in Lord Zedd's employ. "Am I speaking to Finster, then?"

"At your service, such as it is," Finster said. "I must say, I am quite delighted at making your acquaintance. I have often had to contend with your inventions. I was rather impressed with the frequency disruptor earlier this week. Quite like building a communications array out of string and a pineapple."

Billy wasn't entirely sure if he was being complimented or insulted. He'd certainly had to contend with plenty of Finster's inventions over the past year. That didn't mean, though, that he was "delighted" at meeting the other scientist.

"I appreciate the kind words," Billy said, "but they are perhaps less effective seeing as how I'm a prisoner."

"Yes..." Finster said slowly. "Quite unfortunate. And I believe the unpleasantness will only continue." He sighed. "I have healed you of any adverse effects your recent lab explosion had on your health, which included a concussion as well as a fair bit of radiation poisoning. In the meantime..."

"He's to watch."

Billy did a double-take at the new, yet not new, voice. He still couldn't see, though he didn't need to. He knew it was his clone. The clone he had created.

"You're... you're actually alive," Billy said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The clone laughed sharply. "I think you mean to say, 'He's alive! ALIVE!'"

Billy couldn't see how well the clone had turned out: how much the clone's appearance matched his own. The voice sounded the same... but not. It was harder. More confident, and yet more cynical. It was odd enough to hear his own voice outside of his own head, like hearing a recording. But then it was further twisted from how he sounded. It was like hearing the mean, selfish voice inside himself that he always kept in check. Only it wasn't in his own head, where he could silence and hide it. It was moving around, speaking to him.

The clone was continuing to laugh. "I realize this must be disorienting for you. It was odd enough for me coming to life with you unconscious on the floor. I can't exactly afford to sympathize with you, though. Too much to do. Miles to go, huh?"

Billy tried to grasp for some sort of sanity. He got to his feet shakily. "I'm... I'm sorry I wasn't there. But, why did you go straight to Lord Zedd?"

Another laugh. "He recruited me. In time to save you from being killed by me, so I would think you would be grateful."

Billy's mind reeled at the implications, but he knew at this point his only escape was to convince his clone to help him. He and the clone could outfight and out-think anyone in the Moon Palace, if it came to it. "I don't know what Zedd told you," Billy said, "but you have to know he only wants to use you. Whatever he's offered, it's all lies." He gulped. "Our only hope is to get out of here and get to the Command Center."

There was silence, in which Billy could only hear his own harsh breathing. "You're pathetic, you know that?" was the clone's quiet reply. "You're desperate to escape; I know that's why you're saying all this. And I have no illusions about Lord Zedd. I know he only wants to use me for his own ends. But... I also have no illusions about you or Zordon. You may want to study me for a while, but eventually you will want to destroy me. Even if you haven't thought of it now, you will."

"That's ridiculous. How can you know that?"

"Because I've already thought of it," said the clone. "And I'm you, remember? At least, I'm the person you always wanted to be. I've decided to go by Will, by the way."

Billy considered for a second. "Clever."

"I thought so," Will said. "Finster, Lord Zedd wants you to set up a screen in here and tie it into your Earth surveillance."

"Certainly nice to be needed," Finster commented drily. "I will attend to it."

There was a faint shuffling, and Billy knew he was now alone with his clone.

"What do you intend to do?"

"What do you think?" Will said in an amused voice. "Think, Billy. What are the things you've always wanted to do, but never allowed yourself. To feel, but never admitted to yourself."

"If you hurt any of my friends," Billy said tightly.

"Interesting conclusion to jump to," Will cut him off. There was a grin in his voice. "Just sit back and enjoy the show, Billy. If you ask nicely, I might even let you participate. After all, tonight's a party. There's going to be games for everyone."

Billy's temper flared. "When I get out of here, and make no mistake that I will, I'll..."

He couldn't finish, and Will gave one more harsh laugh. "See? I knew it wouldn't take long. But know this: I'm not just some science experiment you can scrape into the trash or disassemble. I'll fight you and your friends with everything I have, and anyone who tries to destroy me." There was a scrape down the hallway, and the blurry clone shifted to turn away. "See you around... Victor."

Billy dropped to his knees as the clone teleported away. He got it. Oh, God, he got it. His clone, clear of mind and without any delusions, had gotten it before him.

"Frankenstein," he whispered to the dark room, and he realized he'd always known, but he'd forced the idea away from his conscious thoughts, so sure he was that he was doing right.

The scraping got louder, and then finally stopped, but Billy paid no attention to it. He slumped against the wall in his cell and closed his eyes, wishing he could undo it all, wishing like hell he could take back the last few hours...

After several minutes of mumbling over mysterious activity, the voice of Finster pronounced, "There," with some measure of satisfaction.

The room lit up, the light flashing. Billy could feel it against his eyelids, but he did not want to open them.

"Now, Billy," Finster said in a sharp tone. "Lord Zedd wishes you to watch the screen, and you cannot do that with your eyes closed."

"I want nothing to do with what Lord Zedd wants," Billy said snidely. "If he wants to force me, let him come down here himself."

"You don't entirely know what you're asking for," Finster said anxiously. "All right, I will try this approach. If you have any hope of escape, you will want to gather as much information as possible to assist you in those attempts, and you will especially want to gather information about your clone in order to combat him."

"I thought you said there was no escape," Billy commented ruefully. "Besides, how can I gather information? How can I do anything about the clone if I can't even see?"

It happened before had time to react. The gentle hum of the force field flickered off. Billy felt two tiny pinpoints of intense pain hit the sides of his eyes. He yelled, unable to even move from the pain as the force field's hum began again.

"You've just missed your first opportunity of escape," Finster pointed out. "Please try to relax. The pain will end soon, and you will be able to open your eyes again," he added in a kinder voice. "I'm only doing this because I can't stand to see anyone give up so easily, particularly one with such a brilliant mind as yours."

Billy was about to growl an angry retort, when he opened his watering eyes. The room was suddenly in sharp focus, with only a light shimmer denoting where the force field was. Beyond the shimmer, an old, white, canine-like alien stood, regarding him rather sternly.

"Did... did you just fix my eyesight?" Billy said.

"A simple procedure," Finster acknowledged. "The remedy will not work on my own eyesight, as I am allergic to it, but a general medical scan from when I was treating you showed that you were a candidate for the corrective chemical."

"Thanks," was all Billy could say.

Finster nodded. "You will perhaps not thank me later," he added sadly, and then he turned on the screen.

It was mid-morning, and Tommy was still asleep. The gas was finally dissipating, ensuring that Tommy would sleep through all that needed to be done.

Will marveled at his own regenerative capabilities. He had prepared to bar himself in the lab until the gas had done its job, but on a whim he'd decided to breathe it in. He'd felt a wave of dizziness, but that passed quickly as his regeneration compensated. He wondered if he even needed to sleep, or if he had bypassed even that human necessity.

He took one last look at his preparations before he went to gather Tommy. The trap was set.

Will stood over Tommy's bed, considering him. At this moment, Tommy looked far from the danger he had once posed. Will, through his borrowed memories, could still see him as a cold-hearted instrument of evil, could still feel the blows that, in his new life, he could shake off in seconds.

A sharp pain again lanced through his temples. He wondered if it was something he should worry about. Surely, though, it was simply a side effect of being recently born.

The pain left, and Will grinned, suddenly eager to start. He picked up Tommy's dead weight as if it were nothing and carried him to the place he'd prepared.

The archway between the kitchen and the living room, where the chin-up bar was still installed.

By the time Will had finished connecting Tommy's arms to the added restraints, he heard a doorbell ring.

He grinned, wondering who had next fallen into his trap.

Trini wondered if she was perhaps being psychotic. It was ten in the morning, after all. It was not early for her, but it was for them. With the late night Billy had pulled and Tommy's notorious oversleeping, there was no way someone would be there to open the door.

But still, that innate trouble sensor Trini had learned to trust was going off like mad. The last time she was this worried about Billy like this, he'd been lying on the floor with a chest full of broken ribs. It still haunted her to think what would have happened if she hadn't gone to check on him on a whim.

She rang the doorbell again. If no one answered in the next minute, she was just going to go home. Or maybe get breakfast somewhere in town, so her parents didn't start thinking she was as psychotic as she felt.

Trini heard footsteps, and she prepared to face a groggy Billy or a disgruntled Tommy.

Instead, a fresh, grinning Billy swung open the door, startling Trini quite as much as if he'd been mortally injured.

"Trini!" he said cheerfully. "This is certainly surprising. Your visits are usually more advanced in the day."

He hadn't invited her in yet, and in fact he seemed to be blocking the view into the house. Trini wondered what Billy couldn't have possibly been hiding from her. "Tommy said I should come over to help with the party. I know I'm a little early," she said uncomfortably, "but..."

Billy smiled reassuringly. "You've been worried about me."

Trini was startled out of trying to look past Billy's shoulders. This was the old Billy: the one who pointed out exactly what she was meaning to say. "Was I that obvious?"

"Your hovering rate has gone up exponentially in the past few weeks." He smiled again. "Though you know I never mind."

Trini looked at him sharply. "You're in a good mood this morning. Wake up on the right side of the bed, for once?"

Billy chuckled. "I suppose one could say that. Trini..." His eyes went wide with the old manic energy. But this time, it was the type Trini associated with brilliance and creation, rather than self-destruction depressive obsession. "I'm really glad you're here, actually. Not about the party. I need help with a project that I think is going to revolutionize our fight against Zedd. Are you interested?"

"I'm on the edge of my seat," Trini said. As usual, the cheerful, manic energy pulled her right in. "Want to go to the lab?" She indicated the garage entrance.

Billy looked down at his feet. "Let's go through the house. I neglected to wear shoes." He moved to the side. "Come on in."

Trini walked into the house and started to turn around to say something to Billy... when she stopped dead. It took her nearly a minute to process what she was seeing, during which time she heard a door slam and felt a vise-like grip snake around her wrist.

"What do you think?" Billy's voice was low and amused in her ear. "Dissection? See what makes him tick?"

Trini wrenched away and lashed out, only to feel her wrist twist painfully. She couldn't break his grip, but she didn't need to. She could fight just fine with the rest of her body.

She slammed the heel of her hand right at Billy's nose, aiming to blind him. She heard a yell, but the grip didn't give way. She sank her fist into his stomach, ready to hit him as often and as hard as she could to bring him down. She followed up with a knee to the groin, and then another punch to the stomach. Once he was down, she could teleport him up to the Command Center once she could touch her communicator, get him behind a force field, and teleport back down to free Tommy. Then they could call the gang all figure out how to break Billy out of the latest evil spell.

After the tenth punch, she noticed something completely terrifying. Billy wasn't going down. He was... laughing. And her communicator was gone.

She stopped punching him and looked up into his eyes fearfully. She barely recognized her friend as he looked down on her with cold amusement.

"Oh, don't stop now," he said with an uncharacteristic leer. "I know how badly you want to touch me."

Trini almost screamed out loud, the words and expression so wrong coming from her best friend. "This is more than a spell, isn't it?" she said, the fear choking her voice into a whisper.

"Much more," Billy whispered back, though his whisper sounded far more intimate. "I honestly can't tell you how glad I am it was you who walked through that door. I could have fun with anyone, but you're special. So beautiful... the only one who can even hope to come close to my intelligence... You were the only one who ever understood me."

He reached out to brush her hair out of her face with his free hand, and she jerked away violently. He retaliated by twisting her arm, which drove her to her knees.

"I'm going to put you to sleep for now," Billy explained patiently. "But don't worry. We'll have plenty of time for fun later. I just have some setting up I still have to do."

Trini opened her mouth to scream—Kimberly was just next door, if she could just get her to hear—but before she could make a sound, she felt a sharp sting against her skin, and all went black.

Will pulled the broken fake glasses off his face. A shard of plastic was still embedded in his cheek. He carefully pulled it out and felt the skin repair itself.

The suddenness of Trini's attack had taken him momentarily by surprise. He'd expected her to go into shock, or try to reason with him and figure out why he'd gone all evil. He hadn't expected the "punch now, ask questions later" approach. He'd let her get in a few blows after he'd recovered, only to prove to her that there was nothing she could do against him.

Will laid her on the couch, brushing his hands through her hair as he did so. He had plenty to set up now, and it would be inconvenient if he had more early morning visitors.

First, he locked the door and activated his own additions to the alarm system. Usually, even with the alarm system at full, any Power Ranger or Alpha would be able to enter the house and lab. Now it was shut tight.

He'd also used the Morphing Grid to feed the Command Center false information. There was as yet no indication that Zordon knew anything strange was going on, and Will wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.

It was all rather easy, Will reflected as he gently picked Trini up and carried her down the hallway. Everything was so clear now. Things that would have taken time to test and double-check now took no time. It was almost like the whole world was moving in slow motion, and he was the only one moving or thinking at normal speed. He knew he had to be cautious. He could easily become too confident. But, deep down, he knew there was no one who could pose a challenge to him.

He checked himself. There were three who could be dangerous to him. One was behind a force field at the Moon Palace, one was hanging in his living room, and one was now being fastened to electrified restraints connected to his bed.

Yes, he had to worry about Jason, Zack, and Kimberly, Will reflected as he left Trini sleeping on his bed. They had all proven more than once to be strong, smart, and resourceful. But they did not pose the same danger as the others.

As he was leaving, Will stopped to regard Tommy. He would awaken while Will was gone. He would be frightened and confused, but he would immediately grasp the poetic justice of the situation. He would be unable to escape his bonds and would wait patiently for either rescue or for Will to return. Perhaps even Trini would wake up, and they would theorize about what was happening, logically assuming that their friend Billy was being controlled by Lord Zedd. Then, once they had sufficiently frightened themselves, Will would return, to take what was his.

In the meantime, he thought, turning his back on Tommy, he had three other Rangers to work with. It promised to be a productive day.

It wasn't yet noon, and the Youth Center was crowded with Kimberly's aerobics class. Kimberly was now in the corner, stretching. She'd left most of the girls to finish changing in the locker room for a minute of peace before having to teach.

From the bar, she saw Jason and Zack motioning to her. In trying not to attract attention, they were gathering even more attention than normal. Though, Kim noted, her younger girls would have noticed them anyway. She'd already heard plenty of locker room conversations about her friends to last her a lifetime.

"Hey, guys," she said in a low voice, knowing her gathering students were staring. "I didn't think you two were interested in aerobics."

"Not here for the class," Jason said. "Just wondered what the homefront situation was going to be. We have equipment to move in to Billy's house, after all."

Kimberly crossed her arms. "No go until after 6:00. Frank's planning yard work most of the day, and he'll get pretty suspicious if you move too much stuff in. He knows Billy's mom's gone for the weekend, after all."

"Right. Figures," Zack said. "Looks like we'll need to steer clear of Billy's house today. Don't want to put up any red flags. Hey..." he said slowly, "we couldn't just... you know... teleport the stuff in there..."

Jason shot him a look. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that."

"Right. Responsibility. Gotcha."

Kimberly looked over her shoulder, realizing the buzzing sound from her students was growing even louder. "Speaking of responsibility, I really need to get started. Keep me updated?"

"Sure thing," Jason said. "We're going to check in at the Command Center anyway."

Kimberly nodded. They'd been doing that daily ever since their encounter with Lord Zedd. "Well, if I don't see you before then?"

Zack hadn't been paying attention. He'd been staring at Angela, his on-again off-again relationship... more off lately than on. More pursuit than relationship, in fact.

Kimberly followed his eyes. "She said she'd be there tonight. You can stalk her then."

Zack shook out of his gaze. "Really? I mean... it doesn't really matter..."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Let's just get out of here."

Kimberly laughed as Jason half-dragged Zack out of the Youth Center. Inwardly, though, she was about to jump out of her skin. She was really glad there was something that would distract her, like a class, and she hoped the day would give her even more distractions.

I'm having sex tonight. With Tommy. We're really going to do it.

The thought came unbidden, suddenly. It had been doing that recently, catching her off-guard when she was doing other things. She flushed as she started the class, but her brain wasn't really in it. She was thinking about Tommy's smile after they'd kissed goodnight the night before, her parents' proximity making anything further impossible.

She hadn't even told Trini yet. She'd just seemed so distracted lately... something about Billy. It was just as well that Trini had a full plate right now, as she knew she would admonish Kimberly for going too fast.

The thing was, she knew she was going too fast. She knew if it wasn't for Zedd and his threats, they wouldn't be in such a hurry to have sex.

Yeah... she knew that. That didn't mean it was going to change her mind, and it didn't mean she was any less excited and pleasantly terrified for that night.

When Jason and Zack materialized, they had expected to be the only ones there.

"Hey, Billy," Zack said. "You lose your glasses? And what are you doing up here? I thought you were supposed to be working on the security for the..."

Jason kicked him as subtly as he could.

Billy raised his eyebrows and smiled. "The extra security is all taken care of. I just came up here to take a few readings of Lord Zedd's surveillance transmissions, and I believe the new measures should compensate for any possible security breaches." He paused. "And I've decided to try out contacts.

"And not a moment too soon, Rangers," Alpha chimed in. "About the security... not the contacts. There was a slight power surge at Billy's house last night, and we believe it to be the work of Lord Zedd, that he was attempting to break through the security."

Jason furrowed his brow. That was way more disturbing news than he'd bargained for. He'd just been grateful that Billy had covered for Zack's almost slip about the party, but this was serious. "We gotta be sure, Billy. We know that Zedd is gunning for Tommy especially, and I really don't want to have to keep him at the Command Center." He smiled. "And we all know he doesn't want that either."

"I already said I was sure about the security," Billy said, a bit of frost in his voice.

Jason looked at him in surprise, but Billy had already turned back to a monitor. "Sorry," he said. "Not criticizing... just worrying."

He looked at Zack, who just shrugged and mouthed "working too much."

Jason, more to do something other than piss off Billy, looked at Zordon's vacant tube. "Zordon off again, Alpha?"

"Yes, Jason," Alpha said. "He's working on a special project. I can call him the minute he's needed."

Jason again shared a look with Zack. The same answer, word for word, Alpha had given every time Zordon was gone. It was getting more and more frequent. Jason didn't like Zordon not being there when they were facing a largely unknown enemy, but he didn't know how to talk to Zordon about that. Not after the way he'd shouted at Zordon just a week before.

"In the meantime," Zack said, "Lord Zedd is planning something. We know that from the power surge."

"Right," Jason said, grateful that Zack had provided him with something to discuss that wasn't Zordon's or Billy's odd behavior. "Billy, can you figure out what that power surge was?"

"Receiving the scan details... now" Billy said.

Jason frowned. There it was again, that almost imperceptible hint of impatience, though he supposed that could be because of stress. There was certainly enough of that to go around.

"The power surge is most probably an attempted teleportation beam," Billy said, squinting at a read-out. "There are a few variations, but the frequencies match."

"He's just planning to teleport Tommy out of his bed?" Jason said. "Not very inventive. I thought Lord Zedd would come up with something else. Something..."

"Not stupid and easily foiled?" Zack provided.

"For a start," said Jason.

Billy set down the read-out. "This may perhaps be a mere testing of our security. Though, you're right. Lord Zedd isn't able to simply teleport us up, and he shouldn't believe himself capable of such. He must be attempting something entirely different."

Jason rubbed his head. He really didn't want this stress today, but the unpredictable Lord Zedd was a constant source of worry. He hadn't realized how complacent he had gotten with Rita's usual patterns. Even when she tried something new, they'd all gotten so used to her capabilities. With Zedd, they had no idea what he would do, or what lines he was willing to cross.

"Okay, Zack and I were going to train," Jason said, "but we'll be on hand just in case Zedd starts something up. Alpha, would you mind giving me a call if Zordon shows up this afternoon? I want to know what he thinks about these power surges."

"Sure thing, Jason," Alpha said.

"In the meantime, if you're not too busy, could you keep investigating?" Jason turned to Billy.

Billy shrugged. "I have a few things I need to do at the house today, but I can run a few tests. Do you have anything specific in mind?"

Jason clapped Billy on the back, and again noticed Billy tense, as if for an attack. "I'm sure you'll know it if you see it. See ya."

As Jason and Zack walked down the hallway to their training room, Zack waited until they were out of earshot. "Okay, so both Billy and Alpha are being kind of weird."

"You noticed, too," Jason said. "I guess we're all a little crazy right now. I think Alpha's being weird because Zordon is working on something he doesn't want us to know about. Maybe I can get him to drop a few clues this afternoon." Jason frowned. "I don't know about Billy, though. I haven't seen him that uptight for a long time."

Zack grinned as they began their warm-up. "He just needs to loosen up. What do you think tonight's all about?"

"I thought it was all about you trying to make time with Angela?" Jason said with a smirk.

"Enough talk," Zack said. "Time for a beat down."

"I'm glad you've come to terms with that," Jason said, enjoying the good-natured trash talk. He'd worry about everything else later.

They were gone. Will brushed at his shoulder and watched their signals on the security monitor.

He didn't have a lot of time. It was the brightest bit of luck he could have hoped for when he found Zordon had gone on one of his mysterious disappearances. Jason and Zack had been a momentary hindrance, but they were now sufficiently distracted.

As soon as they shut themselves in the training room, Will made his move. He calmly walked over to Alpha, who was running some program, and jammed a disk down his back.

Alpha froze. Will watched the outward manifestations of the new program. It was similar to the virus program Finster had provided Tommy when he attacked the Command Center, but it was more sophisticated. It allowed him a window of access to Alpha's programming, and then would erase Alpha's memory and all evidence of tampering. Alpha head trembled as the new program fought for dominance, and then the robot was still.

"Right," Will said breezily. "Alpha, I need remote shut-down capability of the Command Center. I also need you to enact and authorize the false data I will input into security. Understood?"

"Yes, Billy," Alpha said blankly, almost sleepily.

Will cut his eyes over at the robot, even as he moved to a work station. "Don't call me Billy," he growled.

But Alpha didn't respond. He was already working fast at the computer, and Will found if he concentrated he could keep up easily. If luck kept with him, he could have this done with no other interruptions.

Tommy hurt.

It wasn't like he was waking up. It was like a slow fog was lifting, like he'd been conscious for hours but unaware of it, unaware of anything.

With great effort, he opened his eyes, the only part of his body he could move. The... living room?

The yell left his throat before he could stop it. He'd realized his situation before he could consciously process it, and it terrified him. Terrified him in such a primal way that he did have any defenses against the fear.

He tried to jerk out of his bonds, but what felt like an electric jolt shot through his arms when he pulled at the metal encircling his wrists. The electricity brought feeling back into his arms. They'd been asleep from his position cutting of his circulation. Now they felt like they were one fire as they tried to hold up his weight.

"Tommy?"

He realized he was still crying out, gasping in pain and fear. He hadn't realized it before.

"Tommy, calm down." The voice grew urgent. "Breathe, or you're going to hurt yourself."

Tommy struggled to find his footing. His legs were better than his arms, and once he found purchase on the floor he could take some of the pressure from his burning wrists and shoulders. He had to move carefully: he could sense that any resistance against his bonds would cause the electrical defenses to activate, and he didn't want to lose consciousness again.

He at first thought the voice was his imagination, but the voice called out again. He moistened his mouth as much as he could so he could so he could talk. His mouth felt like sandpaper and his throat ached. "Who's there?" His voice didn't sound like his own, but at least he was no longer panicking.

"It's Trini. Tommy, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Tommy didn't wonder that he didn't recognize her before. Her voice was hardly her own. It was rough, though from pain, emotion, or thirst. "I... I guess I'm okay," he said, trying to convince himself of that. "Soon as I can get circulation back in my arms."

"Good," she said, though she sounded far from relieved. "I thought, when I lost consciousness, that he'd..."

"So you saw him." Tommy said. He was finding it difficult to calm himself. "It's... it's Billy."

He knew the answer before Trini could even voice it. Only Billy would hang him here, like this, and leave him to discover his situation. He knew exactly what message Billy was trying to send. This was revenge—straight up payback. He was finally going to pay Tommy back for what he'd done to him on that Saturday afternoon all those months ago.

"Yes, it was Billy," Trini said. "He knocked me out as soon as he had me in the house. He's... not himself."

"So it's not just Rita who's into mind control," Tommy said dully. "You're pretty sure it was a spell?"

Trini paused, and Tommy kept himself from asking if she was still awake. Panicking would do nothing.

"I think so," Trini said, as if she were slowly coming to an answer, though he knew she'd probably been thinking about this for a while. "He was stronger and faster, though. Under normal circumstances, I could take him easily. I punched him as hard as I could, and he didn't even flinch."

Tommy, as his primary trainer, knew Billy's capabilities. He wasn't sure if Trini could "take him easily" any longer. Billy was much stronger and faster than he let on... but only people like Goldar could take a punch like that.

"Must be something a little extra from Lord Zedd," Tommy said. "Or he could have been morphed under his clothes."

"That would make sense," Trini said. "When do you think Zedd had a chance to do anything to Billy?"

The feeling was starting to come back into Tommy's arms, which were settling into a dull ache. He found he was getting calmer. "We don't know what Lord Zedd is capable of. I mean, he could have scooped Billy into another dimension at any point, if he planned it right, and we'd never be the wiser if we didn't know what to look for."

"So we're stuck, and fighting blind," Trini said. "That's just perfect."

Tommy paused before he launched into the question he'd been reserving until he was ready for the answer. "Trini, are you all right? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Trini said quickly.

It was too quick. Tommy didn't like it. "Trini, where are you? Did he tie you up in the bathroom?" That would have been fitting, Tommy decided. It was what Tommy had done to Sylvia, and it was Trini who had found Billy and Sylvia first. If Billy was just looking to mirror what had happened...

"No," Trini said, her voice growing miserable. "I... I'm..." She obviously didn't want to say what had happened, but could think of no reason to keep it secret. "I'm tied to Billy's bed in electrified arm restraints. Are your restraints electrified as well?"

Trini had somehow forced her voice into its calm, analytical tone she used when solving a problem. That made the horror somehow worse.

"Yeah, I can't struggle without getting shocked, either," Tommy said. He paused. There was a question he had to ask, but he didn't want to ask and didn't want to hear the answer, just as much as he knew she didn't want to be asked or have to answer. Trini wasn't a part of Billy's revenge against Tommy. Just as Tommy's position made Billy's plans for him clear... her position made Billy's plans for her all too clear.

"Are..." Tommy's throat went even drier, but he pushed through. "Are you..." He couldn't say it. "...okay...?"

Trini didn't say anything, but Tommy got the feeling she understood what he was asking.

"I'm okay," she said finally. "I'm... decent. But..."

She broke off, and Tommy felt sure she was crying and didn't want him to know.

As the silence stretched, Tommy felt anger replace his fear. It was not directed at Billy, though Tommy knew that was the immediate foe he had to contend with. No, Billy was a victim, just as Tommy himself had been when he'd been under the spell. All the rage was reserved for Lord Zedd, who seemed to find all this funny.

Tommy knew there was little he could do at present but plan for what he would do when Billy got back. He knew his primary objectives: keep Trini safe, and keep Billy from doing anything that would destroy him when the spell was lifted.

"Trini?" Tommy called. "You still there?"

"Still tied up, so yeah." Trini's voice was harsh with fear and tears. Tommy knew now that she was assured of Tommy's relative safety, her medical instincts were going by the wayside, and she was now free to be scared for herself. Even as fear overtook her, though, Tommy felt himself calming. He had a plan, and he was pretty sure it would work. He just had to keep his nerve about it.

"Trini, when Billy comes back, I need you to keep quiet. No matter what you hear... unless you hear any of the others, of course."

"What do you mean?" she said, her voice rising a few tones. "Tommy, what are you planning?"

"Billy's not getting past this room," Tommy said. "Not if I can help it."

"And what you are going to do, flail at him?" Trini said.

"I'll just talk," said Tommy. "I can keep Billy interested in me. That will buy the others time to figure out what the hell is going on and come rescue us, or for Billy to screw up enough that Zordon will find out about all this."

"Tommy, you're crazy if you think I'm going to let you take a bullet for me." Tommy was gratified to hear the fear bleeding out of Trini's voice. She sounded pissed and determined. "You'll just get yourself killed."

"Billy had the opportunity to kill both of us, and he didn't," Tommy said. He sighed. "Look, Trini... all he wants to do is beat me up. To pay me back for what I did to him. Once we're rescued, all you have to do is shoot me up with serum, and all that goes away." Tommy paused. "If Billy goes after you... Serum can't do a damn thing to fix that. And I'm not letting Lord Zedd do that to you OR to Billy."

Another pause, though Tommy knew he'd convinced her. "Fine," Trini said sharply. "But if you die, you realize I'm going to have to face Kimberly after all this. So don't get yourself killed."

Tommy wanted to retort that his two weeks weren't up, but he knew that wouldn't do anything to help his situation of his mood. He needed to mentally prepare for what he had to do. "Glad that's settled." He shifted his position. In the silence, he could hear the clock ticking, though he had no idea what time it was. He realized if he didn't keep talking, even though ever word was starting to become tortuously painful, he was going to go insane.

"Hey, Trini," he finally said. "You wanna play I Spy?"

"You've got to be kidding."

"It's either that or listen to the clock tick."

"I spy something blue," she said quickly.

Tommy laughed drily. "Yeah, thanks. That narrows it down."

"Glad to be of help."

Billy wished he was alone. Witnessing this and having Finster right there was... unpleasant.

No, strike that. He didn't wish he was alone. He wished he was free. He wished he had his power coin and communicator, and he wished he was freeing Tommy and Trini.

Most of all, he wished he was drop-kicking that clone's sorry ass all over Angel Grove. That image gave him a measure of satisfaction.

The Moon Palace surveillance could not find the clone. It was probably at the Command Center, then. That worried Billy almost as much as what might happen to Tommy and Trini. While Zordon and Alpha were there, the clone could not do very much damage, but then Billy didn't truly know all of the clone's capabilities. And what if Zordon wasn't there, and the clone somehow managed to gain control of Alpha...

Footsteps echoed down the hallway into the entrance of the room containing Billy's cell. Goldar finally emerged from the darkness. Billy pointedly didn't look at him, as he was determined not to show fear. He couldn't forget the last few times unmorphed Rangers had run around the Moon Palace. Both Jason and Tommy had almost died in the attempt to escape, and Billy could still vividly remember Goldar's sword sticking out of Jason's back.

"Lord Zedd wishes to know if the prisoner has been watching the screen," Goldar said.

Finster did not look at him, either. "I would have reported if the Blue Ranger had not been watching," he answered stiffly.

Billy realized Goldar wasn't even listening to Finster. He was instead watching the screen, watching the portion where Tommy was hanging from that damn chin-up bar.

Surreptitiously, Billy watched Goldar. Was it his imagination, or... yes. It was. Goldar's eye twitched. Was he actually concerned about Tommy?

Billy considered. Just as Rita and Tommy had always had a connection that none of the others really understood, Goldar and Tommy had once been friends, and their fights were always far more personal. In some ways, perhaps they were still friends. Perhaps Goldar actually still cared somewhat about Tommy. Perhaps this was something Billy could use to his advantage.

Perhaps he was deluding himself, but he had to press every opportunity for escape. Since he was denied fighting and technology, he had to use his words.

"Looks like the clone is getting ready to kill Tommy," he said casually.

It wasn't his imagination. Both Goldar and Finster flinched. Interesting.

Billy forced himself to continue coldly. "Looks like Lord Zedd doesn't care all that much. I mean, we all know Zedd's gunning for Tommy. Told us himself."

Billy was actually rather shocked how much it was working. He wasn't being told to shut up. In fact, Goldar and Finster looked like they didn't want to acknowledge him. It seemed that Lord Zedd was not as good at inspiring loyalty as Rita was. Must be something about being a scary, skinless creepy guy.

"Of course," Billy continued, "that clone is nearly unstoppable. It would take someone who knows everything about it to really stop it. Someone who, maybe, created it."

That got Goldar's attention, though Finster kept looking away. "You are right," Goldar said, advancing on the cell. "You are the creator of that thing. You're lucky I'm not killing you right now."

Billy forced himself to keep eye contact with Goldar, though he felt himself start to sweat.

Without changing his expression, Goldar drew closer to the cell, apparently to threaten Billy further. Instead, he whispered at a volume barely over the static of the screens and the hum of the force field. "Be prepared. Tell no one."

Billy carefully schooled his expression to show no hope or relief. Perhaps Goldar did not even believe he heard it, but Goldar did nothing to assure himself. He slashed at the force field with his sword, causing sparks to fly and Billy to back up hastily.

Billy watched as the warrior left. He'd gotten what he wanted... maybe... but he was thoroughly confused. Why was Goldar helping him? Why was Goldar telling him he was helping him? And... if Billy's words about Tommy had affected the warrior that much, why had he betrayed Rita? Why had he gone after Scorpina in that way? What did Lord Zedd have over him?

Billy shook those thoughts from his head. He still had a lot to plan. He had no idea what Goldar was going to do, but he had to prepare for every eventuality.

"It's beginning," came Finster's quiet words.

The escape plans lost their purchase on Billy's brain. He knew this was why he was here, and he knew he was just playing into Lord Zedd's hands... but he couldn't turn away.

The doorknob clicked and turned. Tommy tensed up, his stomach knotted with anticipation, but his mind clear and dispassionate.

The image of a smiling Billy rattled that mental calm. He'd been able to accept the idea of his best friend under an evil spell, but facing the reality of it was far more unsettling.

Billy was wearing a short-sleeved shirt. If he was still as strong as Trini said he was, he couldn't be morphed. He'd have to see.

"I'm home," Billy said, closing the door.

Tommy managed a grim smile. "Took you long enough."

"So we're going for the tough bastard routine," Billy laughed. "Good. Much more entertaining than stoic hero approach."

"Oh, good," Tommy said, a bit mockingly. "This is the portion where you try to prove how much better than me you are. And here I thought you were going to be unpredictable."

"You have no idea what's going on. You think you do, but you don't."

Tommy rolled his eyes. He found that the casual act was getting easier and easier, especially since Billy was playing right into his expectations. "Oh, you've made it painfully obvious what this is all about. So... who am I a message for?"

"For whom am I a message, you mean."

"Step number two... make Tommy feel stupid by making petty corrections." Tommy laughed. "Now you're going to physically intimidate me. Of course, not in a fair fight. You're going to keep these things on me because you know you can't take me in a fair fight. And then comes the beating, which will, I'm sure, give you some personal satisfaction for a while." Tommy smirked. "How am I doing?"

He knew he'd struck home. Billy was speechless and frowning at him, as if he were some computer component that wasn't acting quite right.

Finally, Billy said, "I hate to disabuse you of your own superiority, but there is no way you can now match me for power or speed. Those bonds are only to hold you up."

"So you did get a power upgrade from Zedd," Tommy said. "I wondered about that. I still know how you fight, though. No matter how much stronger you are, I'm still better."

Billy stared at Tommy, almost hungrily. Tommy knew that was the right tack to take. This wasn't about vengeance. This was about proving something, at the heart of it. Tommy knew Billy always felt inadequate, and suddenly Tommy had become the focus of all those inadequacies. Maybe not suddenly, either. Tommy knew that, in some ways, Billy was jealous of him. He just had to drive that in, and Billy would do exactly what he wanted.

Finally, Billy shrugged. "Believe what you want," he said, and then started for the hallway.

For the first time, Tommy panicked. Billy had figured out he'd lost control of the situation, so he was going to take it out on Trini. That was definitely not the plan, and Tommy needed to do something quick.

"Oh, come on," Tommy said, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. "You don't want her. Not really. Where's the satisfaction?"

Billy turned around, his eyebrows raised. "Do I really need to explain the birds and the bees to you?"

Tommy tried not to think too hard about what Billy just said, just to keep from vomiting. This wasn't Billy. It was, but it wasn't. "Come on, Billy. This is me. You can't fool me. Yeah, I know you like her, but do you really think she'll accept someone who doesn't even have the balls to face me?"

Billy was still staring at him. He hadn't turned back to the hallway.

"Think about it," Tommy said, grinning fiercely. "I'm the Green Ranger. I came in here one Saturday afternoon, tied up your mom, and beat the living shit out of you. I made you hold yourself up for me so I could beat you easier. I made you beg me to keep beating you."

Billy turned paler, his expression unreadable.

For Tommy, it was a little piece of hell. It was like he was taking Billy apart again, like he'd done so long ago. He willed the tears from coming to his eyes, but they spilled out nonetheless. He wasn't even sure if Billy saw them, or if he was just seeing the Green Ranger tower over him yet again.

Tommy swallowed hard. He had to finish it. "You couldn't even call yourself a man after that, could you? Oh, sure, you got healed. You threatened me with that big gun. But you still couldn't forget how I beat you, how I made you beg for it. How you were grateful when it started again. Tell me..." Tommy cleared his throat, "was it because you were protecting your mom, or was it because you really did want it? You kind of dug being my punching bag, didn't you?"

"Shut up."

The voice was barely human, and Tommy knew he had him.

"That's it, isn't it," Tommy said in barely a whisper, so Billy had to focus solely on him just to catch the words. "That's why you won't touch me, and you certainly won't touch her. You're afraid you won't be man enough. And you know the real thing that's pissing you off?"

Billy's eyes were dilating, and Tommy knew the moment had come.

"We both know you're right."

The first blow cracked Tommy's rib easily, but Tommy didn't care. He kept laughing, even through the beating... but he knew he deserved every bit of it.