Author's Notes: Hi, everyone! Let it begin!

Reviewer thanks: Ghostwriter, lunarweather (I wanted an extreme reaction with the bedroom scene. I think, no matter the reaction, it was just perfect.), thegreatestslackerever (I always love to stir up the emotions.), PinkRangerV (Yes, it was the bedroom scene. That one was for you.), KLR (I love long comments. Go longer.), Exwindzz (I think even when this spell is broken, Kim's personality will necessarily change.), gardien1204 (Goldar as Red Ranger… My world just flipped.), alias093001 (I wanted that scene to cause extreme reactions. I got what I wanted.), Richardc269, brankel1 (I hope you mean you're glad Tommy is not dead…), Calcboy91 (You know I try to avoid clichés whenever possible. And whenever I do, I try to earn them.), Willowxxx, scarlet1474, jwstahle, geekychic1999, falcon242 (I wanted to work in that highly entertaining episode where Zedd tries to take Kim as his queen. I think it worked…), and RangerDude123 (I try to follow the major changes of the canon as much as I can. They will definitely leave after the White Ranger change.).


Darker Shades

Chapter 29: Haven

When Tommy opened his eyes, he saw trees. Earthly trees. Beautiful, green, not-part-of-a-nightmare, honest trees. He nearly cried out with relief, only stopped by the fact that his throat was closed with emotion.

He thought back to Goldar, now caught in the dimension that used his own thoughts against him. It had started to form into the Moon Palace, which probably meant that the nightmares were turning against Goldar... possibly what allowed Tommy to go free. He felt a twinge of regret. Goldar had been terrified, and well he should. Tommy knew exactly what it would do to the other warrior. It would probably be especially hard on Goldar, who wasn't much for self-reflection and now would have it thrust upon him. He had cried out, begged for help...

Exactly as Rita had possibly cried out to him. And Goldar had turned his back on her. Tommy ruthlessly swept aside his regret. Let Goldar feel the pain, the consequences of his actions.

Tommy took stock of his surroundings, knowing that he needed to join his friends, that they were probably in trouble, but savoring the feel of being back on Earth. That's when he noticed everything was wrong... and horribly familiar.

There were trees, yes, but they were not moving. There was absolutely no wind, and the stillness of the air was only matched by the absolute silence. No animal noises. No rustling of the leaves. Nothing.

"The freakin' Island of the freakin' Illusions," Tommy said through his teeth, anger and disappointment filling him. Yes, it was exactly as he remembered it. He was, in fact, right where he'd had his own illusion with Goldar, and he could even see the marks where he'd run from nothing. That was the very tree that he'd thought had been split by Goldar's sword.

He knew the whole place was an illusion, that he was actually in a lab hooked to devices generating the illusion. Before any scenarios started to play out for him, for he was fed up with his worst nightmares, he yelled, "Quagmire!"

There was silence, but Tommy knew he didn't want to give up. Absently, he tried his communicator. It didn't work, but that didn't faze him.

"Quagmire, get me the hell out of this device! It's not going to work on me again!"

There was still silence. Tommy started to doubt whether he was possibly on Earth, and his communicator was just not working... but no. This place was a pale imitation of Earth.

"Okay," Tommy groused. "But I'm not going to play your game. Hit me with whatever illusions you want, but I've already faced worse today." Without another word, Tommy sat down and closed his eyes. He concentrated on his own breathing, ready for anything Quagmire had to throw at him.

He was sitting there for he knew not how long, as time had no meaning in this dimension, when he felt a pressure on his head he hadn't realized had been there lifting.

"Tommy Oliver! What are you doing here?!"

Tommy opened his eyes. He was strapped to a chair, and the white lab and shocked face of Quagmire greeted him.

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you," Tommy growled. "Can you get me out of these? I don't feel like tearing through them myself, though I will."

Quagmire absently snapped his fingers, and the straps loosened and fell away.

Tommy exploded out of the chair before Quagmire could react. He grabbed the shorter man by the throat and slammed him to the wall. Quagmire's feet kicked in the empty air and his fingers clawed at Tommy's hands, but Tommy held firm.

"Is this a little favor you're doing for Lord Zedd?" Tommy asked in a threatening voice. "What's the game this time?"

Quagmire coughed and spluttered. He seemed to get his thoughts back in order and, eyes narrowing, he gestured his hand in a defensive move, sending Tommy hurtling back against the opposite wall. Quagmire fell with a thud, massaging his throat.

"If you hadn't noticed, Green Ranger, I have freed you and have not threatened you at all. I just got back to my lab and found you strapped to the chair. That's what happens automatically when people come to my dimension... but that never happens twice to anyone. And why, pray tell, are you talking about Lord Zedd?" His haggard voice was starting to normalize. "I thought you were fighting Rita Repulsa."

Tommy pulled himself up, frowning. "Not anymore. Zedd took everything from Rita and banished her. We've been fighting him ever since." He folded his arms, trying to look threatening even through his confusion. "So, if Zedd didn't send me here, how the hell did I get here?"

Quagmire had looked startled at the news of Rita's banishment. He looked at Tommy strangely, as if wondering what he should do with him. "Come with me," he said slowly. "You look dead on your feet. You've obviously used up a lot of energy."

Tommy took a step back. "Why should I trust you? The last time you had me here you tortured me and my friends."

"You can trust me, Tommy Oliver, because I neither want nor need anything from you... except perhaps as much information as you're willing to give." He smiled. "Besides, lunch is far more pleasant when shared. Why do you think I always provide my 'guests' with a feast?"

Tommy was about to retort when his stomach made a loud grumble. Trying to ignore Quagmire's smirk, he shrugged. "Fine... I guess I could do with some food."

"Well, at that polite acceptance..."

Tommy sighed and forced himself to calm down. He was still really disappointed he wasn't on Earth. "Thank you. I... Things have been pretty stressful lately."

"And I'm dying to hear about it," Quagmire grinned. "But the chicken is getting cold! Come along, and we'll discuss your situation."


"Okay, dad, try it again!"

Jason waited, baking in the metal shell under the desert sun. But if this worked...

There was a grating roar, and the metal hummed under Jason's feet. He heard a whoop of victory from his dad.

"I think that got it," Kristen said, smirking at their dad's excitement.

Jason and Kristen climbed down from the Red Dragon Thunderzord, which, after nearly two weeks of laying on the desert floor just inside the protective barriers of the Command Center, was finally showing signs of life.

As soon as they hit the ground, Mr. Scott looked out from the head of the Zord, where he'd been coaxing the Zord back to life with the help of Jason's power coin. "What do we do next?"

Jason wiped his forehead and wondered whose turn it was to make lunch today. The desert morning had drained him far more than a full day at the Command Center. "Well, if you throw me my power coin, I can send it back to the Command Center by remote. You can ride along if you want."

His dad's eyes widened. "Do you even have to ask?"

Jason laughed and caught his power coin. "Wanna ride with dad? Or teleport?" he asked his sister.

Kristen was still laughing. Their dad looked like a 5-year-old about to take a pony ride. "Nah. I'll take the cycle back with you. We need to conserve energy for tomorrow."

Jason started to process to send the Zord back. "And you want to keep your eardrums."

"That might have crossed my mind, yeah," Kristen commented drily. "We've got to get back soon, though. Mrs. Kwan has had to do without me and dad all day."

"Any updates on the status of Angel Grove?"

Kristen smiled thinly. "I'll save the report for the meeting, sir."

Jason winced a bit as he got on the motorcycle and handed Kristen a helmet. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," Kristen said. "I just..." She sighed. "Do you know how weird it's been? I mean, you're my kid brother and everything, and now I'm taking orders from you to save the world."

"Believe me, I know," Jason said before starting the cycle up.

They were silent on the drive back, unable to talk over the roar of the motor. Jason tried not to think too much about what was waiting for them at the end of the drive. Despite the heat, he'd actually enjoyed getting out of the Command Center for once... and getting away from being the leader of Earth's now-extended defenders.

Besides the other Rangers, his own family had actually been his greatest support. It had taken a while to settle into various roles, but both his parents and sister had done their best to rally everyone and help organize. On the first day after their exile, his dad had insisted on a sign-up sheet for various jobs, for both domestic chores and for contributing to the world-saving effort. Once Jason, Billy, and Trini had agreed on what needed done, and particularly what the parents would be able to help with, his dad had practically pushed everyone to the sign-up sheet. Jason had had to prevent his dad from signing up for everything.

It was Kristen who'd had the idea to form a group to study Angel Grove, a group that now comprised of herself, their dad, and Trini's mom, with others contributing when they could. They were compiling maps of Angel Grove, particularly taking into account the changes in geography and social structure now that the gods were in power. They had the territories of the gods marked, had monitored Haven's defenses, and had kept track of the gods who had no territories, as well as the Putties and animals that now roamed Angel Grove unchecked.

They'd also started monitoring the new groups that had risen up. A few human women had joined Artemis in the hunt. The media was still in operation, but under the thumb of Hermes. They were able to gets several things past him, though, giving hope to the refugees and the residents of Haven. Most interesting, though, were the freedom fighters, a group who were defying the Putties and running supplies to Haven. From what Jason had seen, they were mostly young adults and teenagers... doing exactly what the Power Rangers should have been doing.

Jason realized he was going too fast. He slowed down.

The other major group was led by Kimberly's parents and Sylvia, who were working on the problem of Kimberly. They'd been studying the information on Tommy, both when he was under the spell and when the spell was being broken, as well as what had been recorded when Billy was under that temporary spell. People helped that group when they had the time, though no one could match their passion for the problem. For the Harris' it was understandable, but for Sylvia... it seemed to be a way to help Tommy, even though he was past help.

Trini put in the most extra time in that group, but she and Jason's mom spent most of their time with Zack. From what Jason could understand, the poison was so complex that any attempt to completely eradicate it also risked eradicating Zack. Even Alpha's medical programs had not helped.

Jason knew they needed to cure Zack soon, for tomorrow...

He turned his thoughts away from the next day. He'd just end up psyching himself too much.

The rest of the parents took care of the kids and household needs of the Command Center. Chafing after the first day, Dr. Taylor had decided to form a school for her own children and Kimberly's brother. The Rangers themselves had only barely gotten out of sitting classes, and that was only because every second of every day was taking up in working and planning. Dr. Taylor and Mr. Taylor taught English and history, respectively, Sylvia taught math, and Mr. Kwan taught science, with Kristen occasionally helping him out. A grouping of old, disused rooms near the docking port had served as classrooms, and the bitter complaints from the young kids had finally died down.

Jason keyed in the security sequence that would allow him to dock the motorcycle. A door opened up to allow them in, and the dark coolness of the Command Center greeted them.

As soon as he parked, Kristen hopped off the bike, pulled off her helmet, and shook out her hair. "I'm headed to the security room. See you at lunch?"

Jason waved as she ran off, and he started hooking up his bike, perhaps more slowly than he needed. He knew today would be different, and he needed time to prepare.

The speaker on his communicator crackled to life, ruining the cool peace of the docking bay. "Oh, ay-yi-yi, Jason. I'm glad you're back. We must go over a few things before tonight's meeting."

Jason sighed. "I'll be right there, Alpha. Gonna check on some things first, all right?"

"Right, Jason," Alpha answered.

Jason scraped his hair back. It was time to be the Red Ranger again.

He walked past the classrooms, where Dr. Taylor was taking the youngest through some grammar exercises. Kevin and Marcus were apparently read War of the Worlds together. Jason wondered why Dr. Taylor was having them read something so on the nose... but then that might be the best way to do it.

He came out of the hallway into the apex of the Command Center. Mrs. Kwan and his dad and sister were conferring with Alpha before heading to their base in the security room, and Billy was absorbed in some read-outs they'd just given him.

His dad looked up as Jason passed by. "Zord's all hooked up for repairs, Jason. Alpha said it should be ready for anything by tomorrow."

"Thanks, Dad," Jason said. "Talk to you in a bit."

He didn't get far, though, before Sylvia stopped him. "Are you headed to see Karen and Frank?"

"That was the plan," Jason said.

Sylvia closed her eyes. "Now's not a good time. Maybe after lunch." She seemed to be steeling herself for something. "Do you mind if we talk? Somewhere quiet?"

Jason nodded cautiously and gestured toward the room he shared with the other boy Rangers. She seemed to flinch at the room, but went in with no complaint. Jason, however, cursed himself for not thinking. Sylvia had been practically living the footage of Tommy's cure from the spell for the past two weeks, and this was the room where it had all taken place. It was no longer set up as a cell, but it was still the same room.

When Sylvia didn't seem quite ready to speak up, Jason asked her, "How's the work on Kimberly's cure going?"

Sylvia sat down on a bed, seemingly to stop herself from pacing. "We have theories. Possibilities. Nothing that will absolutely result in breaking the spell."

When Jason didn't respond, she went on. "The thing is... Yes, the spell is similar to Tommy's, but she doesn't have the same motivations. Tommy wanted to break the spell, and, what with the extenuating circumstances, we're not sure it's the same for Kimberly."

This time Jason sat down. "So you're not sure Kimberly wants to be saved." He closed his eyes. "That's why her parents want to be alone right now, right?"

Sylvia looked away. "It not the conclusion we wanted to come to, and I've tried to reassure them that it's hardly conclusive. But..."

"What makes you all think this way?" Jason said.

"It's..." She took a breath. "When it was Tommy, his salvation laid in breaking the spell. All the evil he'd done, he'd done under a spell. It had made him hurt all of you, ignore his father... But it was a spell driving him to all that. Yes, he'd have to deal with the guilt, but a part of him always wanted to return to himself, to return to that responsibility. And it helped that all of you accepted him afterward. For Kimberly... if she's to be believed..."

"She killed Tommy before the spell," Jason said, making his voice flat and emotionless.

"Essentially," Sylvia said. "When she took her brother's place in the cell, it was a sacrifice for her brother, just as she'd intended, but we think she was escaping having to face what she'd done. Even if our theory holds, that it was an accidental death, she still blames herself." Sylvia smiled faintly. "She's a young woman in love, who killed the person she loved. I can't imagine anyone coming back from that easily. It's hard enough..."

There were real tears in Sylvia's eyes, and Jason looked away, unsure of what to do. He couldn't imagine how Sylvia had been able to keep it together this long. She'd just found out that her adoptive son was both the Green Ranger and dead a mere few weeks before, and she'd had to rip open those wounds every day just so she could help Kimberly.

"Kimberly won't run away from her responsibility forever," Jason heard himself saying. "That's just not her. She..." He smiled. "When we were offered the powers, she refused at first. Didn't want any part of it. Even after we all accepted, she made a joke about not wanting the powers... about having to deal with helmet hair."

Sylvia smiled a bit through her tears, and Jason remembered that it wasn't just Tommy: Sylvia had babysat Kimberly, had lived across from her family for years.

"But... out of all of us, she's the most passionate about helping people, and being a Power Ranger. Zordon, in that message he left, didn't say how much Kimberly cared about all of this. She... she may be running away now, maybe because she cares too much, but she's going to come back. She's going to want to come back. I just know it."

Sylvia was nodding, although Jason couldn't decide if it was because she believed or because she wanted to believe. "Then we'll need to capture her. Get her away from that awful Zedd, just like with Tommy. Her parents and friends are here. I... I know you wanted a quicker fix, but I don't think it's going to work. The problem isn't with a spell. The problem is with Kimberly."

Jason nodded and got up. "Thank you. I... We can take that into consideration now. I'm not sure if I can bring her in like I did Tommy, but... we'll come up with something."

Sylvia didn't move, and Jason knew she wanted to stay in the room long enough to control herself. He laid his hand awkwardly on her shoulder before leaving. There was still so much to do.


Kimberly reached up for the blindfold, only to have her hand swatted down.

"My dear, you'll ruin the surprise."

Kimberly smiled and gripped the hem of her dress to keep herself from taking off the blindfold. "Come on," she said. "I'm going to trip over something. Why can't you just wrap the present?"

"It's a bit large," Lord Zedd said. "And I won't let you fall," he whispered in her ear.

Her grin broadened and she allowed herself to be led across the room. She could tell they were in the throne room, and they ascended the two steps near the balcony carefully. She was about to lose patience again and reach for the blindfold when Lord Zedd pulled it off.

She blinked at the sudden light and looked around, confused. Then her eyes focused on the telescope at the edge of the balcony, pointed right to Earth.

Kimberly squealed. "That thing can see what's going on down there?" she asked breathlessly.

"Not beyond certain magic barriers, but essentially yes," Zedd said. "I know you've been frustrated by being unable to see what's happening on Earth, so this will help you be more... involved."

Kimberly threw herself around Zedd in a hug. "I love it." She jammed her eye on the eyepiece and started playing around with the knobs. It was fairly easy to adjust, and was already trained on Angel Grove anyway.

"Now I can actually see if there's anything for me to do, and I don't have to just take your word for it," Kimberly said a little tartly.

"Now, my dear..."

"Oh, don't you 'my dear' me," Kimberly said, though she kept her voice light. "I haven't had a thing to do since the surrender. Even shopping gets old after a while, especially when it's not even shopping. It's looting."

"My..." Lord Zedd paused. "Kimberly, you know there hasn't been anything to do. I'm only keeping the gods occupied while your former friends search for Zordon."

"And why did you give them so much time?" Kimberly said, hoping she didn't come off as whiny as she suspected. "I could take over the Command Center easy, and then we could..."

"Let you near that Command Center, where the Power Rangers will lay all sort of traps for you, to steal you away from me?" Lord Zedd chuckled. "Have you tired of me so quickly?"

"Of course not!" Kimberly protested. "I... I just wonder... if you're being a little protective of me. I'm a fighter, not a damsel."

"And I am the first to acknowledge that," Zedd said coaxingly. "But I must ask you to be patient, just for a little while longer."

"Don't even know what you're waiting for," Kimberly groused.

"Kimberly..." Zedd said, a warning in his voice.

Kimberly rolled her eyes and looked through the telescope. It was mayhem in Angel Grove, of course. She watched the freedom fighters taking care of some Putties for a while, and considered asking Zedd if she could fight them for a while. She looked around and saw that Zedd was gone. He probably would have said no anyway.

It was the inactivity that was really bothering her. When she'd first come under the spell, there had been a whirlwind of activity: retrieving her Zord, the attack on the parents, the surrender... But then nothing. Two weeks of just sitting around. It was maddening. She didn't know how Zedd stood it.

Of course, he knew what was going to happen. He had things to occupy him. And here she was, locked up in a castle like a damn princess.

Kimberly realized that if she stayed in the Moon Palace one more second without going out, she'd scream. She searched around Angel Grove with the telescope, hoping to find some place she could go that wouldn't just get her into trouble.

The Youth Center...

It was deserted. The freedom fighters had apparently used it for a little while as a base, until Artemis found out and chased them out. Yet it was relatively intact.

Kimberly felt a strange hunger, a yearning that came on her sometimes. With a sudden decision, she teleported to the Youth Center.

It was eerie, she decided. She associated the Youth Center with people, activity, events... Even though it looked much the same as it had ever done; everything that made it what it was… had disappeared.

Almost unconsciously, she approached the balance beam, kicked off her shoes, and hopped on. She put herself through her most familiar routines, taking quiet comfort in the well-known aches and stretches. Too many aches, though. She'd been lax in her training. She'd have to watch that, if she ever got any action ever again.

She flipped off the balance beam with a twist, raising her hands at the dismount... and nearly fell down when she heard applause.

Jason was leaning in the doorway, slowly clapping at the performance. He was smiling, though the smile somehow didn't quite reach his eyes.

Angry at the intrusion, Kimberly started pulling her shoes back on. "What are you doing here?"

Rather than answer the question, Jason looked around. "I can see why you came here. It looks barely touched. I'd have thought at least one of the gods would have set up a territory here."

"Yeah, well, maybe it's not such a great place as we always thought it was," Kimberly answered tartly. She sighed. "Okay, what are you doing here?"

The smile fell from Jason's face. "I guess I wanted to talk."

Kimberly crossed her arms. "What could we possibly talk about?"

"Quite a bit, actually."

Kimberly smirked. "Don't think I don't get what this is. You're here to show me the error of my ways. To make me the good little girl I was before."

"And who ever said you were a good little girl?" Jason said, his voice light.

It was quiet, and cold. All she was wearing was a light summer dress, because it was warm on the Moon Palace, and it seemed to have gotten unseasonably cold in Angel Grove... possibly courtesy of Poseidon's water shield. "But that's what you're here for. To break the spell?"

Jason shrugged. "Didn't have much hope, to tell you the truth. Talking never helped Tommy, after all."

"It did, in fact," Kimberly countered softly.

"Oh, but you're different," Jason said. "After all, Tommy didn't have a choice. You did... and you chose the spell."

It was getting darker, Kimberly noticed. "So what are you saying? I'm hopeless? Is that it?" She smirked. "Or did you just come to watch me. You know, I always suspected you of having a crush on me."

"After what you're doing with Lord Zedd?" Jason said in a hard voice. "I can hardly look at you."

Kimberly winced. "How do you know..."

"Everyone knows," Jason sneered. "The gifts. The kisses. Prancing around in those dresses. I bet it was a relief to get Tommy out of the way."

"Stop it."

"Don't you remember?" And now it wasn't Jason. It was Tommy. Tommy, with an arrow through his chest. "You kill your boyfriends."

Kimberly woke with a start. She was slumped over the telescope, alone in the throne room.

She rubbed her face vigorously. That had been happening a lot lately... and it was starting to scare her. It was one of those things she tried to hide from Lord Zedd, but it was scaring her, and she had no idea who she could talk to.


Tommy followed Quagmire down a glass hallway, and then into a tropical garden, where a table was laid out with fried chicken, corn on the cob, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Tommy couldn't think of a meal that more fit his hunger at the moment. As he sat down, though, the perfection of the meal made him look up suspiciously. "This isn't an illusion, is it?"

"It's very real, I assure you," Quagmire said, "though I will admit it was merely a figment of your imagination five minutes ago. I was going to have soup, but I was so taken by your culinary daydream, I just had to make it happen."

Tommy decided that, given the weirdness of the... day, he assumed, though the time he'd been away from Earth could have been quite longer... this was as normal as he was going to get. At least, it wouldn't stop him from tearing off half of a chicken breast in one bite. After some vigorous chewing and a huge swallow, he asked, "Make it happen?"

Quagmire, who'd been busily arranging sides on his plate and ignoring Tommy's lack of table manners, looked up. "I have rather a lot of power, actually. Due to my relative youth, I depend on a few devices to focus my power, and due to my propensity of making the wrong kind of enemies, I'm rather stuck in this dimension... but within this dimension, I can make anything happen."

"Can you restore my powers completely and get me out of here?"

Quagmire frowned, considering. Tommy had the impression that, while the strange being holding a chicken leg was staring at him, he was seeing things about Tommy that weren't readily apparent.

"Yes and no," Quagmire said after a few minutes. "I could restore your powers... but only within the confines of this dimension. Leave, and the effects go away. And, no, I don't think I can send you back to your dimensional plane."

"You did before," Tommy said, his fork moving mechanically at his food.

"That was different," Quagmire sighed. "You were under my power. Everything was going strictly according to the rules. Now, though..." He shook a chicken leg at Tommy. "I wasn't joking before. You aren't supposed to be here. No one who's been here can ever enter this dimension again. It's convenient in avoiding violent outbursts from people seeking revenge... like some I could name. But the fact remains, your existence here is impossible. Literally impossible, and I don't use that word lightly. Either word, really."

Tommy looked down at his plate. He was finally getting full, and he'd barely tasted his food. He supposed this was special, extra-nutritional food that filled him up with just a few bites, but that sort of sucked with the food he liked. He took a slice of pecan pie Quagmire offered him and picked at it, brooding.

"How did you get to this dimension, Tommy?" Quagmire asked. He'd finished eating, and was now swirling a brandy in a snifter.

Tommy shrugged. "It was weird to begin with. Zedd sent me to this other dimension that only responded to my thoughts... Well, not really my thoughts, but more my subconscious. All the things I really believed about myself or that I feared would happen came true for me, and I couldn't do anything to oppose it."

His throat tightened up at the thought of the place. He only knew that he would do anything to stay away from it. Again, he thought of Goldar trapped there. Perhaps Zedd had saved him from it. Then again, knowing Zedd, and knowing that Goldar had only gotten stuck there when he lost Tommy as a prisoner, Tommy really doubted it.

"Anyway," he said as Quagmire waited for him to resume. "Goldar went in after me with orders to kill me, and he pummeled me for a bit, but somehow the dimension latched on to him, and then a portal appeared, so I jumped through. I thought it would lead back to Earth, but it just led here."

Quagmire looked down, apparently lost in thought. "Yes... and I was able to sense from your thoughts the things you left out. I have to say, I have a grudging admiration for Zedd. Making everyone think you're dead and that your girlfriend killed you, all the while torturing you and then planning to kill you." He shook his head in silent wonder. "Genius."

Tommy felt his anger rise up again. "Yeah, genius unless you're part of it. Kimberly and the others are in real pain..."

"I do not deny it," Quagmire cut him off. "I bear you no ill will, so do not take offense at my little interests." He cleared his throat. "I recognize the dimension of which you speak... rather like mine, except far more primitive. Effective, though."

"You got that right," Tommy said, willing himself to let his anger go. If he was going to get out of this fix, he was going to need help, and Quagmire, sadistic little cretin he was, looked perfectly willing to help.

"The point is, you're human," Quagmire continued. "Yes, you're a Power Ranger, but a Power Ranger whose powers are failing, and nonetheless human. Unless someone like Lord Zedd or Rita created the portal, and without outside help, you should not have been able to escape like that, let alone enter another unenterable dimension. Even more powerful beings cannot simply hop dimensions with severe repercussions. Take myself, for example. Or take your own leader, Zordon."

Tommy frowned at the mention of Zordon. Was he still lost? If he was, it was Tommy's fault, and now, from what Tommy understood, it was Kimberly, Zedd, and the gods against Jason, Trini, Zack, and Billy. Not the greatest of odds.

"Well..." Tommy started slowly, "let's put aside how I can dimension hop, and just take for granted that I can. How am I going to get home? My friends need me. I'd never forgive myself if they got hurt and I wasn't there to help."

"It's all well and good to worry about your friends, but I'd worry about myself, if I were you," Quamire said darkly. The food had disappeared from the table, and cups of coffee were in front of both of them, though Tommy hadn't noticed the transition. "You speak of dimension hopping so casually. Even if it is, for some unknown reason, possible for you, it's the most dangerous thing you could attempt in this situation. Do you realize how lucky you are to have appeared in my dimension?" He laughed. "You could have ended up anywhere. There are worlds beyond your wildest dreams. Some worlds would flay the skin off your body before you had a chance to react. In others you could awaken ancient forces that would then follow you wherever you went... including Earth, by the way. There are far worse things than that tyrant Lord Zedd around."

"So what are you saying?" Tommy challenged him. "Give up? Hang out with you for the rest of my life. No thanks." He smiled wearily, getting up. "I don't care if it takes me thousands of years. I'm going to get back to Earth, to my friends. I don't know much about dimensional travel, or other dimensions, but I do know that these dimensions are outside of time. I could travel for years, and only minutes will have passed on Earth." He sighed. "And even if it turns out differently, I just have to try."

Quagmire shook his head slowly as he got up. "I knew I wouldn't be able to dissuade you, and let me assure you that I am just as eager for you to leave as you are to leave. I only ask one thing."

"What's that?"

"Allow me to monitor you as you perform this dimension hopping trick," Quagmire said a bit too casually. "It will be completely unobtrusive: I'll just adjust my equipment to your vital signs."

Tommy raised his eyebrows. "Seems to me like that would help you figure out a way to escape this dimension."

Quagmire smiled slyly. "Or something."

"What did you get imprisoned for?" Tommy said. "What made you those enemies?"

Quagmire crossed his arms behind his head, looking mischievous. "I suppose that is fair enough. I created certain artifacts... that could be construed as..."

"Evil?"

Quagmire snorted in derision. "Evil is as evil does. You yourself know that it's not the power that has morality, but the person. Your green power coin is neither good nor evil: it can be used either way, but it is neither in itself."

"Fair enough."

Quagmire waited.

Tommy looked around and gestured impatiently. "I said fair enough. Get your equipment."

Quagmire looked surprised, and then grinned. "It will take but minutes."

Tommy sat on the ground in the garden. He closed his eyes, trying to remember how he did it the last time. Was it something like the way he had communicated with Rita? He could close his eyes and concentrate, but there was another impulse, something that he couldn't name.

Even as he heard what he figured was Quagmire's equipment, he felt himself grow further away from this dimension, like his body was just figuring out it wasn't where it belonged. This time, the portal didn't open, and he didn't have to walk through. He called the portal to himself, and it swallowed him up.


When Jason left the boys' sleeping quarters, Mrs. Kwan and his father and sister had left the apex for the security room. He'd meet with them later. Right now he needed to visit Zack and Trini.

When he reached the lab-turned-hospital-room, his mother was alone with Zack, who was under some diagnostic equipment, half-asleep as the machine ran its tests. His mother was noting down readings on a clipboard.

"I sent Trini to get some sleep," Mrs. Scott said, greeting Jason with a smile. "Zack had a rough night last night, and Trini stayed up through most of it."

Jason crossed his arms, looking worriedly at his friend. "I can't believe nothing Trini has tried can kick this. She was able to come up with that serum. I thought for sure..."

"Just shows I'm a complicated guy," Zack said, grinning. "I think that does it with the tests, Mrs. Karen." He pushed the equipment away. "How'd I do?"

"You'd do better to rest," she said sardonically, pushing his chest lightly to keep him from bounding up. "And if you'll give me a minute to look over this data. I'm not quite as quick with the math as Trini."

Jason couldn't help but grin at the sight of his friend, smiling and joking. "Heard you had a bad night last night."

Zack snorted. "Just had nightmares of what the Putties were doing to my comic book collection. Nothing to worry your little head over. You got enough to worry about."

"No kidding," Jason said. He spotted some papers on a table next to Zack's bed. "What's that? Don't tell me your mom finally got you with some homework."

"Don't think she hasn't tried," Zack said, grabbing the papers. "These are my tickets out of essays about Julius Caesar. I got Kristen to get me copies of all the stuff they've been putting together."

Jason shook his head slowly. Zack never bothered with planning or strategy. He was more of a guns-a-blazing type of guy, and only planned when someone forced him. It said a lot for his circumstances that he was resorting to looking over data and making battle plans. "And?"

Zack shuffled a few of the pages, looking for something specific. "Well, I know you and Billy are really focusing on what Hephaestus is doing, and I think you're right to worry. But I think the real danger... or at least an important part of the danger... is going to come straight from Dionysus."

"Dionysus?" Jason was starting to worry now. He couldn't forget that Zack was sick, and the sickness could be affecting his brain. "Dionysus of the infinite kegger? He's even more harmless than Ares or Aphrodite."

"Dude, you're talking to someone who's actually faced Dionysus... and not come out of it with just a hangover." Zack had picked a piece of paper and was running his finger over the numbers. "He's one of the most dangerous of the gods period, but that whole kegger thing is, I think, a front."

"What makes you think that?" In the back of his mind, Jason wondered if Zack wanted to make a case against Dionysus. Pay him back for what he'd done to him and his family.

"Look at these numbers," Zack said, shoving the paper in Jason's line of sight while still holding the place with his finger. "These are the statistics of people in each territory. Look at Dionysus compared to the others."

Jason squinted at the numbers. "Yeah... it's pretty high. Nothing compared to Haven, but..."

"And getting higher," Zack said emphatically. "Daily."

Jason tried not to shrug. "I mean, if you weren't going to go to Haven, I'd think Dionysus' territory would be the best. Plenty of food and drink, constant partying, no fights or awkward PDA."

"That explains why it's high. Not why the number's rising." Zack pulled back the paper. "And this isn't any small increase. Between twenty and thirty people a day, while all the other territories have pretty much leveled off in the past week. People are leaving other territories, especially Haven, to go to Dionysus's territory. It's not natural. Dionysus has to be enticing them with more than Budweiser."

"So why would Dionysus care about getting that many votaries?" Jason said slowly, grabbing the paper so he could look at the numbers anew.

"Exactly," Zack said. "He's planning something, and he needs humans. We already know what he can do to humans, so I think we may be looking at a wild mob in the near future."

Jason nodded slowly. "Do you think he knows that we're planning an attack? Is he getting ready to mobilize those humans against us?"

Zack shrugged. "It's a possibility. I've already told Trini, and she thinks I'm on to something, too." He shook his head. "If Zedd mobilizes humans against us, we're even more helpless than we are now. Right now we're preserving surrender terms that will keep the people of Angel Grove safe. If it's the people of Angel Grove themselves attacking us..."

"It's a problem," Jason said. "Good work, Zack. See if you can calculate how many people exactly is in Dionysus's territory, especially if they're able-bodied. In the meantime, mom, let me know how those tests come up?"

"Soon as I get done," Mrs. Scott answered, holding her head as she made calculations.

Jason bumped fists with Zack as he left, hoping against hope that Zack would be able to join them the next day.


"You know," Kimberly said, trying to keep her tone casual, "those gods sure are acting strange."

Lord Zedd barely glanced up from the book he was reading. Lately, he either stared at Earth or read his books.

"What was that, my dear?" he finally said.

Kimberly smiled at the accustomed form of address. "I'm saying that the gods are being weird," she repeated. "All secretive and stuff. They never come up here anymore, and I haven't seen Hephaestus since this began."

"I wouldn't think you would object to that," Lord Zedd said, a little distracted.

"That's not what I'm trying to say. Are you even listening to me?"

Lord Zedd put down the book. "I am, my dear. The gods are occupied. They are serving their purpose in keeping Angel Grove as a hostage. As long as they don't kill anyone, what they do is entirely up to them."

"And you're not worried," Kimberly said.

"Why should I be?" Kimberly could practically see the smirk on Zedd's invisible face. "The gods may call themselves gods, but they are really Earth spirits; spirits completely under my control. They dare not raise a hand against me, and they have no reason to. The Power Rangers, in the meantime, are completely helpless. They've already surrendered, and they have no choice but to do as I say. Even if any of them do rebel, they can never hope to win. The cost is too great."

"I was a Power Ranger," Kimberly said. "And right now I know that the Power Rangers are working on a way to foil your plans. That's what happens when you give them time."

Lord Zedd chuckled. "I'm flattered that you're so worried, but you must put your mind at ease. You may have expertise with the Power Rangers, but I can calculate all the possibilities. There is no variable I haven't taken into account, no loophole they can exploit. Billy's not going to create an invention, Trini's not going to find a cure, and Jason's not going to defeat a monster. You yourself took Zack out of the equation."

Kimberly smiled, trying to be assured by his words. "You talk like you can see the future or something."

"Or something," Lord Zedd said wryly. "I can see the possibilities and weight the probabilities. That's how I think, and that's how I can stay three steps ahead of everyone."

"Okay," Kimberly said, letting him think she was reassured and had completely forgotten about the gods' strange behavior.

She left his bedroom, left him to his reading. She wasn't sure what to do, as usual. She didn't want to go to Angel Grove. She didn't feel particularly welcome down there, by anyone, really. The gods regarded her with distrust, and the people with fear. The problem was, she was also unwelcome in the Moon Palace as well. Lord Zedd loved her and made her feel welcome, but no one else. Goldar had disappeared completely-Zedd had mentioned a secret mission-Squatt and Babboo ran when they saw her, and with Finster it was all terse words and glares.

She supposed that was normal, and it wasn't like she wanted to become best friends with Finster, Squatt, or Babboo... but it got lonely. Really lonely. Especially when Lord Zedd was lost in his work.

It would have been different if she had something to do. If she was fighting, or planning, or... she ended lamely. She'd had a blast that first night of the attack. Taking on Jason's Red Dragon Thunderzord with her own Zord and Serpentera had been spectacular... but then nothing.

She had thought of asking Finster to connect her computer in her room with... TV, or something. She had no idea how to work the computer, and her few experiments had turned up nothing. But going to Finster, especially in a quest for entertainment, was completely off the board. She could just imagine how he would look at her. Of course, she could appeal to Zedd and get him to tell Finster what to do, but it wasn't worth getting Finster in trouble.

She flashed back to the funeral he, Squatt, and Babboo had held for Tommy. No, she definitely didn't want to get them in trouble, though she wasn't entirely clear on why.

The funeral made her think, though, of a place that she hadn't even tried to explore. She looked up and realized while walking she'd come to the door she wanted: Tommy's old room.

The door slid open for her, and she walked in cautiously, making sure no one was watching her. She'd never been forbidden from going in there, but she couldn't think of anyone in the Moon Palace who would react well to her being in there.

The room was spare and small, and barely anything of Tommy's remained in there. Only the dragon symbol remained on the wall, a panel next to it Kimberly recognized as a computer access. She pressed the panel, and the symbol slid aside to reveal the computer.

It was paused, the video showing herself in the Command Center.

Hesitating, Kimberly pressed play.

"I don't know, guys," the Kimberly on the video said. "I mean, the outfits are cool and everything, but my hair gets all tangled up in that helmet. I don't think I can do it... NOT!" she called at her friends' disappointment.

A chair bounded off the screen, leaving it undamaged, and Kimberly realized she'd thrown it.

"Shut up, you stupid girl!" she screamed at the image of herself. The chair method of turning of the screen failing, she pressed stop and sank onto the bed, sobbing.

She laid there for some time, regaining herself. She didn't move until the door opened, and she started off the bed.

Finster looked at her coldly. "I noted there was a computer access in this room." His face seemed to twitch. "Is there something wrong with your computer terminal, Pink Ranger? Can I be of assistance?"

Kimberly rubbed her face, knowing it was red and blotchy, but hoping the alien wouldn't know what that meant. "As a matter of fact, my computer hasn't worked since I got here."

"Then if you'll follow me to your room..." Finster said, motioning to her.

"Are you kicking me out of here?" Kimberly challenged. "Sending me to my room?"

"Far be it from me to overstep my bounds." Finster was practically sneering. "After all, you are Lord Zedd's consort."

"I'm not consorting with anyone!" Kimberly spat furiously. "I get enough nightmares criticizing me. I don't need you doing it."

"I wonder why you have nightmares," Finster said drily. "It can't be a guilty conscience. After all, you seem to have forgotten him so quickly."

"Shut up about what you don't understand," Kimberly hissed. She realized tears were streaking anew down her face, but she didn't care. "You're not the only one who misses him."

"You're the one who killed him," Finster pointed out.

"And then I died," Kimberly said.

Finster stared at her in shock, even forgetting to look angry.

But Kimberly had collapsed on the bed again. "Why couldn't I have joined him? I... I know I should be happy, but he's gone, and..."

Her head seized up in pain, and her vision clouded red. She felt gentle hands picking up her, guiding her away, but she couldn't seem to sense anything else.


Jason left the security room, satisfied with the report so far. He'd asked them to pay special attention to Dionysus's territory along with City Hall and Haven.

They'd had lunch. He'd met with everyone except Billy and Alpha, and he wanted to give them as much time as possible, so he'd talk to them before the meeting, which wasn't for a few hours. He had time.

Checking to see no one was watching him, he ducked down a corridor that led far from the living and working areas of the Command Center, until he finally reached a small room at the back. The door opened for him, but it would only open for him, thanks to the red power coin.

The light turned on automatically to reveal, in one corner, a computer console on a desk, and, in another corner, a board that Jason had filled with notes. It was the only place in the Command Center where he could be alone, and the only place where he could work on this project. He didn't know why Zordon had never told him that he had a private office, but there it was, where he'd discovered it three days after the surrender. No one knew it was there... at least, he thought. If Alpha knew, he hadn't mentioned anything.

Jason smiled at the flashing screen. Teleportation was successful. He'd finally gotten what he wanted.

A tray popped out of the computer. Jason put on some gloves and carefully lifted out the container of white ash. It had taken him days to figure out the access to Venus Island, and still more days to trace Tommy's and Kimberly's footprints... and where Tommy's ended. In that exact place, he'd found this pile of ash.

He'd been lucky. Zedd was distracted, and none of the gods were monitoring this area. If anyone had found out what he was doing, the attack against Angel Grove might have been escalated. As it was, Jason had left no trace of his surveillance.

Jason held the ashes, staring at them. There were so few, but then, they might be just the right amount for a human body.

Jason tried to ignore his emotions. He had a job to do. It was a job that only he could do. Billy had to focus on the Angel Grove plans, and it was his responsibility to make sure whether Tommy was dead, or if Zedd was keeping him captive. Tommy wasn't on Venus Island, Jason was sure of that, but that didn't mean Tommy couldn't be somewhere else. Maybe even on the Moon Palace, hidden away from surveillance.

He set the equipment to analyze the ash, and then he accessed the read-outs for Venus Island. He might have teleported up the wrong ash, or there might be other clues.

Unmistakable, though, was the scorch mark on the wall near the entrance. There had been an attack. What it had to do with Tommy's death or disappearance remained a mystery.

An hour later, the analysis equipment beeped. The ash held no human remains. There was no indication of either a communicator or power coin on Venus Island.

Jason pushed the equipment away, smiling slightly. So these were not Tommy's remains... but that didn't prove anything, necessarily. Tommy could still be dead. There was a possibility, however, that Zedd had taken him captive., and it was a possibility that gave Jason hope.

Of course, he would have to be careful. News about Tommy would definitely distract everyone from their plans, and it was vital to keep everyone focused. The situation was too uncertain as it was. It was horrible, but it was smarter to keep Tommy dead for the time being.

He also didn't know how Zedd was going to react... or what Zedd was planning in the first place. Obviously, Zedd wanted Kimberly to think Tommy was dead, for all those reasons Sylvia had listed. But if Jason let Zedd know he knew the truth... if he did... Zedd would become unpredictable. Right now Zedd was content to stay in the moon palace, letting the gods run rampant through Angel Grove, and that's where Jason needed him to stay.

No, the time to investigate Tommy was after they freed Angel Grove, and after they captured Kimberly. Then, Tommy would become vital if they were to break Kimberly of her spell.

Jason carefully severed the link between his computer and Venus Island. It would soon be time for the meeting. And tomorrow... the attack.


Kimberly woke up in a bright room. She shielded her eyes, and the lights were suddenly muted. She realized she had a cold cloth on her head.

"Are we feeling better?"

Kimberly squinted to see Finster hovering over her. She realized she'd passed out, and he'd helped her.

"Why?"

Finster chuckled. "Not an answer to the question, but then you humans are not always logical. Goodness knows I've had experience with that," he ended fondly.

Kimberly didn't respond. It sort of hurt to talk.

"I was so... caught up... in my own feelings, I forgot the damaging psychological effects a loyalty spell can have on a human," Finster said mildly. "And as long as you are here, you are under my care."

She tried to raise up, but Finster pushed her back firmly. "I'm still loyal to Lord Zedd."

"Of course you are," Finster said. "But you also never told Zedd about my funeral. For that, I am grateful, and I am sorry you have not had the chance to mourn for him."

"So... the nightmares?"

"Will not go away," Finster said. "I'm sorry, but even Lord Zedd cannot protect you from them. Your brain knows something is wrong, and since the spell won't allow you to face it, it will come out in your subconscious."

Kimberly did not ask what was wrong. She knew... but she didn't want to know.

"You won't tell Zedd?" she asked weakly.

Finster nodded. "My official report is that you are suffering from a human illness, which I am treating. Lord Zedd will not care to inquire more thoroughly, just as he doesn't seem to look too deeply into your thoughts."

Kimberly thought briefly that she should be worried about that... but she decided not. Instead, she let herself fall asleep again.


Billy, Jason, Zack, and Trini stood near Zordon's tube, a table separating them from their families. On the table was a map of Angel Grove, and Billy was writing down the plans.

"There's no way we can convince you to wait?" Mrs. Kwan said. "After all, there's two more weeks..."

"Of gods and Putties terrorizing the people of Angel Grove?" Mr. Scott cut her off. He was currently handing out sheets to everyone. Each sheet had a summary of the plan, as well as what each person's assignment was. Some would monitor each Ranger, some the rest of Angel Grove, some the moon palace... Others would work on communication, teleportation, security shields... They'd all been trained by Alpha or Billy in their jobs. Even the children were going to act as messengers between all the adult workers.

"Trini," Jason said, "you're going to go down first, to City Hall. What's your objective?"

"Distraction," she said. "I'm to act like I want to bargain with Athena for more time, and try to convince her that Zedd is not Zeus. That's what Zedd will expect. I'm also going to request Kimberly's presence... and, unless it's impossible, take her by force."

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Jason said seriously.

Trini smiled, though her smile was nervous. "You did it before, and I have serum just in case. I'm as prepared as I could."

Jason nodded. "That will leave me and Billy to get to Haven, where we can get underground without Zedd's surveillance. Billy?"

"Objectives are to find Hephaestus and neutralize Poseidon's water barrier... safely," Billy answered promptly. "From what I've been able to tell, the center of the gods' power lies underground... and that will be where the spell over them is anchored. If possible, we break it."

"Right," Jason said. "And, Zack..."

"I stay here unless I'm needed," Zack responded, obviously trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Jason remembered the number of times Tommy had acted the same way when he'd been unable to participate fully in battles. "You say that like you won't be needed. You will. All of us are going to be distracted or out of reach. That leaves you to take care of any unexpected problems... and there probably will be." Jason put a hand on Zack's shoulder. "It's going to be your call, no matter what. When you do get involved, make sure it's the right time and for the right reason."

Zack looked a bit heartened after that speech. "You know me."

Jason looked around at them all, their expressions mixed with fear and excitement. "We go in the morning. I'm not going to give you a speech. Lord knows I've been doing enough of that. I'll just say what Zordon would say... May the power protect us." He grinned. "Now let's go save the world."


City Hall. The only other time Trini had ever gone there, it was to surrender two weeks before. Now, she was entering the stronghold of the gods, alone, with a set of objectives that she wasn't even sure she could accomplish.

She was morphed, and she knew she was being monitored by her parents, who were ready to teleport her up if all else failed. That was something, at least.

The Putties surrounding City Hall regarded her, obviously not sure of what to make of her. Trini wondered what she would do if they attacked. After all, she wasn't allowed to fight back, or risk their tenuous surrender.

"I'm here to speak to Athena," she said in a loud, clear voice. "I come in peace. Take me... um... to your leader."

The Putties continued to stare at her, and Trini wondered what to do next. The Putties, however, parted as if by command... which it probably what happened.

"Thank you," Trini said. The Putties were ignoring her, though, and probably didn't understand courtesy anyway.

City Hall was completely empty. The ballroom still held traces of the gala that had been interrupted two weeks before, but the people were gone. Trini knew that only Athena, the mayor, and a few city workers remained in the building at all times. The others had gone to various territories or Haven.

"I wonder what you hope to accomplish."

Trini jumped. She thought she'd been alone as she entered the hallway to the mayor's office, but there was a figure leaning casually on a wall, one winged shoe crossed over another.

"Hermes," Trini said. "Gathering information?"

Hermes shrugged. "As always. Bargaining for time?"

Trini winced at the accuracy of his prediction, but her mask hid the reaction perfectly. "There are things I must discuss with Athena, her being Lord Zedd's representative on Earth. You're welcome to peek in. I'm sure everyone would be more interested in what I have to say than your brand of propaganda."

"What are you talking about?" Hermes scoffed. "My ongoing series on Angel Grove: The New Paradise has the highest ratings on television and radio."

"It's the only thing on television," Trini pointed out.

Hermes grinned infuriatingly. "I'm not here for you. I'm simply waiting on the travelers."

Trini stared hard at him, but she wasn't going to get anything out of those blank silver eyes. She continued on her way, and didn't see when he left.

The mayor's office seemed unguarded, but Trini knew better. Contained inside was Athena, and that was enough guarding any place needed. Trini reminded herself that the purpose was not to engage Athena in battle. After all, Athena had burst from Zeus' skull armed and in full battle gear. This was not a god to fight lightly.

"Come in, hero," the calm voice of Athena called from the other side of the door.

Trini pushed the doors open. In one corner, the mayor sat in a chair under a lamp, cooly reading a book. Athena was at the desk, where a map similar to the one they'd made was spread out. The only difference was the figures on the map, denoting gods, people, and Putties, were moving. It was Angel Grove in perfect miniature replica.

Now why would Athena need that?

"Your town's mayor had finally given up trying to intercede for her people," Athena commented, looking up from the map. "At least for now. Things were starting to get a bit quiet here." She looked Trini over. "It is unnerving to speak to a helmeted hero. It isn't as if you had anything to hide."

"I will take off my helmet if it makes you more comfortable," Trini said, putting action to her words. "Am I right that you are Lord Zedd's representative on Earth?"

Athena looked back down at the map. "Lord Zeus takes little interest in the doings of Earth. He'd rather stay in his palace on Artemis' rightful realm. And you obviously wish to bargain for more time from him. If you wish to speak to him, I suggest you go to him directly."

"Then may I speak directly to you?" Trini said.

This caught Athena's attention. "What could you possibly have to say to me, hero?"

Trini took an imperceptible breath and began. "Don't you think Lord Zeus has been acting... strangely... ever since this began?"

Athena knitted her brow. "Impulsive, violent, with a liking for young girls... Not particularly."

"And since when does he want to take over towns like this?" Trini countered. "Have you even considered why he would want the mentor of heroes captured?"

Athena's expression didn't change, though she did seem to be regarding Trini more carefully. "You are questioning the gods, hero. This is dangerous territory, as I'm sure you've read."

"And yet here I stand," Trini pointed out. "Athena, Zeus is your father. Is this truly the Zeus you know?"

Athena took a breath. "I know you, hero. You are the one I most respect. You have intelligence, but also responsibility. You are calm and diplomatic. That is why I give you this warning. Leave this place. Hide in your fortress. You've already surrendered; now let events unfold as they may."

It was Trini this time who was confused. She'd expected resistance, and she'd certainly expected Zedd to interrupt her by now, but she hadn't expected this response.

"Trini..." The mayor had lowered her book. Trini could now see the fear in her eyes. Something was... wrong. Something not readily apparent. "Yellow Ranger, there's... she's..."

The Mayor froze. Literally froze, mid-speech.

"That's enough out of you," Athena said cooly. "Now, hero, there's little you can do here. Whatever you're trying to tell me, can wait. I believe your true objective is here anyway."

They heard a slight knock at the door. Kimberly, morphed and helmetless, was leaning against the doorway. "Mind if I come in?"


Trini was talking to Athena, so it was time. Jason and Billy, unmorphed so as to avoid unnecessary attention, teleported as close to the school as they could: the Youth Center.

The Youth Center was deserted, but he and Billy did not stop to investigate. They had to make it to the high school, otherwise now known as Haven.

"I haven't left the Command Center in two weeks," Billy said quietly. "This is... the word uncanny comes to mind."

Jason nodded. "Remember, we're not here to fight, and we're not here to draw attention to ourselves. At least, not yet."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Billy said, eyes scanning for any signs of trouble as they walked down the sidewalk.

The path was so familiar, and yet so strange. Jason guessed that was what Billy meant by uncanny. They'd made this walk so many times that they could do it in their sleep. But now... it was eerily silent. The Putties, denied human targets, had taken out their destructive tendencies on cars, buildings, benches... This area had long been trashed by the Putties, and it was only due to the gods that all of Angel Grove still had electricity and running water. Otherwise, life had quite literally come to a standstill, and Angel Grove was no longer the town it once was.

"Two weeks," Billy mused, echoing Jason's thoughts. "Two weeks, and the town's like this. I wonder what would have happened if we'd waited the entire month?"

"Part of the reason I cut our time in half," Jason said. He frowned at the wrecked suburban area, knowing that this was nothing compared to the center of town. "Even if we do succeed, how are we ever going to recover?"

"We'll have to," Billy said. "We're not the first town to come under siege. We'll recover."

Jason knew that on one level Billy was talking about the town, but on the other level he was talking about them. They had lost so much. So much had changed in just a short time. First the clone, and all the damage it had done, then Tommy's death or disappearance, then Kimberly's turn to evil, then the complete loss of their secret identities... and now Angel Grove. It wasn't just the town, it was all of their reality that had been destroyed.

Jason supposed Billy was right. They would all recover because they had to. The alternative was to give up, and that was something Jason just couldn't stomach.

Lost in thought, he didn't even notice when a figure darted out from the alley in front of him, knocking him over.

Immediately Jason went on the defensive, having just enough presence of mind to avoid attacking the figure. The figure, on the other hand, seemed to be pointing a flimsy pole at him and looked ready to attack.

"What are you doing out here?" It was a boy around Jason's age, with short brown hair and a face that looked ill-suited to his menacing expression. "If you're one of the votaries, you're not getting these supplies unless you come to Haven, got it?"

Jason held his hands up in a calming gesture, unsure of what to do. "We're no votaries, and we're on our way to Haven anyway."

By this time, a black girl had run up, nudging a backpack more securely on her shoulders. "Okay, Rocky, what have we talked about with attacking random people? Not everyone is our enemy."

Rocky, though, was frowning speculatively at Jason. "I... know you..." He dropped the pole and immediately aimed at punch at Jason's face.

Jason was too taken off-guard to completely avoid the blow. He staggered, but he was ready for the next attack. Rocky had taken the time to drop the supplies from his back, which were over-balancing him, so when he attacked again, Jason swiped at his legs with a kick, knocking him down, and immediately pulled him into a half nelson.

"Rocky!" the girl yelled. "What the heck are you doing?"

Billy's eyes were shaded with understanding. "I believe your friend Rocky took issue with who we are," he said quietly.

Rocky, in the meantime, was unsuccessfully trying to break the hold. Jason kept him down, though, a bit amused that he'd immediately resorted to his wrestling training. He wondered if his dad were watching at the moment. "Now..." he said as calmly as he could, "I know you have plenty of reasons to be pissed, but we're not going to do this. I'm going to let you up, and instead of attacking me, you're going to lead me and my friend to Haven so we can have a chance at saving Angel Grove. You okay with that?"

Rocky looked livid, but his signaled his agreement, and Jason let him up. The girl, in the meantime, seemed to have figured out what was going on.

"The Power Rangers," she said, ice in her voice. "I've got one question for both of you." Her face hardened. "Where have you been?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Rocky said, a bit breathlessly. "They've been hiding in their Fortress of Solitude or something like that." He rubbed his neck. "Letting us do all their work for them while they and their families live in safety."

Jason let out a breath. He'd been expecting this reaction, but that didn't mean he found it welcome. "Let's start over, okay? Hi, I'm Jason, and this is my friend Billy. As you've probably heard, we're Power Rangers, and we've spent every second of every day for the past two weeks working to save the world and all the people in it. I've already mentioned twice that we need to make it to Haven, and the longer we stay out in the open, the longer we're in danger... something I'm sure you know very well by now."

Rocky was scowling, though some of the anger was obviously leaving him. Jason wouldn't have put it past him, though, to attack again.

Instead, the girl walked forward, her hand outstretched to Jason. "Hi, I'm Aisha, and you've met Rocky. We took the unluckiest trip from our hometown Stone Canyon to Angel Grove, and now we fight to protect the people of Haven." Her confident expression cracked a bit, and Jason could see her exhaustion and uncertainty for a moment. "Can you really save us?"

"Wouldn't be here if we couldn't," Jason said.

"Uh... guys?" Billy was looking over to the side toward the nearby park area. "I suggest we proceed to Haven a bit more expeditiously."

The cause of Billy's alarm became soon apparent. An arrow whizzed past their heads and embedded itself in the wall beside them. From a distance, they could hear the voice of Artemis. "Those fighters are at it again!" she yelled.

Before another arrow could make a luckier shot, Rocky, Aisha, Billy, and Jason ducked in the alley and ran down its length. They came out the other side and started running down the back alley behind some shops.

"I thought the gods weren't supposed to hurt people," Jason said furiously.

"They're not supposed to kill people," Aisha corrected. "That doesn't mean they can't do whatever they want with us otherwise."

"That one's been after us for a while," Rocky said darkly. "We're supposed to get supplies from City Hall, but City Hall doesn't supply Haven... only votaries. And the supplies are always either out of stock or sub-par anyway. Demeter supplies us with food, but we've got to sneak out for whatever else we need."

"And what supplies are those?" Jason said.

Rocky shrugged. "Hygiene. Clothes. What we've got here is medical supplies. We've got the flu virus going around, and it's already killed off a few of the older people."

They were about to turn a corner, but Jason had stopped in his tracks. They turned to look at his pale face and wide, haunted eyes.

"People have died?" he said quietly.

Aisha was starting to look stern again. "Well, what did you expect? Normal life stops, you throw several hundred people into a tiny space... Disease gets to be a problem. The deal you made with the gods was that they wouldn't directly kill any people of Angel Grove. A lot of other stuff can happen, too."

She and Rocky turned to continue, and Jason and Billy had no choice but to follow. "You didn't seem all that surprised," Jason said under his breath.

"I had somewhat expected it," Billy said. "We couldn't do surveillance on Haven, but... yeah. That can happen in refugee camps."

Before Jason could continue, their guides stopped in their tracks. While they had outrun Artemis, they had also run into a squadron of Putties.

As if from long practice, Rocky and Aisha dropped into defensive stances. Rocky brandished the pole, and Aisha pulled some grocery bags out of her pocket and wrapped her hands into makeshift boxing gloves.

Jason also dropped into a defensive stance, but Billy grabbed his arm. "We've surrendered, remember? We can't do a thing against the Putties. We can't even take the medical supplies, because that might be interpreted as acting against Lord Zedd, and we have to consider that he's probably watching us now."

Jason hadn't seemed to recover from the news of the deaths in Haven. "But... we can't just let them fight by themselves and just... watch. These are Lord Zedd's Putties, after all. Remember how much it hurt to fight them?"

Billy gave him a thin smile. "You haven't been reading all the reports. Just watch."

The freedom fighters had been listening in. "Yeah, Power Rangers, we'll show you how it's done," Rocky crowed. Two Putties were circling him. As they attacked him from two sides, he whipped the flexible pole around, smacking one in the Z, and stabbing the other in the same target. The stabbed one immediate broke apart, and the other looked dazed, allowing Rocky to finish him off. Rocky was unharmed, and it seemed as if the power surge had been turned back on the Putties.

Aisha was faring just as well, hitting Putties with her wrapped hands with no problem. She took down three in fairly quick succession.

The Putties, however, had been joined by reinforcements. They were ignoring the Power Rangers-a first-and were concentrating on the two active fighters. Rocky and Aisha did well, but there were too many of them. First Rocky's pole broke in two, and he had to use them as shorter sticks, but the sticks were losing integrity. Aisha suddenly cried out in pain. She grabbed her hand, which was revealed through a hole in the grocery bag.

Jason again buried the urge to help the two with fighting. Instead, he yelled, "You guys gotta retreat! Follow us!"

The four ran, Rocky having abandoned his weapon for the sake of speed. They sprinted the two blocks to the high school.

Rocky and Aisha grabbed Jason and Billy before they knocked into the barrier. "The four of us request haven!" Aisha gasped out.

The Putties were seconds behind them, but the barrier flickered enough to allow the four entrance. It slammed back down, knocking the Putties back.

Rocky wiped his brow as the four of them caught their breaths. "Well, guys, I don't know why you came here in the first place, but... Welcome to Haven."