Chapter 43

Earth To Earth


"I have to go or else I'll be late," Tommy said, flying through the kitchen. He reached up, grabbing onto his ponytail and sliding his fingers through it, which was starting to become his nervous habit, eyes darting around the kitchen for his missing books. "And I have no idea where my homework is!"

Mrs. Oliver laughed as she and her husband sat at the breakfast table, taking their sweet time. "I tried waking you up, honey. Did your alarm not go off?"

Tommy let out a sigh, running his hand over his ponytail once more. "I don't know," he said. "I'm sure I set the alarm before I went to sleep. I wanted to get some extra studying in for my test today."

"Well, Tommy, you do have the tendency to be forgetful." Mr. Oliver paused for a moment then let out a bark of laughter, his wife joining in. Tommy rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile a little. It was true, if it was anything that didn't have to do with martial arts, he always seemed to forget or run late for it. He was surprised that he didn't have some sort of tracking device put on him because of it.

"Yeah, yeah," the white ranger said good naturedly. "I've just had a lot I've needed to do lately." He continued to look around the kitchen. Like keeping my relationship with Kim a secret, finding my books, passing my test, getting my martial arts classes done, pass my test, finish my homework, get my part of the adoption process done, and that's when I'm not fending off monsters every day. Going into the living room, he found his textbooks and homework sitting on the arm chair, where he had been the night before. "Oh yeah, that's where I put it."

Picking up his things, he shoved them into his backpack and grabbed the lunch his mother packed for him. He went over to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek and his father a high-five before heading out the front door. "Bye Mom, Bye Dad, see you later!"


"Are you ready to go, Bay?" Avalon finished packing up her backpack and turned to her sister, who was sitting on the floor of their room, packing her own backpack. She tilted her head to the side when the purple ranger didn't respond. "OK, does this have to do with the fact that you're going to be taking a high school class now? Or the whole adoption thing?"

"Both," Bailey said quietly.

She lowered her head and allowed her long brown hair to fall over her face. Avalon instantly recognized the movement as the thing she did whenever she was trying to hide the expression on her face. Or to keep people from knowing what she was really feeling. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Avalon rested her arms on her knees and studied her sister for a long moment.

"What about it is bugging you, Sis?"

"Do we have to move again?" Bailey asked, lifting her head. "When we get adopted I mean?" She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm tired of moving and I'm tired of wondering if things will fall apart as soon as we get somewhere. What if this doesn't work out either? Will we be left without a family again? Will we go back to Australia to live with Mum? I mean, she gave up her rights to us too."

"Hey." Avalon reached out and placed her hands on her sister's cheeks. She brushed her hair back behind her ears and angled her head up so that she could look into her sister's eyes. "It doesn't matter what happens when all is said and done. Because as long as you and I are together we're a family. So don't worry about that. And we won't have to worry about moving for a while, the adoption papers still have to go through, social services still have to check out the Olivers, and Mum is still or Mum even if she doesn't have the rights." She gently shook her sister. "Calm down."

Bailey smiled and turned her head away, brushing her sister's hands off of her face. "Ok. I get it. No need to get all mushy."

"Mush is what I do when the time is right, and when there's no one else to witness it," Avalon said, holding up her hands. She leaned back. "Besides, from what I've been told by the Olivers, this process may take a while, so there's nothing to worry about this early."

Billy knocked on the door frame of the room before walking in, sliding his backpack off his shoulder and dropping it to the ground. Avalon and Bailey greeted him in unison as he sat on the floor with them. "We're going to be late if we don't head off to school," he said to them.

Rolling her eyes, Avalon reached out and smacked Billy on the knee cap. Wincing, he pulled his leg away as Bailey giggled. "Nice to know the only thing you can contribute to a conversation is related to school work." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Really, Smurf, you need to get a life."

"I have a life," he defended himself. "And the fact it's about experiments, science, math, and our zords doesn't bother me so it shouldn't bother you." He flashed her a warm smile, causing her to stick her tongue out at him and Bailey to laugh. "Are you ready for the test today?'

"I should be," she replied. "I spent all of last night studying for it." She blew her bangs out of her face. "I'm not going to have a repeat of not being able to do something because my grades are so bad." Pulling her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them. Her eyes shifted over towards her sister. "Don't be like me," she warned her.

"I'm not," Bailey shot back. "I'm better."

Avalon rolled her eyes but fell into laughter with Bailey and Billy. Billy motioned they should get going and the three got up from the floor of the room and went down to the foyer to grab their shoes. Lacey and David were getting ready to go to work and met the three teenagers at the front of the house.

"Are you excited about going to the high school today, Bailey?" David asked her, gently placing his briefcase on the floor.

"Nervous is the better word," Bailey replied. "I mean, I'm smart, but I don't want anyone to think I'm a nerd or something."

"What's the matter with that?" Avalon asked. She jerked her thumb over at Billy. "Everyone already thinks he's a nerd and no one cares, yeah?" Billy shoved her on the shoulder and she smiled back at him. "Kidding."

"Don't worry about that," Lacey reassured the purple ranger. "You just keep being yourself. It's a great honor to be invited to take some high school classes when you're this young. It proves that you're very talented and care very much about your education." Bailey smiled and nodded. "We'll be back late today, feel free to make whatever you want for dinner."

"Have a good day at work," Billy said to his parents with a smile and a nod.


Kimberly pushed her food around her plate as she sat at the breakfast table. She let out a heavy sigh, scanning her plate. She had eaten the fruit with no problems; it gave the right amount of energy and was really healthy. But the bacon, the cinnamon roll, the eggs made in the same pan as the bacon…it looked so disgusting.

Fattening.

A step back from the health and fitness regime she had been working on. And when it wasn't monster fights or gymnastics that was taking up a lot of her time, it was avoiding her mother. But she had been forced to have breakfast with her that morning and despite Kim's want to just run out the door and put in an early morning workout before heading out to school, she humored her mother even a little bit.

"Is everything alright, Kim?" Mrs. Hart asked, watching her daughter continue to pick at her food.

"Fine." The short answer from the pink ranger told her mother everything she needed to know. She was still angry over their fight and it seemed like nothing was going to ease the tension between them.

"Are you sure? Because you haven't really eaten anything and—"

"I'm just not hungry." Thankful for the excuse, Kimberly pushed the plate away from her and started to gather her dishes together. "I have so much I need to get done. And I have a test this morning that I want to get some last minutes studying in for." She walked her dishes across the vast kitchen and to the sink, running water over them to soak for later. "I have to go."

Mrs. Hart got up from her seat and followed her daughter through the house and towards the front door. Kimberly stopped to pick up her backpack and gym bag, struggling to keep the bulging bag to stay on her shoulder. Frowning, Mrs. Hart studied her only daughter, she appeared thinner than usual. Not so much that it would be a problem, but she couldn't help but notice how much time Kimberly spent at the gym, more so than usual. Going to the Olympic was always her dream, but now…it seemed that she was pushing herself a bit too hard.

"Kim, why don't you take a break after school today and come shopping with me," she suggested.

"Why?" Kimberly kept her back towards her mother, stabilizing herself. "So we can act like everything between us is normal?" She turned back to her mother, brown eyes staring straight into her mother's. "I'm not ready to talk yet, Mom. You…you dismissed a relationship I really care about and you won't listen to what I have to say about it."

"You won't listen to what I have to say either," Mrs. Hart pointed out.

"And what makes you think I'd want to listen now?" A sigh escaped Kimberly's mouth. "I know…we've never fought like this before…but I can't ignore what you've said. I've never given you a reason to worry about me before and you shouldn't have to do it now. I know you're probably worried about your own relationships, but don't take it out on me."

Turning her back on her mother, Kimberly grasped the doorknob and opened the front door with a quick jerk of her arm. She slipped out of the door, only pausing when her mother wished her to have a good day of school. Kimberly stood at the door, her hand on the knob for a long moment.

"Thanks," she finally said before closing the door behind her.


"And what is it that you're going to be doing after school today?" Mrs. DeSantos asked Rocky as he sat on the couch in the living room, bent over as he tied his shoes. Maria was draped over his back, her arms around his neck. She giggled each time he leaned forward to grasp his laces.

"I'm going to take my brothers and sisters to the park," Rocky replied. He sat up straight, reaching behind him to pick up Maria and cuddled her in his arms. She giggled louder as he dug his fingers into her ribs and sides. "Mama, I promised that I'd take them there before I went on my trip and I intend to keep my promise." He nodded with his chin over towards Antonio, Diego, and Isabella as they finished their breakfast at the table. "They won't let me forget either."

"So where do you go running off to all the time, anyway?" Diego called over to his eldest brother. Rocky froze for a moment. "I mean, you always have an excuse to go see your friends or something."

"Even I don't see my friends all the time," Isabella agreed.

Rocky pointed at them. "Finish your breakfast. I don't want you to meet the bus to school." Diego and Isabella did as they were told and Mrs. DeSantos laughed as she reached her arms out for Maria. The red ranger passed her over and the woman picked up a nearby hairbrush, smoothing it over her daughter's hair.

"As for where I'm always going, I have a lot of commitments to clubs and my martial arts classes and practices," Rocky said calmly, though he was sure the look his mother sent his way meant she knew he was lying. "I have to stay out of trouble somehow, right?"

Mrs. DeSantos humphed and repositioned her daughter. "Or you're trying to hide that you have a girlfriend."

Isabella, Diego, and Antonio laughed.

Rocky's eyes widened. "What girlfriend?" he asked. At Mrs. DeSantos's sly smile, he rolled his eyes. "Mom, Aisha and I aren't dating. I keep telling you that." Mrs. DeSantos merely shrugged, the sly smile still on her lips. There was a triple knock on the front door and it opened as Adam and Aisha walked inside. "Hey guys," he greeted them.

"Hey." Aisha smiled warmly and opened her arms as Isabella, Diego, and Antonio hurried over towards her. "Hey guys, how are you?" She hugged each one of Rocky's brothers and sisters before going over to Maria and tickling her cheek. "And how are you doing today, little Miss. Maria?"

"I'm fine," Maria replied.

"We should get going, Rocky," Adam said to the red ranger. "Test day, remember?"

"I remember." Rocky picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "This one is going to be a major killer." He leaned over and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek then his youngest sister a kiss on the top of her head. "I'll see you guys later. Wish me luck on the test."

"Buena suerte en tu examen, Rocky. Que tengas un gran día. Y no se olvide de tomar sus hermanos y hermanas al parque esta vez," Mrs. DeSantos said. Her forehead was set in concentration, though her eyes were sparkling with mischief.

Rocky waved to her and his brothers and sisters before he and his best friends left the house, going over to his truck. Tossing his backpack into the flatbed, he glanced over at his friends to see the slightly confused expression on their faces. "She wants me to spend more time with my brothers and sisters." Sighing, he walked over to the front door and climbed behind the steering wheel. "I really want to, but this power rangers business is always getting in the way. I really want to tell them what's going on…but it'll just put them in more danger than ever."

"I know what you mean." Aisha climbed into the backseat and quickly buckled in. "My Mom and Dad are always wondering where I'm going and I'm tired of lying to them. Honesty is a really big thing in my family and I know they're starting to get suspicious." She crossed her arms over her chest as Rocky started up the truck and backed out of the driveway, heading towards the school. "I don't think I can come up with any more excuses."

"Same here," Adam agreed. "It probably doesn't help that I'm an only child either. They always know what I'm doing and where I'm going. I don't think they'll always believe that I'm going to a martial arts class." He slouched down in his seat, frowning.

"So just tell them you're with Sabrina," Rocky suggested. He and Aisha—who leaned in from the back seat—grinned at the black ranger, who flushed. "I'm sure they'll back off a bit when they find out you have a girlfriend." He paused. "Finally."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Not yet," Aisha contradicted. Reaching out, she poked the black ranger on the shoulder and he swatted her away. Laughing, Aisha sat back in her seat, crossing her arms. "You have to stay positive, Adam. The girl likes you."

"She's a monster, but she likes you," Rock said and laughed at his joke. It was still something they had to get through, get used to. Thankfully Scorpina hadn't been used in any of their recent fights, but the time was soon going to come where they didn't have a choice but to fight her.

To destroy her.

Then the question was, would they be destroying Scorpina or would Sabrina be destroyed too. It was the worst thing they would ever have to face, not only would they kill a monster for the first time, but they would also be potentially killing an innocent person at the same time. That was one of the things the three of them weren't ready for when they had agreed to take on the responsibility of being rangers.

That at one point or another they were going to have to kill something or someone and would have to deal with the aftermath of it.


Rita grinned over at Zedd, who appeared to smile back at her. The time was right for them to get started on their master plan. Scorpina was already in the school waiting for her chance to strike, then all they had to do was send down Goldar and the new green ranger. With Tommy, who was more or less the strongest of all of the rangers, preoccupied fighting the green ranger, the rest of the rangers would be vulnerable.

There was no way for them to get to enough privacy to morph and they wouldn't risk morphing in front of anyone else. They were aware of Zordon's rules for the rangers and after having had Zack taken away from them as well as Jason and Trini, it was only a matter of time until the rest of the rangers had that problem as well.

And they were going to make give that nudge in the right direction if not going ahead and destroying them when they get the chance.

"What would you like me to do my Empress?" The Green Ranger asked. He was in Tommy's human form, a green bandana covering his long hair. Goldar stood at his side, tightly holding onto his sword, ready for the chance for him to strike.

"Wait until we give the signal," Rita replied. She reached out and stroked the green ranger's cheek, gently running her nails over his cheek. The green ranger continued to give a blank stare ahead of him, every now and then his eyes flashing color. "Then you will go down and face the white ranger. Make sure you incapacitate him, kill him if you have to. It'll give us the right amount of time to get the other rangers and the part of our plan will be done."

Zedd then stepped forward, motioning with his Z-staff over towards Earth. "And after that, we'll send Diabolico down to take care of the ones that the rangers care about the most. Their parents. As soon as they get the message, they'll immediately turn around and surrender to us and we'll finally take over the galaxy!" He thrust his hands into the air and laughed evilly, voice echoing around the balcony and the surrounding space of the moon.

Rita's laughter mixed in as well.

Diabolico, who had been floating aside, continued to watch the rangers' parents as they moved along the earth. If they were going to get the message across to the rangers, the message had to be a strong one. So the target had to be the one that would inflict the most damage upon the rangers. So who would it be? The white rangers' family seemed to be the best target but Rita and Zedd were already targeting him with the green ranger clone, the pink ranger appeared to be in a fight with her mother, he may be doing her a service if that happened. The blue ranger's parents were a good target, though they were more than likely smart enough to figure out how to get away from his grasp before he could do anything. Then there were the parents of the black and yellow rangers, they were fighters, they'd make it harder for him but it might be more entertaining.

Diabolico slowly grinned. He could see it now. The way they would scream, howl, and struggle as he inflicted some of the most agonizing attacks on them as long as he found entertainment in it. Watching the agonizing pine they would go through, eventually begging for death which he would give agonizingly slowly. His years of using demonic powers on people to help Queen Banshira and her plans to take over the world had been some of the most pleasurable experiences he ever had. And while he was now only a spirit but able to move from his entombment, the mere thought of it made him want to go rogue.

However, he had his own plan up his sleeve and didn't want to make any mistake to jeopardize that.

But still.

If he hadn't had his orders, Diabolico would probably go after the siblings of the red ranger as well as the mother.

Not only would it hurt him on an emotional level, but it would on a mental level as well. It was obvious the red ranger took his position in his family very seriously and he cherished them enough. It would be a crushing blow, enough to send the red ranger into enough despair he'd be the easiest one to destroy. In fact, he'd more than likely be asking for himself to be slain at that point, wanting to be with his family once more.

And Diabolico would be glad to do that for him.

"Just wait a bit longer," Rita said to the green ranger, continuing to lovingly stroke his cheek before running her hand up and down his chest, inching lower and lower with each pass. "Then you can go and do my bidding for me. But in the meantime…" she turned to Zedd, who had been watching the Earth with eerie conviction. "Zeddy?"

"Yes, my dear." Zedd turned his staff to Goldar and pointed it at him. "Go! Go down to the school like you've done before. Bring and army of the putties with you. And take Scorpina with you! You're going to make sure that no one gets in or out of the school. We need to be sure the rangers are backed into a corner."

"Yes, my liege!" Goldar bowed before disappearing in flames.

Zedd growled in excitement, he was practically trembling. Holding out an arm, Zedd motioned for Rita to come to his side and as she leaned into him, he wrapped n arm around her waist, holding her flush against him. "Have I ever told you that when you're constructing the destruction of the rangers you look ravishing?"

Rita giggled and placed her hands on the sides of Zedd's face. "No, but I don't mind hearing it." She leaned in and gave him a long, passionate kiss. "I don't mind hearing it at all." She turned back towards the Earth, moving towards her telescope. "Now to watch the rangers' ultimate destruction!"

"Later." Zedd clamped his hand over Rita's wrist as hard as he could, enjoying the way she winced in pain. "Right now, we have more important things to do." A low rumble came from his chest and he dragged her off of the balcony in the direction of their chambers quarters.

Left on the balcony, Diabolico watched the Earth for another long moment then turned into his spirit form, waiting for his moment to strike.


"Ok class." Ms. Appleby clasped her hands together as she looked around the room at her students. "I know you're all afraid that this test is going to be very difficult. But you've have plenty of time to study and I know you're all going to do well." She glanced up at the clock that sat above her desk, waiting for the second hand to get to the top of the clock then turned back to her students. "You may begin, and good luck."

The rangers and their classmates turned over their tests and flipped off the front page, getting right to work. As Billy started to fly through the first few problems, Tommy, Kimberly, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, and Avalon all slowly went along their own tests. They had only managed to get halfway through the test before a shrill scream accompanied with an evil laugh caught their attention.

Goldar was standing at the front of the room, waving his sword above his head. As he did so, a swarm of putties appeared beside him and two of them reached forward and grabbed onto the teacher.

"Ms. Appleby!" Kimberly cried as the woman once again screamed in fear.

"You let her go!" Tommy added.

Goldar pointed his sword over to the white ranger. "I bet you wouldn't want the blood of this woman or these teenagers on your hands!" He then waved the sword over to the rest of the class as the putties surged over and grabbed onto their classmates.

As the putties converged upon the putties, they fought back the best they could. Avalon vaulted over a desk, landing in the chair as a putty followed her. Pulling up the wood portion of the desk, a putty that had been aiming a punch towards her drove its fist into the wood. It brought its hand back held onto its wrist and Avalon took the chance to pull herself out of the seat and drive her foot into the center of the Z-plate.

Kimberly picked up her backpack and swung it at a putty, knocking it back. Using the momentum of the swing, she turned and did a series of backhand springs out of the way of a series of kicks and drove the heel of her palm into the Z-plate.

Billy and Aisha tag-teamed as a group of putties moved over to grab onto them. Using a combination of Aisha's ninja expertise and Billy's strategic fighting and gymnastics skills made it so that they were able to fend off the putties that came their way. Ducking low, Billy gave Aisha a strong surface for Aisha to step on his back and jump off, striking a putty in the z-plate with a well placed kick.

Rocky and Adam tried to fight off the putties that were going after their classmates, but after the first ones managed to make it out the classroom door, more and more appeared, trying to fight off the rangers. Adam threw a putty off his back and flipped it to the ground, driving an elbow into its z-plate. Beside him, Rocky did a kick-drop and knocked the putty to the floor where it writhed around before breaking apart.

There was a high-pitched scream and the two turned and watched as Sabrina huddled over her desk, holding her hands to her head. As the seconds passed, the red and black rangers could see she was starting to change into Scorpina and was putting up a fight to keep from transforming completely.

"Sabrina!" Adam moved to her side and grabbed onto her. "Sabrina, you have to fight this!"

"Let go of her!" Goldar roared, suddenly very hostile. He brought his sword up and charged towards the red and black rangers.

Tommy blocked him and kicked his sword out of the way before sending a barrage of fists and feet at Goldar. Snarling, Goldar grabbed Tommy by the throat and threw him out of the way, causing him to crash to the floor.

"Tommy!" Kimberly cried, struggling to get away from the putties that had her.

"Hang on," Billy added.

Tommy rolled onto his side and back to his knees, glaring up at Goldar, who was now charging at him with his word held high. Out of the corner of his eye, Tommy could see Ms. Appleby and most of the students getting taken out of the classroom and led somewhere. He focused his gaze on Goldar, who moved closer, knocking desks out of his way.

"You're mine!" Goldar swung his sword down and Tommy rolled out of the way.

The sword hitting the ground caused a crack to form in the tiled floor. He gulped. The sword would've clearly sliced through his neck if he hadn't moved quickly enough. Goldar swung around and continued to swing towards the white ranger with the most aggression any of the rangers had ever seen.

Tommy stood up and did a series of high-jump kicks to Goldar, holding him back as hard as he could. Goldar waited for the opportune moment to strike and swung his word down once more. Once again, Tommy rolled out of the way and the sword crashed through Ms. Appleby's desk, splitting it in two.

"Get them out of here," Goldar directed to the putties. "Every last one of them!"

More putties appeared in the classroom, obviously being sent down by Finster as quickly as his monster machine could make them. The rangers were soon overpowered. Adam was ripped away from Scorpina, his arms forced behind his back. He struggled to get free but he had three putties holding him still, making his attempts at escape futile. The rangers were forced to the center of the room and knelt down in front of Goldar.

Goldar walked over to Scorpina, who was still writhing as she did her best to hold from her transportation. Her nails dug into the wood of the desk, creating deep scratch marks. "No," she whimpered. "No."

"Sabrina, you have to fight it off," Aisha called over to her.

"Don't let Scorpina take over!" Billy added. "She's not you! She's just using your body as a vessel."

"Cause that makes it so much better, Smurf," Avalon mumbled. She blew her hair out of her face and closed her eyes tight, gritting her teeth. She twisted back and forth as hard as she could, trying to get out of the grasp of the putties that held her. "Let go!" Falling onto her side, she brought a foot up to kick a putty, but it pushed her foot out of the way and drove a fist into her stomach. A loud gasp of air escaped her lips as her face went pale.

"Av!" Kimberly cried. She let out a shriek as Goldar nodded to the putties and she was lifted to her feet, an arm around her neck. She made a choking sound.

"Kim." Tommy hurried towards his girlfriend but was faltered as Goldar pointed his sword towards him. The gold monster turned to Sabrina and brought out a hand, roughly grabbing onto her face. He tilted her head back and stared hard into her eyes. "Scorpina, we have work to do," he said to her. "Come out and help me!"

Rocky, who had his arms pinned tightly to his sides, continued to twist back and forth. "Sabrina, don't listen to him. We're your friends. We're going to help you the best we can."

Still holding onto Sabrina's face, his nails cutting pinpricks into her skin, Goldar leaned in close to her. "We have orders from Rita and Zedd, come to me now!" Sabrina screamed and closed her eyes. There was a blast of gold light and Scorpina was in her place. She stood up and smiled up at Goldar, placing her hand on his forearm.

"We'll make Rita and Zedd proud," she purred and Goldar dropped his hand. She turned to the rangers, the only occupants in the room, the rest of their classmates having been taken. At the sound of screaming and chairs falling over radiating up and down the hall, the rangers could tell they weren't the only ones being attacked.

"Don't think you'll get away with this, Goldar," Tommy said, glaring at him. "You've tried before and you failed then."

"Tommy."

The voice caused the other rangers to stare at Tommy, eyes wide with shock and surprise. The white ranger, noticing the stares, felt a shiver of fear run down his spine as he recognized the voice. No one else had the ability to place that amount of malice in the word. He knew because it was him that had done it before. Tommy slowly turned around and came face to face with an exact copy of him dressed in green.

The evil green ranger.

"No," Tommy whispered. "Th-that's impossible."

"It's possible, Tommy, and it's happening," the green ranger hissed. He looked over at Goldar and Scorpina. "Get them out of here and with the others! This one is mine!"

Billy, Avalon, Kimberly, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha let out cries of protest, struggling as they were pulled out of the classroom. The door closed and locked behind them, leaving Tommy in the room with the green ranger.


Lacey had just finished out of her classes and was heading to her office across the university campus. She had been enjoying the beautiful day, strolling the long way around campus to take in the beautiful weather. She frowned as the wind started to pick up and the sky darkened. Slowing to a stop, she frowned, looking up towards the sky and gasped as it continued to darkened, seemingly to warn her of impending doom.

"You're the one I've been looking for."

Turning around, Lacey trembled, spotting the figure of Diabolico standing on from of her. "W-who are you?" She demanded.

"It won't' matter who I am," Diabolico continued to hover towards her. "You're not going to live long enough to remember it anyway." Lacey took another step back, ready to turn and run, but Diabolico zoomed towards her, until he was right in her face. He grabbed onto her arms, pinning her to the ground and bored his eyes directly into hers. "Hopefully you won't feel a thing." He then closed his eyes and sucked in as hard as he could.

A strangling sound came from Lacey's mouth and her scream died on her lips as Diabolico suddenly breathed out, engulfing her in a blast of energy. As her eyes darkened, a single tear slid down her cheek and he let her go, watching as she slumped lifeless on the ground, her eyes forever looking at nothing.

"Well done," Rita said. She walked up behind Diabolico and looked down at the motionless figure on the ground. "She didn't put up much of a fight, that's good to know. Goldar and Scorpina have the rangers in their clutches and now that we've finished her off…we can get started on the next phase of the plan."

"As you wish." Diabolico held his hand up to his mouth and when he breathed out, a light, wisp trailed from his mouth, gently flowing along with the breeze and encircled Rita. The space witch lifted her scepter and it got sucked inside the red jewel.

She muttered an incantation and closed her eyes, her form then changing from Rita to that of Lacey. She waved her scepter once more and a mirror appeared in her hand. Holding it in front of her, Rita grinned at her reflection. She looked exactly the way she had planned. Everything was going smoothly, now all they had to do was start the next phase.

"I'll call you when I need you again," she said to Diabolico.

He nodded and disappeared.

Rita held up her scepter and returned to the Lunar Palace, leaving the dead woman on the sidewalk.


A/N: Thanks again to Son of Whitebeard for giving me the idea for this chapter and the upcoming ones. Things will get a little dark, so the rating may change in the next few chapters or so.

Thanks to adela, I love power rangers7135, Tangzilla, Ashley, Son of Whitebeard, Brankel1, TerraHart, and Rose Specktor for reviewing.

~Avalon