"Where are we going?" Ashley queried anyway.
"We're not there yet," was Zhane's only reply. On they went, through the downtown, turning North once they smelled the ocean. Ashley grabbed his arm, realizing they were headed for the unfriendly warehouse district.
"Don't worry, we're just losing some excess baggage there."
Ashley scowled. His cryptic replies were getting on her nerves; but she didn't press him further because he had a certain look in his eyes... He was watching for something; aware of every vibration in the vicinity. She bet they were being followed, and perhaps listened to as well. No need to make him divulge his plan to enemy ears.
But all three Karovans had been told time and again what parts of town to avoid. Now Zhane seemed to be leading them in circles; deliberately lingering in Angel Grove's ass-half for longer than necessary. Ashley gave him a look that said 'This better be important,' and then stuck as close to him as she could without tripping them.
Finally, they wandered out of the Warehouse District, crossed the bay via the train bridge, and slipped back into the civilized part of town. Commercial high-rises and department stores lit up the nighttime streets, warming Ashley with their familiarity. Zhane led her down the street to Gowing's Fine Furnishings, opened the door, and ushered her inside.
She blinked in the flourescent light. "Ok, we got our exercise, now what was that all about?"
He explained, "The Impostor had a chance to catch us again when we left the Waffle House. If he was following us, we lost him among the warehouses. Now when he realizes we've gotten away, he'll go back up to the ship and start scanning for us, but its too late for that."
He took her towards the back of the store, watching for stray employees. "There's a microwave tower on top of this building, and some electronics on an upper floor. Our communicator signals will be masked from the sensors."
"So...what are we doing here?"
"We're here to get Karone."
They descended to the basement, dodging security guards, and slipped through the dusty maze of halls beneath the building. There was an office with the faded word "Security" printed on the door. Zhane pulled Ashley inside. There didn't seem to be anyone there.
"Well Ashley," Zhane said in a loud voice. "Looks like its just you and me here..."
She frowned at him and started to reply, but was interrupted by a clang from above. Before their eyes, Karone dropped down from the open ceiling, and holstered an Astro Blaster in her waistband.
"Am I glad to see you two," she said, giving them both a sincere hug. Behind her were a day's worth of cans, wrappers, and food remains that had sustained her here.
Zhane lingered in her arms for a moment. "Are you ok? Did anyone find you?"
Karone shook her head. "No one but the rats."
In the background they could here the incessant sound of rodents going about their business. Zhane made a face. "Hopefully we won't need this place anymore. It's time to go back to the ship."
"Did you find the others?"
He looked remorseful as he shook his head. Karone just sighed. She brought herself close to him in support and they touched foreheads for a moment or two. Ashley watched their silent exchange, wondering when these two got quite so physically comfortable. She also found herself wishing Andros were here to support her the same.
Zhane shook himself back to reality. "Get your gear on, I'll wait outside." He slipped out of the room and Ashley looked at Karone. "Gear?"
With a nervous smile, Karone threw back a dust cloth to reveal the Astronema costume, laid out carefully on the desk. Ashley's jaw hit the floor.
"I'm no actress," said the little blond Karovan. "But I know this role better than anyone."
Ashley picked up a five-inch-heeled boot as Karone began to strip. "Where did you get these? I thought they were destroyed when..."
"Not both suits. This is the one I wore when I defected the first time."
"What are you going to do in it?"
"I'm going to give the Impostor more than he bargained for. He came here to kill Karone. Instead, he'll have on take on Astronema."
"He won't believe you," said Ashley. "Everyone knows what happened to Astronema."
Karone was wriggling into the suit piece by piece. She took the boot from Ashley. "You're right, everyone knows what Zordon did, and this guy will be no exception. I don't know who he is or where he's from, but I probably did something horrible to his people back when I was conquering the galaxy. Right now the only card we have to play is his fear of what I was. I can work with that..."
She tugged on the other boot, and stood up to work the headpiece into her hair. She now had two full inches on Ashley.
"Lemme help," the Yellow Ranger offered, sitting Karone down before a small, dusty mirror on the wall. Outside, Zhane waited, listening to the sounds of the rats doing their thing.
"You're taking a big risk Karone.." Ashley sighed, piling blond tresses on top of her friend's head.
Karone wrung her hands. "I know, but there's no other choice, is there?"
"I know.."
The cold metal headpice was snapped into place, and there sat the Princess of Darkness. Astronema, in a slightly less cosmeticized format.
"Scary..." whispered Karone to the mirror.
When Zhane looked in a moment later, his face registered the same thought.
"Come on," he said nervously, stuffing a garbage bag with all evidence of their presence. "We teleport straight from here, 'cause he'll detect it. Once we're there, we have to be ready for anything."
"You'd better morph before we go," suggested Karone.
"Hang on as sec..." mused Ashley, eyeing the desk again. This room was where the Security guards used to have their office. While the others looked at her questioningly, she padded over to the desk and opened the top drawer. A metal gleam rewarded her.
"What's in there?" Zhane asked.
Ashley turned around with a set of handcuffs dangling from each hand.
Karone realized what was about to happen. "Ugh...the oldest trick in the book."