"They did it."

"You doubted them?"

"Partially. I've only seen three of them in actual combat. And that was a close call."

"They seemed fine to me."

"No. Something's wrong. They didn't function entirely as a team should."

"They fought back the battalion. An entire battalion! What more could you expect?"

Sigh. "I don't know. Maybe I just feel so...ineffectual here."

"There's nothing you can do. The Golden Zeo Crystal is shattered. No one on Triforia could fix that kind of damage."

"Perhaps..."

"Look, they're back." Six streaks of gold and black materialized on the viewscreen. "I think they want explanations. Especially the one they call Zack."

"Well, I suppose I should go and give them."

******************************

"Very impressive, Rangers."

"Impressive?" Zack fumed. "We almost got killed out there!"

Trey looked at the Ranger with calm etched into his features. "The battalion is not something to be taken lightly. It was your first battle. Mistakes are understandable." He shifted his gaze to the rest of the group. "This experience should have been educational. Now you know what you are up against. However, you know only partially what you are capable of. Do not be afraid to stretch your Powers. They will recharge over time. You're going to need to push yourselves to your greatest limits in order to stand a chance. I warn you, this is an army unlike any you have faced before."

Tommy and Jason exchanged looks. They had heard this speech from Zordon on several occasions and had always come out fine. But something else was in their eyes. They knew now more than ever what kind of destruction evil could cause. They knew very well that if they were to die in battle, it would be as victims, not heroes. No one would ever know what they had done for the Earth.

Kimberly sighed. She felt the weight of the morpher strapped to her wrist. Never before had she used one like this. It was almost....frightening. Everything she had known about the Rangers from the past had been shattered. Always in her heart had been the hope that they would never die, never have to face the fact that so many people lost so much because of their battle against darkness. Of course, she couldn't plead ignorance since she had known Tommy dealt with it all the time. But it always seemed so distant. Sure, the fact that he hurt had always hurt her, but she never really understood the full effect of it all. Tommy had fought so hard to protect them all from that. Now that she thought about it, Jason had done the same thing. They wanted to keep the team fresh, always ready for the battle. Both of them took it upon themselves as leaders to make sure that nobody felt anything was their fault, but they carried such a great burden on their own shoulders. 'They were always so stubborn. Still are in some cases.' It was what made Tommy and Jason who they were.

"So what do we do now?" Aisha broke the silence. "I guess these guys don't know who we are yet?"

"No, and I hope to keep it that way." Trey shook his head. "The less they know about you the better. These forces are ruthless. They will not hesitate to outnumber you or perform any number of tactics your previous enemies have not employed."

"Doesn't matter." Jason crossed his arms. "It never has. We're going to fight to defend the Earth, no matter what."

"Speak for yourself!"

Six faces turned to Zack. "There is no way I'm keeping this up! I have a life, man! Believe it or not, I got kinda used to not having people out trying to kill me!" He unclamped his morpher and held it out. "Take it back. I don't wanna be a part of this any more."

The Triforian Prince pushed it back. "Listen, I know that these events have been stressful..." Zack snorted in derision at that. "I'm not going to say this is something that you will all come out of or conquer. But I must ask you not to make such a decision now, Zack. There are quarters through that hallway. Rest now. If by tomorrow morning you still wish to leave, then I will let you. There are many other, more willing subjects to take your place." At that, Trey turned and calmly walked through a doorway to complete some unknown task.

"Alright, you heard the man. Everybody split and go get yourselves some sleep." Tommy moved to follow his own order and began heading for the area indicated to them, Kimberly close by his side. Jason took a quick look over the group before going as well. The final three moved slowly and separately to find their own temporary living space.

******************************

-It was a cold day, even for that time of year. The coldness matched many things around them: the ground, their expressions, the feeling in their hearts...

The words carved into her tombstone.

Here lies Trini Kwan

Beloved Sister, Devoted Friend

May her spirit rest in the peace she spread

Her tombstone only stood there, as if mocking them that it was the only link they had to their friend. He read the markings over and over again. Deep within his heart he pleaded that it not be true. How could it be? After everything she had been through, this was what had claimed her? It was impossible! It couldn't be! She didn't deserve this!-

Zack's eyes opened through the light sheen of sweat that had gathered on the lids. He sat up slowly and wiped his hand across his forehead. His breathing was heavy. Why? He had experienced far more gruesome nightmares before. Why did this one hurt so much?

"Want to talk about it?"

He looked up to see Rocky standing just barely outside of the shadows in a corner. "How'd you know?"

The Hispanic man shrugged. "Dealing with Adam's sensitivity issues, guilt trips, and panic attacks. And yes, he has had all three before. I guess when you've been a guy's best friend for over ten years, you just know him."

Zack averted his eyes. "We don't even know each other all that great, man. And you won't get the chance to. I'm gettin' the hell outta here as soon as I can. I don't want this anymore." He slumped back against the wall. "I don't even know why Trey chose me. I'm a dancer for crud's sake! I haven't fought in years! I haven't been a Ranger for even longer!" His head knocked back into the wall. "What was he thinking?"

"The same thing he thought when he chose the rest of us." Rocky sat down at the foot of the bed. "Look, Zack, I still remember what it was like when we were younger. I remember my first time morphing into the Red Ranger, going into battle. I remember how cocky I was. I remember almost every little thing that was great about being a Ranger. I could probably sit here all night and tell you all of the good things we've all done over the years."

"Exactly my point. I've done my time. I'm through with this." He looked Rocky straight in the eyes. "I have a life, man. I have friends who never knew I was a Power Ranger. I have a job that pays. I have a nice apartment in Washington. It's time I moved on. I've got too much to lose now." There was a pause.

"Christina."

"What?"

Rocky closed his eyes in thought. "There's this girl. Her name's Christina. She's the aunt of a student at the dojo. Single. I've been working on a relationship with her for a long time now. Been thinking of maybe asking her to marry me soon." He looked at Zack. "People I love are involved in that dojo. My best friend is there. My family is still here in California. Now I don't know exactly why they always choose here in Angel Grove, but I do know this: If I knew that something this big was happening, then I would want to do something about it. Don't tell me there's nobody out there that you wouldn't fight for. That you never thought of dying for."

Zack stared into the shadows. There was one...No. There had been one. It was over now.

Rocky saw the change in his fellow Ranger's gaze. He stood up and walked to the door. "Better get some rest. It's a long bus ride back to Washington." The door whisked shut behind him.

******************************

Kimberly sighed. It was something she did quite often recently. She figured it was probably a side effect of waking up in the arms of the man she loved. That had to be it. No one sighed purposefully over anything for as many years as she had. Or did they?

She sighed. It was too early for thinking.

Snoring from the direction of the floor caught her attention, and she adjusted herself enough to see Jason lying in a disheveled heap. Her smile broke even wider. Both he and Tommy had stayed up long into the night telling her of the Serpentera mission, which, for some odd reason, they had decided to nickname "Forever Red".

'Boys will be boys, I suppose,' she thought humorously.

"He always did sleep like a ton of bricks," a voice breathed across her ear. She felt a strong hand reach around her waist. "Never could wake up the first time any alarm rang."

"This coming from the same guy who forgot to wind his watch so he'd remember his first date with a certain Pink Ranger," came the retort from the floor. A well-aimed pillow soon found the speaker. All three laughed before slowly finding their ways to a standing position. Jason scanned the couple. "Well, glad to see you managed to keep your clothes on through the night."

"Sorry to disappoint you, bro. We passed that stage a long time ago." Kimberly nudged her husband.

"Funny. I don't remember you saying that last Friday."

"Probably because you were screaming so loud you never would have heard me."

"Whoa, hey, you two!" Jason interrupted. "Honestly! This is my best friend and the girl I think of as a sister. That is just..." He pretended to violently shudder, eliciting more laughs as the trio headed out the door just as Rocky strolled up to join them.

"Geez, Tommy, I didn't know you and Kim were into letting somebody else..."

"DeSantos, finish that sentence and I will be very much obliged to put your head through the nearest wall."

"Shutting up now, Sir Technicolor. But if I may say..."

Three cries of "NO!" echoed amongst the halls.

******************************

"When did they first appear?"

"I'm not sure. Something's been jamming our sensors."

"Can you tell how many there are?"

"No."

Trey's lips creased. "Sound the alarm."

******************************

They had gathered surprisingly quick, considering the hour. It was almost as if the rush of adrenaline was a call they had never been able to deny.

"What's up?" Aisha asked. She still tried to rub some of the sleep from her eyes. Overall they were still tired, but readiness soon replaced it.

"As far as I can tell it's a scouting unit. They're searching the area. You need to deal with them quickly. The less they find out down here the better." Trey activated a console and prepared to teleport them. "Be careful. They know there are Rangers on this planet. It's most likely they're going to have a few Battalion members with them. They'll probably be hidden or disguised. Keep your guard up."

"Alright, everybody, let's form up!" Jason and Tommy centered themselves within the group, five Rangers ready to rock.

Wait. Five?

Zack had not joined them. Instead, he stood off to the side, his eyes glued to a viewscreen.

"Zack, c'mon," Aisha urged. Nothing.

"Zack!" Kimberly called. Still no response.

Tommy and Jason's eyes met, exchanging a wealth of information in seconds. Both of them nodded.

"Let's go," Tommy ordered. "We're doing this one short." Reluctantly, everyone prepared their morphers.

"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"

The last thing Zack saw before the five black-clad figures formed was a pair of disappointed brown eyes looking at him.

******************************

Five surges of black heralded the coming of the Rangers. They took a quick glance around before sliding behind a corner just before the scout unit came towards them. Aisha leaned her head around for a look.

"Doesn't look like much. A few robots, kind of Rocky's size. They don't look like they could do much damage."

"Remember what Trey said, though," Jason warned. "There could be some more of those things we fought yesterday here, too."

Kimberly morphed a small crossbow onto her forearm. "So what's the plan?"

Tommy and Jason were silent for a moment as they morphed their own weapons, signaling for the others to do the same.

"Waste 'em."

They spared no time in surging forward. The robots didn't even stand a chance.

"No way is it that easy." Rocky couldn't hide the tension in his voice.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Tommy whispered. "Scanners up."

All five of the Rangers now saw a complete grid laid out inside of their visors. Statistics like temperature, noise level, and detectable vital signs. Two perpendicular targeting lines roamed across the grid as they searched for anything of note.

"Hey...do you guys hear that?"

"Sounds like...breathing."

It definitely sounded like someone breathing across the comm system harshly. The noise was getting louder....faster....

....Closer.

Jason felt the hair on the back of his neck tingle and whirled around. "Look out!" A dagger-sized blade morphed itself onto his right hand as he ducked under a humongous arm. He drove the blade into the stomach of a huge beast forged from God-only-knows-what. With a sharp twist and yank, Jason cleaved the monster in half.

"Here they come!" In moments the five were surrounded by hell-bent creatures of destruction. The circle broke outward into different clusters as the beasts fought to take on one or two Rangers at a time in their own groups.

Rocky's bladed staff revolved at full tilt as he fought to give Aisha room to use her arm cannons. Kimberly stood with them using small crossbows on her forearms to add to their projectile assault. Tommy and Jason had separated from the group and attacked with their own brand of swords. Both fought mostly on their own but worked to give Aisha and Kimberly as many open shots as possible.

Rocky rolled to his feet as he recovered from a jarring blow to his ribcage. He morphed a blaster and fired several shots at his previous attacker's head. 'One down and about a hundred to go.' His blaster continued to recoil from shot after shot. He focused more energy into it, managing to puncture two monsters with one shot a few times.

Aisha and Kimberly pressed their backs right against each other and held their weapons high. The small army immediately began pressing in on them, blood thirst plain in their eyes. Swirls of energy coalesced around the two female Rangers. A mighty shockwave rippled amongst the crowd as shattered limbs flew through the air. Amidst the chaos kneeled the causers of the wave, breathing heavily. They wouldn't be able to keep that up for too long, not without giving their powers time to recharge. This high cost battle needed to be finished, and soon.

******************************

Trey watched as the Rangers began showing their weariness. More Battalion forces had teleported in now. It was obvious that this fight was nearly over. His eyes shifted to Zack, standing there watching much like himself. The inner turmoil rolled off of him in waves. He saw the arm with his morpher attached twitching. Zack wanted to use it. That much was plain.

Even watching his friends fight for their lives, Zack was still undecided. Years ago he would have leapt into the fray with no questions asked. Now...now it was one of the hardest decisions of his life. 'Why shouldn't I give the morpher to Trey? Surely he could take it and help the others. All I would have to do is hand it to him and say I'm out of here. No more caring. No more fighting. No more worrying about how I have to help save the world.'

It was then that a memory occurred to him, something from so long ago. It was a memory burned into him like a searing hot coal set on his heart. It was a wound still fresh, still open.

-"Why not? Name one good reason why not."

"I'm just not interested in you, that's why."

"Then explain the movie, the dinner, the film festival..."

"I'm sorry. I guess I thought you were a different kind of person. But I was wrong, Zack. You proved me wrong. I can't date somebody who's so immature. What kind of responsibility have you ever had to take on? You never take anything seriously! All you ever want to do is fool around. I'm sorry, Zack. You're just not accountable enough."-

'Not responsible! She didn't have any clue what kind of responsibility I had to take! People died when I screwed up! She didn't understand because she didn't see that!' Zack took a deep breath. 'Can I really blame her? I tried to make life lighter than everyone else did. I wanted to assure myself and everybody that life was worth living.' His eyes traveled to the morpher on his wrist. 'But would it be that way if I just hand this thing over? Can I do that? Just go on and pretend nothing is happening? Could I go back home and not fight for something like this?' The answer was simple. 'No. I can't. I can't go through life running away like that.' He set his jaw in determination. 'I'm not going to prove her right.'

"It's morphin' time."

******************************

"Keep it together, guys. We're not dead yet."

"No. Dead people don't feel this much pain."

The five Rangers were hunched over and breathing deeply. Many aches made themselves known across each body as they moved. The reinforcements had brought new life to the battle against them. Kimberly was clutching her shoulder in pain from the dislocation that had occurred in a swift melee with five of the savage brutes. Rocky was keeping the weight off of one knee. Both Jason and Tommy were nearly lying down in exhaustion, now realizing the toll individual combat had taken on them. Aisha trembled from exhaustion.

In short, they were beat.

"In the name of Sektarus!" some of the monsters shouted. The crowd began advancing on their prey....

...Just as a large, black beam sliced through a chunk of the group. They scattered and reformed in order to gauge this new attacker.

"Leave my friends alone!"

Five helmeted sets of eyes turned up to see. Yes, there he was. One black figure amongst the throng. Or, better yet, through the throng. Zack was cutting of heads and other assorted limbs with his axe as he moved his way toward the team. His body twisted and kicked out with years of experience in his personal art, hip-hop-kido. Every move was performed with fluid movements and smooth power. The monsters began to back off a bit, trying to regroup enough to mount a new assault.

Rocky balanced his weight on his one good leg. "Glad you decided to show."

He could sense Zack smiling under the helmet. "Well, I figured a bus ticket back to Washington would cost a little bit much for a dancer's salary."

The others managed to stagger into upright positions. "Everybody, we need one hell of an attack for this one," Jason panted. "Get ready for the Power Blaster."

Zack morphed his axe into cannon mode and held it before the others. Kimberly formed her bow and placed several charged arrows in it before joining it with the axe. Rocky broke his staff in half and charged energy through it, causing it to crackle along the blades as he attached it to the underside of Kim's bow. Aisha positioned her arm cannons next to them. Finally, Jason and Tommy fused their own energy blasters together and placed them on top. All the Rangers gathered behind them.

"Give us everything you've got," Tommy ordered. Everyone focused all of their power into the blaster. It began to glow a bright gold in their hands.

"FIRE!" Intense rays of energy burned through the building, shattering several fixtures, cracking the walls, and most of all blasting through every monster in sight. They turned the blaster towards the onslaught until every last one was slain. A short sputter, and the beams shut down. Five of the six could be seen collapsing to the floor even as their bodies were turned to streaks of dark light and sent rocketing towards the sky.

******************************

"M...my lord?"

A deep growl in the shadows. "What is it?"

"Th...the...Battalion members, sire....they...they were defeated."

The black eyes glowed crimson for a moment. "WHAT?!?!"

A small whimper from the pathetic life form. "Th...the empowered, sire....they destroyed them."

The eyes returned to their blackness. Their owner growled harshly yet again. "Those beings are coming to be a pain in my side. They must be dealt with." The blackness looked out amongst the stars.

"Send for the Dai'rak."