Disclaimer: I don't own the majority of these characters. The concept of Power Rangers doesn't belong to me, yadda yadda yadda. I would like to thank the gracious reviews you all have left, and I can only hope that this next installment will elicit as generous a response. Enjoy!

Teamwork.

It was a simple word, really. Compound in the English language, sure, but its definition was straightforward: Two or more members working together to achieve a common goal.

So why didn't the two men before him quite get the impact of its meaning?

"The two of you seem to have a severe problem with working together, although I don't quite understand how that's possible. Zordon himself has probably chastised you for not working as a unit, knowing him."

Jason and Tommy shifted under Trey's gaze as best they could. Injuries from yesterday's fight still limited their movement. It had been a debate on whether or not they should even have come to the conference room to meet with the former Gold Ranger.

"What I don't understand is how you could have possibly forgotten everything he taught you."

"We didn't forget," Jason said with a tone of warning. It seemed to him that Trey was almost putting them down for their fighting performance, and bringing a dead mentor into the picture almost border lined sacrilegious as far as he was concerned.

"No? Then explain exactly what you were thinking splitting up like that." The Triforian Prince leaned close to the two men. "I know you two are capable fighters. You know it, and most importantly of all your team knows it. They respect you. Now, I know of your past history as leaders, including your own bouts of individualism and personal demons that you had to fight one-on-one. But I feel I must remind you that this is bigger than any of us. I called you all to help defend your planet, maybe even this entire universe. If you don't learn to fight safer, then I'm afraid I won't have any choice but to find someone else." With that, he stood regally and walked out of the room.

There were several moments of silence as the two leaders thought about what had just been said. "Maybe he's right. We have been a little cocky, considering we don't know exactly what we're up against," Tommy admitted.

Jason nodded his head. "Maybe, but I don't exactly think he's telling us the whole story either."

"He doesn't have any reason to lie, Jase. There's just as much for him to lose."

"I never said anything about lying, just about withholding certain pieces of information." 'A certain life-draining power comes to mind...'

"Well, whatever it is, let's worry about it later. Rocky said some people got kind of suspicious about him being gone the past few days with no explanation. I'm guessing we're all going to need to come up with a decent excuse."

His muscular partner shrugged as if it was a minor issue. "Old habits die hard."

Tommy's mind flashed back to the old days, when he had worn the mantle of the Green Ranger, fighting against everything....on his own.

"They sure do, bro. They sure do."

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

"Looky who decided to show up at work today."

Kimberly smiled at the voice before turning herself around to face the blonde moving to sit nearby. "Good morning to you too, Kat."

Katherine Hillard. Former Pink Ranger. Kimberly's successor. Friend. Major confidante. Her arrival at Kim and Tommy's wedding had made assurances as to no ill feelings between the two women. As a matter of fact, the thing that drew them closest had been their shared knowledge of Tommy. Long night chats about their experiences with and without him had started the forging of a friendly bond between the two that had lasted for years. They now both worked at the local mall. Flexible hours and several connections had gained them a job at a well-known and quite large athletic store right next to the food court. Not exactly either's first choice, but it certainly beat unemployment. And considering that both of them specialized in at least some of the areas of athletics the store supported (or had connections to someone who did) made the work a lot more enjoyable.

"So, any reasons why little Kimmie had to miss work for two days straight?" the Australian teased. "I know your husband can be pretty enduring, but I doubt even he could have held on for that long." The wiggle in her eyebrows gave Kimberly all the meaning she needed. She returned a sly smile.

"Oh, you'd be surprised at the things he's learned since we married..."

Both women leaned in like they were sharing a kind of conspiracy.

"Better than morphing?" Kat whispered.

"Much better."

The blonde inhaled sharply. "Bloody hell, woman. I'm surprised you can still walk."

"Yeah, me too." 'Though not exactly for the reason you think.' She hated that such a thing might have to be kept from one of her best friends. Katherine was the one she trusted now more than any other girl around, except for Aisha. Would it really hurt her to know? After all, if things got too intense and she couldn't make it to work, wouldn't it be easier to have someone who could help make up an excuse for her? Could she really ask that?

'Ah, who am I kidding? She'll find out one of these days anyway. Better to just let it go now.'

"Listen, Kat. There's something you need to know..."

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

Rocky stepped off the mats lightly, trying to keep from walking on his recovering knee. 'Maybe practicing today wasn't such a good idea...'

"Man, it's a good thing you didn't have a class today. You would've been toast."

The Hispanic man smirked. "You know me. Never resist a chance for a good injury." He shared a laugh with his companion. "How's the paperwork comin', Adam?"

"Pretty good." The Korean martial artist smiled. "We're under budget by a pretty big margin this time. Might have enough money to take on a part-time instructor or two."

"How 'bout Jason and Tommy?" The names were out of his mouth before he realized something....

"They're back in town? Why didn't they call?" Adam studied his partner. "Why didn't you tell me?"

'Oh boy. I was hoping to break this out easily...'

"Well, something's kind of happened over the past couple of days...."

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

"Transmission sent, my lord."

"Excellent. How long until they arrive?"

"With a fast transport, they should be here within forty-eight hours."

The hulking mass of darkness hissed loudly. "In that amount of time the empowered could recover! This is unsuitable." It turned to the slim creature nearby. "Prepare four forces from the Battalion, one for every twelve hours. I want to discover everything about them. I want their strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, everything. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lord." The creature made a small squeak of fear before going off to do its master's bidding. Sharp claws dug their way across the floor behind the black-eyed darkness.

"Let me lead a force, sire. I will defeat them."

"Be patient, Akeras. We know too little of our enemies as of now."

A seven-foot, scaled creature clawed into the tiny beacon of light before the throne. Akeras stood up on its hind legs. "But Sektarus, I can..."

"No." The denial was quiet, but forceful. It left no room for argument. "These are strong beings. I will only send you into battle when victory is sure. Our past defeats have served to provide us at least information about our enemies. You must learn from this method." The dark form settled in its throne. "Now, go."

"As you wish, my lord." Akeras returned to all fours and skulked its way back into the shadows.

"Your warriors have served you well, Prince Trey. But even their prowess will not save this planet. The time will come soon. You will be defeated."

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

Katherine shook her head. "You mean to tell me Trey has come here?" Kimberly nodded. "And he recruited you, Tommy, Jason, Rocky, and Aisha to be Rangers again?"

"And Zack," the brunette added.

"Right." A sigh escaped the Australian. "Wow. I mean, this is incredible. So what are we up against?"

Kimberly stopped her drink in mid-sip. "We? What do you mean we, Kat?"

"Well, I want to help. If there's something going on out there that involves the Power Rangers, you're going to need all the help you can get, Kim."

Her eyes met deep pools of blue. "Kat, I would love for you to help us, really I would. But this situation is too dangerous to have you directly involved." She raised up a hand to forestall any protest. "Please, Kat. You mean too much to me as a friend. The best way you can help is to cover for me if anything goes wrong. We can't let anybody find out that we're doing this."

"Why not?"

"We don't know entirely what we're dealing with. Even Trey isn't sure about who's behind all this. He just knows that whatever happens, they're going for planet-wide takeover. We can't leave anything to chance."

Kat nodded slowly. "I understand." She took her friend in a hug. "Thank you for telling me this. I would've worried myself to death wondering about you if anything happened." Both women pulled back and looked at each other. The unsaid message between them was like that of a pact, a sacred bond between members of the same order, servers of the same cause.

"You can count on me, Kim."

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

'Wow.' It was the only word that managed to find its way into the coherent part of Adam's brain. 'I can't believe...wow.'

Rocky looked at his friend, trying to gauge his emotions. Was he angry that he hadn't been told sooner? Glad he had even been told? Amazed at the entire situation? "I'm not making this up, y'know."

Adam shook his head and swallowed. "No, you wouldn't joke around about this." He ran a hand through his long, curly hair. "Man... Nothing ever stays the same for long around here, does it?"

The Hispanic man chuckled. "Yeah. If I didn't know any better I'd say Angel Grove was placed just over a Hellmouth or something."

"Wrong universe, Rocko." Both men managed to share a laugh at that before the mood sobered again.

"So, you're not mad?"

"Why should I be? You've been chosen for something awesome, Rocky. Yeah, I wish I could help in the sense of being able to morph and fight with you, but I know that that's not my place now. I know that you're going to need somebody to cover for you sometimes, just like we used to for the others before we became Rangers." Adam clapped his friend on the shoulder before pulling him into a fierce hug. "I'm proud of you, man."

Both of them took a step back and simply stood for a while. Thoughts of both past and present swirled inside their heads. They had come such a long way from being high school students with an after school, world-saving occupation. They had grown stronger, smarter, and more mature. It was a time when their friendship needed to be stronger than ever.

"Tell Aisha to drop by sometime. We've got a lot of catching up to do."

"No problem. I'll be sure to invite her over when she can see me kick you around a bit."

Adam punched his friend in the shoulder. "What makes you think you can take me?"

"Come on, we all know I could kick you to the curb."

"Don't make me morph."

"You're retired! You don't have a morpher!"

"I can get a morph goin'." The former Black and Green Ranger did a few practice kicks in the air worthy of Jet Li proportions. Rocky grinned.

"Whatever you say man." He looked at his watch. "Well, I'm gonna get going. My mom's probably overdosing on her heart medication since I haven't made my weekly call. See you later."

"Take care, Rocky." He waved goodbye, then started to turn back to his office.

His friend was a Power Ranger. Again.

'Wow.'

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

"Trey!"

The dark-haired prince rushed over to the console, looking over the shoulder of its operator. "What in the galaxies is that?"

"A transmission signal of some sort."

"Can you trace it?"

"Not without having something detect us."

Trey sighed. "How about interpreting it?"

"That would take a while, but offhand I'd say the wavelengths look like a trace program. If Sektarus is sending this out..."

"We're going to have company."

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

Aisha took a quick look around the block. Outside appearances certainly hadn't changed much. At least, not from what she remembered. The young woman pressed two fingers lightly against her temple. How many of the memories in her head were real? Sure, it was true that she had indeed experienced all of them, but how many of them were actually valid? Would she be able to tell which ones were from her life here in Angel Grove and which ones had come from the Zeo-crystal-altered life in Africa? Would anyone else?

'Stop that!' she cursed herself. 'You know the others remember, too. They remember everything about you. Everything.' She wanted to believe that with all of her heart, but standing in front of the house she remembered spending her high school years in and seeing that the name on the mailbox was not her own....Something inside of that large heart she had felt cracked, torn even. Like she was living a lie.

*"We all knew the risks when we took this job."*

Words of both Tommy and Jason. Whenever something had gone wrong, they told themselves that they knew it was a possibility. 'I realized it, too, I guess. Part of me knew things would never be the same after I sent Tanya back in my place. I knew being a Ranger did all sorts of crazy stuff to a person.' Aisha looked at the morpher set upon her wrist. 'But it was worth it. It was all worth it.'

She put her hands into the pockets of her jean shorts and started walking away. The past was already taken care of. It was time to think about the future.

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

"Battalion forces coming in fast."

Another sigh. Could this day get any worse?

"Patch me through to the Rangers."

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

Katherine almost jumped at the beep that sounded from her friend's wrist. Kimberly raised her morpher to her lips.

"This is Kimberly."

+Kimberly, this is Trey. We have Battalion forces arriving near the city.+

"Understood." The brunette looked up.

"Time to go to work, huh?" At Kim's nod, the blonde stood up. "Go ahead. I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Kat. You're the best." She got up and started purposefully heading out the door.

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

"I'm on my way." Rocky lowered his arm and turned back to the phone. "Uh, Mom? Sorry, I need to cut this short. No, no, everything's fine. It's just, uh...Adam...needs my help with something down here. Look, I'll call you later, okay?" He promptly hung up and looked up to the sky, annoyed and kind of tired of the interruption already. "Let's get this over with."

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

"Thanks for helping me move in, Aisha." Zack placed the box he was carrying in a corner of the room. "Good thing you booked a room big enough for the both of us, huh?"

"Yeah, tell me about it. Musta been one of my psychic moments or something."

The words had barely left her mouth when a beep sounded from both of their wrists.

"Could you see that one coming?" Zack grinned.

"Honey, anybody who's been a Ranger could see that one coming."

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

Jason stalked along the side of the road, still somewhat fuming at Trey. 'What right does he think he has to tell us how to do our job?' Part of him knew that the thought process was illogical at best. Trey just wanted them to operate well and make sure they all got hurt as little as possible.

'Zordon did the exact same thing. God, how many times did he put just me and Tommy on a mission together to work out our problems with teamwork?' His mind flashed back to Trey's lecture. He smirked. 'Guess he should have sent the whole team along anyway.'

A beep coming from his wrist nearly halted him in mid-stride. Brown eyes scanned the area with practiced ease before he ducked into an alley.

"Jason here."

+Battalion forces near the city limits, bro. Time to rumble.+

Tommy's voice sounded a little labored, as if he was in the middle of combat.

"I'm on it." If they were already fighting, why had it been left up to Tommy to contact him? Why hadn't it been Trey?

'Probably thinking I'd screw up again.' His fist clenched as he brought the morpher up to a ready position. 'Well, I'll show him.'

"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"

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

"Think these guys plan on giving up any time soon?" Rocky yelled out, twirling his bladed staff in several lethal circles into the beasts around him.

"Don't count on it," Zack replied. He had charged energy into his boots and gloves and turned himself into a living, dancing weapon. Electric power surged through him and left his targets writhing on the ground.

"Who cares? They're not even a challenge!" Aisha laughed as she blasted the group with her arm cannons.

A black streak materialized into Jason's armored figure just before he leapt into the fray alongside Tommy. "What's it look like, bro?"

Tommy used his sword to knock back a few of the monsters. "Pretty easy. We're mowing through these guys really fast." He paused as they both sliced more of the hideous creations into ribbons. "Does it seem like they're holding back to you?"

For a second, Jason wondered if his friend had gone insane. The more he looked around, though, the more it made sense. Compared to their past two encounters this seemed like a training exercise. It was almost as if....

"They're testing us," he breathed. "They want to know what we can do."

Kimberly appeared next to them. Several sharp knife points were sticking out of her armor. "Let's not disappoint them, then." Swirls of energy coalesced into a bow and arrow. She charged the arrow enough to make it glow, then sent it flying directly through a dozen of the creatures. Aisha joined her side and added her own firepower to the onslaught as Jason and Tommy moved to protect their backsides. Rocky and Zack battled their way to the group and acted as moving shields against whatever Tommy and Jason couldn't get to in time.

'Yeah, teamwork!' Tommy thought proudly. "Let's keep it up, guys!" All went well for a few minutes before a beam struck Aisha on the shoulder.

"Cover her!" Jason shouted. Nobody could get to her in time. The forces were moving the others away from her as best as they could. The Ranger paused in consideration, then saw his opportunity. He flipped over an attacker and embedded his sword in its back so hard that it came out through the front. Lifting the body up as a shield, he charged through the group and kneeled next to his fallen friend. "You okay?"

Bolts of energy still coursed through her body. "I think so. Having a hard time moving though. Must've hit me with a stun bolt."

The being impaled on Jason's sword began twisting and writhing, trying to fight its way off. A quick punch to what passed for a neck stilled it. "I better get this thing off before he gets really cranky." Ideas, ideas, he need ideas! The others couldn't hold off the entire force forever, even if its numbers were depleted. 'Well, Trey said to stretch our powers a little.' Power began to surge through his sword and into the beast around it. He imagined the power flowing through every part of its body, being absorbed into it. 'Let's see...I remember Billy saying something about molecules taking in energy until they have enough to break away from their starting point, and that's what causes heat. So if we pump enough of Energy A into Subject B, then....' A sickening splatter and several superheated body parts later...

"Spontaneous combustion."

"Very sick, Jase." Aisha stood and sent a pulse through her arm cannons. "If it hadn't saved my ass I would probably smack you on the head for doing something that disgusting."

He grinned under the helmet. "You're welcome."

Several more bodies came flying over their heads to land in a dismembered pile in front of them. Zack soon followed to see if any had survived. "Man, come on! These guys have got no groove at all!"

A bladed staff lanced itself through the heads of two monsters sneaking up on the Ranger. Rocky strolled over and picked it up, spinning the blades to take off the blood. "Come on, Zack. You can't expect the entire galaxy to be able to dance like you." He patted Zack on the shoulder. "And some of them? Trust me, you don't want them to."

"Alright everybody, I think that's it." Tommy's weapon turned into translucent light before shrinking into his hand. Everyone else did the same. "Let's get out of here so we can fill Trey in and get back to our lives."

As the six began to turn to black streaks of light, Zack's voice called out. "Yeah, Rocky, I don't think I want to even begin to imagine Rita shakin' her moneymaker on the dance floor!

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

"Group One has been destroyed."

"As I expected." Soulless eyes turned to Akeras. "And what did we learn from this group's failure?"

The lizard-like atrocity hissed. "They are strong together. Each one will protect the other. Especially the two who wield swords. They are leaders among these empowered."

"And what strategy do we use against those that are strong together?"

Akeras hissed again. "Divide and conquer."

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

Trey stood waiting as the Rangers came out of teleportation and demorphed. "Congratulations, Rangers. You've shown that you are all quite cohesive as a team unit. I'm glad you managed to work things out." He looked over at Tommy and Jason. "You two have done an excellent job in helping your team. Jason, you are to be commended for your quick thinking. I have to admit, that use of the Power certainly never crossed my mind."

Jason gave the Triforian a hard look. It wasn't necessarily a glare, but it was enough to let one know that he was displeased. "Why didn't you call me? Why did Tommy have to break his focus to contact me?"

Tommy put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jase, easy..." He knew his co-leader had a pretty short fuse as far as Trey was concerned. Tension between the two wouldn't help the situation.

"No, Tommy. Let him explain it. I want to hear what was so important that he had to risk a member of the team to contact me."

"Well, since I was going to inform you of this anyway..." Trey walked over to a scanning console. "I've been tracking a signal in outer space. It's coming from where Sektarus' base of operations may be located. Now I'm not entirely sure, but it could be a trace program."

"You mean somebody's following that thing back to its source?" Tommy had picked up a few things in all his years as a Ranger, but Billy certainly hadn't explained trace programs in depth. Either he or Adam had always taken care of the computer stuff.

"Yes. Sektarus may be calling for reinforcements." He looked back at Jason with his usual expressionless air. "The power it's taking to run the interpreting program so I can find out what the transmission is really about is what shortened the communication systems. I told the others that there was not enough power to contact you and that one of them would have to make the call."

Jason's gaze lightened up. If someone looked close they would have seen a blush creeping up his neck. "Sorry."

"Not to worry, my friend. I know that I have not been entirely open with you all about my reasons, and I must ask you to forgive me. I'm afraid that the rush of this entire operation has left me little time or reason to explain things in depth. However..." Trey opened his arms in a gesture of honesty. "Any questions you have will be happily answered now that we have a moment to rest."

"Alright, I've got one." Rocky stepped up. "Who and/or what is this Sektarus? We've been hearing the name every time out there and I'm getting a little curious."

"I am almost entirely sure that Sektarus is the mastermind behind the invasion of Earth. Triforian archives did not have much information on him, but some say that he has become a being of pure dark energy. Perhaps you could say he is the dark side of the Morphin' Grid, which is one reason that your powers are mostly Zeo crystal based."

"Whoa, hold up." Zack held his hands up to forestall anything else. "You wanna run that by me again? This time in American?"

"It's simple, really. Since Sektarus and his forces are pure dark Morphin' energy, if we were to harness pure light Morphin' energy, every time the two clashed the resulting reaction would be far beyond what this planet is made to handle." He paused, searching his brain for a better way to put it. "Think of a situation where nearly ninety of your nuclear warheads were detonated at the Earth's core." Zack whistled in amazement. "Exactly. We couldn't have that and save the planet at the same time, now could we? So I based your powers off of the wavelength of the Zeo crystal, which was still kept here underneath the remains of the Command Center. They're a bit more technological and somewhat less powerful than the Morphin' Grid itself, but they also have properties which naturally weaken the mystical properties enough to give us a slight advantage."

"So, if this Sektarus guy is pure energy, does that mean he doesn't have a body?"

"We're not entirely sure, Aisha. No one has been alive long enough to find out. Odds are, however, that whatever form he is in, it will be very powerful."

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it," Rocky said quickly. "Is anybody else hungry? 'Cause I really feel a need for lunch coming on here."

The others were about to laugh when their own stomachs alerted them to their needs. "I think Rocky's right. I could really go for a burger right about now. How about Ernie's?"

Tommy turned to look at Zack. "Um, bro? Sorry to break it to you, but Ernie's closed down years ago. Bulk is running the place."

"Bulk? Respectable? He's actually running something?" The shock on the African-American's face was almost too Polaroid-worthy to pass up.

Three of the Rangers laughed. "Yeah. Come on, we'll treat you guys." Kimberly smiled. "Just don't eat too much. It may be inexpensive, but a girl's gotta eat too, y'know."

"I believe that would be an excellent idea, Rangers. Go try to enjoy the rest of your afternoon. I'll keep track of that signal and let you all know if anything comes up."

The six nodded and prepared to teleport. Jason's black streak was the last to leave.

"Thanks, Trey."

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

"Welcome to Bulkmeyer's. What'll it...Oh, hey, Tommy!" Eugene Skullovitch, better known to his contemporaries as Skull, smiled at the long-haired man in front of him. "It's been a while man! Hey, how'd things go with that guy on the phone? Sounded like he had something real important to talk to you about."

"Yeah, it was kind of a heavy-duty thing. I'll fill you in on it later, but for now me and the group were wondering if we could get a round of burgers and fries."

"Not a problem. Anything for one of our best customers."

As the slim former-punk went back to relay the order, Tommy looked around. He was amazed at how much this place had changed. Juice Bar to Surf Spot to Bulkmeyer's, and all throughout it had always been a hangout for all ages. Unbidden memories of Ernie's kindness (and smoothies) flooded the Ranger's mind. It was amazing at all they had done there. The Juice Bar had been his proving grounds for status as Rita's Green Ranger, the site of a battle with putties before Kimberly's flower float had been trashed, and even where he had been chosen to regain his powers. Of course, it had been home to several, more normal, memories as well: Sparring with Jason, the Team Ninja competition, dances with Kimberly....All of those memories seemed washed into the area. No change in the outside could alter what had happened there. These walls held so much history for them all...

"Here y'go, Tommy." A tray filled with food was set in front of him before Skull turned back. "Fresh off the grill. I gotta run. There's a bunch of people inside Bulk needs my help with. See you later!"

'Man, of all the strange things to happen in Angel Grove, I still have to agree with Kimberly that Bulk and Skull turning into not just decent, but all out prosperous business owners, has definitely won the prize.' He carried the tray over to the table his friends had staked out by the pool. 'I wonder...Did all of the monster attacks around here make them think about maturing like this?'

"Thought I'd never live to see it," Zack said as he took his share of food off the tray. "This place is incredible. You're tellin' me Ernie actually sold it? To Bulk?"

"Actually, he sold it to some woman called Adele," Rocky corrected. "She changed it to the Surf Spot, but when that started goin' downhill Bulk came in and bought it." He took a sip of water. "Turns out he had some run-in with this rich professor guy when they were out on that space colony...uh....dang, what was it called?"

"Terra Venture," Kimberly supplied. She had almost gotten a passport there herself, but she had decided that space held a bit much for her at the moment. 'Especially when things still needed to be patched up between Tommy and me back then.' She glanced over at her husband. 'Now I'm happier than I ever could have been out in space.'

"Yeah, that's it. Anyway, he turned it into Bulkmeyer's."

"Which our friend Tommy here practically owns," Jason added with a grin. He narrowly avoided a sharp play jab to the shoulder.

"It's not like that, Jase, and you know it." He turned to the rest of the group. "I used some of my racing money to help get the place off the ground. Whenever I can I help out with expenses and stuff. Makes a pretty comfortable life for us, and a decent hangout for the neighborhood."

"Since when did you get to play the good Samaritan? I remember a time when you would have tossed Bulk into the nearest trash can if he harassed Kim too much."

"That was a long time ago, Zack. We all grew up a bit."

"We sure did. Speaking of which...." Rocky looked towards Aisha. "Since we haven't heard from you in so long, how about telling us what Africa turned out to be like?"

That question started a session of reminiscing on everyone's part. They stayed for hours at that table, catching up, teasing, joking, and just having a good time in each other's company. It had seemed like forever since the group had gotten together, and some had more to tell than others. Zack especially had a lot of filling in to do starting after he and Jason had split from the Peace Conference. All in all, they were almost as happy as they had been in their teenage years. Life seemed good.

For now.

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

Sektarus growled. Night was beginning to fall on the planet. The second group of Battalion forces he had set aside for a strike was prepared. His plan was a gamble, however. This group of empowered had changed tactics again. It seemed that every time they went into battle they did something new. If they kept devising new strategies it would be difficult to outsmart them. With that option gone, all that would be left would be simply overpowering them, which would prove difficult at the rate they were cutting down his forces.

"What is the update on the Dai'rak?"

"They have increased speed, sire. They will arrive by 1200 hours Earth time."

Excellent. Things were going along better than he had hoped. They would be there in time to join with a Battalion group. 'Perhaps they will defeat these...annoyances...and allow me to continue with this invasion.' In the meantime, however, there were other things to consider.

"Increase the activity of the Harvesters. I want to make sure we have a contingency plan operational."

"But, my lord, the increase in activity could trigger an energy surge...If they detect us..."

"They will not detect us. The Triforian Prince is too busy masking their own signals, making sure we cannot find his forces. He will not have enough energy spared to interfere until it is too late. Now, go."

Akeras waited until they were alone. "You do not believe the Dai'rak will be strong enough?"

"Do not mistake my intentions. I trust in their power. However, these beings are different than others we have encountered before. They appear battle-hardened, experienced. I am simply covering all possibilities." The black figure turned its deep eyes on its scaled subject. "The Battalion may not be our most effect fighting tool, but what it lacks in sensibility it makes up for in raw power. If we can not become more devious than these empowered, then we will simply destroy them through sheer force."

Akeras made a barely-audible hiss. "We could have done that when they first appeared. Why wait?"

"Because it is too simple. Anyone can kill with enough numbers. I want Prince Trey to know that even if he recruited others to aid him, they would stand no chance. It's not simply about invasion, my young protégé. I want this force to be punished for opposing me.

"I want them utterly crushed!"

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

Trey eyed the Rangers as they teleported into the Command Center. They were still alert, but tired.

"Okay, this is ridiculous," Rocky groaned. "Why attack in the middle of the night if you're not going to do anything?" They had just finished off another strike force, seemingly granted the same purpose as the last one. It felt like a simple training exercise to them despite the annoyance of being woken up in the middle of the night.

"They're probably trying to wear us down. Mondo did the same thing before..." Tommy spared an apologetic glance at Trey. "Well, you guys know the rest."

"So you think this could just be something to tire us out until the big fight?" Kimberly asked. It certainly wasn't the kind of strategy she was used to. Rita and Zedd had never given warning, just hit as fast and as hard as they could. 'Trey was right. These guys aren't kidding.'

"If that is the case, Rangers, then I suggest you all return home and rest. If Sektarus has a larger plan on the horizon, all of you will need to be at your best to face it."

The six teleported out. Before long they would hopefully be asleep once again. He knew how long it took the adrenaline rush of battle to wear off. It was but a distant memory, though. Lost to the sands of time now. Tommy's near slip had reminded him his loss, but he had to deal with it. The Gold Ranger was no more.

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

Sektarus cast his shadowed eyes over the three beings forced into a kneel before him. "These were the best they could find?"

"Records show that their skills rival those of Prince Trey's, my lord," the sniveling servant told him in what resembled a proud tone, if a spineless beast could break out of its shell enough to be proud. "And, most importantly of all, they are compatible with the amulets."

"Yes, quite. And yet you force them to kneel. Why? Will they not submit?"

One of the beings, a male, looked up. "We will never serve you!"

The other two were female. They followed his lead.

"Our loyalties lie elsewhere."

"We will not give in."

Sektarus growled. His dark form moved to a standing position, casting a blanket of pure darkness around them. "Bring me the amulets."

A box was presented to him. Inside were three fist-sized emblems fastened to chains. One looked like three outstretched claws, another like a circle of electricity, and the third resembled a series of upside-down triangles that seemed to go forever deeper. He took the claw emblem out and held it above the male's forehead.

"You see, I will give you no choice. You will serve me!"

Streams of dark energy surged between Sektarus and the young man before him. The young man screamed in pure agony, a scream that welled up from his very soul as if his insides were being torn apart. In the end he crumpled to the floor. Sektarus stooped down to place the amulet on the boy's neck, then turned to the other two captives.

When it was through, three armored figures stood before him. He turned to the servant beast. "Are the final strike forces ready?" Akeras had relayed his order to merge the last two Battalion teams.

"Yes, my lord."

"Excellent." Soulless eyes turned to the armored shapes. "Go now, and deliver a message to Prince Trey's forces. Rebellion against the power of Sektarus will not be tolerated!"

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

"Man, this is weird."

"Talk to me, Aisha. What've you got?"

Aisha checked the scanner strapped to the wrist of her Ranger armor. "That's the weird thing. The scanner is picking up absolutely nothing. It's like they weren't even here."

The "they" she had referred to had been the humongous group of Battalion forces Trey had showed to them in the Command Center earlier in the afternoon. There was also some unknown energy source that he couldn't quite lock down, and he wanted them to see if they could locate it. So far, no such luck.

"Maybe it was a sensor ghost. Something we fought a while back."

Zack shook his head. "Not likely, Kim. Trey said it didn't match anything in the archives."

"Yeah, but considering how much renovation that place has been through, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of things got lost."

Aisha stopped abruptly. Tommy and Jason immediately stepped to her side.

"What is it?"

"Did you pick up something?"

She was silent for a moment. "I think we're being followed," she whispered.

Both team leaders aimed their eyes upward, trying to catch sight of anything above them, then slowly craned their heads back towards the rest of the group.

"WEAPONS! NOW!"

Jason and Tommy leaped into the crowd of monstrous creatures before their swords were even fully morphed. Rocky summoned his staff, Zack his axe, and Aisha her cannons. Kimberly charged her body with energy instead. With her gymnastic training she could twist into all sorts of different positions, and with the Power's help she could propel herself in a burst of energy to become a living weapon.

They handled this group like all the ones before it. The Power hummed and crackled through the air as they harnessed its strength as their weapon. Kimberly blazed through the melee in a blur of deadly intensity. She would slam through a few of the beasts, bounce off another and high into the air, dive bomb into another crowd, then burst through some more of them. Her eyes caught sight of a particularly nasty monster that resembled a gigantic snake menacing Aisha. 'You're going down, scale-breath!' She charged at him from thirty feet in the air, building speed and force as she went....

Which made the slam of the snake-monster's hand into her throat even more painful. Energy that should have been used in her attack surged back through her body as it seemed her plan was backfired straight into her body. Aisha took aim to help her friend, but another monster knocked her and her shot off balance. Kimberly gasped for oxygen as the grip on her throat tightened.

A loud roar of "Kimberly!" and the sound of steel cutting flesh identified the shadowy blur in her vision as Tommy. She tried to croak out his name, begging for help. Concentration was nearly impossible. Her speed had been too great. It looked as if she had dug her own grave. There was no way her husband could get to her in time...

A bright flash of light appeared just barely before a sword embedded itself in the monster's head, forcing it to drop Kimberly. She could make out Tommy's armored form kneeling over her.

"Kim! Are you okay?"

"*cough* Yeah. I'll be fine." He helped her to her feet before pulling his weapon from the skull of the slain beast. His back stayed to her as he circled around, brandishing the sword as a threat to anyone that came near.

The remainder of the battle was fought valiantly. Each Ranger had healed well from their previous injuries due both to the Power's acceleration and the constant abuse that they had already become accustomed to in past years. It wasn't much longer before the storm drains of Angel Grove were once again filled with the blood of the Battalion. And standing amidst the chaos stood six Power Rangers, out of breath and feeling the first pangs of exhaustion beginning to set in. "Aww, no more?" Rocky joked half-heartedly.

It was then that three figures shimmered into being before them.

"You had to open your big mouth."

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

"No. This is impossible!"

Trey looked over his counterpart's shoulder at the viewscreen before turning a shade of pale nearly undiscovered by humanoids. "By the Power..."

To Be Continued....