AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay here's the next issue of Dragonkin with a few hints about what's going on with Jason.  Now Ruchi, you can release your hostage and post that next chapter of Brother Wolf.

          Teelo followed as his friends tiptoed through the building.  Again he was awed by the sheer ingenuity of these humans.  The vast majority of them had no phyre, but had been capable of creating such edifices that rivaled some structures on Homeworld.  Coming to the corner, Zack, Rocky and Aisha, all waved for him to stop and get against the wall. 

          Suddenly Rocky and Aisha tensed just a fraction of an instant before four forms, all dressed in black came out of the overhead, weapons ready.  Only Zack's phyre enhanced reflexes saved him from a nasty wound as a sword penetrated the mock stone wall behind his head.  Aisha smiled over at her husband and said quietly, "Ninja versus Ninjetti, I can handle it."

          Rocky chuckled as he easily sidestepped a second blow to his head, grabbed the ninja's wrist, locked down with his feet and slung the assassin forward and into the wall.  He was rewarded with a solid crunching sound and the would be assassin slid to the floor leaving a trail of blood from his busted nose down the wall.

          Teelo suddenly found himself being stalked by another of these black clad beings who were doing their best to kill him.  Smiling to himself, he watched as the man came toward him cautiously.  With a quick focus of his will, he summoned two thirds of the water from the man's body.  As the attacker collapsed in pain, a large puddle formed around him. This can be exciting, he thought to himself. I can understand how my friends enjoy what they do.

          The fight quickly degenerated into a rout. Ninjas were effective as assassins, but if they lost the element of surprise they stood no chance against the Rangers' even basic karate skills much less those enhanced by both the Great Power and the phrye.

          Zack easily avoided their fastest attacks, and Rocky and Aisha made quick work of the others.  When it was over Zack looked over at Rocky and said, "Putties put up more of a fight than they did."

          "You're just getting better Bro," Rocky said as the four of them made their way toward the office at the end of the hall.  Trini's scans and Billy's research had indicated that this building was Kilpatrick's base of operations, and the penthouse office was its nerve center.

          Coming to a stop next the oaken double doors, Rocky waved for all of them to be silent as he listened carefully at the door.  Teelo could almost see the phyre running through his body as Red Ranger Two strained to listen for any sound on the other side of the door.  After long moments, he nodded to the others as he tested the handle.  It turned easily and opened.  The four slipped through into the large office. 

          Aisha had seen a few offices like this in the past. They were as much show places advertising the wealth of their owner, as they were functional places to carry out business.  The entire South wall of the room was one huge window that looked out over the rest of Tokyo.  Rich mahogany paneling reflected the late afternoon light.  In one corner stood a saltwater tank that would make the most avid aquarist drool.  A single high back chair was facing away from them behind a huge oaken desk.  "Welcome Rangers," a voice said from behind the chair.  Immediately Aisha and her teammates went into a defensive stance.  The voice continued in its strangely accented tone, "Although I don't recognize your newest member.  The Admiral," he stressed the word, "was remiss in her or should I say his duties.  He didn't mention a twelfth Ranger.  Can I assume that you've managed to misplace Major Cranston already?"

          "Huh?" Aisha asked.

          "Come on, Mrs. DeSantos.  I tried to get Major Cranston to come to work for me years ago, and he refused.  Unfortunately, he doesn't really have a lot of family I can use as leverage."  The seat turned around to reveal a tall man with long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail.  He was dressed in an expensive business suit and had an air of power about him.  His eyes seemed to cut to Aisha's soul. "Until now that is," he smiled wickedly.  "You four should make nice little hostages to coerce the good Major to come to work for me."

          Suddenly the room was full of ninjas each with automatic weapons drawn and pointed at the three Rangers and Teelo.  Kilpatrick smiled.

~*~

          Billy knocked quietly at Jason's quarters.  He had something important to tell his oldest friend cum lover.  Something that was not going to make Jason happy, but he knew Ben was right; Billy was the only person who could tell him- the only person with the right to tell him. "Come," was the answer from inside the quarters.

          Billy entered the room and saw Jason sitting at his desk quietly going over several read outs.  He recognized them as the scans that Trini had hacked out of the Triangulus' computers.  The smile that lit up Jason's face warmed Billy's heart.  It had been too long since the simple presence of the other could have that affect on either of them. "What's up Bro, uh… Billy?"

          Billy smiled, "Jason, we need to talk."

          "About what?" the Ranger leader asked.

          Billy sighed, "About some of the readings Commander Storm showed me."

          Jase gave him a confused look. "What kind of readings?" he asked.  Billy could hear the worry in his voice.  "You're not injured more than we thought, are you?"  As if I'd come admit that you, Billy thought to himself.  I'd never get back to work if I did that.

          //You'd better,// Jase told him through phyre speak. //I thought we'd already discussed it; no more secrets between us.//

          Billy smiled and spoke verbally, "It's not about me."

          "Then who?" Jason asked.

          Billy gave him a long direct look before finally speaking. "It's about the scans that Ben did of you after we got back from the Triangulus."

          "And…?" Jason asked nervously.

          "He found something unusual. He wanted me to check his findings.  I have to concur with him."

          "Billy, man, you're scaring me," Jason said.

          Billy sighed and sat down on the bed, not waiting for permission. "I don't know how to tell you this Jason- especially after what we've become." He looked down, tears in his eyes.  "I'm not sure how you're going to take it."

          "Spit it out Bro.  It can't be that bad.  I'm not dying am I?" he asked half-joking.

          Billy shook his head, "No, you're not dying." He sighed, "I'm unsure how you're are going to react to this news.  It is not something any of us expected to happen, and is not exactly the kind of thing one can prepare for."

          "Just tell me what it is man," Jason told him. "Don't make me make it an order."

          Billy smiled at that idea and chuckled.  "Okay. I'll tell you."  And he did.

~*~

          Kilpatrick suddenly found himself backed in a corner.  When did everything go wrong?  This should have been an easy capture.  Since when were Power Rangers this formidable?  Hell, they were only a bunch of kids.  How could they have walked through his ninja assassins- ninja's trained in the old methods at that- so easily.  Who was this new Ranger to whom the very air and water answered?

          "You made a serious mistake, Kilpatrick," Yellow Ranger Two said.  "We don't like it when people try to hurt our friends.  Infiltrating the Rangers, trying to kill Jason, Billy, and Commander Storm, those things hurt our friends."  She grinned wickedly. "Now you're going to pay."  She winked over at Red Ranger Two and said, "Time to boogey with the bear."

          Kilpatrick never saw the sweep coming.  Before he knew what had hit him, the woman had his feet out from under him and he was lying flat on his back- something that hadn't occurred in over six hundred years.  He felt a pain explode in his side as she connected with a hard kick to his ribs.  The force of that kick was so great that it literally picked him up and hurled him to Black Ranger One.  "Over to you, Zack," she grinned.

          Kilpatrick watched as the African American man smiled at him and did a quick dance step.  He'd had enough of this.  Calling on his training from all the long centuries of studying the martial arts, he lashed out with a killing blow aimed at the Ranger's head.  He couldn't believe it when he only connected with air.  "Nobody is THAT fast!" he protested.

          The man smiled at him and with a blow so fast that Kilpatrick only felt but never saw, knocked him across the room to Red Ranger Two. "I am," the Black Ranger said.  "Over to you ape face."

          Kilpatrick never got to recover.  He was caught in the ribs with a bone-shattering front kick that hurled him toward the stranger.  Rolling into a ball, as much to protect his body as in reflex to the pain he landed hard on his shoulder.  Looking up he saw the stranger smile.  "McKenzie Storm is my friend," the stranger said as his form shifted.  Kilpatrick backed away in horror as the man slowly took on the form a deep cerulean western dragon that began to fill the room. 

          Kilpatrick remembered nothing else- ever.