Author's note: Still don't own them, dagnabit! Hey wassup, glad you're still with me. Q: Do you write on ff.n (or anywhere else) and what's Zen-Aku's little adventure?

Stick with me, it's getting interesting…

Realizations

"You know who it is."

Max's voice surprised Merrick; he'd known someone was there but had been expecting Taylor. In Cole's absence she had assumed command of the team and was determined to root out the impostor.

"No. I have suspicions. That's all."

"Cole." Max said flatly, walking around in front of him. Merrick studied him carefully; the Shark Ranger had a very quick mind and cared deeply for his team-mates.

"Why Cole?"

"Why not Cole? He's been acting weird, he won't morph…"

"His girlfriend vanished and there's been no need." Max shook his head.

"He was acting odd before Alyssa vanished. And the Guardians were monitoring the battle…Wes said Cole wasn't hit by anything they could see. He vanished for a minute, but that's all."

"Vanished?" Merrick repeated.

"Him and the Org. Into a portal. But he came back straight away."

"Do the others know that?" Merrick demanded. Max nodded.

"Wes called just after you left. I don't know if he called Cole though."

Merrick stiffened suddenly, turning slightly. Max frowned. "What is it? Something wrong?"

"Princess Shayla's on earth. And in trouble." he added, morphing and calling his 'cycle. Max immediately followed suit; you didn't question Merrick about the Princess. He was always right.

"Where is she?"

"In the park. Let's go…"

Shayla wasn't actually in trouble when they arrived; two boys were standing between her and Cole, glaring at the Lion Ranger.

"What happened?" Merrick demanded, jumping off his 'cycle.

"That guy was trying to take the lady somewhere." the first boy told him, pointing at Cole.

"Didn't look like she wanted to go, you know?" the other added.

"Thanks for your help." Max told them. "We'll take it from here. You should go…this might get ugly." Cole watched without saying anything.

"Princess, are you all right?" Merrick asked, not looking away from Cole.

"I'm fine."

"Where are Taylor and Danny?" Max asked.

"I have them." Cole spoke up.

"Shut up. You're not Cole." Max said loudly.

"You figured it out. Kid." Cole said, deliberately mocking. Max bristled.

"Don't call me kid!"

"Come and make me."

"Max, stop it." Merrick said quietly. "It's just another Org. OK? Not Cole."

"How could he get Danny?" Max demanded. "Danny's so strong."

"He's an Org." Merrick repeated.

"Plus I have these handy darts to make anyone sleep. See?" Cole produced a blowpipe and shot a dart at the Princess. She had time to gasp before Merrick leaped in front of her, batting it away with the Lunar Cue.

"Max, get the Princess back to the Animarium."

"I can go." Shayla protested.

"He's an Org, Princess, he can teleport." Merrick said grimly. "Max, go."

"Merrick, what about…"

"Just go!" He pushed Max away, glaring at him.

Max nodded, catching at the Princess's hand. "He's right, Princess. Let's go."

"Be careful!" Shayla called to Merrick. Merrick nodded, not watching them go; his attention was on Cole, who'd pulled out his growlphone and was playing with it idly.

"I can't morph, you know."

"So?"

"The fight's unfair."

"And when Toxica makes you several stories high?" Cole grinned.

"Yeah, you have a point there." He looked up from the phone. "You can't defeat me, you know. I mean you might be able to-maybe-but you'd never find your friends then."

"We'd find another way. You're not going to give them up. And you're an Org, and I'm a Ranger. I'm sworn to defeat you."

"There's only one of you."

"One's all I need."

"Maybe." Cole tossed him the phone suddenly. Off-guard, Merrick fumbled it. "We'll find out. But not today, Merrick. I have things to do."

And with that he vanished, leaving Merrick to head back to the Animarium.

"This is getting really old, really fast." Alyssa complained, waking up yet again. "Cole?"

"Here. Tara's still asleep."

"Who did we get this time?"

"Don't know. They're not in here with us."

"Shut up." someone muttered. "Trying to sleep."

"Taylor!" Alyssa cried, joining Cole a careful distance away from the bars.

"Go 'way, Alyssa." Taylor muttered again. Alyssa couldn't see her friend; too dark here, at the very back of the cave.

"Taylor, wake up. You have to wake up."

"Why?"

"Because the crazy Org could be coming back!" Real panic edged Alyssa's tone, and Cole looked at her in surprise.

"Alyssa?" Taylor was properly awake now; her voice was clearer and they could hear her moving. "What's going on?"

"Taylor, don't touch the bars." Cole ordered.

"Why not?"

"They're electrocuted. Are you all right?" Alyssa asked.

"We're fine. What's going on?"

"We?" Cole repeated sharply. "Who else is with you?"

"Danny." Taylor said angrily. "Your stupid Org told us he'd found Alyssa."

"He's not my Org. You thought he was me?"

"No, we knew he wasn't you. We thought we could get him to bring us here."

"You managed that pretty well." Tara said from behind Alyssa and Cole. "Did you have a plan for getting out?"

"Tara." Taylor said in surprise.

"What, you didn't miss me?"

"We missed you…well, Merrick missed you…but we didn't know you were here."

"Surprise, surprise." Tara rose to her feet and came forward, stepping dangerously close to the bars until Cole caught her shoulder. "So do you have a plan for getting out?"

"We weren't supposed to be in. Why isn't Danny awake yet?"

"Have you tried waking him?" Tara suggested. "Poke him and see what happens."

"Tara!" Alyssa said.

"What? I wake up when people poke me."

"Should have tried that yesterday then." Cole murmured. "Taylor, are you hurt?"

"No. He hit Danny, though."

"Is he bleeding?" Alyssa asked. The wound on Cole's head bled a little on and off-not enough to put him in any danger, but enough to worry her.

"Um…oops. Hang on…I need to…ow!"

"What?" Cole demanded.

"Banged the bars. Hang on…"

"Taylor, he's awake." Cole said suddenly. There was a faint crunch.

"Yeah. Got that." Taylor's voice was muffled.

"Oh! Sorry, Taylor!" Danny said apologetically. "What's going on?"

"Danny, are you hurt?"

"What? I don't think so."

"Are you bleeding anywhere? It's important." Tara said loudly.

"I'm…my arm is. Why?"

"Damnit." Tara muttered.

"What?" Taylor demanded, still sounding muffled.

"Things don't change in here. If you're bleeding when you come in you stay bleeding." Taylor cursed as well.

"OK. Hang on, Danny, we'll bandage it. Why is it so dark?"

"These places usually are." Tara had slumped to the floor again.

"Hey." Cole hunkered beside her. "Stay with us, OK?"

"Doing my best." she murmured.

"How's that, Danny?" Taylor asked.

"Fine." Danny said, in the it's-not-really-fine-but-I'm-not-going-to-complain tone every Ranger learned sooner or later.

"Liar." Tara muttered. Cole gave her a 'leave it' look, and she grimaced at him but obeyed.

"So now what happens?" Taylor asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine. He doesn't come here much." Alyssa said quietly.

"Wrong." 'Cole' materialized out of the shadows "Oh, don't mind me. Keep going."

"He's…me…" Cole muttered. He hadn't seen the Org up close yet.

'Cole' gave him a disdainful look. "I am an Org. You're just a pathetic human."

"You're wrong." Tara said quietly. Intrigued, 'Cole' hunkered down to her eye level, examining her for a moment. She returned the scrutiny calmly.

"You're not afraid of me." he said finally.

"Should I be? You told me once you weren't afraid of me."

"No. He told you. I'm an Org." he said with exaggerated patience. "I hurt people for a living."

"No, you're not. At least, maybe you started out that way…but now you're Cole." He stood upright.

"I am not. I am MirrorOrg."

"No, you're Cole. Tell me where the difference is. You know what he knows, you feel what he feels…" She turned her back on him, looking at Cole who was standing very still. "Cole? Would you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Would you listen to his heart, please?"

"Orgs don't have hearts." Danny pointed out.

"That's the point. Please, Cole?" Cole nodded, turning away slightly.

"This is a trick." The Org was backing away. "You're crazy."

"Being totally cut off from the Earth will do that to me." Tara's smile was brittle. "But in this case I'm also right. Cole?" Cole's eyes snapped open.

"He has a heart. I can hear it."

"You're crazy. All of you." The Org was repeating himself, Tara thought vaguely. "I'm an Org! A warrior in the service of General Mandilock."

"So you keep saying." Tara said calmly. "You didn't hurt Cole."

"I need Cole." the Org snarled.

"What for?" He gestured to himself.

"This image is like your glamour, it doesn't last forever. I need Cole so I can keep it up."

"My glamour…never mind. And Alyssa? You didn't hurt her."

"I didn't have time then. I had to get back so the others wouldn't realize."

"And me?"

"You?" he snorted. "Cole doesn't know how to hurt you."

"Good. That was the plan." she said absently. "What about Danny?"

"I don't have to answer any of your questions…I'm in charge here!"

"The only people who ever say that are the ones who aren't in control at all." Taylor commented.

"You shut up!" The Org paced back and forward in front of the cell. Tara watched him calmly.

"You sure about this?" Cole asked quietly, speaking almost straight into Tara's ear. The girl nodded, still watching the Org.

"You're not him, and he's not you…but he is human. Just as much as Zen-Aku, and you fought so hard for him…this person deserves no less." She twitched slightly, reaching up without thinking to rub her ear.

Alyssa came up on Cole's other side. "She has a point…once we knew Merrick was human we tried not to fight him."

"Yeah. We did everything we could to save him." Danny added.

"You remember that, Org?" Taylor called without moving.

"Taylor…" Cole said warningly.

"Of course I remember." the Org said, waving one hand impatiently. "I remember everything Cole does."

"That's my point." Tara said tiredly. "You are human. You are Cole, more or less." He stared at her for a long time before abruptly teleporting away. Tara sagged immediately, dropping to her knees on the floor.

"Tara?" Danny said worriedly.

"It's nothing. I'm fine."

"How did you know?" Taylor asked.

"Mostly I was guessing. But…just before he grabbed me…he'd been apologizing for fighting in the park. I kept telling him not to worry about it, we wouldn't hold it against him. And he said, 'You're not making this any easier.'" She glanced up at Cole. "And he could have killed me. Granted, everything on the planet would have died…but he didn't hurt Taylor or Danny either. And he knows, now, that Merrick and Max know who he is." She grinned tiredly. "Plus I could feel him even more now. He doesn't have your block, Cole."

"But he has a heart." Danny said.

"Yeah. I could hear it." Cole said, looking out of the cage. "He was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Danny asked. Alyssa shook her head absently, watching Tara.

"Afraid of who?" the Tiger Ranger whispered.