Disclaimer: Not mine, please don't sue me, I have no money anyway.

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: They're dead. :P (Ha, I can say that too. Of course, I don't think that will work on you any better than you saying Andros is dead works on me.)

Jenny: Yup, Andros talked to Aria so she could convince him to talk to Ashley, and yes, Andros and Ashley are soulmates. Umm . . . the name thing. They're dead.

Juzblue: I'm glad you like Aria. I think she's part me, part who I would want to be, and part a friend of mine.

GreenDayfan1:Glad you like it. Don't worry, I'll never stop writing.

Chapter 9:

The Megahip-the secret healing chamber

He was floating amid a cold sea of ice. He was slowly drowning, and all feeling in his arms and legs had been cut off. No, that wasn't right. He could feel his arms and legs. They just wouldn't move. Because he had no room to move them, he realized slowly.

His eyes flickered open, and instead of the bright sky set against the dark, cold ocean, he saw that he was completey enclosed in a block of ice. Where was he? He was starting to panic now. The last thing he remembered, he'd been fighting side by side with Andros. He'd saved his friend. Then the world went black.

"Andros?"

The Megaship-Andros' room

"Zhane?"

Andros started shaking uncontrollably. The ball that he'd been helping Ashley hold up telekinetically fell.

"Hey," she complained. "What was that -"

She turned and saw his face. "Andros, what's wrong?"

He tried to answer both her and Zhane, but neither his mouth or his mind were working properly.

"Andros?" Ashley said, peering into his eyes worriedly. "Andros?"

"Andros?" Zhane called. "What's going on?"

"Cryogenic freeze," Andros finally managed to answer. "Hang on, I'll be right there."

Ashley jumped as Andros snapped out of his daze.

"What's going on?" she asked, following him as he headed for the engine room.

Andros couldn't answer, but he motioned for Ashley to follow him, breaking into a run as he neared the engine room. Once there, he stopped short, seeing that the door to the healing chamber was wide open. When he stepped up to it, he saw that Aria, Justin, and Gabriel were all gathered around the cryogenic tube.

"He's not dead," Justin said helpfully. Andros glared at him, and he shrugged. "Aria's talking to him, so she can't say it."

Andros ignored him, going around to the hatch. It required several passwords to unlock. It had been a precaution to prevent anyone from taking him out too soon, but now Andros wondered what would have happened if he hadn't been around to open it.

The lid flipped open, and Zhane stood up, slowly orientating himself to his surroundings.

For several long seconds, he and Andros faced each other. Andros' guilt was visible to everyone.

"Zhane," he said. "I-"

"Power down," the silver ranger cried. His suit brightened and sparkled before disappearing. "Andros, don't be an idiot."

Andros stared at his friend for a minute before he burst out laughing. Zhane joined in after a moment, and the four others stood back, giving them some space for a reunion.

"I've missed you, man," Andros said, giving his friend a hug.

"I think I've missed a lot more than you have," Zhane said, grinning. He turned toward the others. "Like this part."

Only Zhane could wake from the dead and laugh it off. Andros shook his head.

"Well, we have a team now," he said.

"I got that part," Zhane said. "Who are you?"

"This is Justin, Gabriel, Aria, and Ashley," Andros said, pointing out each one in turn.

"Which of you two is the telepath?" Zhane asked, looking from Aria to Ashley. "Remind me to stay away from you."

Andros grinned at Aria's outraged cry.

"I think you were talking to Aria," he said. "But they're all telepaths."

"Where'd you guys come from?" Zhane asked curiously. "You can't be Karovan."

"We're Terran," Aria said. "Or whatever you call Earth-humans."

"Earth?" Zhane repeated. "Whoa . . . Hey, is it cold in here?"

"Bridge?" Ashley suggested, and they all nodded.

Andros noticed that Aria was very deliberately walking close to Zhane, who despite his earlier comment, seemed to have no problem with it. Zhane was on Andros' left side, and Ashley was on his right side. Unconsciously, he pulled Ashley close to him. Andros felt Zhane's presence in his mind flare up.

"You finally got a girl?" He didn't bother to hide his laughter.

"She has a name," Andros said, a little defensively.

"How long you been together?"

"About a month," Andros said.

"You really like her, then?" Zhane asked.

"Yeah," Andros said. "I really do."

"If you've got a girlfriend, then I've been gone way too long," Zhane said in a convincing seious voice. "What do you think about Aria?"

"Ow!" Zhane exclaimed aloud as Aria stepped hard on the back of his heel.

"Sorry," she said, pressing her lips together to keep from laughing.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop," Andros told her, amused.

"It's not nice to talk about us like we're not here," Aria retorted, but she was grinning.

"And I think you need to find Zhane a girlfriend before I have to hurt him."

"So . . . you remember the bridge?" Andros said.

"Say something to Deca," he added. "She doesn't like being ignored."

"Aw, she never liked me," Zhane complained, but he turned to her eye, and waved.

"Remember me, Deca?"

"You are unforgettable," the AI replied in a long-suffering voice.

Zhane grinned. "I missed you too, Deca."

He turned serious suddenly. "Andros, how long has it been?"

"Two years," Andros said softly, staring at the ground. "Almost exactly."

"Do you guys want to be alone?" Ashley asked. "We'd understand."

"Come back in an hour or two," Zhane said. "Let this all sink in, and then I'm very interested in hearing how Andros ended up with four Terrans."

Three hours later

"Do you want his version or what really happened?"

Andros stuck his tongue out at Aria. She smirked at him, and grinned.

"We'll start with Andros' version," Zhane said, settling back in his chair. "I could use a laugh."

"Well, this is what happened . . . "

One long story later

"Okay." Zhane turned to Aria. "What really happened?"

"Well, we were the Turbo Rangers . . . "

Another long story later

"Wow," Zhane said. He glanced at Andros.

"I never thought that you'd give up the morphers that easily."

Andros shrugged.

"Do us all a favor and just say it out loud."

This time, there was a hint of annoyance in Aria's voice.

"I'm not trying to eavesdrop, but it's like you're projecting your thoughts at me."

"Me too," Ashley echoed.

Andros glanced at Justin and Gabriel, who both nodded.

"I never thought you'd give up the morphers that easily," Zhane said out loud.

"I didn''t have much of a choice," Andros said. "I couldn't just abandon them on some lost little planet."

"As I recall, you did," Ashley pointed out.

Andros smiled sweetly at her. "But I came back."

"We didn't know," Ashley shot back.

"Aw, I was just testing you," Andros grinned at her. "You know, to see it you could handle being rangers."

"You think fast," Ashley teased him.

Andros smirked, and caught her by the waist, pulling her into his lap. She relaxed against him immediately, and Zhane stared in surprise at the expression on his best friend's face, one that he had rarely seen back on KO-35. Happiness. It was about time.

"You need a better cover story," Aria remarked.

"Was it that obvious?" Andros asked. "I thought it was good."

Aria's head came up as she laughed, and for the first time, Zhane got a clear look at her brilliant hazel eyes. Unvoluntairily, his eyes flickered to Andros, and then Justin.

"What's your name again?" he asked her. "Aria?"

She nodded.

"Is that your real name?" he asked.

The others stared at him strangely, but he noticed that Aria didn't seem bothered.

"Can't you see it?"

"Medical bay," Andros said firmly.

"All right, all right, I'm going," Zhane said. If they didn't see it, he couldn't convince them otherwise.

I'm just seeing things, he told himself as he walked down the halls. It's just my imagination. Nothing more.