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

Princess Emmie: Thanks. : )

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: Someday, I'll write a story where Karone gets to fight with the good guys in C2D, but I have a really cool idea for the scene on the Dark Fortress.

Melissa: Wow, thanks. That's a cool word. Of course they'll win. I can tell you that. Just how they win I can't tell you, or else it'll ruin the surprise. : )

DizneeDol: This is sooner than my last update. : ) Don't worry, it's still plenty interesting.

Jenny: Sorry, I know it was a really, really long time. There will be a flashback, but not for a few more chapters, but I'll call Andros an idiot several times, so it should be worth the wait. : ) Do they kiss? Things are going happen a little differently in this story, but you'll see.

Ghostwriter: Of course I won't kill Karone permanently. That would be bad, plus I really don't feel like deleting her name from the later chapters.

Chapter 25: A Shift of Power

The Dark Fortress

"Astronema, you have betrayed me!" Dark Specter roared, a large and imposing figure on the viewing screen, while Karone fixed him with her unflinching cool gaze.

"I am Karone," she stated calmly. "And you can never take that away from me again."

"Destroy her!" Dark Specter ordered, much to Ecliptor's dismay. He was going to lose his princess all over again.

"Wait," he said, stepping between Karone and image of the monarch of all evil. "Perhaps there is a better choice of action."

Dark Specter paused. "Ecliptor..."

"The rangers have fought alongside Astronema," Ecliptor said. "They think she is one of their own."

"And?" Dark Specter said impatiently.

"They will not fight her," Ecliptor concluded. "If she returns to us, they will not fight her."

Dark Specter considered the idea thoughtfully. It was risky; Astronema had already defected once, and although there were precautions that they could take to ensure that she didn't do it again, Astronema would soon turn against him. She would want his powers, his title, his kingdom. He supposed that he could dispose of her once the rangers were defeated, but it was a chance that he didn't like taking. He opened his mouth to say no, when he howled in pain and fury, his head swiveling to spot his attacker.

Ecliptor laughed to himself. Finally, his archenemy was good for something. As Darkonda and Dark Specter destroyed themselves, he quickly attatched a small metal device to Karone's face. She raised a hand to remove it, but then her hand dropped, and she stood numbly. Ecliptor left her there, knowing that she would be immobile until he gave her orders to do otherwise. He smiled. The rangers wouldn't know what had hit them.

Angel Grove

"We have to assume that they'll kill her." Gabriel was the one with enough courage to voice what everyone else was thinking.

"No," Aria said, her face very pale. "They won't kill her."

"How do you know?" Zhane whispered, his blue eyes red-rimmed.

"She's too valuable to them alive," Aria said. "They'll either try to ransom her to us -"

"Ransom for what?" Justin demanded, although he already knew.

"Our surrender," Andros said dully.

Aria nodded slowly. "Our surrender. If they don't do that, then they'll - "

She broke off as it began raining chunks of molten lava.

"Rangers, Dark Specter has been destroyed!" came Alpha's' voice over their communicators.

"How?" Ashley demanded.

"No," Zhane whispered, his gaze fixed on the sky. The others slowly raised their faces to see the image of their sister and teammate hovering in the air, as her voice echoed all around them.

"People of Earth," she proclaimed. "I am Dark Specter's heir, and your empress. You have twenty-four hours to give me the Power Rangers. If you fail to do so, you will be destroyed."

Then the Quantrons and various monsters vanished, but only temporarily, as they went to bow before their queen.

Angel Grove-several hours later

Andros sat down, not knowing what he was supposed to do now. He was supposed to be their leader, but all he wanted to do was curl up with his eyes closed, hoping that if he told himself nothing was wrong, nothing would be wrong. He looked around at his teammates. Gabriel had a look of complete hopelessness on his face. Justin was sitting silently several feet away from the rest of the team. Aria had a slight look of alertness in her eyes, but she was sitting listlessly, one arm around Zhane, who seemed to have shut down as soon as Karone had become Astronema again. Andros sighed, and looked at Ashley. There was a kind of fierce determination in her face, but her eyes were heavy and sad.

"What do we do tomorrow?" he asked aloud, hoping to somehow jolt them back to life. There were several half-hearted shrugs, but it was at least another hour before anyone spoke again. "We have eighteen hours to come up with something."

"We can't surrender," Aria said finally. "No matter how much we might want to."

"I could get through to her," Andros suggested. "I could go to the Dark Fortress, and-"

"No," Gabriel said firmly. "It's too risky, and there's no one else that can lead."

"It won't work," Justin added from several feet away. "They won't just dress her up as Astronema again. Didn't you see those things on her face?"

"I have to try," Andros insisted, a plan slowly forming in his mind.

"No." He looked at Zhane, who had spoken for the first time in hours. There was an odd look in his best friends eyes.

"Don't go," Zhane repeated. "At lease not yet. Think about it for a little longer. Please?"

Andros sighed and nodded reluctantly. "I'll wait one more hour."

"Aria, can I talk to you for a minute?" Zhane asked quietly. "Alone?"

Aria nodded her head, and stood, pulling Zhane to his feet. She looked almost as if she'd been expecting it. They wandered away, at first walking slowly, and then nearly running. Andros watched them until they were swallowed up by the darkness. He sighed, and turned to look at Ashley, who had kept strangely quiet during the whole conversation. She was sitting perfectly still, her hands clasped in her lap, and her head bowed.

"Ash?" Andros asked quietly, moving over to her side. He took one of her hands in his. "You understand why I have to go, don't you?"

"Yes," Ashley whispered, biting her lip hard to keep from crying. Now wasn't a good time to get emotional.

Andros hesitated. He wanted to go after his sister, but if Ashley died here, and he never saw her again... he didn't think he could go on living without her. But if he stayed, she'd probably die anyway, and he'd have to live with himself, knowing that he could have saved her.

He'd almost made up his mind to go when he heard a blaster fire. The shot came from close by, and fired only once, the sound carrying through the night. Ashley looked up in alarm. "That's one of ours."

"Zhane?" Andros shouted telepathically. "Aria? What happened?"

"Aria will explain," Zhane replied dimly.

"What did you do?" Andros demanded, as soon as his sister was in sight.

"Zhane shot at me," she responded mechanically, tossing him the Astroblaster, her face completely devoid of all emotion.

"Why?"

"To stop me from following him," Aria said, sitting down, her back against a fallen telephone pole. She sighed heavily, roughly shoving her hair back from her forehead. "Zhane went after Karone."