Disclaimer: Not mine

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: I thought that scene was sweet, but maybe a little predictable, but I liked it, or else I wouldn't have written it. So if other people don't like it, that's not my problem. : ) Glad you liked it.

GreenDayfan1: What do you think happens next? You guessed right the other time.

Jenny: It's not like psychic getting into your head. It's like messing with your head. You'll see later. And you might not thank him after you see what happens in the next dozen chapters. (This is going to be a long story.)

Juzblue: You'll see Arrow soon.

Maresia Eterna: I'll always write more fics, as long as I have the idea for them. You'll have to wait awhile to see how Ashley gets the scar, but while you're waiting for that, you can see Andros fall completely in love with her.

Chapter 11

The Megaship

"Entering system," Deca announced several hours later.

Andros was in his room, lying on his bed, staring at the bottom of the bunk above him. Deca's words took a long time to register, and as they did, he sighed heavily. He had no doubts that they would capture Arrow; after all, he and Zhane had managed, and that was just the two of them. Now they had five.

He just didn't want to be here, seeing his people, or what was left of them, existing in some underground colony on a barren desert planet. It was just another reminder of how he had failed them, and no matter what anyone told him, he would not see it any other way.

"Andros, you are wanted on the bridge," Deca said. "The others have been waiting patiently for ten minutes."

"Tell them I'm coming," Andros sighed, and sat up.

Slowly, he stood up and pulled on his jacket. He walked out of the room, wanting more than anything for this to all be over with.

Andros entered the bridge just as TJ tightened the straps on Cassie's oxygen mask.

"Done," TJ said. "Now all we have to do is wait for . . . oh, there you are, Andros."

Carlos handed him an environmental suit.

"Put it on."

Andros glared at it, but he really had no choice. The climate was too harsh to go down in anything else other than their ranger suits, but the bright colors would stand out too much, and Andros knew that Arrow would be watching for them.

He stepped into the suit, zipping it up almost to his chin. Ashley held out an oxygen mask, and he took it silently, slipping it over his face and pulling the hood of his suit over his head. The others did the same.

"Deca, teleport five to the surface," Andros ordered.

The planet surface

"Where do we go now?" Ashley shouted, her voice muffled by the mask, and nearly drowned out by the dust storm that raged around them.

"This way," Andros called back, motioning with his hand, trying to keep the others in sight.

Ashley squinted, trying to see where Andros was going, then followed him, reaching out behind her to grab TJ's arm. Except for Andros, they were all walking hand-in-hand, not wanting to lose each other.

"Slow down," Cassie yelled from behind TJ. "We can't see you."

"Andros!" Ashley shouted. "Where are you?"

Andros sighed, but stopped, letting the others catch up to him. Before he could start walking again, Ashley had grabbed his arm.

"What's that over there?" she asked, pointing. "It's moving."

"It looks like people," Carlos shouted from the back.

"They're coming towards us," Ashley said.

Andros started walking towards them quickly. Ashley caught his arm before he could get too far ahead.

"Who are you?" one of the masked figures demanded.

"I am Andros," he shouted back, trying to remember who this was. "Who are you?"

"Andros?" the voice repeated, and Andros placed the voice.

"Taikwa?"

"Follow me," she ordered, leading them across the desert to a hidden underground base.

The hidden underground base

TJ, Carlos, Cassie and Ashley all tore off their masks as soon as there was breathable air, but Andros removed his more slowly, wondering what the Karovans would think of his team.

"Welcome back," Taikwa said, smiling at him slightly. "Am I right in thinking that you will be leaving soon?"

Andros nodded slowly. "Once Arrow is gone, we need to go back to Earth."

"Why Earth?" Taikwa asked curiously. "We've had no news for two years."

"Astronema's newest target," Andros said. "Divatox took Zordon."

"She what?" Taikwa looked stunned. "How is that even possible?"

"We were outnumbered," Cassie offered softly.

"We tried," Ashley said. "But it wasn't enough."

"You are Earth rangers?"

"We're from Earth," TJ said. "But we have Astromorphers."

"We all know that now," Taikwa said, glancing at Andros. "Your parents . . . informed us."

"Oh," Andros muttered. "I figured they would."

"Arrow is back," Taikwa said.

"I know," Andros said. "We came to stop him."

"I'll let Kin Won know that you're here," Taikwa said, and left the room.

Andros exhaled slowly and sat down. Ashley wandered over to him.

"She doesn't seem to blame you," she said softly, so that only he could hear. "I'll bet you that the others won't, either."

"It doesn't matter," Andros said shortly. "I blame myself."

"You can't let your guilt always be the center of your mind," Ashley said.

"It reminds me of what I need to do," Andros said. "You couldn't understand."

"I couldn't?" Ashley asked him. "Andros, we all understand."

"No, you don't," he said.

"We were the ones who lost Zordon," Ashley said softly.

"Oh," Andros said. He glanced up at her. She always seemed so happy, it didn't seem possible that she would ever have something to feel guilty about.

"Andros?"

"Kin Won," Andros said slowly, standing up, and turning to face the leader of the colony. "I heard you needed help."

"You remember Arrow?" Kin Won asked. "He has returned."

"I heard," Andros said. "Do you know why?"

"No," Kin Won replied. "But we've detected his spacecraft in this system several times."

"I've already offered you my opinion on this matter," another voice growled, and Andros looked behind Kin Won to see Taikwa standing beside another man, who was glaring at him with intense dislike.

"Yatru," Kin Won said warningly. "We've been over it many times."

He turned to Andros. "This is Yatru. He came from one of the smaller planets Dark Specter invaded."

"Red Ranger," Yatru said. "I suggest you have several guards on Arrow this time. It's harder to overpower five than one."

"I will," Andros said. "But where is he?"

"We haven't gone and looked," Kin Won said. "But-"

Andros looked down as his communicator beeped.

"The Megaship is coming under fire," Deca informed him. "I am returning fire, and the enemy has backed away."

"I think we found him," TJ muttered softly to the other rangers.

"Deca, teleport -" Andros began, but he was cut off when his morpher was yanked off his wrist.

Ashley cried out in alarm as Yatru leveled a blaster at Andros' head.

"The rest of them," he ordered shortly. "Throw them to me."

"No," Andros ordered. "Don't do it."

Yatru caught Andros in a web of very familiar lightning.

"Darkonda," TJ shouted. "Let him go."

The lightning grew brighter, and Andros cried out in pain. Ashley watched him, wincing as she realized that she felt a shadow of the pain. Without further hesitation, she tossed her morpher to the ground beside Darkonda. After a moment, the others followed suit, realizing that they had no choice if they wanted to keep their red ranger.

"Much better," Darkonda said, laughing as the lightning disappeared. Andros fell to the ground, wincing, and Darkonda motioned for him to join the others. TJ and Ashley stepped forward, supporting him on either side, and he leaned against them gratefully.

"The rest of you," Darkonda said, turning his head enough to see the rebels, but not enough for him to be taken by surprise by the rangers. "Out. Silently. Or I will kill them all."

The rebels filed out, leaving the rangers unmorphed facing Darkonda at his full strength. Darkonda lifted a communicator device to his mouth and spoke into it.

"I have them," he said. "You may join us now."

He laughed again.

A streak of dark light flared up between him and the rangers, and Andros leaned more heavily against Ashley and TJ as he realized what was happening.

"You remember me, Red Ranger."

Andros glared bitterly at the gold-trimmed dark gray helmet that was turned towards him.

"Arrow."