**************** Submarine*******************

"Auntie D! Auntie D! Look at this!"

The woman in patent red leather corset gave a growl and pulled the melon slices off off her eyes. "Elgar! How many times do I have to tell you?" She grabbed the monster by the collar. "Not to interrupt my spa treatment!" She hit him hard on the head.

"Oww... but Auntie D. Look at this!" Elgar thrust a paper towards Divatox.

She grabbed it with disdain. "What could possibly be so important that you would..." She read the first few lines... then read it again to be sure. "Are you positive about this?"

"It's true. Came right over on the evil wireless news tonight network. Rita and Zedd are gone. Defeated by Ninjor and his ninja power rangers." Elgar smiled.

Divatox smiled. "Couldn't happen to a nicer couple." She laughed. "Now get out Elgar."

The monster hesitated at the doorway. "But didn't you see the rest? About the bounty? King Mondo's offering a huge bounty for the golden key. Which Ninjor has, if you believe the rumors. Just think of all that money." Elgar smiled, red lips curing back to show pointed teeth. "Come on Auntie D. Let's go to earth."

A new voice spoke, pushing past Elgar and into the room. "The golden key to free Ivan Ooze is a myth you dunce."

"Well something must have sealed him into his clockwork prison Rygog." Elgar said, frowning at the tall, black armor wearing mutant monster.

"As much as I hate to say it. Elgar may have a point." Porto said joining the others. "If I may venture oh great Divatox. There may be something to this after all."

Divatox got to her feet in a hurry. "Well then what are you waiting for? Set a course for earth. This should be easy."

*************************** Trash can floating in space***************************

Rita tried to ignore her husband as he continued to pace the small enclosure back and forth. She busied herself with an emory board and filing her nails to beautiful sharp points. She admired her work and the jewelry still on her fingers before sighing. "Do stop pacing Zeddie. I'm getting tired just watching you."

"How can you be so calm!?" Zedd fumed.

"Years of practice Zedd." Rita simply replied. She could be calm, it was all she had right now. She was locked away with her husband and no one else. At least she had servants locking in with her before, Finster, Goldar, Squatt and Baboo. They had made the years and years and years of being locked away bearable.

"Aren't you angry? We were beaten by children! Children!" Zedd fumed turning the whole enclosure red with anger.

"Do stop Zedd. You're giving me a head ache. Besides there is nothing we can do until someone finds us and opens the can."

"At least on the moon you knew eventually someone would come! We're floating in endless space!" Zedd growled back. Why had Tommy thrown them so hard? They could be spinning out in this endless inky dark for another 10,000 years or more.

Rita waved her hand and a bed appeared with curtains all around it. "Rage all you want Zedd. I'm going to bed." She simply replied crawling onto the mattress and closing the black velvet curtains.

Zedd balled his hands into fists. "I will have my revenge against Tommy Oliver. And if not him then his children or children's children or however long we are in here. I will make the Oliver blood line pay for this. One day, I swear it!"

***********************Juice bar******************************

"I don't think Kim's coming." Skull said sadly. They had made plans to meet but Kim never showed. "Do you think something happened to her?" Skull hoped that would be the case. Kimberly was like, well like a sister to him now. Ever since the moon and the things he saw and how they became a weird sort of family he didn't want her to go back to being... like how things had been before.

Bulk shook his head. "No, Billy would have told us. I'm sure he would have." But Bulk didn't seem sure at all.

Skull frowned. "Maybe we should call in? I mean...Kim's missing... this is like ranger stuff right?"

"Not so loud." Bulk hushed him turning to see if anyone had over heard them when he saw who he believed to be Trini's mom going up to talk to Ernie. "This looks important. Let's see if we can get closer."

"Hello Ernie."

"Oh hello Mrs. Kwan. What can I do for you today?" Ernie asked with a smile.

Mrs. Kwan spoke quietly. "I need some chicken to make soup."

"Er... well I've got some canned chicken I am willing to part with but fresh right now is almost impossible to get. Is someone sick?"

"Darn, I was hoping for real chicken. With skin and bones to make good stock. Kimberly's been staying with me and she's a bit feverish this morning. I think she and Billy and whoever those friends she was staying with must have had a terrible fight. Billy hasn't come to see her once poor thing."

Ernie dug under the counter. "Best I have right now is this." he put a can of cooked chicken on the counter. "And this." he pulled out a few cubes of chicken stock bullion. "It's not much be should make a pretty good soup."

Mrs. Kwan nodded. Her voice full of thanks and a bit of worry as she spoke. "What do I owe you for this?" Money was basically useless now so most items were traded for with other items or labor.

Ernie waved the older Asian woman worry away. "For Kim, its on the house."

Mrs. Kwan was deeply surprised at that but she thanked Ernie sincerely. Ernie watched her leave and hoped Kim would be better soon. While no one had said anything. Tommy's behavior even as the white ranger had been off. Now with what Mrs. Kwan said, the juice bar owner could start to put the pieces together.

Skull watched Mrs. Kwan go. "Shouldn't we follow her Bulk? Find out where Kim is?"

Bulk shook his head. "No...but if she's sick." Bulk glanced around before putting the communicator to his mouth. "We should tell Zordon."

*************************Command Chamber**********************

"Aisha are you okay?" Rocky asked.

The girl jump and spun to face him. "Rocky! You scared me!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to but what are you doing out here?" Rocky wondered as the cold desert air blew against them. The sky was dark above them as stars twinkled like distant wishes in the night.

Aisha rubbed at her arms trying to ward off the chill. "I couldn't sleep."

Rocky moved to join her and without saying a word removed his red jacket and placed it over her bare shoulders.

She sighed, "Thanks."

Rocky simply nodded. For a long time they just stood there watching the stars. Finally Aisha spoke. "I don't know how much more of this I can take Rocky. It feels like a bomb is going to explode any minute. Everyone is walking on egg shells."

Rocky put an arm around her. "I know. I keep thinking I'll get Tommy alone to talk about it but he doesn't want to listen to me."

"He doesn't want to listen to anyone. Not Ninjor, not Zordon, not even us, his teammates. Rocky if this keeps up...I mean the tengu are already getting more aggressive."

Rocky nodded. "And Ninjor said we would be extremely lucky if only tengu showed up."

"That's bothering me too. Ninjor wouldn't say who the tengu work for or who might be coming. I feel like there is so much Ninjor and Zordon aren't telling us. Rocky if Rita and Zedd returned or someone like them. We can't take them, not how we are right now. A broken team. We would fail and be killed. Just like the last team..."

"Yeah... I know." Rocky said pulling her into a hug. "I'll go talk to Billy. I'm sure he's still up and we need to get Kim back here or at least explain the situation to her. Get her to talk to Tommy."

Aisha nodded. She had only know Kim for two weeks but the original pink ranger had made a favorable impression. Kind, with a gentle heart and sweet spirit. "Yeah... Rocky if things go bad?"

"I've got your back, I've got Adam's back too. If it ends up being just the three of us again. It will work out somehow."

Aisha nodded. "We'd have to take Justin in too." She couldn't imagine leaving the kid alone to fend for himself, power or no powers.

"We would."

They stood a few minutes longer before Rocky tugged on Aisha a bit. "Come on. It's cold. Let's go back inside."

Aisha let Rocky lead her back into the warmth of the command chamber but her mind was still on the trials that would soon test the team. She hoped they would be strong enough to face them.

*********************** Caves outside Angel Grove*******************

Black feathers and chewed on bones littered the ground of the cave as Goldar made his way inside. Tengus would eat anything. As he walked deeper into the cave system, he dodged large piles of white goop. Tengus were not the cleanest minions but they were viscous, loyal and didn't fall apart like putties would.

"Hey! Show yourselves!" Goldar growled.

Suddenly he was surrounded by dozens of cawing, clucking, screeching tengu. Goldar refused to flinch as they flapped and snapped and screamed. "Your leader! Come forth."

A tengu, slightly larger than the others, dropped down to face Goldar. "What do you want?" It asked head turning this way and that, studying the new comer in golden armor.

"Caw! Shiny! Shiny! Shiny want! Caw caw!" The other tengu began to shout.

"I leader! Quiet!" The large one snapped at the others. "Shiny... want... kill...take.." It said turning to face Goldar.

Goldar held in a laugh, they were such stupid creatures. "You want shiny?" Goldar slowly reached into his belt and pulled out a gold disk on a chain. It was so well polished that even in the dim light of the cave it shined like the sun. "I'll give shiny if you obey me."

The leader one cocked his head in thinking. "Give and obey. Give, Give! Caw Caw!"

Goldar handed over the dangling gold and watched as the Tengus rejoiced in the little bobble. Dancing around like it was some kind of god. "Now bow to your master." Goldar shouted and watched with pleasure as the tengu did so.

An army of his own. Goldar could work with this.

******************************* Four days later**********************

"Hey Kim!" Skull greeted brightly. "We've been worried about you."

Kimberly gave Skull a small smile. "Sorry to worry you. Mrs. Kwan wanted me to stay in bed for a few days. I should have called." She tapped her blue communicator. "Sorry but I'm feeling better now."

Bulk looked over at their small, female friend. She still seemed terribly pale. "What did Billy say?"

Kim shrugged. "He said everything seems okay but... I don't know I still feel off." She admitted as they walked along. It was another sunny day. Bulk and Skull had come to walk Kimberly home from her job. Still she felt funny. Like she had a fever, with a chill but also that warm fogginess that pushes on the eyes urging sleep.

Large black shadows began to circle around the three teens as the walked. Skull was the first to notice as one of these dark forms made a direct bee line for Kimberly from the sky. "Kim! Watch out!" Skull cried but it was Bulk who yanked the girl out of harms way.

The giant bird landed and clawed at the ground flapping its wings. "Give us the ranger!" It demanded as other giant feathery fiends began to encircle the trio. "Our master wants the girl!"

"Master?" Skull wondered but Kimberly had moved in front of the boys. She could handle two maybe three on her own but six giant birds? She only had one option.

"Stay behind me. It's Morphin Time! Thunder FireBird!" Kimberly shouted. Suddenly her vision swam and colors washed together like tie dye over her eyes. The morpher dropped from her hands as Kimberly fainted. Only Skull dashing forward prevented the fallen girl from striking her head on the pavement.

"Oh geez! Kim! Kimberly! Wake up! Please!" Skull cried clutching her close to his chest.

Bulk raised his fists and got between his friends and the tengu. Bulk didn't even realize just how much he had changed in the past few months. Before he would have run away in fear but now. "Skull call Zordon!" Bulk commanded before turning back to the birds. " Alright you walking chicken meals! Let's dance!"