Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are not mine

Chapter 2

Eltare had fallen after a long siege with the wizard Zordon captured, the military in full retreat, and the civilians fleeing for their lives. Of their seven Rangers, but two had perished.

The Red Ranger and one of the female team members--Andros couldn't remember what color Cia wore--had made it safely out of Eltare to set up base on Meisia. The compound was hidden beneath the barren surface of the moon and so far had gone undiscovered.

It was through these halls that Andros now half walked, half stumbled, supported by the arm Phantom Ranger had about his shoulders. With the aid of his longtime ally, he managed to walk as far as the guest room nearest the skyport.

"Thank you," he mumbled. He stumbled slightly as he entered the room, from exhaustion more than weakness.

Phantom regarded him seriously for a few moments. "I'll take you to Earth in the morning. I suggest you get some sleep."

The concept of sleep, uninterrupted rest in a comfortable bed, appealed to Andros. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open. "Thank you," he whispered again, clutching the pile of clean clothes closer to him.

"You owe me nothing," Phantom responded after a brief pause. "Good night."

Andros didn't answer, instead closing and locking the door behind him. The room was a small one but there was an adjoining bathroom and suddenly, Andros wasn't so tired. Taking the clothes, he headed straight for the shower.

He locked the door behind him and tugged on the faucet handle, reveling in the feel of warm, clean water against his hands. How long had it been since he'd last been clean? he wondered, as he worked his boots off. He couldn't remember. He had a vague recollection of showering but looking at himself now, Andros couldn't see that it had done any good.

The water felt wonderful against his skin, sluicing away a layer of dirt and dried blood before he'd so much as reached for the soap. Andros hissed softly as he turned and the spray hit his back, his torn skin stinging furiously. Gritting his teeth, he reached for the shampoo and went to work on his hair.

It took the entire bottle until he was content with the result, but when his hair squeaked to the touch, Andros sighed happily and set the shampoo bottle to the side. He ran the fingers of one hand through his now clean hair as he reached for the soap with the other, no longer wanting to tear out each and every strand to keep the greasy mess from falling across his face.

Andros repressed a shudder, his fingers clenching over the soap. Dirt was ground into every pore of his skin and he scrubbed himself frantically until it had melted away, leaving his skin red and chafed from the rubbing, but clean.

Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed up a towel and dried himself off, shivering slightly when the air hit his bare skin. It felt so strange to be clean... Grabbing up the pile of clothes, he stepped into them, marveling at feel of clean cloth against his skin. The warmth was nice, too.

His couldn't help himself from staring hard at his chest as he pulled his shirt on. The thin pink and white lines would be there always and Andros took a hard look at himself, trying to reconcile himself with the fact. He shrugged into the shirt without looking at his back, ignoring the twinge of pain he felt.

His stomach grumbled hungrily, but Andros could wait to eat. He'd eaten something that morning... he thought. His back twinged as if to remind him, and he winced. Yeah, he'd eaten something that morning. At any rate, his legs weren't going to support him long enough to get to some food. Leaving the rags that had once been his flight suit on the ground, he stepped back into the bedroom and collapsed onto the mattress.


It was a good thing the chair was comfortable--he had been sitting in it far too long. Arietis shifted, leaning back slightly. Tan was still incensed, but with Arietis morphed, there was no way for the Red Eltaran Ranger to know that Phantom wasn't listening.

A sharp kick to his ankle startled him. Cia smiled at him innocently without taking her eyes from Tan. Though she couldn't see him, Arietis rolled his eyes at the Pink Ranger, but Tan rounded on him a moment later.

"While I'm sure that saving his life seemed a high priority at the time," Tan began, and Arietis grit his teeth, "Andros is not Zordon, and it was Zordon that you were sent to save."

"I am aware of that."

"Then act like it," Tan barked. "Your mission is to locate Zordon of Eltare. I expect results--soon."

That sounded suspiciously like a dismissal, and Arietis raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Will that be all?"

"For now," Tan decided. "Cia, brief Phantom Ranger on our newest information."

"He must be in a good mood today," Arietis commented dryly as Tan strode away.

"As far as Tan's good moods go," Cia agreed. "There is no new information, by the way."

"I thought as much." Arietis stood. "I need to double-check the maintenance done on my ship. I'll be heading to Earth in the morning."

"Earth?"

"I'll be taking Andros back to the Astro Megaship," he informed her. "Currently, the ship orbits Earth." It was none of her business why else he wanted to return to Earth.

"Ah." Cia nodded. "Good luck, Phantom."

"The same to you," he responded, his voice warmer than normal. "May the Power protect you."

Cia nodded to him. "And you."


"Andros!"

He stopped running at his sister's scream, abandoning his chase of the telekinesis ball that had escaped from them. "Karone?" he called, running tentatively back in the other direction. "Karone!"

"Andros!"

Her voice was fainter now and he sped up, the trees and the grass moving by in a blur. "Karone? Karone, where are you?"

"Andros!"

He heard her more clearly now, and ran as fast as he could, his small feet slipping and sliding over the damp grass. "Karone!"

He saw her then, clutched in the arms of a... creature much bigger than either of them. She saw him too and screamed his name, kicking and flailing around with her arms. The monster caught sight of him then and turned back towards him, catching ahold of his arm before Andros had the chance to run.

"You'll do just as nicely," he growled, and Andros's entire life fell apart in an instant.

He was wrenched out of sleep with a scream, his heart pounding furiously. "Karone," he whispered, touching his chest unconsciously. The locket didn't hang there anymore--he had left it behind on the Megaship along with his morpher when he'd surrendered to Darkonda, but it was an old habit.

Andros let out a shaky breath, pushing his hair back from his sweaty face. The motion caused his shoulders to throb in pain, and he winced at the realization of how incredibly sore he was. The adrenaline that had kept him going for so long was gone now, it seemed.

The discomfort seemed nothing when he thought back to his nightmare, though, and he bit his lip uncertainly. He still didn't know what had become of his sister.

"Karone," he murmured again, and let out a deep breath. It was only a nightmare, he told himself sternly, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Andros took several moments to compose himself and then pushed back the covers and climbed out of bed. He didn't bother to put on shoes before leaving the room--it was the middle of the night and besides that, he wasn't sure that his stomach would let him wait that long now.

His bare feet padded quietly on the floor as Andros wandered down the corridor. It took him several minutes to realize that he had no clue where he was going. Phantom had explained where they were briefly but Andros had been more concerned with getting some sleep or a shower. No one was around for him to ask now, so he continued exploring on his own.

He stumbled across a kitchen solely by accident. Stomach growling at the prospect of food, real food that he wouldn't have to gulp down before Darkonda could catch on, Andros made a beeline for the Synthetron in the corner. There room held a stove and a refrigerator, but he was too hungry to wait while something cooked.

Waiting only until his food cooled, Andros dug in hungrily and wolfed down half the plate. His appetite appeased somewhat, he took his time with the second half, still not quite believing that he was free. He took another bite of meat, feeling warm inside for the first time in months.

He went for water once his food was gone, downing four glasses without pause. How had he not collapsed from exhaustion or dehydration? he wondered, feeling his eyelids drooping again. He'd wonder about that some more in the morning, he decided, dumping the plate and cups into the sink. Andros knew that he should wash them, but he was too tired to care.

He hadn't taken more than a step towards the door when the Red Eltaran Ranger appeared in the doorway. Tan nodded in greeting and then studied him coolly, looking him up and down. Andros grit his teeth and nodded in reply. He and Tan had never seen eye to eye--but the other Ranger was still giving him shelter and he had to be grateful for that.

"Thank you," he said quietly, "for letting me stay here tonight."

"You would do the same for me," Tan reminded him, and Andros nodded. Regardless of how his personal feelings towards another Ranger, Andros would never refuse them help should they need it. Well... He thought of the Earth Rangers again and bit his lip, trying to assuage his guilt. What would they do if they could see him now? he wondered. Would they believe that he had only gotten what he had deserved?

"I was just going to get some more sleep," Andros began awkwardly.

"Ah." Tan nodded. "If I do not see you before you leave, good luck to you."

"And to you." Andros smiled briefly, a forced smile. "Good night," he added, walking calmly out of the kitchen before fleeing back to his room.

He tried to convince himself that the disdain in Tan's eyes had always been there. Contempt dealt out because he was not Eltaran Andros could accept. Contempt dealt because he was not deserving of his Ranger status, on the other hand... Andros had thrown himself into being the Red Ranger from the moment the morpher had fallen into his hands all those years ago on KO-35. To be told now that he hadn't done a good enough job of it hurt more than the still unhealed wounds Darkonda had left on his back.

Andros started when a hand was laid on his shoulder, jumping a mile in the air even as he whipped around. "Phantom," he muttered, feeling foolish now. "I... didn't see you there..."

"Of course not," his longtime ally agreed, voice slightly surprised. "You are Karovan, you have eyes only in the front of your head."

"Yeah..." Andros shifted his weight around uncomfortably. "When did you want to leave?"

"I am ready if you wish to leave now," Phantom replied. "Tan will survive without my reporting to him for a debriefing."

"I don't want to be of any trouble," Andros began.

"Don't worry about that, my friend," Phantom assured him. "I wish to be out of this place nearly as much as you."

Andros looked at him, startled. It had been years since anyone had claimed him as a friend, and of all the people to do so now... He had never thought the Phantom Ranger anything more than an ally, at best a distant acquaintance. Andros suddenly felt very selfish, for a second time having found himself a friend that he neither wanted nor deserved.

"Andros? Maybe you should get some rest--"

"No," Andros cut in sharply. "I'll rest once I'm back on the Megaship."

"Andros," Phantom said carefully, "you will find things different than you remembered them."

That sounded ominous somehow. Andros hurried to keep up with the other Ranger. "What do you mean, different?"

Phantom shrugged his shoulders, the gesture so uncharacteristic that Andros almost stopped to stare. "I did not mean a change for the worse," he said, not pausing in his walk towards the skyport. "I think it would be best if I let you see with your own eyes what has happened in your absence."


The Megaship looked the same as she always had: proud and strong, perhaps a little battle-weary but never ready to surrender. Andros clenched his fists to still the trembling of his hands, his heart pounding as he came closer and closer to home.

"This is the Phantom Ranger." The comm clicked as Phantom hailed the Megaship, requesting permission to dock his ship.

"Phantom," an exuberant voice exclaimed. "It's great to see you again."

Andros's head snapped up. He knew that voice. He had spent every day of the last two and a half years hoping to hear it again, praying that he hadn't cost the only friend he'd ever had his life. Please, he breathed silently. Please let it be...

"Is that... is that..." He tried to speak, but his throat tightened and his words ended in a croak.

"I told you it would be best to see for yourself." Phantom sounded vaguely amused as he maneuvered his ship into docking position. "You wouldn't have believed me otherwise."

Andros still wasn't sure that he believed him. He didn't, actually, not until he'd stepped back onto the Megaship almost tentatively and laid eyes on the Silver Ranger himself. Zhane stared back at him, just as shocked, but very much alive.

"Zhane?" he ventured, dazed.

"Andros..." Zhane hesitated, then his old grin appeared. He took a step forward, and slowly extended one arm. Andros moved automatically, crossing his arm against Zhane's and then again with his other arm, their hands meeting in the middle as the crushing weight of guilt lifted. "Welcome home."