Author's notes: I thought this would be the last chapter, but as usual, the characters ended up doing more than I initially planned for them. Enjoy!

Reviewer thanks: The-Chibi-Poe (I was sort of playing around with how the Green Ranger could be possible when the coin was lost. I like my workaround, and it could lead to some storylines I can build on later), Son of Whitebeard (I always love putting in future references. Makes me feel all smart.), The-Knight2000 (It's coming; don't worry), Mirajane92 (Thanks!), bleedredstars (I'm really glad you like the time travel stuff. I enjoy time travel, but it can get pretty headachy, and not everyone digs it. LOL I'm not sure I could finish Winds of Winter, particularly since I couldn't even read past the first 100 pages of the first book!), and KLR1 (I've had the hardest time figuring out Rocky's character, and I finally decided that it all hinges on bravado hiding deep insecurity. I'm glad you like the historical stuff).


Brighter Paths

Book 5: Shades of the Past

Chapter 21: Dark Reflection

Aisha looked over Alpha's shoulder at the computer. She knew that he was trying to break into the Morphing Grid, working on bypassing Tommy's barrier, when she noticed a familiar blip of energy.

"Alpha," she said, putting a hand on the robot's shoulder, "hang on a bit. I just saw something that I don't think makes sense."

Alpha stopped his work and stared at the screen. "Ay-yi-yi, I see what you mean, Aisha. That's just not possible!"

Sylvia had been standing by the side nervously. She wanted to help, but the truth of the matter was she had no idea what to do. She was still processing that not only was Tommy evil, but Billy was apparently lost in the past. Now, she latched onto whatever new development was happening.

"What am I looking at?" Sylvia said, now leaning over both Alpha and Aisha.

"I don't really know," Aisha said. "Alpha's been able to break in enough so that we can tell who is at the Command Center. Rocky's there, and Zordon's there, and that…" she pointed to the power signature, "is supposed to be Tommy."

"What do you mean 'supposed to be?'" Sylvia said.

"I mean that's not really him," Aisha said gravely. "It's a lot like him, but there's something really wrong with his power signature."

"I'm reading Morphing energy," Alpha said, "but it's not the White Ranger in the Command Center."

Sylvia took a step back, grabbing Aisha's shoulder as if she were falling. Aisha caught her hand, but Sylvia was already pulling away, her face looking calm and far away, like Billy's face looked when he was thinking through a problem. Then her eyes went wide. "Quick, Alpha, see if you can find the White Ranger. If that's not him, he's got to be somewhere."

"Scanning now," Alpha said. He tapped for a few tense minutes, and then…

"Ay-yi-yi, he's in the house!" Alpha exclaimed, jumping from his seat and knocking against both women in the process. "This house!"

Sylvia was already through the kitchen door, Aisha hot on her heels. They ran past the living room down the hallway, and then crashed into Tommy's room.

An empty room greeted them. Sylvia threw open the closet doors, while Aisha hit the floor to look under the bed. It was a small room, and there weren't many places to hide.

"Billy's room?" Aisha said.

Sylvia was about to answer, when the two heard the unmistakable crackle of teleportation. They stared at each other, wide-eyed. There was little doubt that this was the fake Tommy.

"Close the door," Aisha mouthed to Sylvia, and Sylvia tip-toed over to the door and softly pulled it to.

Aisha knew that she would be unable to morph, but the fake Tommy would have some access to some kind of power. They'd have to work quickly to find the real Tommy and get out of there. Her first priority, she reminded herself, was to ensure Sylvia's safety, though she knew she wouldn't be able to get the woman to leave without an argument.

She looked around the room desperately, knowing they had minutes, if that. The bedroom was obviously Tommy's: martial arts and grunge rock posters lined the walls, his small desk featured his thick schedule book (which he used to help with his memory problems) and a picture of him and Kimberly at the park. The little space that wasn't taken up by the bed, desk, and dresser was dominated by a large stereo system, which looked to be wired together from mismatched parts. Something that Billy had worked on, probably; it had that same look of thrift-store parts mixed with high-end technology. That was of no help, though, and she started kicking through the laundry, shoes, and trash on the floor.

Something glinted and caught her eye. Finally, something that didn't look like it belonged to Tommy. A crystal on the head of his bed, faintly glowing. She pointed at it, and Sylvia's eyes widened. Not a decoration.

Hoping that it didn't have any security on it, Aisha pulled the crystal from its place. It flashed and cracked, and suddenly Tommy appeared on the bed. He was unconscious.

"Aisha…" Tommy's voice called from the hallway. Only it wasn't Tommy. "I know you're in here. Are you in my bedroom? Couldn't wait to have me alone again, could you?"

Aisha's lips curled back in a snarl. She knew it wasn't Tommy, but it still sounded like him, and she would never forgive this thing for putting that voice with those words.

"I know you're jealous of Kimberly," the thing that wasn't Tommy continued. "But don't worry… you don't have to. Kimberly's sweet… but sometimes I like some spice."

Aisha was busy pulling Tommy up on his feet, when she realized her mistake. It was those words that were rattling her. If she'd been thinking clearly, she would have insisted Sylvia grab Tommy, leaving Aisha free to fight and cover for them. Sylvia was taller than her, too. As it was, she was struggling against Tommy's height and mass.

The knob was turning. There was no time. Aisha looked around for Sylvia, but she was hiding behind the door and couldn't see. As it was, Aisha and Tommy were right in the open, and they had no hope of hiding.

The door swung open, and the thing that wasn't Tommy stood smirking in the frame. "Well, that's inconvenient. You found my little surprise."

"You're not Tommy," Aisha said, knowing she was saying the obvious but hoping she could buy some time.

"No, I'm not," the thing said. "But, then again… I am." He spread his arms and inched forward. "That one," he nodded at Tommy's unconscious form, "told you what he was when he was evil. How he tortured the Rangers. How he beat Billy to within an inch of his life, forcing him to stay still and take the beating to save his mother. How he humiliated Kimberly and imprisoned Jason. But you know what's worse? What makes him the piece of shit that he is now?"

Aisha grimaced and edged backwards, ready to throw Tommy back down on the bed so she could fight his double.

"He betrayed his Empress," the thing said softly, his eyes flashing green for an instant. "He stole the power that was rightfully hers, and he threw it in her face. And, in turn, she was humiliated, imprisoned, and tortured. All because of his weakness." The last words came out in a venomous rasp.

"You don't know anything about him," Aisha said. "If you think that he ever served Rita voluntarily."

"And you know him so well, do you?" Tommy's double said.

That gave Aisha pause. She'd fought with Tommy, been on a team with him… but did she really know him? She knew what he told her, she knew with what high regard the other Rangers and Zordon held Tommy, but other than that…

The thing smirked at the uncertainty in Aisha's eyes. "Oh, he told you about the spell. How it was broken and he'd reformed. But he didn't tell you how he craved it. How, countless times, he wanted to serve Rita yet again, to make the guilt go away. You think you know your friends, but they haven't even gotten close to telling you about the depths of their depravity. About how Kimberly chose to serve Lord Zedd. About how it's really thanks to Billy that I'm even possible. After all, he made the first clone."

Aisha felt herself grow cold. Still secrets. Still things she didn't know. And now it was being thrown in her face.

"Billy didn't tell you that," the thing laughed. "I remember. He's still ashamed… and he should be. He created a clone of himself, and then turned on that creation. The clone's name was Will, and he terrorized Billy's friends, but then Billy killed him. Stabbed him with a lance…"

There was a sudden movement, and the thing that wasn't Tommy pitched to the side, yelling in pain and surprise. Sylvia stood over him, holding a wooden sword.

"I think you've got your facts mixed up. Go," Sylvia gasped out to Aisha. "I'll cover you."

Before Aisha could object, Sylvia was already bringing the sword down hard on the thing's prone form. It was disturbing watching Sylvia beat her adopted son. At least, it would have been if Aisha wasn't already dragging Tommy toward the door, or if Tommy's double hadn't reminded them of what the evil Green Ranger had done to Billy.

Aisha pulled Tommy down the hallway, desperate to reach the garage and not entirely sure what she'd find there. She'd find a car at least, and hopefully Alpha. She had to secure Tommy as quickly as she could and go back to help Sylvia. If the thing had Tommy's power, the woman wouldn't stand a chance.

They were in the kitchen when Tommy groaned and shook his head. "Wha… what's going on?"

"You have an evil clone, I think," Aisha said shortly.

"Of course I do," Tommy said. He tried to walk on his own, but his feet turned under him. Aisha managed to make it a controlled fall into a kitchen chair.

"Stay there," Aisha said. "I have to go help Sylvia."

There was a crash, and Tommy's eyes widened as he looked over Aisha's shoulder. Tommy's clone, looking dazed, was nonetheless wresting the wooden sword out of Sylvia's hands. Sylvia, eyes blazing and tears streaming down her face, looked like she was ready to take on the clone single-handed, sword or no.

"Okay…" the clone rasped, "I let you get in a few good hits. Get some closure. But now…" he raised the sword.

Aisha rushed at the clone elbow-first, flipping him over the couch and grabbing the sword out of the clone's hands. She wanted to keep attacking, but getting Sylvia and Tommy out of there was her first priority. Instead, she held the sword up and backed away slowly, motioning for Sylvia and Tommy to get out behind her.

The clone launched back over the couch and landed in front of Aisha, grinning manically. "Oh, you should'nt have done that," he said.

Aisha didn't answer. She recalled her lessons from when she and Adam took kendo together and attacked with all her might. Vaguely, she heard a door swish open behind her. As the clone fought with her, she only hoped she could hold out until the others escaped.


Tommy felt like he'd woken up to a nightmare.

As Aisha fought the clone version of himself, Sylvia pulled him into the garage. Alpha was working furiously at Billy's computer, but he jumped up in a panic at the sight of Tommy.

"It's okay, Alpha," Sylvia said. "This is the genuine article."

"What did…" Tommy started, and then he shook his head furiously. "No, now's not the time. Alpha, I need a situation report, and quick."

Alpha looked like he wanted to gush at Tommy's recovery, but something in Tommy's voice snapped him out of that. "We're cut off from the Command Center and the Morphing Grid. As such, you can't morph, and we don't know Zordon's status. Rocky is also held prisoner in the Command Center, though Adam is currently in Angel Grove."

"Billy and Kimberly?" Tommy said.

"Oh, ay-yi-yi, you were unconscious, Tommy," Alpha said. "They were sent through a time warp to the past."

Though Tommy looked staggered at all these pronouncements, he looked like he was quickly recovering from whatever the clone did to him. "Right… Sylvia and Alpha, get in the car. If we can't teleport, we'll fly there. I'll get Aisha."

Sylvia grabbed his arm as he whirled around, but he squeezed her arm in turn before extricating himself. "I'll be fine, Sylvia. I can't let that monster hurt anyone. I won't be two minutes."

He ran back into the kitchen, and was pleased to see Adam running in through the front door. Their eyes met, and they nodded. As one, they ran for the clone, Tommy aiming high and Adam low. The clone had been paying attention to Aisha, so he went down before he realized it.

"Keep him still, guys," Aisha said. She grabbed a crystal out of her pocket and put it on the clone's chest. Immediately, the clone went still.

"And that was…?" Tommy said.

"The thing keep you incapacitated all day," Aisha said. "I took a chance, and it worked."

"Not for too long," Adam said, pointing to the clone's stirring hand. "He's fighting it."

"Then to the car, quickly," Tommy said.

They ran into the garage and were immediately treated to the bizarre sight of Sylvia in the driver's seat and Alpha in the passenger's seat of Billy's Volkswagen Beetle. Alpha was peering curiously at the dash, but Sylvia was motioning frantically for them to hurry up. The three piled into the backseat, jammed against each other in the tight space. As soon as their doors slammed, Sylvia gunned the engine and they shot out into the empty street. She drove to a completely deserted side road and pushed the button. The engine died as the flying harness took over, and they were flying over Angel Grove.

It was a few minutes before anyone could speak. Aisha kept looking at the empty air behind them, as if expecting them to be pursued. So far the day had been fairly filled with impossible things, so that was understandable.

Finally, Tommy could bear the silence no longer. "I have to know what he did. Everything."

"It wasn't your fault, Tommy," Sylvia said.

Tommy shook his head but knew she couldn't see him. "Not why I need to know. We have to figure out a way to stop him, so I need to know what we're dealing with. Once we get him taken care of, we can find Kimberly and Billy."

"As easy as that?" Aisha said, her voice brittle. "And how are we going to 'stop' him? What do you mean by getting him 'taken care of?'"

Tommy paused. He was looking out the window, refusing to meet the gaze of the others. "Depends on what we're dealing with," he finally said.

"He is exactly like you when you were evil," Alpha said, uncharacteristically succinct. His voice was low, and Tommy remembered that he had been his first victim. He'd never apologized, and now it seemed too little, too late.

"He hasn't had a chance to do much," Adam said. "He's been masquerading as you all day, but I don't think he's gotten too far with his plans."

"Yeah, he only had time to kidnap Rocky, help send Billy and Kimberly to the past, and cut us off from the Command Center," Aisha said. "Oh, and when were you going to tell us that Billy created an evil clone?"

"Rita created a clone of me?" Tommy said. "As in, unstable, illegal clone? Alpha, why would she take that risk?"

Aisha bristled. "Didn't you hear me?"

"I heard you," Tommy said, his voice quiet. "It was up to Billy to tell you that, and he chose not to."

"We need to know all this," Aisha said. "We have to…"

"Billy didn't tell you because he never talks about it," Sylvia cut in, speaking for the first time. "He still has nightmares about it, both because he created a monster and because he saw himself as a monster. Please understand that he can't admit to what he did so easily."

Tommy was watching Aisha carefully. Something had happened to her. His clone had done something that she wasn't revealing, and knowing how he was when he was evil, it had to have been something twisted. But if she wasn't ready to talk, he would have to deal with it later.

"Kimberly told me, after I told you all about my time being evil," Tommy said in a low voice, "that there was knowing I was evil, and then there was knowing. I'm…" he looked back out the window, "I'm sorry you guys had to experience that."

There was silence in the car, only broken by the wind whistling past them, each lost in their own thoughts. Tommy had been able to gather a small amount of what the clone had done, not really enough to make a plan, but as much as he was getting right then. He could figure out more at the Command Center. From what he could guess, they were dealing with a clone that was similar to Billy's clone Will. However, it wasn't exact. It didn't have the heightened speed, strength, and healing factor that Will had. He could see the cuts and bruises from Sylvia's attack, and they hadn't gone away quickly. No, this was a clone of Rita's design, probably with the help of her pal the Wizard of Deception. Zordon hadn't shared much about his battle with the Wizard, but he had mentioned the Wizard making illusions in the form of Power Rangers. This was an example of that power, he figured, though this clone seemed far realer than any illusion.

"I think he's worth saving," Adam said suddenly.

Tommy and Aisha regarded him with astonishment, and even Sylvia and Alpha whipped their heads around to stare into the back seat. Adam was smiling grimly and pulling some yellowish cards, the kind the library set out for notetaking, from his back pocket. He'd scribbled all over them.

"I don't have the whole story," Adam said, "but I think this is all going to tie in with 1843, which is where Billy and Kimberly are… and where there's someone who looks just like you, Tommy."

"But as the hero, or the villain?" Tommy asked.

"That I don't know," Adam admitted. "But we can't leave that up to fate. After all, you were able to break from the spell."

Tommy noticed Sylvia looking at him through the rearview mirror. He gave her a nod. "And I think I know how to break this one."


Thomas had been fighting the crystal for some time, only semi-conscious, when he felt its weight leave him and his eyes started to open. The fire-and-bone face of the Wizard of Deception greeted him.

"Your mistress demands your presence," the Wizard said, his voice thick with irony.

"I still have to go after the other Rangers," Thomas said, rising unsteadily to his feet.

"From what I can tell, the Rangers are approaching the Command Center, and it will soon get dangerous for you there," the Wizard said. "Your plans have failed."

"Then I can…" he began.

"What you can do is to report to Empress Rita Repulsa," the Wizard said. "Didn't you throw a fit over your other half betraying his Empress? You wouldn't want to follow in his footsteps, would you?"

Thomas glowered. "Take me to her, then."

The world dissolved and was replaced by the throne room… this time Lord Zedd's throne room. He was there, standing next to Rita. Thomas bowed before her, making sure to subtly exclude Zedd from his deference. This was the man who had attacked and banished Rita. He would not forget, even if she apparently had.

"You're doing quite as badly as your predecessor, Green Ranger," Rita said coldly. "Or was that not the Blue Ranger's mother—a middle-aged civilian non-fighter—who bested you in battle?"

Thomas bristled. "The attack was unexpected, my Empress. If I had…"

"You may dispense with the charade, already," Lord Zedd cut in. "Explain to your Empress, clone, what your true mission is as you grovel hypocritically at her feet."

Thomas wondered briefly what would happen if he actually attacked Lord Zedd. Tommy had done it once before, and the clone held the memories of the pain. He did not welcome it.

"I have done nothing to betray you, my Empress," Thomas said. "I am not like my predecessor."

"How very true," Rita answered. Her voice was no longer angry, but thoughtful, as if considering how different this clone truly was. Thomas felt flayed alive by those three words.

"My husband forgets," Rita continued, "just as you forget, my Green Ranger, that you and I still share a bond. It is not quite the same as the one I shared with Tommy, but it is coupled with the fact that you owe your very existence to me." She paused for effect and looked straight into Thomas's eyes. "I know exactly what you intend, and I've decided to allow it. You are your own person as much as you are mine. Do what you need to do."

Thomas bowed his head low. "Thank you, my Empress. I won't disappoint."

With that, he used the communicator he'd stolen from Tommy to teleport to the Command Center. He still had plenty of time to lay traps for the Rangers.

As soon as Thomas disappeared, the Wizard rounded on Rita. "You realize the clone wishes to escape my control. Or do you expect his devotion to you to keep it stable?"

Rita smirked. "I expect the clone will make a proper mess of things for himself. But I also expect he will cause a lot of pain in the meantime. For now it's better to give him his head."

"So this is your plan, dear wife?" Zedd stepped in. "You have no interest in destroying the Rangers. That clone of yours could have given us direct access to the Command Center, and we could have taken that fool Zordon while the Rangers were powerless to stop us. Two in the past, thanks to me, one held captive, and three uselessly in the air. We could have destroyed everything within minutes."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Rita said coldly. "You think Zordon doesn't have safeguards for just such an occasion? He would have slipped through our fingers if he got the faintest whiff that we were close to capturing him. He would strand himself in his dimension, or kill himself, or both. Remember, we need him alive."

"And what do you propose?" Zedd said.

Rita smirked. "We need to break him first. Tear away his defenses, one by one. And we can only do that through pain. You sent two teenagers back to the past, but I've caused suffering for the ones still here. Which plan do you think has the best chance of working?"

Zedd crossed his arms. "Did you even wonder when I sent the two Rangers? I did not choose the time randomly. If my calculations are right, the Pink and Blue Rangers are close to killing their own ancestors… and therefore themselves. In fact, I've made sure of it. It takes so little chemical influence to incite a primitive town into a murderous mob, as Goldar can attest."

Goldar did not welcome the shift of attention to him. He was too busy wondering what had happened to the Wizard of Deception, who had slipped away quietly, to pay attention to the bickering couple.


Billy and Kimberly held their morphers in their hands as they rode to the Cranston property. The front yard was deserted. In fact, a literal tumbleweed was sweeping across the yard, snagging on weeds in the dying garden.

"Barn?" Billy said quietly. "Or woods?"

Kimberly dismounted from her horse and tied it to the fence post. If there were any shots, she wanted the horse safe more than she wanted an escape route. Billy did the same. "Barn first," she said. "And I don't care what influence we have on the timeline: be ready to morph if you need to."

"Affirmative," Billy said, and quietly the two made their way around the side of the house to the distant barn.

Billy nudged Kimberly's arm and nodded to the hayloft. The sun glinted off a gun barrel, pointed straight at them. They carefully raised their hands and halted their pace.

"Leave the gunbelt on the ground, witch." The voice came from the second Cranston son, Johnny. Billy carefully unbuckled the belt and tossed it to the side. His morpher was in his pocket, and that was all that mattered.

"We're not witches, for what it's worth," Kimberly called out. "We don't mean any harm to anyone."

"Tell that to my brother," came Johnny's choked reply. "The one whose face you stole."

Billy and Kimberly glanced at each other. This was dangerous. Emotions were running very high, and the Cranstons were looking for someone to blame. If they morphed and rushed in, Hank and his family could die before they even got there. And they couldn't track the sheriff and give him the cure, thus solving the problem for this family, until they got the Harts out of danger.

The barn door slowly opened, and a few men with shotguns walked out. They were all pointed at Billy and Kimberly, and they prayed none of the men had a nervous trigger finger.

"Just walk forward," Johnny said. "Real slow-like."

They did so. Despite the suffocating heat, the atmosphere in the barn was chilling. Jeremiah Cranston stood at the center of his make-shift militia. Hank Hart stood toward the side, tied to one of the posts. And two nooses hung from the rafters.

Kimberly jerked her head over at Hank. "Where's his wife and son?"

"In the house," Mr. Cranston said. "With my wife. Didn't want them to see any unpleasantness."

Two worries out of the way. Kimberly was relieved at that. Hank would be easy to rescue if they could gain control of the situation. The problem was guns. Too many of them in the hands of men, some of whom were basically kids, in an atmosphere thick with paranoia. Even at top speed, they wouldn't be able to take out all the guns. Of course, if they could get close enough to Hank to teleport him out of there…

In subtle moves, Kimberly twitched her wrist and nodded toward Hank. Billy slowly inclined his head in a nod of understanding.

But first, one last attempt at reason.

"Mr. Cranston, I know you miss your son," she began. "I know it feels like the world has been slowly falling to pieces ever since he disappeared. I also know you don't want to hurt Hank. That you don't really believe we're witches, or that we had anything to do with Bill's disappearance." She sucked in a breath. "That being said, we want to help. Bill is still out there, if what Hank said is true, and if he's still out there, then there's still hope. We can still try to save him."

Uncertainty flickered into Mr. Cranston's eyes. Kimberly waited, her hand gripped tight on her morpher hidden in the folds of her dress. If she acted too soon, they would all be in severe danger.

"Don't listen to the witches, Pop!" Johnny had dropped from the loft to the ground, and now he was advancing on Billy and Kimberly, gun drawn.

With that, Kimberly knew the time for reasoning was over. With reflexes born of a year spent in battle, Kimberly dropped Johnny as he charged toward her, grabbed the rifle from his hand, and aimed it squarely at Johnny. As she stared down the mob, hoping they got that she meant business. As they froze, dumbfounded that Kim had taken a grown man down in a second, Billy was already on the move. He used the knife from the tools Hank had secured for him to cut the ties.

"Don't let them get away," Johnny said through gritted teeth.

"Shut up, boy," Mr. Cranston said. He looked hard at Kimberly as Billy and Hank joined her. "You're not going to get far."

"You'd be surprised," Kimberly said, and kept the rifle locked on Johnny as the three of them backed out of the barn. The men let them pass, obviously not ready to attack any of them.

The three ran toward the edge of the woods, Kimberly dropping the rifle in the horse trough on the way. There were shouts coming from the barn, and Kim knew a mob would not be far behind.

"We coulda used that gun," Hank gasped as they ran.

"No one's getting shot," Kimberly answered. "Wait, what about your family?"

"Mrs. Cranston's already got them loaded on the cart and halfway to Stone Canyon," Hank said. "She whispered that to me before they took me to the barn. What the hell…" He stopped himself. "Sorry… I mean, what's going on?"

"We're going to save Bill Cranston," Billy said. He held up a bottle and syringe, but then quickly pocketed it again as they ran. It had an alien look, but it was still recognizable. "He got into a kind of toxic clay, but this should help him."

"Where have you seen him?" Kimberly asked. "Where have all the animal attacks happened?"

"All around these woods," Hank said, "but I guess he stays more to the north."

"North it is," Kimberly said. She grabbed both Hank and Billy and pulled them to a stop. "Billy, get us north."

Hank looked around wildly, but Billy immediately went for his communicator. Hank gave one surprised yelp as the three disappeared.


Thomas teleported into the Command Center security room and checked the monitor, intending to check on the Radbug to see how close it was. He didn't get the chance. He took one look at the monitor for the danger room, where he'd locked away Rocky to be tormented by his own fear, and forgot about everything else. The sides of the walls where charred, and there was still a fire going, but otherwise the room was empty. And the doors were wide open.

He ran straight for the central Command Center, knowing that was where Rocky was headed first. Before he could get there, he slammed into an invisible, staticky wall at full throttle. His body went numb, and then horribly alive with pain. He realized he was flat on the ground, and he couldn't get up.

There was a tingle of teleportation, and then he reappeared in the room shared by Tommy, Rocky, Adam, and Billy… a room that had been used to hold the Green Ranger once before. His communicator was gone as well.

Thomas forced himself to sit up, using a bed to steady himself. He was immediately greeted by a force field… and Rocky's smiling face at the other side.

"You know, I really didn't think this would work," Rocky said. "I told Zordon someone would have to be a complete idiot to fall for it." Rocky's grin broadened. "You did say we had that in common."

There was a coppery taste in Thomas's mouth, and he realized that was his own blood. He spat it out. "Feeling pretty smug there, aren't you?"

Rocky shrugged. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, one Thomas recognized as Billy's.

"Let me guess," Thomas said, hoping to find a way out while he kept Rocky distracted with talk. "You burned your clothes," he said. 'It wasn't enough to do anything to the door, but the smoke would have cancelled all my safety overrides and opened the doors for you. Those are Billy's clothes?"

Rocky nodded. "That's all that was here. Blue suits me, doesn't it?"

"Better than the red," Thomas laughed.

Rocky's expression didn't change. "You're flailing, clone. You're back in your cell, and you know you're not getting out." He laughed. "You know, I thought I was experiencing the evil Green Ranger. I thought I was getting to know what the original Rangers went through last year. But I've reviewed the footage of the original… and you're not even close."

He turned on his heel and left Thomas there to stew.


Tommy, Adam, Aisha, Sylvia, and Alpha had no trouble getting into the Command Center, which seemed really odd as the whole place was supposed to be in lockdown. Still, they ran full-tilt to the central Command Center, only to find Rocky calmly watching a security monitor, chatting with Zordon.

"Hey, guys," Rocky said. "Where's the fire?"

Tommy held the edge of a computer console, not fully recovered from whatever had been done to him. Adam, Aisha, and Sylvia merely stared in shock.

Alpha appeared moments later, too slow to keep up with the running humans. "Oh, good, Rocky, you escaped. Are you okay, Zordon?"

"I am fine," Zordon said, "and exceedingly glad to see you all. We regained control of the Command Center twenty minutes ago, but we could not contact you. Alpha, you will need to adjust the frequency on everyone's communicators."

As Alpha calmly set about his task, the other Rangers started to break out of their shock. "So… you're fine," Aisha said. "I thought the clone was going to… I don't know…"

"Torture me?" Rocky supplied.

"It seems evil Tommy's MO," Adam said. He couldn't help but smile, though, at seeing Rocky still healthy and whole.

Rocky waved his hand dismissively. "He thought he was, but it was all psychological stuff, and I'm pretty tough. I set a fire to escape, though, so we'll have some work to do on the danger room."

Tommy looked at Rocky closely, at the way that Rocky couldn't quite meet Tommy's eyes. Just like Aisha, he was playing off something pretty serious. He just wasn't willing to show it, at least not while there were still things to do.

"Would you like to see how our 'guest' is doing?" Rocky said, pointing to the monitor he'd been watching. The screen showed Tommy's double, stuck behind a force field in the boys' bedroom, pacing like a caged animal.

It was uncanny, seeing himself like that, Tommy considered, especially in a position that he himself had been in. In fact, it had been a year now almost to the day…

"So that's what I've gotten done," Rocky said, breaking Tommy's reverie. "What have you guys done?"

"Done?" Aisha said. "Not much. Figured out? Quite a bit, thanks to Adam. Want to share what you've found?"

"Does this have to do with our clone problem, or with our time travel problem?" Zordon intoned.

Adam smiled. "Both, actually." He held up a sheaf of notes and copies he'd made at the library. "It's pretty interesting when historical documents actually have a few familiar names and faces."

Alpha took the sheets and scanned them into the computer system so Zordon could review them. Sylvia took the sheets after Alpha was done with them: she hadn't been able to look at them while she was driving. Rocky looked over her shoulder.

"From what I can piece together," Adam said, "Billy and Kimberly were sent back to 1843. Not sure if it's a coincidence or not, but they end up on land owned by Jeremiah Cranston, where a guy named Henry Hart is working." He glanced over at Sylvia, whose hand was over her mouth in shock as she read. "Do you know anything about the Cranstons?"

Sylvia shook her head slowly. "Very little. My… my husband's family." Her eyes were fixed on a picture, a daguerreotype of a large family. There in front, next to a large man, was a man who looked exactly like Billy.

"I don't think that's him," Adam said gently. "From what I can tell, that's Jeremiah Cranston's eldest son, William, who was the sheriff of the town. He disappeared. After his disappearance, there was a lynch mob who targeted the 'witches' who had spirited him away. The details are sketchy, but we do know that there was a death: Henry Hart."

"Two guesses as to who those 'witches' are," Aisha said. "Billy and Kim would be outsiders in modern clothes, one of them looking exactly like the missing sheriff. And especially if they had used their powers…"

"So we have to get them out of there," Rocky said. "But what does this have to do with the clone problem?"

Adam handed him a photograph, this one of a small militia. They were all in uniform and positing with rifles, half of them sitting to make a back row visible. In the back on the right edge of the group was a very familiar face.

Rocky let his breath out in a whistle. "Tommy, unless you have a relative that looks exactly like you, which I guess is possible, this seems like…"

"Like there's hope," Tommy said. His lips thinned. "I promised Rita wouldn't control someone like this again. We're going to keep that promise."

"And how are you going to do that again?"

This voice was Tommy's, but it was coming from past the Viewing Globe. They turned and saw the Green Ranger, blade blaster drawn and pointing at them.

"It's not just a clone," Sylvia said, her voice coming out in a terrified whisper.

"Not just a clone." The voice was unfiltered behind the mask, doing nothing to disguise who was behind the dark visor. "No one move." The voice was filtered again. "Anyone takes a step, my first shot is at Sylvia."

No one moved, not even to shield Sylvia from his direct shot. Tommy flicked his eyes over to Zordon, who gave an imperceptible nod. Zordon had control over teleportation and force fields, something the clone obviously hadn't taken into account, or else he wouldn't have confronted them here. They needed to keep him talking, though, and the best way to do that was to pretend he had the upper hand.

"Away from the computers," the clone said with a flick of his blaster. "Sylvia still in front."

The others glanced at Tommy, who nodded. They followed the clone's orders, tensed to spring into action.

Tommy angled himself to stand beside Sylvia, putting a hand on her arm to steady her, as well as to be prepared to knock her out of the way. They had the upper hand, but the clone was still dangerous, especially to her. He felt her trembling, but he could do nothing more to reassure her other than physical contact.

"What's your name?" Tommy asked, trying to keep his voice calm and even. "Are you going by Tommy, or…"

"Thomas," the clone said shortly. He then turned his attention to Zordon. "You didn't keep the bargain, old man."

Tommy didn't want the clone to think too hard about Zordon, so he cut in. "You haven't given us much of a chance, Thomas. You know that if you want help we will give it freely, but not if we're threatened. I wonder why you need help that Empress Rita can't give you."

He used the title deliberately, not wanting to antagonize the clone. Thomas flinched, though, and his hand started shaking.

"Don't you dare…" Thomas said, his voice going rough. "You… you're… you betray her and think you get to say her name?"

Tommy knew than that he needed to change tacks. Thomas was jealous of him, that he could tell immediately. There was a bit of what he'd come to think of as "clone rivalry"—wanting to get rid of the original and take their place, as Will had done—but there was also the connection Tommy and Rita had. Did Thomas not have the same connection? Tommy had not tried to reestablish his connection with Rita ever since that disastrous episode after she'd been put back in her prison, the time that he'd almost been drawn in with her. There was no reason to seek out that connection, and he wasn't sure if it was still there. Still… they had a history, a history that Thomas did not fully own. To have the memories and emotions but not be able to claim full ownership… Yes, it was time to change tacks.

"Thomas," Tommy said, considering the word rather than calling the name. "We went by that name so often. In tournaments. Mom insisted, you remember. I guess the name 'Tommy' was an act of defiance, wasn't it. The name dad always called us."

Tommy felt Sylvia stiffen at the mention of his dad. Thomas went very still.

"I guess we're used to acts of defiance," Tommy said. "Pretty much the defining characteristic of our life…"

"Why do you keep saying 'we'?" Thomas said. His voice had grown quiet, though it echoed in the tense quiet chamber.

"I'm talking about things we both remember," Tommy said. "Memories… they're important. They make us what we are. That… and what we do with them."

"You're just trying to talk me down," Thomas said wearily. "You know I can see through everything you're trying to do, right?"

"I know," Tommy said. "Doesn't mean it can't work, right?"

"I am holding a blaster to Sylvia," Thomas said, mocking tingeing his voice. "Why are you acting like you have the upper hand?"

"Because you've already lost too many people," Tommy said, his throat attempting to choke out the words he needed to say. "Dad's gone. Can you really afford to lose her, too?"

Tommy practically felt the gazes of Rocky, Adam, and Aisha boring into his back. In his confessions, he'd never really talked about his father, or the reason he lived with Billy and his mother. But this was the key to breaking whatever hold Rita had on the clone. It had been for him, after all.

Then things happened very fast. The alarms in the Command Center suddenly rang out, and Thomas, startled, twitched his hand and accidentally fired. His shot went wild, and instead of hitting Sylvia, it hit Adam in the shoulder. He went down against a console, crying out in pain. Rocky rushed to him, trying to catch him and ease him to the floor. A force field slammed around the Green Ranger.

The Green Ranger laughed wildly. "You think this will keep me contained?!" Slowly, he started to force his hand through the force field, shaking with laughter and pain. He was soon past the force field to his elbow.

"Get him out of here and lock him out," Tommy said, shielding Sylvia from any danger. The Green Ranger disappeared.

Now that the immediate danger was past, they all crowded around Adam. His notes were scattered over the floor, and his shoulder was smoking faintly. His eyes were blazing, though; he was more dealing with the pain rather than any serious damage.

"I'm okay," Adam said, his voice rough. "We need to get after him."

Tommy nodded. "Aisha, grab some serum for him. Zordon, where did you teleport him?"

"Foley Park in Angel Grove," Zordon answered. "The security was already targeting that area, as that is where the monster attack has begun. He will probably join the attack, unfortunately."

"He would have anyway, no matter where you put him," Tommy said. He glanced at the Viewing Globe. "The monster's already giant-size. Do you think he can control the Dragonzord?"

"It is likely," Zordon said. "I regret that I did not act sooner."

"It's all right," Tommy said. He knew he had to have a long-overdue conversation with Zordon, who was WAY off his game recently, but that would have to wait. "Rocky, once Adam has healed, you two and Aisha form the Megazord. There's a way to do that without Billy and Kimberly: we've done this before. Sylvia," his voice softened so it didn't sound like he was barking orders at her, "could you find the tape they used to break my spell? I mean, just in case…"

Sylvia gave a grim nod and rushed off.

"What are you going to do?" Rocky said.

"The Green Ranger is going to control the Dragonzord remotely, if he even calls it. If he doesn't… Well, either way, I'm going to try to get through to him. There will probably be punching involved."

"Well, be careful," Rocky said. "We didn't know he had powers. We don't really know what we're dealing with."

Tommy took out his morpher. "Unfortunately, I know exactly what we're dealing with." He swallowed. "And I know how to handle him."


Billy could hear his own breath loud in his ears as he ran through the forest. He was far more athletic than he'd been a year before—it came with the job—but distance running was still not his strength. Especially when it involved running from his own feral ancestor.

They had found the sheriff after a mere fifteen minutes of searching. He had been digging through the dirt, apparently trying to burrow underneath. Whether it was in search of food, shelter, or some more nefarious purpose, Billy couldn't be sure. The sight had sickened him. The sheriff looked like him, only older, with pallid grayish skin, burning red eyes, and erratic, jerky movements. He had looked like an unholy combination of human and Putty… which Billy supposed was the case.

The sheriff had stopped digging when it sensed their approach and had immediately fixated on Billy. Whether recognizing in Billy his own reflection, or merely by random choice, the sheriff had begun this wild chase through the forest.

Finally, Billy had had enough. He'd never be able to dose the sheriff with the cure if he was mauled, and that's what certainly would happen if he slowed down. He had only attempted a running morph once before, and that was while following everyone else's lead, but he had to try. Pulling out the morpher, he activated it and transformed between strides.

He felt a burst of energy wash over him, and the fighting knowledge from his powers showed him exactly what to do. Rather than stop and face the feral man, as he'd planned, he ran straight for a tree and ran halfway up it. He let the motion propel him into the air and over the still-pursuing sheriff, who could not stop his own momentum before slamming into the tree. Billy had the needle out in an instant and jabbed it into the sheriff. The man lay stunned on the ground, apparently sleeping.

Hank and Kimberly ran toward him, Hank stopping dead at the scene. Billy considered how strange it must look to him: a figure in blue and white, wearing clothing that looked nothing like anything Hank had ever seen or experienced.

"I'm sorry, Kim," Billy said. "I couldn't do this without…"

"It's okay," Kimberly said, letting her skirt down. She'd hiked it up to over her knees so she could run. If Hank hadn't been so shocked at his first sight of a Power Rangers, he would have been scandalized. "You did what you needed to do."

Billy unmorphed and crouched next to the sheriff. His eyes were slowly going back to normal, and his skin was much less gray. His clothes were in tatters, but he seemed to be more or less intact physically. Mentally would remain to be seen, but at least they had a peace offering to the Cranston family, so maybe they would give up this ridiculous witch hunt. It somehow morally offended Billy that his own family would succumb to rank superstition in this way.

"Are you okay, Hank?" Kimberly said, after making sure both Billy and the sheriff were fine.

Hank gave an unsteady breath. "I reckon," he said weakly. "You… you sure you're not witches?"

Kimberly laughed. "Witches aren't the only people with magic, and we only use it for good. Like curing the sheriff. Still trust us?"

Hank looked like he couldn't form words, but he nodded. He did seem heartened by the sheriff's apparent return to health.

Billy and Hank hoisted the sheriff to his feet between them. Kimberly went over to them, touched her shoulder to Billy, and touched the teleporter so that it would send them back to where they first teleported in the first place. They weren't morphed, and that meant there were safeguards against teleporting where people could see them. Billy only hoped those safeguards were still working in the past.

They landed at the edge of the forest and then walked the few feet out. They were greeted by Jeremiah and a few other men with guns. The guns faltered, though, when they saw Sheriff Bill Cranston, apparently returned to normal, if unconscious.

"Like they said," Hank said, his voice loud and steady, "we found your son, safe and sound. He's cured of whatever was ailing him: he's just dog tired."

Jeremiah Cranston looked like he was crumbling under the weight of his grief and anger, and the sight of his son seemed to strike him to the core. He opened his mouth to speak… when another voice broke in. A voice that sounded like many voices speaking at the same time.

"Well done, my novice witches," the voices said, and the group turned to see a figure in a black robe, with a face of bone containing fire. A few of the men yelped, and a shot went off in the figure's direction. The figure merely gestured, and the bullet disappeared.

The Wizard of Deception—Billy recognized the voice from when he'd possessed Adam's brother—glowered at them. "Now give the sheriff to me, so that we may complete what we started."