Disclaimer: Saban owns Power Rangers and the characters within, not I.

"Goldar!" Zedd called out without removing his eyes from Rita. He waited for a moment until he heard his golden henchman enter the room behind him.

"Yes?" Goldar questioned.

"Are you prepared?" Zedd asked in return.

"I am," Goldar answered. Zedd turned to him.

"Then go... we will join you when it's time," Zedd stated with a wave of his hand. Goldar grinned and then disappeared into a flash of gold. Zedd turned his attention back to Rita who was staring down at her staff in disbelief. "Are you ready?"

Rita raised her eyes at Zedd's question. She considered him for a moment before weighing the golden staff in her hands. She let the weight of it hit the ground as she straightened it to stand next to her.

"What are you thinking?" Zedd asked.

"Just... why you would bother bringing me back," Rita asked, the skepticism evident in her tone.

"I told you," Zedd replied.

"Then why did you leave me for dead?" Rita questioned.

"To teach you," Zedd answered coldly. Rita nodded.

"What was I to learn from it?" Rita asked.

"Who was in charge," Zedd responded. Rita considered him for a moment before she turned to walk over to the balcony at the edge of the castle she had created but he had since remodeled. She peered across the surface of the moon before her eyes landed on Earth. "And I know you are wondering, so yes I am aware of the sacrifice you made for the Green Ranger."

"I knew you would be," Rita said with a half turn to him before refocusing back on Earth. She felt Zedd's presence close to her now. Directly behind her. The glow from him bathed the railing in front of her that she was resting her hands on.

"I would not advise you to ever make a mistake like that again," Zedd said, his voice lower than usual. Rita felt a shiver go down her back. Even though he was not touching her she felt crushed by his presence.

"And if I do?" Rita said summoning courage as she closed her eyes.

"You will not die again... I will see to that," Zedd responded as he moved even closer. He ran a hand through her hair, weighing it in his hand before letting it drop. "You will wish for death though."

"I understand," Rita said opening her eyes and blinking away a tear that was threatening to fall.

"You know the plan?" Zedd asked. Rita turned to him.

"Get the green coin," Rita answered.

"Right," Zedd said before he moved to stand next to her.

(****)

"Does he ever give up?" Billy asked as he ran past Kimberly and hit Goldar with a punch that knocked him back into an army of putties.

"I can answer that," Goldar said as he gathered his footing. "No."

Goldar swung his sword at Billy who barely dodged it and crashed into Kimberly as two putties grabbed them from behind.

"I got you," Jason said as he swung down with his own sword and shattered the arms of the putty that had gripped Kimberly. He looked over to see Zack had freed Billy in a similar fashion. He heard a whoosh overhead and looked to see Trini flipping over them. She landed and then hit Goldar with a kick in one move.

"Back off!" Trini admonished him as she turned to the rest of the team to make sure everyone was okay.

"Alright..." Jason began as he looked up and down the street. It was the middle of a Saturday and the town was crowded. "We really got to get him out of the town if we can."

"How do we do that?" Zack questioned.

"I'm not sure..." Jason replied as he looked around for a solution. The beeping of his communicator derailed his train of thought.

"Jason!" Alpha's frantic voice rang through Jason's helmet.

"What is it Alpha?" Jason questioned.

"Trouble... another side of town," Alpha answered.

"Who?" Jason asked.

"Zedd," Alpha answered. Jason nodded as he formulated a new plan. He looked up to see the other four taking turns to lay waste to some putties.

"We are on it..." Jason announced to Alpha before smashing a putty into pieces. He glanced up to see Billy and Kimberly were now fighting Goldar. They seemed to be doing well enough. "Trini... Zack!"

"What is it, Bossman?" Trini asked after she and Zack slammed two putties into each other.

"Zedd... on the other side of town..." Jason said with a point.

"Got it," Zack said as both he and Trini teleported out.

"Let me," Jason said as he charged between Billy and Kimberly and rammed a shoulder into Goldar and sent him crashing into a light fixture. Jason then turned to the other two. "Did you hear?"

"Zedd... yeah," Billy answered.

"If you two got this, I'm going to go help them," Jason said.

"We got it," Kim said with a reassuring nod.

"Yeah, they'll need you more over there," Billy stated as he considered their foe versus his.

"Alright," Jason said as he reluctantly prepared to teleport. He had a bad feeling about all of this and was not keen on separating.

"Let's take him down," Kim said after Jason had disappeared.

"Let's," Billy agreed as they both summoned their weapons and approached a recovering Goldar.

(****)

The first thing Jason saw was Zedd with his hand around Trini's throat as Zack was struggling to get to his feet. Jason swore under his breath before he moved kick Zedd's arm which prompted him to lose his grip on Trini.

"Hello Jason," Zedd said calmly as he turned to him and rubbed his shoulder.

"You alright?" Jason said as he helped Trini to her feet and moved her back away from Zedd.

"I'm good," Trini said with a shake of her head to regain her full faculties. She turned to Zack and offered him a hand to help him stand upright.

"Why don't you two leave us?" Zedd asked moving his gaze in the direction of Trini and Zack.

"Are you crazy?" Zack asked as he clenched his fists.

"I think you are needed elsewhere," Zedd said just as an explosion startled the three Rangers. They all turned to see smoke rising from a building somewhere between where they had left Goldar and where they were now. Jason turned to the other Rangers.

"I'll go check it out," Jason said.

"No... you stay," Zedd said. "We have some unfinished business."

"I got some things I'd like to work out with you as well," Trini said before cracking her knuckles. Zedd's only response was a low chuckle.

"Okay... I don't like this," Jason said as he looked from the smoke rising higher back to his teammates. "You two go... assess it... and get back with me and we will formulate a plan."

"Will you be okay?" Zack asked.

"For a while yeah..." Jason said glancing over to Zedd who stood still with his gaze on Jason.

"Alright... but if it isn't as bad as him... one of us will be back here," Trini said before she and Zack teleported away. Jason took a deep breath and turned to Zedd who clasped both hands on his staff. Jason brandished his sword in response.

"I don't know what you are up to Zedd but we will stop you," Jason announced.

"Is that... could that be a hint of uncertainty I hear in your voice Red Ranger?" Zedd taunted as he took a step closer.

"We've done it before," Jason stated.

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Zedd questioned.

"Enough of this," Jason responded before he and Zedd closed the distance between each other.

(****)

"Woah," Zack said as he gazed up at the now missing piece of a hardware store with smoke still rising from it.

"I don't see anything," Trini said as she glanced around for the source of the damage.

"Maybe it came from within," Zack said as he tentatively approached the building.

"Maybe," Trini agreed as she turned her attention to the building as well. She began to follow Zack.

"Wrong," the voice from behind the two Rangers froze both of them in their tracks. Trini was the first to spin around and make eye contact with Rita.

"No..." Trini said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You are dead," Zack commented as he blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Dead..." Rita echoed his last word. She raised her staff before firing a blast that hit Zack in the chest and sent him crashing through the damaged building. She then turned to Trini. "Do I look dead?"

"Big mistake," Trini said as she brandished her daggers and charged Rita. Every swing was blocked by Rita's staff until Trini felt a blunt force under her chin and she felt herself flying the air. She crashed down hard on the blacktop and rolled over onto her side. She saw Rita approaching her as she struggled to get to her feet.

"Hey Rita!" Zack called out, garnering her attention away from Trini. Rita turned just in time to see a blast from Zack's cannon coming at her. She got her staff up in time to deflect the shot. The surrounding impact from it overturned a nearby car.

"Nice aim," Rita said even as Zack was running at her. He reached her and swung his ax at her. Sparks flew as the metal tip of it clanged against the golden handle of her staff.

(****)

"Watch out Billy!" Kim called out too late as Goldar's sword came through the air and crashed against the blue armor shielding Billy's chest. He flew back violently. Kim reached out for him but felt arms around her waist. She looked down to see Goldar was lifting her off the ground. She clawed at his hands but before she could grip him he ran her into a nearby car. The force of the blow knocked the air from her lungs and she began to struggle for breath.

"Kim..." Billy's call was weak as he began to get to his feet. He cringed in horror as he saw Goldar kick a fallen Kimberly and she went scraping down the blacktop. Billy ran at Goldar and grabbed his arm and used his momentum to fling him over his shoulder and into the glass window of a nearby electronics store. Billy gathered his breath and then ran over to Kimberly. "Are you okay?"

"I just need to get my breath," Kim said as she sat up with help from Billy.

"He seems tougher somehow..." Billy stated as he helped Kim fully to her feet. He heard the sound of glass crunching and turned just as Goldar stomped out of the building and began to hard charge at the two Rangers. Billy retrieved his lance from the ground where Goldar had knocked it. He stepped in front of Kim to take the brunt of the attack.

"Move!" Goldar said as he ran Billy over and grabbed Kim by the throat. He ran her backward into a nearby row of mailboxes. The metal of the boxes bowing to the force of Goldar's assault. He then lifted Kim over his head and threw her hard on the sidewalk. He stood over her and was about to stomp down at her when bullets began to bounce off of him. He glanced down the street to see a line of police officers firing from behind their patrol cars.

"Stand down!" one of the officers shouted even as their bullets bounced off of the target, fired in futility. Suddenly Goldar's hand began to glow bright orange and he raised it to show the fireball that had formed within his palm. He took aim and rared his arm back.

"No!" Billy called out as he flung his lance at Goldar's arm just in time to knock the fireball off of its trajectory and into the side of a row of nearby cars, causing a large explosion.

"Argh!" Goldar exclaimed in frustration as he grabbed Billy's lance from the ground and snapped it into two across his knee. He tossed both pieces to either side of him just Billy reached him and hit him with a couple of kicks to his chest and then one to his face that knocked him backward.

"Come here..." Kim said as she spun the tumbling Goldar around and punched him in the chin with all of her strength. The creature exclaimed as his knees buckled and he fell the ground.

(****)

Jason swung with precision, determined to get his sword past Zedd's defenses. So far he had been unsuccessful and had paid the price as the blood he could taste on his lips attested to. He was growing more concerned he had not heard back from Trini or Zack but had no time to reach out to them.

"What's wrong Jason?" Zedd asked as he swept Jason's legs out from under him and then came down with the pointed end of his staff. Jason barely managed to roll clear before the attacked cracked the blacktop beside him. Jason was understanding more and more how far Zedd intended to take the battle.

"What do you want?" Jason responded with his own questioned as he got to his feet and dropped into a defensive stance. "You can't have the Zeo crystal."

"No..." Zedd replied. "Not the crystal."

"Then... what?" Jason questioned, puzzled by Zedd's response.

"The green coin," Zedd said.

"What..." Jason started to respond.

"Jason... Jason!" Trini's voice cut through into his helmet. "It's Rita!"

"No..." Jason shook his head in disbelief at the news. He had no time to react before he felt a sharp pain his stomach. His eyes widened as he looked down in time to see sharp edge of Zedd's staff slowly retracting from his flesh. He glanced up as Zedd stepped back and examined the blood on his staff.

"This is how it all ends until we get that coin," Zedd remarked as he dismissively wiped the blood of his staff.

"Jason felt his knees weaken and he fought to stay upright. His mind went into overdrive as the panic set in. Everything was growing dark as he reached for his communicator.

(****)

"There's no way..." Kim said as the pink light from her teleportation dissipated from in front of her eyes and she saw Zack engaged in a fight with Rita. She glanced at Billy who seemed to be just as in shock as she was. Neither could believe the words they had heard over the communicator from Trini.

"Is Goldar..." Trini asked as she got to her feet and turned to see the Pink and Blue Rangers to her left.

"He left... we had him beat and he retreated," Kim answered even as Zack came crashing at the feet of the group. Billy was the first to kneel down to help him to his feet.

"Where's Jason?" Billy asked.

"I got no response from him... I guess he is still fighting Zedd," Trini said as she helped steady Zack.

"How is she back?" Kim questioned as Rita lined up in front of the group.

"We haven't really had time to ask," Zack responded as he retrieved his ax from the ground nearby.

"Maybe I should check on Jason," Kimberly said as the realization hit her that he was left alone to fight Zedd. Her mind was all over the place as she still couldn't wrap it around seeing Rita again. She had no time to think or act any longer though before a blast from Rita's staff landed in middle of the four Rangers and sent them all flying into different directions.

"I thought..." Billy struggled to get his breath as he clutched his side. "You helped Tommy..."

"Stop talking," Rita replied as she made her way over to him first and grabbed him from the ground. She got a good grip around his throat. She saw a yellow object approaching from her left and flung Billy at it. She smiled as he crashed into the approaching Trini and both fell hard back to the ground.

"I've got her," Kim said as he prepared a shot with her bow.

"Do you?" Rita questioned. Kim took her shot and cursed as Rita batted the arrow away. Kim prepared to fire another one but it was too late as Rita had reached her and kicked her hard in the stomach. Kim doubled over just as she felt Rita's hand grip her behind the neck.

"Let her go..." Zack said as he came into the picture and swung his ax at Rita who managed to catch it in her grip. Zack struggled to get it back from her even as Rita raised her knee and it crashed into Kimberly's visor and she fell backward to the ground. Rita then with a flip of her other wrist flipped Zack over to his back while he was still gripping his ax.

"Stupid," Rita said as released her own grip on the ax and opened her hand. Her staff came flying into it and she brought it down at Zack. Zack closed his eyes as he had no time to move. He was surprised when he head the loud crack in the blacktop next to his head as Rita's staff sunk into it. He opened his eyes and looked up at Rita. She was staring intently at him and he furrowed his brow.

"You had me..." Zack commented quietly as he struggled to understand why she hadn't ended him. Rita took a deep breath and then reached down and lifted Zack off the ground she tossed him at the other three who had found each other and were trying to recover and rejoin the fight. The impact of Zack's flying body toppled them over again.

"Zack... are you okay?" Trini asked as she reached over for him. Her hand rested on his chest before he nodded.

"Yeah.." Zack responded as all four slowly got their feet. They clenched their fists in unison as they prepared to continue the fight. Before they or Rita could make another move Zedd materialized in between them. Kimberly gasped as she saw Jason's limp body draped over Zedd's shoulder. He callously tossed him to his feet.

"Jason..." Zack found his voice before the other three.

"Rangers..." Zedd's voice barely registered with them as their eyes were fixated on Jason at his feet. Kimberly started to make a move to him but Zedd's staff lowered to his throat. "I wouldn't do that Pink Ranger."

"What have you done?" Zack questioned, rage building up inside of him.

"I have done what was necessary to get what I want," Zedd replied.

"What do you want?" Trini asked, placing her hand on his chest as he saw him inching forward. Zedd glanced behind him at Rita. She stepped forward to stand next to him.

"My coin," Rita said.

"You have something that does not belong to you," Zedd added. "Return to Rita her power coin..."

"We don't have it..." Kimberly said.

"Yes... I'm sure Zordon is keeping it safeguarded in that ship of his," Zedd responded. "You will get it from him."

"Or..." Zack said. Zedd glanced down at Jason and then back up Zack.

"Next time... no one survives." Zedd reacted.

Zedd raised his staff from Jason's throat and the stepped back.

"Twenty four of your Earth hours... the coin or else," Zedd said before he and Rita both disappeared in a red and black flash. Kim wasted no time in racing to Jason. She was by his side and cradling his head in her hands.

"Jason... Jason... can you hear me?" Kim pleaded as his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Is he..." Billy asked as he stepped back from the group that had all gathered over Jason.

"We got to get him to the ship," Kim stated as her hand moved to his. She felt some comfort as he weakly gripped it. In a flash all five were gone, leaving behind the rubble of the battle and the pool of blood that had gathered under Jason's prone body.