A/N : I've had to go back an re read my work because its been so long I have forgotten exactly what has been happening. So if there are any continuity errors, just blame it on a wizard. ;)

************************* Juice Bar*****************************

Ernie leaned his head down onto his arms along the well polished bar of his believed community center. No one had come in yet today. Not a soul and for some reason that upset the smoothie maker more than it should. He had been here during the arguments, just last night, when the majority of the town decided to flee for there lives.

A few vocal people had swayed the thoughts of the rest. The people agreed, the power rangers had not been doing enough to keep them safe and the population of angel grove was already so much smaller than before.

Most had no place to go, the majority of them heading either to the mountains or out to the Midwest. A few daring souls even planned to get a few boats together and were going to try to head to Hawaii. Ernie felt his heart ache for them. Many of those making these treks would die. From weather conditions leading to exposure, bandits, spoiled food or simply drinking unclean water.

The juice bar had been wiped clean of supplies. At least the ones that were not well hidden. It was going to be rough for awhile for anyone who stayed.

With as many dead as there had been during Zedd conquest of the planet, making mistakes like this, scattering in all directions with no plans. Ernie sighed, this really might be the end of humans being the dominate species on the planet. He was so tired of death but he had hope. And teens or not, he believed in the power rangers. He had, over time, come to figure out who the new rangers were. Thought he never let on that he knew. It really hadn't been that hard once he knew what to look for.

And they were all good kids. However, whatever or whomever decided who got to be power rangers had picked well.

The door to the community center opened and Ernie looked up. Speak of the devil. "Hey."

"Geez Ernie... what happened?" Kimberly asked nudging a ripped up card board box with her foot. "Must have been some party." In fact other than the neat and clean bar, the whole center was trashed. Tables over turned, chairs scattered about, ripped open boxes, broken glasses, trash everywhere.

Ernie chuckled dryly and opened his mouth to reply but stopped. "Kim?" he questioned. She looked younger than he remembered and her clothing seemed a little too big on her.

Kimberly sighed, guessing at his thoughts. "The others, they got the spell out of me. They saved my life but to do so, I had to lose a year of time."

Her voice sounded so sad. Ernie simply nodded, nothing really surprised him anymore. "If you came for supplies. I don't have much left to offer. But I can find you kids something."

"No, We're good. We still had some fruit you gave us a few days ago." Kimberly said bending down to start cleaning some litter off the floor.

Ernie watched her for a moment before another thought stuck him. He had never seen Kimberly come alone to the juice bar since they had returned to earth. Not once. She always had someone with her. He remarked on that.

Kimberly simply shrugged. "Bulk and Skull walked me to the front door but they said they had something to do. Want me to get the broom?"

"Sure, if you don't mind helping."

Kimberly only smiled and headed to the cleaning closet.

***************** Warehouse district, noon********************

Rows of long identical looking building laid before them like silent guardians. The warehouse district by the docks usually was a busy place but it had been mostly abandoned when Rita originally came onto the scene.

Rocky shielded his eyes. He could see the ocean spread out wide along the horizon. He used to love the ocean. Now with Divatox and Ooze lurking out there, it was a place of danger.

Tommy looked over his map. "There! That's the building we want." He said, pointing.

"Seems like a weird place to attack." Adam remarked.

"I agree. I mean Ooze has been wanting to hurt people. This place is like a ghost town." Rocky remarked.

Adam wrinkled his nose. "Now why did you say that? It's already spooky quiet out here." Even as he spoke a gust of wind seemed to moan through the silent alleyways between the buildings.

Tommy tired the door. It opened with the slightest touch, as if it was prepared for them. In fact, looking around the room, it had seemingly been prepared. There were all manner of ropes, chains, sheet metal and the likes laying around. "Goldar did his homework." Tommy spoke.

"Oh yeah because all this screams trap." Rocky replied.

Adam was still as a stone, listening. "I don't hear anyone but us. I think we are alone."

"Okay then, let's get started." Tommy unrolled the paper he brought with him. "Let's start here and here."

"Is this really going to work?" Adam asked, straining to pull another thick metal chain into place. "I mean won't Billy see this coming?"

"I'm not sure," Rocky replied pulling an opposite chain toward the wall. 'But at least we know these are strong."

Tommy jumped down from an upper box where he had been working on the overlap of metal across the ceiling. "It will work guys. It just needs to hold long enough for me to cure Billy." Tommy's voice was so confident that both Rocky and Adam found themselves agreeing.

After all this had been the plan Tommy had made with Dulcea. It would work. It has to work.

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

Justin sighed sadly once more as he made a third lap around the command chamber. It wasn't fair! He was one of the guys too! Why hadn't Tommy allowed him to come help? He was sure he could have done something to be of use.

He hated feeling so little. Yes he was a kid, he knew that but... it still didn't make it any easier.

Zordon and Alpha 5 were no where to been seen. Ninjor wasn't in his vase and there was no sign of Dulcea anywhere.

Aisha and Kat were busy sparing in the practice area and talking girl talk. Justin knew they would have let him join but he didn't really feel like hanging with the girls. Plus he knew whatever they were talking about they wouldn't be able to talk about with him around.

He had caught more then enough whispered snippets on conversation to understand what was going on. Justin made a promise to himself that if he ever fell in love, which was an icky idea anyway in his opinion, it would be with one person only and forever. Not all this weird confusion triangle stuff.

Voice floated softly down a hallway he had never noticed before. The sound brought him back to his surroundings. When had he walked this far into the command chamber?

With nothing better to do Justin made his way deeper into the Command chamber, walls of metal became interlaced with walls of carved grey rocks. This place felt strange and Justin shivered with goosebumps from the energy of this place. There was a light up ahead from a door left open a crack.

Justin moved as silently as he could, peeking through the door. He shivered at what he saw and was unable to hold back as he pushed the door open with a shout. "Ninjor!"

The ninja master spun, clearly surprised. "Justin?" he did not like the look the blue ranger was giving him.

"What are you doing to Dulcea?!" Justin demanded.

********************* Billy's mind****************************

The constant, endless darkness was driving him crazy. Billy held onto his sense of self with calculus problems and quadratic equations. Anything to drown out the visions and sounds that constantly filled his head from the being he was trapped inside.

It was a small blessing that Ivan Ooze kept him locked up in the hold of the submarine. The walls were solid, the damp dark calming to the raging beast that only seemed to crave chaos.

No matter how he tried to keep his thoughts from wandering to dark places they always did. Would it be better if he was killed? There was no way the rangers could save him and even if they did... he had killed so many innocent people. He feared the sadness he would see in Kimberly's eyes over what he had done.

No, the Nightmare had done those horrible things and he wasn't the Nightmare. Billy reminded himself.

He hoped that Kimberly would be okay. He hoped and prayed that she wasn't changing into a monster and that she also wasn't constantly comatose with weakness. None of the others would know how to care for her if she was comatose. They all lacked his understanding of biology, chemistry and grid technology.

Tommy and the others had better be looking after her. Kimberly, she was too special to be forgotten about.

It was strange but Billy took comfort in knowing that in-spite of all there faults. Bulk and Skull would make sure Kimberly was okay.

Moon forged bonds ran deep and strong...

Bulk... Billy sighed... why hadn't the Nightmare killed him? Why had it been so... excited but gentle in seeing the ex bully?

Did it have something to do with his previous experience with Bulk? Did that... passion somehow transfer? Billy didn't have an answer and was too scared to think about it... so back to his math problems he forced his mind.

Before he lost himself forever...

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

"Justin! You should know better than to spy!" Ninjor chastized but Justin wasn't listening. He could not take his eyes of the stone slab of a table where Dulcea laid. Tubes hooked up and around her body drawing for a golden kind of light from her. She was so very still. He gripped his power coin close and gazed up at Ninjor. He wouldn't be a match for him but he had to try. Ninjor was hurting Dulcea.

He looked like he was killing her.

"Young wolf?" Dulcea's soft voice called to him and Justin stopped the action he was about to do. She had known, had felt what the child had planned. "Come here." She beckoned softly.

Justin swallowed the lump in his throat as he approached her slowly. "Dulcea? What's going on? You look terrible."

She chuckled softly. "I am dying young wolf."

"Dulcea, you should not have told him." Ninjor frowned. "He is but a child."

"He is old enough to know. Are you not, wolf?"

Justin simply nodded. "But can't we do anything? I don't... I don't want you to die."

Dulcea smiled weakly. "Listen well Justin. I believe with all my heart that the rangers, that all of you, will save Billy. But even that cure will not be enough to keep him alive. His human soul, I fear has been deeply damaged. Splintering apart like pieces of broken glass. If he were to take his own life. It is a blow I do not think the team will survive. So I am willingly giving my magic for the protection and survival of this team."

"When the process is done, Dulcea will be no more." Ninjor's voice cracked slightly with sorrow as he spoke those words.

"Isn't there anything I can do?" Justin asked.

Dulcea had closed her eyes. "I will not make you, nor will I ask it but if you wish, you can stay and help Ninjor until my time is done. I think it would be best if he is not alone when it is all over." Even as she spoke, she seemed to grow paler and older.

"Of course I'll stay and help. I'll stay..." He promised softly.

After all he wanted to be treated like a grown up. What was more grown than this. Helping even when there is no promise of a happy ending for everyone.