A/N 1: So this is a little plot bunny that just won't go away. Even though the views for stories is screwed the heck up. Note: I am not a Kat hater. But this one just won't go away so I gotta do it.

A/N 2: The monster civil war results in losses for the good side, but some are rescued. Meanwhile, Lokar's son Kaden successfully marries Kimberly and her hell begins. However, Kimberly tries to come up with ways to counteract her hell.

A/N 3: Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers isn't mine. Eldin and Fienna are products of Boom Studios. As is Zophram who comes into play in this chapter.

Chapter 5 – Civil War II and Infiltration

July 14, 1998

Eldin and Fienna's space craft, near KO-35

The legendary sorceress Lady Fienna was so glad that this spacecraft was as fast as the evil Space Skull had been.

Upon the end of Master Vile and the purification into what he once was, the Space Skull was no more – it was a regular run of the mill spaceship, but was as fast as the old carrier.

The three of them also were so glad that they had worked together to remove the permanent darkness that Vile had ushered in, and they had dismissed those from the royal court that still had evil in their hearts. A few stalwarts who had renounced evil remained, such as Rita's childhood friend and Eldin's longtime assistant Tiffany, who had stayed behind to watch the place.

Right now, they were really glad this craft was fast because Rita had been correct. The gutsy team of 40 monsters had held out for a while, but Ooze, Lokar and Katarina seemed to have an unending supply of power, oozemen, and other things that were slowly wearing down the group trying to defend its village.

"You were right, daughter," Eldin said, cringing as Ooze, clearly tiring of the game, blew five different past monsters on Nimrod's team to pieces – Lizzinator, Magnet Brain, Big Burpa, Mad Mike and Pineoctopus were five of the toughest creations any Ranger team had ever gone against.

Yet none of them had any chance against Ooze, Lokar and Katarina – one blast and they were nothing but ashes. Burpa was one of the senior members of the group too.

"Shit," Rita murmured as she saw Nimrod and Pachinko Head's group was down to maybe 10 while Kat, Lokar and Ooze had barely broken a sweat. Pachinko Head had turned a few into pachinko balls but the other side had unlimited resources. Rita sighed – she had no doubt Dulcea had given the defenders a power boost and they did what they could do, but they had no chance. It was a game to Ooze.

She saw the three evil leaders and their companions warming up for another attack, looked at Fienna, who nodded as if to say "cover your eyes."

Right as she was about to sorrowfully close her eyes and mourn further impending deaths, she saw five multicolored blasts hit the ground in front of Lokar, Kat and Ooze, throwing them back.

The three occupants of the space craft orbiting the planet stared at the pictures before them in shock.

"Zophram has been reborn – my husband is making his play," Rita said.

"Trey as well," Fienna said. "Do you think Trey even trusts these guys?"

"Probably not but I'm glad they are interfering so we don't have to," Rita said. Then her mouth dropped open again in shock.

The rest of the gem sorceresses from her galaxy had shown up too, and then Rita took a look at Lady Blue Gem (better known to the originals as Madame Woe) and she could see why. Blue Gem was gushing blue blood as a result of some attack and would need immediate medical attention. There were three different ladies who had come to assist her – with outfits in red, green and purple.

"Those five should even the odds," Rita told Fienna and Eldin. "Let's turn for home."

"Are you sure?" Fienna said. "I may not agree with your choice of marriage but that is your husband down there."

"He can take care of himself, even though he is still a hothead," Rita said. "I cannot afford to put myself in the line of fire if I can help it. I must fulfill my destiny. Let's go home."

Eldin nodded and had the ship turn for home.

Almost as quickly as he'd turned the ship, they saw a transmission coming in. Rita and Fienna looked at each other.

"It's probably Tiff," Fienna said. Rita nodded, indicating she agreed.

"Patch it through?" Eldin said.

"Yes, dear, bring her up," Fienna said.

"Hi guys," Tiffany said – she was a tall blonde that had a body that most Earth humans would kill for. Yet, as someone who had served on both sides of the fence, she had developed the discernment to know when something was important. "You guys are coming back, I see?"

"Yes. Zophram and Trey and the rest of the gem ladies and keep Ooze and his crew at bay, we think," Eldin said.

"I'm calling you guys because I've been watching more the Rangers commiseration of Zordon's death," Tiffany said. "There is something that I'm noticing that you might not. One of the Rangers that you might not expect is distrusting of Kat for some reason."

"Do you think she knows the conspiracy?" Rita asked, as her eyes widened. If any of Zordon's Rangers somehow knew about the conspiracy then they would have to go into witness protection – literally. Kat would be after them and would hunt them down and she was far more powerful than they possibly fathomed.

In a way it was a good thing Kat was not there at the moment – she could have torn each one of them apart. The bad news was that because of Kat and her family, Lady Blue Gem was dangerously close to death.

They were going to be hunted some day anyways but for now the less that knew about the conspiracy the better.

"Per se, no," Tiffany said as she scratched her chin, "but I do sense that one of them has a connection with the supernatural because of her past life."

"Aisha?" Rita asked. Rita was reminded of the Hate Master debacle when with or without that necklace she wore, because she believed that love would conquer all, Aisha had been immune from his poison.

Eldin, too, had his suspicions about Aisha from his brief encounter with Zordon's Earth team as Master Vile. There was something…different, about her.

"Great guess, but not who I am thinking, no," Tiffany said. "I think I've already spoken too much and I don't want this to get out. I'll tell you more when you guys get back."

"Fair," Rita said. "Catch ya on the flip side."

KO-35

"You!" Robogoat hissed as he stared at his former boss, who had quite obviously given up his evil ways. Kat and Lokar were no less startled while Ivan's face remained stoic, as it was most of the time except when he was doing catty commentary before he caused destruction.

Robogoat had proven, before Zophram had shown up, why he had been handpicked by Kat and Lokar as the leader of their monster armies. His power had been easily enough to dispatch of three of the rebels and he was almost about to kill another before this.

"Yes, Robogoat," Zophram of Eltar said as he, Trey and Ladies Red, Green and Purple Gem placed themselves as shields between Kat's evil army and the battered, fried army of monsters who had valiantly tried to defy the odds and defend their village. "Let me remind you that I once made you, and I can break you. That goes for the rest of your pals, too."

Ooze laughed hysterically. He really thought Zophram was being funny.

"So finally, Zophram is free from the evil that bound him. And he brought Trey with him. I love getting a good two for one," Ooze cackled. "Sounds like a good, romantic story. Speaking of romance, where's your wife, Zeddy?"

"That's none of your business, Ooze," Zophram said, otherwise ignoring him as he turned towards the two leaders of the rebels and those that remained. Concentrating his staff, he looked at Trey and they both fired gold blasts that enveloped the monsters. When the dust settled, the villains gasped. They were as good as new.

"Hi, boss," Pachinko Head said. "You know we're all about to die, right?"

"That is why we must escape, now," Zophram said. "Do not worry, one of my friends has secured the contents of your village elsewhere. You will never destroy them, or the Earth Rangers, Kitty."

"Is that right?" Kat said. "You best remember, Zedd…because that's who you are to me…I am far smarter than you can possibly fathom. I will break them down, one by one until there is nothing left. Even the almighty Tommy Oliver will fall at my feet."

"Seize them!" Lokar said as he saw a shimmering portal open. Zophram however, was quicker to the punch and took them all through the portal as the blasts just missed. It then closed as Kaden howled in frustration.

"Easy now," Kat said as she tried to calm her brother down. "Those pests escaping is annoying but we still have our cards. Trust the plan."

Kaden nodded, even as frustration seared through his mind. He couldn't help but think that letting those guys get away was eventually going to be a big mistake.

He knew where they were headed, too. Venus Island, which had once been used for evil, had been reborn for good the day Zophram had come back. It had been his first official act in fact. There was no way they were going to be able to get to Venus Island.

He had no idea how right he would be.

April 7, 2001

Miami, FL

If Kim were being honest, the five years since the Letter, Kim had not felt any after effects. Well, except the part about the high ankle sprain she had when she was competing in college at the University of Florida which had essentially ended her gymnastics career.

But as Kim knew well, injuries happened.

That had led her to the next step in her life, which she'd thought long and hard about. For years, she'd taken an interest in the law, which led her to the idea to come back to Miami after she had finished at UF and enroll in the University of Miami's law school. She'd been accepted, and would start there in the fall.

That is, after she got through her wedding. That wedding was scheduled to be in about two months, and right now, getting through her bachelorette was tough enough as Kim and her friends – including Tanya (who Kim had met years ago after Zordon died), Ashley (her former cheerleading partner), Aisha and Trini – were getting drunk off their asses.

But as crazy as the night was for Kim, it was even tougher for the four Ranger girls who were Kim's guests. They found it *highly* suspicious that Kat was not here. What surprised Aisha and Trini was Tanya was supposedly Kat's best friend but was more convinced than them that something was amiss.

Kim didn't seem to mind it though – she was having a great time.

In addition, they'd met Kaden, Kim's boyfriend and soon to be husband, the night before. To say he raised the hackles on the back of their necks was a grave understatement. They'd all gotten the dirty stares from him a few times too. Ashley had the worst of it – it almost seemed as if Kaden knew about her in some dirty way.

They were going to call Kim aside at some point and talk with her about this, but they also all thought Kaden was a total creep. Oh, he was slick and no doubt had showered Kim with praise and affection, but there was just something about him that was completely unpleasant and they knew Kim was making a huge mistake.

But both Kim and her mom just loved the guy so they weren't gonna say anything at least for now. Caroline Hart was just a rich dolt in Aisha and Trini's minds though so that last part was no surprise.

And they weren't the only ones in the building who had suspicions.

Just outside the hotel banquet hall where the bachelorette was going on, two sets of eyes watched the girls. But they didn't have their eyes on Kim.

"That's the one you say, Tanya, is it?" one of the figures, a blue armored ninja with a golden N on his chest, said to his white robed friend.

"Yes. Tanya. Aisha's replacement. My assistant Tiffany keeps saying that she thinks Tanya has some sort of connection with the supernatural. She had some incident involving the tiki of Auric the Conqueror which exposed to those of us who know magic her untapped potential."

Ninjor nodded, scratched his chin and focused his mind on the Yellow Zeo and Turbo Ranger with his mind, but not so much as to let her know her mind was being disturbed. He tried not to think of Auric, his friend who had died about six months before on another world. It was a horrendous death.

As he focused on Tanya, his eyes widened.

"Holy Eltar Batman, Fienna," Ninjor said softly, "you are right. I sense the power in her. It is unharnessed, but she has it. I think this is why she can sense that this Kaden that Kimberly is about to marry is a creep."

Ninjor of course knew the unspoken truth – he knew who Kaden was, knew who Kat was, all of it. It was why he'd left the fight after the Orb of Doom thing. He did it for his own safety.

Unfortunately he couldn't stop the events that were about to happen. If he did, prophecies would be broken and people would pay dearly. Kim and Tommy had both made mistakes and unfortunately were going to pay the price for them. It wasn't fair, he knew, but these were fixed events.

But he also knew they both had ways to mitigate the damage that would come. Santa had, in fact, given the Rangers such gifts the Christmas after Zordon died as repayment for rescuing Christmas on the North Pole years ago. He just hoped the Rangers, but specifically Tommy and Kim, knew how to use those ways wisely.

"Do we talk to her now?" Fienna asked.

"I do not think that is a good idea. We can confront her when the time is correct," Ninjor said. "I do not want that creep son of Lokar to know what we are up to."

Fienna nodded, agreeing with him 100 percent.

June 2, 2001

Miami, FL

To say today had been…hectic…was an understatement. And a little scary.

Every single Ranger who served Zordon was there, except two.

By now, every Ranger knew who those two were. Tommy and Kat had both graduated college, in fact, Tommy had strangely changed majors. He'd gone into some sort of science major and graduated with it. The guy was actually getting smarter if one could believe it.

Kat was still with him, of course, although she'd vehemently protested his change of majors for some reason. That, Tanya thought bizarre. Yeah it was strange that Tommy had changed to a science major out of the blue, but it was his business. They were both getting ready to move to Boston, where Tommy would be starting graduate school at MIT in the fall.

But every other Ranger was there. Tanya could feel evil eyes on her and every one of them too. It was readily apparent that though Kimberly had tied the knot, she had made a mistake and something was up. She was thinking more and more that maybe Kat wasn't what she seemed and Tommy was making a mistake too.

To some extent, she felt lucky to be alive. Then, there was her current situation; she was actually in a hotel room with a couple of magical beings sitting before her. And that wasn't even the weirdest thing.

"So you're saying," Tanya said, looking at the blue armored person that called himself Ninjor, "that I can sense evil before it really spawns because I have untapped supernatural powers. Do I have that correct?"

"That is exactly correct," Tanya said.

"But how? All I'm doing is upholding the standard Zordon set out for us. He gave me a chance in this world so this is my way of repaying him even though he's gone. Knowing the truth, without fear or favor."

"While true, do you really think your friends understand that they are under the gun once again as much as you do?" the one who called herself Fienna asked.

Tanya had to admit, they had a point.

She then listened closely as Ninjor and Fienna explained the conspiracy that was at hand. Every part of it.

When it was over, Tanya cried bucketfuls of tears. Kat was her best friend, but the legacy was what mattered more. And her best friend was a traitor and Tommy was going to marry her in a year's time.

There was a good chance she was going to cheat on him too, if what Ninjor had said was true about Kat and the being known as Ivan Ooze.

"So…what can I do about it?" Tanya said. "If everything you've just told me is true, I should probably just pack my ball, go home and wait for the end to come. For Kimberly, and then for all of us too."

"It sounds bleak indeed, but that's what Lokar wants you to think. You've never met him before, but those are the games he plays. He loves to play the mental games…that's how he put your predecessors on the Island of Illusions back in the day," Fienna said. "There are ways to work around it, and Rangers always win."

"But how?" Tanya pressed.

"For starters, you need to come with us," Ninjor said. "The M-51 galaxy was freed of evil when Zordon's wave put Master Vile at an end. The rulers are Fienna here and her husband, Vile's good alter ego. That is where we will be going. They have also summonsed a powerful mystic named Udonna who I am sure knows how to tap into your potential."

"Then I'll come. I'll do anything to make things right," Tanya said.

"Before we go," Fienna said, "do you have three specific coins with you? I'm not talking Power Coins either."

"Are you talking about those three gold coins that seem to brim with power? Yeah I have them and want to throw them out, but I've kept them around for some reason," Tanya said. "I don't know what use they'll be but I have them in my suitcase and I'll bring them, too."

"Good. Then grab your coins and we can be on our way," Ninjor said.

December 2, 2001

Miami, FL

It was just six months into her marriage to Kaden, and Kimberly what's-her-name, was it Mrs. Lokar's daughter in law now, knew she'd made the biggest mistake of her life. By far.

The letter was one thing. That was a bad, bad thing that she had done. But the guy was so charming.

Or so she thought.

That was the run-up to the marriage. He'd done everything possible to get her in the fold.

And now that she was, her nightmare was well underway. It had started as soon as she'd returned from her three-week honeymoon in June. Miami law school was tough, but was actually welcome compared to what awaited her at home every night.

The abuse, the pain, misery, mockery, every single negative connotation you could think of was right there at her fingertips.

Kaden had just told her the family Christmas party would be three weeks from tonight – she would of course be there or else.

She had no choice, now that she'd made her own stupid decisions.

The hell she was going through was actually augmenting her enemies' power too. Lokar, Kat, Kaden and Ivan Ooze had deployed their secret weapon on Kim and it was working wonderfully – for them.

It was called the Orb of Despair, companion weapon to the Orb of Doom and it was worse than Doom in many ways. Namely, its most powerful asset is it could feed off a person's brain waves. The more despair, the more powerful it became and the more powerful her enemies became.

This was the centerpiece of Lokar and Ooze's plan. Key off Kimberly's despair, make their beings more powerful, key off the Rangers despair once they realized they could not win and crush them under their feet.

She had allowed Kat to take her place on the team, and it had cost her everything. Literally everything including possibly her very life if everything went as Lokar planned for her. In his grandest vision, he'd said, she'd be the last to die before he conquered Earth.

Kat was of course planning to marry Tommy and destroy him from the inside too. The malicious grin Kat had given Kim as she informed her of her plans sent chills up Kim's spine.

There was one problem with their plans though.

They had underestimated the Crane. Again.

And she now remembered the ways she could combat Lokar's plan. She then remembered an in-the-flesh conversation she'd had with Santa on the Christmas after Zordon passed. Santa's gift to her was in fact still in her pocket as she sat there, the dreaded Orb of Despair cracking with power.

Christmas 1998, flashback

"I have a gift for you, Pink Crane," Santa said as he stared at Kimberly. "I still remember you coming to the North Pole years ago under Zordon's tutelage. I am sad to know that he is dead. But I want to give these to you personally."

Kim gazed at his hand – they were three golden coins. She took them and examined them curiously.

"You're wondering what they can do," Santa said. "Basically these coins are good for any wish you desire. They can only be used once, so I'd advise you to make your wishes on important things."

"How did these come to be?"

"Well after you left the Rangers, Divatox had an errand boy entitled the Wicked Wisher which almost destroyed the second team of Turbo Rangers," Santa said. "That was when I realized that I had talismans like those that could be used for good."

Kim laughed. Divatox, as she had been, was dumber than a box of rocks. No wonder Tommy and the guys had kicked her ass.

End flashback

Kim was never more grateful than right now that she had somehow kept these wishing coins as Santa's gift. She also didn't have a clue how they'd been kept from prying evil eyes. Because now it was time to use them – she just hoped they worked. She was going to use two in fact.

Taking out one coin, she gripped it tightly and said, "I wish for the strength and determination to give me a chance to overcome my troubles. Maybe I will go down, but I wish to go down fighting if so."

That coin disappeared and she was filled with a newfound resolve. The power worked too, she could tell as the orb dimmed somewhat.

She knew she wasn't guaranteed success…Lokar and Kaden would see that the orb had dimmed some and would turn up the abuse meter. The scars were already evident to many of her Miami law school classmates who she was forever grateful for.

Next, she took out a second coin, and gripped it tightly. In many ways, this was going to be a more important ask than the one she just made because she knew at this very moment she still loved Tommy with all her heart.

"I wish that Tommy Oliver knows of the conspiracy that he is walking into and seeks to destroy him, before it is too late," Kim said. Interestingly the coin didn't disappear, as if it were inviting him to say something else. "And make sure that someone tells him that I love him and only him. Forever."

Her wishes would not go unheard.

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