"I can't believe it's getting cold," Kim commented as she and Tommy walked on to the beach hand-in-hand and sat down on the dry sand. "Wouldn't it be cool if we actually got some snow this year?"

Tommy chuckled and gazed out at the lake, "You know, there's one good thing about not being chosen as a finalist for the interviews," he replied in an amused voice. "I won't have to leave you or the others."

"I would miss you too much," Kim replied as she leaned against Tommy. "You're everything to me."

For a few moments, Tommy and Kimberly sat in silence as they gazed out at the lake and reflected on how much they meant to each other. Suddenly, a loud, very familiar cackle broke the lingering silence.

Alarmed and curious about what Rita was doing there, Tommy and Kimberly quickly got up and ran down the beach in the direction the cackle had come from. They suddenly saw Rita and Zedison standing on the rocks, watching and cackling as a tired Malcolm faced six Putties by himself.

"Why doesn't Malcolm morph?" Kimberly asked in a worried voice. "Morphing would help him."

Tommy was silent for a moment and suddenly noticed that Zedison was holding Malcolm's Morpher in his hand, cackling gleefully as the Putties knocked Malcolm around effortlessly, "Zedison has Malcolm's Morpher, that's why," Tommy replied as he held out his Morpher. "It's Morphin Time!"

"White Tigerzord!" Tommy yelled, immediately attracting the attention of both Rita and Zedison.

Silently hoping that the battle wouldn't get worse, Kimberly quickly pulled out her Morpher, "Pterodactyl!" she yelled, relieved when she quickly morphed into her pink uniform.

Rita cursed as Tommy and Kimberly advanced on the Putties, "THESE RANGERS ARE GIVING ME A HEADACHE!" she yelled in an angry voice as she waved her wand and knocked Malcolm to the sand.

Now enraged by Rita and Zedison's flippant desire to cause trouble, Tommy and Kimberly made quick work of all six Putties. Rita moaned and promptly vanished into thin air; Zedison quickly followed her.

Tommy and Kimberly quickly de-morphed and ran over to where Malcolm lay, "My Morpher," Malcolm said in a pained voice as he slowly sat up with a hand on his ribs. "Did Zedison and Rita take it?"

"No, it's right here," Kimberly said as she hurried over to where the Morpher lay and picked it up.

Tommy knelt down beside Malcolm, "We should get you to the Command Center right away," he said in a concerned voice, seeing that Malcolm had suffered injuries. "Alpha can patch you up quickly."

"Then Zordon will tell Jason I got into trouble," Malcolm replied crossly. "Jason's so excited about being chosen as a finalist for the Peace Conference. I'd rather not tell Jason or Zordon right now, okay?"

Kim sighed and handed Malcolm his Morpher, "We could take you to the emergency room," she offered in a kind voice as she and Tommy helped him to his feet. "Nobody would know you were there."

"Kim, when I got back to my aunt and uncle's place with bandages, they would find out that I lied," Malcolm replied in a distressed voice. "They would also tell Jason that I need his protection."

Tommy sighed, "We could contact my uncle to give us a ride to the emergency room in Stone Canyon where nobody knows you," he offered. "While you're being looked after, I can phone your parents and ask them if we can spend the weekend hanging out at my uncle's cabin so you can heal up a bit."

"That sounds great," Kimberly commented, suddenly cut off by the ringing of her cell-phone.

Tommy and Malcolm watched as Kimberly pulled her cell-phone out of her pants pocket and put it up to her ear with a scowl on her face, "Kimberly Hart," she said in a cheery voice. "Oh, hi Mom..."

As she listened to what her mother had to say, Kimberly sighed, "…Okay, Mom," she said in a resigned voice as she gave both boys an apologetic look. "…I'll see you at home in a bit. I love you too, bye."

"My mom wants me to come home so that we can spend some time together," Kim said as she returned the phone to her pocket. "Stone Canyon seems a bit far for you guys to go, Tommy; it really does."

Realizing that not only was Kimberly right, but that his uncle would ask why they wanted to go to Stone Canyon when there was a hospital in Angel Grove, Tommy sighed and nodded, "You're right," he replied, giving Kimberly a reassuring smile. "I'll call my uncle to come pick us up from here. We can drop you off at your house on the way to the hospital, Kim."

"Goodness, it's quiet in here today," Helen said as she and Thomas entered the Youth Center and saw only a few people there; Ernie was at the food counter and two boys were sparring on the mats.

Thomas smiled and walked over to the counter, "Ernie, where's Malcolm at?" he asked kindly.

"I don't know," Ernie replied in a cheerful voice. "He usually comes here with Jason after school."

Overhearing Ernie's comment, Helen hurried over to the counter, "I don't understand," she said in a concerned voice. "Malcolm said he was coming here to help you with the after school rush today."

"With those interviews for the Peace Conference going on, it's been kind of slow in here," Ernie commented in a kind voice. "If Malcolm's looking for some sort of a job, he can come talk to me."

Thomas turned his attention to the boys on the mat and immediately recognized Rocky, "Rocky, how are you doing?" he asked, walking over to the mats. "I was wondering if you've seen Malcolm recently."

"Not since after the match when he left the gym," Rocky replied, frowning. "Isn't he with Jason usually?"

Thomas shook his head, "Jason was made a finalist and has a meeting today," he replied, now very concerned about where Malcolm could be and why he lied. "He wanted us to meet him here later."

"Adam and I will keep an eye out for him," Rocky promised, gesturing to the other young man.

Helen looked at Ernie, "Why would Malcolm lie about where he was going?" she asked worriedly.

"He might be upset about being denied an interview," Rocky commented, suddenly regretting speaking up when he saw the shocked looks on Adam and Helen's faces. "Whoops, I guess that was a secret."

Helen scowled at Thomas, "You and Rocky knew about this and you didn't tell me?" she said in an upset voice just as Aisha and Billy came into the Youth Center. "I could have talked to Malcolm if I had known."

"Known what?" Billy asked in a confused voice. "Hey, where IS Malcolm, anyway?"

Helen sighed, "I'm going to go home in case Malcolm shows up there," she said in a distressed voice. "I think we need to have a talk with both Jason and Malcolm about this Peace Conference thing. It's clear that Malcolm isn't reacting well to being rejected nor is he happy about Jason being made a finalist."

"Maybe he went to the beach with Tommy and Kimberly," Billy cut in in a gentle voice. "I know Tommy and Kimberly were going there after school to hang out while it's still warm. Maybe he went along too."

Scoffing, Helen sighed again and hugged her husband as Billy, Aisha, Adam, and Ernie watched.

"Zordon, the Black Ranger is missing!" Alpha exclaimed as he watched the scene at the Youth Center through the Viewing Globe. "We need to gather the other Rangers to go and search for him."

From inside his time warp, Zordon sighed patiently and Alpha gasped as the scene suddenly changed to the Angel Grove hospital; Tommy was standing outside of a closed examination room talking with an older man who looked a lot like him. The door suddenly opened and a nurse came out into the hall.

"The Black Ranger had an unexpected run-in with Rita and Zedison," Zordon replied. "He was dealing with his frustration in the only way he knows how and Rita took advantage of him being alone."

Alpha whimpered, "Relax Alpha," Zordon commented. "Tommy is handling the situation quite well."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi," Alpha replied in a distressed voice. "I fear the Rangers are not as united as before."

Zordon sighed, "They may surprise you yet, Alpha," he replied. "Have confidence in their abilities."

Alpha nodded, but continued to watch the Viewing Globe, worried that all would soon be lost.

Anna Hart smiled as Kimberly walked through the front door of their house, "Kimberly, I'm glad you came home so quickly," she said in a kind voice as she came out of the kitchen. "I want to talk to you."

"Can we talk while I have a snack?" Kimberly asked, suddenly feeling very hungry. "Please Mom?"

Anna looked nervous, but silently hurried into the kitchen with Kimberly at her heels. All thoughts of food were forgotten, however, when Kimberly saw a man wearing nice European clothes standing at the counter with a tall glass of milk in his hand. He smiled at Kimberly and silently took a sip of milk.

"Mom, who's this?" Kimberly asked in a nervous voice, wondering what was going on.

Anna smiled, "Kimberly, this is Pierre," she said as she walked over to Pierre, "He is my fiancé."

"Allo, Kimberly," Pierre said in a friendly voice as he set the glass down and offered his hand to her.

Kimberly scowled, "You're getting married again, Mom?" she asked. "When are you getting married?"

"Within the next month, dear," Anna replied in a kind voice. "The three of us can then move to Paris."

Swallowing hard, Kimberly backed away, "Mom, as much fun as that sounds, I need some time to be by myself and think about this," she said in a nervous voice. "You've dropped a huge bombshell on me."

Anna frowned as Kimberly turned and ran out of the kitchen. A moment later, she heard the front door open and close again very quickly; she then looked at Pierre with an apologetic look over Kimberly's unusually impolite behavior.

"…I just called the Lee Scott's cell-phone and talked with Jason's dad," Malcolm heard Tommy say. "I asked if Malcolm could come out for the weekend to relax and they immediately said it was okay…"

From his place on the exam bed, Malcolm sighed and struggled to get comfortable even though he was wearing a flimsy gown and covered by only a thin blanket. He was laying on his right side to try and alleviate some of the pain he felt from being beaten up by the Putties, but it wasn't working.

Tommy and Dr. Oliver had remained close while the medical staff had taken his history, examined him, and had taken him for x-rays. Now, all Malcolm could do was lie there and hope to fall asleep.

A sudden knock at the door, however, shattered that hope and Malcolm looked up just in time to see a middle-aged nurse with chocolate skin, dark hair, and pink scrubs come over to the bed holding a large x-ray file. She smiled down at Malcolm and wincing, he slowly sat up and tried to look half-awake.

"Hi there, Malcolm," the nurse said in a kind voice. "I'm Nurse Mona Campbell and the doctor sent me here with your x-rays and to take care of your injuries for you. How are you feeling right now?"

Malcolm swallowed hard, "Tired and sore," he replied in a soft voice. "I just want to get out of here."

"I understand," Nurse Campbell said in a gentle voice as she took the x-ray over to a light-box, put it on, and switched the light-box on. "Hmm, you have four broken ribs, but they'll be easy to set."

Having overheard that comment, Tommy came back into the room, "My uncle's gone to get supplies for the study weekend up at his cabin," he said, smiling at the nurse. "You can study while you rest."

Malcolm nodded and remained silent as the nurse prepared to set his ribs with Tommy nearby.

"…I don't want to move to Paris, Aisha," Kimberly said as she and Aisha entered the Youth Center to get something to drink as they talked. Kimberly had run into Aisha just outside and they had come back in.

Aisha sighed, "Maybe you could stay with my family so you can finish high school," she offered in a gentle voice as they walked over to the juice bar where Jason's parents were sitting with Billy and Adam.

"Hi girls," Helen said in a pleasant voice. "How is your weekend going so far?"

Kimberly smiled, but inside she was nervous, "Mrs. Lee Scott, have you seen Jason anywhere?" she asked, fully intending to tell Jason about the fight with the Putties and where Malcolm was.

"I believe he's at the school for that finalists meeting," Helen replied pleasantly. "If you're looking for Malcolm too, Kimberly, he's going to be spending the weekend with Tommy and his uncle out at Doctor Oliver's cabin; it's the least we could allow him to do after he got rejected for an interview."

Nodding, Kimberly backed away from the table, "Billy, Adam, do you wanna come with Aisha and I over to the school?" she asked in a feigned nervous voice. "I left some stuff in my locker that I need."

Quickly realizing that Kimberly was just trying to have an excuse to go over to the school to find Jason, Billy and Adam nodded, "Yeah, we can come," Adam replied as he and Billy got up from their seats.

"Kids," Thomas said, chuckling as Kimberly, Adam, Aisha, and Billy quickly left the Youth Center.

"…Jason, the entire group is waiting for you," Mr. Caplan's strict voice said as Jason bolted down the hallway towards the auditorium where the finalists meeting would be held. "Rocky DeSantos…"

As Jason approached the auditorium, he could see Rocky trying to talk to a frustrated looking Mr. Caplan, "…Please sir, if I could just have another chance to convince them that I'm what they're looking for, I will do better than I did in the interview," Rocky said in a pleading voice. "Just give me some time."

"You have two minutes," Mr. Caplan said, glaring at Jason as he led Rocky into the crowded auditorium.

Jason sighed and tried not to show his frustration; he had been helping the janitors put the mats away from the match after the bell had rang and he had lost track of time. Now Mr. Caplan was irritated.

"Jason?" Jason suddenly heard as footsteps came up behind him. "Jason, we need to talk to you."

Jason turned and saw Kimberly, Billy, Aisha, and Adam behind him, "What's up?" he asked casually.

"Tommy and I came across Malcolm at the beach a while ago," Kimberly replied, having already shared the story with Billy, Aisha, and Adam. "Zedison took his morpher and Rita made him fight Putties."

Jason frowned, "Did Rita kidnap Malcolm again?" he asked, suddenly feeling very uneasy.

"No, but the Putties and Rita banged Malcolm up a bit," Kimberly replied. "Tommy and Doctor Oliver took Malcolm to the hospital and then they're going to Doctor Oliver's cabin for the weekend…"

For a moment, Jason was silent and then he looked at Billy, "Billy, do you think the RADBUG can get us to Doctor Oliver's cabin?" he asked, suddenly not caring about the finalists class anymore. "Tommy told me where it was once and I need to talk to Malcolm and ask him what's bothering him."

"Jason, can Adam and I come with you and Billy?" Aisha asked, concerned about her new friend.

Kimberly frowned, "There is no way that I'm not coming along to help," she said in an anxious voice.

"What about your interview, Jason?" Billy asked in a concerned voice. "It's very important to you."

Jason shook his head, "Nothing is more important than family," he said firmly. "Let's get going."

Empowered by Jason's determination, Kimberly, Aisha, Billy, and Adam followed him down the hallway towards the school exit. A moment later, Mr. Caplan poked his head out the door and scoffed at seeing Jason walking the other way with his friends; he then returned to the classroom, closing the door.

The sun was beginning to set by the time the RADBUG made it to the beachside cabin that Dr. Oliver owned and kept in good order even though he didn't use it often anymore. As the car approached the parking area, its headlights shone on a figure that was just coming outside; it was Tommy.

Concerned why Tommy was alone and wondering where Malcolm and Dr. Oliver were at, Jason ripped off his seatbelt and quickly got out of the car before anyone could stop him, "Jason, what are you doing here?" Tommy asked, shocked when Billy, Adam, Aisha, and Kimberly also got out of the car.

"Kimberly told us about you and her saving Malcolm from being attacked by Putties," Jason said in a concerned voice. "She also said that he asked you and her for help instead of coming to me for help."

Tommy nodded, but before he could reply, the front door opened, "Thomas, why are you making a bunch of racket outside at this time of day?" Dr. Oliver's gentle, yet concerned voice asked.

"Jason and some of my other friends came up to check on Malcolm, Uncle Frank," Tommy replied.

Kimberly sighed, "Tommy, if Malcolm needs time to rest, we can go," she said in a worried voice.

"You kids would be crazy to try and travel back to Angel Grove in the dark," Dr. Oliver's gentle voice suddenly cut in. "Why don't you all come inside and we'll have a good talk about this over dinner?"

Jason, Kimberly, Billy, Adam, and Aisha all looked at each other in silence; they had all told their parents that they wanted to come up for a study weekend anyway, so why couldn't they stay at least overnight?

Encouraged by that and the eager look that Tommy was giving them, the group all nodded and followed Tommy up the wooden stairs and into the large cabin.

The cabin foyer was decorated in simple wooden furniture with dreamcatchers on the walls and Native American-style blankets draped over the chairs, on one of the walls, and tucked in a small open closet just to the left of the front door.

Dr. Oliver was standing at the bottom of a beautifully crafted wooden staircase in a plaid shirt, jeans, and sandals with a small bottle of pills and Malcolm's school clothes in his hands, "If you're here to see Malcolm, he's sound asleep right now," Dr. Oliver said in a kind voice. "After we got up here, Tommy helped Malcolm upstairs and helped him into some of the spare clothes I keep out here in case I ever need a place to stay. They were a little big on Malcolm, but I figured that they would be comfier than the ones he wore to school today. Anyway, the hospital gave me some pain medication to give him in case he complains of pain; he's SUPPOSED to take them with food, but he's refusing to eat right now."

"Pain?" Jason asked, suddenly very concerned that Tommy and Kimberly hadn't told him how much damage the Putties, Zedison, and Rita had done to his cousin. "What exactly happened?"

Dr. Oliver sighed, "Malcolm said he was out walking by the beach and he got jumped by a couple of punks who roughed him up before running away," he replied softly. "While we were at the hospital, I called Lieutenant Stone in to try and get Malcolm to tell who attacked him, but Malcolm wouldn't talk."

Kimberly's eyes widened; she wondered who Lieutenant Stone had accused of the attack on Malcolm.

Fortunately, before she could say anything, Dr. Oliver sighed, "I have three bedrooms upstairs and one of them is mine," he said in a tired voice. "I already made a large dinner for Tommy, Malcolm, and myself and it's more than enough for the rest of you. After dinner, Tommy will show all of you to where you can stay for the weekend; Kimberly and her friend in one room, and Jason, Billy, Tommy, and—"

"Adam Park, sir," Adam replied timidly, as he had always been sternly taught to show respect to others.

Dr. Oliver nodded and looked to Aisha, "And you are?" he asked, not really knowing her well.

"Aisha Campbell," Aisha replied, giving Doctor Oliver a smile. "My mom works as a nurse at the hospital in Angel Grove and that's why we moved here; she wanted a better job than she had in Stone Canyon."

Dr. Oliver smiled, "Wonderful," he said in a calm voice. "Tommy, please take Billy, Kimberly, Adam, and Aisha into the kitchen and get them some food. I want to talk to Jason alone for a moment."

Tommy nodded and led Billy, Kimberly, Adam, and Aisha into the kitchen, "Right before he fell asleep, Malcolm wrote a letter explaining why he did what he did," Dr. Oliver said in a low voice as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. "A letter might help you understand things."

"Malcolm wants me to read this?" Jason asked as he took the letter. "Does he think that I'm mad?"

Dr. Oliver shrugged, "Maybe after you've eaten, take some time to sit in the common area and read through it," he replied softly. "Hopefully after you've read it, he'll be awake and you two can talk."

"Maybe," Jason said as he pocketed the letter to keep it secret. "Can I read it over right now?"

Dr. Oliver suddenly looked thoughtful, "If you think it will help you, you may," he replied in a gentle voice. "I can save enough food for you and Malcolm for later, but don't dwell on the letter all night."

Jason nodded and walked off into the den to spend time reading the letter and thinking very hard.

For a moment, Dr. Oliver was silent and then turned to join the small crowd in the kitchen for dinner.

"Okay, Bulk, let's try this one more time," Lt. Stone said in an exasperated voice as he handed the nervous Bulk another glass of water. "Where exactly were you after school if you weren't at the beach?"

Bulk whimpered and quickly took a sip of water; he had been sneaking back to the school after hours to see if he could slip into the finalists meeting to hang out with Skull without anyone else noticing. On his way from his house back to the school, however, Bulk had found himself being detained for questioning.

"Bulk, PLEASE don't make me phone your parents," Lt. Stone said in an irritated voice. "Start talking."

Bulk sighed, "I was on my way back to school to sneak into the finalists meeting, okay?" he snapped.

Lt. Stone suddenly looked amused, "The finalists meeting to see who will be picked from Angel Grove High to go to the World Peace Conference in Switzerland?" he asked. "You and Skull are FAR from…"

"Skull was actually made a finalist and is being considered for honors classes because he turned in a bunch of homework that was all correct," Bulk replied despondently. "I'm being considered for military school next year because Mr. Caplan and Ms. Appleby don't think I have enough discipline at home."

Lt. Stone sighed, "So you really have no idea who attacked Malcolm Lee Scott at the beach today?" he asked, realizing that he would need to talk to Malcolm for a better picture on what happened. "

"No!" Bulk said in an anxious voice. "I didn't even know Malcolm was attacked! That's so awful!"

Swallowing hard, as he had thought for sure that Bulk and Skull had been involved, Lt. Stone silently left the interview room to try and figure out what to do; Bulk might or might not end up being helpful.

"Malcolm, are you still asleep?" a voice filtered into the guest bedroom that had been assigned to the boys for the weekend. "Malcolm, Doctor Oliver went to bed about an hour ago, but the girls are still up and we're wondering if you wanna come downstairs and have a midnight snack with all of us."

Silence was the only reply and the door promptly opened, "Malcolm?" Adam asked, having snuck out of the kitchen and upstairs to check on Malcolm without telling Jason, Tommy, Billy, Kimberly, or Aisha.

"Adam, I need your help," Malcolm's voice spoke weakly. "Zedison did something to my Morpher."

Frowning, Adam turned on the light and saw that Malcolm was lying on the floor in oversized clothes with sweat pouring down his pale face, "Do you want me to get Jason?" Adam asked in a concerned voice. "What do you mean that Zedison did something to your Morpher? Did he break it?"

"What's going on?" Jason's voice suddenly filtered through the door. "Why are you on the floor?"

Jason quickly entered the room and walked over to where Malcolm lay, "Jason, take my Morpher to Zordon and Alpha," Malcolm said in a faint voice, seeing that Jason was there. "Zedison cursed it."

"What about you?" Jason asked as he knelt down beside Malcolm. "You need their help too."

Malcolm sighed and closed his eyes, too tired to speak, "Do you want me to get the other Rangers?" Adam asked, knowing that he was useless in this situation. "They can help Malcolm more than I can."

"No, all the noise would wake Doctor Oliver up," Jason replied. "I need you to help me, okay Adam?"

As Jason raised his communicator, Adam nodded, "Alpha, can you transport Adam, Malcolm, and I to the Command Center?" Jason asked in a low voice. "I think Zedison cursed Malcolm's morpher."

"You're right, Jason," Billy commented nearly an hour later as he stood before an analysis machine that contained Malcolm's Morpher. "Zedison put a spell on it that Malcolm's energy would be taken."

Jason sighed and looked over to where Alpha was helping Malcolm sit up on the cot; he watched as Alpha offered a large metal glass of a steaming liquid and helped the trembling boy to hold it.

After he and Adam had brought Malcolm to the Command Center, Alpha had taken away Malcolm's Morpher and had secretly summoned Billy, the technical genius of the Rangers, to analyze it. Billy had used the excuse of needing the bathroom to escape the party with Kimberly, Aisha, and Tommy.

"This will bring back the energy that was taken by your cursed Morpher," Alpha said in a gentle voice as he helped Malcolm to drink the entire glass of liquid. "There are brief side effects, but it will help you."

As he swallowed the liquid, Malcolm made a face, "It makes me feel a little nauseous, but I am grateful for the help," he said in a tired voice. "Alpha, did Zedison get the Black Power back by cursing me?"

"No, but your Morpher is definitely damaged," Billy cut in. "You definitely cannot morph for a while."

Malcolm sighed and looked down, "I apologize for letting you and the other Rangers down, Zordon," he said in a sorrowful voice as he looked back up towards Zordon. "After I was rejected for a Peace Conference interview, I was dealing with so many emotions that I just needed time to myself."

"You were rejected for an interview?" Jason asked in a concerned voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Malcolm sighed as Adam quietly moved to stand beside Billy, "You were so excited about being chosen as a finalist that I didn't want to ruin that," Malcolm replied. "After I was attacked and taken out to Dr. Oliver's cabin, I was able to write a letter expressing my thoughts about it. Did you read it, Jason?"

"I did," Jason replied gently. "It gave me a lot to think about, but let's focus on you right now, okay?"

Before Malcolm could react, Jason pulled him into a brotherly hug, "Alpha will analyze your Morpher and let you know if it can be repaired," Zordon spoke up. "For now, you all should go back to the cabin where you teleported from before anyone discovers you missing."

As the four boys were teleported from the Command Center, Zordon became lost in deep thought.

Okay, so does anyone want to please review the story so that I feel motivated to continue it?