Three Days Later

African Wilderness

Soft grunting filled Zack's ears as he made his way through the brush back towards the tribal camp where he and Aisha had lived for quite a while, along with Aisha's family and the other residents.

A slew of flowers that he had picked during his daily hike on the trail were in Zack's hand and he planned to ask Aisha if they could have a future together after pursuing any education they could. He had no desire to go back to Angel Grove and risk any future meetings with any of the demons of his past.

As Zack was about to turn off on to the path that would lead him into the village, the grunting sounded out again and he found himself following the sound even though it took him off the path. After a few minutes, he reached a clearing and was shocked to see a small, furry creature in multicolored, tattered robes sitting on a patch of grass holding a small bag that was hanging around his shoulder.

"Hey, little guy, who are you?" Zack asked as he cautiously walked towards the creature. "You okay?"

The creature's blue eyes sparked as it looked up at Zack, "Lerigooot," it grunted in a burbled voice.

"Your name is Lerigot?" Zack asked as he smiled down at the creature. "Are you okay, Lerigot?"

Lerigot grunted and suddenly looked afraid, "Come on, Lerigot," Zack said gently. "Let's go to the village and get you some food and a place where you don't have to be afraid. My name's Zack; come with me."

Lerigot grunted, nodded, and allowed Zack to carefully lead him through the brush and to the trail.

Where am I? Laura thought as she opened her eyes and saw that she was lying in a tunnel covered in ceiling tiles, dirt, and some sticky substance. It was when she looked down that she saw the box.

"Billy?" Laura called out, wincing as she forced her body into a sitting position. "Billy, where are you?"

There was no response and Laura suddenly felt worried as she looked around and saw that the path ahead had been blocked and that the passage door that led to the Power Chamber had somehow been blasted open. Ceiling debris littered the passageway back to the Command Center, trapping her.

"Is anyone there?!" Laura called out, unable to move because of the heavy debris on her legs.

Silence was the only reply Laura got and she knew that there was nothing to do but stay there, fight the pain from being under debris, and protect Billy's box from any harm. She had given her word to Billy that she would protect his mysterious box and get it to the Rangers however she could, even if she was hurt.

"Alpha, my sensors detect a life form and power source in the emergency passageway," Laura suddenly heard Zordon say in a concerned voice. "Go and investigate; we may need to summon the Rangers."

Suddenly feeling anxious, Laura tried to wriggle out from under the debris, but she couldn't move.

A light suddenly shone on her face, "Ai-yi-yi," Laura suddenly heard Alpha say. "Laura, are you all right?"

"Billy told me to get this box to the Rangers," Laura replied shakily as her hands began to tremble, almost causing her to drop the box that she had been holding. "T-the ceiling caved in on me…"

Alpha nodded and hurried over to her, "Just don't move," he said as he began to quickly move debris off of the terrified, mildly injured young girl. "Can you walk into the Command Center on your own?"

"My ribs sort of hurt and I've been feeling some sticky stuff," Laura replied, wincing as Alpha cleared the last of the debris that was pinning her down away. "How long have I been in this passageway?"

Alpha extended his arms for the box, "Billy was taken three days ago and the Command Center was temporarily damaged," he explained as he took the box from Laura's arms. "Try and stand if you can."

Ignoring the trembling in her body, Laura slowly stood up and placed a hand on her ribs, "I don't know how well I can walk," she replied softly. "I don't know what I'm going to tell Doctor Oliver…"

"You're injured," Alpha replied worriedly. "Just take slow steps and hold on to me; I can help you."

Laura nodded and clung to Alpha as the two slowly made their way back towards the Power Chamber.

African Wilderness – Tribal Camp

"Aisha!" Zack yelled anxiously as he led the tired Lerigot into the small hut just inside the village where Aisha worked helping people while she also worked to get her medical degree. "We have a problem!"

Aisha, who had just spent several hours studying, frowned at Zack as she came in and saw him standing in the front room with Lerigot, "I found this little guy alone in the jungle," Zack explained, smiling at how pretty Aisha looked in the tribal dress and headband she was wearing that day. "He's really scared."

"As he should be," Goldar, who had been sent by Rita to capture Lerigot for Divatox so that Kimberly and Zedison could be taken to Muranthias and married as soon as possible, hissed menacingly as he suddenly appeared in the hut brandishing his sword. "Give me the wizard and you both will live."

Aisha gasped at the sight of Goldar as he looked very repulsive, but Zack got in front of Lerigot, "What do you want, Goldar?" he asked in a defensive voice. "Why do you want to harm Lerigot? He's…"

"He's what Divatox needs to take Zedison and Kimberly to Muranthias to be married," Goldar snapped as he sheathed his sword. "Kimberly has betrayed the Power Rangers and is marrying Zedison there."

Hearing that made Zack speechless, but Aisha stepped in front of him, "Look here, you ugly gold thing," she snapped, disturbed that Zack was now too distressed to speak. "Why don't you just go away?"

Goldar laughed and redrew his sword, "My dear, you've got too much to say," he replied threateningly.

Before Aisha or Zack could react, Lerigot raised his hand and a beam shot out of it that covered himself, Zack, and Aisha and nearly blinded Goldar. When the light faded, Zack, Aisha, and Lerigot were gone.

"NO!" Goldar roared angrily, realizing that his once chance to get Lerigot was now gone forever.

An idea suddenly came to Goldar; if he couldn't get Lerigot to open the portal to Muranthias, he would find others who welded power and force them to use it to open the portal; it couldn't be hard, right?

Attention students and staff,

Due to some personal business that currently needs my attention, I will be not be back on the premises until after Spring Break. Students can reach me through my phone number if an emergency arises…

Malcolm sighed as he skimmed the rest of the note; ever since Tommy had been rescued from Prince Gasket's dungeon, there had been no sign of him or Dr. Oliver. Since Adam was over 16, Dr. Oliver had left him to stay at the house on his own with David checking in on him every so often, but there had been no sign of Laura, and Ashley had been invited to stay with the Lee Scott family for the time being.

"Malcolm, there you are!" Katherine, who had been worried when Malcolm didn't show up in the cafeteria for lunch, said as she walked down the hallway towards him. "What's the matter?"

Malcolm was silent for a moment and then turned towards her, "I guess I'm a bit depressed," he replied in a somber voice. "School seems so much harder now and I'm just not getting my energy back."

Katherine sighed and gently hugged Malcolm, "I've also been having nightmares," he replied as he allowed himself to be held by Katherine. "I woke up screaming in the middle of the night last night and threw up all over the bed in front of Jason, my aunt, and my uncle; it was extremely embarrassing."

"Aren't you a little old to be throwing up all over the bed?" Bulk's cold voice suddenly spoke up.

Malcolm paled and turned to see Bulk standing there with an amused look on his face, "Poor wittle Malcolm threw up all over the bed like the little baby that he is," Bulk cooed maliciously. "Now that Doctor Oliver's gone, I can pick on you without getting in trouble. You've had it coming for a while."

"Bulk, why don't you leave him alone?" Katherine asked worriedly, getting in front of Malcolm.

Bulk hooted, but didn't move, "I don't hit girls," he replied anxiously. "Get out of the way, Katherine."

"No," Katherine replied anxiously, unaware that Malcolm had suddenly leaned against Dr. Oliver's office door with a pained expression on his face and a hand pressing against his forehead. "Leave him alone."

Bulk scoffed, but before he could reply, Rocky came running down the hall with his backpack over one arm and two passes in the other, "Malcolm?" he asked, seeing Malcolm in such an anxious state.

"I-I'm fine," Malcolm replied, straightening up just as Katherine turned around. "What's wrong, Rocky?"

Rocky sighed, pushed past Bulk, and handed him a pass, "The elementary school just called Mister Caplan and Justin's being sent home sick," he explained anxiously. "Justin doesn't have any family, so Mister Caplan told us to meet Detective Stone at the school so we could pick Justin up ourselves."

Malcolm nodded and followed after Rocky silently, "Bulkie, you know, you're kind of being mean to everyone for no reason," Skull spoke up, disgusted with his friend. "Maybe you ought to settle down."

"Maybe you ought to get a life since you've got all the time in the world now," Bulk snapped, fighting the urge not to beat the tar out of Skull for his sudden assertive personality. "Shut up, numbskull."

Skull frowned and sighed, "My name is Eugene Skullovitch," he replied softly. "And I'm very tired."

Bulk's eyes widened and he gaped at Skull, "I don't know if I'm going to make it through the rest of school today, Katherine," Skull commented as he looked at Katherine. "I had trouble sleeping last night and I got a call from Ashley this morning who told me that Laura hasn't been around for a few days."

"Want me to walk you to the nurse's office?" Katherine offered gently. "You could call your mom."

Skull shook his head, "Mom's working," he replied softly. "I just need a little nap in the infirmary."

"You're not going ANYWHERE!" Scorpina yelled as she suddenly appeared in front of them. "I need two able bodied people with good hearts to help open the passage to Muranthias for Empress Rita!"

Katherine gasped and began to back away; without her Zeo power, she was completely helpless.

"Ah, a pretty little girl has a good heart!" Scorpina yelled as she advanced towards Katherine.

Anxious to keep Katherine safe for Malcolm's sake, Skull got in front of Scorpina and pushed her back against Dr. Oliver's office door, "Take that, pretty boy!" Scorpina hissed as she stabbed Skull in the side of the neck with one of the smaller spikes on the arm of her gold armor. "Now, as for the girl…"

Horrified that Skull had allowed himself to be injured to protect her, Katherine gasped and promptly ran off around the corner as Skull collapsed to the ground unconscious, "Hey, you can't do that to my buddy, you creepy gold lady," Bulk snapped as he knelt down next to Skull. "Skull, wake up!"

"You don't exactly look noble, but you'll have to do!" Scorpina yelled angrily. "Let's go!"

Bulk screamed as he and Skull suddenly vanished with Scorpina, leaving no trace of them behind.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN LERIGOT ESCAPED?!" Rita yelled angrily as she paced back and forth in front of Goldar while Kimberly sat quietly with Zedison in a corner of the large cavern. "YOU IDIOT!"

Goldar trembled, but before Rita could strike him with her wand, a very thin woman who wore a metallic-like red dress and metal headgear under her eye suddenly appeared in the middle of the cavern with her purple ponytail cascading down the cape that streamed down her thin back, "Well Rita, this is certainly a step down from the Moon Palace," the woman scoffed. "I thought you married Lord Zedd?"

"We just destroyed the Power Rangers and that disgusting Machine Empire!" Rita snapped, aggravated at the woman's rude comment. "So, Divatox, do you have the ship ready to depart for Muranthias?"

Divatox scoffed as she looked over at Kimberly and Zedison, "The island is only for strong willed people and Maligore will not bless any ceremony between two weaklings. They look very delicate and weak."

Rita scoffed, but nodded, "Zeddy, bring me the Zeo Star!" she yelled into another cavern. "Goldar, go to Angel Grove, find the rest of those Power Rangers, and don't come back until they're destroyed!"

Whimpering in terror at the expression on Rita's face, Goldar nodded and vanished from the cave.

A moment passed and then Zedd came into the room holding the Zeo Star in his hands. Rita scowled and pointed her wand at the Zeo Star while mumbling under her breath. Almost immediately, a large multi-colored beam shot out of the star and promptly engulfed Zedison and Kimberly. Rita cackled madly.

"What is that silly little star going to do, Rita?" Divatox replied scornfully. "Give them courage?"

Suddenly, the Zeo Star exploded into millions of small pieces and the light faded, "Hello Mother, Father," Zedison said in a sharp voice as he suddenly got to his feet now wearing a ninja suit that resembled Zedd's body armor, but was less body-like. "I suddenly feel very energized."

"As you should," Rita replied evilly as she walked over to Zedison. "Zedison, meet your bride."

Zedd cackled as Zedison looked down at Kimberly, who had been stunned by the beam and was now wearing a dark purple medieval-style gown with a matching headpiece, "I have been blind since Ivan Ooze's attack, Mother, but I trust your judgment," Zedison replied softly. "Describe her to me."

"Kimberly is all that you need in a bride," Zedd grunted, disturbed by Zedison's blindness.

Divatox scoffed, but before she could comment, Goldar appeared, "Empress, I found two of good hearts that will prove useful to opening the portal to Muranthias," he said. "They are in the lower cavern."

"Oh, I put that sniveling little brainiac down in there as well," Divatox interrupted. "His name is…"

"C'mon buddy, wake up," Billy heard as he suddenly woke and realized that he was in the poorly lit cavern where Rita and Zedd had been hiding since the Machine Empire took over the Moon.

Frowning, Billy slowly sat up, "Bulk?" he asked worriedly, instantly recognizing the anxious voice.

"Billy?" Bulk gasped as Billy came over to where he and Skull were. "What are you doing here?"

Bulk gazed down at Skull worriedly, "Some gold lady attacked us at school and tried to take Katherine, but Skull got in the way and was stabbed," he explained as he gestured to the gold spikes that were still embedded in Skull's neck. "Skull hasn't woken up and I'm getting really worried that he's not gonna."

Billy sighed and silently checked Skull's pulse, "He's got a pulse," he replied softly as he examined the small spikes in Skull's neck and slowly pulled them out. "They look like they just put him to sleep."

"When's he gonna wake up?" Bulk snapped as Billy slipped the spikes into his pocket. "I'm worried."

Shaking his head, Billy looked at Bulk, "Give me your jacket," he replied calmly. "I don't know exactly when Skull will wake up, but as long as he's unconscious, we need to make him comfortable."

Bulk's eyes widened at Billy's sudden assertiveness, but he quickly took off his jacket and handed it to Billy. As he covered Skull with it, Billy's mind wandered to Laura; he hoped she was safely hidden with the box that he had entrusted to her before he was captured. That box would save the Power Rangers.

I'm exhausted and sore. Laura thought as a sudden wind hit her in the face as she sat on the sand of the beach where Alpha had teleported her after tending to her injuries. Alpha had taken possession of the box and Zordon had told her that she was very brave for risking her life to help preserve the Rangers.

The waves suddenly calmed and Laura found herself suddenly drawn to the water; she slowly got to her feet, slipped off her shoes, and swept through the sand until she was ankle deep in the water. She immediately relaxed and closed her eyes, only to be hit with memories of her past and Ranger days.

Laura winced and slowly knelt down in the water; what she saw was a very thin, very battered blonde teenager with a bandage on her forehead, messy clothes, and hair that very badly needed washing. She didn't know where she was or why Alpha had sent her to a beach instead of back to Angel Grove.

Blinking, Laura suddenly closed her eyes and could see another scene in her mind; she could see a poorly lit cave where Billy was talking with Bulk and helping an unconscious Skull. The scene shifted and she could see Rita, Zedd, and a pirate-like witch talking with a well-dressed Zedison and Kimberly.

Tommy, I'm so sorry. Laura suddenly heard Kimberly's voice echo through her mind. I can't love you.

"Hey!" Laura suddenly heard someone shout from down the beach. "Why are you in the water?!"

The realization that she was most likely on private property suddenly hit Laura like a ton of bricks and she found herself frozen in terror, "Laura?" she suddenly heard Tommy's gentle voice ask. "Laura?"

A wind suddenly cropped up as Rocky helped Justin out of Detective Stone's car, "I hate the wind," Justin moaned irritably, gazing up at Rocky. "I don't know why you and Malcolm even came to the school; I could have slept in a jail cell without bothering anyone. I dunno why you were called…"

"You put Rocky and I as your emergency contacts, that's why," Malcolm replied gently as he got out of the front passenger seat of Detective Stone's car holding the bag of cold compresses, tea, and other things that they had bought at the grocery store after getting Justin from school. "Let's get inside."

Justin nodded and Rocky put a protective arm around him as they walked inside the Angel Grove Shelter, unaware that Detective Stone had turned the engine off to wait around just in case something happened that the two young teens were unprepared for; his car was much faster than an ambulance.

"Right, let's get you into bed," Rocky said in a gentle voice as they walked into the room where Justin, along with the other children at the shelter, spent his nights. "Malcolm can make you some tea."

Justin sighed and sat down on his bed, "It's just a little cold," he replied softly. "When I was younger, I would just get rid of colds by drinking tons of water and taking long walks. It was really cold at night…"

"Justin, that's not how you get rid of a cold," Malcolm said in a gentle voice. "Rest and fluids…"

Justin scoffed, "It doesn't matter if I'm sick, anyway," he replied crossly. "When this place closes, I'll probably have to find a place to sleep in the park; the shelter's having problems placing me…"

"What do you mean by 'when the shelter closes?" Rocky asked in a worried voice. "Is it really closing?"

Nodding, Justin sighed and coughed, "There's not enough money to fix it up and the shelter director hasn't been able to get any more from the city," he replied softly. "I'm getting really tired…"

"Why don't we go into the kitchen and get you a cup of tea before you have a nap?" Rocky suggested in a gentle voice as he sensed Justin needed a distraction. "While I make you some tea, Malcolm can show you some cool martial arts moves. When you're feeling better, maybe you can join Jason's class…"

Justin looked slightly happier at the prospect of something to do and he stood up. He followed Rocky and Malcolm out of the children's room and into the recreation area. Rocky went into the kitchen and Justin sat on a mat while Malcolm did some very basic katas to keep Justin entertained and happy.

"Whew," Malcolm said in a tired voice as he walked back over to Justin. "I'm already tired."

Rocky smiled, but didn't laugh at his friend's sudden tiredness as he put a lemon flavored teabag into a cup already filled with water, "Do you want some tea too, Malcolm?" he asked, gazing at his friend.

"No, save it for Justin," Malcolm replied as he sat on the mat beside Justin. "Maybe a walk would…"

Suddenly, Goldar appeared in the doorway, "You're not going anywhere, Blue Ranger," he said in a menacing voice as he walked towards them. "I've been given orders to destroy all of the Rangers."

"Justin, go hide in the kitchen," Rocky said as he came out of the kitchen and stood beside Malcolm.

Justin hurried into the kitchen and ducked below the window, "How can you fight me without your powers?" Goldar asked in a menacing voice. "You two don't stand a chance against me."

Since Rocky was physically stronger than he was at the moment, Malcolm immediately assumed a defensive stance while Rocky launched himself at Goldar. For several minutes, Goldar and Rocky were engaged in aggressive hand-to-hand combat while Malcolm and Justin watched in horror.

"You won't last, Goldar," Rocky panted as he delivered a drop-kick to Goldar's chest, knocking him back.

It happened quickly; Detective Stone was walking into the shelter to check on Justin and say that he would stick around so that the school day wouldn't be ruined just as Rocky was advancing on Goldar with another dropkick. As Detective Stone came through the doorway to the recreational area, Goldar grabbed Rocky's leg and flipped the young man into several backwards somersaults so hard that Rocky slammed into the far wall and fell to the ground. He let out a cry of pain and suddenly didn't move.

Anger boiled up inside of Malcolm and he ran at Goldar, punting the gold warrior back with very simple martial arts moves. Even though he was concerned about Malcolm ending up in just as bad or in worse shape than Rocky, Detective Stone used the distraction to hurry over to where Rocky lay. Justin came out of the kitchen and silently knelt next to the unconscious Rocky, tears falling down his young face.

Realizing that Malcolm would rather die than stop fighting, Goldar took three very swift, but well aimed swipes at him. Even though his forehead and forearms were bleeding, Malcolm continued to fight.

"This fight is not over!" Goldar snapped as he stepped away from Malcolm and swiftly disappeared.

"Rocky…" Laura moaned softly, frowning when she suddenly felt something wet touch her forehead.

Slowly opening her eyes, Laura frowned when she saw that she was lying down and that Dr. Oliver was sitting in a plastic chair beside her, "Miss Hammond, how are you feeling?" Dr. Oliver asked softly.

Ignoring the aching throughout her body, Laura slowly sat up and was surprised to see that she was in a bed and covered by clean clothes and a warm quilt, "Where am I?" she asked in a nervous voice.

"My uncle's cabin," Tommy, who had just been in the kitchen making a cup of tea to help Laura feel better, said in a concerned voice as he came into the bedroom and saw Laura awake. "I was out doing my daily walk down the stretch of beach that belongs to my uncle and I found you in the water."

Laura nodded and swallowed hard, "Tommy, you need to go tell Zordon and Alpha that Rocky, Malcolm, and their young friend Justin are in serious danger," she said in a trembling voice. "I-I saw them f-facing off with G-Goldar…"

Dr. Oliver quickly got to his feet, "I'll go contact the Command Center on the special computer and Tommy will stay here to make sure you don't get up," he replied in a concerned voice, wondering what exactly Laura had seen and felt. "Tommy, keep an eye on Laura, okay?"

Even though she was scared to be left alone with Tommy for fear that he would openly blame her for his painful stay with the Machine Empire, Laura nodded and was quiet as Dr. Oliver left the room, "When my uncle and I disappeared from that dungeon, he didn't take me to a hospital or anything like that," Tommy explained in a soft voice as he gazed at Laura gently. "He brought me out here and helped me to recover."

"Tommy, I'm so sorry that you got taken at all," Laura replied in a trembling voice, bracing herself for an explosion. "If I hadn't run upstairs…"

Tommy sighed and shook his head, "Then I would have been taken some other way," he replied softly. "Stop blaming yourself for it, please."

Laura sighed and was about to ask Tommy how he knew she was doing that when Dr. Oliver returned, "Goldar attacked the Angel Grove Shelter," Dr. Oliver said, having just been called on the phone by Detective Stone. "Malcolm, Rocky, and Justin were all there when it happened."

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