With a cloud of smoke and a crackle of purple lightning, Taylor, Jazz, Toxica and Jindrax landed in a heavily wooded area. Jazz stumbled for a few moments before Toxica's firm grasp stopped her from falling over, "First time teleporting?" the Org asked, to which the Scot nodded, "you get used to it."

"I'll take your word for it," the rather green looking Jazz replied, "is this the right place? I thought the Animarium would look a little grander."

Jindrax cackled with laughter, "Say that to one of the Wild Zords, I dare ya."

Ignoring the conversation, Taylor pushed aside the undergrowth until she reached a clearing. It might have been several years since she was last here but the Soaring Eagle knew every inch of the Animarium, "Maybe you should check this out," she called.

Jazz stumbled through the trees, joining the Major on a rock ledge overlooking the spectacular greenery of the Animarium. For a few moments Jazz was speechless, finally managing to utter, "Now that's a view,"

"Eh, it's alright," Jindrax shrugged. He was cut off by a loud roar and the steady rumble of heavy footsteps. The Duke Org cowered behind Taylor, earning an eye roll from the blonde, "Keep back," he stammered at the sight of the Red Lion Zord.

The Red Lion eyed the Duke Orgs suspiciously, letting out a low warning growl, "Easy big guy," Taylor began, "they're here at the request of the Princess." The Red Lion tilted its head at the former yellow ranger, "Yeah I don't like it either but what can you do," she shrugged. The Wild Zord turned its piercing gaze to a nervous looking Jazz, "She's with me, I trust her," Taylor said simply.

The Red Lion paused before bowing slightly at the Scot, "Hey," she squeaked and offered a small wave, "what do I do now?" she whispered at Taylor.

"The Wild Zords are sentient beings," Taylor began, "like most cats, Red Lion likes a good scratch behind the ears." The Red Lion lowered its head, allow the Scot to gentle stroke its head, "Bit more energy Jazz, he's a lion not a mouse."

"Never catch me doing that," Jindrax whispered to Toxica. The Red Lion lifted its head and snorted firmly at the Duke Orgs, knocking them onto their backsides, "Hey, we're the ones who came to you with news of the end of the world, little respect is in order," Jindrax snapped.

"You still haven't said what's going on," Taylor said, "making me a little suspicious."

"We'll explain when we meet with the Princess," Toxica replied, getting up from the ground gracefully, "it's getting dark, as nice as the Animarium looks now it gets dangerous at night."

"Yeah you would know," Taylor muttered bitterly. Her negative feeling disappeared at a familiar screech in the sky. She looked up with a broad grin, "Hello old friend," she said to the Yellow Eagle Zord. The Zord paused and offered another warm greeting, "The Eagle Zord's going to lead the way, shouldn't be more than a few minutes to base from here." Jazz nodded and set off carefully a few paces behind Taylor.

Jindrax stood up and shuffled nervously around the Red Lion, "Ah you weren't so tough back in the day," he grumbled. The Red Lion slowly rose to his full height and glared at the Duke Org, "But can't stop, things to do," he scrambled away down the path, leaving a dismayed Toxica to bring up the rear.

Just as Taylor predicted, the narrow path through the jungle eventually opened up to a collection of stony ruins, "Wow, very Indiana Jones," Jazz marvelled, "is this where the Wild Force magic happened."

"Yeah," Taylor sighed was filled with nostalgia, "it's strange, everything looks exactly how I remember it." She moved towards the far side of the ruins where a couple of camp beds stood, "This was my home for over a year," she continued, "I probably spent almost as much time here as Princess Shayla."

"Bit basic," Jazz shrugged and poked at the pillow on Taylor's old bed, "is this made of rocks?"

"Need I remind you I was technically AWOL from the Air Force," Taylor huffed, "I could hardly stay in a hotel. It was lucky that no one recognised me when I was on the surface."

"How come the Air Force never kicked you out?" Jazz asked, "If you went AWOL for that long, why did they let you straight back in?"

Taylor grinned, "Never asked, when I returned I got a hero's welcome. Turns out my status was changed to MIA, highly classified mission apparently." Almost automatically she straightened the blanket on her bed, "Power Rangers tend to have friends in high places, if you know what I mean. We look after our own, even without realising it sometimes."

Their conversation was interrupted by the stumbling arrival of Toxica and Jindrax, "Wow, looks even dustier in the light," the Master of the Blades grumbled, "someone could've run a vacuum around."

"I doubt the Princess was expecting company," Taylor shook her head before glancing at the pool in the middle of the ruins, "OK Princess Shayla I got your message," she called out but there was no response, "For their sake I hope it was a real message," she added with a glare at the Orgs.

"Not looking good," Jazz added.

There was a pause, long enough for Toxica and Jindrax to start feeling nervous. Suddenly the pool gushed into life and woman dressed in a flowing white gown appeared, "Sorry I couldn't resist," Princess Shayla grinned broadly. She took a few steps towards Taylor and embraced her warmly, "It's good to see you again," she greeted the Major, "you're looking well."

"And you don't look a day older which I kinda hate you for," Taylor chuckled, "but it has been too long."

"Forgive me but when you're over three thousand year old, a few years barely feels like a minute," the Princess replied. She spotted the two Duke Orgs shuffling on the spot, "Thank you for your help," she added.

"Ah think nothing of it," Jindrax scratched the back of his head, "I'm just pleased Taylor didn't destroy us."

"Still thinking about it," Taylor said as she released the Princess's embrace, "I hope you don't mind but I brought a guest," she continued, "Princess Shayla allow me to introduce Jasminder Sharma," the Scot gave a small smile and wave.

"A pleasure to meet you," Princess Shayla replied before turning to Taylor, "so which one of your Rangers is she?"

"Oh no," Jazz chuckled, "I'm not a Power Ranger, I'm the technical support." There was a pause before she added, "How did you know about our team?"

"I might have spent most of the last sixteen years asleep but that doesn't mean I haven't been keeping up with events," the Princess gave her a kind smile, "somehow I knew Taylor would end up with her own team of Rangers one day."

Taylor chuckled softly, "Yeah and it's made me appreciate everything you did for us even more."

"Sorry to interrupt this love fest," Toxica interjected, "but can talk about the upcoming apocalypse."

"See you keep saying that but I haven't seen anything alarming during my scans," Jazz scoffed slightly.

"Trust me girlie, you're going to want to hear this," Jindrax grumbled.

"And they will," Princess Shayla held up her hands, "let's have a sit down by the fire, dinner is nearly ready."

The two Orgs grumbled but followed after the Princess, Taylor meanwhile stood rooted to the spot, "Are you alright?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah," Taylor sighed, "it's just whenever Princess Shayla cooks, it usually means she's got bad news." The Major followed the Princess and the Orgs slowly with Jazz close behind.

Around fifteen minutes later, the group were sat on some logs around a roaring fire. Taylor and Jazz had a bowl of warm vegetable soup in their laps, Toxica and Jindrax had politely refused. "OK you got me up here," Taylor began, "I think I'm overdue an explanation."

Princess Shayla, Jindrax and Toxica looked at each other for several moments until the Org sorcerer finally spoke, "During the first war between humans and Orgs, we came across an evil so powerful, it could have wiped out all living things on the planet," Toxica began slowly. "The original Master Org came close to acquiring this power but the Orgs were defeated before this could happen."

"Let me guess, it's been rediscovered," Taylor sighed.

"Yeah but it shouldn't have been," Jindrax said and nudged Toxica on the shoulder, "finish the rest of the story."

"When the Orgs were resurrected sixteen years ago, I located this evil again," Toxica continued, "the new Master Org tried to take this power for himself but it was too strong. He decided it was too dangerous and asked me to dispose of it."

Jindrax snorted, "Should've been the first sign there was something funny about him."

"Or perhaps it was the humanity within Master Org stopping him from using it," Princess Shayly countered.

Taylor snorted, "The guy killed the parents of a newborn baby out of jealousy, nothing human about him," she said harshly to the surprise of the Princess, "Cole might want Doctor Adler to rest in peace but that doesn't mean I do," she added.

Almost afraid to insert herself in the conversation, Jazz meekly raised a hand, "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not but I'm gonna tell you anyway," Jindrax began, "cliff notes version the Master Org who attacked Turtle Cove was a human called Victor Adler who consumed some Org seeds out of jealousy of his colleagues and killed them. Bad for him as their baby son turned out to be the future red ranger of the Wild Force team that eventually defeated him, does that sum it up?"

"On a very basic level, yes," Taylor sighed, "but would it kill you to act like you care?"

"Yes because I don't really, I didn't know them," Jindrax shrugged, to which Taylor rolled her eyes but said nothing further, "continue Toxica," the Org said to his friend.

"I thought about hiding it on Earth but this power was too strong to be left on our Earth," Toxica continued, "so I opened a portal to another dimension and cast it away." She paused, fiddling with her staff before adding, "but someone reversed my spell and brought it back to Earth."

Silence fell amongst the group, a few nervous looked were shared amongst the party before Jazz dared to speak, "Must be bad if its go two Orgs spooked," she said quietly, "what it is, a monster? Some kind of virus?"

"A monster doesn't begin to cover it," Jindrax shook his head, "Atropheous is a parasite on a giant scale. It will drain every drop of energy from the planet, leaving it a crumbling dust ball floating through space." He caught Toxica's eye, "We can't stop it alone, we need your help."

Taylor raised an eyebrow, "Out the goodness of your heart?"

"Look you don't trust us, I get it," Jindrax began, "but we've spent a lot of time thinking and exploring the planet," he gently grasped Toxica's hand, "and we've kinda grown to like it."

Taylor didn't look convinced, leaning back and slowly shaking her head, "They speak the truth," Princess Shayla began, "and the Wild Zords believe them." Taylor sighed and bowed her head, "I know you've had your battles but Atropheous is a threat to everyone and everything. I'm willing to put our differences aside for the sake of the planet."

The yellow Wild Force ranger looked up at the Orgs, fixing them with a cold glare, "If I sense even a hint of betrayal, I'll feed you to the Eagle Zord. Do I make myself clear?" The Orgs glared but nodded stiffly in response.

"Is there a plan?" Jazz's voice cut through the tension, "This Atropheous sounds like another level compared to the Vyglass."

"That brings me nicely to the other reason I asked you to come," Princess Shayla smiled, "I have a surprise but it's deep within the jungle of the Animarium. We must wait until morning before setting off." She grabbed her bowl and stood up gracefully, "I have prepared some beds, you are welcome to stay the night."

"A night on the Animarium, this is fantastic," Jazz jumped up, "oh could I have the WiFi password, I can't connect up here," she added whilst waiving her phone. The Princess stared back blankly as Taylor sniggered quietly, "No WiFi?" the Scot said in horror, "I can't remember the last time I was off grid."

"Maybe it'll do you some good," Taylor grinned, "to compensate you can have pick of the beds." Jazz grumbled but picked up her bag and trudged to the sleeping area, "What about you two," the Major said to the Orgs, "Do Orgs even need sleep?"

"Not really," Jindrax shrugged, "we'll just find a quiet corner to rest until morning."

"Fine, just don't try and smother me in my sleep or something," Taylor snatched up her bag and followed after Jazz.

Jindrax shook his head and shuffled away, "You know, I'm beginning to think she doesn't like us," Toxica rolled her eyes and nudged her fellow Duke Org away.

The following morning Jazz was woken from her sleep by a faint buzzing from underneath her pillow. The Scot grumbled when the early morning sunlight creeped through her half open eyes. Rummaging underneath her pillow, she was surprised to see her cell phone ringing, "No WiFi but they have mobile signal coverage, stupid magical island," she moaned before swiping to answer, "Hello," she said groggily.

Jazz rolled onto her back with her phone barely pressed against her ear, "Hang on Stevie slow down," she rubbed her tired eyes, "what do you mean your teddy bear has come to life?"

The Scot wasn't sure if she was still dreaming as the blue ranger relays a tale of how her former childhood toy was now a rampaging six foot tall monster. After letting Stevie rant for a good minute, Jazz grumpily answered, "Look, the Major and I are out of town for today, you're just going to have to handle it yourselves." She rolled away from her phone to distance herself from the blue ranger's voice, "It's a teddy bear, how much trouble can it cause," the Scot grumbled. With barely another word, the line went dead, "Good morning to you to," she added sleepily to the silent phone.

Realising she wasn't going to get any more sleep, Jazz sat up and pulled out her laptop, opening up a couple of files before retrieving a notepad. Occasionally she scribbled a couple of notes onto the paper which in truth were just a collection of random letters on the page. Several minutes passed and she was so engrossed in her work that she didn't notice someone leaning over her shoulder, "What do you have there?" Toxica whispered into her ear.

The Org beamed as Jazz jumped out of her skin, dropping the papers to the dusty ground, "Don't sneak up on me like that," she gasped, "do I have to tell Major Earhardt that you're terrorising me?"

"Ah Taylor's all bark," Toxica waived her away, "you really shouldn't let your guard down like that, you never know who could be around."

"Like a three thousand year old psycho monster witch," Jazz snorted, "I'll keep that in mind."

To her surprise instead of being annoyed, Toxica merely smiled in response, "It's a good thing I like you, I've killed people for less." She picked up Jazz's notes, giving them a quick scan in the process, "Translating something?" she asked, "humans have a history of poking their noses into things they shouldn't," she paused to look directly at Jazz, "it rarely ends well."

"Relax, I'm not trying to hack the Ark of the Covenant or anything," Jazz replied "these are the notes of the scientist who created the Rangers powers but they're all in code. I'm trying to see if I can crack his code, see if there's anything useful that could help the team." She waived her hands towards the notepad, "As you can see, I haven't got very far."

Toxica eyed the Scot curiously before handing over the notepad over, "You intrigue me Jasminder Sharma," she said slowly, "you didn't have to follow Taylor here and you didn't have to involve yourself in Ranger business which makes me wonder why?"

Jazz shrugged, "I was involved in the initial Avian Wave experiment, the only survivor of the initial attack." She paused and sighed, "I feel like I need to help, to honour those smarter than me that died that day." She sighed and briefly gazed at the sky, "Maybe if one of them survived, they would've translated this already."

"You feel guilty for surviving when others didn't," Toxica nodded.

"I have to do this," Jazz implored, "I've broken some of the code but there's something I'm missing."

Toxica was silent for a moment, choosing her next words carefully, "Maybe you need a different approach," she began, "maybe instead of looking at it logically, maybe you need to think outside the box." Jazz looked at the Org curiously, "Some say that magic is just science that can't be explained yet, have you thought about that?"

"So just zap the laptop and translate everything?" Jazz frowned, "seems far too easy."

"And it would be," the Org continued, "there are many different branches of magic, pagans, those that call on higher powers, those with natural magical cores and so on. Maybe you need to find the right magic user for you job."

"Like you can't use a Phillips head screwdriver in place of a flat headed one?" Jazzed asked.

"A crude analogy but essentially correct," Toxica nodded, "my magic might be incompatible with technology but there might be someone who is." She paused and offered a small grin, "Maybe that person is you."

As Jazz contemplated those words, Taylor made her presence known, "You're up early," she said to Jazz, "I hope she wasn't disturbing you."

"Actually she was helping with something," Jazz answered, stuffing her laptop away, "is breakfast ready I'm starving, which reminds me I really should get to try Tattie Scones at some point," she said to the pair, "a full Scottish breakfast is something to behold," she added whilst standing up, "last one to the fire washes up."

Toxica was about to follow but Taylor grabbed her roughly by the arm, "I hear what you were talking about," she said quietly, "don't give her any ideas like that again," she warned.

Undeterred, Toxica glared at the former yellow ranger, "If you heard then you know she's struggling, survivors guilt is nothing to sniff at." She held Taylor's gaze before adding, "You might see us as disgusting, heartless Orgs but it's not easy knowing you're the last of your kind."

"Pointing her towards the dangerous field of magic isn't the answer," Taylor replied, ignoring Toxica's last statement.

"She needs to finish what's she's started before it destroys her," Toxica said before firming wrenching her arm free of Taylor's vice like grip, "at least I've tried to help her, what have you done recently?" she added venomously and stomped away, leaving a pensive Taylor alone.

After breakfast the group walked silently through the jungle of the Animarium. Princess Shayla led the way with Taylor close behind. Jazz followed a few paces behind as Toxica and Jindrax lazily brought up the rear. The awkward silence of their walk was punctured by another call to Jazz's phone, "So it's taken to collecting rubbish," the Scot said, "doesn't sound like a bad thing to me." She listened to the response and shook her head, "Do you really need our help dealing with an overgrown Paddington Bear?" There was a brief pause as the person on the other end responded, "That's what I thought Mark, catch you later."

"Problems?" Taylor asked, "I'm sure Toxica can send you back if the Rangers need help."

"Just the latest monster of the week, nothing they shouldn't be able to handle," Jazz replied, "plus this is much more important."

"How much further?" Jindrax complained, "feels like we've been walking for days."

"It's been barely half an hour," Taylor countered, "how you survived all these years I'll never know."

"We're nearly there," Princess Shayla promised, "in fact if I just push these branches aside," as she did the jungle opened into a large clearing with a giant nest in the middle. To the surprise of everything, there was an equally large egg in the middle, "This is it, the key to defeating Atropheous."

"It's an egg," Taylor said dumfounded, "a zord sized egg," Princess Shayla nodded, "how did this happen?"

"Well when a Mummy Zord and a Daddy Zord love each other very much," Jindrax began.

"Not the time for joking Jindrax," Taylor held up her hand to silence the Org, "tell us what you know Princess."

"When I was awoken from my latest sleep, the Red Lion led me here," the Princess began, "he said this was a gift from Animus to help in the latest battle. I was a little confused at first until I was informed of your team," she directed at Taylor, "whatever hatches out of here will aid you in future battles."

Taylor inched forward towards the giant egg, "A gift from Animus," she began, "he's not going to take it away again like he did the Wild Zords which I still think was a dick move."

"I believe you have proved your worthiness plenty of times," Princess Shayla replied politely.

"Any idea what's inside?" Jazz asked, quickly changing the subject.

The Princess shook her head, "I'm afraid not, the Wild Zords have chosen not to divulge this to me."

Taylor let out a small sigh and walked towards the egg, she got within a few feet when the Red Lion let out a warning growl, "Hey it's me," she pleaded to the Wild Zord, "I might not be Cole but you can trust me." The Red Lion refuse to budge even under an intense glare from the former yellow ranger.

Suddenly the group heard the stomp of heavy footsteps and the rustling of tree branches. The Black Bison burst through the foliage, glaring hatefully at the Orgs but softening slightly at the sight of Taylor. Before long the White Tiger emerged to the group's left hand side and a splash from a nearby stream alerted them to the presence of the Blue Shark.

A familiar cry from the skies then caught Taylor's attention, "Even you?" she frowned at the Eagle Zord. The huge zord flapped its wings, lowering itself protectively towards the egg. Surrounded on all sides, Taylor chuckled and shook her head, "I guess the egg is staying on the Animarium," she said to the others.

"I thought the point of coming was to get the thing that could stop Atropheous," Jindrax grumbled. A low growl from all the Wild Zords grabbed his attention, "OK fine it stays here, don't get your mane in a twist," he waived off the Red Lion Zord.

"So this whole trip has been a waste of time," Toxica sniped.

"I wouldn't say that," Princess Shayla replied, "the Wild Zords have given us hope and perhaps a chance of a new alliance," she added hopefully towards the Duke Orgs

"Us?" Jindrax snorted, "we fought in one Ranger war, we don't want to fight in another."

"But you could help," the Princess pleaded, "you have knowledge that we don't. We never would have known about Atropheous if you hadn't found us."

"We did that to stay alive," Toxica retorted, "it pains me to admit it but if anyone can beat Atropheous, it's a team of Power Rangers."

"That's all we really want," Jindrax added, "call us selfish if you want but we did this to survive, nothing else."

The pair turned to head back to camp but stopped when Taylor called, "Thank you," the Orgs turned their head, "I mean it, you've given us a head start and I appreciate that." The Orgs barely nodded in response before walking off.

"So what do we do now?" Jazz asked.

"Nothing we can do," Taylor sighed, "we pack up, head home and wait," the Scot frowned in response, "the Vyglass haven't been known for their patience, something tells me they won't wait too long to use their superweapon."

"Sitting around and waiting for the bad guys to make a mistake?" Jazz groaned, "How often does that plan work?"

Taylor chuckled, "In the history of the Power Ranger, more often than we'd care to admit."

Jazz, Taylor and Princess Shayla left the Wild Zords and returned to camp, walking mostly in silence apart from the odd shared anecdote between the Princess and the former yellow ranger. When they arrived at the clearing, they weren't too surprised to find the Duke Orgs gone, "They could've at least said goodbye," Princess Shayla sighed.

"Something tells me we'll see them again," Taylor replied, "they'll pick whichever side they think gives them the best chance to survive."

"Maybe if you were nicer to them, they might not have to make that choice," Jazz shook her head.

"You don't know them like I do," Taylor replied sharply, "they spent the best part of a year trying to destroy us, only turning at the last second when it suited them. Trust me, they'd do the same in a heartbeat."

Jazz snorted, "Has she always been this cynical?" she asked the Princess.

"No, she used to be worse," Princess Shayla chuckled, "would you believe she has mellowed with age." Jazz laughed, earning her and the Princess a glare from the Major, "Did you not recruit Cole to the team by knocking him out and dragging him here?" the Princess added with a raised eyebrow.

"It seemed like the quickest way at the time," Taylor said defensively, "and stop deflecting, I trust those Orgs as far as I can throw them."

"At least we know what went wrong when they inevitably turn against us," Jazz muttered.

"I heard that, I've not gone deaf yet" Taylor snapped, "I heard you and Toxica talking too, don't be getting any ideas about getting involved in magic."

"I wasn't," Jazz said defensively, "but maybe it's time to look at alternative options for translating Doctor Neuer's notes."

"Taking shortcuts and using magic isn't the answer," Taylor countered, "just look at Toxica as an example."

Jazz silently fumed but further argument was halted by her cell phone ringing. She saw the caller ID and grumbled to herself before answering, "Rachel this isn't a good time." Her annoyance slowly turned into a look of amusement before shock, "Are you absolutely sure about that," she said into the phone. There was a brief pause as Jazz looked at her screen, "Holy shit, we're on our way back now."

"Surely they can't still be struggling with a giant teddy bear," Taylor grumbled.

"Worse than that," Jazz passed her phone over to Taylor, "take a look at the lead story on TMZ."

Taylor inspected the picture clearing showing Mark and Harley scuffling with each other as a horrified Rachel looked on. The headline below the article read 'YouTube starlet caught in love triangle?' Taylor swore loudly and handed Jazz her phone back, "Can't be left alone for twenty four hours without starting a fight," she grabbed her bag roughly, "we need to get back to Aaronsdale now."

"Shame our driver left early," Jazz grumbled under her breath.

"Not in the mood," Taylor rubbed her temples, also silently cursing Toxica's early departure, "are the surface transporters still operational?" she asked Princess Shayla.

"Yes but that will only get you as far as Turtle Cove," the Princess replied, "you'll have to make your own way back from there."

"How far from Aaronsdale is that?" Jazz asked.

Taylor sighed, "Long enough, I'll need to call in some favours from the Turtle Cover Air Force Base to get us back before tonight." Taylor marched off with barely a wave of goodbye to Princess Shayla. Jazz apologetically thanked the Princess before setting off after the Major. They had some damage control to do and quickly, Atropheous would have to wait for another day.

A/N - Sorry took a bit longer than I would've liked to get this out. More of a set up chapter for the next arc which I hope won't get three months to begin!