This story takes place in a totally different universe than the one on the television show. For one thing, Eltare doesn't exist in this universe. This story takes place after The Earth Crystals. Also, the prologue is pretty daring, and may be upsetting to some. It can be skipped, and you won't lose anything from the plot. It gives Justin a different history (and please understand, I like both Justin and Blake Foster, this is not some bizarre psychopathic fantasy I have like some people on the Power Rangers Newsgroup because they don't like the idea of having a twelve-year old Ranger). That being said, enjoy.
By Jeremy Ray Logsdon
Early March
"How do I look?" Diva Tox asked. Her skin was a pleasing shade of dark brown, her hair hung down her back in thick braids, and she was dressed in a very simple pair of red shorts and a yellow top. Her general facial features were different, and the only thing that even hinted at her previous identity was her voice.
"Remarkably normal," Jenga said. "I think I'm gonna go blonde and blue." Jenga tossed her hair back. As it flew over her shoulders, the curly red and blue locks melted into an even, golden blonde. Her bright green eyes turned into an equally bright pair of blue eyes. "Think they'll recognize me?"
"Nah," Diva Tox said. "Especially since we're just gonna watch."
"Is Scorpina coming?" Jenga asked.
"Archerina asked her to help summon a demon for that baby they just made," Diva Tox said.
"I was wondering how they were coming along with that," Jenga said. "Did they finally get the glitch out of baby's programming?"
"Yes," Diva Tox said. "Gasket is already all puffed up about it. They're very proud."
"Good demons are hard to find," Jenga said thoughtfully.
"Where are the Rangers at?" Diva Tox asked.
"The Coliseum, I believe," Jenga answered. "Do you want me to incapacitate a Ranger today?"
"Not just yet," Diva Tox said. "The planets haven't aligned yet. I can access Muiranthias for another two weeks. Besides, I still haven't located that little furball Lerigot yet."
"Oh well," Jenga said. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine."
"I sure hope so," Diva Tox said. "Let's go."
"Man, I can't wait to see the guys!" Justin shouted happily.
"Easy Justin," Kimberly laughed.
"It was nice of your dad to let you come ahead with us," Tanya said.
"Yeah," Justin said as though his mind were elsewhere. "Nice of him. There's the Coliseum!" He took off running as soon as the brick building came in sight.
"Hold on Justin!" Katherine shouted as she ran after him.
Jenga and Diva Tox stood off to the side in front of a pair of double doors. "Rocky's kind of cute," Diva Tox purred.
"But not as cute as Maligore?" Jenga asked.
"Oh never," Diva Tox answered with a laugh. Suddenly, the doors flew open. A child dressed in blue slammed into Jenga.
"Oh," Justin said. "I'm sorry ma'am."
"It's okay, hon," Jenga said. She brushed against his arm, and …
{No Daddy no!}
said, "Just take it easy … next time."
"Jennifer?" Diva Tox asked, using their semi-official Earth names. "You okay?"
"I'm fine Debbie," Jenga answered. Jenga watched as Justin walked toward Tommy, Jason, Rocky, and Adam in the ring. She closed her eyes and looked at the memory again.
{Please Daddy!}
{Shut up, you little mistake!!!}
Jenga's eyes were forced open with a shot of pain. "Dear Satan," she whispered.
"What is it?" Diva Tox asked.
"Nothing," Jenga lied. "Nothing at all."
"Hey brown eyes," Jenga said. "Mind if I sit here?" She gestured to the stool beside him.
George Stewart looked at the seat, and then at the shapely redhead before him. "Not at all," he said. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"Sure," Jenga said. "I'll have a double straight vodka on the rocks."
"Vodka?" the bartender asked. "How much do you weigh, ma'am? And I'll also need to see some I.D."
"I weigh 110, and I can handle my liquor quite well, thank you," she said. She reached into her pocket, quickly produced identification, and handed it to the bartender.
"You ain't drivin', are you?"
"Actually," Jenga said with a smile aimed at George, "I doubt I'll get much farther than that hotel down the street."
"Okay," the bartender said with a sigh.
"So green eyes," George said. "What's your name?"
"Jennifer Baal, but my friends call me Jenga."
"Like the stacking game."
"Yeah," Jenga said. "Like the stacking game." The bartender placed Jenga's drink before her. "Thank you." She lifted the glass to her lips, tilted it, and downed the clear liquid in one drink.
"There's nothing sexier than a lady who can hold her liquor," George said.
"I wouldn't know," Jenga said. "I've never kept an eye out for women. I prefer a strong man. Got any kids?"
"One," George said truthfully. "You?"
"I have one, but he's an adult now," Jenga said.
"How could you be old enough to have an adult son?"
"I'm older than I look," Jenga said.
George leaned toward Jenga, and she met him halfway. She caught him in a passionate kiss and wrapped her arms around him.
When George Stewart opened his eyes, the bar was empty. "What the …?"
A thick layer of dust covered the bar and tables. Cobwebs decorated the walls and stretched across the many bottles. "Startled?" Jenga asked.
"What happened?"
"I happened," Jenga said. She pulled her silver dagger out of her belt and planted it deep into the bar. "I'd like to have a word with you."
Without saying a word, George jumped from his stool and ran for the door. The two tables nearest the door flipped over and rolled in front of it, blocking his primary means of escape.
"What are you?!" George bellowed. "This isn't funny anymore!"
"You're right," Jenga said. "This isn't funny anymore." She stood up and kicked her bar stool over.
"What are you gonna do?" George pleaded.
Flames suddenly shot up all around the bar. "You have a son," Jenga said. "Cute little boy. Named Justin, I believe. About twelve years old. His mother died around three years ago, didn't she? What was it the police report said? She died of heart failure, right? Due to a pre-existing condition."
"That's exactly what happened," George said, trying to keep a safe distance between himself and Jenga.
"You don't sound too certain," Jenga said. "You know how I believe it happened?"
"Shut up," George snarled.
"I think she caught you beating Justin," George said. "And tried to beat you. But her heart just couldn't take the strain. Isn't that about right?"
"Shut up!!!"
"I think that's exactly what happened," Jenga said. She suddenly ran from the bar and hurled herself at George. Her right foot, clad in a cowboy boot, caught George in the ribcage. He screamed in pain as three of his ribs shattered.
"How could you beat that little boy?" Jenga asked. "What did he ever do to you? And I know your parents didn't beat you. In fact, I know everything about you. Except why you beat your child. That part is just a little bit fuzzy."
"Please," George begged. "I never molested him."
"That is true," Jenga said. "But you beat him. Never on the face, though. That would be just a little bit too obvious. You'd rather use your belt, wouldn't you?"
"I only hit him when he was bad!" George screamed.
"No," Jenga said. "I don't think that's right. You spank your child when he's bad. You don't use a leather belt across his back."
"He's not even my kid!" George screamed.
"But you adopted him," Jenga said, kicking him hard in the same spot. George screamed, mostly from fear. "Let me try and recap this, and see if I get it right.
"He was born to Alicia and Chris Lake. They were so happy. Even as a baby, they knew he would be very bright," Jenga explained. "But, when Justin was just two years old, his father was killed in a car accident. His mother moved to Angel Grove so she could be near her parents. She met you, and you got married. You also adopted Justin. Here's where the story takes a nasty turn. Alicia discovered she had a heart condition. I forget the name of it. And you had a drinking problem. One day, Justin broke something of yours. He didn't mean to, by the way. You were drunk, and you whipped out your belt and started beating him. Alicia came in, saw you hitting him, and she just about went ballistic, didn't she? I think she did. But, she overtaxed her heart, and died. Right in front of Justin. Fortunately for Justin, he's blocked that memory. The human mind is a marvel. It has a self-protecting capacity. But anyway, you suddenly found yourself tied down with a kid that wasn't yours. No woman would want to date you and Justin. And you started taking it out on him. By beating him. Isn't that about right?"
"I don't hit him all the time," George cried.
"If you've hit him once, you've hit him too much," Jenga said. "My, it's getting hot in here, isn't it?" The flames were quickly overwhelming the room.
"Please don't kill me," George begged.
"That child called you Daddy," Jenga said, her voice thick with disgust. "And you beat him, every time you get drunk. And that's pretty often, isn't it?"
"Please…"
"You know, that didn't work when Justin begged," Jenga said. "He begged you to stop and you just caught on beating him, didn't you?"
The flames suddenly jumped onto his pants leg. He started screaming as the fire burned into his leg. "I'm on fire! Please don't kill me. Please! Who are you?!!"
Jenga grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him to his feet. She leaned in close and placed both hands on his face. "If you dance with the devil," Jenga whispered seductively, "you're gonna get burned." With a hard twist, she turned his head, snapping his neck.
Suddenly, the bar was back to normal. People milled about the bar, and the dust, cobwebs, and flames were gone. Jenga pushed the dead body of George Stewart over. She put adequate money for her drink on the bar, pulled her dagger out of the wood, and left.
"Oh God," Detective Trevor Park said.
"Dad?" Adam asked. His father put up a hand to shush him.
"No, I'll be right there," Trevor said. "Has someone been sent to stay with Justin? ….. Good. I'll send Adam over as well. ….. Okay, see you in a few."
"Dad, what's wrong?" Adam asked.
"Justin Stewart's father is dead," Trevor said. "You did NOT hear this from me though. That was Sergeant Oliver, Tommy's dad. They've both gone over to Justin. He doesn't have any family left. I guess they'll have to put him in the orphanage. Man. It might not be a bad idea for Justin to have as many friendly faces with him tonight as possible."
"I'll get over there right now," Adam said. "I'll give the others a call too. Especially Rocky."
Jason, Adam, and Rocky teleported into Justin's front yard just as Tommy and his father pulled up. "I can't even imagine how he must feel right now," Rocky said.
"Tommy!" Katherine called. Katherine, Tanya, and Kimberly ran across the street and joined up with the other Rangers.
"Good," Sergeant Oliver said. "Justin needs as many friendly faces as he can get tonight. Doesn't he have any friends his age?" He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell.
"He goes to the High School," Jason said. "We're about the only friends he has."
Dulcea suddenly ran up to the front door. "Sorry I'm late, Sergeant," Dulcea said.
"Sergeant Phaedos," Sergeant Oliver acknowledged. The two saluted each other, very matter-of-factly.
"Lt. Stone sent us over as soon as he heard." Bulk and Skull were close behind.
"We know Justin as well," Skull said.
Suddenly, the door opened. A sleepy Justin stood there. "Did you forget your keys again?" he asked. He suddenly realized who was standing before him. "What's going on?"
"Justin, I'm afraid I have some bad news," Sergeant Oliver said.
"What?" Justin asked in a small voice.
"Your father died tonight."
"Justin doesn't seem very concerned," Rocky whispered.
"No he doesn't," Dulcea agreed. He was laying against her, sound asleep. Justin shifted slightly, causing his t-shirt to rise up slightly.
Katherine's eyes widened as she saw his bare flesh. "Oh my God," she said. She crossed the room in just a few steps and knelt beside Justin. She slowly raised the shirt up. His flesh was literally black and purple, indicating a severe beating.
"Jenga," Diva Tox said, looking at the action through the RepulsaScope, "I am impressed. Stunned, but impressed. Why did you do it?"
"Even Satan doesn't beat defenseless children," Jenga said woodenly.
"You realize you killed that child back in February," Diva Tox said.
"I know," Jenga said, "but that's very different. I killed everyone, and I didn't even really want to kill anyone. At least not this soon. But I would never, ever raise a hand to my child."
"You almost killed Lord Zedd!" Diva Tox cried.
"Also different," Jenga said. "I will kill anyone who is in my way. Not for their actions. I almost killed Stihn, Ahlee, Lord Zedd, and MasterVile because I had to take care of something. It had nothing to do with who they were. You should just be thankful I didn't summon Maxell's best friend and kill him."
"Good point," Diva Tox admitted with a sigh.
"Also," Jenga said, "that child is a genius. He's a Billy Cranston genius. Maybe I can adopt him. He would make a very valuable asset. I bet he could even break into the Command Center."
"I can't believe George beat him," Trevor said angrily.
"What's going to happen to Justin now?" Adam asked.
"I guess they'll put him in the orphanage," Trevor said. "Unless some family wants to adopt him. And that's not very likely."
"Could we?"
"No," Trevor said. "We have four kids of our own to raise."
"I didn't really think so," Adam admitted.
"Maybe somebody will," Trevor said hopefully.
Trevor looked at the autopsy report. He hated leaving a death marked as unknown, but there was just not enough evidence to point in any one direction. "How does a man break his neck and three ribs, plus burn his right calf, in a crowded bar? And how could anyone have murdered him? It just doesn't make sense." The phone rang, breaking his train of thought.
"Detective Park," he answered.
"Trevor," the voice on the other line said, "this is Arnold. We just learned something else that is extremely bizarre."
"Even more than the rest of this?"
"Oh yeah," Arnold said. "The bartender said that Mr. Stewart ordered both a beer and a double straight vodka. When the bartender realized Mr. Stewart was dead, about thirty seconds after he ordered the vodka, he also noticed that the vodka glass was empty. But, there is absolutely no vodka in his stomach."
"Is alcohol even distinguishable from another type in a dead body?"
"Normally, no. But we started the autopsy just an hour after he died. If he drank a double straight vodka, it would still have been in his stomach. He had been eating as well, there is absolutely no way that four ounces of vodka would move through a dead man's digestive tract, especially if his stomach was already full of food. We found beer, but no vodka. George Stewart did not drink that liquor."
"Justin, are you sure there isn't anything you want to talk about?" Tanya asked after the funeral.
"I'm sure," Justin said, wiping away a tear.
"Maybe his father didn't beat him," Kimberly whispered.
"Somebody did," Rocky said angrily.
"Justin," Dulcea said, crouching down in front of him. "Are you absolutely certain there is nothing you want to talk about?"
"Nothing," Justin said.
"Justin," Dulcea said. "Please don't shut yourself off from us."
"I'm scared," Justin whispered. "About the orphanage."
"Justin," Bulk said, "there will be lots of kids your age there to play with."
"I know," Justin said sadly.
"Please Justin," Dulcea begged. "Look at me." She took his face in her hands and pulled his gaze up to hers. "Look in my eyes, Justin. I'm a cop. I'm here to protect you."
"THEN WHERE WERE YOU BEFORE!!!!" Justin screamed, unconsciously beating her across her shoulders. "WHERE WERE YOU WHEN HE HIT ME!!!"
"I don't know," Dulcea said sympathetically. She pulled Justin into her arms and hugged the trembling child tightly. "I don't know."
"I think this is very cool, Mom," Billy said.
"Me too," Kimberly said, wrapping her arm around Billy's shoulders.
"Justin Cranston," Rebecca said. "It's a little awkward."
"That kid is as smart as you are, Billy," Kimberly said. "When you were his age, anyhow."
"Are you all going to tell Justin about us?" Billy asked.
"Not just yet," Kimberly said. "Oh wait. Here they come."
A dark blue minivan pulled into their driveway. "I've got a little brother," Billy said in awe.
"I have to go," Billy said, "but feel free to use anything in my lab you need."
"Anything?" Justin asked in awe. "Really? Anything?"
"Anything at all," Billy said. "Catch ya bro." After his goodbyes, David drove Billy to the park so that he could safely teleport back to the Peace Conference.
Parallels
Late April
"Yo Uncle Frank," Tommy said, zipping up his jumpsuit. "Ready to hit the track?"
"Actually, Tommy," Frank Oliver said, "I've got a proposition for you."
"What's that?" Tommy asked cautiously.
"For starters, let me just say that you have a natural talent when it comes to racing," he said. "You are without a doubt the best student I have ever seen. Right now, you are better than the guys who've been doing this for five years." Tommy blushed but accepted the compliment. "Anyway, you could be a real asset to our team."
"What?" Tommy asked, truly astonished.
"I understand you'll want to finish the school year up first," Frank said. "But I'm offering you a spot on the team. You could be in your first Nascar race by October. We'll have to do a lot of work this summer, and we should probably get started right away. You can come down here every weekend, then head back to Angel Grove during the week for school."
"What about college?" Tommy asked.
"Tommy, you have a gift," Frank said. "A natural talent I have never seen before. If you dedicate ten years of your life to this, you could have more money than you would dream possible. You don't have to go to college right out of high school, anyway. You can put it off for a while."
Tommy's mind whirled with the possibilities. "Well, I've only got three weeks of school left. Next weekend is the prom, but after that, I can spend every weekend here. And then all summer," Tommy said. "I'll need to talk it over with Mom and Dad though."
"I already have," Frank told him. "They're behind you all the way."
"I'll do it," Tommy said with a smile.
Dulcea pulled her hair back in a loose ponytail and then put the black hat on her head. "Ready Phaedos?" Lt. Stone asked.
"Yes sir," Dulcea said. She had come a LONG way since arriving. It had been rough at first. Her two weeks at the Police Academy had been the worst. Not that she didn't enjoy the work. She was the Academy's highest prospect, and surprised everyone by becoming the Academy's first Sergeant after basic training. Her only problem was that she didn't make any friends. She didn't know how to act around people. She had spent twenty thousand years alone. Learning how to carry on a conversation was the hardest part.
She had finally gotten used to wearing clothing. The Police Academy hadn't been too terribly hard, due to the fact that she was able to wear sweatpants and sweatshirts the whole time. When she got back though, she had a bad habit of undressing whenever she got uncomfortable. She always wore her green bikini underneath and couldn't understand why the bikini wasn't enough clothing. It covered all of her important belongings.
Two and a half months later, Kimberly, Katherine, and Tanya had her trained to be a lady. Still lethal, but a lady. Clothing still annoyed her, but she understood the concept behind it. She still had a few bad habits. She tended to go barefoot a lot, even in public. "The clothing I can handle," she told Tanya. "But if I can't wear my boots, I'm going barefoot. Those things you call tennis shoes are torture." They finally had convinced her to wear normal shoes, although she still had an occasional relapse.
"Okay, Phaedos," Lt. Stone said. "You've proven yourself worthy of carrying an arsenal. Normally, we would have done this some time ago, but you are so gifted in hand-to-hand." Dulcea had shocked everyone on her third day of Training when she disabled a very large man, carrying a night stick, with her bare hands.
"Do I get a Sword?" Dulcea asked happily.
"I love your sense of humor," Lt. Stone laughed. "We don't carry Swords. We have guns, but you don't need one just yet."
"Didn't I do okay with target practice?" Dulcea asked.
"You did too well," Lt. Stone said. "Everybody is afraid of you." Dulcea couldn't help but smile at the compliment. After discovering that she had an eerie gift of extreme aim, they tested her. A very unorthodox test, which she did pass. They fired an arrow in front of her, and she shot it. Lt. Stone was afraid of what might happen if Dulcea got angry and had a gun. She was bad enough with her bare hands. She put her first three muggers in the emergency room. The first two had robbed an elderly woman, and she chased them three blocks. The third tried to attack her, off-duty. Tried, being the imperative word. He was in Intensive Care for two days. Dulcea was later put through Sensitivity Training, and promised to try and hold back on her attacks.
"No sword or gun?" Dulcea asked again, disappointed.
"No," Lt. Stone said. "You will, however, get a night stick." He held up her shiny black night stick.
"I've seen these," Dulcea said. "Bulk and Skull carry them." She took it by the handle and tested its weight. "May I see yours as well?"
"Uhm, okay," Lt. Stone said. He unsheathed his night stick and handed it to Dulcea.
"Yes," she said. "I have used these before." She cracked the two together. Holding them by their handles, she began to spin them in wide circles. In a matter of mere seconds, both night sticks had become a black blur. A few seconds later, a faint whirring sound seemed to emanate from them. Lt. Stone stared at her, completely mesmerized. After a moment more, she stopped just as suddenly as she began. "How was that?"
"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked in awe.
Think fast, Dulcea, think fast. What did Alpha tell you about yourself? "My father taught me on our ranch in Australia," Dulcea said, and smiled proudly at herself.
"I … I think that's enough for today," Lt. Stone muttered, rubbing his temples. Dulcea tossed him his night stick and shoved hers in the holster.
"Dismissed?" Dulcea asked.
"Yeah, whatever," Lt. Stone said. To himself, he asked, "Why do I get all of the freaks?" He couldn't help but love the three of them, though. His three musketeers, Skull, Bulk, and Dulcea.
"Come on Rocky!" Adam shouted. "The doctor told us your back was better!"
"All right all right," Rocky complained. Rocky shouldered the large role of muslin and climbed to the top of the ladder.
"This is going to be the best prom in Angel Grove's history," Katherine said. She scanned her checklist, and then looked up. "We still need to put white Christmas lights on those stick trees along the walls."
"Can I help?" Justin asked from the doorway.
"Certainly Justin," Ms. Appleby answered from the back of the room. "We can use as many hands as we can get."
"Great," Justin said. "Shame I can't come, though."
"Don't start that," Tanya laughed. "You know freshman aren't allowed."
"Yeah," Adam said. "When we were freshmen, we couldn't come. Neither can you."
"Guess I'll have to take my hot date elsewhere," Justin said with a half-cocked smile.
"Oh!" Rocky cried. "Speaking of hot dates, guess who I'm taking!"
"Who?" Katherine challenged.
"Marge Petersen," Rocky said proudly.
"Really?" Adam said thoughtfully.
"I don't believe I know her," Tanya said.
"She and Billy sort-of dated for a while," Jason said as he and Kimberly entered the gym. "Back when we were freshmen."
"You gotta admit," Rocky said, "she's cute."
"She is attractive," Jason agreed.
"Very lovely girl," Ms. Appleby added. "And she finally gave up on that technobabble."
"Technobabble?" Rocky said. "Marge technobabbles?"
"She's toned it down quite a bit since we first met her," Kimberly said. "She used to be as bad as Billy."
"Billy calmed down, too," Adam said.
"I couldn't understand a single thing he said for the first six months I knew him," Rocky laughed.
"Me neither," Ms. Appleby muttered to herself.
"Bulk!" Dulcea cried, running down the sidewalk. "Hey Bulk! Skull! Anybody!"
"We're in here, Dulcea!" Skull cried. Dulcea ran across the street to Skull's house and darted into their basement.
"Imagine what?" Dulcea asked excitedly.
"Guess what," Bulk reminded her.
"About what?"
"No," Bulk said. "Guess what instead of imagine what."
"Okay," Dulcea said. "Guess what?"
"What?" Bulk asked.
"I got my very first night stick!" she said proudly, snapping it from her belt.
"Congrats," Skull said. "Remember our first night stick Bulkie?"
"I remember the bruises I gave myself trying to get used to it," Bulk said.
Three simultaneous six-tone alarms went off in the small garage. Dulcea looked at the white communicator on her wrist. Unfortunately, she had lost a few of her powers when she took the Crystal of Time. She couldn't teleport herself, or turn into an owl. She was basically an ordinary human, with twenty millennia of built-up fighting skills, and required a communicator to teleport anywhere.
"Rangers," Alpha said. "Please report to the Command Center immediately."
The Rangers, active and otherwise, looked at each other warily. Even Rocky, Jason, and Kimberly's communicators were flashing. "This is bad," Rocky said softly.
"Ms. Appleby?" Tanya asked. "We have something we have to do. We'll be back as soon as we can."
"Okay," Ms. Appleby said. "Hurry back."
"Right," Adam said. He jumped down from his ladder, and the seven of them ran out into the hallway.
"Rangers," Alpha said. "Please report to the Command Center immediately."
"Let's go," Katherine said. Red, yellow, green, two pink, and two blue streams of sparkling light rose up out of the school. In perfect alignment, they darted out of Angel Grove and headed toward the Command Center.
"I love that sound," Catalina said as ten teleportation beams landed in the Command Center.
"Is there a problem, Zordon?" Katherine asked.
"No," Tommy answered for him. "I asked you all to come here, actually."
"Tommy?" Kimberly asked. "Do you have a problem?"
"Sort of," Tommy said. "I'm leaving the team."
"What?!" Adam and Tanya cried in unison.
"You can't," Justin said.
"Hold on a second," Tommy said. "I'm keeping my Ninja Powers. I'm just passing on my Turbo Powers. I'll still be on the team, like the rest of you. I just won't be on active call all the time."
"Tommy has received a wonderful opportunity," Catalina said.
"Uncle Frank has offered me a spot on his team," Tommy said. "I'll be working in the pit crew this summer, training in my off time, and maybe even get a chance to be at Nascar."
"Will you be here for the rest of the school year?" Kat asked.
"Yeah," Tommy said. "I'll finish up the year. I'll still be here for prom, but after that, I'll be spending every weekend in Covina. It's only a few hours away."
"When are you giving your power up?" Jason asked.
"Now," Tommy said. He twisted his left arm, and with a faint metallic ringing, his Turbo Morpher appeared on his wrist. He lifted his right hand up, which was suddenly holding the Turbo Key, and proceeded to pull the Morpher off. "Now we just have the dilemma of deciding who gets the power."
"This is a dilemma if ever there was one," Dulcea said.
"How about Dulcea?" Jason asked. "She doesn't have the Ninja power."
"I can't accept the Red Turbo Powers," Dulcea said meekly.
"Of course you can," Tommy said, holding his morpher out to her. "If anyone deserves it, you do."
"No," Dulcea said, "I physically can't receive Ranger Powers. My body rejects them. I have so much of a natural Ninja power from all that time on the Sacred Grounds, my body would reject them. But thank you for thinking of me."
"I think it should be Jason," Kimberly said.
"Kimberly," Jason said sternly.
"She's right," Rocky said. "You were the original leader. It's just right that you should be again."
"That is very noble of you, Rocky," Zordon said. Rocky blushed and lowered his head.
"I think we've decided," Adam said with a smile.
"Jason, you put your life on the line when you accepted the Gold Ranger Powers," Zordon said, "both to help the team and to save the Powers from extinction."
"Do you all feel this way?" Jason asked cautiously.
"Take the morpher, stupid," Kimberly said with a laugh, shoving him in Tommy's direction.
Jason took the morpher from Tommy's hands. They melted into a red light and flowed up his arms. "Thank you," Jason said. He extended his hand for a handshake, but Tommy pulled him into a hug.
"I can't think of anyone I'd trust the powers with more," Tommy said truthfully.
An alarm sounded. "Looks like you get to take your new powers on a test drive," Jason said.
"Make sure you concentrate on calling your Turbo morpher up," Tanya said, "and not your Ninja morpher."
Jason nodded and shouted, "SHIFT INTO TURBO!!!"
"MOUNTAIN BLASTER TURBO POWER!!!"
"DESERT THUNDER TURBO POWER!!!"
"DUNE STAR TURBO POWER!!!"
"WIND CHASER TURBO POWER!!!"
"RED LIGHTNING TURBO POWER!!!"
"I've already worked it out with Zordon," Billy said.
"Come on," Zack said. "Let's go visit her."
"Is our teleportation on-line yet?" Trini asked.
"Should be," Billy answered. "Let's give it a shot." The three lined up, pressed the teleport button on their communicators, and disappeared in simultaneous flashes of blue, black, and yellow.
Jenga looked at the battle with the Rangers and the super-charged Tengas from the moon. "Porto?" Jenga asked. "Do you have anything ready for us yet?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Porto said. A tall, thin lizard stepped forward. "This is Chameleon. He can completely blend in with his surroundings."
"Excellent," Jenga said. She looked at the Blue Ranger and sighed. "Such a shame."
"Do you get the feeling that Jenga isn't putting as much effort into her plans?" Kat asked after the fight was over.
"I know," Justin said. "It's like she's saving up for something big."
"Well, Zordon did tell us that she's been a little bit weaker since she absorbed the Anti-Earth Crystal," Tanya said.
"Yeah," Jason said, "but she's still stronger than she was when she first showed up."
"Well, let's get back to the gym," Adam said. "Ms. Appleby is probably freaking out by now."
"So Bulk?" Skull asked. "What are you gonna do about the prom?"
"Prawm?" Dulcea asked.
"Yeah," Skull said. "The prom."
"Prawm!" Dulcea cried frantically. "Why hasn't anyone told me! Dear God! We are in big trouble! Where is it?!"
"The gym at school," Bulk said incredulously.
"Oh no," Dulcea cried. She tore out the door and took off running for Angel Grove High.
"What the sam hill was that about?" Skull asked.
"I don't know nothing anymore," Bulk muttered.
Dulcea darted into the high school gym. "It's not here yet," she whispered thankfully. Justin walked past her. She quickly lurched out, grabbed him, and clamped a hand over his mouth.
Justin tried to protest, but Dulcea quickly pulled him into a dark corner of the gym. "Shhh," Dulcea whispered. "It's me, Dulcea."
"What's wrong?" Justin asked when she took her hand off of his mouth.
"There is a prawm loose in Angel Grove," Dulcea whispered.
"What's a prawm?" Justin asked.
"This horrible beast on Phaedos," Dulcea said. "It stands eight feet tall, four feet wide at the shoulders, and has a maw full of dangerous blood red teeth. He kills the innocent for pleasure. I thought he was trapped on Phaedos, but he followed me here somehow. Bulk and Skull told me it was here."
"We should go to the Command Center," Justin said. "Maybe Zordon knows what to do about it."
"That's a good idea," Dulcea said. "Let's go." The familiar whoosh of teleportation filled the gym. White and blue sparkles of light temporarily decorated the air as they left the gym.
"The scans don't shown a prawm in Angel Grove," Alpha said.
"But Bulk and Skull told me there was a prawm," Dulcea told the robot. "It must be hidden from the Command Center's computers, somehow."
"This is a possibility," Zordon said.
"Perhaps we should warn the Rangers about the prawm," Catalina thought out loud. "I tell you what. I'll go out and look around myself. He can't hurt me."
"The joys of being a hologram," Zordon joked. "Or a big floating head."
Aisha watched as the three teleportation streams approached her, although Zack's stream was barely visible against the night sky. In a matter of mere seconds, they landed before her and materialized into three of her friends. "Zack!" she cried. She ran up to her boyfriend, grabbed him in a hug, and gave him a passionate kiss.
"You ready to go buy a prom dress?" Trini asked.
"Oh yeah," Aisha said. "Will you two be okay while we're gone?"
"Can't we come?" Billy asked.
"No," Trini said. "This is our day. Not yours."
"Well what do we do?" Zack asked.
"You can go back to the village," Aisha said.
"I've got a better idea," Billy said. "We'll have a male bonding day."
"Men," Zack grunted in agreement.
"Where are you two going?" Billy asked. "We'll make sure to go elsewhere."
"We're going to Paris for some midnight shopping," Trini said.
"Oh la la," Aisha said. "Is what I'm wearing okay for Paris?" Aisha was wearing denim shorts and a simple white blouse.
"Trey bien," Trini said. "I'm not going to a store so expensive I have to dress up to go in."
"I hear that," Aisha agreed. "Arriva derci boys!" Both girls hit their teleport button. Yellow and white sparkles of light rained down on the ground for a split second before the two streams took off like rockets, temporarily lighting up the whole sky.
"Where are we gonna go?" Zack asked.
"Uhm, you speak any Japanese?" Billy asked.
"Not a word," Zack answered.
"How about New York City? It's just six o'clock there," Billy said.
"Let's hit it," Zack said. The two Rangers hit their knuckles together and teleported away.
Jenga kissed MasterVile on the top of his head and climbed out of bed. "Rise and shine," Jenga said.
"It's still the middle of the night," MasterVile complained.
"We're on the moon," Jenga said. "It's always the middle of the night."
"Well, that proves my point," MasterVile said. He turned back on his side and continued to sleep.
"Suit yourself," Jenga said. She pointed her index finger at herself, and her skimpy see-through blue teddy changed into her normal attire of jeans and button-up denim blouse.
"Good afternoon, Jenga," Prince Sprocket said as he wobbled down the hallway.
"Morning," Jenga said sweetly. "Where's your father?"
"Last time I saw, he was fussing at Rito and Elgar in the computer room," Prince Sprocket said.
"If they make that system crash one more time," Jenga threatened. Shaking her head, she walked toward the computer room. "I rue the day I installed Netscape Navigator."
She entered the room to find Rito typing at the computer with Elgar looking over his shoulder. "Whatcha doin?"
"Aaaah!" they both yelled.
"You're in a chat room pretending to be a woman again, aren't you?!" Jenga shouted.
Rito and Elgar looked at each other, and then at Jenga. "Yeah," Rito said sadly.
"We like the attention," Elgar said.
"Just don't download any more viruses," Jenga said sternly.
"Yes ma'am," Elgar and Rito said in unison as she left the room.
Jenga walked toward the balcony. She pulled her staff out of the air and stared at the planet intently. Twin blue beams of light shone from her eyes, permitting her to see anything on the planet. "Wait a minute," Jenga said. She turned her attention back to the blue staff. "Where did that come from?" A gray blob was embedded within the sapphire. She reached into the sapphire, grabbed the gray object, and pulled it out.
"How did that get there?" she asked in awe. "I didn't think there was any left. There isn't much power left, though."
"Hello Jenga," Scorpina said as she entered the room.
"Hello dear," Jenga said. She stared at the gray shard in her hand. It was the very last remnant of the Anti-Earth Crystals. Jenga looked back at the Earth. "This could be interesting." She put both the staff and crystal away.
"Idea?" Scorpina asked.
"You could say that," Jenga said. She bent forward so that her hair fell forward in a wave. She ran both hands through her hair, and it magically changed into the darkest shade of ebony. "How do I look?"
"Different," Scorpina said truthfully.
"Good," Jenga said. With a thick French accent, she said, "Do I sound French, mademoiselle?"
"Oui," Scorpina said with a smile.
"Trey bien," Jenga said. Her clothing immediately shifted shape, turning into an navy blue business suit. "I will be back soon."
"Le Boutique," Trini said.
"I think it's closed," Aisha said. She stared into the darkened store.
"Oh man," Trini complained.
"I am sorry," an elegant woman said from behind them. "I only stepped out but for a moment. I apologize for my inglis is no good. But we are open."
"Great," Aisha said. "We need to buy dresses for our prom."
"Prawm?" the woman asked, a smile spreading across her face.
"I'm sorry, I forgot you don't have proms here," Trini said. "It's a formal dance."
"Oh," she said, sounding almost disappointed. "We could use a prawm down here," Jenga thought bitterly as she let the two Rangers into the store.
Dulcea, Justin, and Catalina cautiously walked down the alley. "Be ready to morph at any moment, Justin," Dulcea said. "Prawms are deadly. If one touches you, you're dead before you feel any pain."
"That's better than dying slowly," Justin mused.
"We're the most bizarre fighting force Angel Grove has ever seen," Catalina mused. "A hologram in a white gown with metallic blue hair, an eleven year old, and a police chick with an Australian accent whose legs go up to her face."
"I'm twelve," Justin said defensively.
"I don't even see tracks of it anywhere," Dulcea said. "This must be a particularly clever prawm."
"What will its tracks look like?" Justin asked.
"It leaves deep claw marks wherever it treads," Dulcea told him. "Even in stone."
"Why don't I take the lead?" Catalina suggested, moving to the front of their group. "If it sees me, it'll try and attack me and it won't do any good."
"Just be careful," Dulcea said. "Prawms are capable of anything."
"Have you seen Skull?" Kimberly asked Bulk as he entered the gym.
"He's looking for Dulcea," Bulk answered. "She freaked out earlier. Something about the prom."
"She's a mystery," Kimberly said. "Hold my ladder steady."
"Are you sure there is a prawm loose?" Justin asked.
"Skull said there was," Dulcea said, "although I'm starting to wonder. I don't smell blood on the air."
"Justin, you might as well go back and decorate for the prom," Catalina said.
"Bait?" Dulcea asked in horror. "You can't put this child up as bait!"
"What are you talking about?" Justin asked. "She's talking about the prom. The formal dance. Not the prawm. Oh boy. I think I know what's going on now."
"What?" Dulcea asked, very confused.
"Let's go find Skull," Justin said. "He'll clear everything up."
"Hey Ernie," Rocky said.
"Rocky," Ernie called. "Been up to much? Your usual?"
"Please," Rocky said. "We've been decorating for prom."
"How's your back?"
"I'm all healed up," Rocky said.
"How's your replacement?" Ernie asked in a much quieter voice.
"He's doing good," Rocky said. "Kind of trips me up to see him grow when he morphs, but he's a good fighter. Morphed or not."
"Why does he grow?"
"Billy said it was something about the morphing grid automatically places every fighter in their utmost physical condition," Rocky said in his quietest voice. "Justin is about six foot three when he morphs. That's even taller than Tommy. Billy said that Justin will be that tall when he grows up. The kid is cool. He's a valuable asset. Oh, did you hear? Jase is a Ranger again."
"Turbo?"
"Yeah," Rocky said. "Tommy's going to Covina this summer to practice for Nascar. We all decided that Jason would be the best Ranger to be the leader again."
"Do I detect a hint of rejection in your voice?"
"I was a little upset," Rocky said. "There's nothing better than the rush of being on active duty, but I do like all of the free time I have now. Besides, I still have the Ninja Power. You know, for an emergency."
"Well," Ernie said as he put the lid on Rocky's smoothie, "you all take it easy." Rocky started to hand him some money, but Ernie put his hands up in protest. "On the house."
"Never one to pass on free food," Rocky said truthfully.
"Oh, before you go," Ernie said. "We're having a karate competition the weekend school lets out."
"Really?" Rocky asked. "We haven't had a competition here in a long time."
"Tell me about it," Ernie said. "Spread the word."
"I like this one," Aisha said, twirling around. Her dress was cut low in the back. It was made of a slinky, silvery-white material. The upper chest was covered in a transparent silvery lace which looked phenomenal against her dark skin. The dress flared out only slightly over her hips and came down halfway between her knees and ankles.
"That's beautiful," Trini said. "What about mine?" She wore a tight fitting canary yellow gown with spaghetti straps. "Simple."
"But elegant," Aisha finished.
"Have you decided what you would like?" the woman asked. "Oh, Miss Kwan. That is an excellent choice. That particular gown comes with this charm." Jenga opened her hand, and a silver chain came tumbling out. At the end of the chain was a smoky gray crystal heart. It was cut like a diamond, and captured the light.
"That is gorgeous," Aisha said.
"It is," Trini agreed.
"Try it on," Jenga said. "You'll find it goes wonderfully with that dress."
Trini cautiously took the silver necklace and fastened it around her neck. "That looks good, girl," Aisha said.
"I'd buy the gown just to get this charm," Trini laughed.
"You can take it off of the chain and put it on a chain of your own," Jenga said.
"I'll take it," Trini said.
Trini put the two dresses in the back of her closet. "Thanks again for keeping it for me," Aisha said.
"Not a bit of trouble," Trini said. Suddenly, two teleport streams dropped into the dorm.
"You girls have fun?" Zack asked.
"A blast," Aisha said. "You?"
"We just went to Central Park and hung around a while," Billy said.
"After that, we teleported to the Grand Canyon," Zack said.
"So you didn't do any shopping?" Trini asked.
"Aren't you worried about the prom?" Aisha asked.
"Let's see," Billy said. "I'll go back to Angel Grove the day before the prom and rent my tux. That afternoon I'll go buy flowers. Mmm, nope. Not worried."
"I still can't believe Ms. Appleby is gonna let us go to the prom," Aisha said happily. "I should probably go." She kissed Zack and teleported to Africa.
"I think I'm gonna head to bed, too," Billy said. "G'night Trini."
"I am freaked out over this Calculus test," Kimberly said Sunday afternoon.
"If you hate Calculus, why did you take it?" Justin asked.
"I need it for pre-college curriculum," she answered. "Although I don't understand why a lower elementary grades teacher should need Calculus."
"Well, what are you having problems with?" Justin asked.
"Derivatives," Kimberly said. "It just doesn't make sense."
"Can I see it?" Justin asked.
"Knock yourself out," she said, sliding the book across the table to him.
His eyes scanned the page for a few seconds, and then he got up and stood beside her. "Okay," he said. "I can show you a short cut. It still works the same way, but it is a whole lot simpler."
"Let's go for it," Kimberly said.
Kimberly ran out of her Calculus class Monday afternoon with a big smile on her face. She danced down the hall, looking for her "little brother."
"Watch out, Kim," Jason said as she slammed into him at her locker.
"Have you seen Justin?" she asked.
"Not since lunch."
"Thanks to him, I just got an A on my Calculus test," she said happily. Skull snuck up behind her and grabbed her around the waist. With a happy squeal, she wrestled out of his arms and gave him a quick kiss. "One of these days, somebody is gonna hurt you when you do that to them."
"I've been lucky so far," Skull said, quickly taking his arm from around Kimberly as Mr. Caplan walked by.
"There he is," Kimberly said. She ran across the hall and picked Justin up in a big hug, although he wasn't that much shorter than she was.
"What's wrong with you?" Justin asked.
She gave him a big kiss on his check and said, "I passed my Calculus test thanks to you."
"Well you didn't have to kiss me," he complained, wiping his cheek off.
"You'll love it when you're older," Jason said with a grin.
Bulk and Katherine were the next to join their group. Just as they got there, Katherine and Jason's communicators went off.
"Joy," Kat said. "We read you."
"Turbo Rangers," Alpha said, "please get to the park immediately. A flock of Tengas is terrorizing the citizens!"
"We're on it, Alpha," Jason said. Kat, Justin, and Jason teleported away in three streams of light.
"Penny for your thoughts," Gasket said.
Jenga turned her gaze to the machine. "Just a little depressed," she said. "I did Justin a favor and he becomes a Ranger. I was really hoping to have him on my team."
"Maybe he doesn't know," Gasket said.
"Of course," Jenga said. "He doesn't know. Anybody want to go to Earth?"
"Ooh ooh ooh!" Prince Sprocket cried as he hobbled into the main palatial room. "Can I come?!"
"Let's go, Prince," Jenga said. Jenga disappeared in a column of black fire, while Prince Sprocket's body disappeared into his crown. The crown of lights spun around the room, and then disappeared in a bright flash.
"We can't hold them off!" Tanya cried.
"We have to morph!" Adam agreed.
"SHIFT INTO TURBO!!!" Jason cried. Seconds later, the five Turbo Rangers were morphed and proved a much more effective fighting force.
Jenga suddenly appeared in battle. Rito's Sword suddenly appeared in her grasp, just as Prince Sprocket landed beside her. "I really need to get my own Sword."
"What do you want, Sprocket?" Katherine spat as she beat a crowd of Tengas with her bow.
"I'm just here for the ride, blondie," Prince Sprocket said, just as angrily.
"And what do you want, Jenga?" Justin snarled.
"I came to give you a personal invite to the Dyntasty," Jenga said.
"Back off!" Tanya cried. She ran at Jenga with her Star Charges in hand. Jenga kicked Tanya square in the stomach, knocking her backwards.
"Why would I join you?" Justin asked, temporarily removed from the battle.
"Because you owe me," Jenga said.
"Hardly," Justin said. "Hand Blasters!" Two large gun-like devices, which were actually designed to look like the mufflers of a car, appeared in his possession.
"No, you do owe me." She planted the Sword of bones in the ground and leaned on it. "I was the one who killed your father."
Justin lowered the Hand Blasters. They disintegrated in a sparkle of blue. Still in shock, he reached up and unbuckled his helmets. By the time he had it cleared from his face, his body was once again that of a twelve year old. "You killed him?" he asked in a voice nearly void of emotion.
"I broke his neck," she said. "I know he beat you, Justin. I don't like that. So, I met up with him at a bar, shattered three ribs, burned his leg, and broke his neck."
Adam looked at Jenga. "She did it?" he asked himself in awe. "Those are the same injuries Dad told me about." Three Tengas suddenly jumped at him, taking advantage of his lapse in concentration.
"You killed him?" Justin asked again.
"I sure did," Jenga said with a smile.
"Why?"
"I was hoping you would join us," Jenga said. "We could really use someone as smart as you are in the Dynasty."
"Justin, it's a trick!" Katherine cried, flipping into place between Justin and Jenga.
"Katherine, I can deal with this," Justin said bitterly. A pair of Tengas suddenly leaped at her and knocked her aside. "You really killed him?"
"You don't seem upset," Jenga said with a smile.
"I'm … I'm happy now," Justin said. "I have a big brother, and I sort of have a big sister. And a real Mom and Dad again. Actually, I've never had a real Dad before."
"You don't seem totally thrilled, either," Jenga said.
"I never wanted him dead," Justin said, although he wasn't totally certain that was true.
"I think you did."
"No."
Jenga raised her eyebrows at the youngest Ranger. "You can't lie to me, Justin," Jenga said. "One of my gifts is that I can read people."
"So what if I am glad he's dead," Justin said softly.
"I agree," Jenga said. "The world is better off without him."
"Do you want me to pay you back?" Justin asked nervously.
"That would be nice," she said, "but I'm not going to force you."
"But you could, couldn't you?" he asked.
"No," she said. "I could put a spell on you, but that wouldn't do any good. You're useless unless you do it to me of your own free will."
"Thank you, but I can't help."
"I know," Jenga said sadly. "You know that we have to be enemies now."
"Yes. But Jenga, I really mean it. Thank you," Justin said. "BACK TO ACTION!!!"
Jenga teleported away before Justin could attack her. She could have held her own, but she just didn't feel like fighting him anymore.
"Who are you going to the prom with?" Skull asked.
"I'm going stag," Bulk answered. "Unless you know of someone."
"What does a deer have to do with the … prom?" Dulcea asked. She was making sure she said prom instead of prawm, although her accent still made the two sound nearly identical.
"No," Bulk said. "Going stag means I'm going by myself."
"Oh," she answered. "What does one do at a prom?"
"Well, it's sort of like a big party where everybody has fun," Skull said. "And punch."
"It's a drink," Bulk answered. "Made from fruit."
"The prom sounds like fun," Dulcea said. She left the room for a moment.
Skull nudged Bulk in the ribs. Bulk's eyebrows shot up, implying that there was no way. "Do it," Skull muttered.
"She'll say no and I'll feel stupid," Bulk muttered back.
"Ask her, or I'll ask her for you."
"Okay," Bulk finally relented. He didn't want to admit that he had considered asking Dulcea himself but was just too chicken to do it. "Dulcea?"
Dulcea came back in, twirling a night stick. "Bulk?"
"Wouldyouliketogotothepromwithme?"
"That was smooth," Skull muttered to himself, prompting an elbow to the ribs.
"I'd love to," Dulcea said happily.
"You would?" Bulk asked, just as happily.
"Sure," she said. "What do I have to wear?"
"We'll get Kim, Kat, and Tanya over here to help you find a dress," Skull said. "It'll be fun."
"What's your favorite color?" Tanya asked.
"I don't understand why I can't wear my policeman's uniform," Dulcea complained. "I've actually gotten used to this."
"So you like black?" Katherine asked.
"I guess," Dulcea said. "I like this because it's comfortable. What colors are you wearing?"
"I'm wearing violet," Kimberly answered.
"I found this beautiful dress that is such a gorgeous shade of pink," Katherine sighed. "Beautiful."
"I'm wearing a shade of yellow that looks sort of like an Earth-tone," Tanya said.
"That'll look good on you," Kimberly said. "How are you wearing your hair?"
"I'm going to wear it up," Tanya said. She demonstrated, which produced approval from both Katherine and Kimberly. "How about you all?"
"I'm not telling," Katherine said. "My mother came up with a really neat idea that I think is gorgeous."
"I'm not doing anything fancy to mine," Kimberly said. "I'm going to just leave it long and silky."
"The way Skull likes it?" Kat asked with a smile.
"Of course," Kimberly answered with a smile.
"What do you have to do with your hair?" Dulcea asked, horrified. She pulled her black cap off and showed her loose ponytail. "Can I wear my hair like this?"
"No," Tanya said, "but you don't have to do anything fancy. Just wear it free."
"This prom concept is complicated," Dulcea said. "And it's just for one night?"
"That's it," Kimberly answered. "Let's just find you a dress and we'll worry about the rest of it later."
"What colors do you like?" Kat asked.
"I like purple. Green. Orange. Blue. And black."
"I don't think you would look good in orange," Tanya said.
"Blue might be a possibility, though," Kimberly thought out loud.
"Oooh," Dulcea said. "I like these." She ran up to a dress that was covered in sequins. "They sparkle."
"A blue sequined gown," Katherine said. "We know what to get now."
Billy, Trini, Aisha, and Zack teleported back to Angel Grove Thursday afternoon. Aisha just told her aunt Ashala the truth, who in turn covered for her with her parents, while the others took a weekend leave from the Peace Conference. They needed to get their sleep cycles adjusted. Otherwise, they would be ready to sleep before the prom even started.
Friday afternoon was the most hectic day. Those attending the prom were allowed to leave at lunchtime to get ready. The extra hours were mainly for the girls, who tended to take much longer to get ready.
Dulcea, though