Disclaimer: Power Rangers, etc., I don't own 'em. If I did, I'd take you all to court for using my ideas. But I don't, so if I do take you to court, it'll be for an ordinary good-ole American nuisance lawsuit. I do own Jenga and Catalina, as well as four of the modified RescueZords/Sentient Vehicles near the end. My characterization of Cassie and her family was drawn from myself, Ellen Brand, and Krissy. Thanks guys. With all of that out of the way, happy reading and I hope you enjoy it.
By Jeremy Ray Logsdon
July 15
Jenga pulled a ruby red robe around her body as she walked through the quiet hallways of the Lunar Palace. Diva Tox and King Mondo walked behind her, much more nervous than the space demon. They had all been sleeping, or recharging, peacefully, when the alarm system had gone off. There was an intruder in the palace. Jenga, of course, feared nothing. There was no one anywhere more powerful than she was. Each dimension has one being of great evil power, as the supreme evil than transcends all dimensions has chosen one channel for his, or her or it depending on varying religious beliefs, power. In her dimension, she was that person, and as such, she feared nothing.
Diva Tox and King Mondo, unfortunately for them, were not at her level. They were both evil, but they received their evil magic from varying demons, not the supreme evil. That always left room for someone more powerful.
"Who's there?" Jenga asked as she stepped into the main palatial room.
A woman in black and silver armor was standing in the center of the room. Her hair was long, purple, and curly, and she wore a silver headband. Silver trinkets hang from silver strings on the left side of her headband. Her face was the epitome of innocence, and her body was a temple of beauty. "Hello, sister dear," the woman said, smiling sweetly.
"Sister," Jenga said with a smile. "Well, if it isn't dear little sister Ronnie."
"You know I hated being called Ronnie, it was Veronica," the woman countered, "and now, I go by Astronema."
"I haven't seen you in…."
"Last February," Astronema said. "Remember when you summoned all evil for your destruction of the Power Rangers?"
"You may have been here, but I never saw you," Jenga remarked, thinking. "I guess…"
"We haven't seen each other since… I guess since I moved out of the house," Astronema said. "Boy, that has been a long while."
"Ranking?" Jenga asked.
"Twenty-eight," Astronema said. "And moving up."
"Good job, little sis," Jenga smiled. "Oh, let me introduce you to two of my friends…"
"I already know of them," Astronema smiled. "Diva Tox and King Mondo. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, I'm sure," Diva Tox said. "I'm going back to bed. Good night all."
"Is this a social visit, or… what?" Jenga asked.
"Actually, I'm kind of here to get your… approval, to move up on the list," Astronema said.
"What have you done recently?" Jenga asked. Astronema smiled as she began to tell her tale.
There lies a planet in one of the farthest reaches of the universe called Daria. It is a member of one of the smallest galaxies in the entire universe, in that it only has four hundred and eight stars. Daria is the only planet in that galaxy with a developed civilization on it. They are also one of the multitude of planets in the universe with Homo sapiens on it.
Their civilization was thriving. The Darians had long since united under a single world power, and their people spoke only one language. They had mastered space travel, and as such, they were target for an alien invasion.
Helena, the master crystal carver from the planet Eltare, presented the Royal Throne of Daria with five powerful crystals. The Sol Crystals, as they were called, were designed to draw power from the blue star that Daria circled. Five members of the throne were given the powers, and they became the Power Rangers of Daria. When Eltare was destroyed, the Darian Rangers attempted to help. However, helping was futile. Catalina ordered the Darian Rangers to return to their own planet, as they had just made several dangerous enemies in attempting to save Eltare.
However, the evil didn't come. The five Darian Rangers, red, blue, yellow, pink, and black, passed their powers down from grandparent to grandchild for generations. Then, sixty years ago, a source of evil known as Dark Spectre attacked Daria. He only wanted to claim the Sol Crystals, as any crystals carved by Helena were truly powerful. Fortunately, the five Rangers were able to defeat the dark lord of evil. The five teenagers had families, and grew old.
Two weeks ago, Astronema began to plan her attack. The powers were currently held by old men and women. She killed their grandchildren so that the powers could not be easily passed on. Then, she attacked. The elderly Rangers fought valiantly, but they weren't the same team that had defeated Dark Spectre. They were old, and they were tired. Astronema's Quantrons killed the Royal Court, and then they began to kill the population.
The Pink Daria Ranger then found her youngest grandson. He had somehow escaped death. She used her powers to heal him, but by that time, the entire planet was dying. The Black Daria Ranger was the first to fall. Red and Yellow Daria Rangers were next. The Blue and Pink Daria Rangers knew that the end was near. They placed Pink Daria Ranger's grandson in a space pod with the five Sol Crystals. The space pod was fired into space with a magical spell on it that would prevent evil from ever claiming it. Then, Astronema sacrificed her own forces to destroy their sun. Daria ended up tumbling through the cold vastness of space, where her remaining inhabitants died. Pink Daria Ranger's grandson was the sole survivor of the Darian race. He, along with five crystals which are now worthless as their sun had exploded, is currently spinning through space, waiting to be found and pulled from his suspended animation.
"You destroyed an entire species and a team of Rangers?" Jenga asked in awe, her eyes wide and sparkling.
"Well, there's still one Darian left," Astronema said with a shrug.
"I'm impressed. I'm very impressed," Jenga admitted. "I've only destroyed eight teams of Rangers myself. My little sister has done good."
"So… you'll give me a good word before the Alliance?" Astronema asked hopefully.
"I'll do you one better," Jenga told her. "Would you like to join the Dynasty of the Apocalypse?"
"Are… are you serious?" Astronema asked. Jenga smiled and nodded. "I would love to!" Astronema squealed.
"Anything interesting you have to bring?" Jenga asked.
Astronema clapped her hands, and a multitude of pinpoints of light appeared in the room. The lights expanded, producing black and silver fighters. "Organic machines," Astronema explained. "I call them Quantrons." All wore an appropriately colored helmet and chest armor, and more than half carried a giant semi-circular weapon.
"Oooh," Jenga purred, moving toward the fighters to expect them. "Hmm… Impressive, but not as strong as our super-charged Tengas or Wulves. Mind if I make an adjustment?"
"Be my guest," Astronema said. Jenga pulled her seldom-seen dark blue scepter from the air. The sapphire flickered brightly, and blue light began to shine around each fighter. When the glow died down, they were as strong as any of the fighters from the Dynasty.
"I have an idea," Jenga said. "Mondo? Do you have the time?"
"It's two thirty a.m.," King Mondo told them.
"Feel like a little exercise?" Astronema asked, anticipating her older sister's plan.
"One thing I need to do first, though," Jenga said. "You go ahead." Astronema's body was overcome with a purple glimmer, and when it faded, she had disappeared with it. Her Quantrons disappeared in much the manner they had appeared.
A blue pedestal rose from the ground on which rested an old-fashioned telephone. She picked it up and dialed a quick seven digit phone number.
"Ungh," the voice on the phone said in way of a reply.
"Phantom," Jenga said simply before she hung up the phone.
A few moments later, a pillar of black fire appeared before Jenga. "I report for duty, my Queen," Phantom Ranger said obediently.
"Let's go, Phantom."
BEEP BEEP BEEPBEEP BEEP BEEP. "What what what?!" Adam cried, sitting up in bed. BEEP BEEP BEEPBEEP BEEP BEEP. "Geeze," Adam complained, plucking his communicator from his nightstand. He quickly pushed the transmit button so it wouldn't sound again. "What is it?" he grumped.
"Rangers," Alpha said, "an unknown villain is attacking in the park with a new group of fighters! We need you to get out there asap!"
"Should we morph, or… what?" Zack asked groggily through the open airwaves.
"You better Ninja Morph," Catalina said calmly. "We don't know what these new guys are capable of."
Adam released the button and put his green communicator on. He then quickly found a pair of jeans, and soon after that, he located a black tank top. While demorphing by accident was extremely rare, it had happened before, and he had no desire to demorph in the middle of park in nothing but his Budweiser Frog Boxers. Just as he was about to whisper his morphin call, the phone rang. It wasn't much of a surprise; the police force was often notified when there was an attack. "Zeo Ranger IV, Green — Frog," Adam said simply. Green light flashed around him, and he morphed into his powerful armor. His hands immediately moved to his belt buckle/morpher, and he teleported away in a green streak of light.
Adam was the first to arrive in the park. "Who are you?!" Adam shouted to the villainness.
"Astronema," she said, planting a long staff with a gargantuan diamond on one end into the ground. "And you?"
"Green Ranger," he answered. "Who are these shiny guys behind you?" Black and gold light streaked through the sky and landed beside Adam, forming Bulk already in his Gold Ranger armor. "Gold Ranger, meet Astronema. Astronema, Gold Ranger."
"Do you need more sleep?" Bulk asked.
"Meet my Quantrons," she said. The silver and gold fighters slowly moved around here to stand between her and the two Rangers. "Quantrons… attack!"
"Let's go!" Adam shouted as he and Bulk hit forearms. The Quantrons were immediately upon them, fighting as fiercely as the Tengas but much more effectively. They didn't have the bulky aviary body to deal with. Before Bulk could even get a single strike, the sharp edge of one of the Quantron's blades struck him full across the chest.
Bulk found himself on his back with several Quantrons swarming above him. He lashed up with both feet, knocking one aside. He braced himself for the sharp point of a blade that he knew was going to really hurt. Then, white flashed above him, and he saw Sabba between him and the blade. "Back off!" Aisha cried, high kicking the Quantron attacking Bulk away. Adam made quick work of the rest surrounding him, enabling their large friend to stand up.
"Thanks guys," Bulk sighed with relief. "You too, Sabba."
"Not a problem, Gold Ranger," the enchanted saber replied.
"Hi-yaah!" Zack cried as he leapt into the battle, taking out a silver Quantron. Before he could make another move, Astronema came after him with her staff. She slammed the broad end into his stomach and knocked him to his back. As Aisha ran to help him, she spun the staff and slammed it into her chest.
"Where's Tanya?" Adam asked, fighting an entire crowd of Quantrons which seemed to have a personal vendetta against him.
"Ki-yaah!" Tanya shouted dramatically as she entered the fight.
"Took you long enough!" Aisha criticized. Her lapse in concentration gave a Quantron the opportunity to knock her to the ground.
"Dulcea!" Bulk shouted into his wrist. "We need your help!"
"I'll be there as soon as I can," Dulcea answered. Bulk only had time to look up before Phantom Ranger shoved a powerful fist into his stomach; the sudden assault was finished with a spinning heel kick which knocked the larger Ranger flat on his back.
"Leave him alone!" Zack shouted, firing a shot from his Power Blaster. The black beam of energy struck Phantom Ranger, but it only knocked it back a step. Phantom Ranger paused, and then it flicked its wrist, summoning a long, black broad sword. Phantom Ranger let loose with an angry bellow as it ran for the other Black Ranger.
"There she is!" Alpha shouted happily.
"Astronema," Dulcea growled. "I know of her. She isn't much in and of herself, but she rides on the hamstrings of someone very powerful."
"Coattails," Catalina corrected.
"Pardon?"
"She rides on the coattails of someone very powerful," Catalina said. "Where the sam hill did you get hamstrings?"
"This person is Jenga," Zordon said solemnly.
"Exactly," Dulcea answered. To Catalina, she asked, "Are you sure it isn't hamstrings?"
"Very sure."
"Ladies," Zordon chided.
"How does she know Jenga?" Alpha asked, pointing to the frozen image in the viewing globe.
"She's her little sister," Dulcea explained.
"And not by a demon bond. By blood," Catalina continued.
"Dulcea, you really should join the fight if you can," Zordon said as politely as he could.
"Phantom Ranger is giving our Rangers a serious beating!" Alpha added.
"I'm going," Dulcea said. "The Snow Owl!"
"I can't believe you have your own evil Power Ranger!" Astronema shouted with glee.
"Very powerful. Ninja Ranger," Jenga said. "Got the power for him when one of the Rangers I have this freaky weird bond with tapped the Great Power on Phaedos. Channeled the energy into a ruby, it got thrown to Earth, some ordinary mortal picked it up, and became Phantom Ranger whenever I give the secret code word."
"Which is?"
"Phantom," Jenga said. "It doesn't have to be original. Only my voice triggers the switch to evil."
"Switch?" Astronema asked.
"Phantom Ranger is good unless morphed," Jenga explained. "Oh! I forgot to tell you my favorite part! Phantom Ranger can produce absolute any weapon. An infinite weapons arsenal. Just one of the little perks of serving the side of evil."
"Why did you call him Phantom Ranger?" Astronema asked. "Doesn't he have a name?"
"Not my concern," Jenga answered with a shrug. "I could care less about Phantom Ranger's personal life. Phantom Ranger is mine when morphed; otherwise, not my concern. Hey, look at that." A silver trail of sparkling light was streaking across the dark sky. "That's Dulcea."
"Dulcea," Astronema said thoughtfully. "I know of a Dulcea."
"Master Warrior of Phaedos," Jenga continued.
"What's she doing here?"
"They stole my Crystal of Time and she's uses it to keep herself from dying of old age," Jenga explained.
"Why don't we steal it and kill the old bat?"
"Tried, can't," Jenga said. "She keeps it in a private pocket dimension."
The silver teleport stream landed in the middle of the fight and coalesced into the warrior, clad in a Silver Ninjetti Suit. "They're determined, if nothing else," Astronema sighed.
"You know, watching a fight is nothing compared to fighting in a fight," Jenga said with a smile. She summoned her silver dagger, which slowly lengthened into a silver sword.
Astronema's eyes widened with delight. "Let's!" she laughed wickedly, spinning her staff in her arms. The two sisters spared one last glance before they ran into the fight.
4:18 a.m.
Adam trudged to the bathroom. The fight had just recently ended, two hours after it had started. They ended up having to fight against a monster courtesy of the Machine Empire. The Turbo MegaZord defeated the beast, fortunately, and they had even managed to keep the fight out of the city so the residents didn't have to be awakened to go to the Monster Shelters.
"What are you doing up so early?" his father asked from behind him.
"Dad," Adam exhaled in a sharp breath. "I, uh, I got up to use the bathroom. What are you doing up so early?"
"There was a monster attack this morning," he said. "They called us in, in case we had to get the whole town in the Shelters at a moment's notice. I don't know about you, but I'm going to try and get a few hours sleep before I have to wake up again."
"G'night," Adam mumbled as his dad returned to his bedroom. Adam couldn't help but wonder if what his father remembered was what his father actually did during the night. He remembered the repeated blows delivered to him by Phantom Ranger. The thought that the person behind the twisted black armor could have been his father made goosebumps rise all over his body. It can't be him. It just can't be…
"A promise ring?" Bulk asked.
"You think she'll like it?" Adam asked hopefully.
"You're honestly going to give Tanya a promise ring?" Bulk asked again.
Adam slowly nodded as Bulk continued his close scrutiny of the ring. The ring itself was ten karat gold, while the yellow and green gems set in it were synthetic. Adam just couldn't afford a one hundred percent real ring, no matter how hard he tried.
"Yeah," Adam said bashfully. "I mean, I really care about her. I love her."
"Wow," Bulk sighed. "What does this mean, exactly?"
"It's sort of like a pre-engagement ring," Adam admitted.
"If you don't mind my asking, how far have you two… gone?" Bulk asked awkwardly.
"Not far," Adam admitted. With a true Adam smile, he added, "Nothing involving nudity." He paused, and then asked, "Have you and Dulcea?"
"Nothing more than a kiss," Bulk admitted.
"We haven't even been able to have an uninterrupted date in no telling how long. Every time the two of us try to go out, Phantom Ranger shows up," Adam sighed.
"When are you going to give it to her?"
"Tonight on our date."
"Aisha, we need to talk," Tanya said. "Can we-?"
"Come on over here," Aisha told her. "I'm the only one home."
Before Tanya could reply, yellow light flashed in Aisha's room. "I've got a bit of a problem," Tanya sighed as she crossed the room to sit on Aisha's bed.
"What kind of a problem?" Aisha asked.
"Well, I don't really know how to say this, because your best friend is the person I'm having the problem with," Tanya admitted.
"You and Adam?" Aisha asked in disbelief.
Tanya nodded her head. "It's…"
"Do you not like him anymore?" Aisha asked.
"He's a great guy," Tanya said sincerely. "I love him as a friend, I honestly do. But…"
"That's it," Aisha said dejectedly.
"That's it. I just… when he kisses me, I don't feel anything anymore. Nothing. I've fallen out of love with him."
Aisha frowned unhappily and slumped back against the pillows on her bed. "So… what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to tell him obviously," Tanya said. "I just don't know how to tell him. How has Adam handled break-ups in the past?"
"It's funny you should ask that," Aisha said delicately. "Well, Adam's never had a break-up… before."
"What?" Tanya asked. "I'm his first girlfriend?"
Aisha nodded. "That kiss in the Power Chamber, back during that alternate time fiasco. Well, that was his first kiss," Aisha said.
"Oh my God," Tanya moaned, burying her face in his hands. "What am I gonna do?"
"You're gonna have to tell him soon," Aisha informed her. "Don't stretch this thing out. The longer you take, the more it's going to hurt when you tell him. Tell him as soon as you can. And alone."
"I guess I'll tell him tonight," Tanya sighed. "On our date."
"You can have this room here," Jenga said, forcing the stone door open. "Feel free to do with it what you like."
"Wow," Astronema said, walking into the stone cold room. Large windows were on two of the walls which provided a huge view of the moon and later on, the rising Earth. "Corner room?"
"Yep," Jenga said. "Nice view, ain't it?"
"Oh, I forgot about one thing," Astronema said. "My henchman. I have a henchman. Can he stay here too?"
"Absolutely," Jenga replied. "Do I know him?"
"Mordant?"
"Pig?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"I know of him," Jenga answered. That wasn't much of a surprise to Astronema; Jenga knew of practically everyone on the side of evil. "When he will arrive?"
"He's currently chasing that Orb around space," Astronema answered. "You know, the one from Daria."
"They've probably put a protection spell on it," Jenga told her. "Well, I'm gonna go find Diva and see if she wants to go to Earth. Wanna come with?"
"Nah, I'm gonna get myself set up here," Astronema said with a smile. Jenga turned and left the room, leaving Astronema alone. "I think I'm going to like this place," Astronema all but purred as she reexamined her room. "I wonder if there are any cute guys around here?"
"I haven't been roller blading in I don't know how long," Aisha said as she rolled down the sidewalk in front of Zack's house. "Not many sidewalks on the Savannah."
"I know something you don't know," Zack taunted as he hurried to catch up with her.
"Oh?" Aisha asked.
"About Adam and Tanya," Zack said.
"Oh," Aisha said with a nod, turning around to slowly roll backwards so she could face Zack. "I know about that, too. Although I can't figure out why you're happy about it."
"Huh?" Zack asked. "Why wouldn't I be happy?"
"Because they're our friends!" Aisha protested, slapping him on the arm.
"We must be talking about two different things," Zack said warily. "What are you talking about?"
"Tanya is going to dump Adam!" Aisha shouted. "You better be talking about something different!"
"Hold up," Zack said. "She's dumping him? Why?!"
"She fell out of love with him," Aisha explained sadly. "What were you going to say?"
"Oh this is not gonna be good," Zack complained. "Adam called me and asked my advice on how he should pop a big question to Tanya."
"Big question?"
"He's going to give her a promise ring tonight and declare his love for her!" Zack shouted. "Aw man!"
"Well we have to stop him!" Aisha cried.
"We can't do anything," Zack said with an emphatic nod of his head. "Adam's gonna have to find out some way, and the only way we could warn him not to give Tanya the ring is to flat out tell him, and that's not our job."
"Adam is going to declare his love for Tanya, and Tanya's going to tell him she doesn't love him anymore," Aisha whined. "Why do men have to be so blind?!" she snapped, hitting Zack on the shoulder.
"It's not my fault!" Zack said, hitting her back although not nearly as hard. The two were still slowly skating down the incline of Zack's street. "Aisha, watch out!"
Before Aisha could react, the sidewalk ended. She tried to turn face forward, but she only got about halfway around. The sidewalk ended in three steps which were necessary because of the uneven layout of the ground. Aisha's right shin slammed into the edge of one of the steps before she sprawled out on her back at the bottom.
"Aisha!" Zack cried, hopping the three steps to kneel by her side. "Are you okay?"
"I think so," Aisha grunted, sitting up. However, as soon as she moved, pain shot through her right leg. "Ow! No. No, I'm not. Look at my leg. Is it broken?"
The skin was split wide open and a considerable amount of blood was flowing from the wound. However, what bothered Zack wasn't the blood. The fact that her leg was wider than it had been before was what bothered him. "I… I think so," he stammered. "Come on, we gotta get you to the emergency room. Wrap your left arm around my neck and put all of your weight on me."
Aisha did as she was told. She touched the steps with her right hand, and as Zack stood up, she pushed with her right hand and left leg as hard as she could. A few seconds later, she was standing up with all of her weight on him. "It's really starting to hurt now," she grunted through clenched teeth. "I can't believe I did something that stupid."
"I should have seen the steps behind you," Zack chided himself. He glanced up and down the four darkened streets they could be seen from, and then said, "I'm gonna teleport us into a dark corner of the hospital parking lot. I figure I can roll you in on one foot." Before Aisha could agree or disagree, he hit his communicator, and the two of them disappeared in a mingled streak of black and white.
"Why did you want to come here?" Tanya asked nervously. The two had teleported to Adam's secret spot: on top of George Washington's head of Mt. Rushmore.
Adam touched the black box in his pocket. Not just yet. "No reason," he said. "You can come closer." They were sitting within an arm's distance of each other.
"Adam," Tanya began nervously. "We need to talk."
"What about?" Adam asked.
"Us," Tanya said simply. She felt horribly sick to her stomach, but she took a deep breath and waited for Adam's reaction. When none came, she continued, "You know I really care about you, right?"
"Oh God," Adam groaned to himself, sensing what the topic of their conversation was going to be.
"No Adam, it's not like that," Tanya said hurriedly. "I promise I haven't met anybody else. I'm not cheating on you; I haven't even kissed a guy since we've been dating, I promise. And I wouldn't lie to you."
"I know," Adam said woodenly. "Then…?"
"It's just… I can't really explain what I feel Adam, but…"
"Tanya, please, you're scaring me."
"I just don't… love you, anymore," she said sadly.
"What?" Adam asked, rising to his feet. Tanya followed his suit, startled at the tone his voice had just taken. "You don't love me anymore?"
"I can't explain it, Adam," Tanya said softly.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked in a voice so sad it nearly broke Tanya's heart.
"No," she insisted, reaching out to touch his arm. "No, you were wonderful. A girl couldn't ask for a better boyfriend."
"If you're dumping me, then that's obviously what you want," Adam said, turning his back to her so she couldn't see the tears that were starting to gather at the corners of his eyes.
"Adam, please," Tanya said, absently wiping at a tear that stained its way down her cheek.
"I'm listening," he said in a horribly detached voice.
"I just… I don't feel with you what a girlfriend should feel with her boyfriend," Tanya started. "It's not that you haven't been nothing but perfect to me. It's just that… the spark isn't there anymore. I still love you Adam, honestly, I do. Just… not like a boyfriend. Please understand. I don't want to lose you as my friend."
Adam was silent for a moment. He finally answered, "You won't." Rather then let her see him cry, he touched his communicator and teleported away in green light.
Tanya wrapped her arms around herself as tears spilled down her cheeks. Adam's green teleport stream streaked across the sky, providing a beautiful contrast against the inky blackness of the universe. "I'm sorry," she sighed.
Beep beep beepbeep beep beep.
"What?" Tanya asked into her communicator.
"Tanya, uhm, we've had a little bit of trouble here."
"Fight?" she asked, furiously wiping at her cheeks.
"No, nothing like that. Aisha broke her leg. She's asking for you."
"Is she all right?" Tanya asked, the sadness immediately torn from her voice. "What happened?"
"She's fine, and she's a little bit too happy right now," Zack said. "Can you come?"
"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." Tanya lifted her shirt up enough to wipe her face off. "I'll stop and get sunglasses," she said before her vision dissolved into yellow.
"Aisha, you're gonna have to stop it," Zack chided.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I don't know what's come over me." They had given Aisha some pretty powerful drugs for the pain, and as a result, she had been talking about things that should only have been talked about in private. Zack had spent a full five minutes listening to her explain why when they were morphed, her teleport was pink, but when unmorphed, it was white. She still knew better than to talk around doctors or nurses, but he wasn't comfortable with her talking Ranger business in any type of public place.
"How are you feeling, Aisha?" her nurse asked as she entered the room to check on her.
"Slow night?" Aisha asked.
"You're the most exciting thing that's happened her tonight, truthfully," she said. "Well, that wasn't planned. Or pregnant."
"So why hasn't my leg been fixed?"
"The doctor is in surgery, now."
"Oh my God, what happened to him?"
"Aisha," Zack began delicately, "the doctor is performing surgery. Do the drugs usually make people this loopy?"
"I've always been especially sensitive to melidication, you're welcome very much," Aisha drawled.
"Some people get like this," the nurse said.
"I'm doped up, not deaf," Aisha protested.
"Aisha?" Tanya asked, poking her head in the door. Seeing the nurse, she asked, "Can I come in?"
"Probably not, but what they don't know won't hurt 'em," the nurse said with a smile, patting Tanya on the arm as she left the room.
"What happened?" Tanya asked.
"Roller blading," Zack answered for her.
"I fell," Aisha contributed.
"Yeah, I kinda guessed," Tanya said. "You really are doped up, huh?"
"Just a little," Aisha said with a smile. "Hey, how did your date go?"
"Aisha," Zack said sternly.
"Not well," Tanya answered. "I think Adam is mad at me."
"I wanna see Adam," Aisha announced. "I wanna see Adam."
"You have to kind of excuse her," Zack said warily. "She must be really sensitive to medication."
"Call Adam, Zack," Aisha insisted.
"I'll be in the Waiting Room if you all need me," Tanya said, smiling as best she could.
"Tanya?" Dulcea asked, entering the Waiting Room. "Is Aisha all right?"
"Dulcea," Tanya said, hurrying over to her. "She's fine, a simple fracture. They're going to put her in a walking cast for about eight weeks."
"Can I go see her?" Dulcea asked, tucking her hat under her arm.
"Well, Adam is in there now," Tanya said.
"One visitor at a time?"
"Something like that."
Zack left Aisha and Adam alone while he poured his heart out to one of his oldest and best friends. "I'm sorry, Adam," Aisha sighed. "I wish I knew what to say to make it better. Better. Beeettterrrr. Wow. That's a weird word. Say it. Beeeettteerrrr."
Adam couldn't help but smile at his friend's medication-induced behavior. "I feel kind of stupid that I bought this ring now," he said, taking it out of his box to stare at.
"You bought me a ring?" Aisha asked, yanking the box away.
"No, I bought it for Tanya."
"Oh. Can I have it?"
"No, I'm gonna take it back and get a refund," Adam announced, taking the box back.
"Ms. Campbell?" a man asked.
"That's me," she said.
"Hi. I'm Dr. Hathaway, and I'll be setting your leg tonight," he said. "In much pain?"
"Nope nope nope," Aisha chirped. "Those pills you all gave me were something else, lemme tell you whut."
"She's sensitive to medication," Adam told the doctor.
"I kind of suspected as much," Dr. Hathaway said. "Well, Ms. Campbell."
"Don't call me Ms. Campbell. That's my mom. Call me Aisha."
"Certainly, Aisha. This is my assistant, Raquel. She'll be helping us tonight."
"Do you want me to go get Zack?" Adam asked.
"No," Aisha said firmly. "I'd rather Dr. Hathaway and Raquel set my leg."
"I'm glad those pills are wearing off," Aisha said. "I can't believe how stupid I've been acting tonight."
"We're clear to go," Zack announced as he returned to Aisha's side with some crutches. The fracture was simple and clean, so they were able to put her in a walking cast. However, the crutches were still going to be needed for the time being.
"Tanya and Adam are both really upset, huh?" Aisha asked as Dulcea and Zack helped her out of the hospital.
"Tanya feels guilty and Adam feels hurt," Dulcea announced. "It's just going to take them some time to get through this." She glanced around the parking lot and then said, "I'm gonna go catch up with Bulk. He's covering for me." She then teleported away in a streak of sparkling silver.
The pair had made it to the parking lot when numerous flashes of light appeared all around them. The purple-haired villain and her black and silver fighters landed on the pavement. "Quantrons!" she shouted. "Attack!"
"Uh oh," Aisha whined. One of the Quantrons' blades knocked one of her crutches away, and she fell to the ground. She twisted, and landed on her backside rather than hurt her leg.
"Morph Aisha!" Zack cried, knocking the Quantrons attacking her away.
She twisted both wrists, summoning her Turbo Morpher and Key. Rather than waste time with the specialized movements, she thrust the key into the slot. The Turbo Power was unleashed within the center of her body. In a hurry, she cried out, "Wind Chaser Turbo Power!" Her words gave her the concentration necessary to morph, and with a pink flash of light, the Pink Turbo Armor appeared on her body. She leapt to her feet, as she was no longer encumbered with either a broken leg or the cast on it.
"They're headed for the hospital!" Zack shouted, running after the Quantrons.
"Guys, we need help!" Aisha cried into her communicator.
The fight was remarkably brief. All five Rangers had barely shown up when it was over. However, it had made one thing very clear. Unfortunately, it wasn't something that Aisha could easily accept.
"Hand to hand fights have been at an all time high, Aisha," Alpha informed her.
"I was able to morph in time," she said.
"Yeah, after you had been knocked down," Zack rebutted. "You were lucky this time, but you won't be lucky every time."
"We need to find a new Pink Turbo Ranger," Tanya agreed, nodding slowly. Bulk, the only other Ranger present, nodded in agreement.
"Look, there's more to it than me just finding a new teenager to take the morpher," Aisha said. "These powers aren't mine. I'm just a temp. They belong to Katherine."
The four teens were silent at that point. "Rangers," Catalina said softly, "will you let Aisha and me talk in private, please?"
Zack, Tanya, and Bulk shared a glance before they teleported away in silence.
"What are you going to tell me, Catalina?" Aisha asked nervously.
"I know this isn't a possibility you want to consider, but we have to face facts. It is entirely possible that no one will be coming home. It's been nearly a month since the last four left, and we haven't heard a thing from them, neither here or there. Katherine might never set foot in this dimension again," Catalina said.
"You can still go to that dimension, right?" Aisha asked. Catalina nodded, so Aisha continued. "Well, would you go ask her for me? Ask her what she thinks of the idea, and if she says yes, ask if she has any preferences."
"Certainly, Aisha," Catalina said. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? I'll let you know first thing in the morning."
"Let me know as soon as you get back, no matter what time it is. Okay?" Aisha asked.
"Of course," Catalina relented. "I'll go now."
In a different dimension, 10:12 p.m.
Pink light flared up inside the large white cubbyhole of the Power Core before Katherine Hillard materialized out of thin air. "Sigma?" she asked, stepping out of the teleportation booth. "Did you need to see me?" He and Nadia were standing by the triplet Swords. He motioned to the lower level.
"Katherine," Catalina smiled from the lower level.
"Catalina!" Katherine cried happily, running down the lighted stairwell. "What are you doing here?!" Katherine reached the bottom level and stood beside her holographic friend. It was remarkably odd to be so happy to see someone, but then to not be able to touch them in any way at all.
"Pink Ranger business," Catalina said.
"Is there a problem?" Omicron asked.
"Sort of," Catalina said. "Aisha broke her leg tonight."
"Oh!" Katherine cried. "Is she okay?"
"Yes, she's fine. It'll heal clean. But… well, there's a bit of a problem. There have been a lot of unmorphed fights, and Aisha can't fight. So we need to get a new Pink Ranger, and Aisha doesn't feel right choosing the person who will be your replacement."
"I see," Katherine said.
"She feels like she is just holding the Powers until you get back, and she really doesn't think that she should be allowed to select the person that you would have selected," Catalina informed her.
"Tell Aisha that she has my blessing to select a person who would be honorable and trustworthy to be the Pink Turbo Ranger," Catherine said.
"Good," Catalina said. She was starting to flicker as she was already spending too much time in an alternate dimension. "Uhm, before I go, any suggestions on who it should be?"
"Before all this happened, we were going to choose people who would be freshmen or sophomore this next school year," Katherine said. "Give our love to everybody, Catalina." Catalina waved goodbye as she transferred herself to her home dimension.
The "Home" dimension, later that night
"Here's my yearbook, and Franklin's middle school yearbook," Adam said, placing them on Aisha's bed. "In case you want to pick someone who'll be a freshman this fall."
"You know, I've really enjoyed being on active duty again," Aisha admitted.
"Well, in all truthfulness, now that I know I'll always be a Ranger in the literal sense, I'm ready to retire," Adam admitted.
"You got any ideas for a good replacement?"
"I've just been looking for myself."
Aisha paused, and then said, "Adam, if you want to talk about anything… you just let me know, okay?"
"Do you know why Tanya dumped me?" he asked bluntly, taking Aisha completely by surprise.
"She told me that she fell out of love with you," Aisha said softly.
"Why?" Adam asked. "Is there something wrong with me?"
"Adam," Aisha said sternly.
"No, I'm serious," Adam insisted. "Am I ugly? Do I have a bad personality? Am I irritating?"
"No, you aren't ugly," Aisha said. "You have a smile that could melt any girl's heart, and you're really lean and muscular, with no abnormal back hair or anything like that. As for your personality, I can't think of anyone with a better personality. You're warm, caring, and very friendly to everyone you meet. And you certainly aren't irritating."
"Then why did Tanya dump me?" He didn't look upset or mad; he just looked determined to find out the answers. "I know she fell out of love with me, but why? Did I do something wrong?"
"Not that I know of," Aisha said. Before Adam could say anything else, Aisha tried, "Look at it like this. I'm a woman, right?"
"Last time I checked," Adam said, immediately blushing at the unintended implication. Aisha, however, paid it no heed.
"And you're a man, right?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "Can you picture the two of us married? Having kids?"
"Of course not," Adam snapped, obviously disturbed at the very thought.
"And why is that?"
"Because you're Aisha," Adam said.
"Remember in fifth grade when Rocky decided he had a crush on me?"
"I remember you laid him out when he tried to kiss you," Adam said, smiling at the memory. "He told everybody I gave him the black eye so they wouldn't know a girl did it."
"Well, we have a pretty close relationship, wouldn't you think?"
"Of course."
"But we haven't always had this relationship. Remember when we became best friends?"
"Third grade," Adam said thoughtfully.
"But we met in kindergarten. Our relationship changed from just being kids in a class to being best friends."
"That's different," Adam insisted. "Our relationship got better, not worse."
"Adam, the point I'm trying to make is that people change and no one can understand why," Aisha said. "Tanya obviously just isn't the woman you are meant to be with for the rest of your life."
"I guess," Adam relented, shrugging. "I still don't like it. What's even worse is that I used to be able to tell Tanya anything. I don't even know if I'll be able to look at her, now."
"I don't know what to tell you about that," Aisha said. "It'll just take time."
"Aisha," her mother called as she knocked on the door.
Aisha waved goodbye to Adam as he teleported away in a green flash. "Come on in, Mom," Aisha called, pulling a thin sheet up over her leg in an attempt to hide the yearbooks.
"Aren't you up kind of late, hon?" Lucy asked.
"What time is it?" Aisha asked, glancing at her alarm clock. "It's just after eleven."
"You can't sleep?"
"My leg still feels too weird," Aisha said, "and my toes are asleep."
"Anything I can do for you?" Lucy asked.
"Well, I am incredibly hungry," Aisha admitted.
"I can warm you up a plate of roast beef, gravy, and mashed potatoes >from supper," Lucy offered.
"Oh, that would be heavenly," Aisha sighed. "Please?"
"To drink?"
"Diet 7-Up?"
"You got it." Once her mother left the room, Aisha began to flip through the closest yearbook, looking for girls who took an interest in activities such as school government, Honor Society, and other clubs that typically indicated the necessary attitude to be a Power Ranger.
Aisha had spent all of the next day in her room, calling various people and having Alpha perform scans on varying teenagers. She had eventually narrowed the list down to eight teenagers, ranging in age from fifteen to seventeen. Julia Holowochek, Paige Fox, Nancy Thompson, April Wilson, Antonia Neuman, Cassie Chan, Jacquelynn O'Connor, and Tatum Riley. All eight seemed to be outstanding citizens. They had varying g.p.a.'s, hung out in totally different groups, and participated in different extracurricular activities. Aisha spent the entire day trying to narrow the list down further, although she had no luck. She still wasn't completely sure if receiving the power was a blessing or a curse, and she didn't want to have to decide for someone.
Excepting to use the bathroom, she stayed in her bed and communicated with the outside world only via communicator or telephone. She ended up falling asleep well after midnight with newspapers and yearbooks scattered all around her.
July 17
Marge Lubbock, genius of a stature only rivaled by one other Angel Grove resident that she had, in fact, dated at one point, was doing a very normal activity. She was shopping at the mall. Her best friend Emily, girlfriend to Jason Scott, had to work at the Youth Center that afternoon, but rather than stay-cooped up on such a beautiful day, Marge opted to take her nine-year old sister Denise to the mall.
"Look Marge!" Denise cried happily. "They're little rabbits!"
"They certainly are adorable, aren't they?"
"Marge?"
The teen looked up to see Rosa DeSantos standing behind her. "Hey Rosa," Marge smiled.
"I really, really, really hate to impose, but can I ask a humongous, really big favor?" Rosa begged.
"What is it?"
"I need to go do something, by myself," she said, looking at her little brother, "and I need somebody to watch Alex."
"I don't need to be watched," Alex complained.
"Can he, Marge?!" Denise asked hopefully. Denise and Alex were in the same class and had developed a pretty tight friendship. They often spent the night at each other's house.
"Yeah, absolutely," Marge said. "Have fun."
"Thanks," Rosa said, shoving Alex off onto Marge. She smiled her gratitude again as she darted out of the pet store.
"Let's go home and play Super Nintendo!" Denise shouted.
"Yeah!" Alex agreed.
"All right, rug rats," Marge smiled. "Let's go."
Astronema had finally decided on the lay-out of her room. It had aspects of both an ordinary bedroom and the cold, stone feel of the entire palace. Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared through the window facing Earth. She jerked her head up, but all she saw was the ordinary stars and the Earth. However, before she could look away, another burst of white light flashed. "What is that?" she asked, strolling over to the window. The flash came again, but before it had time to die away, another flash took its place. In a matter of seconds, there was a cloud-like strobe light of white blinking away in the blackness of space.
Then, the very fabric of reality itself ripped open. Astronema's eyes widened as the spatial anomaly occurred before her. Then, the white cloud of light exploded, and a silver oval-shaped orb burst from the anomaly. The anomaly closed up, and the orb started its rapid journey toward Earth. "Daria," Astronema sighed to herself. She watched the orb as it curved around the planet, no doubt drawn like a magnet to the powerful source of crystals located in the Command Center. "JENGA!" She darted from her room and ran for her older sister.
"Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring," Jenga complained, looking at the Earth through two twin beams of blue light. Blinking, the lights disappeared from her eyes. "Nothing is going on down ther-… What's that?" She watched the silver orb as it slowly disappeared around the curve of the planet.
"Jenga!" Astronema cried as she ran up to her. "Did you see that orb?!"
"What was it?" Jenga asked. "I could feel energy coming off of it."
"It's the Orb from Daria!" Astronema shouted happily. "That's why I couldn't track it! They sent it through hyperspace and it just now came out!"
"All right, people!" Jenga yelled. "All members of the Dynasty, front and center! NOW!" Once she had called forth those on the moon, she stretched her right arm out. The stone by her feet began to ripple like liquid, and a tall pedestal table rose, composed of the liquid stone. A stone phone was on the table as well. She picked up the receiver and dialed a quick number.
"What are you doing?" Astronema asked.
"Calling someone," Jenga answered.
"Hi-," Phantom Ranger began before Jenga interrupted.
"Phantom," she said, triggering the evil Phantom personality. "I need you on the moon right now. Morph and get your butt up here."
"Of course," Phantom Ranger answered.
"Thank you, dear," Jenga smiled. She hung up the phone and the table immediately sank bank into the stone floor. "I love being in charge," Jenga smiled, shivering in mock anticipation.
"I gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go!" Denise cried as she ran through the middle of the Youth Center.
"Can I borrow a quarter?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, knock yourself out," Marge smiled as she handed Alex money for a video game.
"Hey Marge," Emily acknowledged from behind the counter.
"Hey Em. Up to much?"
"Not really," Emily said. "I'm just working my butt off. It is always so hectic in here on Friday afternoons."
"Emily!" Ernie called from the back. "Can you come here and help me with this?"
"Sure thing," Emily answered as she hurried to the back room. Marge took a seat at the bar to wait for the two kids to come back.
"Hi Marge," David Trueheart said with a smile as he sat down beside her.
"How are you doing, David?" Marge asked cheerfully.
"I'm going pretty good," he said. "You?"
"Can't complain," she replied, just as the phone rang.
"Can one of you two get that?!" Ernie shouted.
"I got it, Ernie!" David volunteered. He stretched across the counter and snatched the phone from the receiver. "Hi-." He paused and then said, "Of course." He paused again, and then hung up the phone.
"Who was it?" Marge asked, perplexed at his short conversation.
"It was Dad," David told him. "He doesn't like using phones much. He doesn't even say goodbye. He just hangs up when he's done talking. Ernie! The call was for me. It was my dad!"
"Oh yeah," the portly bartender said as he walked out to the bar with a large box in his arms. "He was looking for you earlier."
"Speaking of which, I gotta go," David said. He waved with a chop of his hand and darted out, passing Det. Park on the way out.
"Ernie!" the muscular detective called as he ran up to the bar. "I'm looking for Lt. Stone. I heard he was here."
"I saw him and Dulcea around here someplace," Ernie told him. "Emily?"
"No, sorry," she said with a shrug.
"Would you deliver a message next time you see him?" Det. Park asked. Just then, his beeper went off. He pulled it from his waist and asked, "Care if I use the phone? That's probably him now."
"Knock yourself out," Ernie told him, picking up the phone from the behind the counter and handing it to the detective.
"Thanks," he said with a smile. He quickly dialed the number while Marge turned her attention away from his direction to give him some privacy.
"Hey, you wanna go to the movies tonight?" Emily asked Marge. "I still haven't dragged you to see 'Men in Black.' It's a good movie."
"I can't go to the seven o'clock show," Marge sighed. "Maybe the nine?"
"Yeah, that works good for me, too," Emily said. "I don't get out of here until eight."
"So, what say I meet you here?"
"Perfect," Emily smiled sweetly.
"Of course," Det. Park finished the conversation. He hung up the phone and said, "Forget the message. That was him. I gotta run though. Thanks Ernie."
"Not a prob, Detective," Ernie called as the man ran out of the Youth Center.
"Well, you guys got any idea on how to pry those two out of here?" Marge asked, motioning to Denise and Alex who were currently pried to an arcade game.
"If you want, I can keep my free eye on them," Ernie volunteered.
"Are you sure?" Marge asked. "That'd be really great if you could, because I had planned to take the Jazzercise class that's starting here in about ten minutes."
"Absolutely," Ernie said.
"You can borrow some clothes from my locker," Emily told her.
Marge smiled her thanks and ran over to the locker room. She quickly found the locker, but there was nothing in it but Emily's keys and purse. She obviously hadn't brought anything in because she hadn't had a break long enough to take any of the classes offered. Rather than be deterred, however, Marge lifted the keys from their hook and dashed out to Emily's car to get them herself.
As soon as she opened Emily's trunk, movement caught itself in the corner of her eye. She turned her head just in time to see a figure dart around the long rectangular reflecting pool just below the Youth Center. Ordinarily, she would have dismissed such an action, but seldom did someone run unless there was a monster alarm. Marge wasn't sure who the person was, but she decided she was going to find out. Slamming the trunk shut, she ran down the concrete steps leading to the long walkway that led to nowhere with the reflecting pool in the center. Ernie had had it installed several years prior for skateborders and roller bladers.
The figure darted around a corner that was completely hidden from trees. Marge, however, was not deterred. She crept into the pathway that led to the roofless gazebo, surrounded by trees and shrubs. As soon as she saw the person, Marge dropped into a kneeling position. She couldn't figure out why the secrecy. But then, her eyes opened painfully wide and in one of the most frightening moments of her life, she understood perfectly.
The person thrust both arms forward, crossed them quickly, and then black light flowed down both arms. By the time the arms were uncrossed, a walnut-sized ruby had appeared in the right hand. The person kept the left arm forward and thrust the ruby into the sky. "Phantom Ranger Power!" was shouted loud enough to frighten Marge, but not so loud as to attract anyone's attention. Black flames burst from the ruby, swirling in an angry vortex that had centered itself in the person's body. When the black flames died down, Phantom Ranger, altered in height from unmorphed, was standing there. Both arms were thrust into the sky, and the black flames returned. They burned around Phantom Ranger's body, and a few seconds later when they subsided, Marge was alone.
Her breath was caught in her throat, but she managed to scramble backwards. Emily's keys tumbled from her hand, but she paid them no heed. Marge's face was twisted in a horrified grimace of terror as she backed away from the now empty hiding spot. Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath her, and she plunged backwards into the reflecting pool. She smacked hard into the bottom, disturbing a literal treasure of pennies and other coins. She climbed from the three-foot deep pool, ignoring the laughter of the few who had seen her. The cool water was successful in shocking sense back into her. "Denise!" she screamed, running up the wide expanse of stairs that led to the Youth Center.
She was dripping wet as she darted into the Youth Center, oblivious to the stares from those around her. "Denise!" she screeched. "Alex!" She ran up to their video game and yanked them away. "We gotta get the hell out of here!" Denise started to protest, but as soon as she saw the look of fear in her older sister's face, she didn't bother to put up a struggle.
"She said a cuss word!" Alex loudly whispered to Denise before they both burst into giggles.
"Rangers, please report to the Command Center at once," Zordon's voice announced through the communication systems.
Aisha scratched a black line through yet another name on her list. "Down to two," she muttered. She tore the page from the notebook and got her crutches from beside the bed. After some slow maneuvering, she had made it to her feet. Pressing the teleport button on her communicator, she teleported away in a column of white.
"All right, people," Jenga announced, drumming her fingers along the top of her clipboard. "The Power Rangers are no doubt after this Orb as well. We cannot let them find it before us, is that understood? Machine Empire, I want you to find the location at once. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am!" Prince Sprocket cried happily.
"Astronema, Goldar, Elgar, Rito, Rygog, Scorpina, and Phantom Ranger," Jenga began, "you will go after the Orb.
"The rest of you, make yourselves useful. Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am, Miss Jenga, ma'am!" Rito shouted, saluting her.
"We will find those power manipulators and have an entire team of evil Rangers," Jenga said thoughtfully to herself. "Porto, Finster, start looking for a power source."
"Yes ma'am," the two said in unison.
Diva Tox walked up to Jenga and Astronema, her red cape swinging behind her. "The Rangers are looking for it now," Diva Tox announced. "Four of them are headed for Arizona, but they're in their Zords. I suspect that they have a general location, but no exact coordinates."
"Or reality has folded in on itself," Astronema mused.
"Pardon?" Diva Tox asked.
Jenga raised her eyebrows as a thought processed. "Mondo, scan Arizona for spatial anomalies."
"Yes ma'am," he obeyed.
"Excellent deduction, ladies," Jenga approved with a smile.
"We aren't sure of its origin," Zordon told the Rangers, "but we suspect that it is from the recently deceased planet of Daria."
"Regardless of where it is from," Catalina said, "we must get it before Jenga can. Power is emanating from that Orb."
"I have pinpointed its