After fixing his appearance and taking an early morning shower he ran down the stairs to be greeted by his uncle who was cooking some flap jacks and sausages. Tommy smiled and pulled out a chair by the table where some cakes were already waiting him. He began eating and his uncle kept shuffling through the kitchen with the ease of an excellent cook.

"Where'd David go to?" Tommy asked between two gulps of food. The syrup was getting pretty sticky and there seemed to be no end to where it got while he ate. True to the fact that Tommy was a messy eater, yet a healthy eater at that.

"He went off to go find out what the word was on the reservation committe bringing in the casino to town."

"Oh, that's cool," Tommy said drinking some milk while he eyed his uncle. Tommy's uncle was a thin white man with a balding patch on his head. He had adopted Tommy and David when they were young and raised them so that they were aware of their heritage. Which was easy because of the nearby reservation that was only a mile away. Tommy and his brother were not to be doubted in the fact that they were Native American in any way. Tommy had dark brown hair and the slighly slanted eyes with olive colored skin that came naturally to his kind. His brother, who was in fact his identical twin, looked the same. Their uncommon looks and their twinish ways kept the girls in the school they attended quite attentive. Sometimes a little too attentive.

"The phone rang while you were sleeping. Kimberly is wondering where you are. You were supposed to meet her at Ernie's Arcade at ten today. It's already ten fifty you know."

"What? Oh jeez she is going to kill me," Tommy said as he spilt some of the milk on himself in surprise. It seemed that he was eternally fated to be late and unorganized everyday of his life.

Pushing in the chair he went back up to his room to change and wash up again seeing that he was already covered with half of the food he had managed to eat that morning. After wasting more time Tommy finally made it out of the door. It was then that he realized he had forgotten his medallion. He couldn't leave the house without that. Especially if there was a sudden attack thrown on him.

12:00 P.M.
Ernie's Arcade, Angel Valley
"Oh man where is he? He was supposed to be helping me with this big project," Kimberly said to herself anxiously as she ran a hand through her honey colored silken hair. She smiled as someone she knew passed by and waved to her. Sure it was true that she was a little superficial, but there were also times when what she was really thinking showed right through her. This was not one of those time though. She wore a light fall dress and some arm bands that rested and clinked gently when she moved. Her face was pure, yet it didn't seem to be as perfect as Katherine's was. But she didn't get bothered at all from this. Kim figured that since she wore glasses and never really participated in school things that she didn't need to compete anyway.

"Kim I'm so sorry I didn't mean to keep you waiting! I'm right here," Tommy said as he ran up to her winded and covered in sweat. She looked him over once and wondered how she ever got to know a kid like him. Running a hand over her arm bands she remembered and looked off into space thinking of the memories. Tommy stood there gasping and heaving as he looked around the place. She looked at him again and noticed that he was wearing some nice white shorts that showed off his muscular legs and a tank top that showed his arms and the rest of his muscular body. His shoulder length dark wavey brown hair fell around his face giving him a sort of surfer look.

"It's okay Tommy. Now that you're here we can go to the pizza counter and work on it." Kim was an extremely gifted girl. She was so skilled in the art of drawing that it seemed some of her pictures could come to life. Tommy didn't doubt this since it was part of what made her special. It was her power.

"Okay. That way I can get something to eat there too," Tommy said happily as he walked off to the double doors that seperated the pizza parlor part of the arcade from the normal part.

"Uh, Tommy how about you wait until after I've drawn your pic okay? I don't want to look at you make a mess of yourself," she said with a little giggle.

"Oh, okay," he said as they sat right by the counter and she pulled her sketch pad out of her bag that she had brought with her. Then immediately after that she produced her artist caliber drawing pencils and opened the sketch pad. Ernie and his co-worker Justin happened by. How Justin got a job working in a pizza place he had no idea. Seeing how old he was, the kid wasn't even out of junior high yet. Still, Ernie was also his legal guardian and Justin probably begged him to let him work at the parlor for some time.

"Hi guys! Do you want anything right now?" asked Justin who sat at a stool on the other side of the counter that just happened to be near where the other two were sitting.

"No, we're all right right now thank you!" Kim said flashing him a bright smile and taking a peek at Tommy while she kept on sketching.

"Yeah, what she said," Tommy said looking around. He noticed Katherine sitting all by herself in the middle of the parlor. Her hair was braided into pigtails and she was sipping a strawberry shake. A breeze waifted by and her flaxen hair blew along with it while her eyes slowly came up to meet his with a steady gaze. Her liquid cobalt pierced into his mind and mezmerized him for a second. Then she looked up as her boyfriend Trey came up to her. No one knew who Trey was, but it was rumored that he had been seen in three places in the same exact moment once. Tommy figured that he had been borne to a set of triplets, others thought it was magic. Tommy knew better. Fingering his medalion he thought about how magic was in fact real. Yet only the chosen few had the power to weild it.

"Hey you guys! I've been trying to find you for some time now!" said a handsome boy who came running up to them in some blue overalls that were about two sizes too big. His mettalic glasses and strange mettalic ring on his finger made him stand out in the crowd as he came walking over. His name was William, but everyone just called him Bill.

"Yo Bill man, whats up?" said Kim and Tommy in unision.

"I was just over at Zack's house and he said that Trini is coming back to town," he said as he rested his hand on Kim's shoulder and peeped into her work. She quickly responded by elbowing him in the stomach and looking at him through her tiny spekkled gold glasses. She looked like she could have hung out with him better than Tommy, but the truth was she could hardly stand Bill.

"Trini is back?" Tommy said thinking about the slender and tall Asian girl that he had come to know so well. They had been signifigant to each other once. That was before she had to move away though. He loved that long and straight hair that shown like ebony as she sat in the sun. Her slanted eyes were a match for his and her gentle ways reminded him of what love was.

"Yes, and she is coming by with Zack and Jason and later on," Bill said pushing back his glasses and rocking on his heels.

"Oh great Jason is coming too?" asked Tommy with a dull groan. Kim kicked him and looked at him over her glasses with a dark glare. Jason was gay, but the others had accepted that and everything was cool. The only thing was that Jason had a habit of acting really feminine. His hankering to do this always happened at the wrong time and usually in a hostile place where it wasn't tolerated. Sighing and giving up, Tommy agreed to meet them all at the parlor around eight. Bill gave Kim a knowing look and she knew she should show up at nine. It wasn't Tommy's fault that he had been cursed with lateness.

"Wow, the whole group is back together again," Kim said as she took her glasses off and wiped them with her shirt. She remembered how Medusa had contrived to split them up many times yet it never really worked. Truth of the matter was a simple thing like a job reassignment was the thing that would make them all split. Trini was the leader, or at least she took the responsibilities of the group often. She was the force that kept them all together. The only reason the others still had their powers was because the one who had given them to them had never come back to claim them. Kim wondered where Merlin was while she went back to her sketching.

9:00 P.M.
Ernie's Arcade, Angel Valley
"I'm here guys!" Tommy said as he strolled into the door with his arms wide and a huge smile on his face. He was greeted by his friends and they were all happy for once. Tommy looked at his watch, he was an hour late. Strange. Yet still he didn't look the gift horse in the mouth and went over to the huge table that his friends had secured. Ernie's Arcade closed around twelve and the place was packed till the last minute.

"Over here!" Zack said as he waved his arm for a second to call Tommy over. Zack had changed so much. There was a time when he wouldn't leave this one poor Black girl alone. Then he turned full cirlce and just found himself a nice White girl who respected him. Oh yeah, Zack had balls. Balls of steel, and that was what made Tommy respect him so much. Angel Valley High was not usually known for its approval of interracial dating. Tommy sat down next to Bill and the empty seat that was on the other side of him.

"You made it on time," Kim said looking at her watch.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tommy said looking at her and Bill who began to chuckle.

"We told you to show up at eight but we knew you would be here around nine. So... we all showed up at eight fifty," she said with a devilish smile. Jason laughed and Zack grinned shaking his head. One of his long dreadlockes fell over his eyes and covered his sight a little. Tommy also noticed that Jason had cut his hair back down to spikes. A lot of people had changed their look over the summer.

"Tommy... Tommy is that you?" Trini said as she started out of the bathroom and walked over to the table. Tommy rushed up and took her in his arms then swung her around. She kicked up her legs and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek. He noticed that she smelled like sunflowers and rainwater. Sighing and putting her down he stepped back and took a look at her. She was still tall and slender but her look had totally changed. She wore some bike shorts and the nylon was black while she had on a halter top and a scarf on her head. Then her hair, her hair! Trini had cut her hair. It was shorter than Bill's and was cut in a similar boy's fashion. She saw his startled look and pulled the scarf off her head. She shook out her hair and it fell straight in a sort of Friar Tuck shape. It looked good on her and her frame.

"Oh my god it has been so long. What was it like in Britain? You have to tell us all about your adventures there. We still can't find Merlin or his darn Owl. Did you know that my brother is on the reservation committie now? It's been so hard since you were gone, Medusa hasn't even attacked for a while now either," he said in one breath.

"Well, isn't that a mouth full," she said with that surprised look in her face and that arch in her eyebrow that meant she was pleased.

"Tommy, don't just give her a second to sit down or anything," Bill said.

Tommy shot him a withering look and he began to stand up. Trini working her magic began to intercede and the two realized what was going to happen all too quickly. Tommy backed down and then so did the quickly reddening Bill.

"You two are already fighting and I just got back! Sheesh," she said taking a chair and holding up a cup in cheers. "The Power Mages are reunited!" she said in a whisper and they all cheered.

October 17, 1997
11:00 A.M.
Angel Valley
Jason woke up and ran his hand through his short spikey hair. He was feeling all sore and it had been as a result of all of his wieght lifting the other night. Seeing as how Trini was back, it would be more likely that Medusa would feel all of the good energy converging in the area. She was probably working on her next plan to get them all to split up so she could take over Angel Valley and turn it back to the way it was one thousand years ago.

Walking over to a window Jason peered out and saw a moving van right in front of the house next to him. Someone was moving in to Angel Valley! He grinned and leaned his head out the window to yell down to his mom who was working out in the yard with the flowers.

"Mom! who's moving in?" he said slightly above a shout. She looked up at him and signed to him that the new neighbors were a family of Asians and that there was a boy there about Jason's age. She wasn't deaf in any way, but their grandmother was and she had taught her children how to sign a long time ago. They had communicated that way sometimes.

Jason hurried and threw on some clothes and ran right across the street barefoot. His mother looked after him and wondered if he was going to start chasing after this new boy now and leave his last crush of the week high and dry. She chuckled and knew that was bull, Jason just liked to check out the fish in the sea, as he had put it one day when he got into an argument over his roving eye with his mother.

"Hi, uh... I'm your next door neighbor. Would you like some help?" he asked as he walked up to a small Asian woman who was digging through a box in the front door. She smiled at him and shook her head showing she had exactly no idea what in the world he was saying. Then without warning she looked back and shouted something to which she was immediately answered by another foreign word.

"Hello? Who's there?" a male voice called out as two legs came bounding down the stairs in the back. She looked up at Jason and smiled waving her arm at him signalling for him to go ahead and step in. Jason took the initiative and was greated by the most beautiful boy he had ever seen in the world. He came to the bottom of the stairs and Jason almost drooled.

He was Amerasian, which meant that he was of mixed Asian lineage with an American. It was obvious that his father had been white seeing his dusty almost blonde hair and hazel eyes. Shaking his head Jason started from the feet up and looked the boy over with a hidden need. He had large feet, totally uncommon in Asians, but normal in Amerasians that lead to some muscular legs and thighs which were covered by a pair of shorts. His slim waist and V-shaped torso lead to some braod shoulders and muscular arms. His face was pure and unblemished and his eyes sparkeled when he smiled. Jason almost melted then and there but didn't want to give to much of his personality away.

"Hi I'm your neighbor Jason. I cam over to welcome you to Angel Valley and to give you a hand in moving in," he said extending a hand in greeting. Adam took it and led him to the van that was out front so that they could start to move in some bigger furniture. Every now and then he would babble something to his mother and she would say something back. Jason guessed he was asking her where certian items went seeing as how they were all going in different places most of the time.

1:30 P.M.
Angel Valley Shopping Mall Complex
Aisha wasn't a very complex girl. She wore her clothes baggy and had braided hair, most of which wasn't real. She loved to have fun and was truthful with the way she handled people and the world about her. One thing that had always remained constant in her life was her love for animals. Aisha was pretty, but she wasn't gorgeous. This made her feel like an average girl in a sort of not so average world. It was no secret that magic had resurfaced on the planet in a sudden boom. There was no explination, it just happened. The monsters appeared, then the warriors appeared to combat them. It was odd, but she managed to get through it. One real reason she walked through it all was because of her love, Bill.

"Bill, where are you?" she asked as she looked for him and his funny Goatee which made him stand out in a crowd. Aisha balanced herself on her toes and held her hand flat over her eyes so she could see under the skylight that she had been standing under. A hand came over her face and she shouted loud drawing the attention of some passerbys.

"Guess who?" said Bill's voice.

"Someone who's going to get their full serving of a can of whop ass," she said rolling her neck a little.

"Aisha..." Bill said rubbing the back of his neck as she swung around on him ready to hit him.

She stopped up short when she saw that he had bought her flowers and candy. He opened his arms a little and she eased her way in. Aisha hugged Bill and then passionately kissed him with vigor. Pulling back she looked at the flowers and candy and sat down on a nearby bench with Bill.

"So, you managed to get out of the dog house, but you were still late," she said.

"I was hanging out with Tommy," Bill said.

She didn't reply to this except for rolling her eyes and walking away. Bill caught up to her and they continued to walk around the mall.

Aisha stopped at a small store that was displaying some hip hop fashions. She looked at Bill in his raggedy old overalls and slowly began to edge him into the store. She pursed her lip, Bill was ornery about buying new clothes, but she would get him to do this. As they looked over some things in the store Bill saw something he liked and went to try it on. Aisha grinned and sat down to watch the 702 video that was on the TV in the store.

I can tell you noticed me, only because I noticed you. Walked through the crowd to get your name, and to give you mine too. Cause we gotta get down.

Aisha hummed along, she wished that she could sing but the truth was that she made animals cry when she sang. She caused birds to run into glass and most people to shout at her hostile-like when she sang. Sighing to herself she watched the store clerk running around taking orders and doing things. Wondering what was keeping Bill she went over to the door and knocked on it. There was no reply at all. After a few minutes she tried again and this time put her hand on the door nob. Giving up she opened the door and found it was empty. Bill wasn't in the stall and the clothes he had picked out were hanging there on a hook.

"What the hell?" she asked.

2:00 P.M.
Great Rowen Tree, Angel Valley
"Whoa, who teleported me out of the store I was in?" Bill said as he rematerialized into the hollowed out tree unexpectedly.

"We're sorry but we had to, there is an emergency. Trini was looking around and found out what happened to the Owl," said Zack as he walked over and clamped down on Bill's shoulder.

"But Aisha might suspect something," he mumbled.

"Oh, she can be trusted. She has power within her anyhow," Kim said looking up from the sketch pad she had for barely a second. No one really noticied what she had said though.

"So what is the news on the Owl then?" asked Tommy who was itching his leg which was red and swollen.

"The Owl was last seen in the Angel Grove Mall," Trini said.

"I was just in there!" shouted Bill.

"Yes Bill, but your power would not come in handy for this one. At least not working alone. There is a dark force at the mall and it has all the signs of a Medusa monster," Trini said as she scryed into the main crystal of the tree. I think that this monster may be in the fountain. yes, it is a water monster. Sorry guys but I don't think Bill would have been much help seeing as how he draws his power from water," Trini stated not looking from the crystal.

Bill put off by all the talk of how useless his power was just sighed and held up his hand. The ring on his finger flashed and he shouted out the phrase that would make him revert to what he drew his power from. The ring flashed a blue light and pulsed as a wave of light circled Bill and covered him in cobalt. He shivered, he always did when the energy came over him. Then the change began. After a few seconds before them stood the water elemental that had taken over Bill's physical form. Everything had changed. He had liquid features now and in the middle of his body a little whirlpool swirled. He collapsed as if his shell had just fallen apart and splashed away leaving nothing but a puttle.

"As Bill so aptly put it, it's Magic time!" Trini shouted as she lifted her shirt a little to show her belt buckle. On her buckle rested her elemental converter. Trini and the others metamorphed and teleported to the mall in their own elemental ways.

2:20 P.M.
Angel Valley Shopping Mall Complex
Zack was the first there, seeing as how his element was that of the shadow he had found many shadows in the mall that had hundreds of light sources. His shadowy body that was made up of angles and sharp fingers extended along the floor out of the shadow of a nearby portly woman. Jason was right beside him, appearing in a spark from a lit cigarette that had been thrown to the side. Much more noticable than Zack in his shadow form Jason blew up to his full elemental girth and looked like a wall of fire that was shaped like a man. The two of them caught up to Bill who was standing right in front of the fountain that had the water monster in it. Some people screamed at the sight of them and ran away, it was for the best though, they didn't want any innocents to get hurt while they wrapped up the monster. From a budding weed in one of the nearby gardens Tommy appeared in his form that made him look as if he were made up of roots. He was followed immediately by Trini who had probably been waiting there for them for a while, since in her elemental form she could take on all the properties of light. Last to show up was Kim in a refreshing breeze that left behind a slightly pinkish colored cloud that composed her elemental body.

"Okay guys, are we all here?" she asked as a small gust of wind blew out of her.

"All set, lets get going," said Jason, hot and quicktempered in his element form.

"Wait maybe we should try to think this out first, it doesn't look like this will be easy," Bill said falling to his cool and deep running reasoning.

"Oh, look who's not in a hurry now!" said Tommy as his root like feet slithered across the ground.

"Are you guys going to fight me or just stand there and talk?" the Krakken in the fountain said to them with an obviuos level of anger. They had kept it waiting, they often did this fighting when times called for their powers. It was just because the elements when combined with human emotions wouldn't work all that well together. Merlin said it would be that way, no one belived him.

"Okay here you go!" Bill said drawing his hands back as if he were going to throw a fireball just like in a popular arcade game he had played earlier.

"Finally," the monster said and swallowed the tunnel of water that Bill had blasted at him with the force of tons. The Krakken just smiled and licked it's lips saying that the water wasn't really to his level of perfection, but that it would do. Trini let out one of her 'I told you so' looks and flew up next to the Krakken's head.

"Hey you, big giant fish face...." _That sucked,_ she thought to herself, "Your moma tasted good last night!" _Much better!_

"What? You bitch!" the Krakken said flinging one of it's sharp and apparently detractable teeth from its mouth at her. Trini dodged it, moving faster than time itself, or so it seemed and then fired a blast of light off so as to blind the creature. This worked and she signalled to Tommy.

Tommy slithered forward on those wierd tentecle feet of his and called up all the earth and plants that he could to plug up the fountain. It didn't seem to work though, and he continued dutifully until one of the Krakken's teeth tore into him. Falling back, Kim saw him go down and blew back any more teeth that the Krakken may have tried to blow over to them. Jason had been fuming the whole time while this was going on, so he finally just bought his time and found that the creature was blinded and the wind was working against him. So he leapt up, let the wind carry him to the beast and hugged it till it began to burn. Then climbing out of it's grasp he leapt on top of it and finished it by flaring up like a giant balloon and droping flaming spheres all over it. The Krakken let out a howl of dismay and blew up in a blast of water. Jason's elemental body was smothered, yet he reappeared in the same cigarette that was still burning from before.

"Whew, no wonder those things start forest fires, they never go out. Good thing that was lit or I might have been in trouble." The team all smiled and teleported back to the Great Rowen Tree. All of them had forgotten to look for Merlin's companion animal, the Owl.

November 5, 1997
1:00 P.M.
Angel Valley Park, Angel Valley
"So Aisha is getting mad with all the excuses you keep coming up with to explain why you disappear all the time?"

"Yes, I don't know what to do, I mean she said if I came up with one more sucky excuse that we would be finished," Bill said running his hand over his goatee and pulling on some hairs.

"Well you have no choice then, Merlin said that you could tell those who were very important to you. You might as well Aisha. I mean, it's not like she wont belive you on this. You can show her the evidence," Tommy said as he laid back under the tree that he and Bill were currently under.

"Well...." then Bill looked up and he nearly fell over in shock.

There down the hill a little bit was the hoodlum known as Rocky, Rocky DeSantos. He was there with his latino gang and they were all wearing their gang colors and scarfs. That wasn't what really surprised him at all, what totally devistated Bill was that on the arm of Rocky was hanging Kim like a little puppy. She wasn't dressed like them and that made her stand out even more. Then he bent over and kissed her and waved as she began walking up the hill. Tommy looked up just in time to see who she had been with and was also dumbfounded.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Kim said in a light mood.

"Uh, you and that walking killing machine. You know he does have a rap sheet about as tall as Shaq right?" Bill said adjusting his glasses. Kim wasn't wearing hers even, he wondered how she could see walking around without them.

"That's none of your damn buisness who I date and who I'm happy with! Besides, he is trying to fix up his reputation and things like that. We just got back from the volunteer carwash for the Angel Valley Baseball teams. Rocky wanted to play baseball once...."

"Jesus, Kim why is it that all the girls are attracted to all the boys that are bad for them?" as Tommy said this Kim's eyes flared and the other two knew that all the proverbial crap was going to hit the fan.

"Excuse me but just where do you get off thinking that all women want men that are bad. I will have you know that I wanted to date Tommy here for a while and he's nothing but a big bumbling sap who's always late for everything. And look at you Bill, your woman dates you and you ain't no walk on the wild side as it is. All you ever do is have something trite to say and try to act as if you could take anyone down. You guys make me sick, whenever I get something that I like the rest of the group has to ruin it. I mean sometimes it's just so unfair that I have to work with you guys and you are always on my back about something or the other. I'm sick of it, just sick!" she said as she abruptly got up and walked off.

Bill just sat there for a second then he turned and looked at Tommy. "I think she's mad."

"I don't know, you think so?"

"Yeah, she's heated."

"Yup, damn right about that."

3:00 P.M.
Angel Valley Airport, Angel Valley
"So uh, Jason. Why didn't you tell me you swung to the left?" asked Adam as he waited for his long time pen-pal to show up. His fingers dwindling as he sat on the chairs that were provided in the main part of the Airport.

"I was kinda worried about what would happen to our friendship. I know that some people have problems with it, hell a few of my friends hate it. I didn't know how you'd react."

"Yeah well, I don't mind, but I'm tellin you now, I'm not gay," Adam said looking Jason in the eyes.

"Okay, okay," Jason said looking at the crowd of people leaving the doors to the terminal and stepping into the late day sun. Jason had hunches, sometimes he could tell who was gay just by looking at them. He must have been wrong about Adam, then again it could have been lust at work again.

"Now be on the look out for a Black girl who will be wearing some traditional African clothing," said Adam as he walked off looking for this Tanya girl. Jason watched him go, then sighed heavily when he was out of sight.

"Okay," Jason said sulking. He really wanted Adam, but it was lust, not love. And the two of those things were much to easily mistaken for the other by him, along with about fifty percent of the rest of the people in the world. He stretched a little bit and some people admired his body out of the corner of their eyes. He noticed them looking at him, they didn't notice he knew. Jason always got looks like that. Then he noticed her standing there.

She was wearing one of the earth toned garments that one would expect of a royal ambassador from Africa. She had long wavey hair that fell along her back and rested there gently blowing in the breeze. On her head was a cylander type hat that kind of reminded Jason of a Fez, but it had the same earth tones as her outfit. She had two suitcases and a man who was extremely big was standing next to her making sure none stepped too near her. Her eyes locked onto Jason's and he felt as if he were drowning in them. She blinked and broke the contact and looked away then. He broke his nervousness and made his way over to her.

"Tanya? Is that you?" the boy said as he came closer.

"Watch out young man," her bodyguard said.

"Wait Dimbike," she said looking around a arm that had come up protectively, "this may be him."

"Yes Princess," he said.

_Princess? Is she a Princess?_ thought Jason as the woman slowly stepped around the man's arm and walked over to Jason. She looked him over and all around circling Jason and paying much attention to every aspect about him. He felt as if he were being evaluated and made no movements while she looked him over.

"You are not Adam. Adam did not describe himself as you appear. Yet you know of my name. How is this so?" she asked in a soft accent that made her even sound royal.

"Well, you know, I'm like Adam's friend and all and we came to pick you up here and stuff," he said feeling as if his language was crude and imbecilic compared to her manner of speaking.

"Tanya! Oh my god is that you?!" a voice rang out from the side of her. She turned and saw that it was Adam and went running to him. She leapt and hugged him happily as he swung her around. It was obvious that they were good friends. Her body guard was reacting as if he were being pricked by pins but kept his composure. Jason fiugred he wasn't used to seeing the Princess act so care free. Tanya was something. She was something extra special, to Adam. Jason fumed and bit his lip while he looked at the two hugging each other.

November 20th, 1997
12:39 P.M.
Angel Valley, Sloan Mansion
"So I have gathered you all here today in order to tell you something vital that I have discovered," Tanya began as she waved a hand to usher off Dimbike who was always guarding her. The whole group was there at this time. Kim sat by the huge windows that overlooked Angel Valley and was of course drawing. Zack sat by the stereo system and was looking over the controls, he was trying to figure out how to set the CD on it. Jason was staring at, well, he was more like glaring at Tanya. Tommy was admiring some of the pictures on the walls and Bill and Trini were looking through the papers.

"What did you come up with?" asked Bill not even looking up from the papers.

"I know who the Mages are," she said causing complete silence to fall over the room.

Jason rolled his eyes and turned away to look out the window. Tanya looked upon him and he felt her penetrating eyes fall on him with strength. She cleared her throat and called him by his name.

"Jason, your soul is full of rage and fire, you are the Ifreet. A being of fire that is jealous and protective."

Jason turned and looked at her with wide eyes. She ignored him and looked at Kim who was sitting by the window. "Kim, you are fresh to the world, naive, but when threatened you have the power of a hurricane. You are the Djinn, the being of wind and change."

Kim looked at Tanya and then went right back to her drawing as if her discovery was no consequence.

"Tanya...." Trini tried, but was immediately interupted.

"Tommy, you are full of life and innocence, you are like the tall proud ancients who have stood for ages, you are the Faun, protector of the woods, silent and innocent."

Tommy just looked at her as if he had no idea what was going on. Bill snorted and Tanya's gaze fell on him.

"Bill, so quick to anger, yet in truth one of the most calmed and reserved individuals here. You run still and deep like the waters of the ocean, you are the Triton."

Bill turned red and was about to protest until Trini placed her hand on his arm.

Tanya turned to Zack. "Zack, child of watching and insight, you thrive in mystery and are secretive in your ways. You are the Watcher, a creature of silence and night."

Zack looked at her as if he knew what was going on, but kept silent.

"Lastly, yet never least, you are Trini, the bastion of light which connects the group as a whole. You are the Will o' the Wisp. A leader at times, a trixter at others, your experiance takes these youths far," Tanya said as she sat back and picked up a glass of iced tea to sip.

"Well, where did you ever get those crazy notions from?" said Bill standing and looking out the window as well. Tanya noticed that hardly any of the group was meeting her gaze. Except for Jason, who was giving her an icy stare. She had an idea what that was all about, but didn't want to touch that subject yet.

"I have divined it in my sleep, for you see, the Power Mages are not the only ones in Angel Valley with powers...." Tanya started.

"She's a friggin Medusa lackey, lets get her now!" Jason said standing and preparing to metamorph.

"Jason sit down!" Trini snapped and waited for him to do so. As soon as this was done she turned back to Tanya and listened again. Her pulse racing from fear and excitement.

"As I was saying, a few others in Angel Valley have powers as well. I will intorduce you to them now," she said as she clapped her hands once. From the other side of a concealed door made to look like a picture on the wall came the others. Tommy jumped back in surprise seeing that the picture he was admiring was actually a door.

"Please welcome these few into our fold. I'm sure you know them."

Out of the doorway came Aisha first who glared at Bill and stood by a fern with her arms crossed. Bill flushed and gave her an odd look to which she promptly turned her head away. Next came Kat who glanced at Tommy and grinned, immdiately followed by Trey, or at least one of the triplets. After those two came Justin, who was looking around as if he were bewildered, then came someone they all hadn't expected. Rocky, Rocky DeSantos. He came into the room and threw up his gang signs, then sat right by Kim who looked up and gave him a peck on his lips. Everyone there nearly fell over from shock.

1:55 P.M.
The Great Void
One of the giant sandworms that Medusa was lying on began to stir. She was sprawled out over the worms and began to respond to them as they began to wake up. She moved along with them wriggling in a rhythmic sort of ecstacy, they excreted some slime and she began to move faster. Her hair came to life and the snakes in it began to hiss violently and nip at her ears warning her that her living bed was moving. Medusa came awake with a slow opening of her blood red eyes. Her statuesqe face appeared beautiful and cold all at once. Licking her lips and stretching her arms into the air, the monster gave out a short moan and rolled out of the bed.

"Well, well look who's just waking up now...." said a sarcastic voice that came from a bottle by the side of her bed of sandworms. Inside the bottle was a man who looked as if he could be about thirty. He had short silky hair that was greying on the sides and a long mustache that went down to his chin. He wore some grey robes and his hands were bracing him as he leaned against the bottle wall.

"Yes, and look who's still trapped in the bottle!" she replied in a slightly etheral voice. Grabbing up a sash and pulling her snakes back she put them in the formation of a ponytail, to which they greatly disliked and went over to the bottle. She picked it up and shook it violently for a few seconds, thenput it down and stepped out into the hallway. Before leaving the room entirely she stopped for a second and listened to the man's grunting and heaving. Pleased that she had ruined his day by trapping him with his own spew in the bottle she went on with her buisness.

"Get up! Come on you freaks come back to me!" she said knocking on a few doors in the hallways as she walked past them. Her silken dress lft a long trail behind her as she continued down the hall oblivious to the beings exiting the doors behind her. A few mice ran along her feet, she looked down at them and kicked a few to a dark corner. The mice squealed and the sound of crunching bones came from that direction. "Good boy little grendel!" she said as she continued.

Then coming to a narrow hallway she stopped by a mirror at the end of it and looked in the mirror. A small gremlin stepped up to her and aimed a gun at her. She looked down at him and he pointed to the settings on the gun. The settings said: Bitch, Mega-Bitch, Roseanne, and the last one said Martha Stewart. She shivered when she came across the last one and decided today was just a Mega-Bitch day. She told the gremlin what she wanted and he zapped her. Her clothes changed and her hair changed, not the hair itself, but the style. She looked in the mirror and liked what she saw, then went on to her throne.

"Your majesty, we have startling news for you. It is good that you have awakened from the months-long-sleep at this time. You see it has been found out that the Mage known as Trini has returned to the realm."

"What? And I was not awakened earlier? The magic of the spell was to alert me the instant Will O` the Wisp had returned!" she shouted at the small drake that was holding up a curled parchment that was marked with blood. He appeared actually sort of silly though because at the moment he was wearing some small reading glasses and a poofy hat.

"No M'lady, the magic was to awaken you after a signifigant even of good was to take place. Her return was not signifigant. What is signifigant is that Owl has returned and now there are others exhibiting powers capable of combating our forces. These powers are not of Merlin, but are in fact of human origin," the Drake said sniffing a puff of smoke and adjusting his glasses.

"Oh, what a mess, bottle imp!" she said extending a hand to the side. Instantly by her side appeared the imp which had been in the bottle. In his hands rested the bottle which held the little man inside of it. She snatched it from the imp and tapped on the cork twice. A swirling vacuum of smoke began to spill into the bottle and then spilled out from the bottle. The smoke coallesced into a huge cloud in front of her and the visage of a head formed a few feet from her face.

"What is it now?"

"Why didn't you wake me up when the Owl returned?" asked Medusa angrily.

"Oh please you know I can't break a sleep spell when I have no magic!" the head said just as angrily back at her.

"Well then, what can I do to get rid of that stupid bird?" she shouted at the head waving her fists at it.

After a big sigh the head spoke, "Go to the mall and try to flush it out with one of your Drakes perhaps? You know how flying creatures are easily found by other flying creatures...." it said in a slightly aggrevated and overall bored voice.

"Oh, can't you act a little bit more enthused to be here even? I could have killed you!"

"Oh joy, I'm so happy to be here. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have the privalge to serve you all day long, answering your insignifigant little infantile questions while you sit around on you overbloated as-"

"Okay that is enough out of my little helper! Now wasn't he a good boy everyone? Let's all give him a big hand!" she said prompting everyone to clap so they couldn't hear what the head had to say. Then taking up the bottle she tapped the cork two times and pointed it at the mist of smoke. The smoke went through the cork and disappeared into the bottle.

"M'lady, you forgot to ask about the others who are showing signs of gaining powers," reminded the Drake who was like a court scribe to her.

"Oh, KUSO!" she shouted and all the Japanese monsters there coverd their ears quickly. As she swore a nearby plant caught fire in a rather surprising blast and drew everyone's attention except for the scribe and Medusa.

"That's alright though madame, I think I have a plan that will solve your problems."

"Good, we'll kill two birds with one stone," she said handing the bottle back to the imp and throwing her head back while she began to laugh. "Two birds with one stone."

12:45 P.M.
Angel Valley, Sloan Mansion
"Wait wait wait a minute, so you are saying that you all have powers but that the powers you have can only be used in a group effort?" Bill said trying to contemplate over the matter.

"That is so, seperated and in non physical contact with each other the power of our abilities dwindles to premonitions and low level telepathy. That is how I managed to get the others here today. They all had no idea, but they were driven to come here, then I told them what was going on," Tanya said as she leaned back in her high backed chair.

"Yo, I just can't handle this anymore, this shit is just too freaky!" Rocky said as he started to get up. Tanya looked at him though and walked right over to him. She put her hands on his chest and he and she began levitating up into the air. "Ho shit, what are you doing you crazy bruja puta!" Rocky called out as his head hit the ceiling.

"Well, now you have seen what can happen when two of us work together. Imagine all of us working for a common bond. Our powers would be more than enough to beat this Medusa problem and to find and secure Owl who will lead us to Merlin," she said triumphantly as she willed herself and Rocky down to the floor.

"Okay, I'll have to agree with it. There doesn't seem to be much we can do before we locate Owl, and you abilities seem more likely to be able to find Owl than ours," Trini said in an exhausted voice.

"I knew you'd see the reason in my words," Tanya said. Right after she spoke she heard the noise and everyone looked out the window. There was a giant chimera running through the forest snapping up trees and other things in it's path. Trini stood up and everyone looked at her.

"It's Magic time!"

As soon as the Mages got to the park Adam stood and walked over to Tanya. He looked her in the eyes with a dark understanding. She had gotten to know all of them through her letters. Aisha and he had ran into each other and talked on the way to the mansion. She had used them, and made them all come together so that she could drop this surprise on them all and force them to cooperate with her.

"Well, your scheme worked, are you happy now?" Adam said with a touch of venom in his voice.

"No Adam, I'm not happy because you aren't happy, I didn't bring you all here to manipulate you into doing anything at all. I brought you here to stop something horrific from happening. Please don't think that I didn't consider what it would do to all of you. I was torn between the good of all mankind and your desires to be left oblivous to the fact you had powers. It wasn't like they weren't developing on their own anyhow." She turned to Justin who was staring at her. "You used your power to cause yourself to be adopted by Ernie and to have him break juvenile working laws so you could keep him in your sphere of influence."

"Well, I wanted to....." he began.

"Sometimes you can't always have what you want," Kat said standing up and agreeing finally with Tanya. She had been harboring a secret crush and had never been able to act on it due to her involvement with Trey. "Trey and I will accept, we have had enough fun with our powers, now it is time to settle with using them for non selfish reasons." Trey looked at her and nodded along.

"Hell, if I can be closer to Kim I'll be right by your side," Rocky said grabbing his crotch and grinning showing off a gold tooth he had.

"Yeah, if I can be near Bill it'll help his disposition, he needs me to keep his 'pseudo' temper in check. I don't know why that boy is fronting...."

Trey spoke up then, "It's because he loves you and wants to be a bad boy to keep your attention." Aisha blushed at this and sat back on the small love seat she was on.

"Okay I'm in, but I still get to have free rain over Ernie's actions right?" Justin asked perking up hopefully.

"No, you shouldn't be manipulating the way people act. You can't play god with people! What gives, you guys make all that you've done seem like it was just playing. We have abilities sure, but we still shouldn't use them for any reason," Adam belted out and ran blindly out of the room. Dimbike typically ran right in holding Adam by the collar and checking to see if his charge was harmed in any way. Adam fought him and before Dimbike could counter Tanya lifted her hand.

"Let him go Dimbike, let him go." And with those words Adam fled from the place, hot tears staining his face in rememberance of what happened.

Owl was lost in her own mind, she didn't know where she was or if she was in any type of danger at all. Her powers had been sealed, yet she still could sense the magic around her. A while ago she had flown into a strange place filled with people that was brightly lit and air conditioned. While she had been hiding there from the force that sought to capture her she had sensed them. The ones that had accepted Merlin's charge. She sighed to herself, in his youth Merlin would have never conceeded to allowing children to weild the powers of the Elements. The elements were too different, too drastic in means for any child to hold full sway over them. It would be inevitable that they would break up because of their powers.

She was currently perched in the branch of a silent oak that had looked inviting. Remembering that last battle caused a shiver down her spine. Sitting in the oak brought back painful memories of it. There were oak trees on the scene of Merlin's last stand.

"So you finally decided to take my challenge then did you?" Merlin said as he warped the Power Mages away and stepped into the open area of the park.

"Yes, It's good to see you again, Merlin," Medusa said in a seductive voice that sent chills through the wizard. She waltzed over to him and ran the tips of her fingers over his shoulders as she walked around him.

"You cannot tempt me, and you shall not win today," he began as he stepped away from her. But as he did so he stepped into her circle that she had drawn on the ground while she had waited for him to show up. Merlin hunched over as if he were in pain and she smiled pointing to the ground before her.

"Imp, bring me the bottle," she stated as a little cloud coalesced in front of her and formed the image of an imp. It flew off and returned the same way as before, except this time in it's hands rested a large blue bottle.

"M'lady," it said and vanished as she stepped forward and popped the cork. Winds rushed out and lifted Merlin out of the circle then deposited him into the bottle. She corked it and licked her lips as she held up the bottle and said, "Less filling, but it tastes oh so great!"

"No I can't let you do this!" Owl said as she rushed onto the scene and held out her right arm forming a fist at Medusa while her left arm held onto her elbow. "I'll take out this whole park if I have to before you get away from her with Merlin," she said as a breeze brushed through her honey colored hair.

"Hmm.... time to consult someone about this little brat," Medusa said as she did something with the bottle Owl couldn't see. Much to her dismay she realized that the ensorcelled Merlin appeared as a huge head in a dense cloud and was answering her questions!

"Thank you, go away," Medusa said as she sent the aged wizard away and advanced on Owl. Owl pointed her fist at Medusa but she seemed unafraid. Owl could blow up Medusa but she never would, the resulting magical fallout would have a disasterous effect. Medusa knew this, thanks to Merlin, and she also knew why Owl was called Owl.

"....." Owl thought she heard some chanting but the only thing she saw was Medusa satnding there looking at her. After a second she felt as if she were shriveling into a little ball. The world grew large around her as she realized that something had been done to her. Yet by then it was much too late. The damage had been done, and instinct told her to fly from that place. Fly as far away as she could, Medusa saw her take flight and sent the changeling after her. Twirling in place Medusa laughed thinking it would be good sport to watch Owl's plight.

Reflecting on how she got caught in her predicament did Owl some good. She started to remember who she was and what she was all about. Gathering her strength she flew up and winged her way to the Rowen tree. It was then that the changeling decided to strike her out of the air.

1:00 P.M.
Angel Valley Park
Adam had watched the whole thing from the secluded park rangers area. He had seen it but could hardly belive what he saw. His friends were out there risking their lives for a world that feared and possibly hated them. Hugging his knees up to his chest while he sat Adam reflected on the first time he was acutely aware of his powers. He smiled to himself ruefully, it was all a game back then. Nothing to big, he'd just look at something, then he'd imagine it moving in the air. It would move just as he had willed it to and he'd go about with his day.

Then he started trying to do things that Tanya would say were advanced. After some years of practice with just moving things he'd begun to attempt to go into people's minds as Tanya was teaching him through her letters. It was funny, he had first met her online a few years ago and then they began to communicate more and more. Somehow she had gleaned that he was special, now he knew that she was a much stronger ESPer as she liked to term it than she had let on. Anyhow, Adam had been going into people's minds one day and had found something quite disturbing when he had entered his science teacher's mind.

The man that he had come to love and respect was in fact a blatent racist and hated all peoples of color. His perverse and wicked thoughts about Adam being Asian flooded right into the youth's mind and overwhelmed him with a fury. Adam could hardly do much to shut out the thoughts and memories of hatred before he was overwhelmed with negative energy. Later on that day when his teacher was driving home Adam watched him from the side of the school. He actually willed the man to not see the red light on the traffic light. Adam at the time had been all consumed by his rage and the negative energy which was still brewing in his mind. He watched the teacher pull out into the street and get slammed into by a giant eighteen wheeler. Adam didn't even blink while he watched the small car get totalled. He was too far gone by that time.

Later he realized what he had actually done. Adam figured that what he had done could have been classified as murder. This thought shook him and gave him a cold feeling. He could never murder anyone, yet he did. After pouring his heart out to Tanya she replied to him that he had taken a big jump as an ESPer, he could now will other minds to do as he pleased. She gave him a big to do speech about being responsible about his powers. In the cold words of wisdom that she had sent to him there were no consoling words to be found. Adam now realized that Tanya wanted him to do more with his powers as he had done before. This he could not do, it was the whole reason he had released all of his emotions in the mansion. The pent up negative energy and thought of what he had done just caused him to break down. Even thinking about it after he had run from the house made him a bit misty eyed.

"I didn't mean to do it!" Adam called out to the wind that was blowing as the Mages pummeled the Chimera, which looked like a cross between a lion, an eagle and some other animals.

"Adam, what's wrong? Is it the problem with the teacher again?" asked a tentative voice behind him.

"Go away, I don't need you here. I don't need your words, and I don't need these ESPer powers," Adam said in between sobs.

Tanya walked over to Adam and hugged him from behind. He pulled up closer into himself and tensed up totally. Tanya just kept hugging him and hummed a little bit to him as Adam sobbed softly. She knew his pain, but she had long since forgotten what pain was like. She had transgressed most emotions that normal people had. That was what made her so different from the others. Her striving to develop her powers in such a quick time to such a powerful rate had stripped a small part of her humanity away. She felt that she needed to make sure this didn't happen to the people she had just met, so she promised herself that she would let their powers develop naturally. With a little bit of guidance of course, she smiled to herself at that and whispered into Adam's ear.

"You can't run from the gift. But you can accept that you are only human and that you will make mistakes. I'm sorry if I ever gave you a bad impression. I've been having my... own sort of troubles too. Please come back to the mansion with me. I need you to be there, with me and with the others," she said softly.

Adam looked back at her with such soulful eyes that she nearly gasped. He stood and they both began to walk a slow walk back to the mansion.

6:35 P.M.
Angel Valley, Pizza Parlour
"What? You want me to what?" asked Zack in outrage as he threw up his hands and paced about.

"Well, as you know we all saw Owl's signature just before she was nabbed by the changeling in the Park. It's obvious that Medusa has her now and we need someone to sneak into her lair before she does away with Owl. Owl is our only chance at finding Merlin you know," said Trini as she played with a loose strand of her boyishly cut hair.

"But, you know that has to be the most dangerous thing I could ever do!" Zack said as he walked away from her.

"Yes, and that is why I came to you. You are the one with the subterfuge skills. I couldn't go to anyone else because you were the only one who qualified. Owl is counting on you Zack," Trini stated in an imploring voice.

"Hey guys what's up?" Katherine said as she joined their group from behind.

"I was just talking Zack into going after Medusa. I think he'll go but we need to find a way to her lair. Do you think that with Tanya's help and the others you could fins a way to open a portal or something there?" Trini asked.

"Uh, I guess I could speak to her about it. We all just got done training," Kat said as she smiled and placed her hand on Zack's shoulder.

"Good, I'll speak to you later I have to go. Zack, please at least think about what I've said. I need you to be more of anactive member of this group as it is."

"..." Zack began but stopped.

As soon as Trini was out of the door in walked Trey who was holding a package of some sorts. Kat threw her arms around him as she hurtled at him and began to lavish sweet kisses on his cheeks. Trey blushed a little and handed the package to Zack who was surprised to be recieving anything from Trey.

"I was passing by your house and your mom told me to bring this to you. I don't know what it is but it came in the mail," he said as he picked Kat up by the waist and led her into the game room so they could play a new fighting game.

"Huh, what's this?" Zack said to himself as he began to easily open the package.

Inside was the last thing he ever expected to see. There was a small wilted flower that looked like it could have once been a rose. Zack noticed that it was laying on top of some white parchment and he tossed the flower aside to read the paper underneath. It read as follows:

Roses may turn black, and Violets are often blue.
Come into my domain, and that wont be the half of what I do to you.
Love,
Medusa.

Zack dropped the box in a metal garbage can as it began to catch fire and go up in flames. He looked around to see if anyone was watching and sighed when he realized that no one had. Medusa was watching their every move. The thought of this frightened Zack and he almost tapped the jewel on his metamorpher to contact everyone.

The only safe place to go speak without being heard was the Rowen Tree, and he wasn't even sure if that place was safe either. Zack had had a nagging feeling that someone was leaking information. But he knew better than to have thought like that. Still....

November 23rd 1997
Angel Valley, The Great Rowen Tree
"Okay? So are you all set to go Zack?" asked Trini as she stood looking into the scrying jewel by one of the magical consouls in the Rowen.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he said with a low amount of enthusiasm.

"Yes, and if there is any sign of danger at all, we'll teleport you back out," Tanya said. All of the ESPers had come to the Rowen tree and had managed to link into one of the crystals that Merlin had scattered about. They were using it's dimensional visualizing abilities to link in withtheir mental powers so that they could open a door to The Great Void.

"Okay, lets do it," Zack said. But just before he began to metamorph Kimberly ran up to him and gave him a small peck on the cheek. She smiled and ran back to the others and stood there to watch him off. Zack still didn't really get how he was the only one to have to go, but he figured that it would probably work best if only one person went anyway.

"Alright I want everyone to focus on this image of The Greay Void that the crystal is picking up. Look deep into the crystal and imagine that you can feel a door way opening to our dimension," Tanya rasped softly as she had all the ESPers hold hands.

Zack saw the portal begin to open up as did the rest of the Mages. Jason smirked and figured that they had just accidentally triggered one of the Tree's hidden talents. Kim thought the portal was beautiful and began to draw it. Zack decided it was now or never and jumped right through to the other side after he had changed.

The shadow snaked across the landside there. It was dark everywhere but there was enough light for it to project itself along the ground. It looked like a very thin tree that had a set of arms that ended in long and spiderlike fingers. Tommy got a chill looking at their teammate as he crept along the grass. Zack was so frightening in this current stage to him, he just couldn't really stand to look at the image that was being projected by the now deeply concentrating ESPers.

"Okay, I'm right on the edges of her castle...." came a whispery voice that reminded everyone of Zack.

"Good, see if you canfind a way in," Trini said into the scrying crystal as she gripped the edges of the knot that held it in place.

"Not so fast slim, one dimensional and handsome!" came a cool voice as Zack attemtpted to peer in through a window. "Lightning bugs, lets shake rattle and roll!" called out Medusa's voice as she let the bugs loose. As they traveled towards Zack he hardly had time to dodge out of the way before they illuminated the whole window area. Trini screamed.

"Get me out of here! Now! Now!" Zack cried as he sped along the ground searching for a safe place. The ESPers began to form a new gate in place of the image they were providing and Medusa turned towards them. Reaching for them through the gate she willed her arm to stretch like it was rubber and it did so. The first and only victim that she could reach though was Justin who she dragged screaming into her dimension. The gate instantly turned back into a regular projection image and the ESPers all screamed at once.

"Damn it, focus! I need you all here. I know you can feel his pain but focus!" Tanya shouted as she poured more of her energy into making the gate reform. While the ESPers tried to reform the gate thought Bill was held at awe as Medusa began to choke Justin until blood came out of his ears. She looked deep into his face and began to suck in air. Or was it.... Justin's soul! Medusa began breathing in Justin's sould out of him. It wafted up from the insides of his nose and his ears and eyes. Justin fought all he could but he couldn't get away. Soon she had drained the whole thing out of him.

"Hmmmm, tastes a little undercooked. But you know it's not proper to cook young animals intensely," she said with a smile into the projection. Carefully she set him down so that he was standing there. The empty husk of his body facing the image. Then she moved in front of the image so that none of the viewers could watch her face. She pulled her slip knot out of her hair and her snakes all stood on end for a few seconds as a light was emitted from the front of her face. Just seconds after she had done this she moved to the side and waved her arms as if she were on a game show showing off a prize if a contestant won. What she was showing off though was the now stone body of Justin. Immediatly Adam broke the gate which had just finished forming and ran to the image shouting no.

"Damn it Adam!" Kat yelled uncharacteristicly as she threw her hands down and shook angrily.

"Hey, would you look at this, they have him cornered like a scared bunny!" Medusa shouted as she slipped her snakes back into a slip knot and turned to face the image. The last thing the viewers saw was Zack surrounded on all sides by the lightning bugs as they drew in closer. Then Medusa punched at the image like it could be shattered and it did just that. All the ESPers fell down and it was silent in the Rowen.

At that moment Owl flew in through a carved out knothole near the top of the Rowen. She circled around getting a glance at the interiors and then went to her old dusty perch and landed. The Mages looked surprised to have seen her and didn't make any false suspicions that her appearance may have been another trap.

"What is she doing here?" Kim said in a very distraut voice as she walked over to Owl.

"Whoo," Owl replied as the Rowen's natural translator began to snap in. I came back after that monster was outsmarted that was after me.

"Oh god, we never did check to see if the monster had taken her back to The Great Void," Jason said looking down at the floor balling his fists.

"Who, Who...." Owl cooted. Did you all do something foolish?

"We sent one of our own into The Great Void and Medusa seemed to be waiting for him. Then on top of that one of our new allies, the ESPers, got taken. They were both in dire circumstances when we last saw them," Bill added.

"WHO!" she squaked. It needed no translation, and didn't get one seeing as how the Rowen didn't translate curses.

The whole group looked down in shame. They'd all just lost Zack, and on top of that they had lost poor innocent Justin too. When the ESPers came to there would be hell to pay. Or at least it would be raised in the Rowen. Owl took a look at the fallen ESPers and gave everyone a piercing look. An idea began to form in the Mage's minds that perhaps they should help their friends instead of just sitting there. Trini and Tommy were the first to move to the unconscious in order to help them.

"What, what happened?" asked Adam as he was helped up by Tommy gently.

"You made a big mistake is what happened," Tanya said as Trini gave her a supporting shoulder.

"Me? Oh yeah, I remember now, I know I made a mistake, and that mistake was joining up with you bunch of freaks in the first place. I wish I was anywhere but here. So I wouldn't have to look at all of your ridiculing faces," Adam said unleashing the pent up rage that he had tried so hard to hide. As soon as he had finished his little speach Adam then vanished with a gust of wind.

"What? Where'd he go to?" Tommy said looking around confused.

"Hrmph, I guess he is getting really skilled with his powers even though I have not been training him so much," Tanya said as she went over to some of her other students to help them up.

The whole time Owl had been watching everyone with a piercing eye. _Merlin, why oh why do I have to go through this?_

November 27th 1997
2:30 P.M.
Angel Valley, Cranston Residence....
"It's amazing, you would never think that we could be so foolish. So easily tricked into doing just what she wanted us to," Kim said as her voice choked thinking about the recent events.

"Kim, it's not your fault and it's not anyone elses fault either. We just didn't know what we were up against. I mean it's not like we were given great martial arts skills or a stable mentor who didn't leave the base. We're up against and enemy that knows what it is doing and still has fun while it is doing it," Bill said pacing back and forth.

"But Tommy and Trini? And those other two, Kat and Trey? I mean Jesus Bill how can you so detached. She's goten more than a quarter of us now. And we don't even know for sure if they're still alive or not. How can she be so cruel?" Kim said curling her knees to her chest hugging herself.

"I know, it's amazing how efficient the last time was," Bill said as the phone rang.

"Who could that be?" Kim said in fear. She knew that no one knew they were there. The Mages and ESPers had all gone into hiding when Medusa had begun to slowly pick them off. Not even their parents knew where they were. The whole town was trying to find these missing kids. Kim sucked down hard on a desire to sob as she wondered what the town would do when they found out some of those kids might be dead.

"Hello-" Bill began as a bright light flashed and he was sucked into the phone. Kim sat up and screamed at the top of her lungs. He just got pulled into the phone, like something out of a cartoon. She shook violently as she scrambled over to the phone and found there was nothing on the other end but a dial tone. Kim looked around as she heard a thumping. Where was it coming from. At that she metamorphed and steeled herself for anything. Nothing could suck up wind, nothing could harm wind.

Right at the window she was standing infront of there was a flock, if it could be called that, of vacuums flying by themselves outside. One crashed into the window and sucked Kim in slowly. Kim cursed herself thinking that vacuum's could trap air. More and more of them flew into the room and began to suck her form down to nothing. Then witha rush of bags inflating and electric cords rustling they were gone.

"Hello? Who screamed down here? Bill, is that you?" a worried voice came calling out as Mr. Cranston burst into the room. He saw nothing but a busted window and the phone off the hook. Shaking his head he wondered what was going on.

3:00 P.M.
Angel Valley, The Parlour....
"Well, two more of our ranks have been taken now. It seems as if she is just baiting us to go and fall into her traps," Jason said nervously. He looked and noticed that Adam wasn't really paying any attention to him. "How did you know that two more of us were taken anyways?"

"Tanya gave me a message, she's placed herself in hiding and has left tabs on everyone involved," Adam said nearly emotionlessly. Jason audibly sighed and slid next to Adam.

"You can't keep blaming yourself for what has happened. There comes a time when you have to move on," he said ruffling a hand through Adam's shoulder length hair.

"Just leave me alone, I don't need to be around anyone. I just don't even care if Medusa takes me even," he stammered out.

"Stop talking that non-" he began when Adam began to stiffen. "What? What happened?"

"That's it, it's just Tanya, me and you," Adam said in a defeated voice.

"Well then we were supposed to meet Tanya at the spot right?" Jason said fearfully.

"Yup. Let's go now before we up and vanish too," Adam said leaning forward to get up and go.

5:00 P.M.
Angel Valley, The Spot....
"So where is she at?" Jason asked with a sour note in his voice.

"Will you stop acting so jealous, there is no reason for you to act this way! Especially at a time like this! Don't you understand that we have people's lives at stake here?" Adam said harshly and quieted Jason.

"Both of you be quiet and come over here," a nearby plant said.

"Jason, did that plant just talk to us?" Adam said curling his eyebrows.

"Yup, it sounded like Tanya."

"I am Tanya you idiot, I just changed my appearance to those who aren't trained. If you squint hard enough you'll recognize me Adam." And on her prompt Adam squinted and the plant began to look more and more like Tanya.

"It is you," he said rushing over and sitting by the plant. Jason walked over and plopped down by Adam's side, staying away from Tanya in her new form.

"Okay, I'm going to open another portal with your help Adam. This portal unlike the other will only be used for entering the Void. That way it'll cost less energy and Medusa wont notice it," she added hastily. "Once we get to the other side, we rush in and try to find any sign of Merlin. It's obvious that Owl wont be a help in this so she wasn't told. She probably has no idea that half of us are missing anyway," Tanya said reading Jason's question before he could ask it.

With that the two ESPers and the Mage made it into the Great Void rather easily. As they had seen from the images produced in the Rowen before the whole Void was a dark writing mess of venomus things. they moved along silently until they came upon the castle that Medusa was holed up in.

_This is too easy,_ Jason thought as he crept along with them. He wasn't in his elemental form because the magic it would give off would alert everything in the area to the trio.

"Just lay low, I'm going to goup to that window there and look in," Adam said as he shimmied up the side of the castle and peered in the window.

Medusa was so overjoyed she couldn't contain herself. she had all of those who were threats to her wishes under lock and key. Well, at least most of them, there were a few other rodents out there but she would handle them soon.

Almost skipping through her room she looked at all the statues that she had collected. The statues of course were the ESPers, seeing as how they had no magic assigned to them they couldn't fend off her stoning powers. Then in little containers on the edge of a desk, each colored a different color Adam recognized the transformed Mages. She had somehow trapped them in those little bottles, each one stood within a bottle and tried to find its way out.

"Look at my little Jewels," she said happily as she went over to one huge bottle and peered in it. "Oh Merlin!" she called out. At that Adam nearly fell off the ledge but held on as his hand slipped. He had been shocked. Merlin himself trapped in a bottle? What an accomplishment that had been. From what the Mages had told him it was damned near impossible for anyone to actually do anything that could effect Merlin. Yet there he was in that bottle.

"Bah, you are no fun. So now I will go to take my nap!" Medusa said as she headed towards her bed near the window. Adam ducked back but he could still hear her voice. "I will settle the last three including that damned Owl as soon as I awaken from my sleep." And with that the lights went out. Adam sighed and climbed back down the side to where his friends were. They greeted him and asked what he had heard. Adam's news was less than encouraging, but Jason had a plan.

Adam didn't like what he had to do, but it needed to be done. He was not going into the castle, nor was he going to keep a watch over things that happened inside. He was actually at a far distance from the castle and was hidden in a brush. His job was to open a portal and get everyone to safety. Jason was the one who was in the most danger. Tanya was in the second most amount of danger.

Jason had incidentally told him that he cared for him again and just went off to face his and nearly everyone elses fate. Moments later Tanya had come up to him and told him her true feelings for him as well, Adam was taken aback and just didn't know what to do. He watched from a distance as Jason made his way to the side of the castle where the window to Medusa's room was. Tanya was right behind him she also climbed up the side and took up a watch from the other side of the window.

Adam sighed and wished that he had never gotten into all of the mess that he was in, but he shook it off. There was no time to be in any type of regretful mindset while this was going on.

Jason almost fell into the room that Medusa was sleeping in, had it not been for Tanya's intervention he would have most surely fell to his doom. She hefted him back up to a secure area of the window sill and smiled at him. Jason scowled at her and tried to get back into the room again.

This time he made it down into the room with large success, he had made it to the floor and Medusa was still asleep in her bed. Creeping over to the mini bottles he looked into them and gave the thumbs up to all of his teammates who looked worriedly at him. Moving along some more he came to a table that had some mini figures on them. Taking a closer look he realized that these were the shrunken forms of the stoned ESPers that Medusa had taken. Jason shivered and backed up from them running into a table by the bed that had a large bottle on it. The bottle began to wobble and as the table shook it fell from the flat secure surface provided.

"Well, well, we don't want to break that now do we?" Medusa said with a wry smile as she clawed at the bottle and caught it in mid-air.

"Oh boy, this is gonna be fun," he said and with that a flash of light went over his body and Jason became the firery elemental once again. Medusa smiled and began to chant softly to herself while he advanced. Just before Jason could come within striking distance she stepped to the side and the floor began to rumble. Out form the depths of the Void came cool geysers of fresh water that held Jason and barred him from moving. He tried flaring up but as his form expanded the water drew close and burned him like fire would burn a normal man. Medusa laughed and began chanting again.

"You know, my parents always wondered if I would ever like to collect bugs or something. You know a childhood hobby. I think I've realized what I like to collect. Bugs are nothing compared to people." And with that she flung her free hand at Jason and he vanished. In his place lay a little bottle that had a spark of fire trapped in it. "Ah, all the Mages are gone. Now those last two mental freaks are the only ones to stand in my way, but they will fall easily..."

"Don't be so sure of that," Tanya said as she leapt into the room.

"Ah, I see one of them has already come to me. And where this one is, there must be the other," she said sharply looking out the window. In her mind's eye she saw Adam sitting in the dark brush by himself wondering what was going on in the castle.

"I wont let you get away with this," Tanya said as she raised her hand slowly and pointed at the floor where Medusa stood. As she did this a small tremor started from where she was standing extending to the point where Medusa stood. Seconds before the ground underneath Medusa exploded and fell in upon itself Medusa cast a quick levitation spell and flew out of the way.

"Wow, little miss princess has bite. But now it's my turn to show you my bark," with that Medusa began to conjour all the bottles of the elements she had trapped around her. She drew power from these bottles and Tanya heard the Mages inside gasp in pain and shock. immediately the power began to form a nucleus of energy around her free hand. It built up until it was a glowing white hot ball. Tanya prepared herself as Medusa willed the energy to shoot at Tanya like a lazer.

"Back at you honey!" Tanya shouted as she formed a sort of psychic worm hole the began in front of where she stood and looped back to behind where Medusa was. Immediately after Medusa had fired upon Tanya her hand had risen to the slipknot in her hair. Just as the energy entered the hole right behind it came the stoning power of Medusa's gaze. Tanya was paralyzed and frozen in stone as the power Medusa had unleashed struck her from behind causing her to drop the bottle she was holding with her other hand. She watched it fall and all seemed to go slowly as she shouted reaching for the long necked bottle. Then the inevitable happened, it cracked and a mist of smoke welled out of it.

Later, in Space....
"Do you really think that that was the only way you could have finally beaten Medusa?" asked Owl as she ran a hand through her hair. She had finally been released of that hirrobile binding spell that Medusa put on her.

"Yes, she knew my every step. I had to risk the chance of letting them all get captured and then have the last few come to fight Medusa head on."

"But how did you know that the bottle would break?" she inquired as she looked at the small blue planet below.

"I didn't know."

"Well now what about them? How is this going to affect them?" she pressed turning to look at Merlin who was currently sitting on Mars.

"They wont know a thing. You see, they lost their full humanity a long time ago. When I gave them power over the elements I banished part of their human selves. Medusa did kill them all one by one, but that which she was killing was just the elements, not the children."

"I don't understand."

"It's obvious, there was no way for her to take their powers until they were all under her control. She did this by putting them in the little bottles. This killed them all. The bottles were anathema to them. But, what she killed was the elemental in each of them. When those elementals died their essences were left in the bottles. These raw energies were then at Medusa's disposal."

"But then what happened to the children's physical forms?"

"Those were stored within the infinant dimensions of energy that each element springs from."

Owl looked at Merlin as if he had just won a chess match against a machine, "You are brilliant. All that left was for you to simply revive them and to place them back in their homes with no knowledge of ever being Power Mages..."

"True," Merlin said as he played with a small comet that would have crashed into the Earth save for his intervention.

"Then of those other gifted children? The ESPers?"

"I had a small play in that too. You see every human being has a small amount of mental energy in them. At this current state in their evolution very few of them can utilize it. With methodical planning and time management I strengthened each of those 'ESPers' mind's while they were mere infants."

"A back up plan," Owl said as she grinned at Merlin.

"Righto," he said combing through is jet black hair.

"And our new power? Your regression to your former youth?"

"That was taken from the powers of th elements and the wild energy of the Void. You see once I escaped from the bottle it was quite easy to put a binding spell on Medusa and send her to another realm. After that though, all of the energy she invested into the Void started to collapse. I had to absorb it all and purify it using the elements so that it would be at my disposal. And I must say that with the Elements, my former magical powers and this new 'wild' energy in me that this happened."

"Well explained. And you are investing some of this energy in me so that I may continue to help you in your daily routines," she added.

"Correct."

"So, did you take back the powers of the ESPers when Medusa's spell was broken?" she queried.

"No, I merely sealed them off. Even that Sloan girl, and might I add that was quite a challenge. She is extremely strong of will," Merlin said grabbing a small flying saucer and tossing it away.

"But there is one ESPer unaccounted for...."

"Yes, he was the one who I forgot to seal. I suspect that some of the energies of the Great Void may have slipped into him. For you see from what I saw of Medusa's realm it was near infinant, that meaning that we would be much more powerful than we are now."

"So you are saying that one of them could be out there right now, with enough power to irritate or rival our own?" Owl said looking towards Jupiter to see if anything was hiding behind it.

"Yes," Merlin said as he stood and floated over to Owl. "And we both know how unstable he is. He must be dealt with, and must not find out the truth. We all know how bad he is with authority," Merlin said hushed.

On the other side of the sun Adam laid in wait. He hadn't known how he had gotten to where he was. Or why he was nearly as big as the sun. All he knew was that he had just heard Merlin and Owl's conversation. Adam was turning red with anger. All the things he'd done in life, all the things his friends, possibly the whole world around him had done were influenced by that one being, Merlin. Adam shook with rage and balled his fists as he watched Merlin and Owl look on the planet Earth in search of him.

"Oh, you'll find me all right. And when you find me I'll make sure that you regret you ever found me at all," Adam said with a dark smile appearing on his face. At that he willed himself to vanish and was gone.

End

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