Parallels Again
by Jeremy Ray Logsdon

"All yours," she said to Tommy as she lounged out on the bed beside Trini.

"You sure are attached to that cap," Trini remarked. "Have you always worn a cap?"

"Not really," Sydney said. "Not at all, in fact, until Sabrina gave me this one. But I like it."

"I can't believe we got this hotel room so cheap," Skull remarked as he counted through their money. "But we don't have much left. We have forty-seven dollars left. We're paid for night, and we leave tomorrow, but after that..."

"Not to mention the fact that we have no food," Justin complained as his stomach gave a vocal protest.

"I saw a flyer on the bulletin board downstairs," Sydney said. "I'll be right back."

~*~

"I can juggle," Skull suggested.

"Maybe we should just mug 'em," Trini said in a tone that didn't entirely indicate if she was serious or joking.

"I can sing," Sydney said. "I really can."

"Do you think you're good enough to win?" Justin asked.

"I don't know," Sydney said, shrugging. "Maybe. Even if I don't win, we'll only lose twenty bucks. We can afford that just for the chance. Even if I just win sixth place, we'll still get fifty bucks."

"I say we do it," Trini said. "Maybe we'll get lucky. It's tomorrow night, and we can slide after the contest."

~*~

"Sydney, you look beautiful," Tommy told her.

"Here," Justin said as he and Skull ran up to her. "We bought you this in the gift shop here for six bucks." He took Sydney's cap off of her head and planted a cowboy hat in its place.

"That looks good with your denim shirt and jeans," Skull said. They had gone through everyone's clothing and managed to come up with an outfit that at least looked presentable. She was wearing a pair of her own jeans, Trini's blue denim button-up shirt, and three pairs of Tommy's socks so Justin's surprisingly large black hiking boots, recently polished, would stay on her feet.

"The hat?" Sydney asked. "Does it look okay?"

"Hold on a second," Justin said. "Bend down here." He pulled the hat off of her head and took her gray strand of hair and repositioned it so that her hat didn't hide it. "Perfect."

"I shouldn't hide it?"

"It looks good on you," Justin said. "A streak of stately silver for the sensational singer, Sydney."

"Cute," Sydney said, smiling sincerely. "Now I just need to pick out a song."

~*~

"Uhm, yes, as a matter of fact, I do. 'Down Came a Blackbird' and 'I Wanna Fall in Love.'"

"That one," Sydney said. "'I Wanna Fall in Love.' I'll sing that."

~*~

"You'll do fine," Tommy said.

At that particular moment, a deep voice announced, "And now, singing the hit country song 'I Wanna Fall in Love,' popularized by Lila McCann, is Ms. Sydney Seven Weathers!"

"Wish me luck," Sydney whispered as she got up from the table. She quickly made her way through the many round tables until she reached the stairs to the stage. Swallowing hard, she ran up onto the stage amid applause. As soon as she reached the stage, though, she realized her nervousness had fled. Though she had never actually performed before a crowd, she was suddenly filled with an intense adrenaline rush. She pulled the microphone from its stand and stood center stage as the music began. Look at me, now, Won't you listen to my heart, Cryin' out loud, I've been standing in the da-ark... I want someone... to show me the way... I'm lost on a lonely road. There must be a light at the end of the tunnel, Before I go out of control! I wanna fall in love!!! I wanna feel that rush! Runnin' into my heart, Shakin' up my soul... Feelin' like I've never felt before, I wanna fall in love! I wanna feel that touch! I've only dreamed about it, I've been living without it, And that ain't good enough, I wanna fall in lo-ove.

Sydney cast a quick glance out into the audience, and much to her delight, saw that they were all enthralled with her performance.

"Sydney, you were amazing," Tommy said in awe as she sat down.

"You think I stand a chance in at least getting our entry money back?" she asked hopefully.

"You were without a doubt the best person so far," Skull said sincerely. "You've got it."

~*~

"That other girl was better," Tommy admitted to the others.

"Second place isn't something to be ashamed of," Skull announced. "We've got three hundred bucks. That's a heckuva whole lot more than we started with."

"I think Sydney should have gotten first place," Justin complained, crossing his arms across his chest defiantly.

Tommy and Trini's eyes locked, confirming a hunch that they both had regarding Justin and their gray-haired traveling companion.

"Can you guys believe I won?!" Sydney squealed happily as she rejoined them at the table.

"I think you should have gotten first," Justin announced.

Sydney smiled sincerely and then said, "I've got the money. Cash, too. We ready to go?"

The Rangers got their overstuffed backpacks from beneath the table and quickly made their way outside. "It looks clear to me," Tommy said.

"We're outta here," Trini said, opening the portal.

3:18 a.m., July 30
Vivica Washington stood atop the firetruck which currently lay on its side. _God help us all._ "All right gentlemen and ladies!" she bellowed into a bullhorn. "The D.E.S. has just informed us that this is definitely a lava flow. Whether we like it or not, Saint Albans City has a volcano coming up underneath us, and it is our job to protect all eight million citizens! We have an estimated two and a half hours before this lava flow reaches the very congested residential area of the Lower East Side. We have to get this lava diverted before the sun comes up. Understand? Now let's get to work!"

"Good job, General," a voice said as soon as she reached the ground.

"Thank you sir," General Washington said, not even recognizing to who the voice belonged. As soon as the formalities were out of the way, Vivica Washington began to run down the street. Ash was raining down on them like snow, and her normally dark brown skin was already taking on a shade of gray. Bits of ash clung to her hair and clothing. Her clothing was also becoming a serious problem. She had worn, of all things, an ordinary t-shirt and shorts. She was expecting nothing even remotely close to the severity of the situation they were currently embroiled in. She had long since traded her tennis shoes for thick-soled hiking boots, as the street was as hot in the middle of the night as it would be at noon.

Before Vivica made it to her destination, however, a crackling of light caught her attention. She spun around at a flash of red, fully expecting to see lava spurting up from a manhole cover. Instead, she saw a teenager appear out of thin air. White light followed, producing a woman in a cowboy hat, and in close succession came blue, green, and yellow flashes, each producing another human.

"What on God's green Earth?" Vivica asked in disbelief as she hurried over to them.

~*~

"Is this snow?" Sydney asked, holding out her hands to catch the powder falling from the sky.

"I think it's ash," Justin said.

"Volcanic ash," a female voice said. The five sliders turned to see a Vivica Fox look-alike standing before them.

"Are you Vivica Fox?" Sydney asked, committing the very faux pas that had annoyed her so greatly for the past several years of her life.

"Before I was married," Vivica answered. "Are you Neve Campbell?"

"No, I'm Sydney Weathers," she answered.

"What...?" Vivica tried, unsuccessfully asking the question she so wanted to ask.

"What is going on here?" Trini asked.

"A volcano is coming up underneath the city," Vivica answered. "We're trying to divert it into the harbor to keep it from the residential areas, but we aren't having much luck. I've answered your question, you answer mine."

"We're superheroes from another dimension," Tommy said, assuming leader mode. "We're called Power Rangers. We can help."

"Superheroes?" Vivica asked skeptically.

"I'm not a superhero," Sydney said, "just them."

"We can slide in fourteen minutes," Trini announced, closing the slider and placing it back in her backpack. "What should we do?"

"We protect the innocents," Justin said.

"I saw we stay," Skull chimed in.

"Let's do it," Trini agreed.

"We can help."

"You all are just children!" Vivica cried. "We're trying to stop a lava flow in a city. Do you understand that?"

"IT'S MORPHIN TIME!!!" Tommy bellowed.

"GREEN DRAGON —- RABBIT!!!"

"SABER-TOOTH TIGER —- DOVE!!!"

"ZEO RANGER V, RED —- FALCON!!!"

"MOUNTAIN BLASTER TURBO POWER —- SEAHORSE!!!"

The disbelief was very apparent on Vivica's face. "You really are superheroes," she said in complete and total awe.

"I'll help any way I can, too," Sydney volunteered.

"Uhm, yeah, okay," Vivica said. "If you're up for it, hell... Bring Superman in here, too."

"What can we do?" Tommy asked.

"Tell me your names for starters," Vivica said. "And if you are wondering about my place out here, I'm a three-star General in the Marines who happens to also be cursed with a Ph.D. in geology."

The Rangers quickly introduced themselves, and Vivica reintroduced herself. "You're a movie star in our dimension," Justin said as they ran through the streets to locate a higher official. The General Vivica Washington was identical to the actress Vivica Fox.

"Really?" Vivica asked, apparently not all that interested. "You all wait here."

"Tommy, I sure hope you know what you're doing," Trini said.

"I'd never be able to live with myself if I didn't try to help," Tommy answered simply.

~*~

"Here's the situation," Vivica explained to the Rangers and a few others. She unfurled a schematic map of Saint Albans City, the dimensional equivalent of an expanded New York City. "The lava, nearest we can guess, is coming from here." She marked a big red X on the map, and then drew a red line down the map. "We're here. It's coming straight down this street. It's got a nice twelve degree slope and nothing to stop it. Unfortunately, we've got nothing but residences down here, and not nearly enough time to evacuate them. We want the lava to go this way, into the harbor. That'll take it through the business district, which should mean more structural damage but far less loss of life. We're in the process of evacuating it, right now. We need to form a barricade between here and up there to stop it. Any suggestions?"

"Knock a building over in the path?" Sydney suggested.

"Not an alternative," Vivica said. "We're going to need buildings on the east side to stop it from going down into the residential area."

"Maybe we can use the lava against itself," Justin said thoughtfully.

"Explain," Vivica demanded.

"We'll set up some kind of barricade against one intersection. Something, anything, tractor trailers, school buses, and as soon as the lava piles up a bit, we'll dump something cold on it. Like liquid nitrogen. Or even just water. That'll make it harden, and then it can act as our barricade."

"That could work," Vivica said, drawing a circle on the map at the closest intersection. "We'll have to reproduce it here, here, and here, but it could work."

"Is that a bridge here?" Tommy asked, pointing to the last circle. "We can turn it on its side to stop the lava."

"We have a plan!" Vivica cried happily.

"General Washington, VanGuard Industries has liquid nitrogen," someone said.

"At least one tanker at each," Justin said. "As soon as we start to pour it out, it'll evaporate. Two would be better."

"Get six," Vivica said. "All right men! We've got a plan now! Let's put it in action!"

~*~

"I found a school bus!" Justin announced as he drove it into the intersection.

"Can you parallel park?!" Vivica cried. "If you can, get it in that spot over there between the tractor trailer and the street sign! I'll have the firetrucks tip it over!"

Justin gave her a thumbs up sign and put the bus in reverse.

"I think we're ready to go," Trini said as she ran up to Vivica. "Only one tanker?"

"They could only get four ready on short notice," Vivica told her. "This is the best we could do."

Tommy suddenly hopped over the eight-foot tall barricade of various machines. "The lava's getting close," he announced. "We gotta hurry."

"The nitrogen is here!" Sydney cried. The truck driver drove off, leaving the tanker standing alone. "How are we supposed to get it up on top of the barricade."

"DAMMIT!" Vivica suddenly screamed.

"Chinook helicopter," Tommy suggested. "That can lift it up high enough for us to control it from the top of the barricade. Can you get one here?"

"I'm in the Marines, boy," Vivica said with a smile. "Not a problem."

"Can you get one here in five minutes?" Skull shouted from the barricade. "The lava's already reached the barricade. It'll be up eight feet in no time."

"That'll be harder," Vivica admitted.

~*~

"We aren't," Tommy told her. "You and Vivica stay clear of this. The four of us are going to pick the tanker up, run the chopper's harnesses beneath it, and they're going to pull it up to the barricade where we'll take it back."

"The four of you are going to do all that?" Vivica asked. "Uh uh. There's no way. If you four can just hold it, I'll take care of getting the harness on."

"But Vi-," Tommy began.

"Tommy, trust me," Vivica said.

"I can help," Sydney insisted.

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure."

"I'm going to climb atop the tanker," Vivica said. "Are you willing to run the harness beneath the tanker when the helicopter drops it for us?"

"Absolutely," Sydney said with a nod.

"All right," Vivica said. Picking up her bullhorn, Vivica announced, "All military, police, and firemen stay back. We have the situation under control at the moment. Just stay back for a moment!" She then ran up to the tanker and using the ladder on one side, climbed to the top. "Do it guys!"

"On three!" Tommy shouted. He positioned himself at the rear right, with Skull in front of him, and Trini and Justin on the opposite corners. "Sydney is going to be underneath this thing! DO NOT LET IT SLIP FOR ANY REASON!!! ONE!!! TWO!!! THREE!!!!!" With that, all four Rangers grabbed onto their predesignated hand holds and lifted.

Even with the benefit of being morphed, the strain was incredible. The tanker weighed a good twenty-five thousand pounds, but the worst part was the awkwardness. The round corners did not make it easy to get a grip on. However, despite trembling knees and thighs, the Rangers got the tanker up to their chest level.

"You okay up there?!" Sydney cried to Vivica.

"I'm fine!" she shouted, slowly standing to her feet. She motioned the helicopter closer. A uniformed Marine in the door tossed a wide green harness out. "It's your's, Sydney!"

"Got it!" Sydney cried. She ran to the opposite side of the tanker and picked up the would-be harness. Sparing only a single glance to make sure the Rangers had a firm grip, she darted toward the underbelly of the tanker. She stooped down and duck-walked beneath it, emerging safely on the other side. "Almost got it guys!" she encouraged. Leaning back, she tossed the harness up to Vivica. The general easily caught it and fed it back to the man in the helicopter.

A second harness dropped down, and Sydney once again darted for the underbelly of the tanker. Suddenly though, the unthinkable happened. The ground gave a single, hard tremor. Screaming, Sydney tumbled to her knees. One of the Rangers, she wasn't sure who, lost their grip. Fortunately, that same Ranger was quick to react and got their knees beneath the tumbling tanker. A loud male groan of pain followed, eliminating Trini. "Are you all right?" Justin cried.

"Is Sydney all right?!" Skull bellowed in the same tone of pain, pointing him out as the culprit, though it wasn't his fault.

"Yeah," Sydney said, panicked. The underbelly of the tanker had cracked against her skull, knocking her flat onto her backside beneath the tanker. "I'm okay!" Swallowing her panic, she retrieved the harness and scrambled out the other side. "I'm okay," she exhaled in relief. She hurled the harness at Vivica, and then waited impatiently as she handed it to the man in the helicopter. She then looked down, and at Sydney's nod, jumped off of the tanker.

"Take it up!" Vivica screamed, as the helicopter slowly lifted into the air, taking the weight off of the Rangers.

"Are you okay?" Trini asked, running up to Skull.

"Yeah," he said, absently massaging his thigh. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Could've happened to any of us," Tommy assured him. "Come on, they're ready for us."

"How are we going to orchestrate this?" Trini asked as they easily hopped to the top of the eight foot barricade. The lava was already six feet high, and if given a few more moments, would make quick work of the barricade.

"Trini and Skull should cut it," Justin said. "They have daggers."

"And me and just can anchor it," Tommy agreed.

"Let's do this," Skull affirmed as the Chinook lowered the tanker down to them. Trini and Skull easily flipped up to the top of the tanker, and as soon as the Rangers had it in their grasp.

"Fire trucks, ready!" Vivica cried.

"NOW!!!" Trini cried. She and Skull immediately plunged their daggers into the metal of the tanker. It took them a few seconds, but they quickly cut a gaping chasm in the tanker. Skull and Trini cut the harnesses away, and then simultaneously leapt up to the helicopter. "Go!" Trini shouted as soon as she had her arm hooked into the helicopter's open door. The helicopter quickly pulled away with Skull and Trini literally hanging from it.

"FIRE TRUCKS!!!" Vivica cried. The fire trucks lined up around the barricade immediately turned on their water hoses, as Justin and Tommy tipped the tanker full of liquid nitrogen over. "Dump the air tankers now!" she shouted into her radio. On cue, dozens of helicopters flew from behind them. Upon reaching the lava, they dropped their cargo load of water onto it.

An incredible amount of steam billowed up from the lava. Tommy and Justin ran away from the barricade and quickly rejoined with Vivica and Sydney. Skull and Trini ran up a few seconds later.

"IT'S WORKING!!!" one of the firemen shouted back.

"The lava is diverted!"

"We better hurry and get to the next intersection," Tommy said.

"General Washington!" a loud voice shouted. Vivica turned around to see a man, covered in gray ash as everyone was, run up to her. "Blocking the intersection isn't going to work."

"Why won't it work?" she asked.

"According to the schematics of the Saint Albans City subway system, the lava could very well melt through this third intersection and enter the subway tunnels," the man explained.

"And you are?"

"I work with the Saint Albans City Subway," he told her. "Rudolph Wade. If it does burn through, it's going to go backwards. The subway tunnel that it would enter has a very slight downhill slope that will take it straight back to the residential area. It will come back out here, at this subway entrance, and once that happens, the lava will melt through all of Sixth and Horseshoe, right back in the residential areas. All you will miss is two streets of residences. The rest are toast."

"Are you sure?" Vivica asked.

"According to these schematics," he said. "The only way to be one hundred percent sure, though, is to go down into the subway and check it out first hand."

"Okay," Vivica said. "I'll go check it out with a Ranger, if any can be spared."

Before she could give any orders, a policemen ran up to her. "What hospitals do we take the injured to, General Washington?"

"They're understaffed as it is," Vivica said. "Uhm, I guess... Upper West Rivendale Memorial."

"Do you have any men you can spare?" the policemen asked. "They don't even have to have first aid training. They just need bodies to help them out."

"I used to be a surgical tech," Sydney volunteered.

"We can handle it, and if you're going in the subway," Tommy said, ignoring the discussion regarding the hospital, "you don't need to be alone."

"I'll go with her," Justin volunteered. "I'm the fastest runner."

"You can't go down in the subway in shorts," Mr. Wade told her. "Even if the lava isn't down there, the ceramic tiles are going to be conducting the heat. It'll burn your legs up."

"You're my size," Sydney said to Vivica, already unbuttoning her pants. "We can switch."

"Good deal," Vivica agreed as they began to undress in the middle of the street. "Then you're going to the hospital?"

"Right," Sydney volunteered. "Is Upper West safe?"

"The only safe place to be right now," Vivica said, stepping out of her shorts.

"Uhm, you guys?" Justin asked, thankful that they couldn't see his blood-red cheeks.

"Natural disasters aren't a time for modesty, Justin," Sydney said as she pushed her jeans down.

"You could at least turn your heads," Trini snapped. As the male Rangers, policeman, and Mr. Wade nervously looked elsewhere, Sydney and Vivica swapped their clothing.

"Let's go Justin," Vivica announced, grabbing his hand as they ran off.

"You come with me," the policemen said to Sydney, taking her to his car.

"So, you all are the superheroes they're talking about on the news?" Mr. Wade asked, running with the Rangers as they headed to the next intersection to repeat the damming process.

"Yep," Trini answered plainly.

He stopped running with them as they continued their trek to the next intersection. "Power Rangers," he said in disbelief.

"I'm still waiting for Batman and Robin to show up," a near-by fireman said sarcastically.

~*~

"On my way down," Vivica told him, climbing down the ladder. As soon as she was under the street, she commented, "It's hotter than hell down here."

"Yes it is," Justin agreed. "Now what is it we what to see?"

"We need to see if the lava is burning down through the street at the third intersection," Vivica answered as they began to walk through the underground tunnels.

~*~

"No," Mr. Wade said, shaking his head sadly. "You're wrong."

"Which part?"

"Look," Mr. Wade said, pointing out into the third intersection. The two were standing atop a fire truck to get a good vantage point of the entire lava flow. "See that indentation near the center. The street is starting to melt out from beneath it. In just a few minutes, that whole intersection will be a gaping hole."

"We have to warn Vivica and Justin!" Tommy cried, leaping from the fire truck.

"Tommy, what's wrong?" Trini shouted. "We're in the clear!"

"No we're not!" he shouted. "We have to warn Justin and Vivica. The lava is coming down on top of them!"

"Oh my God," Trini said in horror, absent-mindedly rubbing one gloved hand across her helmet in an attempt to run her fingers through her hair.

"Trini, we have to take the barricades down," Skull announced, running up to her through the midst of the ash continually raining down on them. "We can't let them get killed."

"There's no way to get those barricades down," Trini said sadly. "The lava is stone. There's like six feet of solid stone merged with each barricade. It's not coming down."

"Then what the hell do we do?" Skull asked.

"Pray."

~*~

"Over to her," he said. "That's Dr. Nichols."

"Got it," Sydney said, running up to see what her errands would be.

~*~

"Uh oh," Justin said, sweeping his headlights to the left. "It's already down here."

Vivica stepped up to his side and looked to the service tunnel to their right. A slow flow of glowing red lava was dripping down from the street above. "Let's get out of here," Vivica insisted, pulling his arm. Justin numbly agreed.

Suddenly, an ear drum shattering roar came from their left. Vivica and Justin simultaneously whipped their heads in that direction. The thin wall separating the subway tunnel from the sewer systems had just exploded open with a fast-moving flow of lava. Intense heat hit them like a force, and Justin shoved Vivica out of the way. He jumped after her, narrowly avoiding the fast-moving wall of lava. He hit the ground in a somersault and promptly leapt to his feet. "Come on!" he cried, although his voice was lost in the roar of the lava.

Vivica jumped to her feet and began to run down the service tunnel. The lava had reached another obstruction and was forced to move after them. Justin, realizing Vivica would not be able to outrun it, picked her up in his arms and ran with his Turbo speed. She buried her face against his shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around him as he ran down the tunnel at speeds exceeding eighty miles an hour. He reached the extension tunnel that had taken them away from the subway and darted down it.

Though the lava flow was moving very fast, it was not moving as fast as he was capable of running. That bought them several precious seconds. "Which way?" Justin asked, sweeping his headlight in broad arcs in both directions.

"Right," Vivica announced as Justin hurried in that direction with Vivica still in his arms. However, before they could make it to the ladder that would take them to the street above, a wave of lava darted out of a service tunnel far ahead of them.

Justin skidded to a halt and turned to run in the other direction. They weren't more than ten feet past the service tunnel they had just emerged >from when the lava shot out of it with an explosive force, slamming into the opposite wall and filling the subway tunnel to the ceiling. The wall of lava rumbled toward them.

The Blue Ranger ran down the tunnel, looking desperately for a service tunnel that would lead them to safety. "There!" Vivica cried, pointing to their right. Justin ran up to it and leapt inside as the lava shot past them. The tunnel, though still hot, was cooler than the others, indicating lava wasn't ahead of them. Justin ran to the end of the tunnel and found a ladder leading to a manhole. "You go first to open it," Vivica told him as she hopped out of his arms.

"You got it," Justin said, quickly climbing up the ladder. "Auto Blaster!" Pulling his laser pistol from his holster, he fired the bolts out of the manhole cover and pushed it out of the way. He then climbed up onto the street with Vivica close behind.

"We got a big problem," Justin told her as soon as she reached the street. She gasped when she saw their problem. Lava was slowly creeping toward them in all directions. They had come out of an intersection behind the original street, and the lava was coming from all directions. "But I can jump us out of he- AAAAHHHHH!" Justin collapsed to his knees as lava bubbled up and landed on his foot.

"Justin!" Vivica cried, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the approaching lava on his right. "What's wrong!?!"

"My foot!" he cried, his voice trembling with pain. "My foot is burned!"

She knelt beside him and saw that the red lava had flowed over his toes and already solidified into a black, heavy mass. "I don't think I can jump us out of here," he said, sitting down on his behind with a thump. "It hurts too much."

Vivica pulled her radio from her belt and said, "This is General Washington. I repeat, General Washington. Blue Ranger and I are trapped at the intersection of what looks like Fifth and Divine. Get a chopper in her for us, now. I repeat, we need a helicopter, NOW."

~*~

"I haven't worked in a hospital for well over six months now, but I can set broken bones, anything at all that is general first aid like burns, so forth, and when I did work, I worked with an orthopedic surgeon."

"So you're stout?"

"You could say that," Sydney said with a smile.

"You can set broken bones, huh?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Then that's what you'll be doing," she said. "I'm gonna give you kids, cause they're simpler, and you don't look as intimidating as some of the other people around here. Come with me."

Sydney felt a rush of exhilaration. She had long since wished that she had done better in school so she could have stood a chance to going to medical school, but she hadn't. As such, she chose surgical tech, the closest field in medicine to being a doctor that interested her.

"Yo, Dr. Suthers," Dr. Nichols said, patting a young Asian man on the back. "I've got a surgical tech here to help you with the kids. She can set bones, she's got my approval, put her to work. Don't turn her into a gopher, got it?"

"You got it, chief," Dr. Suthers acknowledge, sliding a needle into the wrist of a young woman who looked to be in great pain. As Dr. Nichols left, Dr. Suthers said, "There are some scrubs on that card table over there. Suit up, clean your hands as best as you can, and go help that little girl over there."

"Yes sir," Sydney said eagerly.

~*~

"Can't we block the tunnels?" Trini asked. "There has to be some way."

"What are these three squares here?" Skull asked, pointing at the map.

"The Triplet Towers," Mr. Wade answered. "What are you thinking?"

"The Business district is here," Skull theorized, "and the Triplet Towers are at the very border, right?"

"No," Mr. Wade corrected. "The Triplet Towers are actually in the residential area. They're apartment buildings. What are you thinking?"

"Subway runs here?" Skull asked, tracing the path with his finger.

"Right."

"And the lava comes out here?"

"Yes. What are you getting at?"

"We bring the Triplet Towers down and make sure they fall towards the residential areas," Skull said. "I would imagine if they all fell at once, they would go straight through the street and into the subways. That won't stop the lava, but it'll certainly buy us more time."

Mr. Wade traced his finger along the map, trying Skull's suggestion out in his head. "You might be right," he agreed, nodding.

"This might even be enough to make the lava slope into the harbor," Tommy said, tracing the slope with her finger. "It looks to me like it's got a decline, here."

"If we keep the firetrucks all through here and use their waterhoses, and the water tankers," Mr. Wade said, "you're right. We can make it go in the harbor. We'll have to sacrifice the Triplet Towers, and three entire streets of residences, but still..."

"Sounds like a pretty good sacrifice to me," Tommy said. "We'll run it by General Washington. Have she and Justin come back yet?"

~*~

"Yeah, I think so," Justin grunted, trying to keep all of his weight on his left foot.

"Here comes the chopper," Vivica said.

Her radio squawked, and the helicopter pilot said, "General Washington, we're going to lower a ladder."

"Just get us out of here, quick," she told him. "We've only got about a ten foot square left, and not that much in fifteen seconds."

A few precious seconds later, the helicopter flew in amidst the falling ash. It hovered above Justin and Vivica, and a rope ladder descended.

"Okay, Justin," Vivica said. "Put your left foot on the bottom rung."

Justin wrapped both hands around one side of the ladder and hopped his left foot up onto the rung. As soon as she saw that he was secure, she stepped on the bottom rung as well and said into her radio, "We're on! Get us out of here!"

"You got it, General." The helicopter immediately lifted off. They hadn't gotten more than twenty feet off of the ground when the lava completed covered up their isle of refuge. Suddenly and unexpectedly, a lava bomb burst from one of the chasms that had opened up somewhere in the city streets. The ball of lava arched toward them. Vivica's eyes opened wide when she realized it was going to hit them. "LAVA BOMB!!!" she screamed into the radio. The helicopter jerked, and the ball of lava only skimmed the ladder. However, as soon as it touched her side of the ladder, it immediately burned through and dropped her a good two feet. With a scream, she dropped the radio, and her feet flew from the rung, leaving her hanging only by her hands.

"VIVICA!!!" Justin screamed, letting one hand go of the ladder to grab hers. A tiny, minuscule trace of lava remained on the other side of the ladder. Justin saw this just in time, and with the only hand hanging onto the ladder, he let go for a brief second and shot it up above the lava spot. The ladder burned through and fell away, leaving Vivica clinging only to Justin's hand.

The helicopter lifted them higher and higher into the sky. "Don't let go, Justin!" Vivica cried.

"I won't!" he shouted. "I promise!" The helicopter, flying at a height of about two hundred feet, flew away from the flow of lava. A few frantic seconds later, the helicopter reached the clear streets. As soon as it lowered to a height of about twenty feet, Vivica let go of Justin's hand and dropped to the pavement. Justin let go as well, opting to fall flat on his back rather than try to land on his feet.

"Trini!" Vivica cried, waving her thanks to the helicopter pilot as he flew off. "Trini! Justin's hurt!"

The Yellow Ranger ran up to them amidst the crowd of various emergency workers. "What's wrong?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

"My foot," Justin said, sitting up. "I stepped in lava."

"Ooh," Trini remarked. "I take it it hurts?"

"You take it correctly. What do we do about it?"

Trini pulled her Power Blaster from her holster. Flipping it effortlessly, she made it unfurl a sharp, silver blade. She whipped the blade at the stone on Justin's foot, which immediately shattered. She plucked the final pieces of stone away, and looked up at Justin. "It still hurts," Justin said. "It feels like it's on fire."

"Then you've got a Power Overlay," Trini told him. "Sometimes, when you get an excessive damage down to the armor, even though the armor fixes itself, it keeps the pain that caused it to happen locked in the armor. You have to de-morph and re-morph. You'll be fine."

"Turbo Down," Justin said. Blue light gathered around his body and he shrank back down to his juvenile height. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the pain was, in fact, gone. "It's Morphin Time!"

~*~

"It's okay," the little girl said as silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

"How did this happen?" Sydney asked, trying to calm her down. She nervously moved the bone in place as she began to surround the girl's arm with the gauze.

"My mama had a car wreck," she said. "But she's okay. The policeman told me so."

"I'm sure she is," Sydney smiled. "What's your name?"

"Ow," the little girl said. "It's burning me."

"It'll just burn for a second," Sydney assured her.

"My name is Michelle. What's your name?"

"That's a beautiful name, Michelle," Sydney said. The thick wet gauze was heating up Michelle's arm, causing her to grimace in pain. "My name is Sydney."

"Like the city?"

"Just like the city," Sydney said, checking one final time to make sure the bone was in place before wrapping the tougher outer-gauze around her arm. "In fact, I was named AFTER the city. That's where I was born."

"Why don't you have an accent?"

"You are a very smart little girl, do you know that?" Sydney asked.

"Thank you. You are talking about the one in Australia, right?"

"That's the one. I used to be an army brat. Do you know what that is?"

"Uhn uh."

"An army brat is a kid who's mom or dad is the military, and they have to move around a lot. And we just happened to be stationed in Sydney when I was born. But we moved to Fort Knox in Kentucky when I was about three months old."

"Is your mom or dad still in the army?"

"No, my dad was killed in combat when I was just four. I never really knew him."

"Where does your mom live?"

"She died when I was almost sixteen," Sydney said, too engrossed in her job of putting a splint on the girl's arm to let the sadness seep into her voice.

"That means she lives in heaven, now," Michelle told her simply.

Sydney paused and locked eyes with her new, very young friend. "That's exactly what it means."

"That means she's in heaven with my daddy," Michelle said. "He died in a car wreck a long, long time ago. Before I was even born."

"I bet they're up there, watching us right now," Sydney told Michelle.

Michelle giggled, and then waved with her left hand and said, "Hi Daddy." Sydney smiled, and then paused again.

"It's getting hot," Sydney said, looking around her. No one else seemed to notice.

"It is," Michelle agreed.

Suddenly, a very faint whistling came from beneath her feet. She started to step back, and felt resistance. Glancing down, she saw steam rising up from around the manhole cover in the street that they were coincidentally working above. The soles of her boots were beginning to melt, leaving sticky black sole-prints on the street. "Somethin' wrong?" Michelle asked.

"Something is very wrong," Sydney said, taking the small girl in her arms. "Something is horribly wrong."

"It's snowing!" Michelle cried happily, reaching out with her left hand to catch some of the powder falling from the sky.

"Oh my God," Sydney said in horror, slowly backing away from the steaming manhole cover. It suddenly burst out of the ground, knocking the gurney Michelle had been sitting on seconds before out of the way. A thick swath of steam burst from the manhole as the cover sailed high in the air. "WATCH OUT!!!" Sydney screamed to anyone who was listening. She watched in horror as the thick slab of metal in the midst of a doctor who was splinting a fireman's shattered leg. They were both killed on impact, completely oblivious to what had hit them.

Sydney ran up to Dr. Nichols and cried, "The lava is underneath us, right now."

"What?" Dr. Nichols asked.

"See this ash?" Sydney insisted, "the lava is going to burst through the street any second now."

"How do you kn-?"

"Just trust me!" Sydney interrupted. Placing Michelle in Dr. Nichols' arms, she said, "I HAVE to get in touch with General Washington." To Michelle, she touched the side of her face and said, "You take care, sweetheart."

"She's coordinating the collapse of the Triplet Towers," Dr. Nichols told her.

"How far is that from here?" Sydney asked, taking her scrubs off.

"Three miles, bare minimum."

"I have to go warn them!" Sydney called over her shoulder as she ran off.

"Bye Sydney!" Michelle shouted.

~*~

Sydney suddenly pulled up beside her on a "borrowed" motorcycle. "Vivica, we've got trouble!"

"What kind of trouble?" Vivica asked.

"I was helping at the hospital, and the street got so hot it melted the soles of my boots. There was steam... it blew a manhole cover off. I think the lava is over there too! On the Upper West side!"

"Upper West?" Vivica asked. "That's impossible."

"You know, I bet this time yesterday you thought it would be impossible that you'd be fighting lava before the sun rose again," Sydney challenged.

"Good point," Vivica said, climbing onto the back of the motorcycle. "Let's get over there."

~*~

"This means there is a chasm around here someplace," Vivica surmised. Pulling her radio from her belt, she said, "I need all military personnel, local law enforcements, fire fighters, and Power Rangers to report to Rivendale Memorial, immediately. We are about to have an eruption. I repeat, we are about to have an eruption. Get over here now."

"What do you mean?" Tommy's voice asked through the radio. "We've diverted the lava to the harbor."

"We've diverted the first lava flow to the harbor," Vivica told him. "We just found another one waiting to erupt here at the hospital. It's those damn man-made tunnels. It's got lava flowing around everywhere."

"We're on our way," Tommy said.

"What do we do until they get here?" Sydney asked.

"We try to figure out where the lava is going to come out at," Vivica said, abandoning the motorcycle to run down the street.

"What side of the hospital do you think it is on?" Sydney asked her, kneeling down in the parking lot to press her palm against the ash-covered asphalt. Much to her relief, it wasn't as warm as the street. It was certainly warm, perhaps even hot, but it wasn't hot enough to melt the soles of her boots. She quickly hurried over to the street, to find that it was dangerously hot. "The lava flow is under this street!" Sydney shouted to Vivica.

"It's possible that there aren't any tunnels under the hospital," Vivica said. "Or at least not as many as in the streets. If that's the case, then the lava will flow one of two directions. To the west, and into the residential areas, or to the east, into the existing lava flow and out into the harbor."

"So we make it go east?" Sydney asked.

"I wish we could have known about this yesterday," Vivica groaned, pressing her fists against both eyes. "You don't fight volcanoes. You get out of their way."

"There's no way we could evacuate?""Not eight million people in what would now be under an hour," Vivica sighed, shaking her head. "But you're right. We have to make it go east. We could..."

"Blow up something," Sydney suggested, brushing the ash out of her hair, a motion which was quickly becoming habitual. "We make it extremely easy for the lava to flow to the east, rather than the west."

Just then, Rudolph Wade pulled up in an open jeep. "Do you have the schematics for this area?" Vivica asked.

"Yes ma'am, I do," Wade told her. He pulled a rolled-up map from the back of his jeep and spread it out on the hood. "The lava is flowing right under this street, isn't it?"

Suddenly, the intense heat from the street melted through one of his tires, causing it to explode with a loud boom. Sydney screamed, purely as a reflex, and then suggested, "Let's get in the parking lot."

"We need the lava to go east," Vivica explained when they were at a safer position. "There is lava underneath this street," she traced her finger along it on the map, "and no doubt through here, here, and here as well, and must be converging at this point." Vivica looked at the point, and then said, "This is Robin Park."

"This point here isn't where it converges," Wade said. "That's the highest point. This is where it's coming up at."

"Is there any way we can get it to go to the east before it builds up so much pressure beneath us that it breaks through?" Sydney asked.

"Theoretically," Wade began, "I guess we could set up dynamite charges all along through the park on the east side. The tunnels aren't real close to the surface through there, so we'll have to go hard and heavy. You see, there is twelve feet of concrete right here, in addition to about twenty-five feet of an incline. After that, it declines the rest of the way."

"So we have thirty-seven feet to turn into a downhill slope?" Vivica asked.

"Exactly," Wade said. "Do we have the manpower to pull that off?"

"We blow the twenty-five feet first," Sydney suggested, "and then the twelve foot wall at once. It'll be like destroying a dam. It'll take it straight through here, and it will eventually meet up with the old lava flow."

"You'll lose a good three miles of the business district, not to mention several museums," Wade said. "Not good, but looks like our best option."

"It's our only option," Vivica said, "unless we can get Moses in here."

~*~

* * *

Sydney clamped both hands over her ears as several tons of dynamite exploded, simultaneously. Dirt and debris rose up in the air. As soon as the coast was clear, Tommy and Skull ran into the park to see how close they had gotten.

"It looks good!" Tommy shouted into his hand-held radio. "Let's blow the wall!"

"As soon as Red and Green are clear gentlemen," Vivica said.

"This thing is liable to blow sky-high," Justin said. A thunderous boom suddenly followed, and in its aftermath, a tall spray of lava shot forth from the ground.

"Oh my God," Vivica said in awe. The fiery red substance shot straight up into the air and then fell back to the ground, forming a river of fire in Robin Park that obliterated everything it touched. Park benches melted into nothingness on impact, and trees began to fall as the lava burned through their trunks.

"Let's get out of here," Justin encouraged. "We can track the lava from someplace safer." Vivica nodded in agreement, and the six of them quickly rejoined the others at a more safe distance.

~*~

"Not yet," someone answered.

However, just then, a radio squawked and a triumphant voice announced, "The lava's going downhill! It'll hit the harbor!"

"YES!" Vivica shouted, pumping a fist into the air victoriously as the others began their own impromptu celebration.

"According to our infrareds, all other lava pockets have been tapped. We're in the clear, General Washington."

"You did it, Vivica," Tommy told her over the roar of the crowd. "You saved... whatever this city is called."

"Saint Albans City," she said. "And no, we all saved his city. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you. How can I repay you?"

"Let us spend the day and night at your house so we can get rested up before we go sliding," Sydney suggested.

"Done," Vivica promised, still smiling.

~*~

"She obviously is you," Justin theorized. "She's your dimensional double. You say you were a Fox before you were married?"

"Vivica Fox, the movie star?" Vivica asked. "Will Smith's love interest in _Independence Day?_ It was Halle Berry, here."

"At least you are the only Vivica Fox," Sydney said. "Everywhere I go, I'm accused of being Neve Campbell. It gets old suprisingly quickly."

"Are you guys coming or what?!" Tommy shouted from outside. The Rangers and Vivica had slept the day away. Now that the sun had set, Tommy and Trini were swimming in her huge pool and trying to get the others to join them.

"Come on, Syd," Vivica said. "I've got an extra swimsuit that should fit you."

~*~

"It is late," Justin mused, looking at the position of the moon in the sky. The others, still in their trunks and swimsuits, were on the other side of Vivica's large patio, talking quietly.

"It is really pretty out here," Justin said softly, looking at the bright stars above them. Vivica lived in a rural area outside the large metropolis of Saint Albans, so there was no light pollution to hide the stars.

"Yes, it is," Sydney agreed, resting on the side of the pool beside one of the underwater lights. It cast a bluish hue all about her. "The sky is very pretty." She paused, and then asked, "Is the sky pretty at your home?"

"It's very pretty there," Justin told her. He paused as well, and then added, "It'll be even prettier when you get there."

Sydney said nothing, but her brow furrowed in confusion as a frown crossed her face. She glanced over at him, and found that he was hanging from the side of the pool as she was, just a few feet down.

"Sydney?"

"Yeah?"

"Other than Derek, have you had any boyfriends?"

"A couple, I suppose," she answered noncommittally. "How about you? You had many girlfriends?"

"Nope," Justin said. "There've been a lot of girls I've had crushes on, if that counts for anything. A lot of actresses, too."

Sydney smiled and glanced over in Justin's direction. "Any actresses in particular?"

"Well, Alicia Silverstone... that girl with the red hair from _A Nightmare on Elm Street 4_..."

"You mean Alice?" Sydney asked.

"Yeah, Alice," Justin nodded. "Courtney Cox, that blonde girl from _Jurassic Park,_ that blonde girl in _Hocus Pocus,_ Kyra Sedgwick after I watched _Heart and Souls,_ Heather Langenkamp, Jamie Luner from 'Just the Ten of Us,' remember that girl Hallie from _Scream 2,_ the one we saw on Sabrina's world? I really liked her. And speaking of _Scream,_ Neve Campbell. I always thought she was really pretty."

"I'm sure Ms. Campbell would appreciate hearing that," Sydney muttered.

"How about you?" Justin asked, swimming over to her. Sydney's only response was to raise her eyebrows and cast a skeptical glance in his direction.

"How 'bout me whut?" Sydney asked in a perturbed voice, crinkling her nose.

"Would you like hearing that I think you're very pretty," Justin asked.

It was suddenly painfully obvious to Sydney what Justin was implying, and she was going to every possible effort to block him at every turn. "I guess it would depend on who said it," she said, tensing up.

"What if the person who said it was someone who thought you were a really, really great, brave person?"

Sydney only swallowed as she tried to think of an appropriate reply. "I guess it would then depend on how old that person was." _Perfect!_

Suddenly, Sydney felt Justin's hand touch the side of her face. Every muscle across her back and abdomen tensed rock hard as he touched her face with a gentleness she wouldn't have suspected he would have known to use. However, the surprise at that touch was nothing compared to the surprise that followed. There was a minuscule splashing of water that sounded totally foreign and external as Justin stretched up to Sydney and kissed her.

Sydney, much to her true, literal horror, felt a symphony of conflicting emotions tear through her entire being. At the forefront was the expected emotions, the ones telling her that the boy kissing her was only thirteen years old, and that by not doing anything to stop him, she may have been committing a felony. Behind those, however, were the horrifying emotions. She felt something within her stir. It wasn't related to sex, but it was very powerful. There was just a tiny flame inside the core of her very essence, and Justin's unexpected, uninvited kiss had brought it to life. Fortunately for her, she quickly came to her senses and pushed him away as well as floundering back a few feet herself. "Justin," she said sternly, in her most mature, adult voice.

"Oh God," he suddenly groaned, and from the look in his eyes, she thought he was going to be sick. "I'm sorry. I didn't -"

"It's okay, Justin," Sydney interrupted. "Just... don't do it again. I mean, I'm not just eight years older than you are, Justin. I'm a grown woman. And even though I really think a lot of you, I don't think about you like this. You're like a little brother." She immediately clamped her mouth shut when she realized she was only saying the deluge of consternations to make her feel better. She had made her point just by telling him no; all further accusations were only making him feel worse.

Justin mumbled yet another embarrassed apology as he planted his hands on the side and hauled himself out of the water. Sydney said nothing, but cast her wide eyes back up at the sky and then completely physically relaxed and slipped beneath the water. She didn't know what to do. Justin's kiss had produced emotions she had never felt before. _He's just thirteen years old, you deviant!_ Sydney screamed at herself from the safety of her own mind. Yet the fact was undeniable. She hadn't just been kissed by Justin; she had kissed back. That terrified her worse than anything she had yet to face during her sliding adventure.

~*~

"Oh-kay," Trini stammered warily. She followed Sydney off the patio and into the front yard. "What's the problem?"

"Justin," Sydney answered.

"I don't follow."

"Justin just tried to kiss me," Sydney said. Her voice wavered slightly as the conflicting emotions threatened to resurge.

"Oh," Trini acknowledged. She knew he had a crush on the older girl, but she certainly hadn't expected him to act on it. "Well, do you want me or Tommy to talk to him?"

"No, it's worse than that," Sydney continued. She suddenly found herself unable to continue. In fact, she had a hard time looking at Trini. It was as if she was guilty of a crime. She shivered suddenly and began to use the towel to roughly dry her hair, no doubt an avenue for her nervous energy.

"Sydney?" Trini asked. "I can imagine that it's probably pretty embarrassing that a kid tried to kiss you, but it's no doubt much worse for him."

"You don't understand!" Sydney suddenly cried out loud. Anger and fear simultaneously flashed in her eyes. "You don't understand, Trini! I liked it!"

Trini slowly turned to look back at Sydney and asked, "You what?"

"I liked it, Trini! God help me, I liked it! What the hell is wrong with me?!"

"Justin is only thirteen years old, Sydney," Trini said, starting to wonder if she knew her gray-haired friend as well as she thought she did.

"Don't you think I know that?" Sydney very nearly snarled. "I didn't want him to do that! I really, really wish he hadn't! But the fact remains, it wasn't just a kiss. It was... I don't know what it was, but I don't like it. At all."

"What exactly happened?" Trini tried, calming down. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"We were floating in the pool, looking up at the stars," Sydney began. "We weren't really talking about anything in particular, when he started asking me about my past boyfriends. I didn't realize what he was doing until later, though. I tried to dodge his questions, because I just didn't want to embarrass him by having him announce that he had a crush on me. But then..."

"He kissed you?" Trini asked.

"Not yet," Sydney said. "He reached up and he touched my face. My God, it's hard to believe that kid is just thirteen."

"He's very mature for his age," Trini murmured, still in disbelief at the entire scenario.

"I suppose," Sydney sighed. "Trini, what am I going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Trini asked. "You can tell Justin not to ever do it again-."

"Already have," Sydney told her.

"You can have me or Tommy talk to him, or you can just pretend it never happened. You certainly can't act on it."

"Don't you think I know that?" Sydney growled. Sighing loudly, she continued, "I'm sorry. I didn't me to snap, but this scares me, Trini. A grown woman should not feel things when a thirteen year old boy kisses her."

"I don't know what to tell you," Trini said. "I honestly don't."

"Let me know if you do," Sydney murmured as they slowly walked back to the deck. "Should I go talk to Justin?"

"I don't think so," Trini said, shaking her head. "I'm sure he's embarrassed. Let him cool off, first."

"Thanks Trini," Sydney acknowledged in a sad voice.

~*~

Trini noticed that Sydney and Justin were both sitting as far apart from each other as possible. Before, Justin would have been sitting right beside her. He currently looked afraid of her.

"_My Betrothed, My Beloved_?" Tommy asked in disbelief. "What is this piece of crap?"

"It's a romance, Tommy," Trini told him, "but this is ridiculous."

"I have _The Sands of Iwo Jima,_" Vivica suggested, also bored by the current movie the channel was resting on.

"This sentence here is the first time I have ever used or will ever use the word beloved as a noun," Sydney remarked, shaking her head. "Beloved? This is messed up."

"Oh, my love," one of the characters on the screen droned melodically.

"Change the channel, or kill me," Skull said flatly.

"My idea of romance is the romantic subplot of a movie like... _Twister,_" Vivica said. "I do not like this all vocalized crap. Subdued romance is the only way to go."

"Amen," Trini agreed as she changed the channel. "Hey look, it's Neve Campbell!"

"Change it," Sydney said hurriedly.

"Hey, _A Nightmare on Elm Street 5_," Justin said, breaking his night-long silence. "_The Dream Child._"

"Any 'beloveds' in sight?" Vivica asked.

"Eew, that girl just got disemboweled," Tommy remarked.

"And now he's making her eat it!" Skull cried, covering his face with his hands. "That's disgusting!" He paused, and then added, "Let's watch this."

"You know," Vivica commented, "me and my husband are gushy romantics. We love each other, but I would slap the boy silly if he ever called me love or beloved."

"Do you have a picture of your husband?" Trini asked.

"Yeah, I sure do," Vivica said, getting out of her chair.

"Where is he?" Justin asked.

"With the U.S. Marines in Okinawa," Vivica said. "Nothing serious. He should be back in a few weeks." She reappeared behind the couch and handed Trini the photograph.

"Oh my goodness!" Trini laughed. "Sydney, check this out!"

"What is it?" Vivica asked.

"That's Denzel Washington!" Sydney and Trini cried in unison before laughing as well.

"You know him?" Vivica asked.

"Also a movie star in our dimension," Tommy told her. "One of the best."

"I think I may just go to this dimension of your's when I retire," Vivica said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't mind being rich and famous."

"After today, you will be famous anyhow," Sydney remarked. "You saved eight million people today. That's gotta be some kind of record."

"We couldn't have done it without you," Vivica acknowledge. The Rangers would have rebutted her, but they all knew that it was true.

"You know," Justin said, "I thought maybe our slider was malfunctioning and causing us to slide into disaster because of something Jara did to it, but maybe, just maybe... Well, maybe it was sending us places where it knew we would be needed. Practically every world we've been in, no matter how hard and dangerous it was, we managed to help."

"That's just what we do," Tommy said. "We protect innocent lives. It's our job; it doesn't matter where we are or what dimension we're in."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Trini cried happily. "I forgot all about it with everything that's been going on today." She cast a quick glance at Sydney, who promptly turned away. "We've only got one more world to go. After that world, we'll be with our Rangers. We could be home very, very soon."

~*~

"Entirely possible," Trini told him. "Do we have everything."

"I think you left your cowboy hat in the other room," Vivica told Sydney.

"Gotta have that," Sydney announced as she went to retrieve it.

"Justin, you doin' okay?" Vivica asked.

"Fine," he said woodenly, rechecking the contents of his backpack.

"Come on, kid," Vivica tried, "something's eating you up."

"I'm just... nothing, really."

"Well, I would say that you could talk to me anytime, but you can't. It just seems so hard for me to believe that you leave a dimension, and never return," Vivica sighed. "We'll never see each other again."

Sydney returned to Vivica's back porch, holding her hat in both hands. "Here," she said, handing to to Vivica. "You keep it. To remember us by."

"Aw, girl," Vivica said, pulling Sydney into a tight hug. After hugging Sydney for a few moments, she turned to the rest of the team in turn, finally stopping on Justin. "It sure was wild in that tunnel, wasn't it Blue Turbo Ranger?"

"It certainly was," Justin agreed, finally breaking a smile.

"Remember me fondly," Vivica told him.

"Always," Justin promised.

"Let's go, you guys," Tommy said. "Who knows? We might be back home in another few hours."

Vivica walked to the edge of the porch as the five sliders walked into her backyard. Trini held the slider out before her and pushed the button. A beam of light shone from the tip, traveling about ten feet before stopping to form a gargantuan swirling white portal of light. "Wow," Vivica breathed in awe. "I love you guys! Thanks for everything!"

Sydney took a second for one final smile, and then leapt into the portal head first. Tommy was close behind, followed immediately by Skull. Trini pressed the slider into Justin's palm and jumped in, temporarily coloring the portal. "Goodbye Vivica!" Justin said. Before he leapt in, he shouted, "What should I do if I think I'm in love with an older woman?!"

"Sydney?!" Vivica asked.

"Yeah!" Justin shouted back. The portal produced such a roaring wind they had to shout to be heard.

"Wait until you're eighteen, and then make your move!"

Justin chuckled, shaking his head. "I was hoping you'd tell me to go for it now!"

"Unless you can find a way to make her thirteen years old again, you're gonna have to wait!"

"A boy can dream!" Justin shouted. He waved at Vivica one final time, and clutching the slider tight against his chest, jumped into the portal.

Vivica had to shield her eyes as the portal faded into nonexistence. It was stained blue, and the outer perimeter curled in, much like a flower in a reverse bloom. Streaks of red, green, yellow, and white flowed through the blue as it closed into nonexistence. Vivica sighed. "God be with you all," she whispered to herself.

~*~

"None taken," Sydney answered, glad that Justin was finally started to return to his normal self.

"And none of the above," Trini said.

"It looks like we are in a nice, beautiful garden," Tommy mused thoughtfully.

"You are," a pleasant male voice said. "You're in my garden actually, on my estates."

As one being, the five sliders turned to the voice's source. They saw a muscular man in black jeans and a black t-shirt, leaning against the corner of a brick building. "Are you George Clooney?" Skull asked in disbelief.

"Actually, I want to ask you all just what is going on?" the man said. "I saw you appear out of thin air, and... well, even in Gotham City, that's pretty unusual."

"You're Bruce Wayne," Justin said in awe.

"Yes I am," Bruce said.

"You're BatMan," Justin added, causing Bruce to narrow his eyes in shock.

~*~

"I got 'em stopped, didn't I?" Dick Grayson asked as he hobbled toward the closest piece of furniture.

"You sure did," Barbara said, "and all you had to do was sprain your ankle. You could have just waited the 1.5 seconds it would have taken me to run to you for help, but nope... Not Robin... He's a real man. He has to stop those big mean ScoutMasters all by himself."

"Cut the crap, BatGirl," Dick growled as she helped him sit down.

"I say we just be thankful that the Scout is in Arkham where he belongs," Alfred said thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Robin said. "Besides, what are the odds we'll be attacked in the two weeks it will take me to be back in tip top shape."

"This is Gotham City," Bruce Wayne said as he entered the room with the five sliders. "Are things ever simple?"

"Who are your friends?" Barbara asked.

"Oh my God," Justin drawled, his mouth quite literally open in shock. "That's Alicia Silverstone and Chris O'Donnell. And the guy who plays Alfred!"

"Dimensional travelers," Bruce answered his housemates unasked question. "These are four superheroes plus an extra that they picked up along the way. They have a brief lay-over here. I thought we could be kind enough to accommodate them. Alfred?"

"Not a problem, Master Wayne," Alfred said. "I will prepare five bedrooms at once."

"This is unbelievable," Justin continued. "You guys are BatMan, Robin, and BatGirl."

"Bruce?" Dick asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"I didn't tell them," Bruce said. "They already knew. Apparently, get this, we're a movie in their dimension."

"A movie?" Barbara asked. "We're a movie?"

"Hard to believe, huh?" Tommy asked, forcing a smile. Just then, the telephone rang, causing Alfred to leave the room.

"So you guys are superheroes, huh?" Dick asked. "What kind?"

"Just show 'em guys," Bruce encouraged. "They won't believe you otherwise."

"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy shouted.

"GREEN DRAGON —- RABBIT!!!"

"SABER-TOOTH TIGER —- DOVE!!!"

"ZEO RANGER V, RED —- FALCON!!!"

"MOUNTAIN BLASTER TURBO POWER —- SEAHORSE!!!"

"My special power is that I get to look like Neve Campbell, twenty-four seven," Sydney said sarcastically.

"Unreal," Dick said.

"Very impressive," Barbara agreed, nodding in approval.

"If anybody can pull a trick like that, they are more than welcome to stay here with us for a while," Bruce said. "Besides, just last night we locked the Scout and his ScoutMasters up. We really aren't likely to have any trouble for a while."

"Oh, that reminds me," Trini said, demorphing in a yellow flash. "I never did check the slider."

"Master Wayne," Alfred said, entering the room with a cordless phone in his hand. "I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news."

"What's that?" Bruce asked.

"Poison Ivy has escaped Arkham."

~*~

"Just armor," Barbara told him. She dropped into a split as he delivered a well-placed kick that should have hit her.

"Am I good enough for your standards?" Tommy asked, flipping over her as she tried to hit him.

"You seem to be," Barbara grunted. "Poison Ivy is one tough cookie, but I think you can handle her. Well, at least until she sprays you with her pheromones."

"Pheromones?"

"Yeah," Barbara said. "She can make any man do whatever she wants them to. She must have evolved or something, but they did have an antidote. She got out by pheromoning up the guards."

"And you're a man down for two weeks?"

"Yep."

"And I was thinking," Tommy said as they continued to spar, "that because of our slider, I'm going to be here for thirteen days. Maybe I could take Robin's place."

"That's why I'm testing you," Barbara said. The two finally reached a stop, and bowed to each other. "And I think you would be an excellent Robin. You have Dick's build, his height, and sort of even the same general facial features, in a stretch. There's just one problem."

"What?"

"You'll have to have a haircut."

~*~

"Man, I hate this," Dick complained, hobbling on his crutches. "Poison Ivy is coming back to Gotham and I've got a bum foot."

"There is nothing that can be done for that, Master Grayson," Alfred told him. "We just have to find another Robin."

"Maybe someone from the police department?" Justin suggested.

"Actually, if Tommy is the fighter you say he is," Bruce said, "we're hoping he'll do it."

"Tommy would love to," Trini spoke for him. "I can guarantee that."

"There's only one small problem," Dick said. "He'll be posing as me, and I have short hair."

"Tommy with short hair?" Skull asked. "I doubt he'll do it."

~*~

Tommy ran his fingers through his long hair one last time. "I haven't cut my hair since I was in seventh grade," he said, "and only then because I lost a bet to my sister. But... since it's for the greater good, yeah... cut it."

"You're sure?" Barbara asked, pulling his hair into a ponytail.

"Very sure," Tommy gulped nervously.

"Okay," Barbara said, making a quick cut above his ponytail. Tommy gave a pitiful moan and was starting to seriously reconsider the entire prospect. "Well, here's your ponytail. I assume you'll want to keep it."

"Oh my goodness," Tommy groaned, taking the thick nine inch bundle of brown hair. "Oh, I hope I don't regret this."

"Little late for that, don't you think?" Barbara asked as she began to continue with his haircut now that the majority of it was gone.

~*~

"Uncle Alfred?" Barbara asked as she entered the BatCave. "Everyone else. I have a surprise for you."

"Surprise?" Dick asked.

"Tommy is going to be Robin," she said.

"He agreed to have his hair cut?" Trini asked.

"Actually, I already have had my hair cut," Tommy said as he entered the room. Justin's eyes widened as he took in the sight of his leader. Tommy's hair was as short as Rocky's and styled in much the same manner.

"You look really good with short hair," Sydney said truthfully.

"I'm growing it out as soon as we get home," Tommy insisted. "My head feels naked."

"Come on, Dick," Barbara said. "Let's show him how to suit up."

* * * Later That Night

"You gotta be quicker than this, Tommy," BatGirl said.

"I'm not used to having to dress myself for battle," Tommy protested as the Bat Team hurriedly got Tommy in his BatArmor. He glanced down at his chest and asked, "What's with the nipples? I have nipples."

"We all have nipples, Tommy," BatMan said.

"I don't," BatGirl announced with a grin. "There," she said. "We're ready. You know how to drive a motorcycle?"

"Absolutely," Tommy said as he hurried over to the waiting Red Bird. Red neon lights glowed all along it. BatGirl hopped on the black BatCycle beside him, while BatMan got in his BatMobile.

"Remember everything we taught you?" BatGirl asked over the roar of the BatMobile pulling out of the BatCave.

"Yes ma'am," Tommy said with a nod. BatGirl gave him a quick smile as she pulled out behind BatMan. "Here goes everything," Tommy muttered.

~*~

"BatMan," BatGirl insisted. "We don't have Power Ranger magic to protect our identities."

"Sorry. Where's BatMan?"

"I don't know," BatGirl said, leaving her bike. "This is Ivy's old HQ. We're going inside."

"No argument from me," Tommy agreed as they ran up the steps. The foreign weight of his cape occasionally caught his attention, but he had to admit that it was an interesting addition.

BatGirl pushed a heavy veil of vines aside as she entered the building. "Wow," Tommy muttered to himself. "She made all of these plants grow indoors?"

"Ah, the little lady Bat and the boy Bird have returned," a sensual voice said from above them.

"Poison Ivy," BatGirl said contemptuously. "I see you escaped Arkham."

"Why of course I have," Poison Ivy said as she began to walk toward them. She was wearing a full-body suit of green spandex. A wide dark green belt was at her waist with a light green leaf buckle. Her gloves were green leather with red tips on the fingers, and she had ornamental leaves glued on her face in place of eyebrows. Her hair was long and a vibrant shade of red.

"Where's BatMan?" Tommy demanded. Poison Ivy walked up to him, opened her right palm, and blew. A brightly colored cloud of pheromones entered Tommy's nostrils, causing his pupils to constrict as a bizarre smile stretched across his face.

"Right here!" BatMan suddenly yelled. He lashed out with a high kick that caught BatGirl in the face. She landed on her back, temporarily stunned.

"KILL HER!!!" Poison Ivy screeched at Tommy.

BatGirl rolled away as his foot came down where her chest had been a split second earlier. She rolled into a standing position, and pulled a silver bat from her utility bat. "Bat-a-rang!" she announced, throwing it at Tommy and BatMan. It lashed around them both, effectively tying them together with a black cord. "Into the water!" she cried as she kicked them into Poison Ivy's deep, clear pool, covered with water lilies. She hoped that the cold water would shorten the pheromones' effect.

She turned around just as Poison Ivy lashed out at her with a green whip. She narrowly missed it, and in reply, spun around to deliver a well-placed kick to her stomach. Poison Ivy pulled a green knife from her hip and lashed it at BatGirl. The blonde superhero jumped back and immediately kicked up, knocking the blade from the villain's hand. "Real woman fight in stiletto heels," BatGirl announced, before taking a backflip into the water.

She quickly found her two drugged and sinking comrades, and swam away with them in her grip, heading for the tunnel she knew would take her to the sewers.

~*~

"The only way out that I saw," Barbara complained, shaking her head.

"BatMobile and the Red Bird just returned with two drugged superheroes on it not too long ago," Alfred said. "Pheromones?"

"Pheromones," Barbara said with a nod. "How are they now?"

"They've worn off."

Barbara sighed as she took her black eyepiece off. "We took her invitation seriously, and showed up at her lair. She attacked us, but she didn't make any indication of a plan. Should I go back?"

"We should wait until Bruce awakens," Alfred said. "I will contact the Commissioner and see if he knows anything we don't. You should undress and rest."

"You got it, Uncle Alf-," Barbara said, interrupted in mid-sentence by a ringing telephone.

"It's the Red Line," Alfred told her.

"I'll take care of it," Barbara said to her uncle, putting her eyepiece back on as she walked in front of a large screen. She pushed a sequence of buttons on the keyboard before her, and then looked up as the Commissioner's face filled the screen.

"BatGirl, Poison Ivy and an unknown foe is attacking downtown Gotham," Commissioner Gordon said.

"Unknown foe?"

"She seems to have the same dress as Poison Ivy, only red. And long black hair."

"Where are they at? Downtown?"

"The lady in red is on a bike, her destination unknown. Poison Ivy is breaking into and robbing jewelry stores."

"I'm on my way, Commissioner," BatGirl said, turning to run out of the BatCave as the screen darkened.

"Your BatCycle awaits, milady," Alfred told her with a smile.

"Thank you uncle," BatGirl smiled as she pulled on her bike helmet which gave her an appearance not unlike that of BatMan, complete with bat ears and hooked nose. She then gunned her bike and roared out of the BatCave, blue and red sensors playing across her black armor as she did so. In a matter of seconds, she was out of the BatCave and speeding across Gotham Bridge, her cape and hair blowing out behind her.

~*~

"The other Bats were incapacitated," Alfred sighed. _This new Robin is just like old Robin,_ Alfred thought to himself with a mental sigh.

"Where is she headed?" Tommy asked, swinging his cape out of the way as he mounted Red Bird.

"Downtown, Master Oliver. The Red Bird is programmed to take you there."

"Then I'm out," Tommy announced, starting the Red Bird and speeding from the BatCave.

"What is it about superheroes being so bloody stubborn?" Alfred mumbled to himself.

~*~

"Who are you?!" BatGirl demanded.

"Poison Sumac!" she shouted simply. Her voice was eerily familiar to Poison Ivy's, as it had the same sultry, sensual lilt applied to each and every word.

"What?!" BatGirl protested as the two of them continued to drive through the city. As much as she hated it, she was sworn to her own personal code of honor in battle, which meant she couldn't attack Poison Sumac unless she was provoked or had to protect someone else.

"Poison Ivy is my big sister," Poison Sumac said. "Or my mother, however you care to look at it. It's amazing what one can produce in such a short length of time. A little nutrient rich soil, a spare thumb from dear sister, a black wig, red spandex, and lo and behold, another botanical nightmare for the big, black bats. Well guess what, sister Fauna. Your time as a mammal is over." With that, she suddenly crashed her bike into BatGirl's. Even though BatGirl had far more motorcycle experience than Poison Sumac, who had only been alive for a few hours, the sudden move took her by surprise. Her bike tipped over, and BatGirl was airborne. However, rather than fall to the ground, she fell over the edge of one of the many gargantuan bridges that ran through Gotham City. With a cry of alarm, she began a long freefall to the pavement below.

However, BatGirl had experience with falls. She pulled her Bat-a-rang from her belt and threw it straight up. The silver bat sped through the air with the greatest of ease, finally reaching the top of the bridge's support system. It wrapped around a steel girder, and BatGirl immediately gave it a solid yank, making it retract. Her fall was reversed, and she was pulled up into the air. Her momentum made her move out as well as up, and she got the idea for a particularly striking move. A few quick seconds later, her momentum had her carried high above the bridge. The sensation of being completely and totally free from gravity, even if it was for just a second, was exhilarating. She used that spare second to look out at Gotham City, which shone in the night in all its glory. Then, her weightless second was over, and she was falling back to the Earth. Rather than retract the Bat-a-rang, she used it as an anchor and leveled our her body, headed for a certain villainess on a motorc! ycle.

BatGirl used the strength in her arms to keep her body straight as she flew near the pavement. She leveled out a height of about four feet, and suddenly, Poison Sumac was before her. The villainess looked up just in time to see BatGirl's booted feet slam into her chest. She gave a cry of anger as she flew backwards off of her bike. BatGirl let go of the rope from the Bat-a-rang, which immediately retracted to the top of the bridge. There were Bat-a-rang's and Throwing Birds all over the city, as the trio of superheroes were continually losing them everywhere. As BatGirl touched down on the street, she yanked her protective helmet off and took a defensive stance.

"That really hurt!" Poison Sumac complained as she clambered to her feet. BatGirl saw Poison Sumac plainly for the first time, and saw that she was, in fact, Poison Ivy's double. She was wearing a red body suit instead of Poison Ivy's green, as well as a black wig, but it was undeniably her. Poison Sumac found a length of steel bar and brandishing it like a samurai warrior, ran at BatGirl.

With a heavy grunt, BatGirl cartwheeled away. She narrowly missed getting hit in the head. However, Poison Sumac countered by sweeping her feet beneath BatGirl's legs as soon as she turned out of her cartwheel. BatGirl landed flat on her back, glancing up just in time to see the steel bar coming down on her chest. "Whoa!" BatGirl cried, rolling out of the way. She planted her hands on the ground and kicked Poison Sumac away before jumping to her feet.

Suddenly, a familiar roaring filled her ears. She looked up in time to see the BatMobile roaring across the bridge, headed for them. The BatMobile skidded to a halt beside her, the neon lights in the undercarriage casting an eerie blue glow across the bridge. "Hang on!" BatMan shouted. "We have to get back to the BatCave and plan this out."

"Deal," BatGirl said, leaping onto the large fin just over the vehicle's "cockpit." "See ya, Sumac." With that, the BatMobile drove off, with BatGirl hanging on for dear life.

~*~

"You should really learn that the bad guys never win, Ivy," Tommy snarled. He was having more fun than he knew he should be having. He just couldn't take being a superhero very seriously without powers of any type. It was like when he played BatMan as a kid with Chelsea.

"Oh, I disagree," Poison Ivy said as she strutted over to him, one hip at a time. She unfurled her hand and blew a pinkish-purple cloud of dust at him. Tommy's eyes narrowed as he saw the cloud, but as soon as it entered his nostrils, a different look crossed his face. He suddenly realized that he was incredibly aroused and the woman of his dreams was Poison Ivy.

"Come on, Robin," she said, grabbing the spikes on his gloves and pulling him closer. "How about... just a little bitty kiss."

"But, I have a girlfriend," Tommy protested weakly.

"She doesn't have to ever know," Poison Ivy insisted in a husky voice. She nuzzled her forehead against Tommy's cheek. One hand trailed down the ridges of his armored suit. "Just one... little... kiss..."

"Okay," Tommy relented, all good sense gone. He leaned forward, as a wicked smile crossed Poison Ivy's face.

"NO!" a loud voice suddenly cried. Poison Ivy whipped herself away from the black and red superhero to stare at her newest disturbance. The BatMobile was parked in front of the jewelry store. BatGirl leapt at Poison Ivy, giving BatMan a chance to bring Tommy to the BatMobile.

"You don't understand," Tommy protested, pointing at Poison Ivy fighting with BatGirl as BatMan led him away. "She..."

"She's got you under a spell," BatMan insisted, forcefully pushing the teen into the BatMobile.

"No, she doesn't," Tommy said, trying to get back out. "She wants me. You're jealous, aren't you?"

"Not this again," BatMan grumbled. He quickly tied Tommy's arms to his side and pushed him back into the black vehicle. "BatGirl?"

"I'll bring the Red Bird back!" she shouted, her mind temporarily on her battle with Poison Ivy. BatMan nodded in approval and drove back to the BatCave.

"You know, you always interrupt my plans," Poison Ivy announced, lashing out at BatGirl with a high kick.

BatGirl caught her foot and flipped Poison Ivy onto her back. "I do my best," BatGirl announced. That gave her the opportunity to jump on the Red Bird. She left a wide strip of black rubber as she turned the red motorcycle towards the BatCave.

~*~

"We're trying to get the pheromones from Tommy's lungs to see if we can make an antidote," Justin explained.

"I think we've got something here," Sydney said, looking intently at the plastic tubing connected to the mouthpiece. "It looks kind of purple."

"That's it," Alfred said, helping her transfer the sample to a capped test tube.

"We have a new villainess," Barbara began. "Poison Ivy cut off her thumb and grew another Poison Ivy from it. Only this one is named Poison Sumac. She's not as strong as her sister, but she's pretty rough. And since it seems her pheromones are stronger than before, and she nearly made Tommy kill me, I'm guessing the lone woman has to fight again."

"Perhaps not," Alfred said. "Tommy and Master Bruce can back you up in a fight, BatGirl."

"Regardless, I'm still the only ones on the front lines," Barbara repeated. "I don't like that."

"I was also thinking," Alfred continued, looking at Trini and Sydney, "that perhaps these two ladies here could assist us."

"Yes!" Sydney cried happily. "Yes yes yes! Any day of the week!"

"Can you fight Sydney?" Tommy asked.

"Purple belt, White Crane Kung Fu," Sydney told him. "And I can be really mean when I need to be."

"I'll help, too," Trini volunteered. "I can fight."

"It will take me some time to have armor prepared for you," Alfred said. "Perhaps by tomorrow morning."

"Poison Ivy and her twisted sister have already left," Dick told them, motioning to the BatScreen. "They totally wiped the jewelry store out, but they're gone."

"That means we wait," Bruce said.

"And try to figure out what they want with jewelry," Barbara sighed. "I'd almost guarantee it isn't to look pretty."

~*~

"Huh?" Tommy grunted, spinning around in alarm. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I'm not used to sleeping in warm, soft beds," Justin said. "I couldnít sleep. Any reason why you were staring at yourself in a mirror."

Tommy's eyes landed on the hand mirror at his side. "You saw that, huh?"

"You miss your hair?" Justin asked, not sounding the least bit sarcastic.

"Don't be silly, Justin," Tommy told him. "Besides, my hair will grow back. Although it does feel different. Try and get some sleep, bud."

"If you will," Justin said as he left the room. He didn't have to turn around after he left to know that Tommy had picked the mirror back up again.

~*~

"What about?" Skull asked, rummaging through his worn backpack.

"Tommy and his hair," Justin said. "He's not real pleased with the short hair."

"I'm gonna get a haircut as soon as I get home, myself," Skull remarked.

"Well, that's kind of what I'm here about," Justin said. "Wanna hear my idea?"

* * * The Next Morning

"Damn paparazzi," Barbara muttered to herself as she walked back into Wayne Manor. A picture of BatGirl fighting Poison Sumac and Poison Ivy in front of one of the robbed jewelry stores was emblazoned across the front page. The headline "Have BatMan and Robin Flown the Coop?" was at the top of the page. Beneath it was the sub-headline, "BatGirl - The Lone Warrior."

"You look perturbed," Dick said as he met her in the front hallway.

"I am perturbed," Barbara complained, showing him the paper. "They're liable to have a field day with two more Bats. Do you know what they'll look like?"

"Alfred has their suits made and the girls in the Simulator," Justin said with a smile. Barbara and Dick simultaneously opened their eyes wide and stared at Justin.

"What did you do to yourself?" Dick asked.

"It was Justin's idea," Skull added, walking down the master staircase as well. "But... you have to admit, it should give Tommy a chuckle."

Barbara couldn't believe the sight before her, but she finally managed to stammer out, "You shaved your heads?"

Before anyone had a chance to say another word, Alfred entered the room and announced, "The ladies have already been suited up, and they request your attendance in the BatCave."

~*~

Trini had an outfit that was more similar to BatMan's than any other. She had a full-head mask, the only difference from Bruce's in that it allowed her shiny black hair to hang down her back. A large black bat was across her chest, in the same fashion as BatGirl's. "Does this make me BatWoman?" Trini asked.

"If you like," Bruce told her. He had just recently gotten used to having Robin and BatGirl on board. It was definitely going to be bizarre with two more fighters. He did, however, remind himself that they would only be there for the next two weeks. That thought put his mind at ease.

Trini glanced at herself in the mirror, and then caught sight of Justin and Skull. "What did you do to yourselves?!"

"We shaved our heads!" Justin shouted, running his head over his gleaming head. "Whaddya think?"

"You shaved your head?" Trini asked again. "Your mother is going to kill me."

"It will be longer in two weeks," Skull countered, "assuming we get home that soon."

"It was really nice of you guys to do that for me," Tommy said, shaking his head, "but it really wasn't necessary."

"Well, I wanted to try something different," Justin told him. "Although I think we did get a bit carried away."

"It is astonishing at how easy it is to walk in these stiletto heeled boots," Sydney remarked, changing the subject. She pulled her cape aside to look down at her feet.

"They're balanced, to make walking easier," Barbara explained. "You don't really think I'd run around in stiletto heels if they weren't easy to walk in, do you? It's bad enough trying to keep my balance with this cape."

"I like the cape myself," Trini said. "I wouldn't mind if our Power Ranger suits had capes. Although that wouldn't be very practical."

"The capes help you control your falling," Dick said. "You just stretch your hands out at both sides, cup the cape, and it acts like a parachute."

"We don't have time to make up new vehicles for you," Alfred explained, "but you can use any of the extras we have. BatCycles, Red Birds. We have several dozen of each. They're constantly losing them."

"There are no telling how many BatCycles there are at the bottom of Gotham River," Barbara remarked.

"Two BatMobiles," Bruce said with a shrug.

"You know, we really should try to get those back for spare parts," Alfred suggested. "We've spent nearly ninety-seven million this year alone."

* * * 9 p.m.

"How can you possibly keep from losing your minds when you have to spend this much time waiting?" Sydney complained yet again.

"You don't have to wait anymore," Bruce said as he ran through the large living area. "They just flashed the BatSignal."

"I forgot all about the BatSignal!" Justin cried, running with everyone else to the BatCave.

"Yes!" Sydney cried happily, jumping over the back of the couch and running after the others.

The BatCave was literally filled with pandemonium. However, it didn't take more than a few moments to get everyone suited up. Tommy was the first to leave on the Red Bird, although BatMan was close behind in the BatMobile.

"How does it work?" Sydney asked, sitting on the back of a large hovercraft.

"Similar to a motorcycle," Dick told her. "Floats on a three inch cushion of air, and it is easy to lose control. Be careful."

"You got it," Sydney said, carefully turning out of the BatCave.

Trini, who had limited experience with motorcycles, opted to ride with BatGirl on her BatCycle. The two BatPeople tore out of the BatCave and sped off into the night.

~*~

"BatMan," he said, "Poison Ivy and the woman you identified as Poison Sumac are leaving Gotham City. We have reason to believe they are leaving to pawn the millions of dollars in jewels they stole."

"All right, people," BatMan said. "This is our plan. Robin and I will go to Poison Ivy's lair and see if we can find out just what she is up to. Those of you without Y chromosomes, follow the Twisted Sisters."

"Sparrow, follow me," BatGirl said as she veered away from the Male Bats.

~*~

"Truthfully, I don't know, Robin," BatMan said. "Just something out of the ordinary."

"Like a folder?" Tommy asked, picking it up and rifling through it. "I think we just hit the jackpot."

BatMan hurried over to him and looked over Tommy's shoulder. "Let's get that back to Alfred."

~*~

"This is her bike, isn't it?" Sydney asked, pointing to the dark green motorcycle lying on its side.

"You're right," BatGirl realized, hurrying over the bike. She touched it and announced, "It's still warm."

"Which means that Poison Ivy or Sumac is still around here, right?" Trini asked.

Suddenly, a red whip lashed around Trini's forearm. Before she could cry in alarm, she was airborne. "BatWoman!" Sydney cried. Poison Sumac stepped out of the shadows after Trini was flat on her back. Trini snapped her forearm, flipping Poison Sumac over her shoulder.

Sydney and BatGirl simultaneously took a defensive stance as Poison Sumac and Trini carried their fight onto the bridge. "Where is Poison Ivy?" Sydney cried.

Suddenly, Trini cartwheeled away as Poison Sumac lashed out with her whip. BatGirl reached out and caught it in her hand. "Wha?" Poison Sumac grunted, her black hair flying off of her shoulders as she turned her head.

"You are goin' down, Sumac," BatGirl threatened. She yanked on the whip, pulling Poison Sumac off-balance. "Take 'er, Sparrow!"

Sydney caught Poison Sumac in the stomach with her boot. However, the red-clad villainess responded by grabbing Sydney's foot and flipping her backwards. Sydney, fortunately, was prepared for such an occurrence as she had spent the entire day training in the BatSimulator. She used her momentum to carry her over and guided herself with her hands. She landed on the balls of her feet, and then jump-kicked Poison Sumac, catching her under the chin with her heel. Poison Sumac screamed as she flew backwards and into a heavy wire stretched along the roadside. With a sickening splat, she was cleaved neatly in half, her upper body separate from her lower body. Sydney cried out in alarm. "I killed her?"

"She was just a plant," BatGirl muttered, walking over to the fallen villainess.

"Let's get back to Gotham," Trini said, "and find Poison Ivy."

After the three Bats left, one of them very shaken up, Poison Sumac pulled herself upper body into an upright position with her hands. "Well, now this isn't good," she complained, seeing her lower torso and legs several feet away. "What would Big Sis do?"

~*~

"What was she going to do?" Justin asked, looking at the green papers from the folder.

"She was going to reopen a lab and try to reverse her condition."

"Condition?"

"Poison Ivy used to be human, and as we understand it, she was bombarded with a bizarre chemical called 'Venom' that turned her into the plant/animal hybrid she is today. Apparently, she wants to be human again."

"I guess life as a plant just didn't cut it for her," Dick said dryly.

"She already has a hypothesis," Bruce said, looking at her elaborate proposal for the re-engineering of 'Venom.'

"You dropped something," Justin said, bending down to retrieve a sheet of mint green paper that slipped from the folder. Before he handed it back to BatMan, he saw in cursive writing, 'Forget Mother Earth. I want to be a woman again.'

* * * A few hours later...

"We can't seem to find Poison Ivy," Trini announced as she pulled her BatHood off. She shook her hair free and immediately sought out a sink to wash her eye makeup off.

"We, on the other hand, had some good luck tonight," Bruce announced. "We know what Ivy's up to."

"And that is?" Barbara asked as she began to take off her armor.

"She's robbing jewelry stores to pawn the jewels," Bruce explained. "She's pawning the jewels to get the money to reverse engineer the 'Venom' so she can become human again."

"Really?" Barbara asked, raising her eyebrows.

"That's her plan," Tommy said.

"Well, I accidentally killed Poison Sumac," Sydney said sheepishly. "I mean, it really was an accident, but she's dead now. I kinda sorta got her cut in half."

~*~

"That new chick, Sparrow, she did," Poison Sumac explained. "But rather than let the organic material go to waste, I made another Poison Girl. Meet my little sister, Poison Oak." She pointed to the doorway. At her cue, another clone of Pamela Isley, this one wearing a blue bodysuit and a wig of blonde hair, entered the room.

"Another one, huh?" Poison Ivy asked. "You know, for every cutting we grow, that's yet another jewelry store we're going to have to rob to get more money."

"We can start a new life after we've started our new life," Poison Oak said, dismissing the subject with a wave of her hand.

"Well welcome aboard," Poison Ivy said. "I've got three men ready to take out the BatMen, and the three of us can surely handle the new BatChicks."

"The two of you can hang out here," Poison Oak announced. "I'm going to go get Sparrow. I have something to say to that girl."

Poison Ivy's eyes narrowed as Poison Oak left their headquarters. "What did you make that one for?" she asked Poison Sumac.

"My lower body was chopped off," Poison Sumac explained. "I didn't want it to go to waste, so... well, there we are."

"You are a reflection of me," Poison Ivy said. "You aren't me. You don't have a single drop of original genetic material in you. All you have are the minor flaws that occurred with the cutting that made you. She was minor flaws in addition to your minor flaws. She isn't as good as us, and she may be trouble. You should have asked. Were our memories transferred into her as well?"

"I'm sorry," Poison Sumac said, "and yes, they were." Poison Ivy said nothing as she walked away.

* * * After midnight

Poison Oak crept through the quiet hallways of Wayne Manor. Going solely by her natural instinct, she sought out Sparrow's bedroom. She opened the door, and her eyes, capable of seeing in pitch black, quickly recognized the sleeping form. She walked over to the bed, and carefully rolled Sydney onto her back.

"The gray is natural," Poison Oak said, brushing her long blonde hair over her shoulders, "but this isn't. Why not hide the gray as well, Sparrow?" Poison Ivy put her index finger into her mouth and gently bit into it. She opened a vein, making the aloe that flowed through her veins to trickle down her hand. _Why the secret, Sparrow? Afraid that they will see who you truly are._ She carefully took the few dyed strands of Sydney's hair into her left hand. She then rubbed her aloe-soaked right hand across the hair. A few moments later, the aloe had removed all of the dye, leaving behind Sydney's true colors.

"I knew you were different," Poison Oak whispered, "but I certainly didn't expect you to be THIS different." After her dirty deed was done, she left Wayne Manor as easily as she arrived.

* * * The Next Morning

Sydney woke up, rubbing the back of her hand across her eyes. She felt something sticky and pulled her hand away to see what it was. Across her flash was a faint brown smear. _No..._ She hurried out of bed and ran over to the dresser in her room. Before she could stop it, an angry, panicked scream burst from her mouth. Along the right side of her scalp, her hair grew in four different colors. The color closest to her face was vibrant blue, the strand of hair next to that was teal green, followed immediately by royal purple, and the fourth and final strand was glimmering metallic bronze. She had never actually seen her hair grown out that much before, as she had been dying those three strands her entire life. She had never seen more than the roots, and now, her secret was out. Her hands immediately went to her hair, which was still shining from Poison Oak's aloe. She brought her hand to her nose and inhaled, smelling the very faint smell of aloe and seeing in her mind's eye a ! pale mint green, the same color that her mind produced for Poison Sumac. "Poison Ivy," Sydney growled angrily.

"Sydney, are you okay?" Tommy's concerned voice asked from the doorway. She spun around, immediately wishing he hadn't. "Sydney?" Tommy asked in shock. "What have you done to your hair?"

Panicked tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes. She hurried to him, pulled Tommy into the room, and slammed the door. "Please don't tell," she begged, tears now flowing down her cheeks.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked as she led him over to the bed.

"Poison Ivy, I guess, took the dye out of my hair," Sydney said, fingering her multi-colored locks.

"Took dye out?" Tommy asked.

"This is my natural hair color," Sydney sighed dejectedly. "My hair in this spot has always been this color. My entire life. I don't know why, but it has. My mother dyed it, and it's always been dyed." With a heavy sigh, she continued, "She never knew why it was that color either. My mother was adopted, and... we don't really know what her roots are. Her hair did the same thing, although she had her colors on the other side of her head. Every few days, while we've been sliding, I had to get hair dye so you all wouldn't find out. I didn't want you to think I was part-alien or something."

"You didn't have to hide this from us," Tommy told her. "We would have understood. One of our mentors has blue hair."

"Is she from Earth?"

"Well, no."

"Then you surely understand my concern. Tommy, I very well may be an alien. My hair is naturally blue, green, purple, and bronze. I don't like anyone to know." Sighing, she flopped onto her back on the bed.

"You really should tell the other Rangers," Tommy said. "Justin might even have an answer for you."

"I'm gonna wash my hair before I come downstairs," Sydney muttered. "But don't tell, please?"

"I won't," Tommy promised.

~*~

"So," she said to herself, "do I tell them or not?" _Tommy was the one you were worried about. He took it okay. Besides, you may very well be spending the rest of your life with these people._ With her decision made, Sydney left the bathroom.

~*~

"You look even better now that's it washed," Tommy told her. Some remnants of the dye had remained behind, but Sydney had washed it until she had gotten all of it out.

"Actually, my hair isn't dyed," Sydney said sheepishly. "My hair has been this color my entire life, and until last when Poison Ivy snuck into my room and took the brown hair dye out, my secret was safe. It obviously isn't, anymore. And Tommy felt that I should just tell you all the truth, so... there it is."

"You have colored hair?" Trini asked.

"Yeah," Sydney said. "My hair is naturally blue, teal, and bronze."

"Do you know why?" Justin asked.

Sydney shook her head. "My mom used to joke that maybe she was an alien..." Sydney laughed, and then said, "She actually made up this really detailed storyline about it, but she didn't expect me to believe it." Chuckling wryly, Sydney continued, "She told me she would tell me that the story was true when I least expected it."

"Maybe you just have a freak gene, or something," Justin theorized. "Like how Drosophila melanogaster can develop white eyes."

"What?" Skull and Sydney asked in unison.

"Fruit flies," Trini told them. "They normally have red or brown eyes, but occasionally, a white eye gene just... produces itself. Maybe blue, green, purple, and bronze hair is the same kind of thing."

~*~

"Does she drink that, or take a shot of it?" Barbara asked.

"Neither. She must be submerged in it," Alfred explained. "This vial is superconcentrated. It must be mixed in with a great amount of water."

"Like the pool on Ivy's lair," Bruce suggested eagerly.

"Precisely," Alfred said.

"Let's go now," Tommy said.

"Even if Poison Ivy really doesn't want to change, then it would still be to our benefit," Barbara said. "If she's just an ordinary woman, she's useless."

"Is there any chance that she's just pulling us into another of her evil plans?" Dick asked. "Maybe we're just making this chemical here for her for free, and it's actually for her own evil gains."

"She could certainly fool us, Master Grayson," Alfred said, "but not the BatComputers."

"Well, I say we suit up and go lace her pool," Barbara suggested.

"Let's go," Tommy agreed.

~*~

"You all keep a watch out," BatMan said. Pulling a Bat-a-rang from his Utility Belt, he threw it to the rafters. Once it was secured, he ran to the pool and leapt off of the ground. His momentum carried him in an arc above the pool. In the air, he uncapped the vial of pink liquid and poured it into the water. He landed neatly on the other side and with a flick of his wrist, brought his Bat-a-rang back to him.

"Hey, it's working," Trini said, looking at the pool of water. A deep pink color was quickly spreading through it.

"Now how are we going to get the Poison Twins into the pool?" BatGirl asked.

Suddenly, a blue whip lashed around Sydney's arm. Reacting swiftly, she yanked hard, pulling Poison Oak off of her feet. "Who are you?" she demanded. Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac leapt from their hiding spots as well, taking on the other Bats.

"Poison Oak, or the lower half of the body you cut in half," the blonde plant said, kicking at Sydney. She blocked the move with her forearms, causing a brief but intense burst of pain to flow through the fingers of her right hand which still had stitches in them. "But you know me from last night," Poison Oak taunted.

"You bitch!" Sydney suddenly screamed, executing a sudden round kick. With a cry of alarm, Poison Oak flew backwards and into the pool.

Poison Ivy grunted as BatGirl high-kicked her into the pool of water. BatWoman made swift work of Poison Sumac, and the three botanical nightmares were in the chemical pool.

"Let's go home," BatMan said. "It'll take them several hours to change."

~*~

~*~

~*~

* * * 8:30 p.m.

Barbara was near the back of Wayne Manor when she heard it. It was just a faint scuffling sound, and anyone else probably would have missed it. However, she had gotten used to hearing anything the least bit out of the ordinary. She set down her sports bottle, currently filled with a blue-raspberry sports drink, and cautiously headed toward the noise.

Suddenly, Justin leapt from the shadows with a sharp dagger in his hand. Barbara cried in alarm and leapt out of the way, hitting her shoulder hard against the floor. "Justin!" Barbara protested. "What are you doing!"

Rather than answer, Justin just screamed and came at her again with the dagger. Before he was close enough to stab her, she grabbed his free hand and planted a foot into his stomach. She flipped him over her head and slammed him against the wall. She grabbed the dagger from his hand and darted away. "Poison Ivy got to you, didn't she?" Barbara asked. Justin didn't answer, but his hate-filled glare as he clambered to his feet was answer enough. Barbara threw the dagger out the window, afraid that she would be tempted to use it in a fight. She then ran down one of the many hallways.

"Dick!" she cried, seeing her fellow Bat down the hallway. He paused, and then turned to look at her.

"They're coming to get you, Barbara," he drawled. He then pulled his hand out from behind his back, revealing a .38. Barbara didn't waste the time on a scream, and dove into another passageway as a bullet whizzed past her. She ran to the end of the dark passageway and into one of the dozens of unused rooms in Wayne Manor. She closed the door behind her and locked it. She hurried over to the only window in the room and looked out. She was on the third floor, and it would be a pretty good jump to the ground.

Suddenly, the door shook hard, and she was barely able to quelch a scream. "Barbara!" Justin shouted angrily from the other side.

"Stand back, Justin," Dick's voice said calmly.

Barbara then realized that the window was her only choice. Opening it, she hooked one hand around the windowsill and slid out. The roof was sharply slanted, but she quickly found a ledge to brace one foot against. Letting go of the windowsill, she pressed her weight against the house and edged her away along the small ledge. A gunshot sounded, and Dick and Justin burst into the room.

She held her breath as she heard Justin and Dick searching the room for her. "She must have gone into a different room," Dick insisted.

"I saw her come in here," Justin protested.

"You were wrong. Now come on, help me take care of Trini, and then we'll get Barbara."

_Trini,_ Barbara whispered in the safe confines of her mind. Throwing a quick prayer upwards, she leapt from the ledge.

~*~

"Barbara?" Trini asked. "What's wrong?"

"Poison Ivy pheromoned Justin and Dick," Barbara explained hurriedly. "They're trying to kill me, and I heard them say they're coming after you."

"Of course," Trini said, stopping what she was doing. "Things are never simple for us."

"We have to get out of here," Barbara told Trini. "Come on. I would imagine that Sydney is in trouble as well."

~*~

"Maybe I could leave the bronze," Sydney thought to herself, pushing the blue, green, and purple out of the way. "Nah, that doesn't look the least bit real either. I may as well go ahead and dye it. I can't walk around with colored hair."

That thought in mind, she began to open the box as she headed toward the bathroom attached to her room. Several knocks suddenly sounded at her door. "Who's there?" Sydney asked.

"Skull."

"Come on in. It's not locked."

Skull entered the room with a dagger in his hand. Sydney was already walking into her bathroom, oblivious to his intentions. "I've decided to go ahead and dye my hair, Skull," Sydney said, turning on her sink. "I don't want to, but I may as well. Think I should dye the gray while I'm at it?"

"I don't really think that matters much," he muttered as he walked toward her bathroom.

"I suppose not," she said, bending over into the sink to wet her hair. Skull quietly slipped into the bathroom behind her. "I think I am going to leave it though. I like the way it looks." When she raised up, she saw his reflection directly behind her in the mirror. She gave a slight cry of alarm, and then cried, "Skull! You scared me."

"I'm sorry," he answered in a monotone.

"Skull?" Sydney asked, turning around. She barely had time to register the fact that he was holding a knife before the blade lashed out at her. With a scream, she narrowly dodged his thrust, the blade glancing off of the porcelain sink. "Skull!"

Sydney scrambled out of the bathroom with Skull close behind her, intent on performing his task with the least amount of noise possible. She could imagine why he was attacking her, but the fact remained that he was coming after her with a knife. She ran out into the hallway, slamming the door in Skull's face.

She pressed her back against the door, breathing hard. Suddenly, Skull's dagger stabbed through the door right beside her face. With a scream, Sydney tore away from the door and ran down the long hallway. The door to her bedroom was kicked open. By the time Skull burst into the hall, Sydney had a fifty foot advantage on him.

Skull still said nothing, but he began to run for her. Sydney spotted an intersection where another hall joined hers. Two chairs and a coffee table sat at the wall opposite the intersection. As soon as she reached the closest chair, she picked it up and hurled it backwards. The chair collided with Skull, knocking him to the ground. Sydney stopped running and turned to look at her fallen fellow slider.

"Skull?" she asked nervously. She slowly crept toward him. She had no idea what the problem might be, but she knew that it had to be something external. Even though they had just been friends for about three weeks, Sydney thought she knew Skull well enough to know he wouldn't attack her. "Skull?" she asked again.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang in the hallway behind her. Sydney cried out and immediately realized she had just given away her location. "Poison Ivy," she whispered. Rather than help the currently unconscious Skull, she jumped over him and ran down the hallway.

~*~

"Three square miles," Barbara answered. "I'm taking you to the BatCave. That's the only safe place we can figure out a decent plan of action."

"Trini!" Sydney cried. The two girls turned to see Sydney running toward them. "I think Poison Ivy has gotten to Skull!"

"Dick and Justin, too," Barbara told her. "It must be a lasting effect from pheromones Poison Ivy administered before we tried to change her."

"What will snap them out of this spell?" Trini asked as the three women hurried through Wayne Manor.

"Cold water might," Barbara theorized. "But I'll need to ask Uncle Alfred."

~*~

"Uncle Alfred," Barbara began, "we've got a serious problem here. Poison Ivy must have pheromoned Dick, Justin, and Skull. They're trying to kill us."

"You just can't seem to catch a break, my dear," Alfred sighed. "BatComputer, seal the BatCave off. All right, Barbara. There is no way we can find an antidote for the pheromone anytime soon. However, there must be ways to nullify it."

"Would cold water work?" Sydney asked.

"Ice cold water, perhaps," Alfred said. "Why yes, that should work. It could very well shock the sense back into them."

~*~

She stood beside him for a moment with the bucket. Shaking her head, she turned the bucket to dump the water on him. In a lighting flash movie, his foot darted out and kicked the bucket from her hand. She said nothing as the bucket of ice water flew from her hand, not a drop of it hitting Skull. He retrieved his dagger with his left hand and yanked her to the ground with the right. Sydney suddenly found herself at Skull's mercy with the dagger pressed against her throat.

"Skull, don't do this," Sydney pleaded.

"Shut up," he said simply. "Barbara and Trini. Are they alive?"

"Yes," Sydney answered through clenched teeth.

"Come on," Skull ordered, walking away with her, the dagger still pressed tightly against her throat.

~*~

"Is this her?" Dick asked, bringing up the front page of a newspaper on the BatScreen. Kimberly Hart, from the current dimension, was the topic of interest, posing with Gunther Schmidt after being accepted to train with him.

"That's her," Tommy said. "Can you manipulate the image?"

"It's just a head shot," Alfred said, "it will be tough. We will need a body to project it on."

"How about me?" Barbara asked.

"Your breasts are bigger than Kimberly's," Trini said thoughtfully.

"She's perfect," Dick, Tommy, and Bruce said in perfect unison.

"I believe Skull is brining her here," Justin announced, trying to track their movements on the BatComputer. "She hasn't been hurt, yet. Do you really think him seeing Kimberly will be enough to stop him."

"It will," Tommy said. "It'll at least slow him down long enough to shock the pheromone-influenced behavior out of him."

"I believe I have the device ready," Alfred announced.

"That was quick," Trini said. "Try it." A projected image of Kimberly's head appeared on Barbara's.

"Your hair is in the way," Tommy told her. She took her blonde hair and tucked it inside her shirt.

"Better?" Barbara asked. The BatComputer quickly scanned her lip movements and made Kimberly's lips repeat them. There was a delay of only about one second.

"I'm project your image, now," Justin said.

~*~

"Skull, please don't hurt her," Barbara said.

"But, Poison Ivy told me too," Skull said.

"Who do you love, Skull. Me or Poison Ivy?"

"You, of course," Skull said, relaxing his grip on Sydney. "I love you, Kimberly. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Skull. But if you kill Sydney, we'll never be able to see each other again."

"How come?" Skull asked, letting the dagger tumble from his grip. Sydney quickly squirreled away from him, retrieving the dagger in the process.

"Because in this dimension, if you kill anyone, you get the death penalty, automatically," Barbara lied.

Suddenly, Tommy stepped out of a side room and tossed a bucket of ice water on Skull, liberally soaking Sydney in the process. "Sorry Syd," Tommy said with a shrug.

"S'okay," Sydney muttered, shaking the excess water from her. "You know, gunplay would have been more exciting."

"What's going on?" Skull asked, looking about himself in confusion.

* * * Following Morning 8 a.m.

"Master Wayne," Alfred said properly, entering the dining hall where everyone was eating breakfast. "We have some visitors."

"Visitors?" Bruce asked. "Who?"

"Three sisters. Pamela Isley, Rachel Isley, and Tracey Isley."

Bruce immediately stood to his feet as three identical women entered the room. "Poison Ivy," Bruce said.

"I used to be Poison Ivy," Pamela told him. "I came here for two things. To apologize, and to thank you."

"You are certainly welcome," Bruce said.

"Oh, my manners," Pamela said. "This is Rachel, my sister, formerly Poison Sumac, and this is Tracey, formerly Poison Oak. I don't suppose you've met her."

"Well, Ms. Isley," Bruce continued, "there is still the matter of the jewels you stole."

"I have them right here," Tracey said, placing a large black velvet bag. "And Sparrow..."

"I'm just Sydney now," Sydney said. "My superhero days are long behind me."

"Well, I need to apologize to you as well. I was the one who took the dye out of your hair." Sydney's only response was to raise her eyebrows.

"We should probably be leaving now," Pamela said sheepishly. "Uhm, thank you again."

"Ms. Isley, wait," Bruce interrupted. "I have a proposal for you."

"Proposal?" Dick and Pamela asked in unison. "And please call me Pamela," Pamela continued.

"Certainly, Pamela," Bruce said with a smile. "I don't know what your plans for the future are, but I must say this. You are quite the botanical genius. Were I to open a laboratory, here in Gotham, with the interests of increasing agricultural knowledge, would you be willing to work for me?"

"We aren't sure what our plans are," Pamela answered. "Can I contact you if I decided to take you up on your offer."

"Certainly," Bruce said warmly. "Anytime. Good day, Pamela."

"Good day, Mr. Way-"

"Bruce."

"Good day, Bruce," Pamela said with a smile. She and her sisters turned to leave, but she stopped at the doorway. "Your secret is safe with me. And... yes, we will take you up on your offer."

~*~

Finally, the fateful morning of August 18, a Monday, arrived. It was nearly two full months since the sliders had left home, fully intending to be back with five rescued Rangers by the following Monday. The next world would be the final world. After that, they could take their friends back home.

The group had changed a lot during their sliding adventure. All were more mature, and they had grown by one. Sydney was as much a part of their group as any other, although she did not have any type of Ranger powers. She had entered their group as a serious threat to Justin, and she was now a trusted ally and teammate.

The physical changes were just as numerous. All were probably more muscular and had greater endurance. The longest strand of Tommy's hair was two inches long, while Justin and Skull's hair was just starting to grow back. Sydney never did get around to dying her hair, as she found that once her secret was out, she was very proud of her colored locks. She knew that when she settled in a single dimension to live, her hair would have to be dyed. Until then, however, she was enjoying living life with a bit of color.

The mental changes were the most apparent. All were more mature, and the group of five had formed an intense friendship that would never be destroyed. Of the original four, while all had been friends, none had been that close. Now, they knew that the five of them would be inseparable.

They also had many, many friends across the dimensions. The list was staggering. Flabber, Nano, Drew, Jo, Roland, Suzee, Catalina, Cmdr. Goddard, Ms. Davenport, Harlan, Radu, Bova, Rosie, Thelma, Sheena Deveraux Cranston, Jamie Zedden, Lillian O'Neill, several alternate forms of themselves and their friends, Gale, Ginger/Kimberly, Barza, Mei, Dan, Boy, Goushi, Geki, Prince Justin, Sabrina, Valerie, Salem, Hilda, Zelda, Harvey, Venus De Milo, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Splinter, April, Sister Mary Grace, Vivica, and most recently, Alfred, Bruce, Dick, and Barbara. A lifetime's worth of memories had forced themselves into the slider's lives in just two short months. And it was all about to be over.

"Let's go, Trini," Tommy said simply.

"Thanks for taking my place on the team, man," Dick called out to him. The portal opened a split second later with a bright blue flash of light.

"It was great meeting you all!" Bruce shouted. Alfred, standing proper beside him, nodded in agreement.

"We'll never forget any of you," Barbara cried.

"We're almost home, guys," Tommy said to the sliders. "Let's go." In rapid fire order, the first four sliders jumped into the portal. Trini stood behind for an extra second. Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked at her friends.

"Goodbye," she mouthed. She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face. She then spared one last glance at Wayne Manor, and then turned to the portal. She held the slider tightly in her hand and ran for the portal. Yellow light flashed through the portal's white. It closed behind her, taking her to the last leg of their journey.

The End... for now

Disclaimer : Whew. Okay. Here we go. First off, "Big Bad BeetleBorgs" and their respective characters are owned by Saban. "Space Cases" is courtesy of Cinar Entertainment, I think. I'm not gonna swear to that one. The world with Sheena belongs to Cynthi Harrell, courtesy of her fanfic series "Silver Flame." The next Power Ranger world is thanks to Ellen Brand, better known as Personality Conflicts. "Zyurangers" is owned by Toei, I think. I'm not gonna swear to that one, either. There's probably something more complicated than that, so I'm just going to say Toei. The "Sabrina : The Teenage Witch" world is owned by ABC, Finishing the Hat, Broken Heart Productions, I dunno, maybe all three. "Ninja Turtles : The Next Mutation" is owned by Saban, although I don't believe April is. I think New Line Cinema owns her, or if not them, then the creators of TMNT. Also, the song "You Light Up My Life" is owned by Joe Brooks. The song "I Wanna Fall in Love" is owned by, not really sure but just because it's easy to say this, Lila McCann. All references to the movies "Scream," "Scream 2," and "Nightmare on Elm Street" are thanks to New Line Cinema. "Heart and Souls" is owned by MCA Universal. "Just the Ten of Us" is owned, for simplicity's sake, by ABC. "Jurassic Park" is owned by MCA Universal and Michael Crichton, while "Hocus Pocus" is straight from Walt Disney Home video. Lastly, I have no idea who actually owns "Batman and Robin," so I'll just credit Warner Brothers since they produced the movie that inspired me to include this. I suppose the characters of Poison Sumac and Poison Oak "kinda-sorta" belong to me, but since I only got the idea from the pre-established Poison Ivy, I doubt I can claim ownership. I suppose I CAN claim ownership to Sydney. Cool thought, huh? So if you wanna use Sydney, please ask me first.
Author's Note : Now, the fun part. First off, thank you for reading this long fanfic, rivaled in my series only by "The Earth Crystals." I had a LOT of fun writing this, and I hope you had as much fun reading it. Thank you to everyone who will never read this who created the characters I used. Thank you to everyone who is reading this, just because. Special thanks to Ellen Brand and Cynthia Harrell, for letting me let my characters traipse through their worlds. Sorry for any messes we might have left behind. 8^) Neve Campbell, if you should be reading this, though nothing would make me happier for you to send me an e-mail, it would probably be best if you didn't. I'm sure I would get on your nerves very quickly, and I really don't want a restraining order placed on me. Vivica Fox, the same applies to you. Thanks also go to big sister Julia and her husband Dan for helping me out with the "Volcano" world.
Interesting Things to Note : In the "Justin Got Kidnapped" world, you'll notice that the four kidnappers names bear homage to the movies "Scream" or "Scream 2." Sydney Weathers is in direct reference to Neve Campbell's character of Sidney Prescott, Weathers comes from Gale Weathers, played by Courtney Cox. Randy is from Randy, by Jamie Kennedy, Jada is in reference to the actress Jada Pinckett who played Maureen Evans in "Scream 2," and Derek is also from "Scream 2," played by Jerry O'Connell. Gale Prescott, Prince Justin's tutor, is from the merging of the names Gale Weathers and Sidney Prescott. I must also say that I do, in fact, know that it is spelled Batman and BatGirl, but I prefer BatMan and BatGirl, so... Thatís also why I put the Sabrina world in Riverdale. Riverdale was used in Archie's Comics, so since the show is based on characters from Archie Comics... Many of these worlds appeared completely out of the blue and just appeared when I got in a typing frenzy. Some worlds ended up completely and totally different from the way they were planned, as I just let my fingers do the typing. This story essentially wrote itself.
Final Author's Note : Once again, I thank you for reading this fanfic, and as always, you can expect more in this saga. Also, a very sincere thank you to EVERYONE who wrote to me and inspired me to keep on writing. Seta del mirtillo and God Bless.

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