Power Ranger Mania The Fanfic Shoppe The Yost  

 

Disclaimer: Power Rangers are registered trademarks of Saban Inc. Catalina and Jenga are unregistered trademarks of Jeremy Ray Inc. This fanfic is rated PG-13 by me. Some mild language, lots of horror, some blood, some murder, general mayhem, you know, just a regular day in Angel Grove. A special warm, fuzzy thank you to Ellen Brand, who has graciously turned a deaf ear to my kleptomaniacal unconscious stealing of her characters, Trevor Park, Franklin Park, Rosa DeSantos, and Chelsea Oliver. Thank you, Ellen. 8^)

Phantom One
by Jeremy Ray Logsdon

"This isn't happening, not again," Zack said to himself. His black Mastodon Helmet sat on the console nearest him, as they had been forced to rely on their stronger Ninja Powers. Phantom Ranger had already proven itself to be a formidable foe.

"He's gone," Aisha said. "Phantom Ranger has completely and totally disappeared from our scanners."

"Perhaps we should scan for his powers," Tanya suggested. "Maybe if we can figure out who he is unmorphed, we can take away his powers. Or get him to join our side, or something."

"I've already tried that, Tanya," Alpha said. "The Phantom Powers seem to have disappeared as well. I'm not registering them here or on the moon."

"Jenga has found a way around the scanners?" Bulk asked.

"She's done it before," Catalina sighed. "And you can be sure she'll do it again."

"Jenga can go around our scanners?" Adam asked in horror.

"She could be dancing in the middle of the Command Center, and if she didn't want to be found, the scanners wouldn't find her. There are some things she can't hide, but this is one of the things that she can," Catalina explained.

"So what do we do?" Bulk asked, looking at the more experienced Rangers for support.

"We have nothing to do but wait," Zordon said. "That is all we can do."

"During the next Phantom Ranger attack, we can attempt to discover his, or her, identity then," Alpha said.

"Her?" Bulk asked. "That could have been a woman?"

"But he had a deep voice," Adam protested.

"That doesn't matter," Dulcea continued. "Jenga could easily manipulate the armor into any gender shape she likes."

"I have a static image of Phantom Ranger, now," Alpha said. All turned to look at the Viewing Globe.

"He's hideous," Tanya said, shaking her head. "He doesn't even look like a Power Ranger."

"He looks more like an astronaut than anything," Zack agreed.

"The silver tubing," Bulk mused. "What purpose could that serve?"

"That ruby," Dulcea said, pointing at the center of Phantom Ranger's chest. "That's his Power Source."

"How do you know?" Adam asked.

"I can tell," Dulcea said, "trust me. That is where Phantom Ranger gets his power."

"If we remove the Power Ruby, would that remove Phantom Ranger's power?" Aisha asked.

"Theoretically, yes," Catalina said. "But no, for two reasons. One, both Phantom Ranger and Jenga would not let you get close enough to remove his ruby. Two, I'm sure Jenga has an evil protection spell to keep it from being removed, just as we have our own protection spell to keep your morphers from being damaged or removed in any way."

"Maybe we should go back out there and try to get Phantom Ranger to show up," Bulk suggested warily.

"No," Dulcea and Catalina said in unison.

"Unfortunately, Rangers," Zordon boomed, "Jenga is in control of this situation. Until she sends Phantom Ranger back into battle, we can do nothing more than wait."

~*~


"Rita, why didn't you tell me having an evil Ranger could be so much fun!" Jenga shrieked happily.

"I can't believe what your son did to me," Rita cried, burying her face in her pillow.

"Oh, it couldn't be that bad," Jenga sighed, sitting down on the bed beside her daughter-in-law. "What did he d-... Oh..."

"I'm never letting him touch me again."

"It'll be nice to hear the little pitter-patter of cloven hooves around the palace again," Jenga said with a friendly smile.

"It's gonna be a normal human," Rita sighed. "I was hoping maybe it would have natural horns, or a forked tail, or something at least a little bit frightening."

"You know that little curved spike thing on Zedd's forehead?"

"Of course."

"You know I made him look like that long before he was even born?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have any idea what it felt like giving birth to that?" Jenga asked, raising her eyebrows. "I limped for eight decades. Now imagine what it would have felt like to have a kid with two horns come sliding out of the most sensitive region of your body that's four sizes too small for him. I wouldn't recommend it."

"I hadn't thought about it like that," Rita sighed, rolling over. "But I still don't want a kid that looks just like an Earthling."

"I look just like an Earthling, and except for the hair, so do you," Jenga said.

"That's why I want better for my kid."

"Well, we have a lot of Earth blood," Jenga said. "I do, anyway. Except for a little bit of Eltarian, I'm nothing but Earth."

Rita rested her hands on her stomach. "How long were you pregnant?"

"Three millennia, but I kept him in there a lot longer than I had to for the sympathy," Jenga said. "Besides, being pregnant was the 'in' thing back then."

"I'm not keeping this kid in here any longer than I have to," Rita complained. "Will three weeks be long enough?"

"I'd let it go nine months, just to be on the safe side," Jenga said with a sympathetic nod. "Don't worry, girl. You'll be all right. And just think, this baby of yours might be the last of the Earthlings to be born."

"You have a plan?" Rita asked, sitting up hopefully.

"Well, I have Phantom Ranger," Jenga told her. "Phantom Ranger will take care of our little Ranger problems. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get dressed and go spend a night on the town."

"Which town?"

"The one that has the most evil tonight."

"Won't that be whichever town you happen to be in?" Rita asked, her hands resting on her stomach.

"Obviously," Jenga said with a grin.

~*~


"Are you sure, Zordon?" Aisha asked into her white communicator.

"Of course, Aisha," Zordon said. "If you are needed, we will contact you."

Aisha closed the communications line with a sigh. She was looking forward to spending an elegant evening with Zack. The plans for it had been made on prom night, barely over a month ago, although that was before the sliding adventure or Phantom Ranger.

"Aisha?" her mother's voice asked from the door, yanking her from her thoughts.

"Come on in, Mom," Aisha said, rummaging through her closet. "What should I wear? This white dress, or maybe this reddish-pink one." Aisha looked at the contents of her closet and frowned. On occasion, she made a mental effort to choose a new color of clothing, but she had to admit, the vast majority of her clothing was white. She still had quite a few yellow items left from her Yellow Ranger days that were still wearable. She had gone shopping about a week ago, and she hadn't even realized until she was home that everything she had bought was some shade of pink.

"The white one is beautiful," Mrs. Campbell said. The dress in question was more of a pearlish-siver color than it was white. The dress reached Aisha's knees, and was held up with thin spaghetti straps. It hung on her like silk, and she knew that Zack would get a thrill from it.

"Good choice," Aisha agreed, stretching it out on her bed. "Did you want to see me?"

"Sort of," Lucy Campbell said. "I just heard about Phantom Ranger on the news."

"Mom," Aisha began, but her mother cut her off.

"Look, I just want you to be careful, okay?" She paused for a moment, and then continued, "The news said there is reason to believe that Phantom Ranger may attack civilians."

"I'll be careful, Mom," Aisha said. "I promise."

"You better be," Lucy said with an unnoticed knowing smile.

~*~


Dulcea lowered her handgun and removed her orange safety glasses. "Crack shot as always, Sergeant," Lt. Stone said as he pulled the paper target back to them.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Dulcea said. There was a nickel-sized hole in the bulls-eye which she had put every bullet through. "That hole is bigger than the bullet's diameter. I must be distracted."

"You know, most people can't put a bullet through the hole the first bullet made," Lt. Stone told her.

"I'm not like most people," Dulcea announced, handing Lt. Stone the gun. "Am I cleared for active duty again, Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir," Lt. Stone told her. "I presume you'll be going out with Bulkmeier tonight?"

"Only in uniform, sir," Sgt. Dulcea Phaedos answered. "Do you have any plans?"

"Perhaps," Lt. Stone sighed. "I may go out with Deborah again, unless I receive news of other plans."

~*~


"What if Phantom Ranger tries to attack again?" Zack asked, tucking his shirt tail in his pants.

"Then the two of you will just have to deal with it," Adam told him. "It's that simple. And we're just a teleport away."

"I'm not worried about the fight," Zack muttered. "I'm worried about a romantic evening with Aisha being ruined." He pulled a silver vest on and looked at himself in the mirror. "Does silver look okay?" Before Adam could respond, he asked, "You and Tanya going out tonight?"

"Maybe to a movie or something," Adam said. "Everybody else has plans. You and Aisha, and Dulcea and Bulk are on duty tonight. It's weird not having a bunch of people to just call up to do something with."

"A team of just five," Zack said. "Six, of course, counting Dulcea." He paused, and then added, "Back in 1993 when I was just a dumb high school Freshman, I sure didn't think this would ever go so far. It's hard to believe how much things have changed."

"Tell me about it," Adam agreed.

Before either of them could say anything else, Zack's mother called, "Zack! Aisha is here!"

"What?!" Zack cried. "What do you mean she's here?!"

"She's here!" Aisha shouted up to him. "Which part don't you understand!"

"I had us a limo prepared!" Zack protested, hurrying down the stairs. "You're stealing my thunder!"

"I knew about the limo, and I had it canceled," Aisha said. "It's such a nice night, we can walk. And besides, I am not so fancy I need a limousine, and I'm sure your wallet doesn't need the strain."

"I like this one," Marcia Taylor said with a smile.

"We're going to walk?" Zack asked. "In these shoes?" He glanced at Aisha's feet and saw that she was wearing white tennis shoes, a sharp contrast to the elegant dress she was wearing.

"I've got my shoes in my purse," she said. "Now give me your dress shoes, put on a pair of tennis shoes, and we're walking. The sun just set, it's nice and cool outside, and the moon is full. We are going to have a romantic evening if it kills the both of us."

"I really like her," Marcia smiled as Zack hunted down his cleanest pair of sneakers.

~*~


"Now was this not a good idea?" Aisha asked as they walked across Angel Grove.

"You know, sometimes I forget how pretty this town is," Zack said. The two were walking, side by side, at the edge of the park. Flower bed lined both sides of the walkway, and every few feet, an old-fashioned lamppost provided significant light.

"It's easy to do," Aisha agreed. "So, where are our reservations?"

"Cafe RaeAnn," Zack answered. "Ever been there?"

"No, never. You?"

"Not even once," Zack said. "It's supposed to be really nice."

"I'm sure it will be," Aisha said, slipping her hand into his. "We need to do this more often."

"Definitely."

~*~


"Cafe RaeAnn, huh?" Jenga asked. She turned around and saw that the closest henchman was Goldar. "Goldar. Come here!"

"Yes, my queen," Goldar said solemnly, bowing as he made his way toward her.

"I want you to have a group of Putties, a flock of Tengas, and a school of Pirahnatrons ready for an attack on Zack and Aisha," Jenga said. "But not yet. I'll let you know when I'll be ready for you."

"Why just Zack and Aisha?" Goldar asked. "I would think that it would be more advisable to launch separate attacks on the Rangers so as to keep them from joining up."

"When I want your opinion, I'll be dead," Jenga snapped. Running her fingers through her hair, it magically changed from curly red and blue into straight blonde. With a magical glimmer of light across her irises, her green eyes changed into a royal blue. Her denim jeans and blouse changed into a blue summer dress, and sandals the same color as her eyes and dress appeared on her feet. "Tell me the truth, Goldar. Am I beautiful?"

"I would gladly father your children," Goldar said obediently.

"You're such a sweetheart, Goldar," Jenga told him insincerely. She touched her throat, magically changing her voice from its sensual, sultry tone into one much lighter and more normal. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a date to interrupt."

~*~


"All right," Aisha said, stuffing her tennis shoes in her already over-stuffed purse. "They fit."

"I'm glad we remembered to take them off," Zack muttered to her as they entered the lobby of Cafe RaeAnn. "Reservations for two, Taylor."

"Your table will be ready in a moment, Mr. Taylor," the hostess said with a genuine smile.

As Zack and Aisha turned away to find a place to wait until their table was ready, they didn't notice the gorgeous blonde, dressed all in blue and wearing blue-mirrored sunglasses, enter the lobby. "Hello, madam," the hostess said. "Do you have a reservation?"

A brief blue twinkling shone in Jenga's eyes, hidden by her sunglasses, and a lone table appeared beside the table that would be Zack and Aisha's. "Yes, I do," Jenga said. "One, Baal."

"Your table will be ready in a moment, Ms. Baal."

"Thank you."

~*~


"Good evening, sir, madam," the waiter said, his entire body in strict alignment. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Uhm, can I get a coke?" Zack asked, as Aisha chuckled to herself.

"Certainly, sir. Madam?"

"Iced tea," Aisha said with a bright smile.

"We are so out of place in here," Zack muttered as the waiter left again.

"That's because we're the only people having fun," Aisha said. "I can't believe you ordered coke."

"I'm not gonna drink that pee-water you call iced tea," Zack laughed.

"Pee water?" Aisha asked, flashing him an amused look.

~*~


"Night of evil, they're boring," Jenga muttered to herself. She turned her attention away from Zack and Aisha's conversation and diverted it to the bar. A handsome man, dressed all in black, was leaning against the bar, trying to strike up a conversation with an attractive brunette. Jenga's eyes narrowed slightly, and a deluge of images from the man's conscious mind began to flow through her.

Michael Schwartz. Sex. Rape. Violence. Horror. Pain. Tears. Scream. Murder.

"Perfect," Jenga whispered. The gears of her mind began to turn, and she got up from her table and strode over to the man. With a silent influence, the brunette turned and walked away from Michael Schwartz, not saying a single word. "Hi handsome," Jenga said seductively, flashing a sexy smile.

"Hello," Michael said. "My name is Michael Schwartz."

"Jennifer," Jenga said. "Jennifer Baal. Are you from Angel Grove?"

"No," Michael answered. "I'm from Boston, actually. I'm just here... for a while."

"Will you get me a drink?"

"Certainly. What's your pleasure?"

"Surprise me."

"How about a double vodka?" the man asked. For just a brief moment, his demeanor slipped. "Can you handle that."

"Probably more efficiently than you could. And after our drink, would you like to get out of here?"

"You must be reading my mind," Michael said, smiling.

"You have no idea," Jenga laughed.

~*~


"My mind is now at ease," Catalina said as she returned to the Command Center. "I just got through talking with Sigma, and all of the Rangers in that dimension are fine."

"Any injuries?" Zordon asked.

"Well, Jason was dead for a little while, and by the time the final fight arrived, they were down to just five Rangers, but they're doing okay. All eleven are currently dead asleep, but fine. They're Zordless, or Assault Vehicle-less anyway, until Sigma can recharged his Sword. But no one seems too concerned, because they've made some kind of temporary alliance with the bad guy. So, for the time being, they've got peace. Nice environment for our missing Rangers."

"Have the four sliders shown up yet?" Alpha asked hopefully.

"Not yet," Catalina said, "but there's no reason to be worried. I don't think."

"Well, we have reason to be worried," Alpha announced as an alarm went off.

"What's the problem?" Catalina asked.

"Jenga is in Angel Grove."

~*~


"I just need to make a phone call," Jenga said, bending over to plant a kiss on Michael's cheek. As soon as her lips came in contact with his flesh, a surge of thoughts flooded her brain. Jenga's eyes narrowed in anger, and she quickly turned away.

"I think your plans are going to change tonight, Michael," Jenga muttered to herself as she walked over to a payphone. She dialed a quick nonsense number and then made the magical connection to the Lunar Palace.

"Dynasty of the Apocalypse," Rito answered, "you got questions, we got answers."

"Rito, that's Radio Shack," Jenga sighed. "I want a pack of fighters on Earth here in about ten minutes. Zack and Aisha are going to leave Cafe RaeAnn and walk through the park. As soon as they enter the park, attack. Okay?"

"Uh, I think you have the wrong number," Rito said.

"Rito, it's Jenga," she snapped. "Just do it, okay?"

"You betcha, chief," Rito said as she hung up.

Rolling her eyes, Jenga walked back over to Michael Schwartz. "I'm ready," she said with a smile.

"Then let's go."

~*~


"Are you cold?" Zack asked, offering his jacket.

"No, I'm fine," Aisha returned with a smile.

"I'm glad you decided to make us walk," Zack said. "This is much nicer than a limo ride would be."

"It is," Aisha agreed.

Multiple teleportation effects flashed all around them as dozens of fighters magically appeared.

"Oh boy," Zack said as he and Aisha stood back to back.

"So much for a peaceful date," Aisha muttered.

"How do you propose we go about this?" Zack asked over his shoulder.

"Ninjetti style?" Aisha suggested. However, before either could summon their powers, numerous putties were on them.

In mere moments, Zack and Aisha were both swarmed with the gray creatures, some wearing Z's and others with the plain tiger stripe pattern. "People aren't meant to fight in dresses!" Aisha snapped, punching a Puttie's Z. "THE BEAR!!!" In a white flash, her Ninjetti suit materialized on her body. "Now I can work!"

Zack, meanwhile, was doing much better in his tuxedo. The loose-fitting pants provided him with much more movement than Aisha's dress provided her. However, the onslaught of Putties, Tengas, are Pirahnatrons was getting to him. With a loud battle-cry and a well-placed kick to a Pirahnatron that got to close, Zack cried, "THE GIRAFFE!"

~*~


Jenga slammed Michael Schwartz against the brick wall in the alley and quickly fished the vicious hunting knife out of his coat jacket. He suddenly realized that the beautiful woman before him was not an ordinary woman. "You were gonna rape me," Jenga snarled. "You were gonna rape me and cut me and kill me slowly so you could hear me scream all night long, weren't you?" Michael said nothing, so Jenga continued. "And I wouldn't have been the first, would I? Just from being this close, I can tell things about yourself you don't even know. I know the names of your victims, and if I concentrate hard enough, I can feel their pain..." Michael was pale, and screamed when Jenga pulled him away from the wall only to slam him back into it. "And you know what? That really pisses me off."

"Please don't kill me," Michael begged before bursting into tears.

"Andrea Swan said that to you just two nights ago," Jenga taunted, pulling the name of his most recent victim from his memory. "You didn't listen to her. And she was a good person. She didn't deserve to die." Jenga put the tip of his hunting knife between her teeth. She tapped the silvered edge against her front teeth, and then closed her mouth over the tip and bit down hard. She pulled the knife from her mouth, and it no longer had a sharp tip. Jenga had bitten off an inch of the knife, which she spit out. It was no longer a dagger, but merely a shard of metal with a sharp edge and a dull wide tip.

"Please don't kill me," Michael sobbed.

Jenga leaned in close and gave him a sympathetic kiss on the cheek. Michael shook his head frantically as tears slipped down his cheeks. Jenga pressed her knee against his thigh to hold him in place, and then touched her fingertip to his face. She caught a teardrop on her fingernail and then stuck it into her mouth. A smile crossed her face as she simultaneously lifted her eyebrows. "The fear you feel now is nothing compared to the fear you've caused," she said.

"I don't want to di-ie," Michael bellowed, sobs wracking his body.

Jenga raised the dagger above Michael's head. It gleamed for a brief moment in the moonlight. Jenga's eyes suddenly turned into cat-eyes with vertical pupils and a pair of fangs grew in her mouth. "Then you should never have been born," Jenga growled. Her hand moved faster than mortal eyes could follow, burying the broken blade in Michael's chest. She then slashed into his throat, severing his vocal cords. His screams promptly died out, although the sickening wet sound of repeated stabs, mingled with futile struggle, sounded long after.

~*~


"Laser Attack?!" Zack cried.

"Let's do it!" Aisha agreed. She cartwheeled away from a vicious Tenga and then flipped over Zack. He put his left hand behind his back, and Aisha planted her feet on it. He raised his right hand to chest level, and Aisha wrapped her left hand around it. Their gloved index fingers, one black and one white, lined up, and they pointed their hands straight forward as though they were a child shooting a pretend gun. The Ninjetti magic reached its peak within them, and black and white beams of light began to burst from their fingertips. The beams of light began to circle the group of fighters, tossing them about as though they were trapped in a strong wind. A few moments later, the Putties and Pirahnatrons had been destroyed, leaving behind only a few confused Tengas.

"I think that evens up our odds a bit," Aisha said as she hopped down to the ground.

Suddenly, black flames burst from the ground before them. Aisha and Zack both stepped back, taking a defensive stance, as the flames coalesced into a physical body. Phantom Ranger stood before them. "Tengas! You are dismissed! These Ninjetti are mine..."

"I think we have a say in the matter," Adam said as he appeared beside them in his green Ninjetti suit.

"You want our friends, you have to go through us," Tanya agreed, following suit.

Phantom Ranger looked at the four Ninjetti, and then it began to laugh. "Not... a problem."

~*~


"We will at least have a list of possible identities," Alpha said as information about Phantom Ranger began to file in.

"They've already morphed into Turbo Rangers," Catalina said, her brow furrowed in worry. "Phantom Ranger is just so determined."

"Are you learning anything valuable, Alpha?" Zordon asked.

"Yes, Zordon. I do know that Phantom Ranger is definitely someone inside Angel Grove or the immediate surrounding area," Alpha announced. "The only teleportations that have been recorded are those here in Angel Grove and some from the moon."

"Can you make us a list of everyone here in Angel Grove tonight?" Catalina asked.

"I already have," Alpha informed them. "Tonight, there are one hundred and two thousand, seven hundred and forty-five people in Angel Grove. By analyzing the unique energy signal given off by Phantom Ranger, I will be able to narrow the list further. Perhaps by tomorrow morning, I will have a single name."

~*~


"Bulk, we could really use your help!" Tanya cried into her wrist. She dropped into a split as Phantom Ranger swung its current weapon of a choice, a scimitar, over her head. "STAR CHARGERS!" She pushed up, touching both electrodes to its body. Yellow electricity flowed into its body, and Phantom Ranger roared in anger. Its scimitar flew from its hands, and it leapt away.

Blue light flashed beside them, producing the extremely broad shouldered Blue Turbo Ranger. "Sorry I'm late," Bulk said as he helped Tanya to her feet.

"Don't worry about it, Blue Ranger," Tanya said. "Any chance Dulcea can show up to help us out?"

"Not likely," Bulk answered as they backed away from Phantom Ranger to give Zack and Adam room. "She's still on-duty."

~*~


Jenga stared at the bloody knife and then at the dismembered carcass before her. "I'd like to see you rape another woman, bastard," she spat. She walked up to the wall, and a black telephone magically appeared there. Lifting the receiver, she said, "Phantom Ranger, please come to me. You know what to do." She hung up the phone to wait for her evil Ranger to arrive.

~*~


Phantom Ranger grabbed Zack by the shoulders and threw him like a rag doll. Phantom Ranger's Whip coiled around Adam's throat, and it kicked Aisha in the stomach, sending her staggering backwards. "Zack!" Tanya cried, helping him to his feet.

Suddenly, Phantom Ranger paused. It snapped its wrist, freeing Adam of the whip. He scrambled backwards to rejoin the other Rangers, as Phantom Ranger stood perfectly still. "What's he doing?" Aisha asked the other Rangers.

It then stepped toward the Rangers. "You'll be dead by morning, Pink Ranger," Phantom Ranger threatened, pointing a finger at Aisha. "That's a promise." It then turned and ran off, quickly disappearing into the night.

~*~


"It was an idle threat," Aisha insisted. "Phantom Ranger is not going to kill me in the middle of the night. That would defeat Jenga's entire plan." She removed her helmet, allowing her braids to cascade down the pink armor across her back.

"I think one of us should stay with you," Tanya said warily as she and the rest of the team removed their helmets. "Just to be on the safe side."

"It's not necessary," Aisha protested. "Really."

"I'm inclined to agree with Aisha," Zordon said. "Jenga wouldn't allow Phantom Ranger to kill the Pink Turbo Ranger, because she still would not be able to access the Pink Sector of the Morphing Grid."

"Dulcea to Command Center, Dulcea to Command Center," Dulcea said through the communications system.

"Acknowledged, Dulcea," Alpha told her.

"We've got a pretty gruesome sight, here," she announced. "I just came across the scene, but it appears that Phantom Ranger has brutally murdered someone."

"Murder?" Adam asked in horror.

"If any of you have a weak stomach, don't come here," Dulcea said. "I thought you might want a scan performed."

"I'll go," Tanya volunteered. "Alpha?"

"Certainly," Alpha said. He handed Tanya a hand-held scanner, and gave her quick instructions on how to use it.

"Back to action!"

~*~


"Oh my God," Tanya sighed as she entered the alley.

"Pretty gruesome, isn't it?" Dulcea asked. "You should go ahead and start with your scan. I've already radioed the station."

"What makes you think Phantom Ranger did this?" Tanya asked as she began to sweep the scanner's beam over the crime scene.

"I saw him run off," Dulcea said. "With a bloody knife."

~*~


"Can we get an official statement, Yellow Ranger?" Det. Trevor Park asked. "Just for our own records."

"Certainly," Tanya said just as coolly, picking up on the scorn behind his words. "We have every reason to suspect that this was, in fact, a crime committed by the Dynasty of the Apocalypse's evil Phantom Ranger. We were able to get an energy fingerprint of Phantom Ranger tonight, so he will no longer be able to go around our scanners. I suggest we could consider ourselves fortunate that Phantom Ranger's only victim was a proven murderer/rapist. We will do everything in our power to keep this incident from being repeated."

"You all have been saying that quite a bit lately," Det. Park said.

"Excuse me?" Tanya asked. "What are you saying?"

"Five local teens, five of my sons' friends, as a matter of fact, are God knows where thanks to the inability of you Power Rangers to stop Jenga," Det. Park said, his eyes flashing with anger.

"We are terribly sorry the incident happened, and yes, we are doing everything in our power to keep either incident from being repeated. But can I remind you that if not for our efforts, the world, and possibly the entire universe, would have been captured long ago?"

"You should probably leave now, Yellow Turbo Ranger," Dulcea said, looking at the ground nervously. Tanya gave Det. Park one last glance, and then she turned to walk away. After taking a few steps, her hands moved for her belt buckle and she teleported away in a sparkling yellow streak.

"I take it you aren't very fond of the Power Rangers," Dulcea said to Det. Park.

"That's one way of saying it," he said. The two of them stood back a bit in the alley, out of the way of the policemen working directly with the crime scene.

"Why?" Dulcea asked. "Haven't they done a lot of good for the city?"

"I'll be the first person to admit that," Det. Park said. "Don't get me wrong, I generally approve of the Power Rangers. It's just that they are so damn arrogant and they don't do a thing to help anyone on a local level. All they do is take care of the problems that only they could take care of. And that's good, don't get me wrong, but they could be doing a tremendous amount of good if they would be willing to step down a level and really get their hands dirty."

"You are certainly entitled to your opinion," Dulcea said calmly, "but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think that was the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my life."

"Well, to each their own. If you ask me, this Phantom Ranger has already done more good for the city than our multicolored superheroes ever have or will."

"Excuse me?" Dulcea asked, folding her arms across her chest in defiance.

"Thanks to him, this son of a bitch is dead and lying in about three pieces," Det. Park said. "Saves the judicial system a helluva lot of trouble."

"Granted, this human here was not worthy of living. But you can't condone blatant murder in any respect," Dulcea said. "Besides, Phantom Ranger did not kill this person for any pure motive. This person was most likely killed for convenience. If you will excuse me, I must go." Det. Park watched her walk the length of the alley, lift the yellow police stretched across the far end to duck beneath it, and disappear into the night.

~*~


"All right, all right," Aisha protested after locking her door. "You can sleep in the floor."

"Thank you," Zack told her, teleporting into her room with a flash of black. He placed his pillow on the floor and then stretched out beside her bed.

"But you know, if Phantom Ranger does show up and sees you lying on the floor, he's gonna kill you first."

"Will you protect me if he tries?" Zack asked, propping his elbows on the edge of her bed.

Aisha smiled warmly and bent down to give him a quick peck on the lips. "G'night."

"Good night, Aisha," Zack said as he settled down on the floor with a pillow.

~*~


"We've narrowed the list greatly," Alpha told Tanya as she returned the scanner to him.

"A lot of very familiar names are on the list," Catalina said coldly. "A lot of very familiar names."

"Like who?" Tanya asked.

"We've narrowed the suspects to seventeen people," Alpha said.

"For sure?" Tanya asked.

"It is definitely one of these people," Alpha affirmed. "Even with the distinctive pattern of the Power, there is an underlying energy signature that taints it, so to speak. Although I have yet to single out a certain individual, I have many suspects who have not been eliminated."

"Behold the viewing globe, Tanya," Zordon said. Tanya powered down as she turned to look at the glass orb.

"Jerome Stone," Alpha began. "Trevor Park."

"Adam's dad?" Tanya asked warily.

"Ernie Williams," Alpha continued. Tanya blanched at that name. She found it very hard to imagine that the portly, happy man behind the counter at the Youth Center could be a cold-blooded killer working for Jenga. Of course, if it did turn out to be him, it wasn't his fault, but it was still shocking. "Fred Kelman. Rosa DeSantos. Franklin Park. Ashley Kwan."

"Kids?" Tanya asked. "Phantom Ranger might be a kid? But, three of those are Rocky, Adam, and Trini's little brothers and sisters. And Fred may as well be Zack's younger brother."

"Justin is a kid, too," Catalina reminded her.

"Chelsea Oliver."

"Tommy won't take that well," Tanya muttered. Tommy and his sister were remarkably close, and even though they fought like cats and dogs, he would not take kindly to Chelsea, his unofficial twin, being used in the same manner he had been.

"Rebecca Cranston. Karen Scott."

"Rebecca is as smart as Billy and Karen is an excellent fighter," Tanya murmured. Alpha was no longer paying attention to her comments, and he continue to read off names as static images played across the viewing globe.

"David Trueheart."

"Tommy's family seems to attract evil."

"Marcia Taylor. Winston Campbell."

"There's no way it could be Aisha's dad," Tanya insisted. "He's the nicest man I've ever met."

"The Phantom Powers don't care what kind of person owns them," Zordon said.

"Reverend Skullovitch."

At hearing the name of Skull's Baptist minister father, Tanya's heart dropped into her stomach. It was one thing for nice people to be serving evil; it was quite another to hear that a man of the cloth could have committed cold-blooded murder.

"Deborah Appleby. Arnold Kaplan. And lastly, Raymond Mendelbaum."

Her English teacher, her principal, and the smartest computer genius she personally knew had topped the list. Each and every name had sent a chill down her spine.

"It's definitely one of these people?" Tanya asked. "No chance of error?"

"Zero chance of error. It is definitely one of these people."

~*~


Aisha rubbed her eyes, and suddenly felt something on her forehead. With a jerk, she sat up and yanked the object off of her. It was a Polaroid picture, and what was on it sent a chill to her very soul. The picture was of her sleeping, in the very white nightgown she was wearing. Phantom Ranger stood beside the bed. It's hand was across her eyes, no doubt to keep the flash from awakening her, and a broken knife blade was just a few millimeters away from her exposed neck. Written in dark maroon letters at the bottom of the picture were the words, "See how easy it would be?"

"Zack!" she screeched, throwing the picture away.

"What?!" he asked, snapping from his deep sleep.

"Phantom Ranger was here last night!" she cried, pointing to the picture laying at the foot of her bed.

Zack slowly picked up the picture. As soon as he took in the horrific scene, he glanced at Aisha. "Let's go to the Command Center, now."

~*~


"The scans are complete," Alpha announced.

"Jenga's just trying to scare you, Aisha," Catalina assured her.

"She's doing a good job," Aisha muttered, still barefoot and wearing her thin white nightgown. Zack, also barefoot, was looking over the results of the scans with Alpha.

"Oh my God," Zack sighed, covering his face with his hands.

"Who is it?" Aisha asked, looking at them.

"Alpha?" Zordon asked.

"We have narrowed the list to four names. For now, this is as low as we can get it," Alpha said.

"Who are the four people?" Catalina asked.

"Billy's mother, Rebecca Cranston. Adam's father, Trevor Park."

"Trevor Park could be the Phantom Ranger?" Aisha asked in horror. Cold chills ran all over her body and she wrapped her arms around herself more tightly.

"The third possibility is Rocky's little sister, Rosa DeSantos." Zack glanced over at Aisha, who was currently shaking her head "no" in disbelief. "The fourth prospect..."

"Who is it Alpha?" Catalina insisted.

"David Trueheart. Tommy's brother."

The End... for now