Tommy yawned as he stumbled into his house, exhausted from yet another fight with one of Divatox's monsters and very glad that no one else was there at the moment. Divatox had stepped up the attacks after they'd all escaped from her little 'bug-trap', and the Rangers all needed a break. It didn't look as if they would be getting one, though. Oh, well. We'll rest while we can. She SHOULDN'T do anything until tomorrow. I hope. "I hurt," he muttered to himself. "Oh, man, do I hurt! Hurt and tired...."

But as exhausted as he was, he couldn't rest until he'd tended to his wounds, and the equipment to do that was in the bathroom, not the bedroom. So it was to there that he headed, casting a mournful glance to the bedroom door so invitingly open.

As he started to tend to his injuries, he wondered briefly if his parents had any idea that he kept all this first aid stuff in here, or why he did if they knew. Jason gave me a quick course in "How to Patch up a Power Ranger 101" as soon as I joined the team. Man, that's been a long time. He was somewhat surprised to realize he wasn't shivering at the memory of being the evil Green Ranger.

I guess after four years, the memories have faded a bit. It's about time. He was glad for that, these days he had much more interesting things to think about, things he'd far rather remember. Times with his friends, times with his... Kim. His heart still ached to remember the last time he'd seen her, waving from the window of the plane back to Florida.

"And she still never said anything about why she sent that letter," he muttered as he wrapped up his ribs. "Just hung all over Jason and got out of Angel Grove as fast as she could."

He knew there was nothing romantic going on between the former Gold Ranger and his ex-girlfriend, Jason had assured him of it, and Tommy trusted his friend with his very life. He also knew perfectly well there was nothing between himself and Kat. And I've got to tell her that. I've got to break up with her. There's only one person for me in the world: Kim.

As soon as he'd bandaged his wounds, Tommy practically stumbled into his bedroom, the only thing on his mind a long and relaxing sleep. He quite literally collapsed onto his bed, his mind clawing for the depths of unconsciousness.

He was very unceremoniously pulled away from his desperately sought rest by the jangling of the telephone. Why did Mom and Dad have to take the brood to the Zoo TODAY? Why couldn't they be here for this? Managing to jerk the receiver up, he half-growled, "I have had a very bad day and I really need some rest, so if this isn't a matter of life and death, it soon will be: yours."

"Why so violent, bro?" the all-too-cheery voice of his twin brother David lilted in his ear. "Or did Divatox's latest monster pound out your faulty memory even more?"

"Huh?" was the only thing Tommy's sleep and pain fogged brain could produce at that moment. David sighed. Having to deal with Tommy's forgetfulness was the only minor drawback to knowing his brother.

"You were supposed to come over here this afternoon, remember?" he reminded him. "I've got that surprise to show you, remember? The one I've been trying to get you to see for the past week?" David's voice held no rancor; he was simply trying to jog his brother's memory.

The Red Ranger yawned deeply. "Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, David, I didn't really forget, I just can't make it tonight. Is that going to ruin anything?"

"No," David shook his head, regardless of it being over the telephone. "It'll keep till tomorrow if you can't make it until then, but really, the sooner the better."

"What sort of surprise is it?" Tommy asked, starting to wake up just a trifle. "And why now, our birthday isn't until next month."

His brother laughed. "You'll see when you get here and not until. Try and make it as soon as possible, you're going to love it, trust me!" when a yawn was the only reply, David frowned. "You'd better get some sleep. See you tomorrow."

"All right," Tommy yawned again. "Around three sound good? If I can wake up by then?" After today's fight, I'll be lucky to be AWAKE at three, much less able to drive. But I can try.

"Sure!" David agreed. "Everything will be ready here. Get some rest!"

A click was all he heard as Tommy hung up. The elder twin laughed softly to himself, then hung his own phone up. "Is he coming?" a female voice said from behind. He nodded. "Good. This is going to be a surprise that he'll never forget."

"I don't believe it! They beat my monster again!" Divatox screamed as she stormed up and down her Subcraft's main chamber. "How could they! Can no one defeat those blasted Rangers?!"

The evil queen soothed her nerves by blasting various Piranatrons with her eye lasers, then threw herself down into her chair. She made another mental note to pick up a new pet somewhere, she missed her eel on occasion, such as when she needed something to play with. Then again, it had gone for a good cause, the awakening of her beloved Maligore.

"Uh, Divatox?" she jerked around at her name, to see Rygog holding out the telephone to her. "Call for you."

"Take a message!" she snapped. "I've got more important things to do than run my mouth to some salesman!"

She almost turned away, when the shrieking tones of her old fie... uhh... friend... Rita Repulsa came through the device. "Divatox, you'd better pick up this line before I send Rito over to stay with you permanently!"

Rygog, Porto, and Elgar all could've sworn Divatox almost broke her arm getting to the telephone. "Yeah, yeah, I'm here, Rita, what do you want?"

"We're having a party at the palace tonight," the other evil queen told her. "And you're invited!"

"Why me?" the pirate snarled. "I'm very busy, I'm planning the destruction of the Power Rangers!"

Rita snorted. "You can do that tomorrow! I need someone intelligent to talk to! That's why I want you there!"

"Oh, all right!" Divatox groaned; it had been too long since she'd gotten out of her Subcraft anyway. "Do I have to bring my crew?"

A shudder was the reply, then Rita nodded. "I'd rather you didn't, but if you don't, Rito, Goldar, and Zedd are going to want to talk to us all night."

"All right, we'll be there in a minute, just let me change!" Divatox declared, slamming the phone down and leaping to her feet. "Porto, Rygog, Elgar! We're going to Rita's for the evening!"

With a snap of her fingers, the pirate queen was gowned in a short, slinky red and gold number that showed so much cleavage it might as well not have had a top at all, and every time she stepped, her thighs flashed to the world. The outfit was completed with a shorter version of her usual black boots and a sable-furred waist-length cape. Elgar couldn't help but whistle.

"Whoa, Auntie Di, you're gonna blow them away!" the mentally impaired mutant declared. "Why so dressed up if you don't even like Zedd?"

Divatox shrugged. "Because I always make a good impression. No matter what. Of course, it's not possible for me to make a bad impression, is it?" she glared at her flunkies, who all jumped to reassure her that she couldn't do anything wrong. "It's good to be the queen," she smiled to herself as she threw her arms out and teleported them all to the Lunar Palace. The Rangers could take the rest of the day off, she'd tormented them enough for one day. Tomorrow would be soon enough to destroy the Rangers in.

Tonight, Divatox was going to party!

"I'm going to do it, Tanya," Kat Hilliard rolled over, sighing deeply. "I have to."

"You sure?" the Yellow Turbo Ranger asked, massaging her aching shoulder. "I mean, it's sort of a big step, you know."

Her friend nodded, wincing at the pain that caused. All the Rangers had various aches and pains after this last fight. Divatox had stopped fooling around it seemed. About the only thing that would be much worse would be if she started launching attacks all over the planet. All five of them prayed she wouldn't think of that; none of the other galactic villains had anyway.

Kat winced as her entire left shin throbbed from the pounding it had taken in the last battle. "But it's for the best in the end, really. Tommy'll understand."

"I hope he does," Tanya glanced at the picture of Tommy and Kat seated on her friend's nightstand. "But I thought you guys were the perfect couple."

"I wish we could be," Kat sighed. "But even though I could take her powers, there's no way I, or anyone, could take Kim's place in Tommy's heart."

Tanya winced at the memory of the look on Tommy's face when Kim's letter had come to the Youth Center that day. She'd been a little shocked when Kat had started to date the Red Ranger, especially once Adam and Billy had told her how close Kim and Tommy had been. Everyone had looked on it as a good sign, though, that Tommy was healing emotionally.

When Divatox had kidnapped Kim and Jason, though, they had all seen the proof that Tommy wasn't anywhere nearly over Kim, and probably never would be. The rage in his eyes had shown clearly, scaring all of them. Kat had made her decision in that moment: she would leave Tommy.

But Kim had seemed to be with Jason, and once the ex-Rangers had left Angel Grove once more, things just hadn't worked out the way she'd thought they would. Kat sighed to herself as she worked out the last of the stiffness in her leg. Why don't I love him? I WANT to love him... but there's just nothing there...

"So I'm going to break up with him," she said out loud at last. "I'll talk with him about it tomorrow."

Tanya nodded, slowly making her way to her feet. She was spending the night over at Kat's house, since her parents had left on another expedition earlier in the day. She certainly hadn't counted on finding out Kat and Tommy were going to break up when she'd arrived. She pondered calling Adam briefly to tell him, when Kat cleared her throat. "Please, could you not tell anyone about this till after it's over with? I don't want all kinds of wild rumors spreading."

"All right," Tanya headed to change clothes, glad that none of her bruises were anywhere that would be visible. That was at least one good thing that could be said. Wish there was some way we could get another Ranger. We need some serious help. There's too much to be done for just five of us. I wish Trey hadn't gone back to his own planet, we could use his help.

As Tanya walked into the bathroom, Kat sighed and quietly removed the picture of herself and Tommy from the nightstand. She laid a gentle hand on the image of him, and gazed deeply into it. "I'm sorry, Tommy," she whispered. "But you're not the one I love. No matter how much I wished I could have."

She gently put the picture away, then leaned back on the bed. Now if I could just tell the person I DO love about how I feel...

"You can start the party now!" Divatox proclaimed as she and her crew materialized in the front hall of the Lunar Palace. "Divatox is here!"

"Divatox!" Rita came over to give her old friend a hug, despite their harsh words the two evil queens cared as much for each other as any minions of darkness could. "It's been too long!"

"Yeah, it has, Frita," Divatox teased her with the childhood nickname. Rita growled at it, she'd never quite liked that! "So what have you been up to lately?"

Rita shrugged. "Not much, just trying to get things back in order at the palace ever since we blew up the Machine Empire."

"That was over a year ago!" Divatox pointed out, the two of them heading over the balcony while their minions and Zedd began to whoop it up behind them. "It's taken you this long?"

"We renovated, too," Rita told her, gesturing at the new cobwebs and dust all over everything. "You like?"

"It's so dark and depressing!" Divatox smiled. "I love it, who was your decorator? I really must hire him for some work on my Subcraft!"

As the evening progressed, Divatox found that she was actually having a good time! Several hours after her arrival, the entire partying crew was snoring in various sections of the throne room. Zedd had collapsed onto his throne, which wasn't so unusual, half the time he never left it anyway. Rito and Elgar were spilled under the refreshment table, with half-empty tankards of Eltarian beer in their hands. Rygog and Goldar had been arm-wrestling in a corner, and had fallen asleep during the contest. Porto and Finster had started off discussing science companionably, and had ended up in a long, involved drinking contest that neither of them seemed to win.

"Just think," Rita gazed through her RepulsaScope to Earth. "Once those Rangers are dealt with, this entire planet is ours for the taking."

The pirate growled something nasty. "Please, could we talk about something other than the Power Rangers? I was having a good time until then!"

Rita laughed. "Didn't mean to get you down. Besides, we've got something in mind for those goody-goods... a blast from the past, you might say!"

"What are you talking about?" Divatox frowned; she was the one who was supposed to be dealing with the Rangers, not these two clowns! Oh, sure, she liked Rita, and Zedd was sorta handsome, even though he was married. But the Rangers were her responsibility to defeat now, no one else's, unless someone else could overthrow her. If Rita and Zedd wanted to get back in on the game, they were going to have to outmatch her, and that wasn't an easy task. "You know I'm working on getting rid of them!"

"And you're not exactly doing a stellar job of it, are you?" Rita held her hand out, causing a gleaming silver box to appear. "But in here is a way to destroy the Power Rangers forever!"

Divatox laughed. "What have you got, bottled Rito stench?"

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding!" Rita snorted. "We want to rule the planet, not destroy it! No, this is something much better: something that's going to bring up some fairly painful memories for that stupid Red Ranger Tommy!"

The pirate queen could plainly hear the hate that dripped from Rita's voice as she spoke the name of Thomas Oliver. "I take it you really don't like him?" she asked a trifle diplomatically.

"No, I don't!" Rita hissed. "He was my evil Green Ranger once, and then one of his stupid Ranger friends, that male you threw into Maligore's volcano, broke the sword I'd linked the spell to and freed him!"

"So what does that box have to do with memories for Tommy?" Divatox wondered.

The evil sorceress laughed before answering, and even Divatox felt a chill at that sound. "One of our monsters recreated and recharged the Green Ranger Power Coin, and gave it to a clone we made of Tommy. That clone eventually betrayed us as well, and went to live back in an earlier period of Earth's history."

"Get to the point!" Divatox snapped; the last thing she wanted was to go through a history lesson, especially with this cackling witch giving it!

Rita snorted. "Well, to cut it short, once we got back and got things set back up here, we sent Goldar and Rito back in time, and retrieved the coin!"

"What about the clone?" Divatox found herself briefly wondering; if it was one of Tommy, despite him being one of those Power Rangers, he was rather attractive. The husband-hungry pirate queen never passed up a decent chance to grab a man. Rita shrugged.

"I never asked," was all she said. "And I really don't care, we got the coin and that's what's in this box. The Green Power Coin, all ready to power the new evil Green Ranger!"

"There's a Green Turbo Ranger," Divatox casually pointed out. "Might cause some confusion, not to mention that Turbo powers are stronger than the Morphin ones."

Rita glared at her friend. "Maybe they're stronger than normal Morphin powers," she taunted. "But this coin has been supercharged to be of equal power to the Turbo Rangers!" the sorceress tossed the box to one side and leaped to her feet. "I'm going to go wake up Zedd! I'm suddenly in the mood! You can see yourself out whenever you like, Di!"

The pirate practically ignored Rita as the evil sorceress swished out of the room and headed over to her husband. Her gaze was all on the silver box. With a swift leap she had seized it and gently lifted the lid. Gleaming back at her from a deep green cushion was a round golden coin with a strange tripartite symbol on it that she recognized as that of the Green Morphin Ranger. She stared at it hungrily, licking her lips in deep thought.

"With this in my possession," she purred softly to herself. "I can create an evil Ranger of my very own! Rita's Green Ranger Tommy came so close to destroying the Rangers... I wonder what my Green Ranger could do... "

Almost before realizing it, she had slammed the lid shut on the box and slipped it into a pocket of her cape. Glancing around at the slumbering morons that comprised her court, she threw her head back, screaming their names at the top of her lungs. Elgar, Rygog, and Porto all leaped to their feet at once, while Rita and Zedd's lackeys just grumbled in their sleep. "What's up, Auntie Di?" Elgar mumbled. "I'm having a great time!"

"We're going back to the Subcraft," Divatox ordered. "I've got some plans to make, and I'm going to need all of you to help!" as they stumbled over to her, she sighed. I'd better get more help than this. Whoever I pick to be my personal Ranger needs to be strong... fast... and have a brain... that lets out all of THESE doofuses.

With a wave of her hand she teleported them all back to the Subcraft, and set herself back on her throne. "Get some sleep, morons," she ordered. "I've got plans to make, and I don't need any of you in the way!"

As they fled to their various rooms, Divatox pulled out the box and once more stared at the coin. Total victory is within my clutches at last. All I need do is choose the proper bearer.

She whined slightly as she pulled her periscope closer to her. "I hate making choices."

Tommy pulled his hair back into it's usual ponytail as he stepped into the Youth Center. He'd decided while showering that morning, and every thought during his workout and classes at the dojo had only confirmed it. Even if he never saw Kimberly Harte again, he wasn't going to keep on dating someone he didn't love or at least like in more than the casual manner he did Kat.

There she is. He took a long breath as he watched her practicing her ballet. She is beautiful. Someday she's going to be very happy with some lucky guy, but it's not going to be me.

He was about to call out her name when she turned around and saw him. "Tommy," she smiled. "Hi!"

"Hi, Kat!" he waved. "Say, could I talk to you for a second? It's kind of important."

"Sure," she nodded, picking up her towel and wiping the sweat from her brow as she walked over to the table he was sitting at. "I've got to talk to you too."

He winced a trifle at the sound of that, hoping that she didn't want to go steady or go on a date or anything like that. His instincts said to let her speak first, to let her get whatever it was out in the open. But Tommy had tried all his life not to be ruled by his instincts. "Let me go first, please," he said. At her nod, he took a deep breath. "Kat, you are one of the greatest people I know. You're a good friend, you're very beautiful, and I really hope you find happiness someday with some one as good as you are."

She looked at him for a moment. "I hope I do too, Tommy," she said after a few moments. "And I hope whoever he is, it doesn't take me as long to figure out that I love him forever as it's taken you to figure out you're going to love Kim forever."

Kat could have sworn Tommy's jaw hit the floor with an audible thump at that moment. She giggled. "Tommy, I've known for a long time I don't love you. I really wanted to try to, though, and I did. Part of it was a little bit leftover of Rita's spell on me, to try and break you and Kim up. Part of it was because you're a very good person, a very loving person. But the only thing there can ever be between us... is friendship."

"You... mean you're not upset over us breaking up?" Tommy couldn't believe his eyes or ears with this!

"It's hard to say," she replied honestly. "I'm glad it happened, because now I'm free to find someone I can really love. I'm sad for you, though, because you already know who you love and she's not here."

Tommy sighed. "I know. Maybe I can swing a visit down to Florida, though, and talk with her. At least the two of us can be friends again, if nothing else. We are friends, right?" he looked a little nervous at that as he looked at her.

"Always," Kat smiled, squeezing his hand for a moment as she got back up. "I'm going out for a walk in the park, want to come along? Friend?"

He looked at his watch for a moment, then his eyes widened in shock. "Love to, Kat, but I was supposed to be at David's ten minutes ago!"

"It's been a while since I've seen your brother, what's he been up to?" Kat asked, walking with Tommy as he rushed out to his car. The young Ranger shrugged.

"The usual, I guess. He's been trying to get me to come to his place for the last week or so, he keeps saying he's got some sort of big surprise for me, but he won't tell me what it is."

Kat couldn't help but laugh. "Tommy, if it's a surprise, why would he tell you what it is?"

"You know, I never thought of that!" Tommy blinked for a few moments, then shook his head. "I'll see you around, Kat!"

She smiled, waved, and headed off to the park as Tommy started to drive away. Two hearts were far lighter than they had been in months. Things were, perhaps, going to be getting back on track with them.

"Is he here yet?" the young woman paced back and forth in David Trueheart's home. "He didn't forget again, did he?"

The young Native American smiled briefly. "Calm down. He'll be here soon."

"How soon is soon?"

Just as the words were uttered, they heard the sound of a truck pulling up outside. David peeked out a window, and grinned. "Soon is now, it seems. Here he is," when he looked behind him, he saw he was now alone in the room, and couldn't help but grin. Tommy is in for the surprise of his life!

He opened the door just as Tommy jumped out of the car and started for the door. "Hey there, bro!" he called out. "You finally got here, I see!"

"Yeah!" Tommy waved. "Sorry it took so long, but you know my memory!"

David snorted a laugh as he stopped his brother just outside the house. "Yeah, Tommy the sieve-brain!" he teased. "I'm surprised you've even remembered that I exist, little bro!"!

"How could I forget you, I see your face every time I look in the mirror," Tommy said dryly, poking at his brother a little. David scanned his face quickly, then touched Tommy's shoulder.

"Something's up with you, Tommy," he said quietly. "Come on, talk to your big brother."

Tommy met his brother's eyes for a moment, then looked up to the sky, almost as if asking for help. As he looked back down, he said simply, "Kat and I mutually decided it would be better for us both if we broke up. It was the right thing to do, and I'm glad we did it, I wish her all the happiness in the world: but now I'm missing Kim more than ever."

David raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Well, you can always go see her. But first, you've got to meet your surprise."

"Meet my surprise?" Tommy was surprised at the particular phrasing David had used. "What are you talking about?"

His brother only smiled and pulled him on into the house. "Just trust me, Tommy. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about."

Tommy shrugged and allowed himself to be pulled inside. David was grinning like a maniac as he cleared his throat a little. "Tommy Oliver, I'd like you to meet Teresa Magee," he gestured just ahead of them both.

Tommy looked up to see a young woman standing in the living room nervously. Her skin was the same shade as his and David's, and her long hair a deep black, and she bore an amazing resemblance to both him and David. He smiled briefly at her, then looked to David. "We've known each other a year and a half and you just now get around to introducing me to your girlfriend?"

Teresa chuckled. "I'm not his girlfriend, Tommy. I'm your sister."

"Sister!?" Tommy's head snapped back around to look at her. "Sister?!"

David nodded. "She's our sister. It seems we weren't twins: we weretriplets."

Tommy was quite definitely in shock. "T...T... triplets?"

Teresa chuckled. "Believe me, it was every bit of a surprise to me to find out I had two brothers. But it's true. And I can prove it."

"How?"

The young woman walked over to them, pulling the sleeve back from her left arm as she did so. Tommy couldn't doubt the birthmark there, he'd seen it's duplicate on his own arm every day of his life, and on David's. "Like this," she said unnecessarily. "Brothers."

I... I have a sister... I had just gotten used to having a brother... and now... a sister... a REAL sister... a blood sister... "Do... do you know who our parents are, Teresa?" he stuttered the words out, he'd asked the same question of David shortly after they'd met as well.

Teresa shook her head. "I was adopted by the Magees when I was two months old. And call me Terry. I like that better than Teresa."

"All right... Terry," Tommy tried the word on his tongue, and liked it. He smiled. "Nice to meet you."

The triplets stood somewhat awkwardly staring at each other for a few moments. Then, almost as one, they enfolded each other in their arms. They had found each other. They had found a family.

"So, the Red Ranger has a sister and a brother," Divatox mused as she watched him through her periscope, playing with the Green Coin. "This could be very interesting."

"Uh, whatcha looking at, Auntie Di?" she turned as Elgar slumped into the room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and staring stupidly at her. "And what's that you've got there?"

She quickly slammed the Coin into the box and locked it, growling, "None of your business! I'll let you know when I'm ready for you to know!"

Elgar shrugged and started poking around looking for something to eat. Divatox returned her gaze to the Earth, where the triplets were talking away a mile a minute. Bored quickly with that, she started gazing all throughout Angel Grove. I've got to find someone PERFECT. A warrior, someone with intelligence and courage. Too bad they're going to have to be one of those goody-good types. Only someone like that can wield a Ranger's powers. Rita used some sort of spell and sword to control HER Green Ranger. I need something to control mine.

"Porto!" she bellowed. "Get in here!" she was rewarded to see her science officer come running in as fast as he could, considering his size and probable hangover.

"What is it, my queen?" he asked, bowing. "I am yours to command!"

"I know that already. I need to be able to control a human perfectly and completely. When I tell them 'jump' the only thing I want to hear them saying is 'how high?' I want their every thought and consideration to just be how they can please me, and how to destroy the Rangers!"

Porto looked a trifle confused. "My queen, how are you going to make an evil Ranger?" He wasn't stupid, he could figure out partially what she had in mind. It was a decent enough plan, but how to do it always remained the problem.

Divatox laughed, gesturing the box. "That's how, Porto," she told him. "A little trinket I picked up at the party last night. Now are you going to figure out what I need to know, or do I have to find myself someone really intelligent?"

"Oh, no, my queen!" Porto leaped to work at once. "I can figure out a way to control someone for you, no problem!"

"And the Rangers must not be able to break it in any way!" she reminded him. "That was how Rita screwed up with her Green Ranger, she underestimated those blasted teenagers. I'm not going to do that!"

Porto nodded as he started searching through the database. He muttered under his breath promises that he wouldn't fail Divatox, he knew all too well the fate of those who did, and it wasn't pretty. Not in the slightest.

His queen ignored him for now though, as she searched Angel Grove for just the perfect person to use the powers she'd taken from Rita and Zedd. It didn't even occur to her to wonder if those two beings of evil would want the Power Coin back.

"She's your friend, Rita!" Zedd screamed at the top of his lungs. "You were the one who invited her here for the party, so anything she did is on your head. What possessed you to go showing off our Power Coin anyway?"

Rita glared at her husband. "I do what I want!" she grated. "How was I supposed to know she'd steal it?!"

"Uh, she's a pirate," Rito spoke up. "Pirates steal things, don't they? Seems kinda obvious...." he shut up as Rita turned blazing eyes on him, then ran off, apparently having urgent business elsewhere.

"Well, now she's got the Coin, and we don't!" Zedd settled back into his throne. "Let her have all the joys of an evil Green Ranger... for however long it takes the Power Rangers to free this one!"

He winced as Rita screeched at him, "What are you talking about? You can't possibly intend to let her get away with this! She's stolen from us, and that must be avenged!"

"Sure, sure, fine, fine," the lord of evil shrugged. Sure, starting the fight against the Rangers had seemed all right when they'd blown up the Machine Empire. But almost immediately after that, Divatox had started her little campaign for Murianthus and Maligore, and it just didn't seem to be worth it anymore. Let Divatox run herself ragged destroying the Rangers. Lord Zedd had more than had enough. "Rita, you do whatever you want about this. I'm going to take a nap."

"A nap!?" Rita couldn't believe her ears. "Our big chance to destroy the Rangers, the best shot we've had to get at them, using that brat Tommy's own past to do it has been stolen from us, robbed from us by another servant of evil, and you want to nap?"

Zedd barely looked at her. "Think of it this way, Rita: if Divatox actually manages to destroy the Rangers: we can sweep in and get rid of her once it's done. She can do all the dirty work, and we get to sit back and reap the rewards!"

His queen wasn't buying that, though. "Not my style, Zedd! I'm going to make that purple-haired wench pay for this! Next thing you know, she'll be trying to steal you!"

And at times I think I'd let her, just to get away from you! Zedd groaned to himself. Somedays I wonder just why it is I stay with her.

He knew perfectly well Rita had put a love potion in him during his centennial recharge, and that it had been nullified by Finster. It didn't seem to matter, though. He cared about her. But he'd long since begin to wonder if he really and truly loved her. He shrugged to himself as Rita flounced herself away to begin some sort of plan of retribution against the pirate queen. But I'm sort of stuck with her. Could be worse. I could be married to that one girl, Astronema. There's something INCREDIBLY wrong about a woman who changes her hair color that often!

As Zedd began to drift off to sleep, Rita headed straight for her library. She wanted information on how to completely humiliate Divatox! The pirate would pay for stealing the Green Coin from her!

"Oh, man, we've got a sister!" Tommy stared from David to Terry and back again. "Did you have any idea, David?"

His brother shook his head. "Not a clue until we bumped into each other in the airport when I was going to see Sam off. And I do mean literally bumping into each other."

Terry nodded. "I've sort of just moved to town. My friend and I came here, she grew up in Angel Grove and was finally moving back after being away for about a year or so. I didn't have anywhere else to go, and she told me there were some very good odds that you guys were my brothers, so I decided to come try to find you here. You're the only family I have now."

"What about parents?" Tommy asked, then wished he hadn't when he saw shadows in her eyes. "Terry? Did I say something wrong?"

Terry shrugged briefly. "It's nothing important," she demurred, glancing around the house. "Hey, where'd you go? You were the one who was so worried about him showing up, right?"

"I know," a soft voice said. "And I've been waiting a long time to see him again."

Tommy went as stiff as a board as the words struck into his mind, right into those areas reserved for words and motions made by only one person. He turned, not wanting to believe his eyes, but wanting to at the same time.

She stood in the same doorway Terry had been in only moments before. She'd been waiting and watching, hoping and praying that he would come. Tommy wet his lips, trying to get up the nerve to say something, anything, as he looked at her. Finally, he croaked out a single word. "K... Kim?"

Kimberly Harte nodded as she walked quietly into the room. "You never could be on time," she spoke lightly, but her eyes were covering every inch of his face, seeing and noting the pain he'd undergone. Pain I caused him. And shouldn't have. "We've been waiting for you."

"Sorry," he whispered. "I forgot. W... what are you doing here, Kim? It's almost been a year... since you left again... almost a year...."

His voice trailed off as he and Kim resumed their staring at each other, both of them completely convinced that no one noticed the way they were examining each other.

He's gotten thinner, Kim thought. I wish I'd known Terry when I came down here for the Tournament. I don't know, even if I had, getting kidnapped and fed to that monster would've probably driven it out of my head.

She's gotten even more beautiful. I wonder if Kat knew she was coming back and that's why she broke up with me when she did? That's kind of weird... that empty feeling I've had since she left... it's gone now. He almost flinched when he realized the aching hole in his heart had also been gone when they'd been together briefly after the events on Murianthus. He'd been too concerned over Rocky's health, just glad they'd survived the battle with Maligore, and concerned over having a new Ranger on the team to notice it though.

"Think we should leave them alone?" Terry whispered softly to David. Her brother nodded, guiding her out of the house and shutting the door behind them. "Were they always like that?"

David shrugged. "I don't know, by the time I met Tommy, she'd already broken up with him. But he's never been like that with Kat, the other girl he was dating."

"I think by the time they come out of there," Terry gestured to the house, "they're going to be back together: to stay. She told me very frequently that breaking up with him was the stupidest move she'd ever made in her life."

"I guess we'll find out when they come out again," her brother said philosophically. "Until then, what do you want to do?"

His sister's eyes sparkled with laughter. "Tell me, my brother... would you know anything about... karate?"

The park was beautiful that time of year, and that particular time of day it was beyond beautiful. Kat wandered through, glad for the chance to be alone.

Been a long time since I was. It's not really that safe. Divatox likes to send Piranatrons against us when we're alone. She took a long breath of the fresh air and sighed happily. But if anything DOES happen... I can call the others and get help.

She allowed her mind to wander over the events of the past few years of her life. First when she moved to Angel Grove, she was kidnapped and put under a spell by Rita Repulsa, used as a weapon to almost defeat the Rangers. Those same Rangers turned out to be the greatest friends she could've had, including and especially Kimberly, whom she was supposed to destroy completely under Rita's command.

Instead she had managed to free herself from the evil spell, and had helped Kimberly instead when the other girl had hurt herself. That had actually led to her becoming the Pink Ranger in her own turn, when Kim had left the team to start training full-time for the Pan-Globals.

Then Master Vile tore up time and we became the Zeo Rangers, and then Divatox started up and now we're the Turbo Rangers. She glanced briefly down at her wrist, almost sensing the Turbo Charger hidden there. A lot of things change, but one thing remains the same: the Rangers are the best friends in the world.

Kat quietly sat down on a hill, and gazed out over the park. So many memories filled her mind as she did that. That tree over there had been the one she had been under with the boy she'd been dating when first arriving in Angel Grove, who had turned out to be a Tenga who served Rita and Zedd. That clearing over there was where the carnival had been that the Rangers had taken her to for her birthday, that had wound up being ruined by Master Vile's releasing of the Orb of Doom.

She shook her head. Happy thoughts today. She looked around more, and smiled. There were the picnic tables where she and the others had shared so many happy times together. Just past the trees, she could see the abandoned warehouse district where she, as the Pink Ranger, had fought alongside the others and against the forces of evil so many times.

Alongside of so many different others... Tommy, Billy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Justin, Tanya... man, there's been a lot of changes... but that's the way of life. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking over them all. The park was extremely quiet and still, and Kat herself was still sore and somewhat tired from the fight the day before. Breaking up with Tommy hadn't been quite the emotional drain she'd thought it would be, but she was still reeling just a little. As her eyes closed and she began to sink deeper into her thoughts, she didn't notice a shadow falling over her at first.

"Kat?" the voice startled her out of the half-sleep she'd fallen into, and she had only one reaction to being startled: she leaped to her feet, checked to make sure no civilians were around, then called out four words.

"Wind Chaser Turbo Power!"

"Whoa, Kat!" she was brought all the way awake by the Power as she morphed, and shook her head to clear her mind. "Kat, I'm not an enemy!"

She stared. "Rocky!? What are you doing here?" she asked the former Ranger as she powered down quickly. "I thought you were busy with your dojo!"

Rocky DeSantos grinned as she pulled him down onto the grass next to her. "I am, but that doesn't mean I can't get out and see the world every now and then! And I've been trying to talk to you alone, but you've always been with Tommy or someone."

"Not anymore," she shook her head, suddenly feeling the urge to tell him this. "Tommy and I decided mutually to break up this morning. He loves Kim, and I don't love him, so it was the best thing for both of us."

She didn't notice the sudden lightening in his eyes as she said that. "Glad you guys both figured that out," he said diplomatically.

"You knew?" Kat raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, and he nodded. "Why didn't you say something?"

Rocky shrugged. "Would you have believed me?" he said simply.

Kat was speechless for a few moments, in some ways, she could sense, this wasn't quite the same foolish, food-munching Rocky she'd always known. He was more serious, more thoughtful than he'd been when last she'd known him. But still that glint of humor danced in his eyes.

I think I like him better like this! She gazed into his eyes for a few moments, then realized something. "Um, am I staring at you?" she muttered, blushing and looking away even as she asked. He chuckled.

"Yeah, but I don't mind. I was staring at you."

"You... uhh... were?"

Rocky smiled softly, brushing the hair gently away from her eyes as he did so. "I was. I like to look at you."

"You... do?"

"You know, you're going to have to get over that stuttering problem one day," he grinned at her. "Yes, I do like to look at you, and have for a very long time."

She touched her hand to her suddenly hot cheek, and realized she was blushing! She'd never done that when Tommy had paid her a compliment of any type! Then again, I always got the impression he was somehow comparing me to Kim when he did it.

Rocky smiled as he gently took her hand. "Come on," he offered. "Let's go for a walk. Together."

Oh, WOW! "S... sure," she replied. "I'd love to."

Hand in hand, the Ranger and the former Ranger walked off together.

Inside the small house on the reservation, things were quiet and still. The two people were still staring at each other. Finally, one spoke. "I'm sorry, Tommy," Kim whispered, breaking the deadlock she'd had on his face and turning away. "I know you're dating Kat now, but I had to tell you this: breaking up with you was the absolute stupidest thing I've ever done in my life. I love you, and I never stopped loving you. I know after that letter, and how I treated you when Jason and I were back in town last year, you probably don't ever want to see me again, so now that I've said that, and made a complete fool of myself, I'm going to get my things and go."

She had enough time to take one step away before Tommy grabbed her arm gently, pulling her close to him and into a deep, sweet, passionate kiss that blew all their previous ones over the years away. She melted into his arms, hearing a soft whisper in her ear. "I love you, Kim. I love you."

How long they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms and lips, they never knew, and didn't care to know. They were just together. That was what was important.

"What about Kat?" Kim asked suddenly.

"What about the guy you met in Florida?" Tommy spoke at the exact same time she did. The two of them looked at each other, then giggled. "Kat and I broke up this morning," he told her. "We both knew I didn't love her, and she doesn't love me. It was just better like this. Better for both of us. I only love you, and she loves... I don't know who, but whoever it is isn't me."

Kim blushed a little. "Ummm.... there was no guy in Florida. I made him up. I thought you loved Kat, and I wanted to let you free for her. I didn't want to keep you tied down to someone who was three thousand miles away."

"Being tied to you was the best thing that ever happened to me," Tommy told her firmly. "I love you. I've always loved you, beautiful."

"I love the sound of that," she leaned against him, enjoying the warmth of his arms around her. "My red knight," she whispered softly. He'd scared her at times, when he was the Green Ranger. When he was the White Ranger he'd been a little too noble, always fixed on being the ultimate Ranger, on leading the team. She hardly knew him as Red.Maybe I should,she thought to herself, snuggling deeper into his arms. We can't pick up where we left off...but we can start all over again.

The feel of his lips on her forehead was delicate and soft as he kissed her. It stirred something within her, something sweet and strong and insistent. She lifted her head, gazing into his eyes, seeing them wide and wet with tears. "What is it?" she wondered, touching one gently with the tip of her finger. "Did I do something?"

"No," he told her, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm crying because I'm happy. Because I love you."

She pulled his head down towards hers, their lips meeting again. She could taste the desire on his lips, and matched it with all of her own, desire suppressed for some time. His eyes widened even more, in surprise at how tightly she pressed against him. "Tommy," she said, her voice firm and strong. "I know precisely what I'm doing here. I have missed you, and wanted you for longer than I really want to say. I'm going to be blunt about this, so that there's no misunderstandings or anything. I love you. I want to make love to you. I don't have any protection or anything, but I'm honestly willing to risk pregnancy or disease or anything to be with you. I'd be honored to have your child, and I know it would be yours, because I'm a virgin right now, and I really don't think you have any disease."

Kim almost giggled at the size of his eyes as she spoke. "Uhhh, I don't," he managed to stutter. "I'm a virgin too... and I love you. And I am ready for anything that happens. I'm helping Rocky with his dojo, so I've got a steady income."

"I thought you were racing with your uncle," she asked, though the answer to that question was quickly becoming irrelevant as he began to kiss her gently.

"I was," he spoke between caresses. "But I decided to stop, it's a little too dangerous right now."

She couldn't help but laugh now. "Too dangerous, as opposed to riding around in cars that go five times the speed of any normal race car, and fighting gigantic monsters and an evil space alien pirate?"

"That's actuallywhyI stopped," he told her seriously. "I've got a responsibility as a Power Ranger, to keep myself in one piece as much as I can. I didn't like racing anywhere nearly as much as I like teaching martial arts, anyway."

Slowly, she reached out and began to unbutton his shirt. She slipped it off his body, and took a long breath, staring almost droolingly at the firmly muscled body she saw. She hardly noticed his own clumsy fingers unbuttoning her blouse, until a light chill made her shiver. She leaned against him, enjoying the strength of his body against hers. "I love you," she whispered, feeling the hard muscles there. "I love you forever."

As her blouse fell to the floor, Kim and Tommy both stopped talking about what they'd done, what they'd been, and what they might be in the future. The only thing that mattered to either of them was each other, was the gentle stroke of hands against flesh, of lips against lips. It didn't matter that neither of them had the foggiest idea of what they were supposed to be doing here. They just knew they were going to do this, that they were meant for each other in every possible sense of the word.

And as they slowly made love on the floor of David Trueheart's house, all the past melted away. The letter, the silence, the pain, the misunderstandings, all were gone. All that remained now was the hope, the peace, and the eternal love they shared. That was what mattered. That was what counted.

Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Harte were together. Again. Forever.

Rita paged through several of her spellbooks, growling various nasty things under her breath as she hunted for a way to get some serious revenge on that pirate. "How dare she steal my Green Coin! I go to all the trouble of inviting her and her court here to my party and she steals from me!"

Ever since she and Divatox were little girls, it had been an unspoken agreement between the two of them that they were not to steal from each other. Even when Divatox had taken up piracy for her life of evil, she hadn't stolen from Rita. This first time was one that the evil queen was not going to forget or forgive.

At least not unless she actually DOES destroy the Rangers. That was one thing Zedd got right. If she can do it, then we can get rid of her and rule the entire planet. Friendships are nice, but world domination is something else altogether.

"But if I can get it back from her before she can give it to someone," Rita mused, pausing in her search to look out at the Earth. "Then we can do it. Either way's workable."

She leaned back, closing her eyes in thought.I wonder what those Rangers are up to. I haven't checked on them in a while. I think I'll rectify that.

She headed straight for the throne room, wincing at the loud snores coming from Zedd as he snoozed in his throne, and attached her eyes to the RepulsaScope, checking out each of the Rangers in turn. That new Blue Ranger, the little boy, was studying at the orphanage where he lived. The Green and Yellow Rangers were holding hands and coming back from a movie, the romance between them was so thick it almost made her nauseous. The Pink Ranger was walking with one of the ex-Rangers in the park... What's my former Ranger doing... he's Red these days... little traitor...

Her eyes flew wide with shock as she saw him and the former Pink Ranger entwined on the floor of a house, deeply involved in a passionate sexual encounter. She knew she should be revolted by it, but something drew her to simply stare, almost hungrily, at the two of them as they made love over and over again. She swallowed deeply, her heart pounding and thick lust boiling up in her veins.

Oh... my ... goodness...she breathed, unable to pull her eyes away. She turned and ran straight to Zedd, not able to control herself or her desires for another second. "Zedd!" she screamed his name, pouncing on him and causing her clothes to vanish in a blaze of light. "Zedd! Wake up, you skinless buffoon! I need you!"

"Wuh? huh?" Zedd looked up at her as he slowly emerged from the cocoon of sleep. "Rita?" his voice was choked off at once by the questing lips of his wife as she kissed him hungrily. "Rita, what's with you?"

She wasn't answering with her voice, though, as she quite literally slammed herself onto him. "Change!" she managed to grunt out. "Change!"

There was only one thing she meant by that, it was physically impossible for Zedd to have sex in his 'monstrous' form. With a flicker of magic he returned to the shape he'd borne thousands of years earlier, a tall, handsome humanoid form. The only time he ever looked like that was when he was being romantic, or at least sexual, with Rita. Romance had ever little to do with their marriage, and he'd begun every last one of their times together since their marriage. But not this time.

As she practically forced herself onto him, Zedd tried to grab hold of the dream he'd been having just before she'd awakened him. But it shredded away into mist as Rita pulled his full attention to making love to her. With cries of delight and passion, moans of pleasure and romance, the two monarchs of evil indulged in the delights of each other's bodies. Rita sated the lust that seeing Tommy and Kim together had roused in here, and Zedd banished all thoughts he'd had of not truly loving Rita.

How could he not love someone who, out of absolutely nowhere, just because she wanted to, woke him up and made mad, passionate love to him? How could he not love Rita?

As they made love, Rita managed to retain enough control of her mind and magic to recast the love spells on him that kept Zedd nominally under her control, and with her. She wasn't going to let him get away from her. Not after all she'd done to him, and for him, in the past.

He owed her too much not to keep her as his queen.

"Terry! David!" the two of them turned when they heard Tommy calling out their names. He and Kim were coming out of the house, arms wrapped around each other and both of them practically glowing. "What have you two been doing while we were... busy?"

David grinned as he relaxed from the battle stance he'd been in. "Oh, just sparring a little."

"Sparring?" Kim raised an eyebrow. "I see a few things run in the family."

Terry wiped off her forehead and nodded. "I'm a purple belt in shokotan style karate, a black in praying mantis kung fu, and have been considering studying judo for a while as well. David, you're good."

Tommy couldn't help but laugh. "David, you remember when we met and you sparred with me?"

"Yeah, I do," David nodded. "I got mad when I lost and ran out, and... " he stopped what he was saying, trying not to give a sidelong glance at their new sister. Tommy knew what he was saying though, and had to remember to tell Kim that his brother knew about their identities as the Power Rangers. "And sulked for a while," he finished, trying to sound as smooth and unforced as he possibly could.

Terry chuckled lightly. "Sounds like you guys have had fun while I wasn't around. I wish I hadn't taken so long to find out about you two. I'd've been here a lot sooner if I could have been."

"Hey, let's go to the Youth Center!" Tommy suggested. "I think the others are going to be there this afternoon, and I'd like them all to meet you, Terry."

Let's just hope Divatox doesn't give her the welcome that Mondo gave me,David mused as he nodded his agreement and headed for the shower. He heard her asking, "Others?" as he shut the door behind himself.

"Yeah, our friends," Tommy told her. "Justin, Kat, Adam, and Tanya."

"Cool," Terry stretched a little. "Hope David gets out of there soon, I need a shower of my own."

Conversation died down briefly as the three of them sat around and waited. Finally, Tommy asked, "How did you guys meet?"

"It was right after I got back from my last visit here," Kim told him. "And I was extremely angry at myself for not telling you how I really felt. But the mental picture of you kept floating behind my eyelids the whole trip back to Florida. And things didn't get much better when I got back to the compound... cause I saw you... sort of..."

Kim sighed as she stared at the gates ahead of her. She was back here. Again. Somehow, she wasn't nearly as happy over this as she had thought she would be when she'd been in Divatox's brig.At least the Rangers got us out of that. Thank goodness.

She shivered at the memory of being thrown into the volcano, of feeling the pure raw evil invading her body. "I'm not going to think about that," she whispered softly. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the taxi go inside and stop just outside the dorm room.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes almost made her heart stop. No way. How'd he get here first? It's not possible..."Tommy?" she whispered softly. The person she was looking at stepped closer, and she shook her head, quickly realizing that she was looking at a woman, not a man. "Oh, I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone I know."

"Hello," the stranger, who looked enough like Tommy to almost be him, except for being female. "Can I help you?"

She examined the woman for a moment. "You look just like him," Kim shook her head. "I've never seen a resemblance like that before."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"My ex-boyfriend," Kim winced at calling Tommy that, no matter how true it was, and no matter if she had been the one who broke them up. She quickly plunged into one of the suitcases being arranged on the sidewalk by the taxi driver and pulled out her wallet and her photo album, the one she could show to people. After paying the man, she flipped open the book to the most recent picture she had of him. "That's him. Tommy Oliver."

"Oh, my goodness," the woman whispered, staring. "I do look like him."

"What's your name?" Kim wondered, staring at the picture for a few moments as she let her hand rest casually near it.

"Teresa Magee," she was told. "But you can call me Terry. In fact, I'd prefer it if you did. I like it much better."

"Kimberly Harte," Kim introduced herself. "I don't think I've seen you around here before, or did I just not meet you?"

Terry shrugged. "I just moved here. I travel a lot, I have since I was about fourteen or so."

Kim took a long look at her. "Parents move a lot?"

"No," Terry's eyes darkened at once. "I don't know my parents, and the people I grew up with... let's just say they don't care anymore what I do. No one does."

The former Pink Ranger's heart went out to this person who looked so very much like her beloved Tommy. "Are you in training?" she asked. "I'm working towards the Pan-Globals myself."

"Cool," Terry nodded. "I'm not much into gymnastics, though. I'm a martial artist. Second degree black belt in praying mantis kung fu, I study karate as well, and I'm also a student of kendo."

"Really?" Kim grinned. "You're kinda reminding me of home right now. I've got a lot of friends who are into karate, and one of them is an excellent student of praying mantis kung fu. I don't know if any of them do kendo, though."

Terry grinned herself. "Have you ever studied any martial arts?"

"Not really," Kim shook her head. "I prefer my gymnastics, but I do know a few self-defense techniques. I had to learn, living in Angel Grove."

"Tough town?"

"You could say that," Kim smiled. With Putties and Tengas and who knows what they've got running around there these days, you could DEFINITELY say that!

As Terry began to tell her about her martial arts history, Kim was reminded even more strongly of Tommy when he started to talk about karate to a new student. There was the same lilt to the voice, the same caressing tones as of speaking of something that they lived, loved, and learned on a regular basis. If I didn't know better, I'd swear they were related! Kim thought once her bags were unpacked once more in her room.

And as the weeks passed and Kim got to know her new friend, that impression increased. Terry and Tommy had more than a physical resemblance, in a lot of ways they were alike emotionally and mentally as well, only Terry didn't have Tommy's abysmal memory!

A year later, Kim was packing to go home when she looked up to see Terry standing in the doorway. "Going back to California?" the young traveler asked.

"Yeah," Kim nodded. "I've wrapped up everything here, and I'm tired of the Florida scenario, frankly. What about you? Going to stay here?"

Terry perched on the back of Kim's chair and sighed. "I don't know. I've seen about as much of Florida as I want to, but I don't know where else to go. I've been looking everywhere."

"Looking?" Kim had gotten used to the near-identical physical looks between Terry and Tommy, but she hadn't ever seen either of them bear this expression of pure... sorrow. "Looking for what."

"Not what," Terry shook her head. "Who."

"Okay, who?"

Kim watched as Terry pulled three pieces of paper out of her back pocket, smoothing them out carefully onto the bed. "These. My brothers."

The young gymnast glanced down, staring at the dates on the birth certificates. "Terry," she said finally. "These are all accurate, right?"

"Every last one of them. Why?"

Kim took a deep breath. "My ex, his birthday is June twenty-first: just like yours. And he has a twin brother, David. My friend Kat wrote me about him, and sent a picture of the two of them together," she reached into one of her bags to pull it out, and handed it across.

Terry looked at it, and almost paled. "They... they could be them. My brothers. They probably have no idea I even exist."

Kim considered what she said next only briefly. She knew it was the right thing to ask. "Want to come back to Angel Grove with me?"

"Is that where they are?"

"Yes."

Terry stood up. "Then I'm going. I've spent the last five years of my life searching for my brothers, and I'm finally going to find them."

The triplets looked at each other. Terry smiled. "And I did. Kim and I bumped into David when we got off the plane. Neither of us expected him to be there, but once we met, and got everyone's story, we decided to get you to come out here and meet us."

"And if I hadn't kept forgetting every time I turned around good, I could've been reunited with Kim and met you that much sooner!" Tommy laughed at himself.

"You know it, little brother!" Terry chuckled.

He raised an eyebrow. "Little?"

"Yeah," she chuckled. "David's the oldest, then I'm next, and you're the youngest. We're all separated by about five minutes or so."

"How do you know?" he had to ask. Her eyes darkened briefly. "I... if it's painful?"

"No," she shook her head. "I told you I don't know who our parents are. That's true, I don't. But I have our birth certificates. That's how I knew I had two brothers."

"The birth certificates?" Tommy had seen his shortly after he'd found David, and there had been no mention of just how many of them had been born at that time. In fact, the section with how many of us there were had been blacked out. Mom and Dad actually had us get our blood tested to verify that David and I ARE brothers. They're probably going to want to do the same thing with Terry.

She reached inside the small purse she carried and pulled out three sheets of paper. "If you've ever seen a copy of this, that's probably exactly what it was: a copy. These are the originals."

As Tommy took the one she held out to him, his eyes widened. "How'd you get them?"

Terry chuckled. "I have my ways," she whispered in a spooky voice almost precisely like David's own. Tommy chuckled in his own turn, and looked at the official document. There it was in black and white. He was the youngest of the triplets, born at eleven a.m. nineteen years earlier, on the twenty-first of June. Terry had been born five minutes before him, and David five before that. But where it usually had the birth-parents names, in all cases, those were blank except for the notation 'withheld by maternal request'.

"Whoever Mom was," he found himself almost choking on the words. "She didn't want us to find her."

"We know," David's voice startled them both, and they looked up to see him out of the house, clean and changed out of the workout clothes he'd been in. "But we found each other. And that's what counts."

"You know it!" Terry and Tommy both chorused, then Terry made a mad dash for the shower. "I've got to get my own place! There's no way I'm going to share a shower with a guy ever again, even if he is my brother!" she shouted behind herself.

Both guys laughed, sharing a look that only another male could possibly understand. Kim shook her head, noticing Tommy's communicator as she did so. Divatox better leave us alone today. Tommy's found his sister today, and we're back together. The last thing he needs is to have to rush off to save the world.

"Tommy," she looked up at David's soft voice. "Are you going to tell Terry about you being...," his eyes fell on the communicator, and she almost fainted to realize that he knew about them.

"I don't know," Tommy shrugged. "And yes, Kim, he knows about us. I only told him because I had to. It was the only way to keep him from rushing off headlong and getting himself killed."

"Like you've never done that," she said dryly. "Running off to save the day is almost a hobby for you."

The three of them shared a laugh, then as quietly as they could, Tommy and David filled Kim in on just how the eldest of them had learned the secret identities of the Power Rangers.

"Porto!" Divatox screamed out the name of her scientist. "You'd better have some results for me! I'm tired of waiting!"

"Yes, my queen!" the chubby inventor waddled over to her, bowing over and over again. "There are many ways traditionally used to control someone against their will, my queen! The first and most popular is by a spell on the person themself."

She waved a hand casually. "Yes, I know all about that. Those are too easily broken, though. Next!"

"There's control by an object, in which the spell of control is placed on something that is then placed on the victim. As long as the object remains with them, they will obey whoever cast the spell."

"No!" Divatox screamed, deepening the frown lines in her face. "All the Rangers would have to do is take off whatever the object is, and destroy it, and then I'll lose my Ranger! Next!"

Porto winced, obviously finding a way to control someone wasn't easy when it was Divatox who wanted to do the controlling. "Then there's potions of control," he looked up as she didn't scream at him right away, but appeared to be considering the possibility.

"No!" he was almost bowled over by the force of her bellow. "The Blue Ranger could just whip up something to nullify it, or that annoying Dimitria could remove it from my victim! Try again!"

The scientist flipped through his notes, anxiously searching for something to satisfy the evil pirate queen. He paused suddenly at a particular line of research. "Majesty," he suggested a trifle diffidently. "In one of my books, there was a mention of a method called brainwashing. Apparently in Earth's history it has been used frequently by various groups of evil humans."

He watched as Divatox mused this one over. "An Earth method of controlling humans," she considered. "Does it say how it's done?"

"Yes, my queen!" glad he'd researched that, he brought up the appropriate data. He kept his eyes eagerly on the queen's face as she read through the schematics on it. She smiled slowly, a cruel and evil sight. "Divatox?"

She stood up, eyes blazing, but not with rage this time. With something he'd seldom seen before: satisfaction. "Good work, Porto, I'm very pleased."

"And I know just the person to do it for you, my queen!" he told her. "The greatest brainwasher in the universe, I checked into it just as soon as I found out such a thing existed. He's called Tutaris, and I've already sent a message to him. He's ready to brainwash as soon as you wish him to."

Divatox raised her eyebrows; she'd never seen such initiative in her servants before. "Very good, Porto!" she declared. "As soon as I locate the proper human for this plan, then we shall begin."

He bowed eagerly as she pulled her periscope closer to her and once again started to search through Angel Grove. "There has to be someone good enough and strong enough for these powers," she muttered, her attention all focused now on various martial artists. None of them are what I need. NONE of them!

"Uh, Your Majesty?" she growled at the sound of Porto's voice. "Perhaps I might suggest checking out one of the former Rangers? We know those are all skilled fighters."

"Porto!" she lifted her head back to stare at him. "You're reminding me just why I chose you as my science officer! You had an idea!"

"Of course, my queen!" he puffed himself up a bit. "Perhaps one of those two we had on Murianthus? Those were two of the original Rangers!"

Divatox raised an eyebrow, then turned to her periscope. The boy first. Jason, I think his name was. Yes, that was it. I should've done something with him while I had him on the Subcraft... he looked very tasty... perhaps if I choose him as my Green Ranger, I WILL!

"Hey, Jase!" the former Gold and Red Ranger waved to Adam as the Green Turbo Ranger beckoned to him to join him and Tanya at their table in the Youth Center. "Been a while!"

Jason walked over to his friends and grinned. "Sure has. What have you guys been up to?"

Tanya shrugged. "The usual. Hanging out, dating, saving the world, that sorta thing. You know how it goes."

"Oh, boy, do I!" the first leader of the Rangers nodded. "Hey, where's Tommy? Aren't he and Kat usually here hanging all over each other?"

"She broke up with him earlier today," the Yellow Ranger told him softly. "She's been gone ever since, and I think he went to go see David for a while. His brother's been asking him to come out to the reservation every day for the past week."

Jason found himself laughing. "And knowing Tommy, he's been forgetting every day for the past week!"

"I think he'd forget his head if it wasn't attached to him!" Adam said dryly. "I've never seen anyone as forgetful as that boy!"

"Hey, Adam, want to spar some?" Jason asked, getting to his feet. "Been a while since I had a decent workout. Think you're up to it?"

The smaller boy grinned as he got up. "You'll see!" he said as they started for the changing room. Tanya shook her head, muttering 'men' under her breath as she did so. You'd almost expect them to run around with clubs and in animal skins at times.

A few minutes later, she had to admit, though, it was fun to see them sparring with each other. Both of them were fantastic martial artists, and it was a study in beauty to see them move. If it hadn't been for the sudden hand on her shoulder, she probably would've started to drool as she watched both of them, shirtless and sweaty, flipped and kicking and punching all over the gym floor.

"Tanya?" she looked up to see Kat looking back at her, with someone she hadn't seen in months behind her.

"Rocky?!" Tanya practically leaped out of her chair to hug the former Ranger. "Man, we've missed you!"

He laughed. "So I've heard!" he was glad to feel that she wasn't holding anything back with her hug. "What are you looking at over there?"

She had to blush. "Just Adam and Jason doing some sparring, that's all."

Kat looked over, her eyes going somewhat wide at the sight of the two friends jumping every which way. "Oh, my goodness," she whispered. "Oh, my goodness!"

Sweat gleamed off their muscled chests, as he who was known still as "Angel Grove's Finest" and the slender Adam practically danced across the mat in that never ending physical melody of the trained warrior. Kat and Tanya weren't the only ones watching, though. All over the Youth Center, every female over the age of thirteen and under the age of eighty was watching, drooling, and desiring these two.

And one pair of eyes was doing so much more than simply watching. The mind behind them was plotting... when it wasn't simply in awe of the glistening bodies that it was watching.

Rocky couldn't help himself as he quickly slid into the changing room, knowing Kat and Tanya wouldn't notice his absence. They did, however, notice when he joined Adam and Jason on the mat with a karate yell that equaled any he'd ever done before his accident.

"Rocky!?" came from half a dozen throats, mostly those who had known him before he'd sprained his back. "Whoa!"

He didn't bother looking at the crowd, though. His attention was all taken up with Adam and Jason as they adjusted their moves to his arrival, expanding the katas to include him. For a brief moment, he was thrown back to the old days, back years to when he, Adam, and Aisha were the Champion Ninja Team from Stone County. That was when we met Tommy and the guys. That was when EVERYTHING changed for us.

He smiled. It was good to be home.

"Yes!" Divatox screamed at the top of her lungs. "Sweaty guys with no shirts on! Oh, baby!" she moaned in sheer pleasure as she stared through her periscope at the Youth Center gym. As she watched the Rangers, current and former, working out, for one moment the evil pirate queen forgot all about finding herself an evil Green Ranger. Ruthless she might be, power-mad, driven, and desirous of ruling the entire planet, Divatox was also female, and the sight of three men like those three turned her on in many ways!

"Uh, Divatox?" she growled as Rygog tried to get her attention. "I thought you were looking for someone to be your evil Ranger?"

"I am, I am!" she pulled the periscope down and thought for a few moments. I'll have to remember to grab me one of those to play with one day. I think I'd better make my Green Ranger a woman, though, so I'm not tempted to spend all my time rolling around in the bedroom! That girl I captured... Kimberly, that was her name...let me see what she's doing...I think she was with the Red Turbo Ranger last time I saw her...

She poked her periscope up out of a small lake and peered around again. The first thing she saw was Tommy's newfound triplet sister, just walking out of the house. She wore a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, both in green and both showing off a firm muscled figure that could only have been gotten by a lifetime of exercise. Hmmmm... she looks skilled... but is she?

Divatox's eyes flicked momentarily from the girl to her two brothers, and licked her lips a little at the thought of what the two of them probably looked like under those karate gis, then shook her head. "Time for fun later, Di," she reminded herself. "Business now. I've got to find out just how good this Terry is."

"If I may suggest, my queen," Porto offered. "Perhaps some Piranatrons?"

"Shut up, Porto!" she snapped, having conveniently forgotten how he'd discovered a way for her to control her own personal Ranger. "Rygog!"

"Yes, my queen?" the huge mutant jumped to attention. "How may I be of service to you?"

She peered once more through the periscope, and nodded to herself, she would have to strike quickly before they reached the other Rangers. She didn't know if any of these humans knew the Rangers' secret, except for Kimberly, but if they didn't, that would be a distinct tactical advantage. If Tommy can't morph, then he's not going to be able to fight as well. This should be VERY interesting! A flavor of the unknown....

"Take a school of Piranatrons and go attack the Red Ranger and those he's with, as soon as they're someplace very public. I don't want him to be able to morph," she ordered. "You're not to hurt them, very much anyway, especially not the tall girl there. I just want to see how good they all are. Especially the girl."

Rygog bowed low. "Yes, my queen! It shall be as you say!"

Divatox grinned widely to herself as Rygog and the school of Piranatrons vanished. She had the distinct feeling she was going to find herself a Green Ranger in the same bloodline that the first one had come from. She laughed. You talked about the evil Green Ranger's return bringing up bad memories for Tommy, Rita... well, I bet you never thought about using one of his own family members for this! He won't be able to fight at ALL when he finds out who my personal Ranger is! Viva La Diva!

"Took you long enough to get out of the shower!" Tommy teased his sister as they headed down the road back to Angel Grove. "I thought for a while we were going to have to send in the Marines to find you!"

Terry laughed as she tossed her still-damp hair over one shoulder and. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she said in an innocent voice that made them all wonder briefly if she were really related to Adam instead of Tommy! "I was only in there thirty minutes!"

"That was quite long enough," David said dryly. "Hey, I got an idea! When we get to Angel Grove, we can all hit the beach! You do have a bathing suit in those suitcases of yours, don't you, sis?"

Terry nodded, grinning mischievously. "A nice little green two piece you could probably stuff inside of a matchbox. What about you, Kim?"

"Oh, I've got something or other to throw on," Kim said, barely listening as she was involved in yet another searching study of Tommy's face. Terry chuckled.

"Don't you have him memorized by now?"

Kim blushed a deep red, managing to pull her eyes away from her boyfriend for a few moments. "I think so," she said. "What about you, Terry?"

"Huh?" the triplet girl raised her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"When are you going to find some nice guy to stare at for hours on end?" Kim asked. "As long as I've known you, you haven't dated anyone. Why not?"

It was Terry's turn to blush now. "Well...," she demurred. "I really haven't found anyone I like yet. Um, Kim, could we possibly talk about something else with my brothers around?"

"Oh, don't mind us!" David grinned. "Go on, keep talking!"

Terry's eyes went flinty, and her brother quickly backed off. "Um, forget I said anything. Does the beach sound like a good idea to everyone?"

A chorus of 'yeses' sounded from all over the truck. Tommy grinned softly to himself as he headed back to Angel Grove. I've got Kim back. I have a sister. Today's going just great. At last.

Zedd woke up for the second time, this time from the sleep of satisfied sex. He wasn't surprised to find Rita gone, probably still hunting for a way to get back to Divatox for stealing the Green Power Coin. She's just too hooked on having an evil Green Ranger. Oh, well... that's one of those female things I'm better off not getting involved in.

Almost without realizing it, Zedd found himself wandering around the lower reaches of the palace, down to the Caves of Deception. He remembered coming here once before, back when he'd still been human-looking on a regular basis. The form he assumed for his unions with Rita was only a memory of that, really.

He stared at the pedestal of rock where the Zeo Crystal had once rested. He wondered briefly what the Rangers had done with that, it seemed that he'd simply awakened one morning and they'd become the Turbo Rangers, with no hints as to what had happened to the Zeo powers. He shrugged to himself.That's not really a problem. We've still got five of them to deal with. Most likely SIX when they break whatever Divatox does to whoever she picks out to be her Green Ranger. History will repeat itself.

He was getting ready to leave, to return to the main chambers of the palace, when something caused him to stop. He frowned deeply. What's that? I don't remember seeing that when I was here last time. Of course, that WAS about five thousand years ago or more. I don't even remember when it was. Zedd walked over to the small doorway, passing through it almost in a daze.

Deep darkness folded itself around him as he walked through the corridor beyond it, a darkness as deep as that within his own heart. He felt almost as if he were still asleep, but at the same time, felt more awake than he had in he didn't know how long. Slowly, a faint light began to shine ahead of him.

Zedd...the voice whispered in his mind and ears both. Zedd... come back to the light... come back to the light...

"No," he whispered, not sure if it was against his will or not. "I belong to the darkness. To the shadows. To the evil."

You don't. Not inside. Not in your heart. I know this, as no other can. Please, come back to us. Come back to me. I love you.

"Rita?" he knew even as he spoke the name that wasn't who was speaking to him. He stopped in his tracks suddenly, his staff appearing in his hand as a cold rage filled him. "Whoever you are, you are wrong. I am the Lord of Evil, and always have been and will be. Never try to trick me again."

Without another word, he waved his staff and teleported himself back to the throne room. He needed to send a monster to Earth, to attack the Rangers. That would remove these silly feelings that the light and the voice had aroused in him, feelings of good and love and kindness. "Rita!" he bellowed. "Get in here! We need a monster!"

As she rushed in to help him with his plan, she examined him quickly.Whatever that flux in the spell was, it's gone now. He's evil. Through and through. Just the way we want him to be.

Neither of them could sense the faint presence of a force of good in the throne room, which slowly faded away. Once again, Zedd had returned to the darkness.

In the Power Chamber, Dimitria slowly opened her eyes and sighed. The beautiful white-robed mentor to the Power Rangers managed not to weep, though her heart was once more filled with grief. Alpha 6 was looking at her.

"He still didn't take it, did he?" her robotic companion asked. She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Dimitria. I know you really miss him."

"More than you can imagine, Alpha," her voice was quiet and thick with remembrance. "The time is drawing near when he must remember and return to the side of good, however."

"Are you ever going to tell the Rangers about him?" he asked. He wondered how they would take the news if she ever did tell them.

She thought about that for a few moments, then sighed. "I don't know, Alpha. But sooner or later, they must know. Whether I want to tell them or not. It is fate."

A sudden disturbance in the field of magic known as the Morphin Grid pulled her attention away from the roads of the past it was attempting to go down. Her eyes widened as she realized what that particular type of ripple meant. Someone has the Green Morphin Coin again.

"Alpha, scan both the moon palace and the Subcraft," she told him. "Something is very amiss."

"Yo, yo, yo," he muttered, heading to carry out her orders. "What is it, Dimitria?"

"I sense the reactivation of the Green Power Coin," she revealed. "This could be disastrous if it is in the hands of evil."

Alpha, despite not being human, shivered at the thought of another evil Green Ranger. The first one had done a great deal of damage, and only through true luck had Tommy matured and grown into a powerful leader. As the results of the scans came in, if he'd been human, he would've went pale. "Yo, Dimitria, the Green Power Coin readings are showing up in the Subcraft! Divatox has it!"

The sorceress closed her eyes briefly. The power of an evil Ranger, in the hands of Divatox. Especially one who can call upon the mighty DragonZord. I must let the Rangers kno...the alarms broke into her thoughts suddenly. "Dimitria!" Alpha groaned. "Rita and Zedd have sent down a monster! First activity we've seen out of them in months!"

"It is the Labelizer, Alpha," she touched the monster's aura through the ether and trembled at the evil it contained. "It labels everything in sight, and when it labels a human, the label shrinks around them, until they are gone."

"Yo, yo, yo, I'd better call the Rangers!" Alpha declared, heading over to the communication display. Dimitria nodded as she began to observe the monster's predations. Hurry, my children... hurry...

"So this is the Youth Center?" Terry asked, glancing up at the building. "Nice place."

"Yeah, it is," Kim nodded. "Man, it's been a long time since I was here. Everything still the same, Tommy?"

Her boyfriend shook his head. "Not exactly. Ernie moved to South America to build a bridge, and he sold the place to Lieutenant... Detective... ummm....Jerome Stone."

"Oh, wow," Kim frowned. "Weird; I always thought of Ernie as kind of eternal. Like he wasn't ever going to leave or change."

David chuckled. "Everything changes, Kim. Come on, let's go inside."

As they started in, the oldest of the triplets noticed that Terry looked a little reluctant. David laid a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Terry?" he asked when she looked over to him. "You okay? Not too scared?"

"I don't know," she whispered. "David, I've spent years looking for you guys. Now that I've found you... I'm going on to meet your friends. It's... kind of overwhelming in a sense, I guess."

He squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, it's all right. I know what you mean. I felt the same way when I found Tommy. But things are going to be okay. We're together now, sis."

"Yeah," Terry couldn't help but smile, then squared her shoulders and turned to the door. Feeling almost as if she were in a dream, she walked inside, just behind Tommy and Kim. Her eyes flicked from corner to corner of the room, taking it all in.

There were people everywhere. Tables, chairs, booths, a bar with a TV in one corner. A gym set up to one side, with all kinds of exercise machines and a broad set of mats where a beginner's karate class was being held. Terry took a long breath as she looked around. I think I could like it here.

Her inspection, and her gaze, stopped on a pair of deep, warm brown eyes. She swallowed twice, staring at a tall, broad-shouldered and built young man of roughly her own age. His hair was trimmed short, his eyes were tender but held an amount of wisdom and strength no one of their age should have.

And she nearly had heart failure when he got up and started towards them. Tommy looked over at him, and smiled. "Hey, Jason!" he greeted the stranger. "What's going on?"

"Hey, Tommy, Kim, David!" Jason waved at them. "Been a while since I saw you guys! I was about to ask you the same thing!"

Other people were coming over, and Terry found herself pulled over to a table along with them. Names swirled past her, all in a blur as she tried to take it all in. Adam, Tanya, Justin, Kat, Rocky... she wasn't sure if she could deal with all of it at the same time, not with the gorgeous Jason so close to her. Kim asked me if I was ever going to find someone... I think I have! But with my luck he's got a girlfriend! How could someone THAT good-looking NOT have one! Or a dozen!

"So, you're their sister?" she practically jumped to see it was Jason talking to her. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you!"

"It's okay," she responded. "Yeah, I'm their sister. Terry Magee."

"Jason Lee Scott," he introduced himself personally, shaking her hand. "You look kind of nervous, I know sparring usually calms me down, and Tommy said you study martial arts?"

Terry nodded. "Yeah. You do too?"

"Yeah," he stood up, holding his hand out to her. "Want to spar a little? Might help you feel a bit better," he smiled as she took his hand and stood up, heading outside quickly to grab her gi before going over to the changing room he showed her to.

"Hey, Tommy," David smiled as he gestured to Terry and Jason sparring on the gym floor. "Something tells me Terry's going to fit in fine around here."

The Red Ranger smiled gently. "Good," he was about to go watch them closer, when an all-too familiar six toned beep sounded. He sighed and glanced over to the others. "We gotta go, guys. David, would you give Terry a raincheck on that beach visit? With our luck, this is going to take quite a while."

His brother nodded as Tommy, Justin, Kat, Tanya, and Adam made their way to their usual teleportation spot, and vanished in the corresponding colors of light. I almost wish I could do that myself. That's GOT to be a strange job.

"David?" he looked up to see Terry and Jason just next to him. "Where'd everyone go?" Jason continued.

David's eyes flicked briefly down to his wrist, knowing Jason would understand the silent message. Out loud, he only said, "They had to go, something came up. Tommy said we'd head to the beach later, asked for a raincheck."

"Sure," she shrugged, sitting down next to her brother and nodding to Rocky. "I know things happen."

"So," the former Blue Zeo Ranger asked, "What do you think of Angel Grove so far?"

Terry shrugged again. "Not bad. I've traveled a lot the past few years, and this is honestly the best place I've seen so far. And not just because my brothers live here."

David and Rocky exchanged brief glances, noticing the way Terry and Jason looked at each other every now and then. "I wonder why that is?" David said blandly. Terry didn't even seem to notice his question, far too absorbed in the soda Jason had just bought from her.

Strangely, or perhaps not considering, they didn't notice the small periscope peering up from a drink on a neighboring table.

"Rygog!" Divatox's voice ripped through the Subcraft. "Why haven't you left yet!? I told you to go attack those kids as soon as they were in some public place! They're at that Youth Center right now, the Rangers aren't even there, what are you waiting for, a personal invitation?"

The monster bowed low several times over. "I'm sorry, my queen, I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, I already knew that!" Divatox growled as she snapped up some Piranatrons. "Take these and go attack like I said! And don't come back without a decent estimate of that girl's fighting ability! Or else!"

As her servants vanished, the pirate sat back down and pulled her periscope back over to her. With an evil smile she looked through it and saw the Red Ranger's brother and sister, as well as three former Rangers, seated about a table. Her covetous cold heart grew jealous as she saw the looks the girl was giving to that ex-Ranger Jason. How come SHE gets to fall in love and all I get is dumped at the altar? It's just not FAIR!

She uttered a soft laugh. "Well, you won't be in love much longer if you're half as good as I think you're going to be. Quite soon, you're going to be just as evil, sick, and twisted as I am: possibly more so!"

"Okay, Dimitria, what's Divatox up to this time?" Tommy asked as he and the other Rangers became solid. He wanted this fight over and done with! "I've just met my sister, and I want to get back to knowing her as fast as possible!"

"Congratulations on meeting Terry, Tommy," his mentor said softly. "When I have completed a project of my own I am working on, I wish to speak with you about her and David both. But for now, we have trouble."

Kat nodded. "What's going on?"

"It is not Divatox we face this time, Rangers, but rather your old familiar foes of Rita and Zedd. They have created the Labelizer monster and it is labeling everything in sight," she gestured to the monitors as the Rangers turned to look at them. They all shivered to see a typical huge and hideous monster shooting labels out of it's hands at people and objects all over town. Whenever a label landed on something alive, it wrapped and shrunk around the thing in question, shrinking them down to the size of a toy and holding them where they were. "Only the destruction of the monster shall permit these people to return to their full size, Rangers. You must hurry!"

The Rangers nodded as Tommy pulled out his Turbo Key. "Shift into Turbo!" he shouted.

"Mountain Blaster Turbo Power!"

"Desert Thunder Turbo Power!"

"Dune Star Turbo Power!"

"Wind Chaser Turbo Power!"

"Red Lightning Turbo Power!"

Within moments, the five of them had teleported out of the Power Chamber and were in the middle of downtown Angel Grove, where the monster was busy labeling everything in sight. "Oh, man, we'd better get this thing taken care before it starts labeling us!" Tommy declared. "Rita and Zedd are going to regret going back into the monster-making business!"

"Let's do it!" Adam snapped, running towards the creature as it labeled a park bench, once the two people who'd been sitting on it had been labeled out of existence. "And fast!" before there's nothing of Angel Grove left but a label factory!

It was a quiet, peaceful day at the Angel Grove Youth Center. Every day was like that, even when the battles raged outside. The last excitement that place had seen had been when Master Vile had held his end of the world party there, and that had been broken up by the Power Rangers. Oh, sure, there were martial arts exhibitions, concerts, all manner of things like that... but nothing really... exciting... happened.

Terry was liking it just fine that way, too. She'd had more than enough that day just meeting Tommy and all of his friends. Especially Jason. Never in her life had she fallen for someone like this. She'd had the occasional crush, even a boyfriend once or twice in her years of wandering. But never had she cared about someone as she did Jason. She knew it wasn't rational, she'd only met him that day. But for some reason, she felt perfectly willing to throw logic and rationality out the door.

"Did Tommy and the others have any idea when they'd be back?" Jason asked, more for Terry's benefit than anything else. Rocky shook his head.

"Nope, no clue," he replied. He suddenly went pale as a dozen shapes suddenly leapt up with a sound as of water falling. "Guys, trouble!" he snapped the words out as he would have in the old days when he was a Ranger. Kim, Jason, David, and Terry were on their feet, staring with wide eyes at the Piranatrons coming towards them.

Terry shivered at the sight of the mutant in the lead, as Rygog stalked towards them. "What is that!?" she wondered.

Rocky ducked under a swinging fist and told her, "Piranatrons! They're the foot soldiers of the local insane lunatic, Divatox!"

Kim nodded as she backflipped, kicking one of them in the face as she did so. "And the big one is Rygog!" she hoped Terry wasn't going to ask just how they knew all that, but a quick look showed her that the girl and her brother were both too involved in fighting off the monsters to really notice just who was saying what at the moment.

Terry and David were fighting back to back, punching, kicking, sweeping, swinging, and moving almost in unison, as if they'd trained for this every day of their lives. Almost everyone else had cleared out of the Youth Center when the Pirantrons had invaded, and Jerome Stone had joined in the fight, swinging a baseball bat he kept under the bar.

"You mutants get outta my place!" he screamed, smashing a Piranatron upside the head and causing it to collapse in a tiny shower of bubbles. "Yeah! This is like being back on the force!"

"Divatox is going to rule your world, puny humans!" Rygog hissed, swinging his sword at Jason. The former Ranger moved back quickly to avoid the blade, then slammed his elbow into Rygog's general stomach region.

Jason laughed, "You've got to be kidding! Divatox couldn't rule a fishpond, much less Earth!" he growled as the monster grabbed him by an arm and tried to throw him into a wall.

Tried, because a blur of green was there, knocking Rygog away from him and taking up a quick protective stance. "Leave him alone!" Terry shouted. "Pick on someone your own size, you monster!"

Rygog growled, quickly getting back up to his feet and glaring at the young girl. "Like you, pip-squeak?" he hissed. "Don't start something you can't finish, little girl!"

"Who are you calling little, airhead?" Terry challenged, ducking under the blade then grabbing it quickly and pulling it out of his hands. "And believe me, anything I start, I am fully capable of finishing!"

Jason couldn't believe his ears, and couldn't help but smile as he saw Terry facing the mutant down with his own blade. "I think you're the one who's bitten off more than he can handle, Rygog!" he told him. "And I think you'd better get out of here!"

Divatox's servant snapped out something incredibly nasty to Terry and Jason both, something they knew they were better off not hearing. He moved forward quickly, grabbing his sword back from Terry. "I'll see you again, human!" Rygog promised. "I promise you, this is not over with yet!"

In a flash of fire, he and all the Piranatrons that hadn't already been beaten down by the small force vanished. Jerome leaned against a table for a moment, catching his breath, and looked at the others. "Everyone okay?" he asked. At the varied nods, he grinned and shoved his baseball bat back under the counter. Seeing the look in the teenagers' eyes, he shrugged. "Even in Angel Grove, a person has to be prepared. Or should that be especially in Angel Grove?"

As he went to call everyone else back into the Youth Center, David and Jason both turned to Terry. "Are you okay?" two voices asked together. Kim chuckled, shaking her head. Oh, yeah, Jason's got it bad for her! And she's nuts over him!

"Yes, I'm fine," Terry smiled at the concern the two of them held for her. "Very fine, indeed. I haven't had that much fun in a long time, actually!"

"You call that fun?" Rocky stared at her. "Are you nuts?"

Terry giggled. "Rocky, I don't know about you, but I didn't grow up in Angel Grove. I don't fight monsters as an every day occurrence. This was a first for me, and I enjoyed every minute of it."It was the first time in my life I've ever fought to protect other people, not just myself. I LOVED it!

Rocky shook his head and sat back down as people slowly returned to the establishment. "Terry, you're just like your brothers," he grinned. "You're totally nuts."

"I know," Terry giggled. "Fun, isn't it?"

Rita watched, growling under her breath, as the Rangers swung their blade through the Labelizer, destroying it. "This was your bright idea, Zedd!" she hissed, glaring at him. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Her husband only shrugged; he'd lost his enthusiasm for the plan shortly after sending the monster. All he really wanted to do now was sleep. "I'm taking a nap," he started towards their bedroom. "Keep the noise down out here, too!"

"You're going to sleep?" Rita wailed. "What about the Rangers? What about Divatox? What about our new evil Green Ranger!?"

Zedd glared at her for a moment. "Those are all your plans, Rita. I'm going to take a nap, and then I'll have my own. Now, keep quiet!"

As he stomped away, Rita's eyes blazed with fury. "I won't have this," she muttered. "Something is weakening my spell on him, and I will not permit this to happen!"

She stormed away to her spellroom; she'd been saving something for this very occasion, though she'd hoped she'd never have to use it. "Zedd," she said half to herself, half to him, even knowing he wouldn't hear her. "You brought this on yourself."

In a very short amount of time, blackness filled her spellroom, shadows split only by four tiny points of candlelight. Rita's face glowed a hideous green as she gazed into a book in front of her. With a voice devoid of all emotion, she chanted solemnly words of great and evil power. She kept all of her thoughts focused one thing and only one thing: the summoning she was attempting.

No mage of evil that Rita knew of had ever attempted something like this before. Not that it really mattered to her, she had never really cared if someone had beaten her to something or not. What she was interested in right now was a successful summoning.

Over and over she repeated the spell, concentrating with all her might. She knew Goldar and Finster had to be wondering what she was doing, but both of them would leave her alone, or else. Her brother didn't have to sense to wonder, but he also would leave her be. She chanted repeatedly, forcing her mind into darker and more evil places as she did so.

Then it happened. A sudden column of pure black smoke appeared in front of her. Eyes formed out of it, and a voice that sounded like all that was evil and twisted in the universe spoke. "Why have you summoned me, Rita Repulsa?"

"My husband, Lord Zedd, is growing weak," she said, her voice shaking a little from the strength of the spellcasting. "I gave him a love potion to cause him to marry me and gain control of his empire, but it was neutralized. I believed for a time he truly cared for me, but that has ended, and the spells I have been casting to keep his will under my control have been losing effect. I need your help to keep him on the side of evil."

The smoke-demon seemed to nod, as much as a thing without a head could. "And what do you offer me for this?" it asked. "What shall be my prize for this?"

She was lucky she'd thought of this long in advance. "Within one turning of the moon of Earth we dwell on, I will bring to you a purer human soul than you have ever imagined possible. That will be your payment."

"A pure human soul," the demon considered. "The purest of souls. It is a precious thing, a great thing. But it is not enough."

Rita's eyes widened. "What more do you want?"

"Three souls!" it countered. "Three souls: the soul of a warrior, the soul of a mystic, and the soul that loves them both. Each to be as pure as driven snow. Within the space of one human month, four human weeks, I will have these souls or I shall release Zedd from what I shall do to him: and I will claim you as my prize and payment, Rita Repulsa. Is this understood?"

A warrior, a mystic, and someone who loves both of them. Where am I supposed to find all THAT, and have them ALL be pure souls as well? Well, I've got a week to find them! Probably those Rangers will have someone in their ranks that I can use. I'll just have to search a bit. And it will be well worth it.

She looked at the smoke-demon, and nodded. "Agreed. We have a bargain."

"Very well," that which she had summoned seemed to thin out a trifle. "And now... to business!"

Rita found herself drawn after the thing as it wafted out of the spellroom and down to their personal chambers. They entered the bedroom, where Zedd lay tossing and turning in a most unquiet sleep. Rita could easily see the weakening of the spells that she'd placed on him, and shivered.I did this at just the right time, another day or less, and he would've broken them all.

Her jaw dropped, however, when her summoned companion hovered over Zedd for a moment, and then plunged deep inside of him. Zedd sat up straight, flickering to his human form briefly, and screaming with all his might. "Nooooooooo!" was all he had time to say before the thing now inside of him took total control, reverting him back to his monstrous body. His red visor turned to the deepest shade of black possible, as his silvery exoskeleton transformed into one of onyx. "I am Lord Zedd, Emperor of all I survey," he grated, and Rita flinched, even as she had the first time she had heard those words. "And there is much work that needs doing. The Power Rangers must be defeated, and the simplest method for that is the retrieval of the Green Power Coin and the creation of an evil Green Ranger."

Rita bowed low, trembling at what she had unleashed. "How shall we do that, mighty Lord Zedd?" it was best to refer to this thing as it had referred to itself. Better safe than sorry, she believed!

"We shall permit Divatox to keep the Coin for now," he declared. "She does have a good eye for warriors, and we have enough to do setting this place back into true order."

He got to his feet, flexing his body as if to see just how it worked. "Very fine indeed," he muttered. "And with the power of three pure souls added in one moon's time, very, very powerful indeed."

Rita stepped back as he threw a glare at her. "Remember: should you fail in your task, the punishment for it will be most dire. And beyond the greatest imaginings you have for pain as well."

As they walked towards the throne room, Rita found herself wondering if she had done the right thing by calling this creature up and permitting it to take over Zedd's body. Surely just letting him slip away from evil couldn't possibly have been worse than having to live with this thing? She shook her head suddenly.What am I thinking? I have served the side of evil faithfully and well since I was born, I will NOT let my husband, no matter how sneakily I wed him, dwindle into one of those stupid do-gooders! This is the right thing to have done, the ONLY thing I could've done to save us all! The forces of evil WILL win the day!

When the 'new' Lord Zedd entered the Chamber of Command, the entire room turned pitch black, lit only by two smoky torches that appeared on the back of the throne. They glowed red instead of yellow, as normal torches would have, and gave off a foul stench as well as light. Lord Zedd took his throne, and gestured to Rita to sit beside him.

"And I believe you shall not speak of what we have done this day, my dear wife," he purred, his voice low and beguiling. "For if you utter a word to any other in the universe about what now lives in this body, then the perils I promise you should you fail to live up to our bargain will seem pleasant."

Rita couldn't stop a shiver as Zedd materialized his staff in one hand. She had the intense feeling that things were about to get a lot scarier around here.

And she wasn't all that certain she liked it.

Divatox closed her eyes in thought, as Rygog limped back home to nurse his wounds, both physical and to his pride. She's strong, she's quick, she thinks on her feet, and she's got an attitude. The attitude I could do without, but I think I can change that when I make her my slave. Yes, I do believe I have found the one I've been looking for.

"My queen," Rygog called her and she glanced up at him, gesturing to give him permission to speak. "I want that silly human! She's disgraced me! She threatened me with my own weapon!"

"I know, I saw!" Divatox laughed. "And did it so easily, too!" at the look in his eyes, she waved a hand. "Don't worry about it, Rygog, she's going to pay for that. She's the one I've decided on to be my evil Green Ranger."

She could see the glint in his eyes at that. "Let me be the one to break her!" he begged. "I want to make her suffer for challenging me like she did! Please, my queen, I beg of you!"

"No!" she snapped. "I've already got plans made for how I'm going to turn her to evil, but that will wait. When the time is right, I want you to go back to Angel Grove and take her captive."

Rygog nodded, bowing. "When do you want me to do this, my queen?"

"I'll let you know!" she snapped. "Porto!" as the scientist popped up next to her, she continued, "Research this Teresa Magee thoroughly. I want to know everything about her, every last little detail, every secret she's ever had in her life. I want to know it all. And have your brainwashing friend ready at a moment's notice. Do you both understand!?"

Porto and Rygog both prostrated themselves in front of her quickly. "As you say, my queen!" they chorused. "All at your command!"

"Yes, yes, yes, I know," she sat back down, pulling the periscope closer to her. "Now get to work! I've got some personal things to do!" she declared. As they popped off to work, Divatox licked her lips and peered through the periscope, watching the one who would be her evil Ranger in time. What secrets do you hide, my dear? No matter... soon enough, they will all be mine to control. As will you. Enjoy your time with your brothers. For soon, you shall be fighting against them, as the reborn evil Green Ranger!

"Whew!" Tanya shook her head as she demorphed in the Power Chamber. "Another day, another monster, down the tubes! Good thing Rita and Zedd don't work with Divatox, we could have real trouble then!"

Kat winced briefly. "Don't give them any ideas," she said. "You never know, they just might try that!"

"Let's hope they don't then," Justin eased himself against a console and looked up at Dimitria. "Is there anything else we have to take care of? I've got a history test I really need to study for."

Adam looked over at the young genius, "Need any help? History was always my best subject."

Dimitria closed her eyes briefly, and sighed. If I could only tell you..."No, Rangers. Rita and Zedd appear to be going dormant once more in the ways of evil, and Divatox is deep in the throes of some new evil plan."

"A new evil plan?" Tommy was on his feet at once, looking up at her. "What do you know about it? What can we do?" he frowned deeply when Dimitria didn't respond to him and was about to say something harsh when he was cut off.

"Yo, yo, yo, Tommy!" Alpha shook his head, coming over to the Red Ranger. "Dimitria's not like that, you know she only tells you things when it's necessary you know them!"

"Correct, Alpha," Dimitria replied. "Rangers, there is nothing that can be done at this moment about Divatox's plan. When something can be done, then believe me, it shall be. In the meantime, return to your daily lives. Tommy, I believe you have a sister that ne----"

The alarms suddenly cut into what she was saying, and Alpha and Justin both leaped to the controls. "Guys, we've got trouble again!" the Blue Ranger sighed. "Looks like you spoke too soon, Dimitria. Whatever else Divatox is up to, she's got a patrol of Piranatrons trashing downtown Angel Grove!"

The Rangers got slowly to their feet. "Let's do it," Adam sighed. Tommy nodded.

"Back to action!" crackled through the Power Chamber as the five of them teleported away. Alpha Six looked up at Dimitria. "Why didn't you tell them that the Piranatrons attacked the Youth Center while they were fighting Rita and Zedd's monster?" he asked.

"It would have accomplished nothing," she told him. "And their friends will inform them of this when they arrive. There was no danger, the former Rangers and Tommy's family had things well in hand."

Alpha could only shrug, then took a look at the monitors. One was showing the Rangers as they kicked the Piranatrons around the downtown section, while a second kept an eye on the non-Ranger teens as they awaited the return of their friends. A third was showing the Lunar Palace, as much as they could of it, while a fourth probed for Divatox's Subcraft. Everything seemed to be in order, and the little robot absorbed himself in checking over the instruments, while Dimitria delved into her thoughts.

Something has happened to Zedd, she mused, touching again and again the twisted thing that was his aura now. She shivered, glad that whatever it was that had infected him could not sense the feather-light touch she was placing there every now and then. Something most hideous. What have you done to him, Rita? Your spell-signature is written all through this.

She sighed deeply. Much to be done. Divatox is active, Rita and Zedd are active once more. Something VERY strange is going on, I can sense it all around. I fear a time of change beyond all else is coming onto the Rangers. And this change might not be for the best.

Terry was exhausted by the time the Rangers trudged their way back into the Youth Center. She hardly even looked up when Tommy waved at her, too busy splitting her face apart with a massive yawn. "Terry?"

"Oh, hi, Tommy," she smiled at her brother. "You guys... do whatever it was you had to do?"

"Yeah," he sat down next to her, brushing Kim's lips gently with a kiss as he did so. "Everything's all taken care of. Sorry about not being able to get to the beach today. Think we can swing it tomorrow?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, I was thinking of going job and apartment hunting. I have no intentions of sponging off David forever, especially since his dad's not going to be gone forever. I'd like to make a good impression on him, and on your parents when I meet them."

He agreed with her. "Good idea. Hey, if you can't find anything else, I think we might need some help at the dojo, what do you think, Rocky?"

His partner nodded briefly, "Yeah, I think one of the other instructors is going to be leaving soon, and you're more than good enough to teach, Terry. If you want to, that is."

"Maybe," she nodded, getting to her feet. "I really need to get to sleep, though."

Tommy joined her. "I'll give you two a ride back to the reservation," he said. "I sort of have to, considering I'm the one who drove you down here."

David grinned merrily, "I'm getting as forgetful as you!" he laughed. "I should've remembered to bring my car instead!"

"See you tomorrow, Terry," Jason bid her as the triplets started out. She smiled, hardly noticing as Kim rushed by her at warp speed to plant a farewell kiss on Tommy.

"Yeah," she nodded. "See you tomorrow." Oh, I think I'm in love!

"I'm glad you finally made it, Tommy!" David said as their brother stopped outside his house. "It wasn't easy trying to keep both Terry and Kim a secret from you, but they insisted that I do it!"

The Red Ranger laughed a little, as Terry waved good night to them and went on inside. He lowered his voice quickly, "How did she take us vanishing like we did?"

David shrugged. "Very well, I thought. Are you going to tell her about you and the others?" he glanced towards his brother's communicator meaningfully.

"I'd rather not," Tommy shook his head. "I don't want her to get caught up in any of Divatox's schemes."

"It might be too late for that," David remembered. He quickly told him about the attack at the Youth Center, and Terry's near-challenge of Rygog.

"Looks like some things run in the family," Tommy sighed. "Rygog's not exactly the brightest thing in the universe, but we'll keep an eye out."

David's lips quirked. "You might not have to. I think Terry could take the jerk if you gave her a chance. She certainly looked ready to when he attacked Jason."

"Well," Tommy raised an eyebrow. "You think she likes him?"

"I can't say for sure. But I wouldn't be surprised, and I think it's mutual," David declared. "And I think it's a very good thing if they became a couple. Something tells me Terry hasn't had as much love in her life as she needs."

Tommy nodded. "You got the same feeling, huh? I wonder what she hasn't told us yet: and why not," he practically winced at the look his brother gave him.

"Tommy, she just met you today and me a week ago. Why should she tell us too much right away? Give her some time to get to know us, and to get comfortable here in Angel Grove. I'm sure she'll tell us whatever it is she might have to in time."

"Yeah, you're right," the Red Ranger nodded. "Okay, I'd better get back home myself, Kim and I have a date for tomorrow."

"First date in a year," David congratulated him. "You guys be good now!"

Tommy blushed almost the same deep red as his shirt, and David only chuckled as he waved good-bye and headed inside. The youngest of the triplets grinned to himself and started back home. Today had wound up being a better day than he'd had any right to imagine.

Kim. Terry. Except for that monster, it was all right. To say the least. I just hope Divatox, Rita, and Zedd will let me get to know my sister and enjoy some time with Kim.

"Sire?" Goldar almost trembled when he saw the new improved Lord Zedd seated on his throne, with Rita a silent {for once} presence next to him. "Sire, you look... different!"

Rito blinked at his brother-in-law and shook his head. "Whoa, Ed, what did you do to yourself? You look all buffed up!"

Zedd ignored the idiot, and focused his attention first on the Tengas gathering behind Goldar. "You are not worthy to fight the Rangers as you are," he declared to the winged creatures. "You must be... improved.

The Tengas trembled a little as he raised his staff and pointed it at them. "Oh, don't be such wimps!" he commanded, his voice shaking the very palace. A blast of black lightning emerged from the tip of his staff and enveloped the warriors, blinding them to all sight and sound for a few moments. When they could be seen again, there was a definite change.

They had gained at least two feet in height, with correspondingly more muscles and a fiendish glow to their eyes. "Thank you, Lord Zedd," the chief Tenga declared, speaking clearly and without squawking incoherently for the first time. "We are now Super-Tengas, at your command, master."

Zedd nodded. "I will have a use for you briefly. For now, go clean up your quarters, they're a disgrace to the cause of evil."

The Tengas turned, and in perfect order, marched out of the throne room. Rito scratched his head in confusion. "Uh, how'd you do that, Ed?"

Once again he found himself ignored, as Zedd's gaze fell next upon Finster. The little inventor trembled at the look bent on him, wondering briefly if this was going to be the end of him now. Whatever had happened to Zedd, it didn't look as if he would be needed anymore. "Finster," Zedd grated. "You have served well for a good many centuries. Very soon, we shall require you once again, to recreate something lost some years ago. But there is one thing you must have first."

Goldar did shiver as Zedd looked at him next. "Goldar," Lord Zedd spoke. "You are to go to the planet of Tikaris and gain a quantity of ultra-steel from the mines there."

"Ultra... ultra-steel?" Goldar stuttered. "What for?"

Zedd's eyes blazed brightly, as the simian warrior backed up. "Do you want to question my will, Goldar?" he hissed. At Goldar's hurried shaking of the head, he nodded. "Good. You are to leave at once. Do not return without twenty pounds of ultra-steel. Your life and sanity depend on it, understood?"

Goldar's only reply was a shaky bow, and then he leaped off the balcony, flying as fast as he could towards the planet Tikaris. Zedd nodded to himself in approval, then looked back to Finster. "You are going to reforge a great blade, Finster," he said. "And once Divatox has done us the favor of choosing a new evil Green Ranger, we shall make that one our own."

"A sword?" Rita asked quietly. "What sort of sword?"

Zedd looked at her, a cold and cruel smile showing under his new black faceplate. "Why, Rita... if we are going to have an evil Green Ranger, then should it not stand to reason that we also have what kept the first under your power in the beginning?"

Her eyes widened, first with shock, then lit up with a sort of hideous joy. "You're going to reforge the Sword of Darkness!" she whispered. Then something else occurred to her. "But all that would be required would be for the Rangers to destroy that as they did the first one, and the history repeats itself all over again!"

Zedd shook his head. "This Sword shall be somewhat... different... you will see, my dear Rita. You shall see, indeed!"

Laughter beyond evil sounded in the depths of the lunar night, as Lord Zedd rejoiced at his plan. Ah, yes, the forces of evil were going to win at last!

"Terry!" David waved the next morning as he came into the Youth Center to see his sister sitting rather dejectedly at the bar. "Hey, is something wrong?" she'd come to town that day searching for a job and a place to stay, and from the look of her, things hadn't gone very well.

"No, not really," she sighed. He wasn't so sure he believed her, though, and said so. She glanced over at him. "Tommy was here earlier," she said at last. "Then out of nowhere, he just up and run off. I don't know where he went or why. He just... left."

Must have been that monster attack I heard of on the news,David thought.Just great. "I'm sure it's nothing," he waved her fears away. "I'm sure he'll be back any second!"

Terry nodded, then perked up a little as Jason came over to them. "Hey, David!" he smiled. "Hi, Terry! How's the job-hunting going?"

"I think I'm going to take that job with Rocky and Tommy," she said, glancing over a newspaper in front of her. "There doesn't seem to be much else that I can do here."

"Sounds like a good idea," Jason agreed. "I thought about joining with them, but I like it here better."

"You work here?" Terry looked at him. "I somehow didn't imagine you as the waiter type, really."

Jason chuckled and shook his head. "No, I teach martial arts. There's enough distance between their school and here so we don't interfere with each other, and we offer advice on occasion as well."

"Cool," Terry looked up as Tommy and the other Rangers came back in, and smiled. "Hi, Tommy!" there was only a slight strain on her face as her brother came over to them.

"Hey, guys," he nodded. "Sorry I had to run like that, Terry, but something really urgent came up that I had to take care of. Have you thought about that job at the dojo yet?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think I'll take it, if the offer's still open."

"You know it is, sis," Tommy grinned at her. "You can start tomorrow."

"Thanks."

Kim sort of wrapped herself around Tommy as he stood next to Terry and smiled at her. "Hey, you want to go shopping?" the gymnast asked her friend. "I know you could probably use some new clothes. I haven't seen you buy anything in a year!"

"I don't have much money," Terry admitted. "I blew almost everything I had on the plane ticket here."

Kim shrugged. "Then you can watch me shop. I'm really good at it," she grinned. "And if you see something you like that you can afford, go for it."

Terry protested tokenly for a few more moments, then finally gave in. She glanced over at Tommy for a moment. "You coming?" she asked casually, hoping he would. I'd really like him to come, if Kim doesn't mind, which I doubt she will.

"Sure," Tommy nodded, then his shoulders slumped as something beeped. "Oh, man! I can't! That's my watch alarm, I've... got a doctor's appointment today. Nothing major, just my yearly checkup, but I'd better not miss it."

Terry sighed and nodded, as Kim gave him a quick kiss and whispered something in his ear before he dashed out of the Youth Center. "Kim," she said, looking at her friend. "Did I do something to Tommy? I... think he's avoiding me all of a sudden."

"Oh, no, that's not it at all!" Kim shook her head. "He just doesn't have the best memory and sometimes he'll remember things at the oddest times. He adores you, trust me!"

"Yeah, I guess," Terry got to her feet. "Now, did someone mention... shopping? And since my one brother bailed out on us, I think we're going to have to recruit my other one... and others," her eyes fell on David, Rocky, and Jason as they stood there. Kim's lips quirked.

"I like the way you think!" she declared. "Come on, boys!"

The look the three guys gave each other said plainly they envied Tommy at that moment.

Kim might have told Terry that her brother wasn't ignoring her, but as the next week passed, and every time it seemed like they were going to have the chance to spend some time together and get to know each other, something happened to stop it. Terry accepted Tommy's excuses each time, that he had to get his truck checked out, that he was late for something or other...

But she began to wonder if he were avoiding her, since these things never seemed to come up when it was just David or Kim around. She was working at the dojo now, and every now and then she would hear Kim coming in to talk to Tommy, and the two of them would sail off on a date somewhere together, which always seemed to go perfectly.

Despite all that, romance, if nothing else, was going along very well all over. Tommy and Kim were a couple so tight you couldn't even see air through them, as were Adam and Tanya. Kat and Rocky were dating on a regular basis. Jason hadn't asked Terry out yet formally, but he had begun to make it a habit to show up every day after work to drive her back to the small apartment over the Youth Center she'd rented her third day in Angel Grove.

Divatox watched all this with a dark and evil glee; she was timing her attacks just perfectly. With her ability to spy on the Rangers just about anywhere, she was able to learn that the female triplet had no idea of Tommy's secret identity, and that the Rangers weren't going to be telling her, either. That fit just right into the evil pirate queen's plot, she was able to attack in just the right times and places so she could draw Tommy from plans he made with his sister.

"And now she's starting to think he doesn't like her," the queen laughed softly. "And very soon, everything will be in place. I need just one more event to totally sever her... now what shall it be?" she mused for a few moments, then smiled. "I know just the thing. Rygog, Elgar, Porto!"

As her three minions popped up, she found herself wishing she had her evil Ranger already. This Terry MUST be more interesting to talk to than these jerks! She's at least more intelligent...then again, who wouldn't be? "I have a three-pronged attack planned and ready to go, that is going to give me my evil Green Ranger!"

"What shall we do, my queen?" Rygog asked, while Elgar slowly worked at picking some meat from between his teeth.

"It's very simple, so even you should be able to understand it," she told them. But I doubt it. "First, you, Elgar, will take some Piranatrons and my latest monster, the Feline Fury, to Angel Grove to lure the Rangers away when I give the word. You are to keep them occupied as long as possible. Understood?"

"Uh, yeah, Auntie Di!" Elgar nodded, and Divatox's attention turned next to Porto.

"While he's doing that, I want you to take more Piranatrons and attack downtown Angel Grove. If I know Dimitria, she'll call those former Rangers in to deal with this, since they've proven they can handle my Piranatrons on their own," she chuckled a little. "But she won't call in that little Terry, because she doesn't know the secret of the Rangers. That will leave her all on her own, and thinking that no one here really cares about her."

Rygog laughed shortly. "What do I do, my queen?" he hoped it was what he wanted it to be. He'd been longing for a chance at that girl again!

"Well, Rygog," Divatox stood up, a wicked grin on her face. "You're going to get what you want. While Terry Magee is alone, you are to capture her and bring her here. And she is not to be harmed, I require her services, and I can't do that if she's all bruised up."

"Your Majesty!" Rygog protested a little. "I want to hurt her!"

Divatox shook her head. "Some other time, Rygog. My plan is more important than your wounded pride!"

The mutant sighed somewhat, knowing what would happen if Divatox even thought he'd betray her in the slightest sense. "Yes, my queen," he agreed. "I will bring her to you unharmed in the slightest physical way." Though I WILL do all I can to hurt her pride as she did mine!

Divatox nodded her approval. "Good. When I give the orders, I want to see you all out of here!" they bowed over and over to her, then hurried out as she once more pulled the periscope over to her. "Now back to business," she muttered, peering through. Watching hot looking males in the shower!

She licked her lips, enjoying the show as Tommy, David, Rocky, Adam, and Jason cleaned up after a rough workout session

I've really got to pick up one of those for myself, she thought as she watched the water sluicing down over five naked bodies. Oh, that's cute... Adam has a little birthmark on his left shoulder. Nice muscles down there too... ohhhh... imagine that! Rocky has a tattoo on his butt! What possible reason could he have for having a red ape there? Tommy's even more muscular than I thought... and I wonder if my Green Ranger to be knows about THAT particular scar on Jason? I wonder how he got it...

"You think Terry's mad at me?" Tommy asked as he and Kim walked into the Youth Center. Kim frowned for a moment, her forehead wrinkling up cutely he noticed.

"I'm not sure if 'mad' is the right word," she said finally. "But every time you guys try and do something as a family, that blasted communicator goes off and you've got to go save the world, and she doesn't know why. I'd say it seems to her like you're avoiding her."

Tommy thought it over for a moment, then nodded. "I'd say so. I think... " he paused, wondering if what he was thinking was the right thing to do. There had been so many attacks lately, and with just the wrong timing it seemed...

"You think what?" David's voice broke into his thoughts. "What's going on in that mind of yours, little bro?"

Tommy didn't answer right away, glancing around first to see if he could see Terry anywhere. When he couldn't, he continued, "I want to talk to Dimitria about telling Terry who we are. The Rangers. I'm tired of having to bug out every time there's a fight, and I can't tell her anything!"

"Better calm it down a bit, bro," David whispered as they entered. "Terry's in here."

Tommy nodded, quickly changing the subject. Terry was looking dead at them when they entered the main room of the Youth Center, and all of them almost flinched back from the look of rage that shone momentarily in her eyes. "Oh, yeah, she's mad," Tommy whispered softly. "I have definitely got to talk to Dimitria."

Terry could see him whispering something to Kim, and looking at her as she did it. I don't believe this! At the LEAST he could TELL me he doesn't like me so I could leave! This is his town, I don't have a place here, as much as I try to. I've found my brothers, that was my goal, now that I've done that, I should just leave... start wandering again...

"Hey, Terry!" Tommy waved in his usual friendly fashion as they joined her at the table. "What's going on, I haven't seen you lately!"

Of course you haven't, every time we try and get together, you've been running out within five minutes! "I know," she nodded, trying to maintain at least the polite fiction. She did like her brother, she was on the verge of loving him, but this was truly getting on her nerves. She smiled at him, hoping one last time that today they'd have some uninterrupted time together.

When five minutes later, Tommy was still there, and they were still chatting companionably, Terry began to have the faint hope that maybe, just maybe, she had been wrong.

"So, that's how Tommy and I met," David finished up the tale of Tommy's vision quest, and how that had reunited the two of them. "But we had no idea then we were going to find you one day!"

Terry nodded, and opened her mouth when a sudden beeping sounded. She sighed; she'd heard it before and the same thing always happened. Tommy had told her it was his watch alarm, and whenever it went off, he would have to go somewhere. As she looked at him, she saw the apology in his eyes and on his lips, and waved a hand. "No, you go do whatever it is you have to do this time. I'll see you later."

And now all his friends get up and go with him, at least Kat, Adam, Tanya, and Justin. Geez, you'd think the five of them were attached at the hip or something. Every time that watch alarm of his goes off, whichever of them is there with him goes off with him! She could hear them leaving as she shut her eyes, and sighed. At least everyone else stays here. Rocky, David, Kim... Jason... oh, Jason....

"I'm hungry!" Kim declared suddenly. "Who's up for some food? Rocky, don't you say a word, I know how you are! And I do have enough for everyone, including you, so let's go!"

Terry didn't move, too lost in her thoughts. Jason glanced at the others, then touched her shoulder gently. "Terry? You okay?" she nodded briefly. "Want something to eat with us?"

She slowly sighed and pushed herself to her feet. "Sure," she sounded a little dejected, to Jason at least.

"Um, Terry," he said, glancing at the others and trying to send them a message with his eyes to leave the two of them alone. He groaned mentally when another communicator went off: his. He'd taken to wearing it again with all the attacks that had been going on, they all had, him, David, Kim, and Rocky, and ever since, it hadn't went off once: until now. PERFECT timing, Divatox... NOT! Whatever's going on, it better be REAL good! "Um, Terry, we're going to have to go. Hate to pull a Tommy, but we've got to go... go...."

Kim jumped in quickly, "To go get some things for a get-together we're having at Tommy's place later tonight. Wish you could come along, but we're going to need the extra space for groceries," oh, man, she's never going to believe that, that sounds HORRIBLE!

Terry's eyes shone with tears for one brief moment, then went very dark. "All right," her voice was falsely bright. "I know how things go. I'll see you guys later," she said, stepping away. Before they could say or do anything, she'd turned and practically ran out of the Youth Center. David sighed.

"I wish we could go after her, but Dimitria's calling," he said. He wasn't quite sure just what they could do if Divatox had sent another monster or something, but he knew the summons was important. "Let's get moving, we can talk to her after we get back."

"Yeah," Jason was staring after her, then sighed as they moved to a quiet, unwatchable corner of the Youth Center, teleporting out.Oh, Terry...

"You Rangers have had it!" Elgar growled as he directed several Piranatrons at them. "Divatox is gonna destroy you all!"

Tommy almost yawned as he fended them off. "Don't you have any better lines than that, Elgar?" he asked. "Come on, certainly you can do something a lot better than that!"

"You think you're the cat's meow, don't you, Red Ranger?" the Feline Fury purred, leaping on him out of a tree. "Well, I'm just in the mood for a little red mouse snack!"

The Red Ranger whirled just as he was borne to the ground by the monster, resembling a rather large and ticked off lion, and managed to grunt out, "I'm not a mouse, I'm a falcon!"

"Whatever!" the monster growled, clawing at his helmet. "Regardless, you're lunch!"

The Feline Fury's dinner plans were canceled, however, when a blue blur ripped across the battlefield and knocked it off the Red Ranger. "Sorry, kitty, but it's not feeding time just yet!" Justin told him, helping Tommy up. "You okay?"

"Yeah," his leader nodded. "Ready to take this thing down?" he asked as the others joined them. We'd better hurry, I've got some major explaining to do to Terry once I get Dimitria's permission to tell her about the Rangers. I hope she says I can, if she doesn't, I could lose my sister almost before I really get her...

"I know, Jason," the white-robed one had not been looking very well herself the past few days. "But this is urgent. The Rangers are busy fighting the Feline Fury and Elgar, and cannot be called away. Porto and another group of Piranatrons have appeared in the park. There is no one there to see you, and they must be taken care of. I am aware of the fact you have no powers, and I have taken steps for that already."

The four of them stared. "Umm... what?" Kim asked. "What are you talking about, Dimitria?"

The answer came in the form of four flashes of bright light all around them. They looked down to see they were each glowing slightly: Kim in pink, Rocky and Jason both in red, and David in white. "You do not have the powers of a Ranger, but you will not take quite as much damage when you are struck, and your own blows will contain much more power than normal. This will not last long, however."

Jason nodded briefly, then asked, "Dimitria, why didn't you want Terry here? She's a great fighter, and I think she'd keep the secret. I know Tommy wants to tell her, he's scared she's going to think we don't like her or something because of them having to leave so much lately."

"I am aware of Terry's prowess as a fighter, Jason," Dimitria said quietly. "However, it is not yet the proper time for her to be brought here."

All of them stared at that. "You mean she is going to know about the Rangers?" Rocky burst out. Dimitria only beckoned them towards the monitors, where the Piranatrons under Porto's eager orders were trashing the park. The former Ranger sighed. "I get the picture. We've got work to do."

Jason nodded, looking to the others. This would be David's first fight as even a 'semi-Ranger', but the call was the same anyway. "Back to action!"

Terry ran out of the Youth Center and to the park, running right past her car. She didn't want to drive somewhere, all she wanted to do was run, just run far and fast enough to get away from all the pain. She couldn't believe what was going on, what was happening.

They ALL left me... like I had some sort of plague and the only way to avoid it was to avoid ME! Tommy's been acting like that all week, and now even David and the others are... are....

"All alone, human?" she stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of that voice. She'd only heard it once before, but hearing it again didn't give her a better impression of the speaker. She looked up to see Rygog and what she assumed were the standard troop of Piranatrons around him, all looking at her. "I told you we'd meet again!"

She glared at him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I don't suppose I could talk you into going away and coming back for a rematch when I feel better?" she asked hopefully. She rather expected the glare from him at that. "I guess that's a no."

Falling into a combat ready stance, she took a long breath. "Okay, let's get this over with!"

"Oh, but I'm not here to fight you!" Rygog startled her as the Piranatrons began to circle around. "Queen Divatox requires your services aboard her Subcraft, human!"

This isn't good! Why'd the others have to leave NOW!??! Terry groaned to herself as she tried to back way, only to find some of the fish-things had already gotten behind her. "Where are the Power Rangers when I need them?" she wondered. They're supposed to protect the citizens of Angel Grove, heck, the entire world! I think I qualify! Help!?

"They're being kept busy, human!" Rygog said, charging towards her. She dodged out of the way, letting him smack into a tree, and chuckled softly to herself. "I'm going to get you for that!" he swore, scrambling back to his feet. "I promised my queen I'd get you without a mark on you... but I just might break that promise if you do that gain!"

Terry laughed, feeling a little more confidant in a battle situation. "You couldn't break an egg!" she taunted. "Of course, I could just break one of your bones... if you have any under there... a spine...maybe?"

The mutant roared in outrage, running towards her as fast as he could. Terry dodged again, laughing as he once more smashed into a tree. "Oh, my, you're just not good at this, are you?" she teased, then screamed when strong arms smelling highly of rotted fish wrapped themselves around her. She struggled in the sudden grip of a Piranatron, kicking as powerfully as she could until two of them grabbed her feet and lifted her off the ground, rendering her effectively immobile. "Lemme go, you creeps!" she ordered. "Lemme go!"

Rygog laughed triumphantly. "Well done, my Piranatrons!" he declared. "Now, take her back to Queen Divatox! She will surely reward me for this!" he fingered a strand of Terry's hair and laughed in her face. "You have no idea what lies ahead of you, human!"

With that ringing in her ears, the Piranatrons, Rygog, and the captive Terry vanished in a twisting bolt of teleportation energy. There was no sign Terry had even entered the small clearing where the entire battle had taken place: no sign at all.

"Dimitria!" Tommy and Jason chorused as their two groups arrived back at the Power Chamber seconds later. Tommy glanced over at his friend, wondering for a moment why they all looked so worn out and why they were all glowing faintly, then turned back to his mentor. "Dimitria," he continued, alone this time. "What's going on? What happened to the monster?"

"And all those Piranatrons!" Jason added. "I mean, right in the middle of the fight, they just vanished!"

"What do you mean, the fight?" Tanya asked, raising an eyebrow. Kim quickly filled her in on what was going on, then as one the nine teens turned to the woman in the plasma tube before them, begging for answers with voices and eyes alike.

Alpha overrode them all finally. "Rangers! Everyone!" he almost barked. "Let her speak!"

As things calmed down, Dimitria turned her gaze upon them. They were struck for a moment by how truly sad her eyes were. Then she spoke. "Rangers and allies, I fear that the two attacks we have been forced to deal with were merely a diversion while Divatox struck at her true target: Teresa Magee."

"Terry?!" Jason, David, and Tommy all chorused. "Why Terry?"

Dimitria closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, looking straight at Tommy. "Tommy, Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd retrieved and restored the Green Morphin Power Coin you once possessed. They planned to choose some warrior from Earth and create a new evil Green Ranger to destroy us all. Divatox stole the Coin from them, and kidnapped Terry with the intentions of making her the new evil Ranger."

"I'm not going to let that happen!" Tommy snapped. "I won't let it happen! We're going straight to Divatox's Sub and get Terry out of there before anything happens to her!"

"I am afraid that is not possible, Tommy," Dimitria shook her head. "Divatox has created a set of shields we cannot as yet penetrate. Until we work a way through them, I am afraid your sister is stuck there."

Tommy growled and turned away from the others, visions of when he had been kidnapped and forced to the service of evil running through his mind. "There's got to be some way," he muttered. He barely noticed Justin running over to the computers to start looking for a way to penetrate the shields. "I won't let what happened to me happen to her."

David put a hand on his brother's shoulder gently. "None of us will, bro," he said firmly. "We're going to get her out of there."

"Tommy," the Red Ranger turned around at Dimitria's voice. "Be at peace, my friend. We will do all we can to rescue Terry before it is too late."

The Rangers' leader sighed. "I know we will, Dimitria. It's just that...."

"It's bringing back a lot of old memories, isn't it, Tommy?" Jason said, putting his hand on Tommy's other shoulder. His friend nodded slowly, trying not to think too hard of that time in his life. "We got through that, and we'll get through this, my friend. We always do."

The Rangers and their friends gathered about their friend and leader, giving him that most-needed support and love as he had always given it to them. Dimitria sighed to herself as she watched them. It is good they are together. They will need this in the time to come.

She glanced to Alpha, sending him a message telepathically as she did so. The little droid nodded briefly, then as the others busied themselves either comforting Tommy or starting to help Justin get through the shields, he began a sequence of commands into the computer that would go unnoticed until the time was right for them to be seen.

The sorceress gazed quietly into the vaults of her own mind for a few moments, seeing the flickers of green that was the energy of the Green Morphin Coin. Normally it would've been a brilliant green, pure and bright like grass, but with it being in the hands of evil, it's brilliance flickered in and out. She sighed. For such a short time has the Green Morphin Coin served good... if only it could've been different.

But Dimitria of Inquirius was not one to dwell on might have beens. After only a moment of regret, she turned her mind and energies at once to her special and secret project. That, too, had to be completed, as soon as it could be.