Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all related concepts are courtesy of Saban. I should warn all readers that this is a horror fic. If it was a movie, it would be rated R. At the ending of this fic is a rather detailed Author's Note. If you intend to read this fic, then read the fic before you read the Author's Note. The Author's Note could be a spoiler. Save it for last; that's why it's at the end. Also, since this is a horror fic, it is treated like a horror movie. If you watch horror movies, you might know what to expect. If you don't watch horror movies, then anything and everything could be a surprise. Overly sensitive people probably shouldn't read this. Go read something happier like "Moon Over Angel Grove." Last, but certainly not least, thank you VERY much to big sis Julia for proofing this fic, even though she's a chic- not a fan of the horror genre. Thanks Julia. 8^) (By the way, she also proofed my Candle in the Wind fic "Wide Open Spaces," and I forgot to credit her. Sorry Julia!)

October 13, 1995
Wednesday
9:29 p.m.
Tommy lay on his back, staring at Kimberly's latest letter to him. He had read it five times already, and he was about to go back for number six. She hadn't even been gone a month yet, but he missed her terribly. Suddenly, he heard a rapping at his window. _Must be Billy,_ he thought to himself as he stood up.

However, before he could cross to the window, the glass shattered. "Hey!" Tommy shouted.

"Tommy!" Katherine screamed. She held a rock in her hand and smashed it into his window again, breaking the shards free. "Please help me!" she pleaded.

"Katherine!" Tommy cried, hurrying over to his window. Using his elbow, he broke out the rest of the glass before grabbing her by the arms and pulling her in. "What's going on?!"

"Somebody's after me!" she shrieked, pressing herself against him in terror.

"Rita or Zedd?" Tommy asked.

"I dunno," she said, panicked. She held up her arm and revealed a nasty wound.

"Oh my God," Tommy sighed, gingerly taking her arm. "What did this?"

"A knife... a dagger," Katherine said. "Tommy, we have to do something."

"Why didn't you morph?" he asked, grabbing a bandanna from his dresser and tying it tightly around her arm.

"I don't think it was Rita or Zedd," Katherine told him. "That's why I didn't morph."

"We gotta get you to the hospital."

"I'm not leaving with that thing out there!" Katherine cried.

"What is it?" Tommy asked forcefully. Calming his voice down so as not to frighten her, he asked again, "What does it look like?"

"It's... wearing a black shroud, and that was all I could see. No face, or skin or anything... and...."

"Then teleport to the Command Center and have Alpha take care of you," Tommy said.

"Please come with me," Katherine pleaded. "He might be after you now!"

"Katherine, calm down," Tommy insisted. "I'll be fine. I know how to take care of myself. Have Alpha scan the neighborhood for anything weird. I'll be there in a minute, okay?" Without waiting for Katherine to answer, he pushed the button on her communicator. His room was lit up with pink as Katherine disappeared in a sparkling stream of pink light.

Tommy hurried down the stairs and into the living room. _Thank God nobody's home tonight,_ he thought to himself. "Now what should I do?" he asked himself.

"Hello Tommy," a dark voice growled.

With a gasp, Tommy turned around, looking for the source of the voice. "Who are you?" Tommy asked.

"I'm your worst nightmare," the voice answered. Try as he might, Tommy couldn't quite place where the voice was coming from.

"Why don't you show yourself, you coward?!" Tommy yelled angrily.

"Gladly!" Suddenly, a black shrouded form leapt out of the dining room, brandishing a gleaming dagger.

With a yell, Tommy darted to the side as his assailant ran for him. He grabbed the figure by the back, raised his knee, and gave him a hard push, sending him face-first into the floor. Tommy ran for the front door, only to find that it had been dead-bolted. "What?!" he yelled. He certainly hadn't locked the door, let alone set the dead-bolt. However, he didn't have time to ponder that as the person in the black shroud charged him again, his knife held up in the air. With a banshee yell, Tommy literally threw himself out of the way. He slammed into the entertainment center, sending it to the ground and breaking everything in it. The dagger was embedded in the wood of the door from the impact of the stab that was supposed to hit Tommy. As he scrambled to his feet, amid his mother's broken collection of crystal and large sheets of gray glass from the television screen, the shrouded figure was trying to pull the dagger out of the door.

Tommy was to his feet and running up the stairs when the dagger was pulled from the doorframe, none the worse for wear. Tommy wanted to teleport to safety, but as long as the man in the shroud was within view, he wouldn't. Tommy reached the top of the stairs and darted for his room, slamming the door shut and setting the flimsy privacy sliding lock. It was done purely out of habit; one good shoulder slammed into the door would tear the tiny brass lock off. However, those thoughts were a million miles away. His only concern was safety. He crawled out the broken window and landed on a perfectly positioned tree branch. With the dexterity of a cat, he crawled to the end of the branch and skittered down to the ground. Turning around, he expected to see his attacker either in the tree or leering at him from his bedroom window. However, everything was normal.

Cautiously, Tommy lifted his communicator to his mouth. Before he could say anything, the black figure leapt at him, pinning him to the ground. Tommy's eyes widened when he saw the painfully sharp dagger raised above his assailant's head. "NO!" he shouted forcefully. He lurched up with his arms and legs at the same time, knocking the would-be killer away. Planting his hands on the ground, Tommy launched out with both feet, hitting the person in the chest. The person made no noise as he flew backwards and landed on his back on the grass. Tommy jumped to his feet and jump-kicked him as his assailant climbed to his feet, knocking the dagger out of his hands.

"Take me on without your weapon," Tommy snarled.

"'Til we meet again, Oliver," he said in a mad voice. He darted away from Tommy, scooping up the knife, and then fled into their house. Tommy stood stock-still, listening intently. A moment later, he heard the back door get thrown open, and the frantic footsteps across their back patio quickly disappeared into the inky black night.

Katherine with a bandage around her arm sat next to Tommy in the police station. "I don't think you and your family should stay in that house," Katherine said.

"Kat, my dad is a state trooper," Tommy told her. "We'll be fine."

"No," Sarah, Tommy's mother, said. "We aren't staying there tonight. We'll get a room in a hotel."

"Mom," Tommy whined.

"Tommy, you were almost killed tonight," Chelsea snapped. "Stop acting like such a dumb ass jock." Sarah reached out and gently slapped her daughter on the knee along with a visual reprimand.

One of the sergeants walked into the waiting area. "Katherine, Ryan is here."

"Daddy?" Katherine asked, standing up.

"Hi Kitty Kat," Ryan Hillard said as he walked over to her. "You okay?"

"I'm okay, Daddy," Kat said. "Let's go home."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow in school, Kat," Tommy said. Katherine only nodded as her father led her out of the police station with an arm around her shoulders.

October 14
Thursday
7:47 a.m.
Katherine's steps slowed to a halt as she approached Angel Grove High. Police cars with silent lights sat in the parking lot. She scanned the crowd for a familiar face, but seeing none, she walked into the building. Yellow police tape stretched across the front office, and a few policemen stood here and there, talking to various people. Katherine was all but shoved aside as a news reporter hurried up to them with her camera man in tow.

Swinging her backpack onto both shoulders, she ran down Second Hall to her locker, conveniently next to Aisha's. She breathed a sigh of relief upon finding all of her friends gathered there. "What happened here?" Katherine asked.

"Mrs. Rodriguez was killed last night," Tommy said, locking eyes with the Pink Ranger.

"Murder?"

"They aren't saying much," Billy announced. "I heard one of the policemen mention something about the murder weapon not being found."

Before anyone else could add their opinion or observations, the intercom crackled to life. "Students," Mr. Caplan said, "please report to homeroom at once."

"I haven't even been to homeroom yet," Katherine mumbled.

"You'll probably be with me," Rocky said. "I'm in D through H."

Tommy and Adam headed off in one direction, Aisha and Billy in another, while Rocky waited for Katherine to get her books in her locker. As soon as she was ready, the pair hurried off.

"Rocky," Mr. Maines acknowledged as the Red Ranger entered the room. Upon seeing Katherine, he said, "And you?"

"Katherine Hillard," she announced, moving over to his side. "I just transferred."

"UK?"

"Australia," she replied, managing a smile. "Am I there?"

"Yeah, go ahead and sit wherever you like."

Katherine had just taken her seat in front of Rocky when the intercom clicked on again. "Students," Mr. Caplan began again, "I'm sorry to report some bad news to you.

"Last night, our own Mrs. Consuela Rodriguez, your vice-principal, was murdered on campus grounds."

Mr. Maines attempted to shush the ensuing uproar that rose up among the class. "The school board and all school officials express our deepest sympathies to Mrs. Rodriguez's family."

Katherine idly traced a delicate finger along the stitches on her forearm. She couldn't explain it, but she knew that things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

"Are you sure, Zordon?" Katherine asked, looking up at her mentor hopefully.

"I am sorry, Katherine, but I am sure," Zordon told her. "Zedd and Rita have not made any strategic moves in the past seventy-two hours."

"So someone... normal wants me dead?" she asked. "Zordon, are you SURE?"

White light flashed in the Command Center as Katherine sagged tiredly against a console. "Sorry I'm late, Katherine," Tommy said. "I was detained by Ms. Appleby."

"It isn't Rita or Zedd, Tommy," Alpha told him.

"Are you positive?" Tommy asked, looking at Katherine's pale face.

"Rangers, while your powers were not intended for personal use, I would not object to you protecting yourself," Zordon told them. "If teleporting here would save you from a fatal assault, then please do so."

"Come on, Kat," Tommy said. "Why don't you get home? Your parents are probably already worried."

Katherine nodded slowly as she relented, "Right." Pressing her communicator, she vanished in a shower of pink light.

"Alpha?" Tommy asked, turning toward the automaton. "Would you-?"

"We already have a computer keeping track of Katherine," Alpha said. "Don't worry, Tommy. She will be fine."

Tommy nodded as he reached for his communicator, his thoughts swirling frantically before he dissolved into particles of light and energy.

5:38 p.m.
"Hello?" Mr. Caplan asked, turning around in his office. No one was there. Shaking his head, he returned to slowly sifting through his desk drawers.

It seemed so strange; Mrs. Rodriguez had been at Angel Grove High for fifteen years. She was almost like family to him, and now she was dead. But she was worse than dead. She was murdered. Someone had taken upon himself to totally desecrate her. She had spent forty-seven years creating her life, only to have it torn asunder by some knife-wielding maniac. It just wasn't fair.

"Is someone there?" Mr. Caplan asked again. He was sure he had heard something that time. Standing up, he walked over to the office door and pushed it open. "Anyone?" He glanced up and down the hallway. There was nothing but row after row of silent lockers. However, he had no more than turned to go back into the office when he heard something else. Something very distinct and very horrifying.

A panicked, female scream.

Throwing the door open so hard the glass cracked, he raced down the hallway. However, after rounding the corner to the small student lobby, he saw nothing. Not a thing. No person, no screaming female, no killer.

_You're overreacting,_ he said to himself as he turned to walk back to his office. But then, the scream came at him again, so loud and close to his ear he was temporarily deafened. Spinning around, he saw a black shrouded figure wearing a black face mask, twisted and contorted in rage, standing beside him. In the figure's outstretched left hand was a tape recorder. Mr. Caplan was momentarily too startled to move. The black shrouded person hit the play button again, producing another scream. In what felt like hours but was in actuality less than a second, Mr. Caplan could only stare at the figure. Then his senses returned to him, and he was running.

Unfortunately, the shrouded man was behind him. Mr. Caplan cast one glance over his shoulder to see him running, his black gown billowing out behind him. Terror like he had never known before coursed through Mr. Caplan's veins. However, that was promptly replaced with a pain unlike any he had known. With a sickening whish, the killer's knife stabbed into the small of his back, hitting his spinal cord. Gasping for help but unable to form any words, Mr. Caplan fell to the ground. He already found that his legs wouldn't move of their own accord, and when he tried to pull himself along with his hands, the killer kicked him, hard, in the ribs.

Groaning, Mr. Caplan slumped to his stomach on the ground. The killer was promptly kneeling beside him. He turned Mr. Caplan over, eliciting a gasp of pain. "Enjoy your detention, you son of a bitch," the killer growled as he began to repeatedly stab the principal of Angel Grove High.

9:18 p.m.
"Kat!"

"Huh?" she asked. She looked up from her textbook and looked at the open window. "Rocky?"

"Yeah, it's me! Would you come down here for a minute?!"

"Why don't you come up?!" she shouted down to him.

"Just come out here! Please?!"

Sighing, Katherine stood up from her desk and hurried to the back door of her house. As she stepped out onto the back porch, she flipped the light switch. Walking to the very edge of the porch, she called out, "Okay Rocky, I'm here. Now what do you want?"

She waited for a few seconds longer, delicately folding her arms across her chest. The flesh wound on her arm was still painful. "Rocky, where are you?"

Suddenly, she heard the back door slam. She spun around with a gasp and saw the black cloaked killer standing in front of the closed door. Katherine felt terror bite at the pit of her stomach, and she cautiously took a step back. The killer made no move; he just stood there. The two stood completely still for several moments, until Katherine finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Who are you?"

For several long moments more, neither said anything. Then, a deep, rumbling voice answered, "Death personified..." With that, the killer leapt off of the step.

Katherine gave a short shriek as she threw herself off of the porch. Still running, she looked over her shoulder. He had just pulled a silver dagger out from beneath his shrouds. She looked forward again and was suddenly struck with inspiration. As she passed by a young poplar tree, she grabbed a low branch and pulled. Ducking under it herself, she stepped back a few feet. As the killer ran toward her, she let the branch fly. It struck the killer squarely in the face, making him stumble backwards.

"Three years of kickboxing!" Katherine yelled defiantly, just before she jumped at her assailant. Her feet hit his abdomen, but in a move that would cost her, she took the liberty of kicking him again rather than catching herself. They both fell to the ground, but Katherine was quicker to recover. She kicked the knife with the toe of her shoe, sending it flying across the yard. Another idea came to her, and she hurried over to the knife. She grabbed it and spun around, not intent on murder.

However, the killer was already standing. Upon seeing the knife in her hand, he rushed her. Katherine, though, was quick to make a downward slash. The knife connected with his left forearm in a strangely graceful arc. He answered her with an angry, high-pitched grunt as he swung out at her with his right arm. His fist collided with her nose, sending hot waves of pain through her entire face. She brought her knee up into his groin and pushed out with both hands. The killer drifted back, and Katherine took advantage of his temporary stumble. She turned and ran, darting down the side yard. She was halfway to the front yard when she realized her hands were empty. Cursing herself for losing her only hope at survival, she continued running. She didn't stop until she reached the well-lit sidewalk in front of her house.

She held her arms out at her side, ready to bolt in any direction at any moment, as she quickly darted in a circle. _Where is he?!_ She suddenly heard someone give a shout and come stumbling out behind the hedge separating her house from the neighbor's. "Rocky?" she asked in a small voice. However, before she could feel too relieved at seeing a friendly face, she saw that draped across his shoulders was a torn, black shroud, and in his hands was a bloody knife and a black mask. Most damning, though, was a bleeding wound from his wrist to his elbow. He clutched it with a pitiful look on his face as blood streamed down his arm.

"Katherine?" he asked, moving toward her. "I-"

"No!" she shrieked, stumbling backwards. Her heels caught against the sidewalk and she half-fell to the ground, catching herself from a complete wipe-out with her hands.

"Kat?" Rocky asked, confused, still walking toward her.

"Stay away from me!" she screamed as tears threatened to erupt.

"Katherine?" he continued, coming to a halt. "What-?"

"Kitten?!" Ryan Hillard called as he ran down the front walk.

"Call the police!" Katherine cried, no longer able to keep her tears back. She scrambled away from him backwards, keeping her eyes on him at all time. "STAY THERE!" she screamed forcefully, pointing a threatening but trembling finger at him. Rocky was too startled to do anything but what she asked.

October 15
Friday
7:24 a.m.
"Katherine?" Lisa asked in shock. "What-?"

"I'm going to school, mother," Katherine answered. "I can't stay here today. I'll go insane."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Lisa asked.

"Mum, I'll be safe. It's school. Lots of people around."

"That isn't what I meant, dear," Lisa said. Sighing, she said, "Katherine, you fingered a very popular young man who has been here longer than you as a murderer."

"Mum, he had-!"

"I'm not saying I don't believe you," Lisa continued. "It's obvious that it is Rocky. If it wasn't, then he wouldn't be in jail still. But..."

"Not everybody is going to believe me," Katherine sighed.

Two knocks sounded at the backdoor. Katherine slowly turned to see Billy standing behind the screen door. "Come on in, Billy," she said softly.

"Hello Kat," he said. "Good morning, Mrs. Hillard."

"Good morning, Billy," she returned.

"What are you here about, Billy?" Katherine asked, folding her arm across her chest defiantly. She already knew what he was going to say.

"I was wondering if you were going to go to school today," he said. Biting his bottom lip, he said, "I don't like to admit it, but... it's obvious that Rocky did do it. I guess I just figured you would need a friend to hang on to today, if you even decided to go. If you aren't, then I can still stay with you, if you need me to."

"Are you stopping me from going to school?" Katherine asked of her mother, turning to look at her.

"No," Lisa said after a slow pause. "I won't stop you."

"Let me grab a quick bite, and we'll go," she said. Pausing by the refrigerator, she finished with, "And thank you, Billy. I mean that. I know that you've known Rocky longer than me, and it really does mean a lot to me that you aren't instantly dismissing me as... evil, I guess."

Billy smiled as best he could. However, the smile quickly fell away. "It isn't going to be pretty today, Katherine," Billy told her. "Aisha and Adam are going to be absolutely livid. I doubt Adam will say anything to you, but..."

"I'm already bracing myself to be attacked by Aisha," Katherine muttered. She opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a bottle of orange juice. "Want some?"

"Sure," he said, moving to grab two glasses from the dish drainer beside the sink.

"What... What about Tommy?" Katherine asked slowly. "Is he going to totally hate me?"

"No, Tommy... Well, he and Rocky are friends, so don't be surprised if he doesn't believe it is Rocky," Billy said. "But by the same token, he'll stand by you and your decision. Tommy is like that. He'll support you both if he can."

"And if he can't?"

"Let's just hope that doesn't have to happen," Billy muttered. _I really don't know what might happen._

7:31 a.m.
"Cops?" Katherine asked, looking at Billy. "Oh God, Billy, not again..." The pair slowly walked across the campus, seeing numerous television reporters and policemen everywhere.

"Listen," Billy said, pointing at a nearby television reporter.

"Mr. Victor Caplan was found brutally murdered by a member of Angel Grove High's janitorial staff at roughly six a.m. this morning. It appears that Caplan was murdered with a sharp, razor-like object sometime last evening or afternoon," she said into the camera. "He was the last known person in the building last night, which could place the murder at six p.m. or later. School board officials have denied our requests for a comment, but they say that for the time being, school at Angel Grove High is still in session."

"Mr. Caplan is dead?" Katherine asked. "Billy, this is scar-"

"Rocky did it, remember?" Billy whispered. The two continued to walk into the school, trying to ignore the cold stares that Katherine was being issued by various students. "He's in jail, so there won't be any more murders."

"What if he didn't do it, after all?" Kat said. She wrapped her arms around her chest tightly as they walked across the lobby. "That means the killer is still out there."

"Kat, if what happened last night actually happened-"

"It did!" she cried. Immediately lowering her voice, she said, "Exactly what happened."

"-then Rocky had to have done it," Billy said. "Either that, or we're dealing with something of Zedd and Rita's."

They finally made it to Katherine's locker. "Are people still staring?" she asked as she turned the combination lock.

"I don't know," Billy said, "I'm not looking either."

Katherine opened her locker door and promptly froze. "Kat?" Billy asked in shock. "What-?"

"Oh my God," Katherine cried, taking a big step back from her locker. "Billy!"

Billy looked into Katherine's locker, paling considerably as he did so. Inside was a trio of dolls, one Barbie, one Ken, and a third in a black cloak. Ken was wearing a red shirt with Rocky in black marker scribbled across his chest. The black cloaked doll held a dagger, and the Barbie doll, with Kat plainly written on her chest, was decapitated, her plastic, blonde head lying at her feet. Written on the inside of her locker door in large, black letters was the phrase, "Fingered the wrong man, bitch."

"Come on," Billy encouraged, closing the locker and taking her hand. "We'll go tell someone in the office."

7:56 a.m.
"Kat, if you need anybody today," Billy said.

"I'll be fine, Billy," Katherine assured him as she took her seat at the back of the room. "You need to hurry and get to class."

Patting her one final time on the shoulder, he whispered, "Just be careful."

As Billy walked out of the room, two powerful hands grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him into the wall. "Aisha?" Billy asked.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Aisha growled. "How could you possibly believe someone who just recently had an evil spell broken over Rocky? Do you remember Zordon telling us that Rita's spell was so powerful, Katherine would have remnants remaining? Did it ever occur to you that Katherine's serving evil again and she just snapped, Resident Genius?"

"Aisha," Adam said, walking up to them. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he led her away from Billy. Aisha's verbal attack did less to wound him than Adam. The Black Ranger didn't even glance in Billy's direction. He just turned and walked away with Aisha.

11:42 a.m.
"Where do you think Tommy will sit?" Katherine asked. She and Billy were sitting alone at one table in the corner of the lunchroom, while Adam and Aisha sat at another on the other side of the room. Tommy stood at the front of the lunch line with his tray, equidistant from the two groups of friends.

"I don't know," Billy muttered. The Blue and Pink Rangers watched intently as Tommy walked to a table in the center of the cafeteria and sat down alone. "He'll sit by himself. Smart man."

"Billy, what am I going to do?" Katherine asked. "The whole school hates me."

"I don't know, Kat," Billy answered, shaking his head. "I don't know. Why... No, never mind."

"What?"

"Why don't you go talk to Rocky after school?" Billy suggested.

"And say what?" Katherine asked a bit sarcastically.

Billy shrugged. "I don't know," he relented. "I just think..."

"You don't think he did it, do you?" Katherine asked, looking Billy square in the eyes.

Billy was silent for several moments. Then, he finally answered, "No... I don't."

"I don't know what to think," Katherine murmured. "I don't want to think that Rocky did this, but if he didn't, then..."

"The killer really is still out there."

3:23 p.m.
Katherine screamed as she dropped her books to the ground. Clamping both hands over her mouth, she jumped back. Then, she realized who she had just run into. "Adam," she sighed.

"Sorry," he murmured.

"Are you going to see Rocky?" she asked.

"What do you care?" he growled as Katherine knelt down to pick up her books.

"I- I was..."

Yellow was suddenly in Katherine's peripheral vision, and she turned to see Aisha standing beside her. The Yellow Ranger's arms were crossed tightly across her chest, and an angry scowl was stretched across her face. "Hello, Aisha," Katherine tried weakly.

Aisha stared at Katherine for a few seconds, burning a hole through Katherine's already shattered poise. "Come on, Adam," Aisha said coolly.

As they walked away, Katherine slumped the final few inches to the ground, resting against the wall. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Exhaling heavily, she rested her face against her legs, wishing that someone would just come along and save her from the nightmare she was trapped in.

"Katherine," a gentle voice said. Looking up, Kat saw Tommy standing over her. "Kat, you're on the ground."

"I know that, Tommy," she sighed.

"That's not what I meant," he reiterated, pulling her up. Taking her by the shoulders, he said firmly, "I know things look bad, but remember... You aren't alone in this. Adam and Aisha are upset with you, and I'm sure you can understand why."

"Of course I can," Katherine groaned. "But-"

"Billy and I are still standing by you, Kat," Tommy promised her. "Okay? Walk you home?"

"Actually, I think I'd rather be by myself for a while," Kat told him. "But thank y-"

"I wasn't offering," Tommy said. "I was ordering." Bending down, he picked up her books. "You ready?"

"Where is Billy?" Katherine asked as they slowly walked down the hallway.

"He had to go help Ernie with something," Tommy answered. "Something about the freezers. I don't know what it means, but the Youth Center is closed tonight for it."

"Just as well," Katherine groaned. "I don't think I'm going to be allowed in any public place for a while now anyhow." She suddenly stopped. "Tommy, what will happen if we get called by Zordon? With our Red Ranger in jail..."

"Let's just hope that doesn't happen," Tommy said, "until Rocky gets out of jail."

"And if Rocky is the murderer?"

"Then we'll get a new Red Ranger," Tommy answered. "Try not to worry about stuff like that, Katherine. Just concentrate on staying alive."

4:22 p.m.
"I'm telling you, Katherine is evil again," Aisha insisted. "No one has actually seen her get attacked. The spell Rita put on her has come back, just like Zordon said it might, only this time, she's gone murderous on us. And somehow, she managed to frame Rocky for it."

"I don't want to think that Katherine is a murderer anymore than I want to think Rocky is a murderer," Adam told her firmly. "This just has to be something set up by Rita and Zedd..."

"I hope you're right," Aisha agreed, "but... Look, why don't you go ahead and see Rocky. He's bound to be dying for some company. I've got to wait until Mom gets home. She and Dad are all freaked out over... well, everything."

"Okay, I'll stay with him until you can get there," Adam said. Pausing by the door, he added, "All this will turn out okay in the end, Aisha."

"I sure hope you're right."

4:38 p.m.
"Ernie?" Billy asked. "Hey Ernie?!"

Billy stepped up to the counter and looked over it. Ernie was nowhere to be seen. Assuming that Ernie had stepped in the backroom for something, Billy made his way toward the freezer. However, he stopped stone still as soon as the freezer door came in view.

The handle was covered in blood. "Ernie!" Billy yelled. Billy darted for the freezer, paying no heed to the congealed blood coating the silver handle. He jerked the door open, and the sight before him brought him to his knees. The portly owner of the Youth Center lay, face down, in a pool of his own blood in the freezer. Stab wounds dotted his back, and it was unquestionable that he was dead.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," Billy panicked as he slowly backed away from the freezer, still crawling. Suddenly, a black form rushed at him.

With a yell, Billy jumped to his feet and rushed backwards. The killer wrapped a black gloved hand around a stool and threw it out of his path. Billy backed up behind the counter, his eyes searching for some type of weapon. Finally lighting on a sharp knife that Ernie used to cut the rinds of tough fruits, Billy grabbed it and held it out before him. His hand shook slightly, but he tried to appear as dangerous and tough as he could.

The killer slowly walked around the front side of the bar. Billy turned with him, keeping the knife out before him. And then, the killer bolted out of the Juice Bar.

Exhaling a relieved breath, Billy dropped the knife to the counter and ran a hand through his hair. "It's not Rocky," he whispered. He picked up the phone and had already dialed 9-1-1 before noticing that the phone was dead. _Cut,_ he realized. He glanced at the corridor leading out of the main room, wondering if the killer had actually left or was just waiting for him to be caught unaware.

Remembering Ernie and thinking of his friends, _Katherine!_, Billy wrapped his hand around the handle of the butcher knife and slowly walked toward the door.

4:52 p.m.
"I don't know what to do anymore, Adam," Rocky sighed. The two were separated by a thick, double-pane of glass. They were in a private conference room, as there were no other more important prisoners in need of it. Typically saved for lawyer/client interaction, Tommy's dad, Sgt. Oliver, had allowed the two boys to use it. Sgt. Oliver was standing behind Rocky, although he was trying to give the boys as much privacy as possible.

"We're going to figure out something, Rocky," Adam assured him.

"I know," Rocky agreed, nodding. "I just- I can't believe Kat fingered me!" Behind him, Rocky heard a telephone ring.

"I'll be back in a moment, Rocky," Sgt. Oliver told him. He left the small room, locking the door behind him.

"Are these lines monitored?" Adam asked.

"I dunno," Rocky shrugged.

Holding his wrist up, Adam pointed at his communicator and said, "What about this and the other thing?"

"The police took my watch, and the big guy has already taken the other thing back," Rocky answered. "Trust me, that was the first thing I checked." Giving a heavy sigh, Rocky put his head down, supporting it with his hands.

Adam was silent for several moments. He finally said, "We'll get you out of here somehow."

"I know," Rocky murmured. Raising back up, a look of horror suddenly spread across his face. Standing behind Adam was the killer, clad in black cloak, black mask, black gloves, and holding a silver dagger. He stood perfectly still, and though his eyes couldn't be seen, Rocky knew they were locked on him.

"What?" Adam asked, noting his express.

"Adam, look out!" Rocky screamed. Adam started to turn around, but the killer was faster to act. He lashed out and plunged the dagger into Adam's side.

"NO!" Rocky screamed in anger. He was out of his seat and slamming both fists into the glass partition. It shook violently, but it made no pretense of shattering. "ADAM!!!"

The killer pulled the blade out and yanked Adam out of his seat. He slammed the Black Ranger into the glass partition, face forward. "Rocky," Adam mouthed.

"NOO!!!!" Rocky screeched. "ADAM!" he cried despairingly. He sobbed out loud as Adam's face contorted in pain when the killer stabbed him in the back again and again. Finally, the killer let Adam go. The teen slumped to the floor silently, leaving a bloody streak on the glass.

"ADAM!!!!" Rocky screamed, shaking.

The killer wiped the blood from the dagger off on his gloves. Then, he gave Rocky a friendly wave and fled from the room.

5:08 p.m.
Katherine screamed as a brick came hurtling in through her window. Jumping back onto the bed, she watched as the brick rolled across the floor amid a field of broken glass. Around it, held in place with a rubber band, was a note. She hurried over to the note, taking it off of the brick.

Her hands were trembling as she unfolded it. It was written in block letters in blue ink that gave no clue as to who could have written it. The message was short but simple.

"Your life for Tommy's. No weapons, Angel Grove High, Appleby's room, six p.m. Come alone, or he dies."

5:12 p.m.
With a yell, Tommy dove out of his chair, somersaulting across the room. Still shielding his face, he looked up slowly. A brick had just come flying through the window. The glass had just been replaced from Katherine just a few nights prior, but it now lay in fragments all over his bedroom.

Cautiously, he crept over to the brick. He picked it up and tore the note from it, breaking the rubber band in the process.

"Your life for Katherine's. No weapons, Angel Grove High, gymnasium, six fifteen p.m. Come alone, or she dies."

5:47 p.m.
"Mom, where are you?" Aisha complained. She was still waiting for Adam to call, but so far, she had heard nothing.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the garage door opening. "Mom," she realized. Turning the television off, she got up and hurried to the door that connected the kitchen to the garage. However, as she opened the door, she saw that there was no car there but her own. The garage door hadn't opened. It must have closed.

Perplexed, Aisha stepped down into the garage, looking around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing, that is, until she happened to look at her father's work bench. It had been turn on its side. Behind it, there was a white outline of an axe, although nothing of the actual axe still remained behind. "Oh my God," she whined. She hurried out of the garage, slammed the door shut, and locked it behind her. Still quaking, she slowly backed away from the door.

But then, she heard movement behind her. Spinning around, she saw the killer in black standing behind her. Screaming, she ducked, just as the axe split the air where her neck had been. The blade was stuck deep in the wall over her. Aisha scrambled away as the killer began to pull the axe free.

The Yellow Ranger flew past the living room and darted for the front door. However, before she could reach it, the killer ran out of the front hallway. With another scream, Aisha bolted for the stairs. She ran up them as fast as she could manage with the killer not too far behind. As she reached the top, she grabbed a heavy vase and threw it at the killer. It slammed into his face and he fell backwards, the axe flying backwards. Aisha continued running up the stairs, disappearing down the back hallway.

She ran to the very end of it and pressed her communicator. Horrified to find that it wasn't responding to her, she made a desperate grab for her morpher. It didn't appear for her. Unsure of what else to do, she reached up above her and grabbed a string dangling above her head. A sliding ladder came down from the ceiling, and she was already climbing it before it landed. She hurried into the attic, pulled the ladder up behind her, and then grabbed the string, pulling it through as well so the killer couldn't follow her up.

Aisha sat on the ladder, one leg on each side of it. She tried to slow her breathing in an attempt to make herself as quiet as possible.

She sat there in near darkness for what felt like an eternity. Just when she started to think that she had been left alone, the axe blade came up through the center of the ladder. Screaming, she hopped backwards, allowing the ladder to slide down out of the attic. As she glanced down, she saw the killer start to climb up it. In a desperate attempt, she slammed her heel into the hinge connecting the right side of the ladder to the attic floor. It broke loose from the force. Emboldened by the effect, Aisha slammed both feet into the left side, and the ladder with the killer on it fell to the ground below.

It took her a few seconds to gather up the nerve, but she eventually looked down. The ladder remained, but the killer was already gone.

6:02 p.m.
Katherine, holding her hands up protectively, crept into Ms. Appleby's room. "Tommy?" she asked hopefully. Suddenly, she spotted a form sitting in the corner, covered with a black shroud. "Tommy?" The person was unmoving however. She cautiously walked over to it. Then, keeping an arm's distance away, she reached out and yanked the shroud off. Beneath was Billy, tied to a desk and unconscious. "Billy?"

Kneeling before him, she looked up into his face. One eye was blackened and swollen shut, and he generally looked as though someone had beaten the daylights out of him. Before Katherine could move to untie him, however, a black figure rushed up beside. She turned her head, but before she could even register the appearance of the black shrouded killer, the small end of a baseball bat had collided with her forehead. Another hit was delivered to the base of her skull, and she rolled backwards, sprawled out on the ground unconscious.

"Night, night, Kitten," the killer muttered.

6:14 p.m.
"Katherine?!" Tommy yelled as he stepped into the empty gym. He looked around, but he saw nothing.

"TOMM-AY!" a panicked, female voice screamed. He whipped his gaze in the direction of the stage and saw a young woman wearing a pink sweatshirt and jeans tied to a chair.

"Kimberly?!" he cried.

"Help me!" she pleaded. Tommy hurried up to the stage, looking around him quickly as he hurried to Kimberly's age.

"How did you get here?" he asked as he desperately untied her.

"Billy!" she cried. "Billy teleported to my apartment and brought me here!" As Tommy untied her hands, she gratefully brought them out before her and rubbed her chafed wrists. "He came to tell me that Mrs. Rodriguez had been murdered."

"Mr. Caplan, too," Tommy told her. "Man, this rope around your ankles is tight."

"He brought me here, asked me to wait here, but... Tommy, I found a mannequin of him!"

Tommy finally loosened the rope around her ankles, and Kimberly eagerly stood up. Putting one foot on the chair, she rubbed her ankle.

"A mannequin?" Tommy asked.

"It looked real," she said. "Until I touched it, I thought it was him. But... it wasn't just a mannequin. It looked like someone had beat him up! When I found it, he started acting really weird. He said he was waiting for you and Kat to show up, and then he tied me up here!"

"Billy is the killer," Tommy said in horror. "Of course! Billy is definitely smart enough to have set Rocky up for it."

"What do you mean? What about Rocky?"

"Katherine had Rocky arrested last night for attempted murder," Tommy told her. "And... it looked like Rocky was the murderer! Katherine cut the murderer on his left arm, and Rocky had a cut on his left arm! He even had the costume and the knife with him."

"Oh my God," Kimberly sighed, putting a horrified hand in front of her mouth. "Kat... You-?"

"The note I got said it was my life for her's!" Tommy cried. "She must be here somewhere."

"Let's split up," Kimberly suggested. "We can cover more ground that way."

Tommy bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Be careful."

"He can't take me by surprise, now," she said. Putting an angry scowl on her face, she announced, "I'm ready this time."

6:17 p.m.
"Kimberly!" Tommy cried. "Appleby's room!"

The former Pink Ranger ran down the hall, headed for Ms. Appleby's room. Inside, she saw Tommy behind Katherine. The current Pink Ranger was tied to a chair, her head slumped down to her chest. He was behind her, undoing the rope around her ankles. "Is that the mannequin?" he asked, motioning to the "Billy" tied to a chair.

"Yeah," Kimberly said. She walked over to the desk at the front of the room and picked up an aluminum baseball bat lying on it. "Hey Tommy," she muttered, her voice rich with curiosity. "Come look at this."

Tommy freed Katherine's ankles, but before moving on to her hands, walked over to Kimberly. "What is it?" he asked.

"That cut," she said, "that you mentioned Katherine gave the killer on his left arm?"

"Yeah?"

Kimberly extended her left arm and pulled up the sleeve, revealing a long, fresh wound. "Did it look like this?" she asked, her face a mask of confusion. Before Tommy could say anything in rebuttal, her face took on an angry scowl. Holding the baseball bat in two hands, she slammed it into his forehead.

Katherine's vision slowly swam back. Lifting her head, she gave a soft groan. "Wha?" she muttered. Then, her memory came back almost painfully. She looked around her and saw Tommy tied up, unconscious, in a chair next to the wall. The two Rangers were in Ms. Appleby's room, but no one else was around.

"Help," Katherine whispered suddenly. Then, more frantic, she screamed, "Somebody help me!" As soon as she said it, the door swung open. She gave a gasp as she saw the black cloaked killer step into the room. "No," she breathed, struggling against the ropes that bound her arms to her sides.

The killer pushed the door shut, walked over to Ms. Appleby's desk, and pulled out a large, pink duffel bag from beneath it. "Who are you?" Katherine asked. The killer looked up at her again and suddenly yanked the mask off. "Kimberly?"

"Surprised?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Why are you doing this?!" Katherine cried. "You're crazy?!"

Kimberly paused as she pulled a large machete out of the duffel bag. "Ya think?" she asked, touching the top of it to her chin. "So, Kat... I would ask you how you want to die, but I've already got your death all nice and planned out. Very interesting. You'll go down in Angel Grove Lore." She pulled a tape recorder out of her duffel bag. "Man, this thing is incredible! Check this out."

Rocky's voice promptly came out of the tape recorder. "Yeah, it's me! Would you come down here for a minute?! Just come out here! Please?!" Promptly following that, a deep, male voice rumbled, "Death personified..." Immediately after that, a piercing female scream issued forth, making Katherine flich and Kimberly grin.

"Why?!" Katherine pleaded, wiggling her shoulders back and forth.

Scowling angrily, Kimberly planted the machete deep in Ms. Appleby's desk and hurried over to Katherine. Kat screamed in shock and leaned as far back as she could as Kimberly planted her hands on Kat's thighs and put her face just a few inches from Kat's. In a soft voice, Kimberly answered, "Don't you think it is so much scarier when there isn't a motive?"

"Please don't kill me," Katherine groaned, not allowing herself to cry in front of Kimberly.

"Well," Kimberly taunted, "since you asked nicely..." Strolling back to the duffel bag, she flashed Katherine a "how-stupid-do-I-look?" smile. "Don't worry, Kat. Being decapitated probably won't hurt at all."

"I've never done anything to you!"

"Neither had Adam, or Ernie, and they're both dead," Kimberly told her.

"What?" Katherine asked in a small voice. If she hadn't already been sitting down, she would have crumpled to the floor. It was almost impossible for her to fathom that Ernie and Adam had died.

"And for the matter, Mrs. Rodriguez and Mr. Caplan never really did anything to me, either," Kimberly said. "Heck, for that matter, NONE of the people I've killed since... oh... late 1993, I think, did anything to me. I've always had what I guess you could call, oh, homicidal urges? But when I became a Ranger, WOO! They just shot off the charts. And being a Power Ranger made it even easier to get away with it. I'd off somebody, put 'em in the park whenever we happened to have a monster attack, and... well, let's just say the police never once knocked on my door."

Sitting down in Ms. Appleby's chair, she put her elbows on the desk and rested her head on her fists. In a childish sing-song, she asked, "Waiting for Zordon and Alpha to save YOU?" Without giving Katherine to answer, she pulled a silver triangular device from her duffel bag. She sat it down on the desk and said, "Not gonna happen. Billy built this once while he was evil. Kept any Power Rangers from getting into the Command Center. You know, I'm not as dumb or dense as some of you think I am. I fiddled with it a bit, and before long, I had a device made that could totally prevent a Power Ranger from morphing, teleporting, or even using those lovely little communicators to contact each other. Oh, speaking of which, I think I'm going to keep this shiny little pink one in remembrance of you." Holding Katherine‰s communicator in her hand, she dropped it into her duffel bag.

"Why did you kill ADAM?!" Katherine screeched, fighting against her ropes.

"Because he was the one who went to visit Rocky first," Kimberly answered. "Now really, Kat, you should be using your head a bit more." Smiling, she continued, "You're not going to have it much longer." Pulling an axe from her duffel bag, she laid it down on the desk. "Aisha would have been next, but the little bitch got away from me. But that's okay. She can die later, I suppose."

"Why have you taken it on yourself to kill the Power Rangers?" Katherine asked firmly, proud of herself for her steady voice.

"I'm not going to kill ALL the Power Rangers," Kimberly said exasperatedly. "Rocky will live, Aisha will live, and Billy will live. Really, just Adam, you, and Tommy is it. I'll become Pink again, and I'm sure we can find two people to be Black and White."

"You're killing Tommy?"

"Quite a twist, ain't it?" Kimberly taunted, her eyes wild and frightening. "I rather liked Tommy, and I do hate to kill him, but... he may be fun to look at and play with, but I need a man with a bit more memory up here," she tapped her forehead for emphasis, "for what I have in mind. Let's see... I wonder what'll happen first.

"Oh yes, Tommy is going to... let's see, should he kill you first or rape you? I think it'll be best if he kills you. It'll make him look a bit more twisted, dontcha think?" She tapped the machete, still buried in the desk. "Then, he'll rape your dead body." She pulled a life-size sex toy from her duffel bag and set it down on the desk. "Boy, that's twisted."

"You won't be able to frame Tommy!" Katherine screamed at her.

"Oh yes, yes, yes, yes I can!" Kimberly returned. She pulled a ziplock bag out. Lying at the bottom of it was a pearlescent, used condom. "S'bout a month old. Just before I left, actually. Our first, and, regrettably, last time. Ah, memories." She sat the ziplock bag down and finally pulled out a .45. "After he rapes your, he... well, he just loses his mind and shoots himself in the forehead.

"Sometime afterwards, Billy will come across this horrible scene or carnage, and he'll find me tied up in here alone. I'll be just horribly beaten, even a few cuts here and there." She gestured to the wound on her left arm. "I'll reopen this so it looks new. It'll hurt like hell, but... whaddya do?"

"How are you going to tie yourself up?"

"It is amazing what limber gymnasts can do after they've taken a knot-tying course in the Girl Scouts. Why, there are some knots that look impossibly tight if you try to untie them, but are really nothing more than a simple jerk knot. Just give a few little jerks, and it turns tight. Three little jerks in the opposite direction and it just POPS right off! Amazing, ain't it? Girl Scouts of America. I'm gonna make sure a little girl of my own is a Girl Scout someday." Standing up, she scowled as she said, "Of course, I'm not going to abandon my little girl like my bitch of a mother did, but that's..." Kimberly laughed hysterically, wiping tears from her eyes. "That's aside the point."

Katherine struggled desperately, trying to break free from the ropes. "Nope, your's aren't jerk knots," Kimberly told her. "Now stop struggling, and it'll be over much quicker."

"Mine were," Billy announced as he stepped into the room.

"Dammit Billy!" Kimberly cried, yanking the machete out of the desk. "You weren't supposed to wake up yet! Now I gotta kill you, too!"

"Did you think I didn't know you've been killing people since we became Rangers?" Billy asked. "Kimberly, really now?"

"You knew and didn't tell?" she asked, lowering the machete.

"I love you, Kimberly," Billy said. "Even your faults-"

"Okay, now you just lost it," she told him, stepping back and pointing the machete at him. "Shame, too. Tonight would have been a night you'd've never forgotten, Billy. Two people, drawn together by the brutal murder of their closest friends..." Walking over to the desk, she picked up the .45. "Oh well," she sighed as she raised it to Billy's chest.

"NO!" Katherine screamed. Standing up, as her ankles were freed, she swung around. The weight of the chair knocked her off of her feet, but she still managed to slam into Kimberly. The gun fired, but the bullet was thrown off course, hitting the wall above the door. At the sound of the gun firing, Tommy slowly opened his eyes.

Katherine was lying flat on her back, still tied to the chair. Kimberly lay sprawled out beside her, but not for long. Already, Kimberly was moving for the fallen machete. "NO!" Katherine screamed, trying to get up. "Billy!"

The Blue Ranger launched himself at Kimberly, knocking her back. The machete again fell from her hands, landing too close to Katherine's head for comfort. She rolled over, managed to get to her knees. The chair was a heavy, awkward addition, and she felt both of her thighs threaten to cramp up. She tried to get to her feet, only to stumble forward and slam her head into Ms. Appleby's desk. Giving a wail of pain, she fell back to her side.

Billy wrestled with the smaller Kimberly, trying to pin her down. However, just as he thought he had her, she reached over and bit down on his wrist. He rolled away from her, and she was promptly on her feet. He swung out with his feet, catching her ankles and bringing her to the ground again.

Lurching up with all of her weight, Katherine once again got to her knees. She hopped over to the wall, watching as Billy and Kimberly continued to fight. Katherine offered up a silent prayer, and then drove herself back into the wall as hard as she could. She cried out in pain as shock waves transferred from the chair into her joints. However, she was rewarded with a wooden crack. Hopping forward a bit more, she drove herself back into the wall again.

Kimberly found herself on top of Billy, and she drove her knee down into his groin as hard as she could manage. Billy let loose with a primal howl of pain and rolled to the side. Kimberly once again climbed to her feet, but Billy, with tears in his eyes, grabbed her by the ankle. With a hard yank, he pulled her back and set her stumbling into the doorway.

For the third time, Katherine slammed the chair into the wall. This time, the chair gave way, and she crumpled to the ground. Her hands were still tied together, but with the chair no longer around her, she had a greater range of movement.

"Kat?" Tommy mumbled.

"I'm coming," she whispered to him. She tried to stand fully up, but her legs wouldn't cooperate. Instead, she hobbled over to him and practically collapsed behind his chair. With her fingers, she fumbled with the heavy knots, finally managing to untie him.

Tommy looked over at the door just as Kimberly swung the baseball bat at Billy's head. "Billy!" he yelled. As Billy slumped to the ground, Kimberly spun around in a rage, her eyes flashing hotly.

"You have totally ruined my plans!" she yelled, throwing the baseball bat at Tommy.

As he caught it, Kimberly grabbed the dagger and hurried over to Katherine. Before Katherine could react, she grabbed a fistful of her fine, blonde hair and pulled her into a kneeling position. Holding Kat close, she pressed the dagger to her tender throat.

"Kimberly, please don't do this," Tommy pleaded.

"And why shouldn't I?" she asked angrily, pressing the dagger closer. The point pressed into Katherine's flesh, and a trickle of blood slid down her throat.

Tommy bent down and picked up the machete that was just a few feet away from him. "You won't kill me," Kimberly taunted, tightening her grip on Kat's hair. She smiled at the whimper of pain Katherine gave her. "You're too moral."

Suddenly, red ribbons of blood exploded out of Kimberly's chest. It took everyone present several moments longer to hear the explosive thunder from the discarded .45. Katherine cried out as Kimberly toppled forward. Weaseling away, she let Kimberly fall to the ground. Looking up, she saw a disoriented Billy holding a smoking gun. Red blood discolored the back of Kimberly's sweatshirt where the bullet had entered her body.

"I, on the other hand," Billy muttered, mostly to himself, "have no problems with having a moral dilemma."

"Katherine," Tommy whispered, walking over to her side. He stepped over Kimberly's prone body and helped Kat stand up. Supporting her weight, he escorted her out of the room. "Come on, Billy. We need to call the police."

He nodded in agreement and dropped the gun. Giving one final look at Kimberly's body, he followed Tommy and Kat out of the room.

7:22 p.m.
Katherine closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She couldn't help but smile. Kimberly was dead and Adam wasn't. If it hadn't hurt so badly to stand up, she would have jumped for joy at Sgt. Oliver's announcement. It was bad enough that three people had died, but she couldn't help but feel a great relief that Adam was not among those counted. He was in intensive care, but his outlook was great. Kimberly hadn't hit any major nerves or organs, save for one kidney, and he wasn't predicted to have to go through any major physical therapy.

At the moment, she was seated in the back of Sgt. Oliver's squad car, waiting for someone to come pick her up. Suddenly, she heard the whispered fragments of someone's conversation.

"Body wasn't there."

As Katherine tensed up, the door slammed shut. Kimberly popped up through the window. "Boo," she whispered, smiling.

Katherine screamed and clawed at the door, looking for a door handle. As it was a police car, there obviously wasn't one. Kimberly hurried around to the driver side and got in the car. "Hurts like hell, but he didn't kill me," Kimberly told Katherine, smirking. "Now sit back and get comfy, 'cause we're going for a little ride."

Tommy tore his attention away from the police officer as he watched the squad car tear out of the parking lot. Katherine's face was visible in the back window, screaming for help.

"Kat!" he cried. Running away from the police officer to his own vehicle, he was close behind them.

Kimberly, noting Katherine getting in position to try and put her feet through the side window, said, "Try it, and I drive this car straight into a tree, or off a bridge, or into a building. I have nothing to lose, Kat."

"Where are you taking me?" Katherine asked as she settled back into the seat. _Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me..._

"Familiar with Angel's Bluff?" Kimberly asked.

7:46 p.m.
"Out," Kimberly ordered, pointing her gun at Katherine's head. "Make so much as one move, and I will blow your head off. Try me if you think I'm kidding." Katherine did as she was told, cringing when Kimberly cocked the pistol. Tommy was close behind in his 4x4. "Why look, we have company," Kimberly smiled. "Too bad you won't be here to enjoy it." With that, she gave Katherine a hard shove, sending her stumbling on her uncertain legs backwards and over the cliff.

"NO!" Tommy screamed, throwing himself out of his truck. "You bitch!" Screaming angrily, he ran at Kimberly, slamming into her. The gun flew from her hands, flying into the darkness beyond the rocky cliff as well.

"Tommy, stop it!" Kimberly yelled as she landed with her head just a few inches from the cliff. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"Yes, I do," he growled, shifting his weight. Rolling over twice, he managed to push Kimberly off the edge.

Shrieking, she held a death grip on his right hand as she flipped over the edge. "No!" she cried, dangling above death.

"Tommy!" Another hand latched onto his right arm. He quickly shot his left hand down, smiling gratefully as Katherine clasped it. She had been saved when she clutched at a rock outcropping that now rested against her hips.

"Pull me up, Tommy!" Kimberly ordered.

"Please, Tommy!" Katherine cried. She felt her grip on his hands slip. "PLEASE!"

Tommy was in no position to pull them both up. He was stretched out, flat on his stomach, and he couldn't muster up enough leverage or strength to haul them both up. The only option was to let someone go so that both arms could be used for the other.

"Kat," Tommy whispered.

"If you let me go," Kimberly told him in a weepy voice, "then you'll never know if I was under a spell or not." That brought Tommy to a halt. "Isn't it just like that bastard Zedd to do something like this to an ex-Ranger? Put her under a spell that made her go on a murderous rampage."

"Please," Kat whispered, crying out as she slipped a few inches more.

"Kim?" Tommy groaned. She was holding on tightly to his right hand, almost the point of cutting off circulation.

"I love you," Kimberly said softly.

Immediately, Tommy shook his right hand hard, knocking Kimberly loose. With both hands, he clasped at Katherine's as Kimberly fell free, shrieking and screaming angrily. "Come on," he groaned, straining as he pulled her up. As Katherine felt the ground beneath her again, she gave a thankful sigh.

"Oh, Tommy," she said softly. "I am SO sorry."

"Let's go home, Kat," Tommy whispered.

October 16
Saturday
5:53 a.m.
"Rocky?" Katherine asked, blinking as the final fragments of pink light faded from before her eyes. She still wasn't used to teleportation.

"Hi Kat," he said, smiling warmly. He was sitting on a rock near the edge of Angel's Bluff, looking at the rising sun.

"Can I join you?" she asked, walking over to the rock.

"Sure," he said, scooting over.

They sat there on the rock for a few moments before Kat said, "Rocky, I'm really sorry about-"

"No need," he said, smiling so warmly that Katherine knew she had no reason to doubt him.

"I talked to Zordon this morning," she told him. "Jason Scott, Zack Taylor, and Trini Kwan are going to take a temporary leave of absence from the Peace Conference to come back here. Tommy asked if he could take a break from the team for a while, and Adam... well, he's not really in any shape to fight just yet. And frankly, I don't ever even want to be the Pink Ranger anymore. Too many bad memories associated with it. They'll be here this afternoon."

"You can come back to the team when you're ready," Rocky said. "And you will be. It's just too fresh still." He cautiously slid his right arm around her shoulders.

"You know," Katherine said, "the police read Kimberly's diary. She, uhm, she's never been quite... completely there. Part of the reason for wanting to kill us is because she wanted the Ranger team to be the way it used to be. She wanted it to just be her, Billy, Zack, Jason, and Trini. She didn't even want Tommy around."

"She almost got her wish," Rocky muttered. "Except for her, all of the originals are back, even if it's just temporary."

"That's not the only scary thing," Kat whispered. "They didn't find her body."

"Kat, this cliff is like two hundred feet above the ocean," Rocky told her. "Come on, I'll show you." Pulling her to her feet, the two walked right up to the edge of the cliff. "See." He pointed down at the raging ocean far below them. "There's no way anyone could survive that fall."

Katherine looked up, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. "I know," she said firmly, smiling a whisper of a smile. "But-"

"Let's go somewhere else?"

"Yeah," she agreed, grinning. The two reached for their communicators, disappearing in a twin streak of ruby red and vibrant pink, leaving Angel's Bluff behind them.

November 14, 1995
Tuesday
3:12 p.m.
"Bye guys!" Katherine laughed. She touched the pink communicator on her wrist. It felt great to be on active duty again. She hadn't realized how much she would miss it, if for nothing more than to have something to do.

"Take it easy, girl," Aisha smiled.

"I'm gonna call you tonight about our math class," Rocky said.

"What, I'm not good enough for you anymore?" Adam asked, feigning hurt pride.

"Aisha, I think we should be offended that we were not considered as potential Math tutors," Tommy said in a serious voice.

"I guess we'll just have to settle for being above-average in the attractive department," Aisha returned, grinning. Billy only shook his head in amusement. Katherine waved a final goodbye and turned to go in her house.

"Mail call," her mother Lisa said as she passed by. She handed Katherine a large manila envelope.

"Who from?" Kat asked, eyeing the envelope. There was no return address. She looked at the postmark. _Florida?_

"I dunno," Lisa said from the living room. "Open it and see!"

Frowning, Katherine tore the envelope open. Inside was nothing but a sheet of white paper. Written on it was a simple but elegant script that Katherine had seen before. What it said sent cold chills all over her body.

"One, two, Kimmie's comin' for you..."

Author's Note: I try to avoid doing these too often, but I feel that one is warranted in this case. Some Kimberly fans might be in the mood to see my head on a pike or even flame me. Before you fire off a flame, let me just say this. This fic was NOT a Kimberly bashing fic. For the record, I like Kimberly. If you want proof, read anything from The Earth Crystals Saga, "Missing Blue," "Missing Pink," "Another Christmas Miracle," "Bleeding Blue," or about anything else I've written. Now if you still want to flame me, please feel free. I've never written a fic quite like this, so I just don't know what to expect. I guess you could say that I'm just trying to cover all of my bases here.