Silver and Gold
by Alanna Hanson

Earth; 1900 years later
"Hi-ya!" a fierce blow immediately followed the exclamation, followed by several more rapid kicks and punches. From across the room, four teens watched their friend swiftly inflicting blows in the punching bag with curious concern.

"How long has he been at that now?" Rocky De Santos asked, looking over the table at his friends.

"A good hour at least," Adam Park replied, taking a sip of his fruit juice.

"Maybe one of us should convince him to take a break." Katherine Hilliard said, "he might work himself to exhaustion if he keeps that up."

"Looks like it's already covered." Tanya Sloan said, nodding in the direction of the Youth Center door. The others looked over and saw Tommy Oliver standing in the doorway. He threw a glance in their direction, then turned his attention to the teen at the punching bag, frowning as he watched him. After a moment, the boy turned from the punching bag and launched into a series of judo moves. Tommy looked back at the foursome and raised his eyebrows questioningly. The looks he got back told him all he needed to know and he quickly made his way over to his friend. "Hey bro. Don't you think it's time you took a break?"

Receiving silence in response, Tommy decided to try another tactic. "It's those dreams again, isn't it?"

"Yeah," came the quietly grunted reply.

"Come on Jase, take a break and lets talk about it. Wearing yourself out isn't gonna help any."

Jason Scott paused in mid strike and looked at Tommy. "That's just it Tommy! I can't talk about it. I... I don't know how."

"What do you mean?"

Jason sighed, staring at the punching bag absently as he tried to figure out what to tell his best friend. "Well... every time I try to talk about them, or even think about them, my mind goes totally blank. All I can remember is silver light."

"Have you talked to Zordon about it?" Tommy asked in a low voice.

Jason shook his head.

"Well, maybe you should. Come on, I'll get the others and we'll get to the bottom of this once and for all."

Jason looked at Tommy, about to protest, but the look in the other boy's eyes told him he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Sighing to himself, Jason gave in and followed Tommy to a secluded spot where the others, responding to a signal from Tommy, had already gathered. After a quick check to make sure they weren't being observed, the six teens vanished from the youth center in six columns of colored light.

~*~

Billy paused, looking at Jason intently. His friend truly looked lost in a deep sleep. "Jason, can you hear me?"

"Yes." Came the slightly slurred reply.

"Good. Now, imagine yourself watching a video of all the dreams you have ever had. Can you see them?"

A hint of a smile flickered across Jason's blank face. "Yes."

"Good. Now imagine hitting a fast forward button. Skim through all those dreams until you come to the one with the silver light."

Several minutes passed and then Jason quietly said, "Found it."

"Okay. Now hit the stop button and press play. Tell us what you see."

"I'm walking in the park alone. I think I'm headed for the Youth Center. I haven't gone far when there's this sudden flash of silver light. When it clears and I can see again, the area of the park I'm in has changed. Everything is silver or has a touch of it." Jason paused, a frown crossing his features. "I... I can hear a voice. But it's whispering. I... I can't understand what it's saying."

"Is it coming from your head Jason?"

"No."

"Then where is it coming from?"

Jason hesitated, then lifted his hand and pointed straight ahead. "Over there."

"Okay. Follow it Jase. Is it getting any louder?"

Jason's frown deepened and took on the expression of one struggling to understand. "Yeah." He said hesitantly. "It... sounds like it's asking for help. It... sounds like a girl. I can't see anything now. Some kind of thick fog has just appeared out of no where. The voice... it's definitely a girl... it keeps getting louder then softer. She... seems to be calling to me... leading me to her." Jason let out a sudden gasp, startling the others.

"What is it Jason?" Billy asked calmly.

"Someone else is here. I can see their shadow in the fog."

"Who is it?"

"I... don't know." Frustration entered his voice as he added, "there's to much damn fog!"

"Okay, imagine you're standing beside a large fan. Reach over and turn it on. Now what's happening?"

"The fog is disappearing. I can see more of who's there... it's a girl. She's standing about fifty feet away, watching me. She's dressed in some kind of silver armor, like in those medieval movies. She's wearing some kind of mask, so I can't see her face, but her eyes are the brightest shade of green I've ever seen! And her hair is incredibly long. It's blood red and streaked with silver. I can feel some kind of bond, or connection, to her. I can feel her sadness... sense how tired of running she is... how she wants to go home and see her family again."

He paused, appearing to listen to voice only he could hear. "She's asking for help. She's been trying to find Earth for such a long time. She's asking me to help her get here. She's looking behind her now. There's some kind of black cloud gathering about ten, maybe twenty feet behind her. She's looking back at me... there's the most intense fear in her eyes. She's reaching out, begging me not to let the darkness take her."

Jason's hand once again rose, as though reaching out for something. "Take my hand!" he cried out, much to the surprise of his friends. Tommy made a move toward his now distressed friend, but Billy stopped him, watching curiously as Jason seemed to fully enter the dream he was describing, frustrated that they could only hear his side of the conversation that seemed to be taking place. "Take my hand!" he repeated. "No! Move away from it! Run!" His voice was now a fearful shout.

He began to struggle as Billy and Tommy held him down to keep him from falling off the table. "No! let her go! Star! Star! Take my hand!" Without warning, he erupted in a pain filled scream.

"Jason!" Billy shouted in alarm. "Jason, when I count to three and snap my fingers, the dream will dissolve, and you'll awaken. 1... 2... 3!"

He snapped his fingers and Jason immediately ceased his struggles and screams. His eyes snapped open and he shot up, breathing heavily and looking around wildly. "Easy bro." Tommy said soothingly, gently but firmly pushing his friend back down on the table. Jason closed his eyes, struggling to bring his breathing under control.

"Jason, what happened when you tried to take that girl's hand? Do you remember?" Billy asked quietly.

Jason remained silent for several moments, and Billy was starting to think he had fallen asleep when the quiet reply came. "She was trying to get away form the black cloud, trying to get to me. I tried to run to her, but she kept getting farther and farther away the closer I got. And the cloud... it moved faster than both of us. It engulfed her... I could feel her fear and pain. It was as if I was in her place. It hurt so much." Before he fell into a deep sleep, one name escaped his lips in a soft, whispering sigh; "Silver Star."

~*~

"I suspect this is the name of the mysterious girl in Jason's dream. I believe it is serving as a warning that something is about to happen that will drastically change Jason's life and very possibly your lives as well. I suggest you keep your eyes and ears open. If my suspicions are correct, Jason is guiding whoever or whatever is causing his dreams, here. We must be prepared in case this force is hostile."

Billy watched the old mage carefully. He had seen the flash of recognition fly through his mentor's wise eyes at the mention of Silver Star's name. Evidently, Tommy had to, for he now looking at Zordon suspiciously. "Zordon, is there something you're not telling us?"

When Zordon remained silent, Tommy knew his suspicions were correct. "You do know something."

"What's going on Zordon?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, do you know who this girl is?" Rocky added.

Zordon looked at the teens, his gaze settling on Tommy, who held a challenging look in his eyes, as if daring their mentor to brush off their questions. "Yes, Rangers," he finally admitted, "I do know of a girl by that name. But there is a chance that this is a different Silver Star."

"But it's a pretty small chance isn't it?" Billy asked quietly.

"Correct." Zordon paused, as thought collecting his thoughts. Finally, he continued, "The story I'm about to tell you goes back twenty-six hundred years, to a planet known as Silvermist. It begins at the birth of princess Kamara, daughter of queen Karanda and king Beraan. Princess Kamara bore a special mark, that of a silver star imprinted in her forehead. This mark would give her special powers that would go beyond the normal powers of a Silvermistian. But it would also make her the target of a powerful empire, known as the Bagerian empire, led by queen Bagera, a very powerful, very evil sorceress."

"I have a picture of her on the viewing globe." Alpha 5, who had been quietly standing off to the side, spoke up.

The teens turned to the viewing globe, an found themselves looking at a very stern faced, frighteningly mean looking woman dressed in sinister looking black armor with long, midnight black hair.

"Wow. Wouldn't want to run into her in a dark alley," Rocky quipped with a shudder.

"She... looks vaguely familiar somehow," Kat said, looking hard at the woman.

"You feel a familiarity with Bagera because of your past experience in Lord Zedd's service."

"What does old radiator face have to do with this?" Rocky asked.

"Oh, my god," Kat whispered, realization crossing her face.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something here?" Tanya asked, confusion in her dark eyes.

"No more than the rest of us." Adam replied, looking from Kat to Zordon with equal confusion.

It was obvious from Kat's stunned expression that she wasn't going to explain things, so Zordon spoke up for her. "Rangers, the connection Katherine has just made is the fact that Bagera is Zedd's younger sister."

Shocked silence descended on the group as each absorbed this new information. "Man," Tommy said, shaking his head, "First Rita's brother and Father and now Zedd's sister. What next?"

"Personally, I'd rather not know," Adam muttered.

"So Zordon... what happened to Kamara?" Billy asked, brining them back on topic.

"As I said before, she became a target of the Bargerian empire. According to a prophecy of theirs, the Silvermist princess bearing the mark of the silver star, would be the key to unlocking a power that would make them unstoppable. Karanda and Beraan kept their daughter secret from Bagera for as long as they could, and as soon as she was able, began training her in the ways of the warrior. But it wasn't long before Bagera found out about the princess and launched an all out war against Silvermist. This war lasted over five hundred years. Kamara was about the equivalent of seven when her parents realized they would not be able to protect her much longer. She was still much to young and to early in the stages of her training to be able to stand against Bagera's forces. So it was decided that, for her own survival, as well as the planet's, that she would be sent away in the hope that she would find help on other worlds and would survive until she was powerful enough to return and assume her rightful place on the throne. It was also Karanda's hope that Kamara would one day find her way to Earth and seek my help. Not long after Kamara left, I was alerted by her mother to keep watch for her and offer my assistance should she ever turn up here. Jason was using Kamara's warrior name when he called out to her. If this is, in fact Kamara, I have no idea how or why she is using Jason to find her way here. We will just have to wait and find out."

~*~

This time, he heard the voice clearly instead of a confused whisper floating through his mind. He scanned the fog for her form and finally found her. Concentrating hard, he will the fog away, then moved determinedly toward her. "Please... help me find my way." She whispered, reaching out.

Behind her, Jason saw the black cloud forming, and froze in his tracks. Silver Star glanced behind her, then looked back, the intense fear flaring up in her amazingly green eyes. "Please... don't let the darkness take me."

They were now within arms length of each other. For the first time, Jason felt hesitant about wanting to take her hand. He managed to tear his eyes from hers and looked at the cloud. He felt the pain and intense evil emanating from it, and it quickly washed away all doubt and hesitation. He reached out and firmly grasped her small hand in his own. immediately, they were engulfed in a bright, silver light. Jason was filled with an energy unlike any he had ever felt. It wasn't painful, but actually relaxing and soothing. Jason felt all the tension that had built up inside him, flow away.

"Thank you." Her voice whispered though his mind like a soft breeze, adding to his growing calmness. "I am free, and now, so are you." The light began to fade, and he felt himself slowly returning to awareness. From, somewhere, he wasn't quite sure where, he heard familiar voices. As he struggled to hear, the realization of what just happened struck him. The girl... Silver Star... he had gotten to her. He had finally gotten to her. But... where did she go?

"I got her," he mumbled. Confusion suddenly settled over him and he staggered and fell to the ground. A haze enveloped him. He fought it and for an instant, things went dark. He lay there, exhausted, no longer fighting and welcoming the darkness. Then his eyes flew open and he shot up, exclaiming loudly, "I got her!"

The sudden outburst received startled jumps and a few gasps from the others. Tommy was at Jason's side in an instant, gently but firmly pushing his confused friend back down. "Easy Jase," he said soothingly, "just relax."

"I got her Tommy," Jason mumbled, "I grabbed her hand. She's here... gotta find her." He tried to get back up, but Tommy easily restrained him. Feeling too drained to protest, Jason closed his eyes and whispered, "Gotta find her," before once again slipping into a deep sleep.

Tommy looked at Jason and then up at Zordon in concern. Zordon gazed back at Tommy with a look that said, "Wait and see."

~*~

_Can it be?_ she thought, pushing a strand of wet, dark red hair from her eyes, _could this be Earth? Was the one I made contact with really from Earth?_

A soft breeze blew up and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to block it out. That was when she noticed something was missing. She looked down and discovered that she was completely nude! She wasn't surprised by it, however. It wasn't the first time she had awakened on a new world with her armor gone. _Probably teleported itself back to it's holding place when I was transported here. Wherever that is,_ she thought. _Hmm. I'm to weak to summon it. The transport must have drained me. But I'll worry about that later. Right now I'd better find a way out off this beach._

She stood and looked up to the top of the cliffs. _Wonder if I have enough power to teleport up there. It's not that far, I'll give it a try._ She closed her eyes and pictured the top of the cliffs. She then searched around within her until she found power strong enough to carry out the deed. Her mind called upon it and, seconds later, she vanished from the beach and shimmered back into existence at the top of the cliffs. She opened her eyes and smiled as she took in the breathtaking view.

She looked around sharply at the sound of voices and laughter and quickly concealed herself in a nearby bush.. Peering out from her hiding place, Kamara spotted two young humans- or what she assumed were humans- walking and talking animatedly not far away. One was a tall, handsome boy with long brown hair dressed in red and the other was a slightly smaller girl with blond hair dressed in pink.

"Hey guys!"

She jumped slightly as another boy, this one dressed in blue, ran up to the pair. She watched as the threesome exchanged greetings then continue walking. _Better blend in with the locals,_ she thought, remembering her nakedness. She waited until the coast was clear, then closed her eyes, found some more useable power, and used it to imitate the clothing she had seen on the girl.

When she was finished, she found herself wearing a silver and green T-shirt with matching shorts and white sneakers. A lock of her hip length red hair fell over her shoulder, reminding her of the silver that streaked though it. _Better hide that,_ she thought. Closing her eyes again, she touched her hair and, seconds later, the silver streaks melted away. She touched the silver star imprinted in the center of her forehead and it, to, vanished. _Okay,_ she thought, _now to look around and get my bearings._

~*~

"Zara to queen Bagera, come in." she waited a moment, then repeated her request. "Zara to queen Bagera, do you read me?"

A green light blinked on and a holographic image of a stern faced, black clad woman appeared in front of her. "Report." She commanded in a low, gravely voice.

"I've relocated her," Zara said. "She managed to lose me quite well on that last world, but she won't lose me on this one."

"I certainly hope not. Damn it Zara, we're running out of time! You should have captured that brat centuries ago!"

"I'm aware of that!" Zara snapped, "You try catching the little mouse! Not only is she tricky, but she's grown in strength and power over the centuries, adding to her annoying little ability to elude me!" She paused, then added with a malicious smile, "But don't worry. As I said before, this will be the last planet I chase her to."

"What planet are you on now?" Bagera asked.

"Earth, I believe." Zara replied, looking around.

"Earth? Hmm. I do believe that is the planet your uncle and his bride are attempting to take over. I believe they have taken up residence on it's moon. You might look them up, perhaps they can be of some assistance."

Zara nodded. "Right. I'll keep you informed."

"Give my love to your uncle... and my congratulations."

Zara smiled. "Yes mother. Zara out." She pushed a button and broke the connection.

~*~

Zedd looked up as his wife, Rita, stalked into the throne room. "Patience my love," he growled, "I'm working on a plan this very moment."

"Oh? And what's that?"

Before he could answer, an movement in the doorway caught his attention. He turned towards it, expecting Goldar or one of his other lackeys. Instead, in walked the blackest cat he had ever seen. "What the...? Rito, get your bony butt in here!" Rita screamed.

"What? Hey what's up sis?" Rito asked as he entered the throne room, Goldar behind him.

"Rito! How many times have I told you not to bring home strays?"

"Stray? What stray sis?"

"That stray you moldy pile of bones!" Rita yelled angrily, pointing to the cat, which was now seated on Zedd's throne.

Rito looked at the cat, then back at Rita. "It's not mine sis," he said in confusion.

"Well if it's not yours, then how, in the name of the cosmos, did it get in here?"

Before anyone could answer, a low laugh echoed throughout the room. They all looked at the cat, who had begun to shimmer and change form. There was a sudden flash of light and the cat was replaced by a girl, sprawled lazily across the throne. She ran a hand through her pitch black hair and chuckled in amusement at the startled looks she received. "Zara? Is that you?" Zedd asked in bewilderment.

"Zara? Zeddie, you know this girl?" Rita asked in surprise.

"Yes," Zedd replied slowly, "Zara... my niece."

"Niece!" Rita exclaimed, looking from Zedd to Zara and back again.

Zara chuckled again as she got off the throne and sauntered over. "Greetings uncle." She purred, "It's been far to long." She turned to Rita, bowing slightly. "You must be aunt Rita. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Zara," Zedd said, finally recovering from his surprise, "I haven't seen you since you first learned to mercilessly kill innocents. It is good to see you again."

"Mother sends her love and congratulations." Zara replied.

"Yes... how is my dear sister?"

"Miserable as usual. She has recently enslaved a small world and has been amusing herself killing off its populace."

"So what brings you here? You can't have traveled several hundred galaxies just for a pleasure visit."

"I'm hunting a mouse who's hiding out on Earth."

"Don't tell me you're still chasing that princess what's-her-name?"

Zara sighed and nodded. "Nineteen hundred long years. The little brat is tricky. But, with your help, this will be the last world I chase her to. One way or another, Earth is where it ends.

~*~

"Jason, you look great!" Tanya commented, taking in his bright expression.

"I feel great too." Jason replied, signaling Ernie for a fruit juice. "I've haven't slept so well in ages! You know, I'm begging to think those dreams were just brought on by stress and to many sci-fi movies."

The others glanced at each other, but said nothing. "Up to some sparing bro?" Tommy asked with a smile.

"You bet," Jason replied with a smile of his own.

"Looks like you'll have to wait a bit," Kat said, nodding in the direction of the mats. They all looked in the direction she had indicated and spotted a young girl gracefully moving through a series of tai-chi moves. As they watched, she suddenly launched into a mixture of karate, judo and another form none of them recognized. The girl's moves were lightening quick and, if she had been fighting a enemy, would have been deadly. "Wow," Kat murmured, "She's really good."

"Has anybody seen her before?" Rocky asked.

"She must be new," Billy commented, "Nobody can remain unnoticed around here with moves like that." The others nodded their agreement.

Jason stared at the girl, fascinated. There was something about her... he could feel it in his bones.

"Hey Jase, where ya going?" He ignored the question as he got up and headed towards the mat, his eyes never leaving the mysterious girl.

~*~

"Thanks," she replied softly, smiling shyly.

"I'm Jason," he said, holding out his hand.

"Kara," she responded, using her nickname. For a moment, their eyes met and a strong energy seemed to pass between them. Kamara suppressed a gasp and quickly lowered her eyes to keep him from seeing the silver glow she knew was there. She felt the illusion she had created to hide her alien features begin to dissolve and quickly summoned up a surge of power to keep it in place. _Whoa,_ she thought, _what in the world caused that?_ she looked back up at Jason, forcing a smile. _Could it have been Jason?_

Her thoughts were interrupted when Jason said, "I was wondering if you'd like to join me and my friends."

Kamara looked at the table he gestured to and held back a look of surprise as she spotted the girl and two guys she had seen eariler. _Couldn't hurt,_ she thought. _maybe I can find out if I'm really on the right world._ She looked back at him and flashed a genuine smile. "Sure, why not?"

Jason smiled back, then turned and led her back to the table. "Guys, this is Kara. Kara, this is Adam, Tommy, Kat, Billy, and Rocky."

They exchanged greetings as Tommy pulled up a chair for her and she sat down. A slight tightness reminded her of the tight bun she had tied her hair in. Reaching up, she pulled the pin out and shook her head, sending her long hair cascading down her back and around her shoulders, framing her face.

"So Kara, how long have you been in Angel Grove?" Kat asked, noticing with a hint of amusement the effect she was having on the guys.

"This morning actually. I checked into my hotel, went for a walk and ended up here."

"So you don't actually live here?" Jason asked with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Well, I'm traveling on my own. I have been since I was young and I usually stay in a place anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of years. The way things are looking, I'm considering staying at least a year." She added, throwing a shy glance at Jason. _Stop it!_ she chided herself mentally. _You're not here to start a petty romance! Besides, the guy is human. You're as different as night and day. Although... I admit he israther cute._

"Doesn't that get awfully expensive?" Tanya asked.

"Oh, I have relatives all over the place. My uncle owns the hotel I'm staying at now. He's letting me stay free of charge." It was a straight out lie of course. In reality, she had used some of her hypnotic power to make the manager - and anyone else who looked - think she was actually paying for it. That little trick had worked several times in the past when she had hid out on worlds similar to earth.

"So where are you from Kara?" Adam asked, breaking into her thoughts.

"Um... a little village way out in the boon docks." She replied evasively. "Very few people have heard of it. Before they could question her further, she rushed on. "Say, could I ask you guys something?"

The others exchanged quick glances, puzzled as to why she was being so mysterious about her origins. "Sure," Jason spoke up. "Shoot."

"Is this the city protected by the Power Rangers?"

"Sure is," Tommy answered, a hint of pride in his voice.

_Yes!_ her mind shouted gleefully, _after all this time I'm finally on the right planet. Now all I have to do is locate them._ She put on an innocent, wide eyed expression and said in an awed voice, "You wouldn't know how to reach them would you? It's always been sort of a dream of mine to meet them." She added with a shy smile.

They glanced at each other again, then Rocky said - a little nervously she noted - "Well, uh, actually no one knows. The only time anyone ever sees them is when there's a monster attack. No one knows where they spend their time when they're not fighting."

"Oh," Kamara replied with an air of disappointment. She didn't expect them to know, but she had to give some reason for asking. She brightened a little and added, "Well, maybe I'll luck out and see them while I'm here."

Too late did she noticed the sudden, evil power behind her. She jumped as a hand clamped down on her shoulder and stiffened as an all to familiar voice said, "Well isn't this a small world? Imagine running into you here of all places!"

Kamara looked up and found Zara, disguised as a pretty blond, standing next to her. She smiled warmly at Kamara but her eyes were ice cold. She looked up at the others and said brightly, "Hi, I'm Liz. I'm a close, personal friend of Kara's."

"I'm Kat," Kat said, extending her hand.

Zara took it and an expression of surprise and confusion lit both girl's eyes. "Nice to meet you," Zara said, looking at Kat strangely.

One by one, the others spoke up, introducing themselves. Kamara remained silent, quietly praying that Zara wouldn't try anything with all the people around. "Would you like to join us?" Tanya asked, smiling.

"Oh, no. I have to get going. People to see, and all that. It was nice meeting you all. Kara, we simply must get together and discuss... old times. Hell, the way we keep running into each other, we should just travel together." She gave Kara's shoulder a sharp squeeze and smiled.

Kamara held back her gasp and looked up at Zara. There was an unspoken threat behind her words and her eyes held a dangerous spark. "Yeah sure," she responded stiffly, letting her own threat creep into her eyes. She was glad her new friends weren't in the position to see the hidden exchange. She wasn't sure she'd be able to answer any questions they may have had.

Zara looked back at them, flashed a dazzling smile, then left.

"How long have you known her for?" Billy asked.

_Far too long,_ she thought bitterly. Out loud she said, "Uh... since I was a child." Her nervousness was starting to get the better of her and she thought it would probably be better if she left and planned her next move. "Um, listen. I really have to go. My uncle's expecting me anytime now. I really enjoyed meeting all of you. maybe we can get together later on."

Before anyone could respond she was gone. "Why do I get the feeling those two aren't as chummy as they'd like us to think?" Rocky asked, looking at the others.

"Yeah," Tanya agreed, "I don't think I've ever seen anybody so tense before."

"Hey Kat, you all right?" Tommy asked, taking in Kat's far away expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kat answered slowly. "It's just that the strangest thing happened when I shook Liz's hand. I felt a strange energy and I had a sudden flashback to my days with Rita. It was kind of scary."

"You were probably just affected by the fact that she was so strange," Adam put in, "I know I was a little creeped out."

"I feel like there's something I should be remembering something here," Jason muttered softly. The others turned there attention to him and found him staring at the table thoughtfully. "There's something about her," he added, mostly to himself. "I can't explain it... I feel like I know her."

"Come on Bro." Tommy said, getting up, "maybe a little sparring exersise will help clear your mind."

~*~

"You're not taking me Zara!" Kamara said fiercely. "I've escaped you on thousands of worlds and I'll continue to escape you through a thousand more!"

Zara let out a short laugh. "That's where you're wrong little mouse. This is the last world I chase you to. One way or another, our game ends here!"

"For once, we're in agreement!" Kamara closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead, covering the silver star that was now there. "I call upon the powers of Silver Star!" she shouted. immediately, a silver light flared up and surrounded her. Her hand shot up to the sky and a bolt of lightning struck her, adding to the brilliant light. When the light subsided, kamara stood, clothed in her Silver Star armor. She wore black, knee high boots with silver stars in the centers. The armor she wore was a silver cuirass (kew*ras). It was worn like a vest and consisted of a light-but fantastically strong-breast plate and back piece laced together at the sides with golden leather thongs. A wicked looking sword was strapped to her back. A golden mask covering most of her face completed her uniform, bringing out her stunning green eyes.

"I'd like to introduce you to a few friends," Zara said, snapping her fingers. There was a flash of light and twelve giant birds appeared.

Kamara dropped to a fighting stance. "I'm surprised Zara," she quipped, "You usually don't befriend your food. Working on a new torture method?"

"Actually I am," Zara retorted, "And I happen to need someone to test it on. I choose you. Tengas, get her!" The Tengas rushed her, and the fight was on. It didn't take her long to dispatch them, and when the last one disappeared, she looked up at Zara and laughed. "What was that? A warm up exercise?"

"Maybe it was. But this isn't!" The move was swift, but Kamara managed to block it and retaliated with a blow of her own.

~*~

"I can't get over how strange Kara was," Rocky replied.

"Hey," Tanya said, stopping suddenly and cocking her head to one side, listening.

Rocky and Kat stopped, looking at her curiously. "What's up?" Rocky asked.

"Listen. Can't you hear it?" Kat and Rocky fell silent, listening. A moment later, strange sounds reached their ears.

"Hey, that sounds like fighting!" Kat exclaimed, looking at the others.

"Sounds like it's coming from over there," Rocky said, pointing to their right. Peering behind a clump of bushes, all three gasped in unison. Two girls, one dressed in a black leather body suit and the other in silver armor, were in the middle of a very heated battle. It was obvious that the girl in silver was hurt and wasn't likely to last much longer. "We'd better but a stop to this," Rocky stated. The girl's nodded in agreement and Rocky called out, "It's morphin time!"

"Zeo Ranger I- pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II-yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III-blue!"

Rocky pulled out his Zeo blaster and fired a shot in between the two girls, knocking both to the ground. "Haven't you ladies ever heard that it's bad manners to bring a fight to a world that has enough problems already?" he called out.

The girl in black stood, but the other remained on the ground, still stunned. "Well now, who do we have here?" she purred, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Just call us the resident peace keepers," Rocky replied. "Now, since you two are obviously new around here, these two lovely ladies and I are going to give you the chance to walk away quietly, no questions asked. However, if you choose not to take us up on the offer...." he trailed off, and all three subtlety fingered their blasters.

"Look, I really don't wish to cause trouble," the girl in black said. She gestured to the other girl, was struggling to rise. "This girl is my cousin, princess Zamira. Recently, she came in contact with a wizard's spell that, when finally broken, left her very confused. In her confusion, she came to believe that her family was not her family and that she was in danger. She fled. I, being her closest friend, was given the duty by her mother, my aunt, to find and bring her back, even if it meant engaging her in battle."

"No! don't... listen to her!" the other girl gasped, still struggling to get up. Kat went over and knelt next to her, examining her wounds. She looked up at her friends after a moment and said, "I think her leg is broken."

"Perhaps you could assist me in getting her back to my base so that I might repair any damage and get her home safely," the girl in black said.

"No," the other girl said weakly, "She's not my cousin. She means... to take me back so her people... can sacrifice me." She looked like she wanted to say more, but was unable to.

"There, that's the perfect example of what I've been telling you."

Kat looked into the stunning green eyes of the girl, then up at her "cousin," and suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"Please," the girl whispered, her eyes pleading, "don't let her take me."

"Call it a hunch," Rocky spoke up, "but I don't think she wants to go with you. I don't blame her either. I get the feeling you're not who you say you are."

"I don't this is any concern of yours," the girl in black responded coldly. "I'm taking my cousin and leaving and nobody is going to stop me. Now step aside!"

She started forward, but stopped when Kat stood and fell into a defensive position. "You're not taking her anywhere!" she stated as Rocky and Tanya moved to join her.

"Sorry lady," Rocky added, "but if you want her, you'll have to go through us first."

Before anyone could make a move, there was a flash of light followed by an exclamation from Tanya, "Hey, she's gone!"

The other girl's eyes burned red with anger. "You'll pay for that Rangers!" she growled softly. "You have no idea how long it took me to track that mouse here and I'll be damned if I'm going to let her get away again!"

"For someone whose supposed to be her cousin and best friend, you sure have some negative feelings happening," Rocky quipped.

The girl glared at them and said, "You've just made yourselves a dangerous enemy."

"Well, does our 'dangerous enemy' have a name?" Rocky asked in a voice laced with sarcasm.

The girl's smile gave all three chills and her voice was just as cold as she said, "Zara." Then, in a flash of black flame, she was gone.

"We'd better get back to the Power Chamber and tell Zordon about this," Tanya said. Rocky and Kat nodded in agreement and the three quickly disappeared in flashes of pink, yellow and blue.

~*~

"Ai-yi-yi! Oh no! Not Zara!" Alpha V wailed.

"You know her?" Tanya asked, looking up at Zordon.

Before Zordon could answer, Kat spoke up quietly. "Let me guess, she's Zedd's niece isn't she?"

There was a moment of stunned surprise, then Zordon replied, "Yes Katherine, you are correct."

"How in the world did you know that?" Tanya asked, astounded.

"I... I don't know," Kat replied slowly, a puzzled expression in her blue eyes. "It was almost as though it was part of my instinct or something." She looked up and a frown crossed her pretty features. "Jason? You all right?"

They all turned their attention to Jason, who was staring into space, his face pale. "Jase? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost, man!" Tommy said, concern filling his brown eyes.

"Did... did she have a silver star in the middle of her forehead?" he asked huskily.

"As a matter of fact, she did," Tanya replied, thinking back.

This caused Jason to turn even whiter, and Tommy grabbed his arm for fear that he would fall over. "Silver Star," he whispered, "She's here. I really did bring her back with me."

"Rangers, the fact that Zara, Bagera's daughter, is chasing Princess Kamara is very bad news indeed," Zordon said.

"Zara's a fierce and powerful warrior," Kat said, causing the others to once again look at her in surprise. Kat continued on, appearing not to notice their looks. In fact, she appeared to be in a trance. "Zara is Bagera's eldest daughter and the empire's most dangerous warrior. She was the equivalent of ten or eleven earth years when Bagera assigned her the task of pursuing and capturing Kamara. She has chased Kamara for nineteen hundred years, returning home only once for the burial of her twin sister, Katamina, who was killed in a battle with a enemy empire." Kat blinked and looked around, the focus returning to her eyes. "Sorry, what were we talking about?"

"Uh, Kat? Do you know what you just said?" Adam asked.

Kat looked at him curiously. "Yeah, I just asked what we were talking about. It... seems to have slipped my mind," she added slowly, putting a hand to her head.

"You just went though a history of Zara as though you knew her all your life," Tanya said.

"Man, this is getting weird you guys," Rocky put in as Kat's eyes took on a look of confusion.

"Rangers, as Katherine said, Zara is a very dangerous enemy. It is imparative that we locate Kamara and bring her into our custody before Zara finds her again. Keep a close watch, for she had most likely disguised herself as a human and is walking among you."

"Wait a minute," Tanya said, "You guys, what about Kara? I mean, she's new, she traveling on her own, she even asked if we knew how to contact the Rangers!"

"You're right," Tommy jumped in, "she could definitely be Kamara."

"Rangers, keep a close eye on your friend. If you feel that there is no doubt as to her identity, confront her, and then bring her here." The Rangers nodded, then teleported out.

~*~

As she began walking out of the woods, her thoughts turned to the battle she had barely escaped from. If she had known her energy level was as low as it was, she never would have fought. She was grateful her three saviors showed up when they did. She regretted not being able to thank them for buying her the time she needed to teleport herself to safety. Perhaps they would meet again and she would get her chance. _They may even know how to contact the Power Rangers._

"Kara! Hey Kara wait up!"

Kamara, who was out of the forest and somewhere in the park, turned to see who was calling her. She smiled when she saw it was Jason, and quickly added more power to her illusion, remembering the strange effect he had on her. "Hi Jason, how are you? It's a great morning isn't it?" _Strange,_ she thought. _I'm suddenly sensing a power within him._

Her thoughts were broken as Jason said, "Are you on your way to the Youth Center?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," she replied, hoping he didn't hear the slight tension in her voice. _Is he working for Zara?_ she wondered, _better scan him._ She sent her mind out to him, searching for evil intentions. She mentally sighed in relief when she detected none, and decided that whatever power he carried was pure and good.

"Great! How about I buy you a soda?" Jason was saying. She looked up at him and smiled, the tension she had felt, melting away.

~*~

"Where did you get those bruises Kara?" Kat asked in a concerned voice.

Kamara looked down at her right arm where a nasty bruise showed and cursed herself for not hiding it better. "Oh that," she grinned sheepishly. "I had a rough time in the pool last night. I misjudged my jump from the diving board and whacked my arm on the way down." She paused, then decided to steer the topic away form herself. "Want to spar a little with me Jason?" she asked.

"Sure... why not," Jason replied, exchanging quick glances with the others as he stood.

Once they were out of ear shot, Rocky spoke up, "Well, that's new one. I expected her to say she walked into a wall or fell down the stairs or something."

"Remember Rocky," Billy said, "She's probably not from this world, so therefore she doesn't know our more popular list of lame excuses."

"Looks like Jase has met his match," Tommy said with a grin, watching the pair spar. They watched as the pair basically took turns putting each other flat on his or her back for several minutes. Finally, they stopped and talked for a moment, then Kara nodded and fell into a stance while Jason moved off to the side. She closed her eyes and went through a series of strange, Tai-Chi-like movements. When she finished, she motioned Jason over and slowly repeated the movements with Jason mimicking her. It wasn't long before he had the moves mastered and the twosome were moving fluently through the motions in perfect unison. At the table, the six teens watched, transfixed. "It's beautiful," Kat whispered in awe. The others nodded in silent agreement.

~*~

He was in the middle of a small clearing, surrounded by tall, almost proud trees. The forest floor was lush green and flowers of all types and color littered the ground. Jason was surprised to see that everything was tinged with silver, the sky included. A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he quickly spun towards it, dropping to a defensive position. His eyes widened at what he saw.

About twenty feet away, a pure white unicorn stood, watching him calmly. Seeing that she had his attention, she turned and walked back into the forest, pausing only to look back at him, then continue on. Jason followed, sensing that this was what she wanted. He lost sight of her for a moment as he carefully climbed a steep path, and hoped she would wait for him. When he reached the top, he discovered her standing several feet away, staring out over the horizon.

Jason joined her and started when he found that they were at the edge of a very steep cliff. He jumped back nervously as he saw the long drop and looked at his guide. The beautiful beast was watching him with amusement in her silverish-blue eyes. _It's all right child,_ her elegant voice whispered in his mind, _you are in no danger here._ She turned her attention back to the horizon.

Jason cautiously approached and stood next to her, eyeing the drop suspiciously. Finally managing to tear his eyes away, he looked up at the horizon and gasped. Formed against a horizon of mountains and brilliant colors, was a breathtaking majestic castle of silver crystal. No words could describe the view. "Where... where are we?" Jason whispered, finally finding his voice.

_You will know in time child,_ the unicorn replied, _All you need to know at this moment is that you and your friends will one day play an important part in this kingdom's survival._ Her eyes took on a sad look. _Great evil and treachery will descend upon it in a time of long deserved peace. Not even their greatest warrior will be able to defeat this evil. Only the power you and your friends possess will be able to save this world._

"Who are you?" Jason asked softly, unable to tear his eyes away from the beauty he was seeing, "How do you know all this?"

_I am the spiritual guardian of this world. That is all I can tell you at present, golden power child. Your presence here indicates that you are the one who shares the incredible bond with the future queen of this world. I can no longer provide her with the protection she needs. Only you and the pink power child can provide her with the protection she will need in the coming battles._

"Katherine?"

She nodded her great head. _Yes, the pink one will find that she possess a special immunity to most of the power of the evil one._ The guardian paused, then added, _but I have told you too much. It is time for you to return._ She rested her horn on Jason's forehead and her voice whispered softly in his mind. _You will not remember anything of this meeting, other than the fact that you must protect the princess. All else you have been told will remain in the back of your subconsiousness, until the time is right. Now, power child... return._

Jason was once again engulfed in the silver light, and when it cleared, he found himself back in the Youth Center, finishing the motions with Kara. All memories of the meeting with the guardian vanished the instant he became aware of his surroundings. They finished to a round of clapping. Startled, they looked up to find that they had captured the attention of almost the entire center. Blushing, they nodded their heads in acknowledgment.

As the audience dispersed, Jason turned to Kamara and said, "Wow, that was amazing! I've never felt anything like it!"

Kamara smiled, a sad look in her green eyes. "That was my first reaction," she said softly. "I learned it from a special friend I met in my travels. It's always served to relax me and make me feel better when I'm down."

She fell silent, and, for a split second, Jason thought he saw tears in her eyes. But as fast as they had come, they were gone, leaving Jason to wonder if he had actually seen anything at all. "Uh, Kara?" he said, remembering something he wanted to ask her.

"Yes?" She looked up at him and Jason's heart skipped a beat as their eyes met.

"Uh, there's a spring dance here tonight and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?"

Kamara's expression lit up. "I'd love to Jason," she replied, smiling.

Jason smiled back. "Great! Meet you here at seven?"

Kamara nodded. "It's a date!"

~*~

"Kat?" what's wrong?" Tanya asked, stopping and looking back at her friend.

"Do... do you get the feeling we're being watched?" Kat asked slowly.

"Always," Tanya replied with a smile. "It's probably just Zedd and Rita. You know how they are." She shrugged dismissivly.

"No, it's not Zedd and Rita, I'm sure of that. I'm used to being watched by them. I know what it feels like because of my time with Rita. This feels... different."

A rustle in the bushes off to their right startled them and they both spun around, dropping to fighting stances. A tense moment later, a pitch black cat emerged and looked at them curiously. Tanya looked at it and laughed. "Look that! You're getting us both worked up over nothing! Come on, lets get to the Youth Center. The guys are probably already there."

She turned and started walking again, but Kat remained where she was, staring at the feline. The cat looked up at her with eerie yellow eyes that seemed to shimmer. She didn't like it. There was something very wrong, very unnatural about the feline that gave Kat goosebumps.

"Kat! Come on!" Tanya called.

Kat tore her eyes away and looked back at Tanya. When she looked back, the cat was gone. "Coming!" she called back. Throwing one last, uneasy glance around the area, she turned and hurried to catch up with her friend.

~*~

~*~

Kat smiled and replied, "Of course Mr. Oliver." She took his hand and he led her to the dance floor.

"Hey Jase," Rocky said softly, "Look who's here."

Jason looked in the direction Rocky indicated, and a small smile lit his face. Kamara stood in the doorway, looking around curiously. She was dressed in a knee high silverish green summer dress, which effectively set off her dark red hair.

"Wow," Rocky murmured.

"I'll second that," Adam added, receiving a light punch in the shoulder from Tanya.

"'Scuse me guys," Jason said, his eyes never leaving her as he made his way over. "Kara, you look fantastic!" he exclaimed when he reached her.

She smiled and glanced down at her dress. "You don't think it's too much?"

"No way. It's perfect." He smiled and took her hand. "Want to dance?"

~*~

Billy looked around, then lowered his voice and said, "I crossed referenced Kara's description with the description of the girl that you rescued, requesting the probability that their one and the same."

"And?" Tommy asked anxiously.

"There's a ninety eight point five percent chance that Kara is Kamara."

Rocky let out a low whistle. "Wow, not much of a chance for error is there?"

"We'd better watch ourselves guys," Tommy said, his gaze returning to Jason and Kara, "If we're right about this, things could get real ugly real fast".

~*~

_What is it about you?_ she thought as she gazed into his warm brown eyes. _How are you effecting me like this? Most importantly, why do I feel so drawn to you? Like I've known you all my life?_

Her thoughts were interrupted as an all to familiar power penetrated her senses. Tearing her eyes away, she looked towards the door and tensed up slightly. Zara, disguised once again as Liz, stood there, looking around with an interest she Kara didn't like.

"Something wrong?" She looked back and found Jason looking down at her with a hint of concern. "Um, no. listen... do you want to go for a walk and get some air?"

"Yeah, all right," Jason replied with a nod.

She took his hand and led him towards the door in a path that guaranteed Zara wouldn't spot them. Once outside, she turned to Jason and asked, "So, do you want to walk in the park?"

Jason looked up at the dimming sky and said, "I have a better idea. Come on, there's something I want to show you."

Ten minutes later, after a quick short cut through the park, they ended up in a secluded area surrounded by forest. "Come on, this way," Jason said, leading her up a short hill. At the top was a small, grassy area that ended abruptly at a cliff with a steep drop. Taking her hand, Jason led her to within a few feet of the edge and pointed. Kamara gasped as she took in the stunning view. It was even more spectacular than the one she had seen the day she first arrived. The colors of the setting sun deeply added to the effect and she found herself speechless for several moments.

"Jason, it... it's beautiful," she said softly, finally finding her voice.

Jason nodded. "Yeah. Not to many people know about this place. I like to come up here and just sit and think or practice my martial arts." There was a moment of silence, and then Jason asked softly, "Kamara?"

"Yes?" came the quiet reply.

Jason hesitated, unsure how to phrase his question. Finally, he decided on the direct approach. "You're in trouble aren't you?" He watched her stiffen, then relax and turn to him, a puzzled look on her face. But she couldn't hide the tension-and slight fear-in her eyes.

"I'm... not sure what you mean."

"Yes, I think you do," Jason replied in a gentle, yet firm voice. "Kara, you're displaying all the classic symptoms of someone on the run. Especially one who's been on the run a long time. You never stay in one place very long, you're never completely relaxed, and you're constantly looking over you're shoulder like you're expecting someone to suddenly jump out and attack you." Kamara looked at him, ready to deny his words, but as she looked into his eyes, she realized she couldn't. she looked away, tears filling her eyes.

"Yes," she whispered, "I am on... the run."

_Bingo!_ Jason thought. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I can help you know."

This caused her to spin around, terror in her tear filled eyes. "No Jason! Please, promise me you won't get involved! My pursuers are dangerous. More dangerous than you could ever imagine!"

Jason was about to tell her that he knew who she was and who he was, but something stopped him. He thought he heard a voice whispering in the back of his mind, telling him it was not yet time. _Time? What does that mean?_ he thought, but the voice didn't answer. Instead, Jason felt a force overcome him, keeping him from speaking the information he wished to share with her. Unable to tell her what he knew, he simply stood there and listened as she continued with a far away look.

"I... I lost so many people I loved because they intervened and tried to help me. I would be broken beyond all hope if anything happened to you because you tried to help." She paused, then added, "I'm searching for a friend of my mother's. He has the power to help me and I'm close to finding him, I can feel it. I don't want to run anymore. All I want is to go home and see my family again. With his help, I'll be able to do that." She turned away and looked out at the dying light of the sun, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "I'm so tired of making friends and falling in love only to watch them suffer or die at the hands of that wretched creature!" she whispered.

Jason reached out and gently turned her so she was facing him. Their eyes met and locked. Despite her emotional state, Kamara's heart was racing at the fact they were only inches apart. He gently stroked her tear stained face, causing shivers to race up and down her spine. She closed her eyes as Jason's head slowly moved towards hers. Seconds later, their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss that seemed to go on forever. When they finally broke apart, Kamara sighed and leaned her head against his chest, looking at the last rays of the sunset. They remained that way for a long time.

~*~

"So what's our next move?" Rocky asked when Jason had finished.

"We're going to have to confront her and soon," Tommy said, "I doubt things are going to stay quiet for much longer."

"Got it covered bro," Jason said, his gaze fixed on a figure a short distance away. The voice that had spoken to him the night before was back, whispering to him that the time was now right. He felt the restraint that had been placed on him lifted, and the urge to tell her everything rushed at him, almost overwhelming him. "I'll catch up with you guys later," he said, rushing off toward the figure.

Tommy looked at Rocky and Adam and said, "I'll meet you guys at the Youth Center in a bit. I have something's to take care of." Tommy took off in the opposite direction as Rocky and Adam nodded and continued on.

~*~

Kamara looked at Jason's serious expression and frowned, suddenly nervous. "Okay, what about?"

"Not here," Jason said, looking around at the people scattered about. "Come on, this way." He took her hand and led her to a secluded, deserted area of the park where they could talk without being observed. Taking a deep breath, he looked her in the eyes and said, "Kamara, I know."

Kamara looked at him blankly. "What do you...?" Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened. "What... what did you call me?"

"Kamara. I know who you are, where you're from... everything."

Kamara's eyes suddenly took on fear, and she started backing away. Jason quickly, but gently grabbed her arm to keep her from bolting and said "No, no, it's all right. I don't want to harm you, I want to help you."

"Who... who are you?" Kamara asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.

Instead of replying, Jason followed a powerful urge. He cupped her face in his hands, and pressed his lips to hers in a long, firm kiss. That was all Kamara could take. The power she was drawing on to keep her illusion in place wavered and was cut off. Without the power to keep it operating, the illusion slowly melted away. The first to appear was the silver star in the center of her forehead. It glowed softly, then intensified into a bright flash of light that enveloped them both. When it cleared, they were no longer in the park, but a very familiar looking forest. They broke apart, her eyes glowing silver beneath her golden mask. With a brilliant flash of green, they returned to normal, holding a stunned expression as she looked at him. Her gaze moved past and behind them and her eyes widened even more.

"White Mist!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with joy. A flood of memories rushed back to him as he turned and saw the unicorn. Kamara rushed forward and embraced the beast lovingly. "Why haven't you come to me for so long? I miss our walks and talks.

"So that's your name," Jason said, stepping forward. Kamara looked at him, surprised.

"You know one another?"

_Kamara, golden one, listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you,_ White Mist's voice echoed through their minds before Jason could respond. _What I have to tell you is very important. Kamara, the reason I have not appeared to you in so long is because your time of fleeing is drawing to an end. Earth is the final battle that will decide your fate. Although I will never leave you, I can no longer fully protect you as I have for so many centuries. The duty has been passed to the golden power child, who posses a part of the power needed that I cannot give to truly defeat Zara. The two of you have finally completed an incredible bond. You are soul mates, which may seem strange to you considering you are from different worlds and galaxies. However, despite the great differences, you are both mortal. The love you share goes far beyond that of mortal love, however. You will find that you can hear one another's thoughts and feel one another's pain._

She paused, and a far away look entered her silverish blue eyes. When they cleared, she continued, _My time grows short. Listen carefully, in times of battle, when you are in serious trouble and need help, you may call on me. Remember,_ she added as she began to fade, _I am always with you. Just look in your hearts._

As her image faded, so did the forest. Moments later, they were back in the park and Kamara was once more in her normal clothes. Her illusion, however, remained non-existent. She looked up at Jason, her eyes glowing in reaction. "Jason? Are you... ugh!" She was abruptly interrupted as a powerful blast hit her from behind, throwing her to the ground.

Pain exploded from somewhere within Jason and he fell to his knees, gasping. "Kamara... are you... all right?" he wheezed. His answer came with the feelings that enveloped him. The blast that had struck her had left her very hurt and very weakened. She was also bleeding, he discovered as his hand came in contact with a wet substance. A low chuckle caught his attention and he looked behind him to find a girl, clad all in black, matching Zara's description. "Stand away human, and you won't get hurt. Your little girlfriend is coming with me."

"Over... my dead body!" Jason snarled. He felt a surge of power flow through him and guessed Kamara was trying to help him. He stood and shouted, "It's morphin time!

"Gold Ranger Power!"

"Well, well," Zara purred, "so you're one of the Rangers. I'm going to enjoy this." She launched herself at Jason and the battle was on.

After several moments of trading blows, Jason began to weaken. He was painfully aware that Kamara was barely conscious, and it was severely effecting him. _Gotta get help!_ he thought as he stumbled. Through the haze that was clouding his senses, he saw Zara send an energy bolt at him. Before he could act, it hit him square in the chest. He felt pain explode through him and, in a shower of sparks, fell to the ground. He heard Kamara cry out weakly as the pain extended to her and felt fear rise in his stomach.

"Zordon!" Jason yelled into his communicator in a pain filled voice, "this is Jason! I... need help... now!" With that said, the last of the energy feed faded, and he collapsed, fighting the darkness that threatened to overtake him.

Zara smiled and slowly walked towards him, energy crackling in her hands. "Say goodbye Ranger," she murmured.

"Not so fast Zara!" a familiar voice shouted.

She looked up and was immediately assaulted with lazer blasts. She hit the ground hard and lay still for a moment, stunned. Shaking her head, she looked up and saw the three Rangers she had argued with a few days earlier, plus one more, this one green. "How many of you brats are there?" she muttered, standing. "I told you before, Rangers," she called, "Nobody is going to stop me from taking the girl back where she belongs!"

"Is that a fact?" Rocky shot back, "Looks like we're doing a pretty good job of that so far!"

Eyes burning with anger, Zara discharged the energy she still held in her hands, which they skillfully dodged. They'd been fighting for less than a minute, when a sharp voice rang out, "Enough!"

The battle stopped, and everyone turned in the direction of the voice. Tommy, clad in his Ranger uniform, stood a few feet away from where Tanya knelt, checking Kamara and Jason over, and protecting them from the fury of battle. "Rangers! Fall back!" he ordered in a voice that suggested he would not tolerate disobedience.

As the Rangers went to their leader, Zara said, "Well now, you must be the one in charge of this... energetic little group. Now maybe I can talk to someone with some real authority." She empathized authority, glaring at Rocky, who glared back under his helmet.

Tommy ignored her and put a warning hand on Rocky's shoulder. Looking down at Tanya, he asked, "How are they?"

"Kamara's unconscious. She looks like she may be hurt pretty bad," she added, raising a blood stained, gloved hand. "Jason's not in too good a shape either, but I think he's still conscious."

"Get them back to the Power Chamber and have Billy and Alpha check them out."

Tanya nodded, but before she could teleport, Zara called out, "Wait!" Tanya paused and looked at Zara uncertainingly.

"Look," Zara said in her best pleading voice, "I know what those three told you about our encounter the other day didn't sound so good. But you must believe me, all I want to do is take the girl back to her family where she belongs."

"Forget it Zara," Tommy said coldly. He signaled to Tanya, who disappeared with their injured friends in a flash of colored light. Tommy turned back to Zara and added, "We know all about you and your little hunting spree. As of now, princess Kamara is officially under the protection of the Power Rangers! You want her, you'll have to go through us first!"

Zara's eyes flashed a ruby red as she stared at the teens in a way that sent chills through all of them. The red flickered momentarily as her gaze stopped on Kat. Kat shifted uncomfortably and unconsciously fingered her blaster as she glanced at Tommy. _Hmm,_ Zara thought, _as much fun as it would be to take them all on at once, I think it would be much wiser to retreat and gather up a force of whatever uncle Zedd has to offer. Besides, I want a chance to call upon my more special powers to fight their leader with. Taking him down will require a lot of strength and brute savagery._ "This is far from over Rangers! I'll be back!" She disappeared in a flash of black flame.

Adam was the only one who noticed Kat's shoulder's sag in relief. Before he could say or do anything however, Tommy ordered the return to the Power Chamber.

"Billy, how are they?" Tommy asked as soon as they arrived.

"Kamara's in pretty bad shape, but I think she'll pull through." Billy replied.

"And Jason?"

Billy frowned and looked at Jason. "It's strange. According to the scans, he should be all right. He has a few minor injuries, but they shouldn't be affecting him like this."

"He also keeps mumbling something about a bond and something called 'White Mist.'" Tanya added.

"Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha suddenly exclaimed, "I don't believe it!"

They all turned to where Alpha stood, holding a scanner over Jason and comparing the results to a second scanner in his other hand. "Alpha, what's wrong?" Tommy asked in concern.

"Jason seems to be reacting to Kamara's injuries."

"What does that mean?" Rocky asked.

"Well, it appears as though he's sharing her pain," Billy explained, picking up a strange device and going over to Kamara.

"What are you doing Billy?" Kat asked.

"Watch," Billy replied, flicking a switch. They all jumped as an electrical current flared up, surrounding the upper part of the gizmo. Tommy quickly grabbed Billy's wrist, keeping him from moving. "Billy, are you nuts!?"

"It's all right Tommy," Billy replied calmly. "This won't hurt her anymore than she already is. Just watch."

Tommy hesitated a moment, then trust in Billy took over and he let go of the other boy's wrist. Billy put the electrical current down lightly on Kamara's arm, and they watched as Jason reacted. "See? He seems to be reacting to Kamara's pain. I don't understand how he's doing it. What do you think, Zordon? Zordon?"

Billy turned and looked up, as did the others. Zordon's eyes held a far away look, as though he was communicating with someone telepathically. Finally, after several moments, his eyes refocused and he looked down at the teens. "Rangers, I have just spent the last several moments communicating with someone who has given me the answers to your questions. First of all, White Mist is not the name of a place or a thing, but is the name of the spiritual guardian of Silvermist, Kamara's home world. She has informed me that Jason and Kamara share a special bond that enables them to, among other things, feel one another's pain. Because their bond is so new and strong, Jason reacted to Kamara's pain and injuries like they were his own. There was no time for the bond to readjust itself to a level where their reactions to one another would not be quite so severe."

He paused, looking as though he was listening to something. Finally, he spoke again. "Rangers, Kamara must be conscious to fully heal herself. All six of you must lend a hand in helping to revive her, so that she may accomplish this task."

"How do we do that?" Adam asked.

"First, each of you place a hand on a part of her upper body, close to her heart. Except for you Kat," he quickly added as the six teens began to do as instructed. "I have been told that you are to place your hand over the star in the center of her forehead."

Once everyone was in place, Zordon continued. "Now, close your eyes, and allow your energies to flow. Do not be alarmed should you feel a slight pull, it is just Kamara taking samples to help pull herself back to consciousness. The teens did as they were told, and each jerked as they felt the pull Zordon told them about. The pulling suddenly subsided, and they opened their eyes with a start as Kat gasped loudly. Looking at her, they found that she was staring straight ahead, with a fixed, vacant look in her eyes and was surrounded in a soft, pink aura.

"Zordon, what's going on?" Tommy asked in alarm, reaching out for Kat. Do not touch her Tommy. She is not in any danger. It would appear that Kamara is drawn to Katherine's energy and is using her alone to complete the task at hand."

_Billy, Adam, Rocky._ The three boys looked up at Zordon in surprise as his voice echoed through their minds. _Despite the fact that she is not in physical danger, Tommy is not going to like what is about to happen. Be ready to subdue him._

The three looked at each other, then back at Zordon, and nodded. Tanya was looking at them curiously, but Adam made a guesture that said he would tell her later. They all turned their attention towards Kat, the three guys subtly positioning themselves by Tommy, ready to act if needed. Kat had turned, her hand still on Kamara's forehead, and was slowly reaching over to where Jason lay, eyes half closed and glazed over. The hand on Kamara's forehead flared with energy that traveled up Kat's arm, illuminating the rest of her body, and traveling down her other arm. As her fingers touched Jason's forehead, the soft pink glow exploded into a silverish pink. Kat's eyes went wide and her head flew back as she released a startling scream.

"Kat!" Tommy exclaimed, panicking. He started towards her, but Billy, Rocky, and Adam quickly pounced on him, holding him back. He struggled against them, yelling Kat's name as she continued to scream.

After almost losing him three times, Zordon said, "Rocky, Adam, Billy, take Tommy to another Chamber and keep him there until Katherine is finished."

"Easier said than done," Rocky muttered as they attempted to drag their violently struggling leader from the chamber. Tanya watched the scene, stunned. Not knowing what else to do, she went to an out of the way spot and sat down to wait patiently.

"Chamber six, open!" Billy grunted as they approached one of the chambers. "Don't let him go," Billy ordered as they entered. He left the struggling boys, hurried over to a console and punched in some codes.

"Hurry up Billy!" Rocky gasped.

"Okay," Billy said as the door slid closed and a red light blinked on, "Let him go."

They released him and Tommy immediately ran to the door, trying to force it open. "Won't work, Tommy," Billy said, "I've got the security system operating. The door won't open until the right codes are entered.

"Then open it, goddamit!" Tommy shouted, pounding the door with his fist and whirling around angrily.

"Tommy," Zordon's filtered through a hidden speaker, catching his attention, "You must understand that Katherine is in no danger and only mild pain."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Tommy snapped, glaring around the room. "Let me out of here, now!"

"I'm afraid not, Tommy. You are in an extremely high state of emotion. Katherine has now entered a state where she can easily pick up on emotions around her. Should she pick up on yours, it would confuse her and interfere with what she is doing."

"I thought she was supposed to be feeding Kamara energy to help her regain consciousness," Tommy said, his anger and panic still high. "I can see that's not happening, so what the hell is?"

"That is something that cannot be explained until Kamara regains consciousness." His voice was firm as he added, "I know you are worried, but you must remain here until Katherine is finished."

Tommy stared at the door for a moment, then turned to the others, his eyes flashing. It was obvious Zordon's words did nothing to calm him. "Billy," he said in a low growl, "open this door, that's an order."

Billy's first instinct was to obey, but he forced himself to stay where he was and respond, "I'm sorry Tommy, I can't do that. You heard what Zordon said."

Rocky and Adam tensed as a dangerous glare entered Tommy's eyes. Billy stared back at him calmly. Finally, Tommy, gave in and stalked over to the other side of the chamber, where a few pieces of gym equipment waited, and began beating a punching bag. Rocky and Adam let their breaths out in relief and both noticed Billy visibly relax.

The three boys stayed on the other side of the room as Tommy pummeled the bag violently. It always made everyone, particularly Billy, nervous whenever Tommy got in such a foul mood. It reminded Billy to much of the days Tommy had spent as the evil green Ranger. In fact, the only Ranger who wasn't afraid of Tommy when he was this angry was Jason. Billy chalked it up to the fact that the two boys were so close. Keeping an eye on Tommy, the threesome quietly sat down to wait.

~*~

"Oh in the name of the cosmos!" he grumbled, then shouted, "I'm in here, damn it!"

Zara sauntered into the room and looked around. Where's aunt Rita?" she asked.

"How should I know? I gave up trying to keep tabs on that woman long ago. She's probably in one of her spell rooms or something."

"Well, find her. She's going to want to hear what I have to say."

"And what's that?"

Zara smiled. "You'll hear about when Rita gets here. Let's just say it involves an all out war and the fall of Zeo Ranger V."

Zedd regarded her for a moment, then yelled, "Goldar! Get in here!"

"Yes, my lord?" the giant space ape growled as he entered the room.

"Find Rita and tell her to get here immediately." Zedd ordered.

Goldar nodded and left. Several moments later, Rita stalked into the room, yelling, "Zedd, what the hell is so important that you had to send monkey boy to disturb me during my spell memorization exercises?!"

"Chill aunt Rita," Zara said from where she was leaning against a wall, casually filing her nails. "You're not going to mind the disturbance after you hear what I have to say. The Rangers took my little mouse into their protective custody. I've chased that little bitch for nineteen hundred long years and I'm not about to let a bunch of human brats get in the way of finally capturing her. Now, here's my proposal. You provide me with an unlimited supply of monsters-meaning Tengas, Putties and whatever else you have around here-to help me launch a full scale, all out war against the Rangers with Princess Kamara as the grand prize, and I'll provide you with something that will help you get the earth."

"And that is?" Rita asked, curious.

A small smile played across Zara's lips as she said, "The total anialation of Zeo V."

"Ha!" Rita scoffed, "That's easier said than done sweetheart! It's hard enough just injuring them with those damn power suits, let alone actually killing one of them!"

Zara's smile became chilling. "That's the gag, dear auntie. You see, I possess a special little power that can penetrate that pesky little suit of his and do some serious damage. I'm not going to give you all the juicy details. You'll just have to watch. The only problem is, once I use my power, I'm going to need at least two days sleep to recover from it. But it will be worth it to see him go down."

Zedd and Rita looked at one another for a moment. Then, Zedd said, "All right Zara, we'll supply you with what you need. But this plan of yours had better work!"

"Don't worry uncle, it works every time." She paused, then added, "I'm going to need some time to prepare. My power is... sleeping you might say, and I'll need to wake it up carefully."

"How long do you need?"

"Twenty four hours."

"Fine. Goldar! Start preparing squadrons of Tengas and Putties! And have Finster prepare a monster or two. We attack in twenty four hours!"

~*~

Tommy hurried over and knelt next to Kat. "Kat? You all right?" he asked anxiously.

"Yeah," Kat replied slowly, "Just really tired."

"Such is the price of your gift."

They all looked over to see Kamara sitting up, watching them with Jason sitting beside her.

"Gift? What...?" Kat's voice trailed off as sleep overtook her.

"She'll sleep for a good hour or two," Kamara said, looking around. "Can... can I ask you something?" she asked, looking at Jason. "Are you who I think you are?" she asked when Jason nodded. "Has my search finally ended?"

"Yes, princess," Zordon boomed, causing her to look up in surprise.

"Are you Zordon?" she asked, unfazed by the unusual situation she was facing.

"Yes. I am glad to see that you have survived all these centuries and have at last made it here."

Kamara smiled. "It wasn't easy. I've come across so many worlds similar to Earth. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever find the right one." Her attention drifted back to Kat, who was sleeping soundly on a cot Tommy had placed her on. "I'm going to have to show her how to keep that power quiet. It's awfully distracting."

"Kamara, what are you talking about?" Tommy asked, "What power?"

"Well," Kamara answered slowly, "I'll explain what I can to you. This is all very strange and confusing to me to. Katherine has a... power deep within her. When you all were trying to revive me with your energies, I was drawn specifically to hers. I think that when she put her hand on the star, a part of that power awakened and came to the surface. Like I said before, I was drawn to it. So, instead of using of your energies to help me revive quickly, I used hers. It took longer, but it felt right, somehow. She now shares a small part of the bond that Jason and I share. I'm not quite certain what this power of hers will do, but I do know... that part of it... is healing." She winced and put a hand to her head at the same time Jason did.

"Man, that hurts!" he grunted.

"What? What's going on?" Tanya asked.

Kamara didn't answer. Instead, she went over and sat next to Kat. She put a hand on Kat's heart and closed her eyes as the star on her forehead and her hand began to glow. A frown passed over her pretty features, a moment later, and she opened her eyes to look at them. "The power... it's upset," she said in a slightly perplexed voice. "It wants to be whole again and is trying to summon the rest of itself out of... I guess you would call it hibernation."

"Wait a minute," Rocky interjected, holding up his hands, "You're talking as though this power is alive or something."

Kamara hesitated, then said, "Well... in a way it sort of is." Her statement was met with startled looks. "I'm feeling what may be a presence deep within her. But this power is in such an uproar and what I'm feeling is so deep down that I can't be sure." She winced again a sharp pain only she and Jason could feel. "If there is a power within her," she added, "I'm not so sure we want it waking up and joining the rest of itself. There's something here, just on the edge, that's giving me a very uneasy feeling."

"So, how do we keep this power from 'waking up' whatever's there?" Rocky asked.

"I'll just have to subdue it a bit until I can show Kat how to do it on her own. Jason, could you help me?"

Jason came over and she took his hand, placing it over her own, then covering it with her other hand. Instinctively, Jason closed his eyes, and opened his mind to their power link. The silver glow beneath their hands brightened and became mixed with gold. The glow lasted several seconds, then subsided and winked out. The pair opened their eyes, relief evident in their expressions.

"That will keep it quiet until I can show her how to control it herself." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I need some air. Anyone care to join me?"

The others declined, but Jason nodded and, taking her hand, teleported out in a flash of gold and silver light.

~*~

"Thinking about home?" Jason asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"Among other things," she responded just as softly. She turned and looked up at him, her bright green eyes locking with his brown ones.

Jason reached out and gently stroked her cheek with his fingers. "Kara," he said huskily, "I... I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. I hardly know you and yet, I feel as though I have all my life."

"I feel the same way, my love," she whispered. "I've never loved anyone as much as I love you." They fell silent, staring into each other's eyes, their minds filling them with the love of the other. Their eyes closed and, as one, their lips met.

~*~

The image changed to show him as the White Ranger, then Zeo V. She frowned as she watched the image. _Hmm, I can't continue with this until I fight him._ She got up and left the chamber, making her way to the throne room. "Uncle," she said as she entered, "I'm going down to Earth to engage the Rangers in battle. I'm going to need a few Tengas to get them out in the open."

"What? What happened to the twenty four hours you wanted?"

"Oh, I still want it. I just need to fight Tommy so I can add a little something special to my surprise."

"Very well. I'll send Goldar with you." Zara smiled, then left for Earth.

~*~

The others exchanged amused glances. The group was sitting at a table in the Youth Center, watching Kat and Kamara as they went through a Tai chi movement. In actuality, Kamara was teaching Kat how to use, control, and subdue her power. They hadn't been doing it long when an all to familiar chiming reached their ears. "Figures," Tommy muttered, standing and moving to a secluded corner. "This is Tommy, what's up?"

"Tommy," Billy's voice filtered through, "Goldar and some Tengas just appeared in the park."

"All right, we're on it."

"No, wait! The sensors are detecting another presence, but we're not sure who it is. Use extreme caution on this one. Something may be up."

"Right. Teleport Kamara to the Power Chamber would ya?"

"Right." As Kamara vanished, Tommy called out, "It morphin time!"

"Zeo Ranger I Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V Red!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

Seconds later, the teens appeared to a crowd of panicked people being chased about by Tengas. "Zeo II," Tommy said, mindful of the crowd, "You and Zeo III and IV get these people out of here. The rest of us will keep Goldar and the Tengas busy."

"Right!"

A strange sensation overcame Kat as she fought off a pair of Tengas. She knew there was someone else very close by and it was affecting her deeply. She dispatched the two, then activated her communicator. "Billy, this is Kat. Can you get a fix on whoever that other presence is?"

"Yeah, hold on a second, I'm some readings now." Billy's voice replied. There was a short pause and then Billy said, "Kat, It's Zara. Uh oh. She's about two hundred feet behind Tommy!"

Kat spun around and, sure enough, there was Zara, preparing for a sneak attack on Tommy. "Oh no you don't!" Kat muttered, drawing her blaster and firing. She watched as the blasts hit Zara, who fell to the ground, surprised and stunned. "How do you like being on the receiving end of a sneak attack Zara?" Kat asked as Zara picked herself up.

Zara hissed and glared at her. "I don't have time to play games with you my little kitten. I'm here for one thing and one thing only, and that doesn't involve you." She released a bolt of energy that should have knocked Kat clear across the field.

"Katherine!" Tommy shouted, having seen the attack. He started forward, but stopped in surprise as the smoke from the blast cleared. Kat stood in the same spot she had been, seemingly unharmed.

"What?!" Zara exclaimed, her eyes widening slightly. _Well now, isn't this an interesting little development._

"Kat! You all right?" Tommy asked as he and the others joined her.

Kat was looking at her hands and down at the rest of her body in confusion. "I... yeah, yeah I'm fine," she said, her voice shaky with surprise.

Tommy looked from her to Zara and back again, then activated his communicator. "Billy, Teleport Kat back to the Power Chamber and check her over." As Kat was teleported out Tommy turned to Zara and said, "All right Zara, it's just you and us!" Zara smiled. "Actually sugar, I was hoping it would be just you and me." Her ice blue eyes radiated coldness as she looked at him. "Do you Rangers accept one on one challenges?"

"Careful Bro." Jason murmured, "she's up to something."

"Yeah," Tommy replied softly, "Be prepared guys, just in case." Raising his voice, he shouted, "All right Zara! You're on!"

The others moved a respectful distance away, but remained ready in case they were needed. The pair circled each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Zara lashed out and the fight was on.

_Hmm, he's very good,_ Zara thought, _Very strong physically and mentally. I'm going to need something extra special for this one._ An idea suddenly struck her. _Let's see how good he is with a sword._ She raised her hand skyward and an evil looking, black sword appeared in her hand.

Tommy started as a pair of glowing, cat like eyes appeared on the hilt, just above where her hand gripped it. Recovering, Tommy quickly summoned his power sword and the two went at it once more.

_Well now, I think I have something here,_ she thought, blocking a blow that caused her to stumble back several steps. _Time to get out of here and put what I've learned to good use._

She threw an energy bolt at the ground in front of him, stopping him from advancing further. "Sorry to cut the game short sugar," she purred, "but I've got to run. Don't worry," she added with a chilling smile, "We'll be finishing this real soon." She winked, then disappeared in a flash of black flame.

~*~

"I'm sure you are Kat. But we need to be absolutely certain. I saw that that blow you took and by my calculations, it was strong enough to breech your suit. You should have been knocked out. Now just lay still and let me finish this."

As soon as he finished his sentence, five colored beams of light appeared, signaling the return of the others. "How is she Billy?" Tommy asked, removing his helmet.

"Irritated," Kat replied, earning a smile from Billy.

"Well," he said, "amazingly enough, she seems to be all right."

"That's what I've been telling you ever since I got here!" Kat said, her annoyance rising.

Kamara was the only one who spotted the soft, pink glow forming around her clenched fists. She felt the other girl's agitation and dangerously rising surge of power. Evidently, so did Jason, for he was looking at Kamara in alarm. "Katherine, calm down," she said firmly, going over to her, "Your power level is getting dangerously high." Their eyes met, and Kamara suppressed a gasp. "Move away!" she ordered the others sharply.

Kat's eyes had taken on a wild look and her breathing had become heavy. Kamara put a hand on Kat's forehead and closed her eyes, searching Kat's mind. "Her power is reacting to Zara's energy," she reported, "She must let it out, quickly! Jason, help me get her to her feet. Billy, Teleport us somewhere deserted, where it won't matter if something gets blown up."

Billy nodded, and when she and Jason had Kat on her feet, Teleported them out. The others watched in the viewing globe as the threesome appeared in the quarry. Kamara and Jason left Kat standing on her own and ran behind some boulders for cover. Kat's body crackled with energy and, as they watched, lightning struck the ground all around her. She raised her hands to the sky and her head snapped back as the lightning struck her. One hand flew down in front of her and the other off to the side. In unison, crackling pink energy flew from her hands, causing to earth shattering explosions as they collided with the rocks. The energy flow finally stopped and Kat collapsed to her knees. Kamara and Jason ran over and knelt next to her.

Jason's voice then echoed through the Power Chamber, "Billy, Teleport us back."

When the threesome reappeared, Kat was clinging to Kamara, shaking badly. "Shh, it's all right, it's all right," she whispered soothingly. She looked up at Tommy, who came over and knelt down on Kat's other side. He put a hand on her shoulder and she looked over at him with frightened, confused eyes. She reached out, and he gathered her in his arms, picked her up and laid her back down on the examining table.

"Sleep now," Kamara whispered, placing a glowing hand on the distraught girl's forehead. Kat sighed as her eyes closed, and she fell into a deep sleep. "Wow, that was something else," Kamara said, letting her breath out in a rush.

"Kamara, what in the world is going on here?" Tommy asked.

"You do know don't you?" Adam added hopefully.

Kamara nodded. "Yes. I've seen this happen several times before, but I never thought I'd see Zara involved in one!" She paused, collecting her thoughts. She looked each teen in the eye before saying, "Katherine's power has made her immune to Zara. That little exchange between them set it off and that little episode just now sort of... well sealed the bargain. Once she wakes up, she'll be completely immune to most of Zara's power. There will be parts of Zara's power that she won't be immune to but, depending on the strength of the blow, it shouldn't hurt her to much."

"Will she have another surge like that?" Tanya asked.

Kamara shook her head. "Luckily no. That was just the power's way of adjusting. But I'd keep an eye on her just the same. These things can be unpredictable at times." She paused, then added, "Now we just have to worry about how Zara's is going to react to this."

~*~

She closed her eyes, feeling the forces she had called upon stir and begin to work their evil magic. She opened her eyes, looked in the container, and smiled. It was full of a black, bubbling liquid. She took it and placed it on a table next to her sword. She once again closed her eyes and this time, went deep into her soul, searching for the certain power she new was there. She found it and took a firm hold. She put a finger in the liquid, then carefully began releasing the power. _Careful, not to much at once,_ she told herself. _Easy, concentrate. Just about there... now! Stop!_

She pulled her finger from the liquid and cut the power. She shuddered as she released her grip, allowing the power to return to the deepest depths of her soul. Zara opened her eyes and looked at the liquid again. It had turned a sinister blood red. She laughed to herself as she watched it slowly turn back to black. She picked the container up, put the sword in it's place, and carefully poured the liquid over the blade. A small flame flared up then died and the blade turned red, then black, then back to it's dark, silvery color. A smile of pure evil played across her lips as she took hold of the sword and raised it to eye level. "Watch out red ranger," she purred, "your hours are numbered."

~*~

"Kara," Jason gently chided, slipping his arm around her shoulders, "what are you doing out alone? You know Zordon told you not to leave the Power Chamber without at least one of us with you."

Kamara smiled at his protectivness. "I've lasted this long Jason, I think I can survive a morning walk. Besides, if I ran into trouble I couldn't handle, you'd know." They were silent for a moment, then Kamara asked, "Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"Are... are you getting any bad feelings?"

"Just what I'm picking up from you. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she answered slowly. She turned and looked at him. "Ever since I woke up this morning, I've had this intensely bad feeling that something is going t happen. It's not just a feeling in my mind either. It's in the air. The whole... atmosphere is so... tense." She glanced around. "Hell, even nature knows something's wrong!"

"Hey, relax," Jason said, putting a hand on her cheek.

"I can't relax Jason. Something's going to happen today. Something bad. And it's scaring me."

"Hey," Jason said softly, "don't be scared. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

"It's not me I'm worried about," she whispered.

~*~

"Billy, I read you. What's up?"

"Trouble. Big trouble. Zara and the biggest army of Tengas and Putties I've ever seen have just appeared in the park. You'd better get over there fast. I'll Teleport Kamara here right away." He pushed another button and Kamara appeared seconds later. Together, the pair looked in the viewing globe and found the rangers already on the scene, confronting Zara.

~*~

"Quite the opposite Zara!" Tommy retorted, "she just has better things to do than waste her time with you!"

"Well then," Zara returned with a smile, "Let's get this party started shall we? Putties! Tengas! Attack!" The two groups rushed forward to meet each other, and the battle began.

Tommy fought his way through to where Zara was standing, watching the fight, and shouted, "Hey Zara! In case you've forgotten, we have some unfinished business to take care of!"

Zara smiled and dropped to a fighting Stance. "Oh, I haven't forgotten, sugar. In fact, I've been looking forward to it." She lashed out with a fierce blow that Tommy ducked and retaliated with one of his own. After several moments of trading blows, Zara decided to step things up a bit. There was a flash of light around her hands, and cat like claws appeared. Grinning, she swiped at him, connecting with his chest.

Tommy gasped and pressed a hand to the spot she had connected with, stumbling back a few steps. _Damn!_ he thought, looking down at the blood on his glove and then at the tears in his uniform, _Her claws cut right through my suit like it was cheese! Have to watch out for them._

He took a quick glance around to see how the others were doing, and found it wasn't well. In addition to the seemingly endless flow of Putties and Tengas, a monster had also joined the fight. He also spotted Zedd and Rita standing not to far away, watching the Battle with unsurpassed glee. _Damn!_

"Billy!" he exclaimed into his communicator while avoiding Zara's claws at the same time, "we're getting swamped down here! If you got any new tricks, now would be the time a good time to share!" He grunted as the claws raked across his left arm. "All right, that's it!" he muttered, pulling out his blaster....

~*~

Zordon looked hesitant, so Billy spoke up. "She's right Zordon. It's probably not a good idea to pull them out of battle with the numbers as great as they are, and her power easily equals that of two or more rangers. She'd be of great help."

Zordon considered his words, then nodded. "Very well, but use caution Kamara. This may be a ploy to get you out in the open."

Kamara nodded, bowing her head in acknowledgment and respect. Raising her head, she called out, "I call upon the powers of Silver Star!"

Once she was changed, Billy teleported her to the battle field. Looking around, she spotted Tanya and Adam rapidly being over powered and decided to help them first. She raised a hand to the sky and a sudden, fierce wind blew up as she called upon her power. "Silver lightning!" she shouted at the same time a bolt of silver, jagged lightning entered her hand. She brought her hand down, aiming at the group swarming over her two friends and shouted, "Strike!"

Faster than the eye could follow, the lightning flew from her hand and struck the attackers, who exploded, leaving behind a mess of putty and feathers. Surprised, Adam and Tanya looked around, spotted her, and ran over. "Hey thanks," Adam said, "I thought we'd never get out of that."

"Hey!" Rocky shouted from where he was taking on five Tengas and a Putty, "I could really use some help here!"

Silver Star looked over at Rocky, then over to where Jason and Kat were struggling with an ugly, gargoyle like monster. "I'll help them, you two help Rocky," she said, already running toward the Pink and Gold Rangers. She threw a bolt of energy at the monster, knocking it out of the way, and joined them. "Take my hand!" she ordered. "Jason, use your power staff and gather as much energy as you can until I say." She looked at the monster, was watching them stupidly. Her eyes began to glow a bright silver, and when she spoke, her voice echoed in the wind. "Powers of silver, powers of pink, and powers of gold! Unite and strike!"

She gripped the power her friends had summoned and drew it into herself. The star on her forehead flared, and a beam of silver, pink and gold energy flew out, striking the monster head on. With a scream, the monster disintegrated.

"Wow, what a rush!" Kat exclaimed breathlessly as she regained control and subdued her power.

"Yeah, we could've used you a long time ago," Jason added.

Silver Star smiled. "Glad to help. Now, let's go help the others finish off these freaks!"

~*~

Tommy summoned his own sword and the pair crossed blades. For several moments the fighters traded sword blows. Then Zara looked up and noticed with a start a serious decline in her army's numbers. She then spotted Silver Star and realized that she had better finish fast. She looked back at Tommy and noticed that he was considerably weaker from the loss of blood from the injuries she had given him. She smiled and gave in to the irresistible, natural urge to play with her prey. She lashed out with amazing speed, catching him several times. She smiled again when she saw his sluggish movements and the blood seeping through his uniform. Her next blow knocked him to the ground, stunning him. She knelt next to him, running her finger through the slow flow of blood. Her eyes flashed as she put her finger in her mouth, reveling in the taste of her prey's blood. "Shall we finish this?" she asked, standing and moving away so he could get up. He climbed clumsily to his feet, and they crossed swords for a few more minutes until Zara had him in the state she wanted him. _It's time,_ she thought.

She closed her eyes and went deep inside her body, searching for the spot she had left her power. Finding it, she brought it to the surface and released it full force. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed as she was surrounded by a sinister, crackling energy. The blade was engulfed in a reddish black flame and she poured her power into it. Tommy, dazed, confused, and injured, had dropped his sword and was attempting to back away. Zara looked at him, an unholy light burning in her eyes. "So long, sugar!" she shouted, then plunged the sword deep into his chest.

~*~

~*~

Kat stopped firing her blaster at the sound of Jason's terrified scream. She looked around and spotted him running toward... Her face paled under her helmet. "Tommy, no!" she whispered. As the remaining Tengas and Putties vanished, the teens ran to their fallen leader.

"Billy! Get us back to the Chamber fast!" Jason shouted into his communicator. Their world vanished in a flash of light and seconds later, the were back in the Power Chamber, Tommy laying on the medical table, de-morphed.

Kat choked back a sob when she saw Tommy's blood stained, battered body. Blood flowed freely from several, nasty wounds that showed through his bloody, shredded shirt. Kamara rushed over and put a hand on Tommy's forehead, then his chest. She shuddered as his warm blood seeped onto her hand, but kept it there as she scanned him with her mind. "There's a dark force within him," she whispered.

"Ugh!" Jason grabbed his head as Kamara gasped and jumped back, as if she had been shocked.

"Quickly, take him to another chamber," she said urgently, "he doesn't have much time left."

Billy nodded. "Alpha, take him to chamber 2. I'll make preparations from here."

Alpha nodded, and quickly wheeled Tommy from the main chamber, Kat and Jason following. "Billy, can you lock the chamber so that no one else can gain access?"

Billy nodded. "Sure. I can program it so that only you, me, and Zordon can open it."

"Good. Do that. It's extremely important that nobody enters that chamber, no matter what you hear." She paused, then added, "Oh, one more thing." She held out a hand and a glass filled with a silverish liquid appeared. "Give this to Jason. Tell him it will help his wounds."

"What is it really?" Billy asked, taking the glass and examining the contents curiously.

"A mild sedative. It's better that he's not conscious while I'm with Tommy." Turning, she left for chamber 2.

~*~

Tommy appeared to struggle to focus, then said in a soft whisper, "Jason?"

"Yeah bro." Jason bent down closer so he could hear his friend.

"I... I don't think... I'm going to... to make it."

"Don't say that bro. You're going to make it. You're not going to die. I won't let you!" Jason said forcefully, tears in his eyes. Tommy drew in a ragged breath, then coughed, causing blood to trickle from the corners of his mouth. "J... Jase... listen. I want you... to take... over command. You have the... most experience." He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as pain flew through his body.

Tears streaming slowly down her face, Kat reached out and gently touched his chest, releasing a small flow of energy. Tommy relaxed slightly and looked at them again, his eyes pleading. "Please Jase... take command for me."

Jason nodded and took his best friend's hand. "All right bro. I'll take command. But just until you get better." He looked up as the door slid open and Kamara quietly entered. Jason nodded at the unspoken request that passed between them, then looked back down at Tommy. His oldest, dearest friend had once more slipped back into unconscious. "Hang in there bro," he whispered, "you're not going anywhere yet." Turning, he put his arm around Kat's shoulders, and led her from the room. In the main chamber, Billy came up to Jason and handed him a glass of something. "Here, drink this. It'll help with your wounds."

"Thanks," Jason mumbled distractedly, taking a big gulp of the liquid.

"Zordon?" Kat spoke up softly, "What are the chances of Tommy surviving?"

"I do not know Katherine," Zordon replied quietly, "Much of his life force is already gone. All we can do is hope and pray that Kamara and her remarkable healing abilities will be enough to save him."

They all jumped at the sound of a glass shattering. Turning, they found Jason swaying unsteadily on his feet, staring down at the broken glass in confusion. "B-Billy," he stammered, clutching Billy's shoulder as the other boy appeared next to him, "What was that stuff?"

"Just a mild sedative," Billy replied casually, supporting Jason on one side as Rocky appeared on the other.

"Sedative? What...?" Alarm ran through him and he began struggling.

"Whoa Jase, calm down. It's all right. Just lay here and have a nice, long nap," Billy said soothingly as Jason ceased to struggle and laid down on the table.

Once Jason had drifted off to sleep, Billy turned and wasn't surprised to see the others looking at him with stunned expressions. "Billy, why'd you give Jason a sedative?" Tanya asked.

"It wasn't my idea," Billy replied, "It was Kara's. She said it would be better if he wasn't conscious while she was in with Tommy."

"He's not going to be to happy when he wakes up," Rocky said.

"He probably won't even remember falling asleep," Billy replied, "I'm guessing that sedative was of Silvermistian origin, which means it'll have a different effect on humans."

"I wonder why she thought it would be better that way?" Adam wondered out loud.

A few seconds later, the screams began, and he had his answer.

~*~

"Are you kidding!?" Rita screeched, "I can't believe you just managed to pull off the impossible! Tommy is finally gone for good!" She erupted into a fit of evil laughter.

"He's not dead yet, but he's close." Zara laughed as she added, "The drainage I've suffered will be well worth it when the remaining Rangers fall and I'm on my way home with the mouse!" She was still chuckling softly when she suddenly slipped to the floor, and remained still.

"Is she dead Zeddie?" Rita asked with a slight hint of concern as Zedd knelt next to his niece.

Zedd shook his head. "No, it's merely the exhaustion she mentioned earlier settling in." He rose to his feet and shouted, "Goldar!"

Goldar appeared in the door, his fur matted with dried blood from the wounds he had received in battle. He looked down at the girl, then up at his master. "Yes, my lord?" he growled.

"Take Zara back to her chambers and put her to bed," Zedd ordered, "And place a guard outside to ensure she's not disturbed."

"Yes, my lord." Goldar gently gathered Zara up in his massive arms and left the room.

"Well Zeddie, what's our next move?" Rita asked, studding her nails.

"We need to find out how many of our forces are left. We may need Finster to make more. Then we shall continue our attacks while we have the advantage." Zedd began laughing maniacally, and Rita soon joined in.

~*~

"Hey," Rocky said suddenly, stopping. "Listen. The screaming stopped."

The others all looked up, listening. Sure enough, all was silent. Billy climbed out from under the console and approached the door to chamber 2 as it silently slid open. Billy was ready when Kamara stumbled out and collapsed. He gathered her out and carried her over to a second table and gently set her down. "I have done all I can," she said weakly, "I managed to heal the more serious wounds and banish most of the dark force consuming him. There is still a small part left, but it is up to Tommy to fight it. Katherine, I found the energy you had placed in him earlier. It was a tremendous help and I am grateful you did it."

"Can we help him fight?" Kat asked softly.

Kamara nodded. "Yes. You and I can help him by supplying him with energy when he needs it. Which means at least one of us needs to be near him at all times, if not both of us." She paused and drew in a shaky breath. "I must rest and regain my power. Jason should awaken shortly, but do not be surprised or alarmed if you cannot awaken me. Only when my powers are fully restored will I awaken." That said, her eyes closed, and she slipped into a deep sleep.

Kat looked at the door to Chamber 2, then back at the others. She threw a quick glance up at Zordon, then made her way to the chamber. Tommy lay on the table, just as they had left him. Only now, he was shirtless and most of his wounds were gone, leaving behind little evidence that he had been wounded at all. "Tommy, it's me, Kat," she whispered, taking his hand in hers and squeezing gently. "Fight the darkness. Come back to us... come back to me. We need you."

"Kat?"

Kat looked up to see Tanya standing in the doorway. "Goldar and Rito just appeared on the beach with a bunch of Tengas," she said quietly.

Kat sighed heavily. "Okay, I'll be right there."

Tanya hesitated, a worried look in her dark eyes as she watched Kat, then turned and quietly left.

Kat looked back at Tommy, kissed her finger, and gently pressed it to his lips. She left reluctantly and joined the others in the main chamber. "Billy, would you watch Tommy?" she asked.

Billy was startled by the hallowness in her voice. "Yeah, I'll keep a close eye on him," he promised.

"It's morphin time!" Rocky cried out.

"Zeo Ranger I pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV green!"

In a flash, they appeared on the beach, and the battle began. Kat looked up and spotted Goldar standing off to the side and observing. "Hey fur face!" she shouted, taking down a Tenga and storming towards him, "Where's Zara?"

"Zara sends her regrets pink power brat, but she had a more... pressing engagement. But don't worry, I'll be perfectly happy taking her place in destroying you!"

A sudden rage flew through her, drilling down and piercing her very soul. "You can take her place all right you ugly son of a bitch!" she snarled, "But just as a practice dummy!"

Before Goldar could react, she lashed out with a vicious kick to his stomach, knocking him down. While he was down, she summoned her sword and brought it down on him. Seeing the danger, Goldar quickly brought up his own sword, blocking the would be fatal blow. He got to his feet and the pair continued to cross swords for several minutes, Goldar scrambling to avoid his opponents furious blows.

"What's the matter Goldar?" she taunted, feeding on his awkwardness, "Change your mind about destroying me? Or are you all talk and no action?" They continued for a few minutes more, until Kat, fed up with the exercise, threw her sword at him and said in a frighteningly dark voice, "I don't need a sword to take care of you!" Under her helmet, her eyes had begun to glow a dark pink and a fierce wind had suddenly blown up. Her fists clenched at her sides and flared with dark energy.

"Oh, no you don't," she muttered as Goldar started to back away. She brought her arms up and crossed her fists, causing the energy to flash blindingly, then shoot out, striking him square in the chest. The impact knocked him back several feet, where he fell to the sandy ground, stunned. As he attempted to struggle to his feet, Kat filled the sky with blackish pink lightning. The wind turned violent as the lightning streaked across the cloudless sky. Looking up at the sky, Kat took control effortlessly, and directed the bolts of fire down on Goldar mercilessly.

~*~

"More importantly," Rocky shouted back, "Where's all the lightning coming from?" They looked up and watched the blackish pink lightning streaking across the cloudless sky, crashing into each other every few minutes, creating a deafening effect.

"Look!" Tanya suddenly shouted, pointing. Adam and Rocky started with surprise when they saw Kat, standing a few hundred feet away, hands raised to the sky. Several feet away from her, an obviously wounded Goldar was struggling to get to his feet. Kat's body suddenly began glowing the same color as the lightning and, as the threesome watched in transfixed amazement, Kat began to make hand motions that the Lightning seemed to follow! "She's controlling it!" Tanya shouted in a stunned voice. One of Kat's hands suddenly shot down and a streak of lightning followed, striking Goldar.

Kat repeated the movements and, seconds later, Goldar was being pummeled mercilessly with lightning bolts. "Oh man! I really hate to say this, but we'd better stop her before she kills him!" Rocky shouted.

The threesome ran as quickly as they could in the sand and against the violent wind. "Kat!" Tanya yelled, reaching out to grab hold of her friend.

Tanya cried out as a flash of light engulfed her, then fell to the ground. "Tanya!" Adam exclaimed, kneeling next to her.

"I'm okay," she reassured him.

"Billy," Rocky said into his communicator, "we have a big problem here."

"Yeah I know. I think I have the answer. All three of you need to set your blasters on low and blast her in unison. It should be enough to break the force field she's created and cut her power off."

"Okay, we'll try it." They took their blasters out, setting them on low and taking aim. On Rocky's signal, they fired. There was a brilliant flash of light as the lazers cut through the force field, and then Kat was on the ground. As the glow surrounding her vanished, the wind and lightning subsided and died out.

"Oh man," Rocky whispered, taking in Goldar's bloody, broken body. He was amazed when he saw the giant space ape's shallow breathing. _He's actually alive after all that?_ He looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps and fell into a defensive stance as Rito came stumbling up, adjusting his head.

"Whoa! What the hell happened here?" he exclaimed when he saw Goldar. Before anyone could react, Kat jumped up, grabbed Rito, and threw him into a nearby tree.

"Kat! Wait!" Tanya exclaimed as Kat pinned him to the tree.

Kat glanced back at them and snapped, "Back off! I'm just going to have a word with our friend here." She looked back at Rito and growled, "All right, listen up you moldy pile of bones! I want you to take a message to Zara. You tell that little witch that she's going to pay for what she did to Tommy! She'd better pray that he survives or she's going to end up looking a hundred times worse than that thing down there! Understand?"

Rito nodded vigorously. "Yeah, sure. Anything you say!"

"Good. Now get out of here!" She yanked him away from the tree and threw him toward Goldar. "And take that with you." Rito moved rapidly and, seconds later, they were gone.

~*~

"Wow," Rocky murmured, picking the helmet up and setting it on one of the consoles. "I had no idea she had that in her."

Before anyone could answer, a low moan caught their attention. Looking over, they saw Jason slowly coming around. "What happened?" he muttered, his eyes opening slightly. "Last thing I remember was someone giving me something to drink, saying it would make me feel better."

"Yeah, that was something of Kara's," Billy replied, "I guess your system reacted to it and put you to sleep."

"How do you feel?" Tanya asked.

"A little woozy."

"That's probably just a side effect," Billy assured him, "Don't worry, you'll feel better once the fog clears."

Jason nodded, then stared off into space for a moment. "Tommy!" he suddenly exclaimed, looking over and seeing Kamara's sleeping form, "Is he all right?"

Billy quickly outlined the events that had occurred after he had fallen asleep up until he woke up. "Oh man," was all Jason could say when Billy finished.

"Rangers," Zordon spoke up, "Since you have not yet had the chance to do so, I suggest you take this time to visit Tommy. Send Katherine out here. I would like to speak with her alone."

They nodded and all but Jason, who was still feeling dizzy, entered chamber 2. A moment later, Kat came out and silently stood before her mentor. "Katherine," Zordon began in a gentle, yet firm voice, "I understand what you are going through, but you must learn to control your emotions, especially with your power being as new as it is."

"I know Zordon," Kat replied softly, "I know it was wrong, but I couldn't help it. It was almost as if... a force inside me just took over. I knew it was wrong, but I let it. I wanted so much to get back at them for what they did to Tommy that I... I let it take over. I... really care for him." Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she added in a barely audible whisper, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him." She bowed her head, her eyes squeezed shut as the tears continued to fall.

Jason stood, wobbled slightly, then went over, took his friend in his arms, and held her tightly. "Shhh," he whispered, "It's going to be all right."

"Oh, Jason, I'm so scared," she choked out, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"I know. So am I Kat. We all are, but he's going to make it. You know how stubborn he is. He's not going out without a fight. And were not letting him go without a fight."

The door to chamber 2 opened, and Tanya looked out, an anxious expression in her brown eyes. "Kat, you'd better come quick," she said urgently. "Tommy's acting like he's in pain or something."

Kat and Tanya hurried into the chamber and found the four boys holding a thrashing Tommy down. Kat's hand began glowing even before she placed it on Tommy's chest. Almost instantly, Tommy began to calm down, and Kat felt the tension in his body subside. She was about to take her hand away when she felt an odd energy pass by. Frowning, she closed her eyes and opened her mind, letting it flow into Tommy's body in search of the strange energy. It was only a moment later when she found it. Or, rather it found her. It had somehow managed to circle around and come up behind her, lashing out with a blow she narrowly avoided. Kat quickly retaliated with a bolt of energy, hitting the entity that stood before her in the chest-or what she assumed was the chest-with a bright flash of pink. The entity let out a growl, said something unintelligible and vanished. Kat's mind quickly returned to her body, and she let out a small gasp as she opened her eyes.

"Kat?" Tanya asked hesitantly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I'm all right," Kat reassured them, her voice slightly shaky.

"What happened?" Adam asked, "You looked like you were done, but then you went into some kind of trance or something."

"Well," Kat replied slowly, looking down at Tommy's still form, "as I was cutting off my connection, I felt a strange energy pass by. I decided to see what it was, so I went inside him with my mind to track it down. It found me first."

"So what was it?" Rocky asked.

"Well... remember that small part of the darkness that Kara couldn't get rid of?" They nodded and she continued. "I'm pretty sure that's what it was. I managed to fight it off for now... but I'm not sure I'll be so lucky next time."

~*~

"Tommy...."

It was barely a whisper, but Tommy was certain he had heard someone speak his name. "Hello?" he called out, "Anybody there? I'm over here!" He began walking trying to find the source of the whisper.

"Tommy, don't give up." It was a little louder this time, and seemed to echo in the darkness. It also held a familiar quality to it that Tommy struggled to place. "We need you, Tommy. Please don't give up."

"Kat?" Tommy whispered. He raised his voice to a shout, "Kat! Where are you?"

He began running in the direction he thought her voice was coming from. A sudden warmth overtook him and he knew he was going in the right direction. He stopped when he spotted a ball of softly glowing pink energy just ahead of him. It looked like one of the energy balls that had come to his aid when he was fighting his strange enemy. He approached, then stopped in surprise when he heard Kat's voice seemingly coming from the ball of energy. "Tommy, come back to us. Come back to me." As a hunch, Tommy put his hand lightly on the side of the energy, and closed his eyes. Instantly, understanding filled his senses. Zara had severely injured him, and in the process, had planted a dark force within him to finish him off if his injuries didn't.

_So that's what that thing was,_ he thought as he opened his eyes. _That energy I've been getting must be coming from Kat and Kara. They must know when I'm in trouble and are using their energies to help._

He looked back at the energy as Kat's plea not to leave them repeated. He closed his eyes again and this time concentrated until he felt a connection. _Don't worry angel face, I'm not going anywhere._ He gently squeezed the energy, and felt surprise run through it. He wasn't alarmed when the ball flickered and vanished. She'd be back.

_In the meantime, I'll start looking for a way out of here... wherever here is._ Tommy thought, looking around at his dark surroundings.

~*~

Kat shook her head. "No. Tanya... I heard Tommy! He... he squeezed my hand!"

"What?" Tanya jumped up, ran to the door, and called for the others.

They listened as Kat quickly told them what had happened. "I was so surprised, I broke the connection and returned," she finished.

"At least we know he's still with us," Jason said, relief heavy in his voice.

"Can you contact him again?" Adam asked.

"I don't know," Kat replied. She paused, then added, "I think it was an accident that I came in contact with him. We're probably going to have to wait 'til Kara wakes up to try again." She looked down as Tommy's body began trembling. She summoned her energy and sent a flow through him until the trembling stopped. She frowned as she took her hand away.

"Kat?" Rocky put a hand on her shoulder questioningly.

"I... thought I felt something," Kat answered slowly. She shook her head. "I'm just tired. It was probably nothing." He couldn't speak for the others, but Jason heard the hint of doubt in her voice.

"I'll wheel a cot in here for you so you can get some rest," Billy said.

"Thanks Billy," Kat returned, smiling up at him. Her gaze moved to Jason. The look he gave her told her he wasn't buying her thought that it was probably nothing. The truth was, she wasn't sure she believed it either. But something prevented her from speaking up. She felt a streak of darkness pass by the surface, and for an instant, her eyes darkened. But, as fast as it had come, it was gone, retreating to some remote area within. She looked away from Jason, returning her gaze to Tommy, again taking his hand in hers.

~*~

"Yeah, I know. I just want to finish connecting these wires," Billy said from beneath the console.

"That's what you said a half hour ago," Alpha looked up at Zordon, shaking his robotic head.

Zordon smiled, then said, "Billy, I am inclined to agree with Alpha. Today was a long day and I would not be surprised if tomorrow was even longer. You need your rest."

Billy sighed and climbed out. "Okay, okay," he said, giving in. "I'm just going to make a quick check on Kat and Tommy and then I'll head home."

He made a quick check on Kamara first, then headed into chamber 2. Kat was curled up on the cot he had brought in for her, fast asleep. She still held onto Tommy's hand, and every few minutes, a soft glow would appear, only to disappear seconds later. _Poor girl,_ he thought, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face, _Everything's been happening so fast, it must be overwhelming._

She stirred, but didn't awaken as he carefully drew a blanket over her. He looked over at Tommy, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He gently pressed his hand to his friend's forehead and frowned as he detected a slightly higher temperature than what it should have been. Normally, he wouldn't have been to concerned, but under the present circumstances... he drew a blanket over Tommy, then left the chamber.

"Alpha," he said as he entered the main chamber, "It looks like Tommy may be running a small temperature. It would probably be a good idea to keep a close eyes on him tonight."

Alpha nodded and Billy cast one last glance at chamber 2, a slight feeling of unease passing through him. "Good night Alpha, Zordon," he said, forcing himself to teleport out.

~*~

~*~

"I don't know," Zedd replied, staring down at the Earth, "we'll have to think about it."

"Well, Goldar's going to be of no use to us for the next while, thanks to Kat's little temper tantrum. And Rito's so scared he's off hiding in the caverns somewhere! Sending a monster down would be pointless considering what happened to the one that went down with Zara. Kat, Jason and the little princess would destroy it in no time flat!"

"Well then," Zedd replied, turning to face his wife, "we'll simply have to wait until Zara wakes up. Be patient my pet, I'm sure she'll have something up her mischievous little sleeve."

"She'd better," Rita muttered darkly, leaving the throne room, "Cause if she doesn't... " She let the threat trail off as she disappeared into her chambers.

~*~

"Much better, thank you," she replied, returning the kiss. _Can I ask you something?_ her voice echoed in his mind. _Does Billy live here, or does he have a home away from here?_ She pointed, and Jason couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Billy's legs once again sticking out from under the console.

_No, he does have a home, he just likes spending most time here, fixing, improving and making things._

Kamara smiled and nodded in understanding. They turned as Kat appeared, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Kara!" she exclaimed, smiling as she saw the young princess, "you're awake!"

"Good morning Katherine. How is Tommy doing?"

"Well, he seems to be doing okay," Kat replied, then went on to tell the other girl about making contact with him the previous day.

"Good," she said when Kat had finished, "that will make it just a little easier to bring him back."

"Hey Kat?" Billy asked, stopping his work and joining them, "Did you check on Tommy when you woke up?"

"Yeah, and I noticed he was a little warm. I was just going to get a cool cloth when I saw that Kara was awake."

"I noticed that to when I checked up on you two before I went home last night. I also noticed that you seemed you be supplying him energy even in your sleep, so I figured he'd be all right. Just the same, I told Alpha to keep an eye on him."

"And that's just what I did," Alpha spoke up as he entered the chamber, "I had the computer feed me information while I was recharging. His temperature rose a few times, but went down almost immediately. A little strange, I'll admit, but nothing serious." He paused, then added, "oh, here's the cool cloth you wanted Kat."

"Thanks Alpha," Kat said in surprise, taking the cloth the little robot handed her.

Kamara frowned as she watched Kat go back into the chamber. "Did Kat use a lot of Power yesterday?" she asked.

"She went a little berserk yesterday during a battle with Goldar, Rito and some Tengas," Billy responded, "She created quite an electrical show. Hurt Goldar pretty badly from what we could tell." He paused, looking at her curiously. "How did you know about that?"

"It shows in her appearance," Kamara replied distractedly.

"Is that a bad thing?" Jason asked.

"I'm not sure. But just to be on the safe side, I'd keep a very close eye on her if it ever happens again. I'm still not sure about the force within her. But I do know that I'm getting the increasing feeling that it's not good."

~*~

"Kat! What's wrong?" Jason exclaimed as they ran in.

"Look at this," Kat said, pointing at the wound, "This wasn't here before. What's happening?"

"The darkness isn't playing around any more," Kamara said softly as she examined Tommy's arm, "From now on, whenever Tommy is hurt by this thing, it's going to show." She put a hand on his cheek, and quickly jerked it away. She looked up at the others in alarm. "He's burning up! The Darkness has taken on a different tactic." She looked at Kat. "We need to go in."

Kat nodded and hurried back to his other side. Together, the two girls put their hands on his chest, closed their eyes, and summoned their powers. Each was dimly aware, as she sent her mind into Tommy's, of Billy calling the others.

~*~

As if on cue, two bright balls of crackling energy, one silver, the other pink, flew past him and smashed into the entity, causing it to howl in pain. It was a sound Tommy would rather not have heard. He felt himself beginning to lose consciousness, and fought to keep that even more frightening darkness away. He had a feeling that if he lost that battle, he'd never wake up. Through semi blurry vision, he watched as the two energy balls, instead of disappearing as they normally did, glowed brighter and attacked again. He watched, half dazed, half amazed, as the energies forced the dark force back into its misty form and retreat. He suddenly felt his eyes get incredibly heavy, and couldn't fight the need to close them.

"Tommy. Tommy open your eyes," a familiar voice said urgently, "Tommy, don't go to sleep. Stay with us, open your eyes."

Tommy opened his eyes, and was startled to find Kat and Kamara kneeling on either side of him.

"Kat? Kara? What...?" he whispered in confusion.

"Shh. Here," Kamara said, placing a glowing hand on his forehead. Almost instantly, he felt his strength and energy rush back. "Tommy, you must listen carefully," Kamara said, taking her hand away. "The darkness isn't fooling around anymore. These recent attacks have severely affected your physical body." She paused, then added, "Tommy... your physical body... it's dying." From the look on Kat's face, Tommy guessed it was news to her as well. Before Kat could say anything, Kamara rushed on, "From now on, every and any injury you receive here will appear just a bit worse on your physical body. Not only that, but you have been here in the darkness for to long. Your body is beginning to react with fever. You must defeat the evil and find the light soon or your physical body will die and all will be lost. Unfortunately, you must do it on your own. We can no longer provide you with the help we have been giving you. All we can do is fill you with temporary power that will allow you to fight this evil properly. We can also help you get on the right path that will lead you out of here. Do you understand?"

Tommy nodded, a little bewildered by what he'd just been told. Kamara looked at Kat and they both nodded in silent agreement. Kamara placed her hand over Tommy's heart and Kat placed her hand over Kara's. They closed their eyes as their energies flared and Tommy let out a small gasp as he felt his body flood with a strange, new power.

"You will know what to do when the time comes," Kamara said when they finished.

Tommy started as their bodies began to glow. "What's happening?" he asked, reaching out for Kat's hand.

"It's all right. We must go now. But don't worry, we'll do everything we can on the outside, and what little we're permitted to do in here. Good luck Tommy. Remember, your friends are with you."

That said, Kamara's form melted back into her energy form and vanished. Kat put her hand on Tommy cheek, but it had already become transparent, and neither could feel it. Instead, she blew him a kiss and, as tears filled her eyes, whispered, "I'll be waiting."

Then she, too returned to her energy form and vanished.

~*~

"What happened?" Tanya asked, looking at Kara uneasily.

Kamara took a deep breath, then quickly told her friends what she had told Tommy." Nobody spoke when she finished. They had all known their was a chance their friend and leader could die, but until now, that chance hadn't been so high.

Finally, Tanya spoke up quietly, "I'm going to see if I can find Kat." She activated the Teleportation button on her communicator, then vanished from the chamber in a flash of yellow light.

~*~

"What in the world...!?" Zedd exclaimed, clutching his staff tighter. The panther regarded them with bright, yellow eyes, then began to shimmer and change form.

"Damn," Zara muttered with a small pout, "I've lost my breakfast." She looked at the pair and chuckled. "I've been awake for almost thirty minutes now," she said in answer to their unasked question. She looked in the direction she assumed her prey had escaped in and sighed. "You have to give those banana beaks credit. They may be stupid, but they're fast." She looked back at them and asked, "So how long have I been asleep?"

"Three days," Zed replied, "Today would have been the fourth."

Zara raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I used more power than I thought. Hmm, three days huh? Well, if Tommy's not dead by now, he's damn close."

"Hey Zara! You're awake!"

Zara turned as Rito entered the room. "So, my little coward of a brother finally decided to come out of hiding!" Rita said with a scowl.

"I'm guessing I missed something?"

"Did you ever!" Rito exclaimed, ignoring his sister's taunts. "Kat threw a temper tantrum and beat Goldar to within an inch of his life! She's not too happy about what you did to Tommy. She gave me a message for you. Uh, let's see... oh yeah! She said... wait, mabey you'd better see Goldar before you hear the message."

Zara sighed. "Very well. Where is he?"

"Follow me." Rito led them down a dark, slimy corridor and into a small room. In the center of the room, Goldar lay on a table under a glowing, glass dome, still deeply unconscious.

"Well now, she really did a number on him, didn't she?" Zara said, taking in his still battered form. "All right, now that I've seen Goldar, what's the message?"

"Well, she said to tell you that you're gonna pay for what you did to Tommy. She said that you'd better pray he survives or you'll end up looking a hundred times worse than Goldar."

"I have no doubt she could do it too," Zara said thoughtfully as she led the way back to the throne room. She looked down at the earth and a small smile crossed her lips. "But I'll deal with that later. Right now, I spy someone who can give me some information. After that, I can focus my attention back on the little mouse." Her eyes flared, and she disappeared in a flash of light.

~*~

"My apologies for not being around to cause trouble these last few days Ranger," Zara said with a smile, "but I've been recuperating. Your leader managed to drain me rather well."

"Yeah, I'm sure he's really sorry about that!" Adam responded sarcastically. "It's morphin...." he was interrupted as a beam of light struck him, paralyzing him. Adam struggled to remain calm as he watched her approach, a small smile spreading across her lips.

"Don't worry sugar," she purred, lightly running her fingers down his cheek, "I'm not here for a fight, just a little information."

"Why don't you let me call Kat? She'll give you all the information you want!"

Zara's smile grew a little at his words and she moved closer to him. "I'm afraid it's not yet time Kat and I to meet again. Right now, it's time for you to tell me what I want to know." Adam's eyes widened in surprise as her lips pressed against his. She pulled back and chuckled softly as she took in Adam's softly glowing eyes and vacant expression. "Feel like telling me anything now?"

"What do you wish to know?" came the hollow reply.

"Is Tommy alive or dead?"

"He's alive."

"What's his condition?"

"He's not doing too well. He has a dangerously high fever that we can't cool down. Kamara is getting more and more afraid that he's not going to make it. She and Kat are doing everything they can but...." his voice trailed off and he remained silent.

Zara was partly surprised and partly amused to see tears in the boy's eyes. She looked past him and saw her cue to leave. "All right sugar, once I leave, part of this little spell will be broken and you'll be free to move again. I want you to keep me posted on Tommy's condition. Let me know when he dies or if he survives, understand?"

Adam nodded and she smiled. "There's good boy. You know, you really are cute for a human." She kissed his cheek, then vanished.

"Adam!" Adam blinked and shook his head, trying to clear the fog that had suddenly overcome him. "Hey Adam!"

He looked up as Rocky and Tanya jogged up to him. "Uh, hi guys. What's up?"

"We were just heading for the Juice bar to pick something up for Kat and Kara," Rocky replied.

"Adam? Honey, are you all right?" Tanya asked, seeing his foggy expression.

"Yeah... I'm fine. Guess I didn't much sleep last night."

"I don't think any of us did," Rocky replied with a sad look in his eyes. They stood in silence for a moment, then Adam said, "Come on, I'll go to the juice bar with you. I could use something to eat myself."

~*~

Jason sighed and looked towards chamber 2. "Not good. He's gotten worse since yesterday." He was silent for a moment, then added, "He went into a pretty bad fit just after you left for the juice bar. The girl's kicked us out and have been with him ever since." He hesitated, then continued, "Guys... I'm picking up some very bad feelings from Kara. I... " He as interrupted as the door to chamber 2 slid open and Kamara stepped out. "Kara?" Jason asked anxiously, taking in her grim expression, "Is Tommy...?"

"No, no he's still alive. Although I... I'm not so sure it's going to be for much longer. His fever has increased drastically and we can't seem to locate him to give him what help we can. He... he's slipping further and further and further away. I don't think he has much time left."

"Tommy, NO!" Everyone jumped as Kat's shriek broke the stunned silence that had descended.

Turning, they all sped into the room to find Kat, frantically beginning CPR on Tommy's motionless form. She looked up at them and cried out, "He's not breathing!" then went back to her task.

Kamara hurried over and joined her friend. "Jason, help Kat," she ordered, "I'm going to try something."

While Kat and Jason performed the CPR, Kamara placed both hands on Tommy's forehead and began chanting in a language none of the others understood. After several, heart stopping moments, a bright light flashed, blinding them all. When it cleared, Jason and Kat were looking down at Tommy in relief. The others let out the breaths they'd been holding at the announcement that he was breathing again. "That was too close," Kamara whispered.

"Kara," Jason said after a few minutes, "I know you said that you and Kat couldn't help him fight that demon like you had been anymore, but what about an outside force?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just tell me, could an outside force help him in the fight?"

"Well... I suppose if the force was strong enough. Why? What do you have in mind?"

"White Mist. She said if we were ever in serious trouble we could call on her. I think this counts as serious trouble."

"At this point, any idea is a good one," Kamara agreed.

"Wait a sec, who's White Mist?" Adam asked.

"I'll explain later," Jason replied, "Cross your fingers."

Tanya gently pulled Kat away from Tommy and led her to the one of the other cots. "Here Kat, lay down for a while," she said softly. She sat down on the edge of the cot and watched as Kara and Jason each took a position on either side of Tommy. They raised their arms in the air and closed their eyes as Kamara called out, "White Mist! Guardian of Silvermist, we call on you! Please, come to our aid!"

There was a flash of light, and both teens jerked, then remained still. Finally, after several minutes, they opened their eyes and lowered their arms. A grim smile crossed Kamara's lips as she turned to face them. "Now, we wait." Before anyone could respond, the alarm in the main chamber began to wail.

"Alpha, what is it?" Jason asked as they hurried in.

"Ai-yi-yi! Zara is attacking the downtown area!" Looking in the viewing globe, they saw Zara and a small group of Tengas running amuck downtown. Kamara suddenly winced and put a hand to her head as Jason dew in a sharp breath. Turning, they found Kat standing in the doorway of chamber 2, staring fixedly at the viewing globe. Her eyes glowed with hatred and angry energy crackled around her clenched fists.

"Katherine," Kamara said, quickly approaching and putting her hands firmly on the other girl's shoulders, "Katherine look at me. One of us must stay here and watch after Tommy. I think It would be best if it were you. We cannot risk you loosing control of your powers like you did with Goldar. It is not yet time for you to face Zara. And, as much as I desperately want it to be, it is not yet time for the final battle. This will be a short fight. I know how to force her into retreat. Besides, you are in no condition to fight. Look at yourself. You're exhausted."

Kat's gaze wandered over to Jason. The look he gave her suggested that her staying behind was an order. Not one to disobey orders, even from temporary leaders, Kat nodded shortly, glanced once more at the viewing globe, then went back into the other chamber.

~*~

He looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight of an energy ball headed straight for him at a pace he couldn't possibly hope to avoid. Just as it was about to collide with him, there was a flash of light and the ball was suddenly flying back the way it had come! "Tommy."

Tommy looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the unfamiliar, elegant voice. "Who's there?" he called out, summoning up a defense, just in case. There was another flash of light, and when it cleared, Tommy found himself in the middle of a beautiful forest. "Where in the world?" Tommy whispered, taking in the haunting beauty. Hearing footsteps behind him, he whirled around, dropping to a defensive stance. His eyes widened when he saw a pure white unicorn standing a few feet away, watching him calmly.

He jumped as the majestic beast suddenly shimmered and began to take on another form. A moment later, a stunningly beautiful girl stood in the animal's place. She was dressed in a flowing white gown, and her silver hair spilled all the way to the ground. A soft light surrounded her, adding an eerie look to her beauty. "I am White Mist," she said before he could ask, her musical voice echoing eerily in the woods, "I am a friend. That is all you need to know." She approached him, stopping inches away. "There is not much time," she whispered, her silverish blue eyes boring into his. "Listen closely power child. I'm going to give you something to help defeat the demon. It is extremely powerful and must be used with the power of the heart to give it full strength. It can be used only once and so the blow must be direct and true. Aim for the beast's heart and you will triumph. Do you accept my gift, power child?"

Tommy could only bring himself to nod, unable to find his voice. The glow around her brightened and his eyes closed with hers as their lips met. Tommy felt every part of his body fill with a raw energy unlike any he had ever felt before. It rushed through him, soothing his wounds and draining the exhaustion. Then, as fast as it had come, it was over, and he was back in the dark place, searching for his enemy. He could hear it moving around close by, searching for him. A moment later, he saw it move away from where he was, searching in the opposite direction. Taking advantage of the moment, Tommy quickly but carefully searched within him for the unicorn/girl's gift. He found it waiting not far down, took hold of it, and followed White Mist's instruction's to the letter.

He felt the power suddenly increase drastically and build up within him like a volcanic force. His hands crackled with pure white energy, staining to be released. Taking careful aim, he shouted, "Hey ugly! Over here!" Tommy released his hold as the entity turned around, and shouted in triumph as the energy ball hit its target dead on.

The demon emitted a horrible scream as the energy penetrated its being, thrashing about and trying desperately to escape. Finally, the screams stopped and the demon simply vanished, leaving Tommy alone in the empty darkness. He sank to his knees as the last of the power left him, exhaustion settling in one more. It was over. He could finally rest. Finally get some much needed sleep.

_No Tommy, not yet._ A voice whispered through his mind, forcing his heavy eyes open. White Mist, in her animal form, was standing a few feet away, once again watching him with a sense of calmness. _It is not over yet, power child. You must find the light, and then you may rest._

Responding to her gentle coaxing and promises of sleep, Tommy got to his feet and followed the elegant beast. He had a feeling it was her power, not his own, that kept him going. She would disappear from time to time, but would always reappear a short time later to continue her support and guidance. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, a white light appeared.

White Mist stopped and looked back at Tommy. _Your ordeal is over, power child. Once you pass through the light, you will return to your physical body, where you will be permitted to recover properly._

Tommy walked up to her and put his hand on her neck. "Thank you White Mist. I Don't know what I would have done without you."

_You're welcome, power child. Now go. Your friends are waiting._ Tommy nodded, patted her neck, then entered the light. The light turned out to be a surprisingly colorful tunnel. As he walked, Tommy marveled at the spectacular colors as they danced around him. It wasn't long before he began to notice changes. The colors were beginning to dim and he was feeling little pains here and there.... He also heard voices coming from somewhere ahead. He couldn't make out what they were saying , but he thought he heard his name a few times. The further down he went, the louder the voices got. Except for a few words, he still couldn't make out what they were saying, and it frustrated him. Not only that, but the little pains were now bigger pains, which were rapidly spreading through his body. Sheer determination to discover the source of the voices kept him going. At one point, he stopped, groaning as a particularly sharp pain tore it's way through his chest.

"Tommy?" He looked up as a very familiar voice echoed all around him. "Tommy, can you hear me?"

"Kat?" He started forward, trying to pinpoint her voice. "Kat, where... ugh!"

Tommy clutched his stomach and fell to his knees as an intense pain wracked his entire body. "Kat... help!" he gasped.

"Tommy," another voice - Kara?-floated through to him. "Tommy, you're almost back. You just need to come a bit further."

"It... it hurts."

"I know it hurts. We can make the pain go away if you come just a bit further."

Tommy stood and stumbled forward, only to fall back to his knees with a cry as the pain increased. "I can't. The pain...."

"Yes, yes you can," one of them encouraged, "Please Tommy, just a few more steps and it'll be over. Please."

Gritting his teeth, Tommy forced himself to stand and move forward. He got perhaps five feet before he collapsed and the darkness enveloped him.

~*~

"Tommy?" A voice asked softly, "Can you hear me?"

"Kat?" he whispered, confusion mixing with his pain. He felt a hand on his chest and then warm energy rushing through him, soothing his pain. He felt himself relax and start to drift off. The sudden thought that he may be in danger entered his mind, causing him to panic and fight the energy being fed into him. He fought to open his eyes, ignoring the pain the movements caused him.

"Tommy, it's all right," came Kat's voice, "Just relax. It's just Kara's energy. It's all right."

The energy flow increased, adding to Tommy's fear of some kind of trap. Despite the fact that he still couldn't open his eyes, Tommy struggled to sit up. Strong hands gripped him by the shoulders and held him down. "Tommy, it's me, Jason. Calm down Bro. Let Kara and Kat help you." Tommy stopped his weak struggles at the sound of his best friend's voice. "Jase?"

"Yeah, bro, it's me. Can you open your eyes?"

"No," Tommy mumbled after a long pause.

"That's all right," Kara replied, her energy once more flowing through him. "You need rest. Just relax and let my energy take you."

Tommy relaxed and let the warm, soothing energy flow through him. He felt himself being taken away, and moments later, drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

~*~

"The good news is that you and Kat should more than make up for Tommy's absence." Billy said, coming over with a fresh blanket to replace the bloody one.

Kamara noticed Jason watching Kat thoughtfully. _It's all right my love,_ she thought, _she still has a deep hatred for Zara, but I sense she has gained much control over her feelings and powers. She will be all right for the next battle provided she is rested._

_What do you think Zara's plans are?_ Jason thought back.

_She thinks Tommy is dead, or close to it. That attack a few hours ago was a test. The next one will not be so careless.'_

Jason looked around at his friend's tired faces. "Guys, I think it would be a good idea if we all went home and got some sleep. It's been a long day and tomorrow is probably going to be longer."

The others nodded their agreement. Tommy mumbled something then tensed up as though in pain. Kat silently placed a hand on him, feeding him energy until the tension melted away. It was obvious to the others that Kat intended to stay, so they said their goodnights and teleported out.

Besides Kat and Kamara, Billy and Jason also stayed behind. Jason stayed behind to wish Kamara goodnight in his own way. Billy was once again absorbed in adding things to the defense systems. Jason's hand slipped into Kara's. "Want to go for a walk before calling it a night?"

"Sure," she replied with a smile. Jason poked his head through the door and called into the main chamber, "Goodnight everyone." He chuckled at Billy's absent response as he grabbed Kara's hand and teleported out.

~*~

"I was just admiring the stars. I've been to so many worlds, seen so much beauty. But the stars... they've always been the most beautiful, no matter where I am." She fell silent, her eyes glued to the sky.

"Kara? Is something bothering you?"

"No, not really. It's just that I know that somewhere, amid all that beauty, is my home." She sighed, moving a little closer to Jason as a slight breeze chilled her. "Sometimes, I wonder if I will ever see my home again, it has been so long. If it weren't for White Mist, I'd have forgotten long ago what Silvermist even looked like."

She grew silent again, a thoughtful look crossing he features. Jason felt feelings of distress growing within her. "You know," she continued in a soft voice, "I'm not even sure I can get home anymore. My portal opener has had so many coordinates fed into it, I can't remember which one is Silvermist's."

Jason turned her around so she was facing him, and stared deep into her green eyes. "Kara, you knows that whatever happens, you'll always have a home here, with me."

Kamara smiled. "I know," she whispered as their heads bent closer together. She felt an odd tingle as she closed her eyes to receive Jason's kiss, and chalked it up to her overwhelming feelings of love for him. As they fell deeper into their kiss, either of them felt, or noticed the glowing eyes of a black cat watching them from the heights of a nearby tree.

~*~

"Kat?" he whispered softly, certain she wouldn't hear him.

However, Kat's eyes snapped open, and she quickly sat up. "Tommy," she whispered back, her eyes lighting up in relief. "You're awake!" She sat on the edge of his cot and took his hand in hers. "How do you feel?"

"I've been better. What happened? Why do I feel like a heard of elephants used me as a stepping stone?"

"You don't remember the fight with Zara?"

Tommy noticed her eyes flash with a dangerous light as she said Zara's name, but let pass as he struggled to remember his last battle. His mind was still filled with a thick fog, and the only thing he could remember was intense pain. Seeing he couldn't remember, Kat quickly told him what had happened and what had happened since. "How long have I been out?"

"Five days."

Tommy's eyes widened and he made a sudden movement that caused him to gasp in pain. "Tommy, calm down. It's okay," Kat whispered, putting her hand lightly on his arm. Tommy groaned and closed his eyes. "Oh man. My parents must be freaking out."

"No," Kat replied with a smile, "thanks to Kara and her manipulation powers, they think you're on one of your spiritual retreats. They're not expecting you back for at least another week or so." Tommy opened his eyes, relief filling them. A tingling sensation in his arm reminded him of the sling and he gestured to it, asking, "What happened to my arm?"

"Broken in the fight with Zara. Kara managed to heal most of it, but the rest is going to take some time." Tommy nodded, his eyes growing heavy as sleep came to claim him once more. As his eyes closed, Kat leaned down and kissed his cheek. Tommy sighed, then slipped into a fitful sleep.

~*~

_Whoa, maybe this wasn't such a good idea,_ he thought as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He made it to the door and leaned against the frame for support. Looking up, he saw Kat, Kara, Billy and Jason huddled over a computer console, talking quietly. "Hey, what's a guy gotta do to get something to eat around here?"

The foursome spun around, surprised. "Tommy!" Kat exclaimed, rushing over to him. What are you doing out of bed? You're not well enough to be walking around!"

"Yeah, I already figured that one out for myself," he weakly replied as Kat helped him back into the cot. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, startled as he felt the bed moving.

"It's okay," Kat assured him, "I'm just moving you into the main chamber."

"How do you feel Bro?" Jason asked, appearing next to him.

"Better than last night. What time is it?"

"Almost noon," Billy said, coming over with a glass of clear liquid. "Here, drink this. It'll help clear any haziness."

As Kat helped Tommy drink the liquid, Jason, Kara and Billy's attention was drawn to the center of the chamber as three columns of light signified the arrival of Tanya, Rocky and Adam. "Tommy, you're awake!" Tanya exclaimed as the threesome hurried over.

Tommy smiled weakly. "Hey guys."

"You really gave us quite a scare pal," Rocky said, smiling.

"Yeah, we were afraid you wouldn't make it," Adam put in. Nobody noticed the dark, glassy look pass through his eyes as he looked at Tommy. _Gotta report this to princess Zara,_ he thought. _She's not going to be to happy._

"Adam? You all right?"

Adam started and looked up to find Kat watching him with a curious expression. "What? Oh, yeah... I'm fine. I just remembered something I forgot to do this morning. I'd better go take care of it. I'll be back in a while." He stepped back and teleported out before anyone could say a word.

"You know," Tanya said thoughtfully, "He's been acting strange ever since yesterday."

Rocky started to respond, but was interrupted as Tommy let out a gasp. Looking down, they found his face contorted in pain. "My chest," he gasped out through gritted teeth. Adam's strange behavior was forgotten as Kat and Kara set about trying to soothe Tommy's pain.

~*~

"Tommy's conscious. According to Kara he's going to be okay, but it's going to take some time."

Zara's eyes flashed red with anger as Adam delivered his news. "How the hell did he survive?" she snapped, her fists cracking with dangerous energy. Then as suddenly as her anger had come, it subsided and she smiled. "Well, I guess he just doesn't know how to die." She looked at Adam and her smile grew as she saw the fire of her spell at work in his eyes. "I have a little job for you sugar. It looks like we're going to have to help Tommy get his demise right. Here, take this." There was a small flash of light as she held out her hand and a black dagger appeared in her palm.

"It's not going to be easy," Adam said, taking the dagger and looking it over. "I mean, Kat and Kara are there constantly. Not to mention Billy, Alpha and Zordon."

Zara smiled as she ran her fingertips lightly down his cheek. "You just worry about your assignment, sugar," she purred, "I'll get the Rangers and Kara out of the power chamber." She reached behind her and pulled out what looked like a small lazer pistol.

"Here, use this on Billy and whoever else stays behind during my distraction. It'll trap them in an unbreakable force shield. However, it won't last long, so don't dawdle."

Adam nodded and took the device without a word. "Good, now go before someone sees us."

Adam bowed his head, concealed his weapons, and teleported out in a flash of green light.

~*~

"Here we go again," Rocky muttered.

"Katherine, Kamara, this battle will require your assistance. But be careful. If it appears that the battle is directed towards you, Kamara, teleport back here immeaditly. We cannot have you being captured."

Kara bowed her head in acknowledgment as Jason put his arm around her and said, "Don't worry, I'll stick close to her."

"Will you be all right Tommy?" Kat asked, looking down at him in concern.

Tommy managed a smile. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You'd better get out of here before the Putties and Tengas do any more damage."

Kat nodded and quickly joined the others. They morphed and teleported out.

~*~

Adam removed his helmet and Billy took a step back when he saw his friend's chilling smile. "Actually yes, there is something wrong. Tommy's still alive and I've been sent to correct that." Adam brought out the lazer like device and fired. The beam hit him and Billy was instantly trapped in a force field.

"Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha cried out, "Adam, what are you doing?"

"What's it look like tin head?" Adam sneered, trapping Alpha as well.

"Adam, you are under a spell. Release Billy and Alpha and let them help you." Zordon spoke up.

"Sorry Zordon, but that's not in my orders." He pulled out the dagger and added, "My orders are to help Tommy get his death right." He turned towards Tommy and surprise flashed through his eyes when he saw his target's empty bed. "So you wanna play hide n' seek huh?" Adam muttered, his eyes searching the room.

"Adam. Come on man, don't do this," Billy pleaded. He had seen Tommy struggle out of bed and stumble out of the chamber at the first sign of trouble. He was relieved that Tommy had enough sense to know he wasn't in any shape for a fight. "Fight the spell Adam! Fight it!"

"Shut up!" Adam shouted, spinning around, his eyes burning with anger. The anger suddenly vanished as he looked at Billy, and he smiled as an idea formed in his mind. "Hey Tommy!" he shouted, "Considering how injured you are, I'm going to be generous and give you exactly two minutes to come out, or Billy here is gonna be the one to pay! Your two minutes starts now!"

"Don't do it Tommy!" Billy shouted, earning a deathly look from Adam.

"Come out, come out wherever you are leader man," Adam snarled, turning his attention back to scanning the room.

~*~

_Wait a minute,_ she thought, _where's Adam?_ Dread flooded senses as she searched the battle field in vain for the Ranger she knew was not there. _Jason,_ she thought frantically, _I need to get back to the power chamber now! Adam isn't here and I have a terrible feeling._

_Gotcha,_ Jason thought back. "Kat! I'm taking Kara back to the Power Chamber! Can you three handle things here?"

"Yeah, go ahead! We're almost finished here anyway!" Kat shouted back.

Jason nodded, grabbed Kara's hand, and teleported them out.

~*~

"Careful guys, he's under a spell," Billy warned.

Adam quickly pulled out his device and fired. But Kara was faster. She summoned up a and deflected the blast.

"Stay back!" Adam ordered, drawing his blaster and aiming threateningly.

"Adam," Kara said softly, taking a step forward, her hands raised so he could see them, "give me your weapons and let me help you."

"I said stay back!" Adam shouted, firing a shot at the wall behind her. He then dropped to a defensive position, his eyes holding a challenge.

_Careful Kara,_ Jason's thoughts entered her mind, _he can be a pretty brutal fighter if he thinks you're the enemy._

Kamara nodded slightly, then focused her attention back on Adam. "Adam, you're under a spell. I know the real you is in there, I can feel it. I know you can here me. Come on, fight the spell from within," As she coaxed him, she silently prayed for him to look her in the eyes. _Come on,_ she thought, _just shift your eyes a little more... Gotcha!_ She silently cheered as Adam's eyes finally met hers and she locked him in her power. "Fight the spell Adam."

"I... I'm trying," Adam whispered, unable to tear his eyes from hers. "Help me... please."

"I can't help you until you drop your blaster and give me that dagger Adam." Adam dropped his blaster and slowly took out the dagger, his eyes never leaving hers. "It... it doesn't want me to give it to you."

"Fight its will. Prove that your will is stronger. You can do it."

They watched anxiously as the red light in Adam's eyes dimmed and he slowly began lowering the dagger. Unfortunately, the others chose that moment to return from battle, distracting Kamara and causing her grip on him to loosen. Tanya had appeared within an arms length of Adam, and he reached out, gripped her arm, and pulled her close, putting the dagger to her neck as the red glow in his eyes flared even brighter.

"Nice try," he sneered, "Anybody moves and it's her neck." He glanced around. The force fields around Billy and Alpha were fading. It was obvious he wasn't going to be able to complete his orders. Even with a hostage, they'd never let him. _Well, at least I have something to take back to my mistress._

"All right, Tanya and I are leaving. Anybody tries anything and...." he trailed off, pressing the blade against Tanya's neck and causing her to gasp. Reaching down, he pressed the Teleportation button on Tanya's communicator, and the pair vanished.

"This is all we need right now," Rocky muttered, running a hand through his short hair.

"Billy, where's Tommy?" Kat asked fearfully.

"I don't know," Billy replied, running to a computer and pushing some buttons, "I saw him sneak out as soon as Adam started acting strange, but I'm not sure where he went."

"Okay, Billy, start a search for Tanya. The rest of us will split up and look for Tommy. He can't teleport so he can't have gotten far." Nodding, they split into pairs and left the main chamber in search of their injured leader.

~*~

Rocky knelt down and put his finger in a drop of a dark, liquid substance. He held it up to the dim light and grimaced. "It's blood," he said grimly, looking up at Kat.

Kat looked back at him fearfully, then began following the trail, calling his name as she did. They'd been searching only a few minutes when they heard a low moan. They hurried to a door that was slightly ajar and burst inside.

"Tommy!" Kat cried out, rushing over to where Tommy lay, slumped against a wall. "Tommy? Tommy can you hear me?" Kat called, lightly slapping his cheeks.

"Oh, man, he must have slashed himself on something," Rocky said, pointing to where blood oozed out of a nasty gash in his side.

Tommy moaned and his eyes fluttered open. "So cold," he whispered, shivering.

"Billy," Kat said into her communicator, "We've found him in sector B. Can you teleport us back?"

Her question was answered seconds later when the threesome vanished from the little chamber and reappeared in the main chamber, Tommy once more on the cot. Kamara hurried over and together, the two girls set to work filling Tommy with warm, healing energy. Kat was filled with relief when she saw a deep improvement in the boy's condition.

"Well, that's one problem solved," Jason said as Tommy slipped into a sound sleep, "Now we just need to do something about Tanya and Adam."

~*~

Ignoring Tanya, Zara looked at Adam and asked, "Well, did you complete your mission?"

Adam scowled and replied, "No, my lady. Kamara returned and kept me from completing my assignment. Which is part of the reason I brought back a hostage."

Zara smiled despite her anger over his failure. "Yes, she will come in handy," she said thoughtfully, looking at the struggling girl. She was silent for a moment, then said, "All right, I have another assignment for you. As much fun as playing with Tommy was, it's time to refocus my attention on the little mouse. I want you to kidnap Jason. She seems to be quite fond of him and his capture would surely catch her attention."

Adam threw a quick glance at his watch and said, "He has a class right about now that he's sure to go down and cancel. I can get him there."

"A wonderful idea sugar. I'll send some Tengas disguised as humans down with you. You can use them to convince Jason to go quietly."

Adam nodded and bowed his head. Then, after Zara summoned some Tengas, left to compete his new mission.

~*~

Zedd looked at the glowing rope she held, pulled taunt with the resistance of whatever was at the other end, and growled, "Zara, I've already told you no pets! We have enough problems with your constant shape shifting into wildcats without needing to worry about a real blasted animal!"

Zara smiled coldly. "Oh but uncle," she purred, "You'll love this pet. I guarantee it." Turning, she gripped the rope and pulled hard.

Rita's eyes widened in surprise as Tanya stumbled in and fell to the floor. Her hands were tied in front of her with the glowing rope, and blood trickled down her arm from where the rope cut into her wrist.

"Well now," Zedd said, towering above the yellow ranger, "How did you manage to get this little prize?"

"Actually, I didn't. she was brought to me by my new servant."

"And who was that?" Rita asked, surprised that one of the riff raff had actually done something right.

"None other than Adam, Zeo Ranger IV."

"What!?" Rita screeched, sending a shiver down Tanya's spine.

"Oh, I've had him in my power since yesterday," Zara said off handily. Studding her nails, she added in a bored tone, "He's gone back to capture the Gold Ranger. He failed to finish off Tommy, but I think it's time I turned my attention back to princess Kamara. Jason's capture will help a great deal in that department."

"You won't win, Zara," Tanya spoke up. During Zara's explanation, she had gotten silently to her feet and stood off to the side, watching Rita and Zedd warily. Particularly Zedd. She didn't like the way he kept looking at her and desperately wished she had her zeonizers.

Zara sauntered up to her and swiftly backhanded her. "Quiet!" she snapped, "Prisoners speak only when spoken to!"

_She gets that from her mother,_ Zedd thought in amusement, thinking how militaristic his sister was.

Tanya glared defiantly at her. "Just wait 'till Kat gets her hands on you, you witch!" she spat.

This provoked a chilling smile from Zara. "Her power is indeed strong enough to do to me what she did to Goldar. But I assure you, little Ranger, that she won't go beyond mildly injuring me. Just as I won't go beyond mildly injuring her." She paused, then added, "But I'm saying too much. Uncle, where do you want this mouse?"

"Put her in the dungeon. And make sure she gets there! The last thing we need is a Ranger running loose around the palace!" Zara nodded and left the room, dragging Tanya behind her.

~*~

"Hey Jase, canceling class?"

Jason stopped and eyed him warily. "Adam, where's Tanya?" he asked quietly.

"She's safe. In fact, I've been sent with an invitation for you to join her. Oh and before you refuse, take a look at those kids over there." He gestured to a group of four teens, who sat at the bar, watching them. Jason held back a gasp as they suddenly switched forms to revel Tengas. Then, just as fast as they had changed, they were back in human form. "Now, unless you want them starting a major panic in which innocent people will most likely get hurt, you'll come with me nice and quietly. As soon as we're out of here, they'll leave."

Jason looked from Adam to the teens and back again. Realizing he had no choice, he let his breath out in a rush and muttered, "All right, I'll go."

Adam smiled and stepped aside. "After you." Jason threw him a glare, knowing from the red glow in his friend's eyes that it would be useless to try talking to him. Adam looked at the teens and nodded, then followed the other boy out. As soon as they were gone, the foursome shimmered and, with a loud squawk, changed into their true forms. As the screams started, the four giant birds began their terrorizing acts.

They had been running amuck only a few minutes when two columns of light signaled the arrival of the two remaining Rangers. "All right everyone, stay calm! Leave in an orderly fashion and no one will get hurt!" While Kat controlled the panicky crowd, Rocky tore into the Tengas. Once everyone was safely out, Kat joined him.

However, before the fight went far, a piercing whistle stopped it. The Tengas immediately flocked to it's owner. Turning, both ranges held back gasps when they saw Adam, fully morphed, standing by the doorway. "I thought that would get your attention. I have a message for Kamara from Zara." He motioned with one of his hands and a Tenga ran up to them, pushing a small envelope into Kat's hands. Before any of them could respond, Adam and the Tengas disappeared in a flash.

~*~

"Kara? What is it?" Kat asked, fearing the answer. "Zara has Jason," Kara replied in a shaky voice, "I have twenty four hours starting from the time I get this to surrender or Jason dies. After him will be Tanya and then Adam." She sat down on one of the consoles, eyes closed and shoulders sagged in defeat. "Kara, don't give up," Kat said, "We'll get them back."

"No," Kara replied softly, "this has happened once to often already. Every time it happens, the friends I'm with always try and pull a rescue, and it always ends in disaster." She looked up at them, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I've lost so many friends that way. Friends trying to protect me at the cost of their lives. Look what nearly happened to Tommy. I love Jason too much to let that happen again."

"We're not letting you surrender." They all turned towards Tommy, who was sitting on the edge of the cot, a determined look in his eyes. "In all our years as Rangers, no matter what happened, whether it was ourselves or someone else we were protecting, we never surrendered. Even when one of our own was in trouble, we always found a way to foul Zedd and Rita, and later the Machine Empire, up. Surrendering isn't the Ranger way and as long as I lead this team, it's going to stay that way. Giving up to those clowns is a last resort that has never been used and never will be. Jase... Jason, Tanya and Adam know that. They know we'll rescue them... even if it take a... a little time. I know this sounds cold, but if we can't rescue them, then we can't rescue them. We all knew the risks... what could happen... when we accepted the power, and we all accept that."

"Tommy be careful," Kat warned, placing her hand on his shoulder, "You're still weak. You don't want to over exert yourself."

Tommy took a deep breath and closed his eyes, nodding. He put his hand on Kat's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Rangers," Zordon boomed, "I am in agreement with Tommy. We cannot allow you to surrender. Your life is too important to risk losing, even at such a cost."

"Besides," Tommy added bitterly, "giving up will only give Zedd the excuse to kill them sooner."

They were all disturbed by the tone in his voice, but Rocky, Kat and Billy were even more disturbed by the look in his eyes. Billy was once more reminded of the old days, when Tommy was still the Green Ranger. Billy broke the uncomfortable silence that descended. "I'll step up the search."

~*~

"It's no use Jason," Tanya said from next to him, "these bonds are to strong."

Jason let out a frustrated breath and leaned his head back against the wall they were chained to. "Man, I hope the others get here soon," he muttered.

"I suggest you get used to your accommodations, Gold Ranger. You and your yellow friend are going to be here for a while."

The pair looked up as Zedd entered the dungeon, Adam and two Tengas following. "Come to gloat Zedd?" Jason asked with a glare.

Zedd chuckled as he approached them. "Still have the old spirit, huh Jason? Well enjoy it while you can boy. When I'm through with you, there won't be enough spirit left to match the tip of you pinkie finger!

He looked over at Tanya and Jason could have sworn he saw the evil lord grin beneath his metal mask. The sensation gave him chills, and a very bad feeling. Tanya stood stiffly and glared defiantly at Zedd as he came and stood before her. Although she didn't show it, she was terrified. She had head stories about the evil lord, but had never actually seen him. It was an experience she could have lived without. The only thing that gave her comfort was Jason's presence.

"You know, for a human, you are rather pretty." Zedd said, bring his gruesome hand up and lightly touching her cheek. Tanya quickly jerked away, causing Zedd to chuckle once more.

"Leave her alone, Zedd!" Jason said in a threatening voice.

Zedd ignored him, absorbed in slowly running his fingers down Tanya's neck and over her breasts. Tanya's eyes widened as his hand slipped lower and crept in between her legs. She let out a gasp and attempted to move away, but the chains held her in place.

"Zedd!" Jason shouted, struggling furiously against the chains, ""Leave her alone or so help me I'll... " His voice trailed off as he looked over at Adam and saw the red glow in the boy's eyes flickering as he watched Zedd. "Adam!" he shouted, "I know how much you care for Tanya! Look at what he's doing to her! Come on man! Snap out of it and help her!"

From the look in his friend's eyes, Jason could tell the boy was in a desperate struggle for control. Jason's attention was drawn towards the door as Zara hurried in.

She looked at Adam, then at Zedd and said in a voice filled with annoyance, "Oh, really uncle!" Zedd turned and watched Zara as she smothered Adam in a passionate kiss. Jason's heart sank as the red glow in Adam's eyes flared with new life and intensity. Zara smiled slightly, then turned back to face Zedd. "Really uncle, if you're so fascinated by her, you could have taken her somewhere else to get your kicks, or dismissed Adam. He nearly broke free of my spell!"

Before Zedd could respond, Rito walked in. "Oh, there you are Ed! Rita's looking for you. She needs you to help her with a spell or something."

"It's Zedd," Zedd grumbled under his breath. "All right, I'm coming." He turned back to Tanya, who was watching him with stone cold hatred in her eyes. "We'll continue this later on my dear," he growled, then turned and left the dungeon, Rito and the Tengas following.

Zara remained behind, watching them. Tanya met her gaze boldly and was surprised to see a hint of compassion in the other girl's cold eyes. Silently, Zara raised her hand and made a simple gesture. immediately, glowing bars appeared, and the chains holding them vanished. Taking Adam's hand, Zara turned and they, to, left. Once they were gone, Tanya fell to her knees, hugging herself and rocking back and forth.

Jason immediately knelt next to her and put his hand on her arm. She was shaking badly, and when she looked up at him, tears were flowing down her cheeks. Without hesitation, Jason drew her in his arms and held her.

~*~

Queen Marasana, an attractive, elven-like woman, wore a thoughtful expression as she regarded the girl's question. "I'm not entirely certain. I shall have to ask my daughter. They were very close in the short time she was here." She rang a bell, and several moments later, a girl of about seventeen earth years, entered the room.

"Yes, mother?" she asked, regarding the soldiers curiously.

"Kira, these people are soldiers from the Silvermist world. How long ago did Kamara leave?"

A look of sadness entered Kira's snow white eyes as she thought of her dear friend. "A little over a month ago. I think she had finally found a way to... what did she call the world she was trying to reach?"

"Earth?" One of the soldiers, a boy in his mid-teens, asked.

"Yes, that's the one," Kira confirmed with a nod. "I think she was close to making contact with someone there. We helped her create a diversion for Zara while she made her escape. I hope she made contact with whoever she was trying to make contact with."

"We should pick up on her trail again by morning," a girl, no older than the boy, spoke up, looking at the device in her hands.

"May I ask that you put us up for the night, highness?" the leader asked upon hearing that last statement.

"Of course," Marasana consented with a nod. I'll have someone take you to your quarters and bring you refreshments... "

~*~

"Tanya," he said softly to the dozing form next to him. Tanya's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly, prepared for a fight. "Relax," Jason said gently as he opened the wrapper. "Want some chocolate?"

"Thanks," Tanya replied softly, breaking of a piece. "Jason?" Tanya asked after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"I want to thank you for being there for me after Zedd... " Her voice trailed off and she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Jason reached over and took her hand in his, giving a gentle, yet firm squeeze.

They looked up as the door the dungeon opened, and Finster walked in, followed by several Tengas. "What do you want, Finster?" Jason growled as they stood. He eyed the device in the creature's hands and prepared himself for a fight.

"Lord Zedd Has sent me to bring the Yellow Ranger to him," Finster said in answer to the question.

Jason felt Tanya stiffen next to him and quickly moved in front of her. "She's not going anywhere," he said in a dangerously calm voice.

Finster sighed. "I figured that's what your reaction would be. Tengas," he waved his hand and the bars disappeared, "subdue them." Finster stepped back at as the Tengas rushed the teens, and watched the fight. Even unmorphed, the pair easily pounded the giant birds. Finster sighed and shook his head. "Well, they provided a distraction anyway," he muttered, turning his device on and taking aim. Jason screamed in pain and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach as the beam hit him.

"Jason!" Tanya yelled, running to his side as the Tengas retreated to Finster. "Stop it!" she shouted, looking at the little monster, "Stop it, you're hurting him!"

"Only you can stop his pain, yellow ranger. All you have to do is say you'll come with me, and I'll turn my stunner off. It's up to you."

"No! Don't... do it... Tanya!" Jason gasped out, "Don't... let that... bastard win!" He tried unsuccessfully to stifle a scream. Instead, it came out as a terrible choking sound.

Tanya looked from Jason to Finster and back again. "All right, all right!" she shouted, "I'll go with you, just stop hurting him!"

Finster smiled and turned the device off. Jason collapsed, breathing heavily. "Come along, Tanya."

"No," Jason moaned, "Don't... go with... him."

"Shh," Tanya whispered, "I'll be all right. I'll try to escape and get our zeonizers." She squeezed his hand, then stood and went to Finster. The little alien produced a pair of large shackles, which he snapped around her neck and wrists. He grabbed a chain dangling between the hand shackles, made a gesture that put the bars back in place, then led Tanya from the room. Jason raised his head and reached toward the door. "Tanya," he whispered. Then everything went black.

~*~

"Can I help?" Kat asked.

"No," Kamara whispered, "No, the pain is leaving. But he is still suffering. I must ease it on my own." She closed her eyes, and her whole body glowed a soft silver. When she opened her eyes again, they were filled with relief. She said nothing, and Kat didn't press her.

She looked up and had to smile when she saw Rocky, leaning against the wall, dozing. _He actually slept through that?_ she thought, making her way towards him. "Rocky," she said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Rocky jumped slightly and opened his eyes. "I'm awake," he mumbled, blinking as he looked at her.

Kat smiled. "No you're not. Go home Rocky. It's late."

Rocky looked like he was about to protest, but a yawn changed his mind. "All right. Good night everyone. I'll be back first thing tomorrow, but if anything happens in the meantime, contact me." He gave Kat a quick kiss on the cheek and added, "Say goodnight to Tommy for me." Then he teleported out.

She looked over at Billy, who was busy pouring over search results. "How's it going?" she asked.

Billy looked at her and sighed. "Not so good. Wherever Zedd is holding them, it's well shielded. I'm willing to bet they're on the moon, but we need to rule out all dimensions and other possibilities before we go there."

Kat nodded in agreement. "I'm going to check on Tommy. Would you keep a rough eye on Kara? I'm worried about her."

Billy glanced at the other girl, who sat on the floor, and nodded. Kat looked once more at Kamara, who now appeared to be meditating, then headed for chamber 2. Tommy was sitting up, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He opened them as the door slid shut and gave her a smile as she approached.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Kat asked, sitting down on the edge of the cot.

"Better. I'm dying for a workout. Feels like ages since my last one."

"Well, it's going to be a while yet. That darkness Zara implanted in you really did a number on your recovery speed."

"How's the search going?"

Kat sighed. "Not so good. So far, Billy hasn't been able to pick up even a trace of their ranger energies. He says that wherever their being held, it's well shielded. I hope they're all right," she added with a worried look in her eyes. Tommy suddenly drew in a sharp breath, putting his hand on his injured arm. "Here," Kat said, immediately reaching over and placing her already glowing hand on his arm.

Tommy relaxed as her warm energy soothed his pain. "You know," he said as he watched her, "I don't think I ever got the chance to thank you and Kara. If it weren't for you two, I probably wouldn't be here right now enjoying your company... or, your beauty."

Kat looked at him, then looked away again, blushing. "I'm just glad you're all right," she said softly. "All that time you were unconscious, I was so afraid you wouldn't make it. We've been through a lot together, and the thought of losing you...." She trailed off, and looked back at him, tears forming in her eyes.

Tommy reached up and lightly touched his fingers to her cheek. He drew her closer until they were just inches apart, then their lips met in a soft kiss that slowly deepened. Neither said a word when they broke apart. Both just sat there, staring into the other's eyes. The spell was broken when the door to the chamber silently slid open, and Billy walked in, carrying a sleeping Kamara in his arms.

"Poor girl's exhausted," he said as he gently lowered her onto her cot. "She's really taking this hard. I was afraid I would have to sedate her to get her to sleep."

"Speaking of which, you should go home and get some rest yourself," Kat said, "You've been going non-stop all day."

Until she had mentioned it, Billy had not realized just how exhausted he, in fact, was. "Yeah, all right. I should warn you though, I've got the alarm rigged to go off the moment the computer gets a signal on Jason and Tanya."

Kat nodded. "Right."

"All right then. Good night."

"Night Billy."

~*~

"Oh Jason!" she sobbed, her voice muffled by his shirt, "It was horrible! He kept touching me in ways that hurt. I tried fighting back with everything I had, but he only hurt me more. I nearly escaped twice, but he caught me and... " Her voice trailed off into a choked sob.

The door to the dungeon suddenly open, startling them both. They stood quickly as Adam entered, followed by three Putties and a Tenga. Two of the Putties were carrying trays of something covered with tin lids. Jason immediately noticed that the red glow in Adam's eyes had dimmed considerably since Zara's last kiss. Adam's gaze fell on Tanya, and the light dimmed even more as he saw her condition. He shook his head as if to clear it, then said, "Supper time. Princess Zara doesn't want you starving to death on her."

He motioned to the Putties, who quickly stepped up to the bars, knelt down and, as a section of the bars faded, slid the trays through. Jason's eyes narrowed as he looked at Adam. The other boy looked back at him coldly, but Jason thought he detected a hint of something else in his friend's eyes. Throwing one last glance at Tanya, Adam turned and quickly left, the Putties and Tenga following close behind. Jason approached the trays and carefully lifted the lid.

"Tanya," he said when he saw the contents, "We just got our ticket out of here."

Tanya limped over and peered over Jason's shoulder. "Are... are those what I think they are?" she asked shakily, unsure whether or not to believe her own eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah they are," he replied, handing her, her zeonizer. "There's also a note here," he added, unfolding a small piece of paper and reading;

"Guys, Zara's spell has weak spots, so I'm semi-aware of what is happening. I don't have total control, so this is all I can do to help you. You have to get to the caverns below the palace. Find the place the Zeo crystal was kept before we knew about it. Instinct will guide you. Hurry, I'm not sure how long it will be before your escape is discovered, or I betray you myself."

Jason looked up at Tanya, who held a look of amazement in her eyes. "We'd better take the advice, he said, stuffing the note in his pocket.

Tanya nodded, and he called out, "It's morphin time!"

"Zeo Ranger II-yellow!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

Once morphed, Jason summoned his power staff and had their cage disabled in seconds. A shot to the main door had them out of the dungeon completely. Jason grabbed Tanya's hand and together, the pair raced down the dark corridors, taking care not to be spotted by the roaming groups of Putties, Tengas and monsters. "If I remember what Tommy told me correctly, the entrance to the caverns should be up ahead somewhere," Jason said quietly as they watched a group of Putties walk by.

"Jason," Tanya whispered as they continued on, "I think my power boost is wearing off. I don't fee... ugh!"

Jason spun around and caught Tanya before she hit the floor. "Tanya!" Her uniform was smoking from the lazer blast. Looking up, Jason spotted to two strong, very ugly monsters moving rapidly towards them. "Oh man, busted," he muttered.

"Tanya, can you run?" he asked urgently.

Tanya nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Then let's move!" He pulled her to her feet, and they took off running. After several moments of hard running, Jason stopped and fired a few blasts from his staff in the hope of slowing down their pursuers. When he turned back, he found Tanya leaning against a mold covered wall, looking for all the world like she was on her last legs. "Jason, I... can't go on... I'm too weak."

Without a word, Jason scooped her up in his arms, and continued running. He rounded a corner and managed too squeeze the two of them into a small crevice in the wall. He breathed a sigh of relief as the two monsters ran by and disappeared around another corner.

Seeing the coast was clear, he moved out of the crevice and was about to move on when a soft glow caught his attention. Moving closer, he found a door tucked away in a dark corner. As they moved closer, the door glowed brighter, then swung open, as though sensing their presence. Tanya stirred in reaction to the warm light that emanated from beyond the door. Hearing footsteps coming their way, Jason quickly stepped though. _Must be the caverns Adam told us to get to,_ he thought, looking around the new place. Several other caverns branched off from the one they were in. _Where to now?_

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt an irresistible urge to enter the cavern on the far right. It felt like hours before they finally entered a small room. Jason put his injured team mate's now limp form down on a stone slab and checked her over. Her uniform was blood soaked in placed where her injuries still flowed with blood, and she was unresponsive to anything he did to try and wake her. "Oh man. So how do we get out of here?" he wondered out loud, glancing around. His hand came to rest on the slab next to Tanya and a bright light flared. When it cleared, they were no longer in the caverns, but in a cave located in the quarry. _How in the world did I know that?_ He shrugged it off and closed his eyes, sending his mind out. _Kara. Kara, it's Jason. Can you hear me?_

_Jason? Oh Jason thank goodness! The alarm is going crazy! Where are you?_

_Tanya and I are in a cave in the quarry. Tanya's out cold. We need to get back there fast!_

_Hang on. Alpha is trying to get a lock on you. It will just be a moment._

True to her word, a moment later, the cave disappeared, and the Power Chamber appeared in its place.

"Jason!" Kamara exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and embracing him, "I was so worried!"

Kat knelt next to Tanya and carefully removed her helmet. "My god," she whispered, "Jason, what happened to her?"

"Zedd," Jason replied bitterly.

Kamara quickly knelt on Tanya's other side and the two girls began their now familiar ritual of healing their friend. Rocky and Billy teleported in seconds after they started and were quickly filled in. when the girl's finished, Kamara said, "Her physical wounds are now healed." She paused, looking at Tanya's sleeping form, then added quietly, "I cannot say the same about the emotional ones, however."

She looked up at Jason, her bright green eyes disturbed. "Jason, what in the world happened up there?"

Jason closed his eyes and let his breath out in a rush. He then began to tell them what had happened in Zedd's palace from when Zedd first came down up until their arrival in the cave. "She didn't say anything about it but... I think he may have raped her."

A stunned silence fell over the group. Kamara brushed a lock of hair away from Tanya's face. "I thought as much," she said quietly.

"This time, Zedd's gone to far," a low voice growled. They looked up and found Tommy standing in the doorway of chamber 2. It was obvious from the look in his eyes that he had heard every word of Jason's tale. The tone in his voice made even Jason nervous as he said, "Zedd's gonna pay for this. I'm gonna make him pay if it's the last thing I ever do."

~*~

"And since their morphers were up here, someone had to bring them down to those two," Rita added, staring accusingly at Adam.

Zara looked to where Adam stood, his eyes staring blankly at the opposite wall, and smiled slightly. "No, I would have known if he had broken through my control. And he was the one who reported them missing. Her smile vanished and she began pacing again. "There goes my plan of forcing her to surrender!"

"Why not use Adam?" Rito asked.

Zara shook her head. "No, I'd have to keep my word to kill him if she refused to surrender, and I intend on taking him back home with me. There is little time left. No more games, tomorrow will be the final battle. I will take her back with me, or die trying."

~*~

Tommy smiled as he moved his arm around. "Wow, that feels great, Kara. Thanks."

"No problem." She looked over to where Tanya sat, staring vacantly at some breakfast biscuits Kat had brought. "How is she doing?" she asked quietly as Kat joined them.

Kat cast a worried glance in her friend's direction and said, "Not so good. I can't get her to eat anything or even talk to me for that matter."

Kamara nodded, then made her way over to Tanya. "Tanya, may I speak with you in the other chamber?"

Tanya looked up at her, and the blank expression left her face as their eyes met. Nodding, she silently stood and followed Kamara into chamber 2. "What's up?" she asked quietly as the door slid shut behind them.

Kamara looked at the girl, then decided to get right to the point. "Tanya... I felt the pain of what Zedd did to you when I was healing you. I can't make what he did to you go away, but I can make the pain and memories go away. I can prevent any frightening dreams you may have from coming. In short, I can prevent this... experience from ruining your life. I can give you the gift so many others in your situation have wished for... to forget it ever happened. I can also add something that will ensure it never happens again."

Tanya was silent for a moment, tears running down her cheeks. Finally, she whispered, "What would I have to do?"

"All you have to do is say, 'I want and accept this gift.'"

Tanya nodded and whispered, "I want and accept this gift."

Kamara smiled. "Good." She closed the distance between them and placed her hand over her friend's heart. "Close your eyes," she instructed, doing the same. When she next spoke, her voice was hollow and echoed around the room. "I call upon the power of the stars. Take the pain and memories of the evils committed upon the body of this girl. Make her forget and keep her from remembering."

The energy flowing into Tanya's body brightened and she screamed as a sinister looking energy left her body in a cloudy fog and disappeared. Kamara caught her as she fell forward and gently lowered her to the ground. She replaced her hand and whispered, "I give thee this gift of protection. Should a repeat of the crimes committed upon this body ever attempt to occur again, use this power in faith and instinct. May it be passed along to children and grandchildren until the end of time."

She passed her hand over Tanya's eyes and they opened, but remained unseeing. She helped her to her feet and was not surprised, as they left the chamber, to find the others clustered around outside. "Kara, what happened?" Jason asked anxiously.

"Why does Tanya look like a zombie?" Rocky added, taking in Tanya's even blanker expression.

Kamara quickly explained what she had done. "She will remember being held captive and escaping, but everything in between will be gone," she finished, guiding Tanya back to her seat. "Kat, would you take a seat across from her? I implanted the memory of the two of you having breakfast together."

Kat did as she was asked and Kamara once more passed her hand over Tanya's eyes. They cleared, and almost instantly, she asked, "Would you pass the orange juice, Kat?" The others looked at each other in amazement as Kat complied.

The sudden wailing of the alarm startled them all. Rocky groaned as they looked in the viewing globe. "Aw, man. When is she gonna realize she's not going to get Kara?" he complained as Zara appeared, firing a blast of energy at a tree.

Kamara stared at Zara's image, a look of understanding lighting her eyes. "Kara? What is it?" Jason asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. "She's not playing games anymore. This battle... it's going to be long and hard. It's to be the final one. The one that decides my fate. I must fight in this one Jason," she quickly added before he could voice his thought. She turned to face them. "By fighting this battle, I'll have the chance to be rid of her once and for all." She paused, then added, "Tommy, I didn't expect this for at least a few more days. As a result, Katherine and I must infuse you with a special energy so that you will be suitable for battle. It's going to take a small while, so the rest of you had better go on ahead."

Jason nodded. "It's morphin time!" After the three remaining rangers had left, Kat and Kamara set to work.

~*~

Jason shouted when they arrived. "Well now, only three? Where's Katherine? More importantly, where's Kamara?"

"The only thing you should be worrying about right now is us!" Jason responded.

Zara laughed. "Actually sugar, I think you should be worrying about yourselves. Tell me, can you fight someone you still consider a friend and comrade?" She snapped her fingers, and in a flash of green light, a morphed Adam appeared by her side.

"Adam!" Tanya shouted. She started towards him, but Rocky held her back.

Zara smiled and said calmly, "Adam, attack." Adam charged forward, and the threesome rushed to meet him.

"Adam!" Rocky shouted, grabbing Adam's arm, "Adam it's us! Come on man, don't do this!"

Adam snarled in reply and delivered a vicious kick to Rocky's stomach. After several moments of fighting, Tanya picked herself up off the ground and joined the boys, saying, "This isn't working. We need a new approach. Wait here." Tanya calming approached Adam, who had his blaster trained on her.

"Adam! Kill her!" Zara ordered.

"Adam," Tanya said softly, "Adam, it's me, Tanya. Snap out of it Adam. Come back to us."

"No Adam!" Zara shouted, "Kill her! She's your enemy!"

Adam fired a shot at the ground in front of Tanya, stopping her.

Unfazed, Tanya said, "Adam, I'm not going to fight you. If you feel you have to follow her orders... then I'm not going to stop you." She fell silent and watched as Adam tightened his grip on his blaster.

"Do it Adam! Do it and you'll be well rewarded."

Adam began to squeeze the trigger, then stopped and faltered. At his hesitation, Tanya knew he was breaking through. "Give me your hand, and let's end this," she said, holding out her own hand.

Adam stared at the offered hand, slowly lowering his weapon. He hesitated as Zara shouted angrily at him. Then, responding to Tanya's gentle coaxing, reached out and grasped her hand. Tanya pulled him into a tight hug, ignoring Zara's angry screams.

"All right!" Rocky cheered as he and Jason joined the pair.

"You'll pay for betraying me Adam!" Zara screamed, her fists crackling with energy.

Before she could release it, however, a shout caught her attention. "Hey Zara! Heads up!" She looked up and was hit in the chest by a lazer blast, knocking her roughly to the ground and stunning her. She raised her head and hissed when she saw Tommy, Kat, and Kamara joining the others. She got to her feet, gained control, and smiled.

"Well, well Tommy," she purred, "You look much better than the last time I saw you. Less... bloody." She rushed on before he could respond, "but as much as I'd love to stand around chit chatting..." She snapped her fingers, and a large group of Tengas appeared, "It's time to get busy."

On the command, both groups rushed to meet each other. Somehow, Tommy once again ended up squaring off with Zara. The pair fought viscously, their hatred for one another the only thing keeping them going. Finally, after over an hour and a half of hard fighting, the others finished off the last of a long line of Tengas and Putties, and joined their leader.

"Zara! It's time to finish what we stared nineteen hundred years ago!"

"With pleasure, little mouse!" Zara hissed. They rushed each other, and the new fight was on. Jason felt each blow Kamara received, and helped retaliate by sending her his love and energy. No one was sure how long the pair had been fighting, when a fresh army of Tengas appeared.

"Man! Zedd just won't quit!" Rocky exclaimed as they prepared for the new fight. No one noticed a portal open not far from the battle site, and five, silver clad beings emerge. They took in the fight, quickly picking out friends and foes. At the command from their leader, they pulled out lazer blasters, and rapidly began taking out the giant birds.

"What the... !?" Rocky exclaimed as the Tenga he was fighting suddenly disintegrated into a pile of feathers. Looking around, he found other Tengas meeting the same fate. "What's going on?" he asked, joining the others.

"Oh man, check that out!" Adam exclaimed, pointing at the five newcomers.

Once the Tengas were finished off, they turned their attention to Kamara and Zara. All five took aim and fired, knocking Zara back several feet and slamming her into a tree. Surprised, Kamara turned and watched as the five approached her.

"Come on, let's find out what's going on," Tommy said, running in their direction.

"Princess," their leader was saying, "There is no time to explain who we are. We are here to help."

Kamara nodded in understanding and turned to the rangers. "Katherine, Jason, we're going to need your help. The rest of you, take cover." The others headed for cover without question while Kamara, Kat, Jason, and the five strangers formed a circle. Almost by instinct, they joined hands, closed their eyes, and began glowing as they called upon their powers, Kamara and Jason calling upon their bond. As the rangers watched from their cover, all the power summoned seemed to flow directly to Kamara. She began to glow brightly and, as Zara began to rise, summoning her own power, Kamara broke away from the circle and turned to face her oldest foe. Her eyes glowed a bright sliver as she raised her hands, releasing a bright ball of pure energy. Zara's eyes widened as the energy slammed into her, releasing a scream of anguished pain as the power of good tore thought her. There was a bright flash followed by a great crash of thunder as lightning struck the spot Zara stood. When the light cleared, Zara was gone.

Kamara fell too her knees, gasping as the energy left her. "Kara, you all right?" Jason asked softly, falling to his knees next to her.

She nodded, looking at the spot Zara had stood only moments ago. "It's over," she whispered. She looked at Jason, tears forming in her green eyes. "It's really over," she embraced him, laughing as the others rejoined them.

"Princess Kamara," the leader of the five spoke, bowing deeply, "we are relieved to have finally found you."

Kamara looked up at them, confusion in her eyes. "May I ask who you are, and how you know me?" she asked, standing. "Of course. I am commander Jarva. These are lieutenants Liana and Jox and corporals Mara and Corus. We are from Silvermist. Your mother sent us to find and bring you home."

Shock entered Kamara's eyes at Jarva's words. She opened and closed her mouth, unable to get any words out. She was dimly aware of Tommy speaking into his communicator, then the world vanished in a flash of white light.

~*~

_That is a question I can answer,_ a voice whispered in their minds. Kamara and Jason smiled as the others looked around in confusion. There was a flash of light, and when it cleared, the transparent, human form of White Mist stood in the center of the chamber.

"Who...?" Rocky whispered.

Tommy, recognizing his savior, put a hand on Rocky's shoulder and said softly, "I'll explain later, bro."

_What was accomplished today was unable to happen all those centuries ago because the bond and knowledge Kamara had to gain had not been completed. Only when this happened, would the power to defeat Zara appear. What happened to your father was fate, as was with your mother. If your mother had not met her fate, these five soldiers would never have been sent and the power would never have been harnessed. Zara would have won._ Apparently finished with her strange explanation, White Mist shimmered, and vanished.

"Jarva? What happened to my mother and father?"

"Your father... was killed in battle shortly after your departure."

"And my mother?" Kara whispered.

Jarva shook her head. "I'm sorry princess. Before we made this journey four, maybe five earth years ago, enemy forces somehow managed to infiltrate the palace, where they attacked your mother and injected her with a fatal poison. Our healers tried to take it out, but only managed to tone it down. She died peacefully, her last wish being that we find and bring you home." Jarva reached into a concealed pocket in her uniform and pulled out a small box. "She wanted you to have this," she said, placing the box in Kamara's hand.

Opening it, Kamara removed a star shaped, silver ring. She slipped it on her finger and, almost instantly, the ring began to glow. The star on her forehead glowed in reaction and a beam of light shot out, stopping in the center of the chamber and forming a picture. The hologram, as it turned out to be, was of a stunning woman in her late fifties. She had Kamara's red hair and green eyes, and held an air of elegance about her. When she spoke, her voice echoed eerily around the chamber.

"My precious daughter. I hope this message finds you well and unharmed. If you are seeing this, then you know of my demise. I had prayed to the gods the night you left so many centuries ago, that I would one day see your beautiful face again. I never got the chance to tell you how much your father and I love you. Although we cannot be together in the physical world, we will always be together in the spiritual. Before I depart, know this. The ring you now wear signifies that you are no longer princess Kamara. You are now queen Kamara. With the knowledge you have gained from the worlds you have visited, I know you will make an excellent ruler. Farewell my daughter. I love you more than anything. Remember that." The image shimmered, then faded away.

"Billy," Kamara whispered, tears running down her cheeks, "Would you teleport me out? I'd like to be alone."

Billy nodded and activated the teleporter without a word.

~*~

"Zeddie!" Rita yelled as she entered the room, "What in the hell has those useless birds in such an uproar?"

"How should I know?" Zedd snapped, "Those things have been afraid of everything sort of the rangers lately. Rito! Get in here!"

"You bellowed oh evil brother in law?" Rito quipped as he entered the room.

"Find out what's got those stupid birds so spooked!" Rita ordered. "Actually, I think the answer's right behind you." Rito pointed and the pair spun around, starting as a large black panther crept in.

The big cat shimmered and, seconds later, Zara stood in its place, bleeding from several nasty wounds that she didn't seem to notice. "Zara!" Zedd and Rita exclaimed in surprised unison. "But... how?" Rita stammered, "We thought you were destroyed."

Zara let out a short laugh. "Hardly. I'll tell you what happened later. Right now, I need to take care of my wounds and get some sleep. I'll be out for two to three weeks, so don't expect to see me for dinner."

"What about Kamara?" Zedd asked, "Aren't you going after her? She thinks you're dead and is out of the power chamber this very moment. Now would be the perfect time to strike."

Zara shook her head. "No. That game is over. Those five soldiers were from Silvermist. Time has run out, we can no longer use her. I'm moving on to something else."

"And what's that?" Zedd asked.

Zara smiled. "You'll find out when the time is right. But first things first. There's a relative who would simply never forgive me if I didn't look her up." She turned to leave, pausing at the door and saying, "See you in a few weeks."

~*~

"Hi," Jason replied, sitting down next to her, "I thought I'd find you here."

The couple stared at the horizon in silence, each lost in their own private thoughts. Finally, Kamara broke the silence. "I have to go back you know. I'll be departing in the morning."

"I know. I just wish you could stay or that I could go with you."

Kamara looked at him, touching her fingers lightly to his cheek. "So do I, my love. But my world needs me, just as yours needs you. I have a war to finish and an entire world to rule. But I promise we'll meet again. We're soul mates, and soul mates can never be kept apart for long." She dropped her shield, and the star on her forehead appeared. She took her hand in his and, as her body began to glow, whispered, "With this mark, I seal my promise and give you my undying love." She released his hand, allowing him to see what she had done. Surprise flashed through his eyes as the imprint of a silver star appeared on his hand. "Visible only to you, whenever you find yourself in trouble, press that hand to your heart. The power will guide you. Since Silvermist is so far away from earth, we will not be able to communicate through the power of our minds. This sign will allow each of us to feel the other's presence and love."

They sat in silence, for a moment, each knowing the other's thoughts and feelings. Moving as one, they moved closer and their lips met in a long, tender kiss. When they finally broke apart, they remained in each others arms, neither wanting to end their last night together.

~*~

"I'll miss you as well, my friend. Take care to use your power wisely. Perhaps one day, you will learn the full extent of them."

After saying goodbye to the others, Kamara came to Jason. They stared at one another for a long moment. Then, Kamara put her hand out, and a flash of light enveloped her palm. When it cleared, a chain lay in her hand, with a silverish gold star attached. Breaking the star in half, she said, "This is the key to our love. By breaking it in half, a part of both of us is also breaking. Only when we meet again, and the star is whole, will we be whole."

Jason took the offering, then pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. _I love you,_ he thought, tears filling his eyes.

_I love you to. With all my heart._ She paused, then added, _Do something for me. Keep an eye on Katherine. The power she holds is great, and I fear something is going to happen._

_All right._

"Highness," Jarva said gently, "It is time." Kamara pulled back and looked behind her. The soldiers were all watching with a sadness in their eyes. Next to them, a portal stood open. She turned back to Jason, tears spilling unchecked down her cheeks. "I'll miss you, my love," she whispered, planting a soft kiss on his lips. Jason watched, his own tears now flowing as Kamara went to the portal, motioned for the others to go through first until only she and Jarva were left. Kamara turned to go into the portal, hesitating as she turned one final time to look back at Jason. Then, she stepped through. Jarva bowed deeply, then entered also, the portal closing behind her. Tommy knew Jason was gone before he even turned around.

~*~

Tommy put his hand on his best friend's shoulder and squeezed affectionately. "I know bro. I know."

End