The Ultimate Armageddon
by Brooke

A long time ago, during one of the more peaceful times in history, seven Rangers existed. They kept the world's population feeing protected and safe, despite the almost-constant presence of evil that rested upon the moon's surface. It was a time that, when looked back upon, would have been remembered as content, relaxed and almost joyous. Or rather, it would have been looked upon in such a manner, had it not been for that one fateful day when everything that everybody knew changed drastically. On that day when chaos began its extended reign on the world, the sky grew a deep blue-black as an almost unstoppable evil descended upon the civilians that inhabited the third planet from Sol.

The seven Rangers of that time period assembled in their headquarters to get an assessment of the forces they were going to be facing. They had help from their mentors, who had been around for as long as anybody could remember and would probably continue to exist until the end of time. The Rangers pored over all the information that was made available to them. Then, feeling as ready as they'd ever be, they teleported from their base and into a meadow, where they began the battle of the century.

At first glance, it seemed that the Rangers would triumph, as they had always done in the past. However, minutes into the fray, an enormous shadow was cast upon the nearby city as the monster the Rangers were up against grew to gargantuan proportions. However, the Rangers were also equipped to deal with just such a circumstance. They called upon their Zords, which were there almost instantly, and the battle seemed even once more. But this, too, was a false impression.

This evil creature was bigger and more powerful than any others the Rangers had ever been up against, and this was clear to them as they became locked in battle with the sinister being. However, the Rangers all knew that an innumerable amount of people were counting on them to succeed, so they kept going, pushing their Zords and themselves to, and then past, the limits. These actions proved to be a fatal mistake for one of the Rangers' team members.

The monster stepped back as the now-joined Zords reeled, having been knocked away by the evil being.

"Submit!" the monster demanded.

"Never!" the Red Ranger roared as he and the others pushed and pulled levers and buttons, crossed wires and did everything they could think of in an attempt to get their Zord back on its feet. Finally, they succeeded in this, only to be knocked down once more.

"This isn't working! Everybody separate; maybe we can defeat this thing if we circle him," the Red Ranger said. The rest of the Rangers agreed, and the joined Zord separated into seven different ones, each of which took up a position around the monster.

"You're going to regret that move, but I appreciate it. It means I get to take you pathetic beings down one by one while the rest of you watch!" the monster thundered with an evil grin. Suddenly, it reached out and grabbed the nearest Zord. A small struggle ensued before the monster dug its claws into the metallic armor of the Zord and began to quickly suck the energy from the Zord, and the human within.

"Help!" came the desperate cry from the cockpit of the Zord. The other Rangers tried to aid their friend and teammate, but it was to no avail. The monster had erected a force field around itself and the Zord it was draining, effectively screening out the other Rangers.

"You Rangers sure are infused with a lot of energy," the monster said, dropping the lifeless Zord to the ground. The monsters' fingers crackeld as blue-purple energy danced from their tips. "Thanks for the boost! I'm off to destroy another world not too far from here. But be warned; I can come back at any time, and that's not an empty threat. When this Ranger," the monster pointed to the lifeless Zord and the occupant inside, "is reincarnated, and you all meet again, I shall return and do the exact same thing that has been done here today." With that, it activated some kind of propulsion system and soared off into the blackness of space.

The Rangers waited for a few seconds to make sure the coast was clear before they leapt from their respective Zords and sprinted over to the burning, twisted wreckage that had once been a Zord. Hoping against hope that the life of their friend had been spared, they emerged hours later from the disaster area. The search had been in vain. All that was ever found of their comrade-in-arms and friend was her twisted, blackened communicator.

The news was delivered to the Rangers' mentors when they returned to their headquarters, then to the parents of the Ranger. Time passed, everybody managed to get on with their lives, but they all felt an emptyness in their hearts where the presence of their friend no longer was.

But now, the past is being dragged up. Everything is happening all over again. Different Rangers, different city, different citizens, but the evil remains the same as always. Perhaps now, hundreds of years later, the Rangers will have a better chance of defeating the evil. Perhaps not. The only way they'll ever defeat the evil is to reunite every Ranger. Think that's already happened? Think again. Now, the conclusion to this fateful tale that nobody, not even Zordon, knew existed. Until now.

~*~

The 6 teens sat in the Juice Bar, quickly devouring a plate of French fries. A girl dressed in loose blue jeans and a dark purple T-shirt walked into the Juice Bar, and Adam's attention span rocketed away from his friends to the girl.

"Earth to Adam," Tanya said, waving her hand in front of Adam's eyes. Adam snapped out of his haze and found all of his friends staring at him. He ducked his head slightly and reddened. His friend laughed and continued their conversation. Adam listened with one ear, but his mind kept wandering back to the girl, who had ordered a fruit shake and grabbed herself a table in a corner of the room. She had a book propped open with one hand and the shake in the other. Adam started as Tommy's communicator went off. Adam vowed as he left the Juice Bar that if he ever saw the girl again, he'd go over and say hi.

"What is it, Zordon?" Tommy asked.

"A monster has attacked the industrial centre downtown. You must stop it before somebody gets hurt," Zordon replied. The Rangers exchanged glances.

"We're on it Zordon. Tommy out," Tommy said. "It's morphin time!"

"Zeo Ranger One, Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger Two, Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger Three, Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger Four, Green!"

"Zeo Ranger Five, Red!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

Soon the 6 teens had transformed into the Power Rangers and they teleported into downtown Angel Grove. Everything was in a state of total chaos. Rubble and large pieces of buildings littered the ground. Fortunately, the factory workers had had the good sense to flee at the first sign of trouble, so there was no chance of anyone getting hurt. The Rangers were about to charge the monster when an army of cogs appeared.

"Exactly what we don't need right now," Tommy muttered, voicing everybody's sentiments. The Rangers ran at the cogs and began to fight them.

Tommy destroyed a cog within the first minute of his portion of the battle, but there were other around him who took up the fight. Jason was doing a bit better, but not by much. He too had destroyed a cog or two, but now he was surrounded and waiting for the cogs to make their move. The other Rangers were in similar predicaments.

"Take that you recycling bin reject!" Adam said as he delivered the final blow to a cog. No sooner had the last syllable left his lips than he felt a pair of arms encircle him. Then another, and another. Adam struggled, but if was fruitless. His friends were too busy keeping the rest of the cogs at bay to come rescue him. Guess I'm on my own, Adam thought. Just as he was about to lash out with his feet, the cogs dropped to the ground, lifeless. Adam looked around in confusion. His gaze settled on a figure, clad in a dark purple outfit so similar to his own that he did a double take. The mysterious Ranger paused for only a second to make sure he was all right before she disappeared. Adam, who had looked over his shoulder at his friends, now looked back to where the Ranger had been and found her gone.

Without the support of the cogs, the monster disappeared, vowing to return and destroy the power Rangers.

"Come on guys, let's go back to the Juice Bar," Tommy said. He and the rest of the Rangers powered down and returned to being normal teens; for the time being. They all started walking out of the industrial centre when Tanya noticed that Adam wasn't with them.

"Hey Adam! Are you coming?" she called. Adam, who had been lost in thought over the mysterious Ranger, started. He turned and jogged over to his friends.

"You okay man?" Rocky asked, Adam glanced over at the spot where he had last seen the Ranger.

"Never better. Come on, fighting makes me hungry," he replied.

~*~

At the Juice Bar, the six teens were talking about their little adventure in the city when Rocky motioned to them that somebody was coming. They all stopped talking as the person went by. Adam stared after her. It was the same girl that he had seen earlier that morning. He almost stood up to go after her, but Rocky asked him a question, diverting his attention to the table at which he was seated. Later, he vowed to himself for the second time.

~*~

The next day, Adam walked into class, ready to be bored by another lecture on military generals from the past. Once everybody had taken a seat, the teacher stood at the front of the room and motioned for somebody sitting in the front row to stand. She did so reluctantly and faced the class.

"Everybody, I'd like you to meet Elizabeth Maddison. She and her family just moved here from Canada," Ms. Appleby said. The girl smiled nervously and tucked a stray lock of her jet-black hair behind one ear. Then she sat back down and class began.

After class, Adam lingered, pretending to organise his books in his bag. When Elizabeth started to leave the class, he followed her. In the hall, he drew a breath and walked up to her.

"Elizabeth?" he said nervously. She turned. "Hi. I'm Adam Park." She smiled.

"Nice to meet you, and please, call me Liz," she replied. Adam felt the knots in his stomach beginning to unwind.

"Where's your locker? I'll walk you," Adam said. Liz pointed down the hall and they started walking. Neither of them said anything until they got to Liz's locker.

"I should probably be getting to my locker. My friends are meeting me there. Uh, you want to get a shake at the Juice Bar sometime?" Adam asked. Liz opened her locker and tossed her bag into it.

"Sure, that'd be great. I'll see you around, Adam," she said. Adam smiled at her and walked off.

~*~

Later, at the Juice Bar, he was sitting at a table with his friends, lost in thought.

"You're turning into a real space case on us. Anything wrong?" Tanya whispered to him. Adam started, turned slightly red, and faced her.

"No, nothing wrong, I'm just thinking about something, that's all," he replied. From then on, Adam made himself concentrate on what his friends were saying.

After a while, everybody went their separate ways. Adam was walking through the park when he heard voices over the next hill. Curious, he walked to the top of the small hill to see who it was. He saw Liz standing there, practising her karate moves. She's pretty good, Adam thought as he watched her. When she took a rest, Adam started down the hill towards her.

"Hi Liz," he called. She looked up, startled. Then she smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hi Adam," she replied. Liz picked up a towel and wiped off her face.

"You're pretty good," Adam, commented. Liz reddened.

"You saw me practising?" she asked with a small wince. Adam nodded. "I only started last year, and I'm not very good, but I found that practising out in a park usually helps. I'm glad there's a park so close to my house, and since it doesn't snow here, I don't have to worry about freezing when I come to practise in the middle of winter." Adam laughed.

"You definitely don't need to worry about snow here," he assured her. There was a small pause before he continued. "You know, I bet my friends would like to meet you. Most of them are into karate and they're all really nice."

"You don't think they'd mind?" Liz asked. Adam was confused, and he said as much. "Well, you and your friends have your own little group. They might not like having somebody new come in."

"Trust me Liz, you don't have to worry about that. Tommy and the others are really nice. None of them have a problem with the others having separate friends, since we all do."

"If you say so. Anyways, I should go. I've got tons of stuff to unpack still. Call me later, okay? At least our phone is working," Liz said with a grin as she handed Adam a piece of paper. He put it in his pocket with a smile.

"Okay, see you later," he said as he started to walk away. He glanced over his shoulder, but Liz had disappeared. Just like that Ranger I saw in the park. Adam shook his head at the idea. I'm going crazy. That has to be it.

That night, Adam dreamt about the mysterious Ranger. Adam and the other Rangers were in the park, surrounded by cogs, when the Ranger clad in purple came in, downing several cogs with her blaster. Once that threat had been nullified, the Zeo Rangers surrounded their rescuer.

"Who are you?" Rocky asked. The Ranger nodded and reached up to remove her helmet. But just before she could remove it entirely and reveal her identity, Adam's alarm clock rang, abruptly removing him from his dreams.

"Damn," he muttered, hitting the off button on the clock. He cursed again as he saw that he was going to be late for school if he didn't get up and get moving.

After showering and dressing quickly, Adam grabbed his bookbag and raced out the door. During second period, he regretted not eating breakfast. The rest of his day was pretty routine. He went to class, let his teachers ramble on while he participated when he could, got homework, went to his next class and let the cycle begin all over again. The only break was his lunch period, which he spent with his friends sitting beneath the shade of an oak tree. Then, the bell rang and it was back to suffering through the cycle once more.

~*~

After school, Adam hurried out of his last period class and went to meet Liz at her locker.

"Do you do this for all the new students in Angel Grove?" she teased as she opened her locker.

"Actually yes, and some of the guys have complained," Adam replied with a grin. He was leaning against the locker next to hers. Liz laughed and threw her bag into her locker. "Come on, we've got to go meet my friends in five minutes."

"Are you sure about this? Are you sure they won't mind me tagging along?" Liz asked, a hint of worry creeping into her voice.

"Trust me," Adam replied.

"Okay, if you say so," Liz said. She shut her locker and followed Adam to the Juice Bar, where the others were already waiting for them.

"Liz, this is Tommy, Jason, Rocky, Tanya and Kat. Guys, Liz Maddison," Adam said. Everybody smiled at one another and Adam pulled up two more chairs from another table.

"This is going to sound crazy, but I feel like I know you from somewhere," Rocky said a minute after Liz had joined them. Tanya laughed.

"Don't mind him, he says that to everybody," she said with a grin. Rocky glared at her.

"I'm being serious. Have we met?" Rocky asked, turning back to face the new girl.

"Rocky's got a point, I feel it too," Tommy said. The others nodded in agreement, even Tanya.

"I feel the same way, but unless you've ever come to Canada, then I don't know how I'd know you," Liz replied. The seven of them talked for quite awhile. It would have been longer if Tommy's communicator hadn't beeped. Liz looked down in confusion and the Rangers exchanged glances.

"I'm really sorry Liz, but we have to go. I'll see you tomorrow in school, okay?" Adam said as he reluctantly stood. Liz looked like she wanted to say more, but instead she only nodded. The six teens found a secluded corner and answered the page.

"What is it Zordon, did that monster return?" Tommy asked.

"I'll explain everything when you get here," Zordon said. Everybody looked at one another. Rocky shrugged.

"May as well teleport and see what's up," he said, lifting his communicator. The others followed suit and the Rangers were gone. The last thing Adam saw before he teleported was the disappointed look on Liz's face as she sat, all alone, at the now-vacant table.

At the Command Centre, the Rangers approached Alpha and Zordon curiously.

"I have some very exciting news for all of you. I know that you believe that all the Rangers are contained in this room, but that is not the case. I will let Billy explain it further," Zordon said. Everybody turned to Billy, who was leaning against a computer console.

"See, a few hundred years ago, there were seven people, teenagers, who were sworn to defend good against evil. Those people were the Zeo Rangers of that time," he began.

"You mean that we could have ancestors that were Power Rangers too?" Kat asked.

"Not could, you do. See, the reason you guys were chosen as Power Rangers; because of your ancestors," Billy explained. "It's in the blood."

"Wait a minute. You said seven Rangers. There's only six of us. Are you the seventh?" Tommy asked.

"No, I'm not. You guys don't even know the seventh Ranger. But that's got to change. Gasket is gearing up a major attack just like the one that happened a long time ago. The only way you'll be able to defeat his monster is if you find the seventh Ranger. The seventh Ranger needs to be informed about their future, and their destiny, and it has to be soon. Gasket's monster will attack within the next twenty-four hours, I'm sure of it," Billy said.

"Can't you somehow figure out a way to lock on to his or her energy signature? I mean, if Zordon did that in the beginning, can't he do it now?" Kat asked.

"I'm not sure if that will work, but I will most certainly try," Zordon replied. He closed his eyes and concentrated on finding the right energy signature. It must have worked, because not soon after he began, a figure appeared in the middle of the Command Centre. The Rangers gasped when they saw who it was.

"Liz!" Adam said with a smile on his face.

"What the hell just happened? How did I end up here and who the heck is the little tin can?" she asked, scared and defensive. All of which was understandable.

"Calm down Liz, we'll explain everything. But it may take a while," Tommy said.

"I'm listening," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and keeping a distance from the others that were in the room.

"Okay, see, a long time ago, there existed seven Power Rangers. Our ancestors, and yours," Billy began.

"Okay, hang on right there. You're telling me that I had an ancestor who was a Power Ranger?" Liz asked. Billy nodded and Liz whistled softly.

"Anyways, there was a fight and the Rangers answered the call. However, one of the Rangers was destroyed by the monster. Near as we can figure, that was your ancestor. Now, hundreds of years later, the same monster is coming for the present day Rangers. We need your help to destroy him," Billy finished.

"Wait a minute. You're telling me that you guys are the Power Rangers?" Liz asked, shocked. Adam nodded in unison with everybody else. Suddenly, a smile split Liz's face. "I've been looking for you guys for so long!"

"You have?" Rocky said. Liz nodded.

"See, I was in the park that day when you guys got attacked by the cogs. I helped the Green Ranger out of a scrape, then vanished because I didn't feel right about meeting you guys after a battle. I wanted to meet you guys when everything was calm and nobody was hyped up on adrenaline."

"That was you?" Adam said, surprise written all over his face. Liz nodded again. Suddenly, the alarm began to sound.

"It's Gasket. His monster's attacking," Billy reported grimly.

"Let's get to it," Liz said. Tommy looked at her.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked.

"I'll be fine."

"It's morphin time!"

"Zeo Ranger One, Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger Two, Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger Three, Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger Four, Green!"

"Zeo Ranger Five, Red!"

"Zeo Ranger Six, Purple!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

It felt weird to the Rangers, having a seventh Zeo Ranger around. It felt weird to Liz too, having other people with the same power. Weird all around, but also very welcome. The Rangers teleported right into the middle of a cog army and wasted no time in trashing the cogs.

"Now it's your turn," Liz called to the monster who had looked on as the cogs had been destroyed.

"You won't be able to carry out that threat, I'm afraid," it called back as it grew into a huge size.

"Don't be so sure," Adam replied.

"We need Zeo Zord power now!" they all shouted. All of them, that is, except Liz, who was unsure of what to do.

"Liz, you must call upon the power of the Sixth Zeo zord," Zordon told her, as if he could read her thoughts. Liz nodded once to herself, then looked up to the sky.

"I need Zeo Zord power now!" she called. Almost instantly, she found herself in the cockpit of a huge Zord. The rest of the Rangers in their own Zords surrounded her. The monster suddenly attacked, and it caught the Rangers off guard. Their Zords went tumbling to the ground.

"Liz, are you okay?" Adam asked.

"I'm fine, but that monster won't be," she replied as she got her Zord to its feet.

"That's the spirit. Come on guys, let's bring 'em together," Tommy interjected.

"Super Zeo Zord...initiate!" they all called. This time, Liz joined in. Soon, the seven Zords had come together to form one gigantic Zord that nobody in their right mind would mess with. The Rangers advanced on the monster, but it shoved them back with a huge ball of energy. It did this every single time the Rangers tried to get near it.

"Nothing we do even scratches this thing!" Rocky said in exasperation.

"Try using the Super Zeo Sword. I might have a way to defeat this guy, but I've got to try it out first," Liz said from the rear.

"Got it," Tommy said as he called for the sword. This time, when the Ranger advanced, the monster still shot the energy at them, but a bit of it was reflected.

"What happened?" Kat asked, confused. The Ranger echoed her question. They had all expected to be fried.

"I'll explain later. I've got to get back to the Command Centre and talk to Billy. Think you guys can hold down the fort for a few minutes?" Liz asked.

"Sure Liz, we'll manage," Tommy replied. Liz teleported back to the Command Centre. Billy looked away from the viewing globe, surprised that Liz had come in the middle of a battle.

"Liz, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Billy, I've got an idea, but I need your help to carry it out. I think I know a way that we can defeat this monster, but it isn't going to be easy," Liz said as she put her helmet on a ledge.

"What's your idea?" Billy asked.

"I think that if we can build a shield strong enough to repel the monster's energy, then the next time it fires on us we can deflect it back at him and give him a taste of his own medicine," Liz explained. Billy thought for a second.

"I think I know how we can do that, but not on such a huge scale. We're going to need the monster to shrink back down to normal size if it's going to work," he said after a moment.

"I can convince it to do that if you can build the shield," Liz replied.

"In that case, you'd better go back and explain the plan to the other Rangers. I'll have the shield for you as soon as I can," Billy said. Liz nodded.

"Back to action!"

She appeared back in the cockpit of the Zeo Zord.

"Well?" Tanya said.

"Billy and I have got something in the works, but for it to succeed we need to get the monster back down from economy to normal size," Liz explained.

"How on Earth are we going to do that?" Rocky asked.

"Reverse psychology," Liz answered. The Rangers looked confused.

"We make the monster think that we're not good enough to fight him," Adam said.

"Right. We get out of the Zords, back onto Terra Firma and the monster should follow us," Liz added.

"Should?" Jason asked. Liz glared at him. "Okay, okay. It'll follow us."

"Then, once he tries to turn us into French fries, we use the shield that Billy's constructing and we turn his power against him," Liz finished.

"Let's give it a try," Adam said. Tommy nodded and turned around.

"Prepare to disengage Super Zeo Zord," he called. The other Rangers called out their readiness. "Super Zeo Zord...disengage!" One by one the Zords fell away from the Super Zeo Zord formation and eventually returned to their hiding places. The monster was momentarily confused, but it soon joined the Rangers back on the ground in its normal size.

"So you Rangers prefer to be destroyed without your metal surroundings. Fine by me, then I'll be able to see your twisted bodies laying dead on the ground at my feet," it said. Liz repressed a shudder.

"Billy, you have that shield yet?" she whispered into her communicator.

"Not yet. Just a few more minutes and I should be ready," came the reply. Liz cursed quietly.

"Come on, we've got to keep this monster busy until Billy's ready with the shield," she said loudly.

"We'll use the blasters. That way we won't have to get near it, but we'll still leave our mark on it," Tommy said. The Rangers got out their blasters.

"Ready...aim...FIRE!" Tommy shouted. Seven beams of energy shot away from the Rangers and impacted on the monster, which staggered, but stayed standing. In response, it threw a huge ball of energy at the Rangers. Caught without any protection, they were blasted and were flung away. They rolled on the ground until they came to a stop and staggered to their feet.

"Everybody okay?" Tommy called, not taking his eyes from the monster.

"We're fine. Man, when is Billy going to be finished that weapon?" Rocky asked in exasperation.

"Give him time. He may be a genius, but he can only work so fast," Jason said calmly. Rocky sighed and nodded.

"I know. It's this monster. It's making me edgy," he replied.

"I know how you feel. This monster is so different from the others that we've faced. I mean, our ancestors tried to defeat this thing," Tanya interjected.

"If they couldn't defeat it, what makes you think we can?" Adam said.

"We've got Billy working on a plan that should work. We just need to get the timing right. Don't worry, this monster will be a rotten memory by the end of the day," Liz said. I hope you're right, Adam thought. He didn't want to voice his thoughts for fear of sounding pessimistic. Suddenly, just as the Rangers were about to make another attack on the monster, Tommy's communicator sounded.

"Tommy here. You ready yet Billy?" he asked.

"I'm ready. I'm teleporting the shield now," Billy replied. The shield materialised a few feet in front of Tommy's boots. "Did you get it?"

"Yeah Billy, thanks. This should do the trick. We'll let you know what happens. Tommy out," he said as he picked up the shield. "How do you work this thing?"

"You think that puny shield will deflect the flow of my energy? You Rangers get dumber every century," the monster said with a laugh. The Rangers saw that it was preparing to fire on them again. Without thinking, Liz grabbed the shield and threw herself in front of the other Rangers just as the monster fired. Billy yet again proved himself invaluable to the team. The shield deflected the energy right back at the monster, and it fell to the ground, enveloped in its own energy. However, the shield had one defect. Too much energy would make the shield explode. Billy hadn't warned the Rangers of this because he hadn't thought it possible to exceed the safety limits on the shield's design. However, it was possible, and it happened. The shield glowed a bright reddish-orange, then it shattered into a million tiny pieces, throwing Liz several feet away. She groaned, but didn't get up. The Rangers surrounded her. Everybody removed their helmets so Liz wouldn't be frightened in case she didn't recognise them when she awoke.

"Liz?" Adam said quietly. She didn't reply. Adam removed her helmet so she could breathe easier. "Liz?" She didn't answer, only moaned. Her eyelids fluttered and her eyes opened partway.

"Adam," she murmured.

"I'm here," he replied, taking her hand in his.

"Adam, I'm not going to make it. It's history repeating itself," she told him. Adam felt his throat seize up and his heart skipped a beat.

"Liz, don't talk like that. We'll get you to a hospital and they'll make everything okay. Liz, you can't die, not now. We need you. I need you," Adam replied.

"Adam, everybody, I'm sorry. I couldn't let you, any of you, be destroyed. I know that the Rangers won't be up to full strength without me, but you'll do fine. I'll infuse my remaining power into each piece of the Zeo crystal. Not that I have much power left to speak of, but it should help a little. Sorry I let you guys down," Liz said as loudly as she could. Even then, the Rangers had to strain to hear everything she said. Liz closed her eyes, and her body went limp.

"No," Adam whispered. His eyes were watering, and he wasn't the only one. There wasn't a dry eye in the group. The other Rangers left Adam and wandered away. Adam thanked them silently. "There was so much I wanted to show you. So much I wanted to tell you. And I'll never be able to. Liz, I wish we could have known each other better, but I guess that won't be possible, not in this lifetime anyways. Maybe we'll meet again someday." Adam leaned over and kissed Liz's cheek. Then he let go of her hand and laid it gently on her chest.

A few days later, the six remaining teens stood around a coffin with Liz's parents and a reverend. Dressed formally and entirely in black, they all looked as sombre as they felt. After the service, the six teens started to leave. Before they left, though, Adam placed a single red rose of top of the coffin.

"Goodbye Liz," he murmured. The only other thing he left behind that day was a teardrop stain on the varnished wood.

~*~

The week after the service, Adam still hadn't totally gotten over Liz's death. He still went by her locker, even though he knew she wouldn't be there. His friends had tried everything to get him to cheer up, but the only time he truly felt happy was when he was practising his karate. He practised in the same spot he had first seen Liz practising.

As time went on, Adam came to accept Liz's death, but it wasn't easy. He returned to normal. He didn't go by the locker anymore, but he still practised on the other side of that one hill everyday. The only memento he had of her was the twisted, charred communicator he had retrieved from her wrist the day that everything had happened. He kept it in his room, hanging over his bed. Every time he looked at it, he saw her face in his mind. After a while, the tears stopped coming when he did.

End