Zordon's Battle
by Christina Ortega

Instantly, Kim was at his side checking his body for injuries. The action made Melantha want to laugh out loud. Kim's boyfriend had just tried to kill her and a fellow ranger, and so she had attacked him. Now, she was checking to see if her power had caused him harm? Though she wanted to kill the Pink Ninja Ranger, she couldn't help but watch the pathetic scene with amusement. "Can you hear me, Jaime!? Please say something!"

Zhane ran next to her and glanced down at the Triphorian before raising Jaime's hand. Letting it go, he watched as it flopped on the ground. "I'd say that you knocked him out." Seeing his chest rise and fall, he smiled faintly. "Jaime's breathing. He's alive." As Kim grabbed Jaime's hand and held it against her cheek, Zhane sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "You did the right thing, Kim. He would have killed you and me..." Zhane, in order to save what was left of his pride, made sure not to mention the fact that Jaime would have killed him easily without Kim's intervention.

The statement was enough for Kim to get the message, however, and she sighed. "Thank you for saving me." Zhane nodded slowly and, deciding that the Pink Ninja Ranger needed quiet, continued to watch the other Silver Ranger breathe wordlessly.

Melantha sighed and took a step towards them. "If you hurt those under my control, I have to hurt you in return, Rangers. That is the fair thing to do, after all." She raised her hands to attack the two, but a force from behind drove her to the ground.

Looking up, Melantha squinted at the White Ranger who had just arrived and was staring down at her with his hands folded proudly over his chest. "Let me guess...you're the leader, White Ranger."

"You messed with my friend, Melantha," Tommy growled angrily, glancing past her at Jaime. "I won't forgive you for that. You're going down." As Melantha smiled slyly at him, he raised Saba and pointed the sword at her. "Don't make me laugh. I'm not falling for your tricks."

Melantha shrugged, her face emotionless. "I didn't say you were going to, White Ranger. Besides, I wouldn't dare mess with you. Word gets around...Dark Specter doesn't want you killed by anyone but him. If I hurt you, he'll get angry." The words made Tommy shiver involuntarily. Only a few days had gone by, and already Dark Specter was intent on finding and killing him. "However, that doesn't mean that I can't present you to him as a gift of sorts. Dark Specter likes presents, and I know he'll enjoy you. Look at me, White Ranger."

Tommy gazed at her feet, knowing that if he looked at her face she would have him, and continued to step away from her. "As I said, I'm not going to fall for your tricks." Walking backwards, he was unprepared for the kick that sent him plummeting to the ground. Looking up, he found that a group of Jagas had grabbed him with their tiny hands and were holding him down for Melantha's inspection.

"Who said you had a choice?" Melantha whispered huskily. She motioned for the Jagas to get him in a lying position, which they did. When the White Ranger was helplessly pinned to the ground, Melantha climbed on top of him and smiled seductively, touching his smooth helmet. "Ah...the tiger...fierce and protective of his underlings, which you are, I'm sure, White Ranger." She took off his helmet and, gazing into his brown eyes, she found that they were not only chocolate colored but mixed with a faint hint of green, as well. "You have nice eyes, White Ranger." She put her hand on his head and did the same thing that she had done to Jaime before grinning. "Or should I say Tommy Oliver?" As he glanced helplessly into her eyes, her stare froze him in place, and he began to lose himself in her just as Jaime had.

Adam, seeing this, pounded his fist into a Tenga before watching as the White Ranger stood with a purple gleam in his eyes. "She has Tommy, too! Shit!" Hearing him, Tommy smiled darkly before slipping on his helmet that had been in Melantha's hands.

"Melantha must be Uriel's alter-personality!" Tanya called, and no one could tell if she was joking or not. "I mean, why does everyone go after Tommy and Jaime!?"

The woman gazed at her and smiled. "I've never met Uriel, and I don't intend to. Besides, who said that I was ending with Tommy and Jaime?" As someone bumped into her, she smiled faintly at the Red Astro Ranger who tried desperately to scramble to his feet, but his attempt was in vain. Tommy grabbed him and pushed him back on the ground making Andros cough in an attempt to clear his dust and dirt-assaulted throat. "You're in pain, Kerovian," Melantha whispered as she put a hand on Andros' helmet. "Andros, let me stop your agony."

Jackie watched in horror as Melantha tore off the helmet of the Red Astro Ranger and ran towards him. "No! Andros, fight her! Don't let Melantha win!" However, Andros was powerless against Vile's evil wife, and soon Tommy and Andros stood together, fully morphed and ready to attack any ranger that neared them.

Melantha gazed at the fallen Silver Ranger before shrugging. "Well, everyone needs help once in awhile." Pointing her finger at him, a purple beam shot out and hit the Triphorian who pushed Zhane and Kim away from him before standing and brushing himself off. Joining Andros and Tommy, the three stood around Melantha, their masks hiding the purple glow in their eyes.

From the Power Chamber, Yaralla shook her head in disbelief. "Zordon, they're dropping like flies to Melantha's command. None of them can fight Tommy, Jaime, and Andros. The Rangers are at Melantha's mercy!"

"WE MUST FIND A WAY TO BREAK THIS SPELL," Zordon muttered, closing his eyes as he heard Andros chuckle after kicking Zack away from him. "ALPHA, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS?"

"Ay yi yi, Zordon!" Alpha began pushing a few buttons on a console. "This isn't going to be as easy to break as Uriel's spell on Jaime and Tommy! Andros and Tommy are both completely covered by purple energy, and Jaime's whole body is swarming with it because Melantha energized him!"

Yaralla glanced at Jason who was beginning to stir before sighing. "I'll help you, Alpha. We have to break this spell." The droid nodded, accepting the help, and the two got to work on consoles as Zordon continued to watch the viewing screen, sighing as Melantha read Rocky's mind before taking off his helmet and tricking him much like she had tricked the others. This was not good at all.

Zedd watched the scene, puzzled, before turning towards Master Vile who was leaning against the wall of the throne room. "You never said anything about Melantha making the rangers evil."

"She's not," Vile told her, earning confused looks from Rita, Zedd, and Rito; the only ones still in attendance. "Melantha cannot make a person fully evil, but she can cook up a mean love spell, adding a twinge of evil energy in. It's her gift...men love her." I love her, too...ah, my beautiful wife...

Rita took a step forward after hearing this. "Her spell will only affect the male rangers?" Vile nodded, and his daughter grinned widely. What a marvelous spell...she had never much cared for the female rangers anyway. It would be nice to have some strong male rangers around to do her bidding whenever she called them. I will have to ask Dad to teach me how to create a spell like this.

At that moment, Goldar entered the room and bowed humbly in front of those in attendance, pushing a disoriented Rito out of his way. "Majesties, Tommy, Jaime, Rocky, Zhane, and Andros are now under Melantha's control."

"Wonderful," Vile said, gazing out at the Earth. "I love being mean." Zedd glanced at him before looking away. Rashell had the right idea concerning getting rid of his horrible Father-in-law. While the plan Rita's Father had come up with was a good one, he still hated Vile more than he hated any ranger...even Tommy...

Meanwhile, Uriel walked through the long hallway leading to the room that she shared with Rashell, wiping her tears as she put her hand on the wooden door that she had been trying to reach for a few minutes. She straightened her bra top before entering the room to find Rashell and Scorpina conversing inside.

Rashell was instantly by his wife's side. Seeing her puffy eyes, he hugged her and led her over to the bed, getting Uriel to lie down. "That bastard! How dare he do this to you!" For a moment, Uriel wondered how he knew what Vile had done but, seeing Scorpina's slow nod, she knew that her henchman had probably seen them and told her husband.

"What is he doing to the rangers?" Uriel questioned faintly, shivering as Rashell touched her stomach and ran his fingers along it. His caress brought back horrible memories of what had just taken place between herself and Vile. "I heard everyone conversing in the throne room."

"Master Vile has summoned one of his wives," Scorpina explained, seeing Uriel cringe as she said 'wives'. "Her name is Melantha, and she is fighting the rangers now by making the male rangers evil. Right now Jaime, Zhane, Andros, Rocky, and Tommy are under her control, and the others are just as susceptible."

Uriel sighed, too tired to make a big deal about Tommy's danger, but Scorpina could tell that her worry was there. Rashell noticed, as well, but he wisely chose not to get on the subject. He was too worried about his wife and too angry at Vile to give the White Ranger any thought. "Uriel, Scorpina and I are plotting to destroy Master Vile. He is going to fight Zordon by sundown, or so he says."

The evil Queen nodded slowly before asking, "How can he fight Zordon if the Eltarian wizard is in a time warp?" Vile fight Zordon? What was he planning on doing? Breaking into the Power Chamber and punching Zordon's tube a few times?

"Zordon, apparently, is able to body jump into a mortal and take over that person's body and mind," Scorpina explained. Uriel frowned, not having expected this. "We don't know who Zordon will pick, but Vile seems sure that the Rangers' Mentor will not turn down his challenge."

"The Rangers can't beat Master Vile without him," Uriel said strongly and, thinking about this, Rashell had to agree. Though strong, Master Vile was crafty and full of energy, as well as educated in the ways of various kinds of magery. Even all fourteen rangers combined would not be enough to destroy him. Zordon, with his wizardry, had a better chance than his rangers. The question that burned on the three's minds, however, was not if Zordon could destroy Vile for them. It was: who would Zordon pick to be his carrier?

Zack, Kim, Jackie, Trini, Kat, Tanya, and Emily watched in horror as Adam stood from where he had been lying next to Melantha and, with a purple flash in his eyes, put his helmet back on. Melantha watched with glee as the Black Ranger got into a line formed by Tommy, Jaime, Zhane, Andros, and Rocky and chuckled. "Wow...that felt wonderful. I'm free from being Zordon's pawn."

"This is not good," Zack muttered, somewhat surprised that Melantha hadn't even bothered going after him. Still, this idea quickly disappeared from his mind as he stared at his friends raising their fists against him. The odds were still in their favor with seven good rangers to six spell-ridden rangers. However, he also knew that only Emily's power was able to match Tommy's, Zhane's, and Andros', and Jaime was stronger. Besides, a fully morphed ranger was stronger than a Ninja Ranger any day. "What do we do?"

Melantha cackled at him before putting a hand on Andros' shoulder. "You can't do anything, Weaklings. Your friends are now my servants. Right, Boys?"

"We obey you, Melantha, and none other than you," the six male rangers said darkly. Rocky raised his Power Lance as Adam lifted up his Power Ax. Tommy lifted Saba, Andros raised his Spiral Saber, and Zhane raised his Super Silverizer. Jaime raised his hands into the sky, and Trini unmistakably heard the sound of thunder. This was her worst nightmare come true.

The six began to move forward, cruel smiles hidden underneath their masks. "I bet you're looking kinda pale right now, Rangers," Jaime whispered, his eyes directly on Kim who squirmed under his gaze.

"How does it feel to be on the losing side?" Zhane questioned with a harsh laugh that made Trini shiver. Zack stared at him and did his best to control his anger. Come on, Zack. You know that they don't know what they're saying right now. This isn't their fault!

Andros shrugged carelessly. "I can think of things I'd rather do than destroy you, but if we must than we must. Melantha has commanded it." Jackie frowned, taking an involuntary step back. As it was, the good rangers were all moving away from their friends, knowing that they wouldn't be able to beat them if they started fighting.

"Melantha has freed us, Rangers," Adam whispered evilly. "Without her, we wouldn't be strong enough to take you on." Tanya closed her eyes, not believing that this was happening, before gazing at Zack who was clutching her hand tightly.

Rocky sighed with boredom. "You know, you could give in. We'd go easy on you, Rangers. I promise...all of you will have quick deaths." Emily stared at him with disbelief. Less than an hour ago, the six male rangers had been on their side!

"I hope you don't, though," Tommy muttered darkly, "because torturing you will be a lot of fun." Kat shook her head as she heard her boyfriend's voice. It was the same thing she had heard when Tommy was under Gasket's control and when Uriel had put him under her spell. No emotion...

In the Power Chamber, Yaralla looked at some readouts before frowning. "Their faces need to be covered...and not by the masks that can be easily removed. Zack was not made evil like the others because he was in Ninja Ranger form."

"Tommy, Rocky, and Adam have Ninja Powers," Jason observed weakly from where he was sitting on the ground looking at the viewing globe. "If we can get them to morph into Ninja form, maybe they'll snap out of this spell."

Alpha sighed thoughtfully. "That won't work for Zhane, Andros, and Jaime, though. What can we do for them?"

"I don't know," Yaralla admitted, "but Jason does have a point. We need to get Tommy, Adam, and Rocky to morph into Ninja Rangers. With them back on our side, we'll have the advantage against Zhane, Andros, and Jaime, and that will buy us some time to figure out how to free them.

Zordon, from his time warp, nodded. "I DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANY OF THE RANGERS, BUT HAVING THREE RANGERS UNDER A SPELL WILL BE EASIER TO DEAL WITH THAN SIX RANGERS UNDER A SPELL. YARALLA, GET A MESSAGE TO EMILY AND TELL HER OUR PLAN."

Back at the park, Emily looked down at her communicator as it beeped. "I read you, Zordon," she called into it. "Well, I really hope you have some information for us."

"WE CAN'T SAVE JAIME, ZHANE, AND ANDROS RIGHT NOW, EMILY, BUT IF YOU CAN GET TOMMY, ADAM, AND ROCKY TO MORPH INTO NINJA RANGERS THEN THEY WILL BE FREED. EVEN THIS IS RISKY, BUT WE THINK IT WILL WORK."

Kim raised her communicator to her lips after hearing this. "What do you mean you can't save Jaime, Andros, and Zhane!? What will happen to them!?"

Jackie put a hand on her shoulder to calm her. "I know how much you care for Jaime, Kim, but we need to break Tommy, Rocky, and Adam from this spell, and then we'll come back for the others. You have my word that we'll come back for them." The Pink Ninja Ranger looked at the Triphorian nearing her before nodding reluctantly. Jackie glanced at her brother slowly. "Now, the question is...how do we get them to morph?"

Trini thought for a minute before taking a step towards Adam. As Zack grabbed her hand in protest, she shot him a look that told the Green Emerald Ninja that she knew what she was doing before continuing towards the Black Ranger. "Hey, Adam!"

"What is she going to do?" Tanya questioned worriedly, ignoring the glare that Zack shot at her. "Be careful, Trini! Try not to hurt him!"

Glancing at the Yellow Ranger, Trini sighed. Yeah, try not to hurt Adam like you're hurting him, Tanya? "You know what, Adam? I'm more powerful than you!"

"Yeah, right," Adam said with a smirk, pointing his Power Ax at her. "You don't even have any weapons! What makes you think that you can beat me?"

Rocky patted him on the shoulder. "You tell her, Adam. Show the Copper Ninja who's the best."

Trini shrugged before putting her hands on her hips. "Sure, you could beat me with your powers, but what about with your Ninja Powers? I'm a better fighter than you!" Please let this work...

"You wish," Adam muttered, shaking his head with amusement. "If you're going to fight me, do it." As Trini sighed and stared at him, he frowned. "Fine...you and your stupid Ninja Powers. I'll show you who's most powerful."

"NINJA FROG POWER!"

Melantha stuck her hand out in protest. "No! Don't do that!" It was too late, however.

The purple flash in Adam's eyes faded away, and he looked around with confusion. "I don't understand. What's going on?" Melantha growled at Trini, her eyes dark. How dare the Copper Ninja do this!

"Adam?" Tanya smiled with relief. Trini had done it! "Are you all right?"

"Tanya?" Gazing at her, Adam shivered. "What happened to me?" Before he could say anything more, he was teleported up to the Power Chamber.

Not believing what had just happened, Melantha growled and pushed Andros forward with annoyance. "Well, what are you waiting for!? Get them!" The five remaining spell-ridden rangers rushed at their peers, intent on holding nothing back and killing them as soon as possible for what they had done to Adam.

Emily ducked underneath Andros' saber before blocking a kick from Jaime. Turning around, she spotted Rocky coming at her and dove into him. The two fell to the ground, and Emily quickly scurried away, but not before she had grabbed Rocky's Power Coin from his morpher. "Hey!" Rocky screamed at her as he unmorphed. "Give me that back!" Emily turned around and waved before continuing on with the coin in her hand. "That does it!"

"NINJA APE POWER!"

"What the hell?" Rocky looked around, the purple energy having left his body. "Guys! What happened!?" Looking up, he was barely able to sprint away before Jaime's Silver Thunder hit him. "Damn! I seem to have been left out of some things!"

Kim flipped over Zhane and landed right in front of Tommy. Getting into fighting stance, she waved. "Hey, Tommy. Look, I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. Don't make me."

"Like you could," Tommy snarled as he raised Saba. "I'm sorry you have to end like this, Kimberly."

"Well, you don't have to kill me," Kim suggested meekly as his grip on Saba tightened. "You could let me go." As Tommy chuckled darkly, she knew that her suggestion was not going to be taken to heart. "Ok...you asked for it." With that, she charged him, startling the White Ranger as she stole his Power Coin from his morpher. "That was easier than I expected."

Kim looked back and saw Tommy unmorphed with purple energy lighting his normally hazel eyes. He stared at her with a look of fury that would have made ice melt before raising his fists. "Even without my powers, I can still beat you."

"Oh really?" Turning around, Tommy gasped as he saw the Pink Ranger running towards him with her Power Bow in hand. "What about now?"

"I can still take you on," Tommy snarled at her.

"NINJA FALCON POWER!"

Seeing Kat running towards him with her weapon, Tommy shielded himself as best he could. "Katherine, what the hell are you doing!?"

"Tommy?" Kat put away her bow and knelt by his side, glad that the spell had finally been broken and that her boyfriend was back to normal. "Are you ok?"

He nodded slowly, not truly comprehending what had just happened. "I think so." As Kat pushed him down, Tommy watched with awe as blasts from Zhane's Silverizer barely missed them. "Melantha put him under her spell?"

"She had put you under it, too," Kat told him gently. "We just need to find a way to free Zhane, Andros, and Jaime from Melantha's spell—"

"...which you won't," a voice interrupted and, turning around, Kat gasped to see that it was none other than Master Vile, and he was just as ugly as he had been when she had last seen him. Tommy quickly stood and joined Rocky and the others facing Rita's disgusting father. "It is a pleasure to see all of you again...Tommy, Rocky, Katherine...Adam just left, Aisha is nowhere to be seen, and neither is Billy." Melantha grabbed his arm, and the three rangers that she still had captivated stood behind her in silence.

Tommy took a step forward and frowned. "What do you want, Vile?" He put his hands on his hips. "Wasn't one round enough? Your attempts to beat us when you first showed up failed, and I assure you that anything you try now will not work."

The Master of Evil detached himself from Melantha and stepped towards the White Ninja Ranger threateningly. Seeing that Tommy was going to keep nearing him, Kat got a grip hold on his arm and stopped him from doing so. "Dark Specter has given me commands, White Ranger, and they don't include getting rid of you, though I would absolutely love to."

"What were your orders?" Adam demanded fiercely. He was sick of the mind games. If someone didn't start giving him straight answers soon, Adam would be forced to pull out his Power Ax and chop some sense into Vile.

"My orders are to fight Zordon," Master Vile explained with an amused chuckle as the rangers looked at each other, confused. "Yes, it is possible, and your mentor will tell you how. Believe me, we have a score to settle, and he won't turn me down but, just in case, I'll be taking insurance." He motioned to Jaime, Andros, and Zhane. "If he does not arrive, I will kill them." Before any of the rangers could protest, Vile had teleported away along with Melantha and the Rangers' three captured friends.

Unmorphing, Rocky frowned, not understanding what Vile had meant, and put a hand through his hair. "Ok, would someone like to tell me how it is possible for Zordon to fight Vile? He's in a time warp!"

Zack shrugged. "I don't know, but we should get to the Power Chamber and find out. If we don't, Zhane, Andros, and Jaime could die." The other rangers nodded and everyone teleported away in their designated colors.

Zordon watched his rangers enter the Power Chamber and look at him silently. They didn't need to say anything. He knew their unasked question. "YES, RANGERS, IT IS TRUE."

"How?" Jason asked in wonder, biting his lip as Adam and Rocky helped him to stand. "Zordon, you're in a time warp. Rita trapped you in there. How can you possibly fight Master Vile?" He put a hand over his injured ribs which were still sore, and Adam looked at him for a moment before gazing back at Zordon. Now was not the time to go into Jason's health issues.

"FIRST OF ALL, RANGERS, I KNOW ALL OF YOU EXPECT ME NOT TO GO, BUT I MUST. ZHANE, ANDROS, AND JAIME MUST BE SAVED. BESIDES, VILE WAS CORRECT. WE HAVE A SCORE TO SETTLE."

Kat frowned with confusion. "How, though? How can you fight him, Zordon?" In all honesty, she knew that Zordon was going to go. He was not one to turn down a challenege.

The Rangers' Mentor looked around the room at his young warriors...all so innocent and puzzled. "I CAN ENTER A MORTAL'S BODY AND TAKE OVER THAT PERSON'S FUNCTIONS AND MIND."

"W-wait. So, you are going to enter one of our bodies and use that person to fight Vile?" Kim questioned, not believing what she had just heard. As Zordon nodded slowly, her eyes widened. "Talk about a new concept."

Rocky looked up at his mentor. "What about the side effects for the chosen ranger?" Zordon sighed, and Rocky frowned. It was obvious that the Eltarian hadn't wanted to get on this topic.

"ANY INJURY I RECEIVE WHILE IN BATTLE WITH THE BODY WILL BE LEFT AFTER I EXIT. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE RISKS OF MENTAL DEFICIENCY, COMA, AND, IN STRENUOUS SITUATIONS, DEATH," Zordon admitted with a frown. The rangers looked at each other as they thought about this.

Gazing at her friends, Emily took a step forward. "I want you to enter me, Zordon." As Tanya opened her mouth to protest, Emily waved her away. "Please. Jaime is really close to me. I would never forgive myself if something happened to him or the Kerovians, and this is the best way to help." Adam shook his head and smoothed back his hair nervously. Zordon had mentioned the most serious side effects that he could have thought up. Why did he think that this wasn't a good idea?

Looking down at her, Zordon smiled faintly. "EMILY, I CAN'T ENTER YOU." At the Gold Ranger F's confused expression, the Eltarian explained why. "I NEED TO BE ABLE TO USE MY WIZARDRY WHEN INSIDE MY HOST. ELTARIAN MAGIC DOES NOT WORK WELL WITH TRIPHORIAN POWERS, AND I WOULD NEVER GO OUT INTO BATTLE WITHOUT ARMOR, BOTH FOR YOUR SAKE AND FOR MINE."

"Enter me, Zordon," Kim said, smiling faintly as Jackie shook her head. "You've been like a father to me. The least I can do is let you use my body for a little bit."

"No way, Kim," Jason muttered, taking a step forward. "The Ninja Powers aren't going to be enough protection for you or Zordon. Please enter me." Besides, there was no way Jason was going to let Kim take the risk.

Tommy shook his head in opposition at his best friend's words. "Jason, you're injured. That would put Zordon at a disadvantage, and the risk of you getting hurt would be increased."

Zordon, slightly surprised by his words, gazed at the White Ranger. "I'M SURPRISED, TOMMY. THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST LEVEL-HEADED THINGS I'VE EVER HEARD YOU SAY."

"That and, well, I kinda want you to use me," Tommy added softly. Zordon smiled, amused by his White Ranger, and shook his head. How had he known that this was coming? As Kim and Jason both opened their mouths to protest, Tommy continued before they could, "Look, Zordon, I owe you everything...when I was the Green Ranger I nearly sent you to another dimension forever. You've been the best mentor I could have ever hoped for, and you've been extremely forgiving." Thinking of the White Ranger's punishment session the day before, Tanya had to hold in a giggle. "Please, Zordon, I want you to use me."

Jason sighed. "Did you hear him, Zordon? He wants you to enter him because he's guilty about everything he did as the Green Ranger. That's the wrong reason to do anything. You taught me that when Zedd was trying to decimate the rangers' powers using candles after Tommy had lost his in the same manner."

"JASON, YOU KNOW THAT I CAN'T ENTER YOU," Zordon told his Red Ranger gently. "YOU ARE INJURED." He turned his attention to Tommy and sighed reluctantly. "TOMMY, I HOPE YOU REALIZE THE RISKS INVOLVED IN DOING THIS. YOU COULD LOSE YOUR LIFE."

Tommy nodded, his expression solemn. "I understand the risks, Zordon. Please use me." As Zordon slowly nodded, Kat lowered her head and touched Tommy's arm softly.

Jason shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you're using him, Zordon! He's guilty! Why can't you use me!?"

"Don't fight about this, Jason," Tommy told his best friend softly as he put a hand on the Red Ranger's shoulder. "I need to do this." As the Red Ranger pulled away from him, he sighed morosely and turned towards Kat who embraced him tightly.

The Pink Ranger sighed. "You can't die on me, Tommy. If you do, I'll have to kill myself." As Tommy rubbed her hair, not answering, she did her best to hold in her tears. The risks were real. What would she do if Tommy returned to her not knowing who he was or worse...dead...?

"WE WILL WAIT FOR MASTER VILE TO SHOW UP ON EARTH, AND THEN I SHALL ENTER YOU, WHITE RANGER," Zordon told him. Tommy nodded and sat down with his back against a console. As Kat, Kim, Trini, and Tanya sat next to him, he sighed, wondering what it was like to die. Don't you dare think that way, Tommy. You're going to come back alive. The Rangers need you.

Master Vile watched, entertained, as Zedd continued to strike Jaime, Andros, and Zhane by the railing of the throne room with his staff. "If you keep that up, Zeddy, they won't be of much use to us as fighters," Rita mumbled as her husband kicked Andros in the abdomen.

The Red Astro Ranger clutched his stomach in pain before quietly gasping out, "Please, give me more. It feels good, Lord Zedd. Give me more." Vile was unable to stop from laughing at this. Melantha was the one who had told Andros, Zhane, and Jaime to beg for discipline, and it seemed that her spell was working perfectly. Hearing Zhane say the same words as Andros just had, he cackled and turned to his wife with a smile on his face. "You have a way with men, My Dear."

"It's my gift," Melantha told him with a seductive grin. Pushing a strand of purple hair away from her face, she walked over to Jaime and sat down next to him, putting her arm around the exhausted Triphorian. "Hey, Zedd, take a break, will you? My boys need to rest for when they will meet with Zordon." Reluctantly, Zedd snarled one last time at the three rangers before walking over to his throne and sitting on it, watching as Melantha massaged Jaime's shoulders. The Silver Ranger closed his eyes and lowered his head tiredly.

Vile kept his eyes on his wife's black and purple long hair, sighing as he saw how beautiful she was. Still, her loveliness couldn't come close to Uriel's. He frowned. Uriel had not come out in hours. Vile hoped she was all right before straightening his robes. "I suppose I should go down and meet Zordon face-to-face. It is time for the showdown."

"Destroy him, Pop!" Rito shouted enthusiastically. "Oh, and kill the ranger, too!"

"Make sure that Jaime, Andros, and Zhane are teleported to Earth when Zordon wishes to see them," Vile reminded Melantha seriously. "I will not let him think that he has been fooled. To be honest, I care more about winning this battle than those stupid rangers you made evil. If they are freed, so what? It's Zordon I'm after." With that, he teleported out of the room and down to the Earth.

Rita watched him go with a soft sigh. "Be careful." Zedd touched her arm comfortingly, and Melantha stared out at the Earth before smiling as she found that the Silver Ranger was asleep. They're so trustful and weak...especially the Triphorian. Why does Master Vile not care about my evil rangers? I care...they will not be made good again. I'll see to that.

Alarms sounded in the Power Chamber, and everyone turned to the viewing globe as a shot of Master Vile in the park came up. "I know you can see me, Zordon!" Rita's Father called with a laugh. "Come! Face me! I've been waiting for this!"

"Let's do it, Zordon," Tommy whispered, the shakiness in his voice betraying his fear. "Kick Vile's ass for me." As Kat threw her arms around him, he kissed her gently before hugging Kim. After clasping hands with Zack, Rocky, and Adam, he hugged Emily, Tanya, and Trini before shaking Yaralla's hand. Staring at his sister for a moment, Tommy sighed and kissed her forehead softly. Stepping in front of Jason, he stuck out his hand. "Please don't be mad, Jason. At least wish me luck."

The Red Ranger glared at him and crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "If you die out there, it'll be your own fault for being stupid enough to do this." Tommy stared at him for a moment before shaking his head sadly and turning towards Zordon again.

Trini shot her boyfriend a warning look and quickly walked over to the White Ranger. "Please ignore him, Tommy. He's just a little sore. Jason wishes you the best inside." Wordlessly, Tommy nodded and touched her hand softly, showing his gratitude for the statement, before gazing at Zordon who had closed his eyes.

"BRACE YOURSELF, WHITE RANGER," Zordon told Tommy strongly. Lights flickered in the Power Chamber as Zordon's head disappeared from the time warp. A stream of energy flowed out of it and into Tommy who bit his lip in agony and fell to his knees.

Adam and Zack were quickly at his side helping him to stay upright. "Hang in there, Tommy," Zack said to his leader and friend. "This'll only take a little while longer." Adam nodded in agreement, and everyone in the Power Chamber silenced as they watched the White Ranger's pained expression slowly fade.

The energy flow ended, and the rangers looked at their leader as he stood up. Kim took a cautious step towards him. "Tommy?" What if the transfer hadn't worked? The White Ranger didn't look any different.

As he turned around, however, it was obvious that Tommy was no longer in control of his functions. His face, while the same physically, was harder...more stern...and his eyes, instead of being hazel, though his friends thought they were mostly brown, were now blazing green. "I'm not Tommy anymore." The voice was monotone and strong, and though it still sounded somewhat like Tommy, everyone knew that it wasn't him. Kat shivered involuntarily. The change in her boyfriend was frightening.

"Zordon..." Trini's voice trailed off as she stared at her mentor in Tommy's body. This was incredible. Even though Tommy had experienced no physical differences from the body jump, just hist stance, the way he spoke, his facial expression...realization hit everyone. This truly was Zordon. "Are you...are you all right in there?"

"Yes, Trini," Zordon told her softly, running his hands over the White Ranger Armor he was clothed in. "Tommy is all right, too. Throughout our battle, I can keep track of his well-being." Raising Saba, he looked at the saber who, having just gotten his bearings, stared at Zordon in shock. "It is great to finally hold you myself, Saba."

The sword frowned. This person, though he looked like his partner, wasn't Tommy. Saba thought for a moment before gasping. "Oh my. Zordon!?" He nodded, and the sword smiled in amazement. "This is incredible!"

Zordon nodded faintly before putting Saba back in his holster. "Well, I have to meet Master Vile and get Zhane, Andros, and Jaime back." Looking at Kat, Zordon smiled. "Please don't worry about him, Kat. Tommy is strong. He will pull through." Grinning at the rangers, he teleported away in a flash of white.

Watching him leave, Rocky let out the breath that he had been holding. "That was intense. I can't believe that was Zordon!" Tanya nodded in agreement, and none of them could doubt the truth...this was a reality. Tommy wasn't himself anymore, and it was Zordon, not their leader, who was going to be fighting one of the biggest one-on-one's in all of history.

Master Vile, still calling for Zordon, was unprepared for the person who jumped on his back and pushed him to the ground. Turning around, the Master of Evil laughed at who he saw. "Ah, a very nice selection indeed, Zordon. The White Ranger Armor suits you!"

"Where are my rangers?" Zordon questioned fiercely, raising his fists. "Teleport them here right now!"

"Your wish is my command," Vile muttered disrespectfully before clapping his hands. There was a clasp of thunder and a flash of lightning. Where the energy struck the ground, Melantha appeared with Andros, Zhane, and Jaime who were all standing, unmorphed, with dark grins on their faces. "However, I'll leave changing them back to you, Zordon. You always were good at righting my wrongs."

Zordon raised Saba in warning. "I didn't come to talk to you, Vile. Let's settle this thing right now." Vile chuckled mockingly at him before sighing as the White Ranger ran towards him. Raising his hands, a green light flashed out at Zordon and pushed him backwards. The White Ranger fell to the ground painfully, and it took a moment for Zordon to get his bearings before making Saba shoot at the evil master.

Vile waved the beams away with a laugh. "Come on, you stupid old fool! You know that Saba can do no damage to me! I came for a battle of magery and wits. If you did not, then I will kill you easily."

"I came for a conventional fight, Vile," Zordon snarled, "but if you wish to be made a fool of—"

"Silence!" Vile yelled angrily at him. Raising his hands in the air, a flash of lightning came from the sky and rushed at Zordon, but he jumped out of the way before it could hit. "So, you're fast. Or, should I say, Tommy is fast. You've shown no skill of your own, Zordon! Come on! Are you afraid to show your puny wizardry!?"

Zordon laughed mockingly at this. "I was sparing you the humiliation!" Putting Saba away, he raised his hands over his face in a cross. The White Ranger mask came to life at that moment, and golden beams of light popped out of the whiskers. Pointing his hands out at Vile, he watched as the golden light hit the master of evil, making him fall to the ground. "What do you say now?"

Vile chuckled with amusement as he stood again. "I say that you are crazy to think that horrible maneuver would be enough to beat me." Waving his hands in the air, he created a circle of blue flame and chanted in a strange tongue. Soon, Melantha and the rangers had vanished, and they were in a circle of dirt surrounded by the blue blaze. "Just setting the mood." As Zordon doubled over in pain after seeing the fire, he sighed. "Well, maybe not. I forgot that Eltarians hate the blue flames. Too bad."

"Tommy, I need your strength," Zordon whispered roughly as he tried to get his bearings back. "Please allow me to use your ranger powers to fuel my own magery." Vile watched as he stood upright once more, strengthened, before nodding. "Thank you, White Ranger." Raising his hand in the air, a yellow spark of flames appeared, and he used this to cover the blue flames. With the remaining yellow energy, he fired at Vile, watching as Rita's Father howled in pain before clutching his leg which had been burned.

"Two minutes into our fight, and you already needed to call on your ranger for help!" Vile laughed, using a healing spell to fix his wound. "You, Zordon of Eltar, have gotten slow and weak. I might as well be fighting Tommy Oliver! He would be more powerful than you!"

Zordon growled at this remark before putting a hand on his forehead. There was a rumble in the sky, and Vile could only watch as green lighting fell from a dark cloud above, shocking him. "Never underestimate me, Vile." Crossing his hands over his chest, he sighed. "Wermolu Sorfa...grant me the power of fire." Pointing his index finger at Vile, a spurt of fire came out and burned the master of evil.

Vile snarled at him and waved his hands, making the yellow fire disappear. They were now back in Angel Grove with Melantha watching them in awe. It was obvious by Vile's glare that he was no longer playing around. This was when the true battle began. "I'm going to destroy you. It's what Rita should have done long ago...what Dark Specter should have done long ago." Shooting green energy at the White Ranger, Zordon cried out as it struck his arm before collapsing as more of it hit his leg. "That's the problem with you, Zordon...you had to pick from a group of mortals. I, however, am practically immortal."

"I know how to kill you," Zordon said with a scowl, "and I will." Jumping in the air, he pushed his energy into his right foot and kicked Vile away from him, ducking under the black rays Vile shot at him. As one of the beams hit him, he cried out and kneeled on the ground, trying to catch his breath. I forgot how tiring being in a mortal body can be.

"Give up, Zordon," Vile muttered, shooting dark purple beams at the Wizard of Eltar. He cried out, clutching his chest as it throbbed horribly. "You are killing your ranger as you continue to fight. He's a favorite of yours, after all. Why do you risk his life?"

These words made him stand and clench his fists threateningly. "Tommy wants to kill you as much as me. This way, we get to do it together." Jumping at Vile, he struck the Master of Evil down with a punch magnified by white energy.

Melantha, from beside the two, growled. "No one harms Master Vile!" Raising her hands in the air, she cried out in a foreign tongue, and Zordon could only watch in horror as he was showered by black and purple rays. His whole body ached by this point, and Vile laughed, pleased by the intervention from his wife.

"You're weakening," Zordon told the ranger within him. "Tommy, this will be over soon. Stay strong. Do it for me...do it for the other rangers if not for me. Think of Andros, Zhane, and Jaime. Remember what Melantha has done to them, and remember when Vile turned you into kids. Remember your anger." Standing again, Zordon could practically taste Tommy's fury. It was pulsing through his veins, strengthening him from head to toe.

Raising his hands in the air, Zordon mumbled incantations to himself before watching as red energy shot out from within him and hit Vile dead on. He fell onto the ground, groaning in pain. Realizing what had caused this boost of power, Zordon called in to Tommy again. "Think of all that Vile did to the Alien Rangers while you were kids, and remember your period as the Green Ranger. Can you recall the revenge you wanted on Zedd and Rita? Remember how much you wanted to destroy them after they forced you to almost banish me, hurt the other rangers, and even almost kill Jason!" This did it, and Zordon felt even more energy pulse through the White Ranger. The strength he felt was amazing. Tommy...how much anger have you bottled inside of yourself? I could destroy Dark Specter with this much power!

Zordon used this energy against Vile, and soon he found himself right above the Master of Evil with a triumphant grin on his face. "It's over, Vile, and I am the victor."

From the moon palace, Rita stomped her feet on the ground angrily before kicking at Rito. "Damn it! Zeddy, do something! My dad's losing to Zordon! The wizard is going to kill him...using Tommy Oliver's body!"

Finster and Scorpina watched as Zedd contemplated this before raising his staff in the air. "Evil forces of long ago...energize my staff. Make it more powerful than Serpenterra." Throwing the staff on the ground, everyone watched as it turned into a long and ugly snake. Uriel jumped away from it before watching as Zedd chuckled. "It bites just fighters only." He glared at Goldar who was licking his lips hungrily. "If you dare to try and eat my staff again, imbecile, I will beat you so hard that..." His voice trailed off, and Goldar got the message.

Rashell watched as Zedd teleported with the snake down to Earth along with Rita, Goldar, and Rito before turning to Scorpina and Finster. "We must think of something fast. Master Vile will be the victor if we don't."

"Zedd is going to drain Zordon's energy. Why can't we do the same to Master Vile?" Finster inquired. As Rashell leaned closer, eager to hear more, the little monster continued. "It could work...I have a spell for such a task. It would diminish Vile's power completely. Zordon would be able to kill him then, and it would seem like it had been an honest fight."

"Wonderful, Finster!" Uriel acknowledged excitedly. "Let's do it!"

Meanwhile, Zordon laughed at Master Vile as he fell to the ground again. "What's wrong? I thought you were the almighty warrior that was going to beat me! Vile, you fool! Leave now while you can!" In his victory, he didn't notice Zedd, Rita, Goldar, and Rito land next to Melantha, nor did he see Zedd put his snake on the ground.

Vile did, however, and he grinned before standing slowly. "I'd say things are going to take an unexpected turn." Zordon frowned, not understanding, before looking down as something cold touched his leg. Seeing the snake, he noticed Zedd for the first time and tried to move away, but it was too late. The snake crawled up his leg and bit his wrist, injecting his poisonous fluid into the White Ranger.

Immediately feeling the effects, Zordon dizzily pushed the snake away before grabbing his wrist in anguish. Zedd waited for his snake to slither back to him before making it a staff again, and he laughed at Zordon's clumsiness as he tried to get his bearings. "What's the matter, Zordon!? Feeling a little off!?"

"I can't give in to them," Zordon whispered to himself, hissing in pain as most of his energy left him. Vile watched as the White Ranger struggled to stand upright and cackled hideously. "It hurts, Tommy. I know it does, but concentrate on my voice. You have to give me what's left of your power. I need it. If we don't beat Vile, Andros, Zhane, and Jaime will be lost to us forever, and we will die." He felt a small pulse of energy, but nothing like the prior times Tommy had let him use his power, and that was when reality struck him...they were both equally weak. Most likely, they were going to die during this fight.

From the Power Chamber, Kat watched as the White Ranger fell to his knees before shaking her head, not wanting to accept what she was seeing. Stay strong, Tommy. Please... "There has to be something we can do to help them. Vile is getting help from Melantha and the moon powers!"

"Zordon could jump into me," Jason suggested. As Trini glared at him, he sighed with frustration. "Look at Tommy, Trini! He's going to die out there if someone doesn't relieve him! I have to go!" Before any of the rangers could stop him, he had pushed some buttons on a console and teleported out.

Zack watched him leave before sighing worriedly. "Jason could kill himself out there. We need to get to the park, Guys." Rocky nodded with agreement.

"Be careful down there, Rangers," Alpha warned worriedly. "Vile is very powerful, as are the moon dwellers." The Rangers nodded and teleported away in their designated colors. Looking around after they had gone, Alpha sighed. Yaralla had left with them.

Reaching the park, Jason glanced with worry at Zordon as he was hit by purple rays from Vile before falling to the ground. This has to stop. "Tommy!" The White Ranger gazed at him from his spot on the ground but made no attempt to converse. Jason knew that this was still Zordon, but it wasn't his mentor that he wanted to talk to. "Listen to me, Tommy, because I know you're in there. You're tired, and it's obvious that you need to rest. Zordon has to enter someone else! Come on, Bro! Don't fight with me on this!" Rita glanced at the unmorphed Red Ranger with a scoff. It was amazing how the little mortals cared so much about each other.

"J-Jason?" The voice was faint and strained, and the Red Ranger could easily tell that it was Tommy who had called to him and not Zordon. "I...I have to f-finish this." Jason frowned before watching as the White Ranger shook his head frantically before dodging a blow from Vile.

"Don't fight me, Tommy," Zordon muttered strongly. "We have to be united. You can't break through like that." Looking at Jason, he sighed and waved him away. "Get out of here, Jason! You're in danger!"

Vile, seeing the Red Ranger, smiled evilly. "Hmm...you're a new one. I've never seen you before, Jason." Pointing a finger at the defenseless mortal, he watched with pleasure as the ranger cried out and fell to the ground in agony. The other rangers reached the park at that moment and ran to Jason, helping the weak Red Ranger to his feet.

Zordon growled at him. "Leave them out of this, Vile. It's you and me...not your fighters and my fighters." Using the last of his strength, he jumped at Vile, showering him in black and gold energy. Vile countered with more of his black energy which made Zordon fall to the ground again. Gasping for breath, Zordon struggled to raise his head and face Vile who had raised his hands to the sky in jubilation.

"You are mine, Zordon!" Vile yelled with a triumphant laugh as he watched the White Ranger attempt to stand and fail. "I am the victor!"

"Way to go, Pop!" Rito called, jumping in the air like an excited schoolboy. "You sure showed him!"

Rita smiled happily. "Good job, Daddy! Finish him off once and for all!" This was the moment she and most of the evil in the Universe had been waiting for. Zordon was an important part of the Morphing Grid. His death would insure a horrible weakening of the just powers, and most rangers on their side of the Universe would lose their morphing energy.

"He wouldn't have won if I hadn't made my staff into a snake," Zedd grumbled with annoyance. That dumb Vile...taking all the credit for his efforts.

Vile raised his hands into the air for the final blow, but before he could finish Zordon off a sharp pain went through the back of his skull. Reaching out blindly, he felt a small hole in his head, and he had just found it when he felt himself lose his energy. Falling to the ground, Vile cried out as his body convulsed due to the power loss. "W-what happened!?" Rita asked angrily as she watched her father's sudden loss of energy. "Zeddy, what's going on!?"

"I don't know," Zedd admitted with wonder as he watched Zordon pull out Saba and stumble over to the fallen Master of Evil. Jumping on him, he plunged Saba through Vile's robes and into his chest. Vile screamed as dark blue blood streamed out of the wound, but his immortal form stopped him from dying.

Next, Zordon pierced his abdomen, watching as more of the blue blood flowed out of the evil master. "Goodbye, Vile," Zordon whispered darkly and, raising Saba once more, he muttered a faint incantation before pushing the saber through Vile's little face, watching as his features faded into a mush of outer layer and blood. Rita screeched in anguish at the sight of her father's murder, and Zedd was forced to grab her forcefully and pull her over to a clearing so that they could teleport back to the moon.

Turning to Melantha and the evil rangers, Zordon raised his hands in the air. A white light left him and flowed into Andros, Zhane, and Jaime. The Red Astro Ranger unmorphed and looked around, confused, before gazing at the White Ranger and feeling a warm sensation wash over him. "Zordon?"

"It is Zordon..." Zhane whispered in wonder as he gazed at the White Ranger who had just freed him from his mental binds. The two unmorphed rangers ran to join the others before looking back at Jaime who was still staring blankly at the Eltarian Wizard.

Melantha noticed this, too, and she cackled wildly. "Nice try, Zordon, but the Triphorian has my energy flowing through his veins. You can't cure him that easily." With that, she grabbed the Silver Ranger, and the two teleported away.

Kim watched this in shock before falling to her knees. "Jaime! No!" Trini put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Emily hung her head in sorrow. One nightmare had led into another. How were they going to save Jaime?

Zordon stared at the area where Jaime had just teleported away before letting out a deep sigh. "I'll get you back, Jaime. Trust me...you won't be alone much longer." Turning back to the other rangers, he unmorphed and, in Tommy's body, walked over to them. "Did one of you make Vile lose his power?"

"No," Rocky told him in wonder. "That wasn't you?" Zordon shook his head and frowned, wondering who had weakened Master Vile, inevitably allowing the Eltarian wizard to triumph.

Zhane and Andros circled Zordon for a moment before smiling. "His body suits you, Zordon," Andros noted with a flippant grin.

"Yeah," Zhane agreed. "Tommy is like an overcoat."

"I suppose I should let him have his body back," Zordon said with a comedic sigh of reluctance that made Tanya and Jackie laugh. He turned to Jason who was being supported by Adam and Zack. "Are you all right?"

Jason nodded slowly, "I'm fine, Zordon. Vile just knocked the wind out of me." Trini frowned skeptically and rubbed his shoulders before teleporting up to the Power Chamber with the others.

Reaching it, Zordon wasted no time in leaving Tommy's body and entering his time warp again. It took a few minutes but, after it was done, Zordon was as happy as ever as he looked out at his rangers. "It's good to be back where I can see you all from a higher area again. It makes me feel tall."

"It's good to have you back, Zordon," Adam acknowledged with a smile. "You being in Tommy's body was just a little strange for me."

Emily nodded. "Yeah, well, I'm just glad Vile is gone, and things can get back to normal around here." Andros smiled at her, showing that he felt the same way.

Jason's frantic voice from behind them caught everyone off guard. "Whoa, Tommy, are you ok?" The Red Ranger, strong enough to stand on his feet, moved away from Adam and Zack and stepped cautiously in front of his best friend who had a hand on his chest and was gasping for breath.

Tommy looked at him, and his terrified expression made Jason's heart beat faster. "I...I can't breathe..."

"Calm down," Jason told him forcefully, trying not to let his fright get the better of him. "Tommy, you're just a little tired right now. Try to breathe normally, ok?"

"I can't," Tommy panted as he put a hand on his wrist. Looking down at it, Yaralla gasped as she saw the swollen bite marks making the area red. "Everything's spinning...can't...can't breathe. Jason, I can't breathe!" The White Ranger was completely panicked, and Zhane was caught off guard as he fell into him before keeling over. "What's happening to me? What's going on?" Trying to regain his balance, Zhane got a tight grip on Tommy and attempted to get him steady again.

Yaralla and Adam both stepped in front of Tommy, seeing that he was too worked up for his own good. "Tommy, try to follow my breathing pattern, all right?" Adam watched as the White Ranger focused on him, his eyes wild with fear. "Breathe in...breathe out...breathe in..."

Tommy tried to follow Adam's pattern, but it only worked for about five seconds. "No...everything's getting hazy. I can't see you, Adam. Where did you go? Adam!?" The Black Ranger, who was still standing in front of Tommy's line of sight, grabbed his hand with concern. "Air...I can't find any air..."

"Hold on, Tommy," Kat cried as she grabbed the White Ranger's other hand. "Please stay with us. We're all here for you." Tommy seemed to calm down at the sound of her voice until he closed his eyes and his breathing slowed. Zhane eased the White Ranger down with his back against a console.

Yaralla checked his pulse before shaking her head. "He's unconscious. We need a monitoring table up here." Alpha nodded before waddling as quickly as it could out of the room to find a health scanner for the White Ranger.

Zordon watched the scene with fright. Even though he had known the risks, Zordon had never expected anything bad to truly happen to Tommy. Think, Zordon. You always got mad at him for being reckless and almost killing himself. Now he's going to die because of you. No, he isn't going to die... Gazing at the White Ranger who was growing paler every minute, Zordon sighed and closed his eyes, not wanted to believe what was happening.

Zedd, on his throne, rubbed his wife's back as she cried onto his shoulder. Inside, he was celebrating the death of his Father-in-law, but telling Rita that would probably cause a war. Rashell and Uriel hid their smiles as they entered the room. As it was, Rashell was planning of appealing to Zedd the next morning about making Scorpina the second-in-command. Her tactic of hitting Vile from behind was brilliant and had ultimately led to his end. "I'm sorry," Uriel mumbled sympathetically. "Your father...wasn't always the greatest being in the Universe, but he could make a wonderful plan. This was going to work. It's just that the rangers must have had some secret weapon that we didn't know about." Rashell nodded in agreement.

Melantha ran into the room at that moment and bowed before Rita and Zedd. "There's something you need to see. It's very important...more important than mourning for Master Vile."

Rashell glanced at her, intrigued. "What is it?" At his question, Melantha clapped her hands, and Jaime entered carrying a small box. Opening it in front of the four moon powers, they saw fourteen colored specks of light inside.

They realized quickly that these lights symbolized the rangers. The Ninja Rangers were labeled as were the Astro Rangers. Melantha pointed at the white light that was flashing on and off. It was the only one doing so. "What does this mean?" Uriel asked hoarsely. Tommy...

"This means that something about the battle has made Tommy's life force unstable," Melantha told them with an excited grin. "Vile might not have beaten Zordon, but the White Ranger could still die as a result." Zedd chuckled evilly and Rita hugged him. "His death was not in vain."

Uriel stared at the light before watching as it became fainter. "I don't believe this..." As Melantha looked at her, surprised by the emotion in her voice, she covered her mouth and ran out of the room. Scorpina watched her go with a saddened sigh. Poor Uriel...her plan to leave Rashell had looked so hopeful, too. Well, Uriel could still desert her husband...she just wouldn't have anyone to leave the big bird for...

"It's this bite," Adam said, pointing to the area on Tommy's wrist where Zedd's snake had bitten and let out its poison. "The fluid injected into Tommy must have done this to him, but I don't even know what kind of snake it was. There's no way to treat it." All of the rangers had circled around the monitoring table that the White Ranger was lying on. Adam, Yaralla, and Alpha had gotten some IVs hooked into him, but they didn't think the medication would do any good. Their only purpose was the control Tommy's breathing.

Yaralla touched the White Ranger's forehead before frowning with concern. "He's gotten warmer." Dipping the green cloth she was holding in the cool water Jackie had fetched for her, Yaralla dabbed it on Tommy's red face. "You're right, Adam. There's nothing we can do."

Jason bit his lip before slamming his fist into his right palm. "Damn it! Now Tommy's going to be out of action because of me! If I hadn't been so weak, Zordon would have entered me instead of Tommy!"

"Oh, so you could be in this position and Tommy could be you?" Trini asked, annoyed. As Jason lowered his eyes, she sighed and kissed his cheek softly. She wasn't mad at Jason. Far from it, actually. Trini was worried about Tommy. Yes, this had happened before. When Zordon had infused Tommy with his energy so that he could retrieve their Power Coins from Goldar, he had come back barely alive, but Alpha had known what to do for Tommy then, and he had healed almost instantly. To hear that there was nothing anyone could do for Tommy made her fear the worst.

All of a sudden, the heart monitor Tommy was connected to began to slow, and the White Ranger opened his eyes and looked at the others, disoriented. "Tommy..." Kat breathed in relief, kissing his warm forehead. "You're going to be ok." As Tommy shook his head weakly, she took in a shaky breath before touching his lips with her fingers. She didn't want to believe th obvious. He couldn't die on her. Kat didn't know how she would go on without him.

"I love...Kat..." Tommy whispered shakily making his girlfriend grab his hand and rub it against her face as tears began to fall from her cheeks. Don't do this to me, Tommy. Please don't give up on yourself.

Spotting Jason at that moment, Tommy reached out his free hand to his best friend who clutched it strongly. "Hang in there, Bro," Jason told him, watching as Tommy shook his head as he had done to Kat. "What do you mean 'no'?" At his question, Andros gazed at him. Jason still didn't get it. The White Ranger wasn't just going to be out of action on the team. Then again, Andros knew that Tommy was Jason's best friend, while he had known the White Ranger for only a short while. This situation was probably easier for the Red Astro Ranger to accept than Jason.

Tommy smiled faintly at him before letting out a deep sigh. "I don't...hate J-Jason. Don't h-hate me."

At his words, Jason felt a knot form in his throat. "I don't hate you, Tommy. Know that." As Tommy closed his eyes, Jason squeezed his hand hopefully. "Tommy, tell me you understand that I don't hate you. I never have, and I never will." His only response was Tommy's heartbeat slowing even more. "No, damn you! Don't you dare leave me like this..." Taking in a wavering breath, he shook his head in disbelief, finally understanding what was going to happen. "No, you can't..."

As if proving him wrong, the rangers all turned to the heart monitor as it flatlined. "Oh my God..." Trini whispered in shock. "No..." Andros gazed at the White Ranger before rubbing his face, not wanting to take in what was going on. Putting her hand over her mouth, Trini felt warm tears trickle down her cheeks, and she turned around so that she wouldn't have to face the body of the dead White Ranger.

All of a sudden, the memory of Tommy when Hallie had been captured by Zedd and put on Venus Island stuck out in her mind. "There's only one things left to do, and we both know what that is"..."Look, I'll try to resist Zedd, but I don't know if I can, and if I ever come back to hurt you or any of you, tell them for me...that I'm sorry." He had always been so brave...willing to risk himself for the other rangers. Now he had made the ultimate sacrifice.

"No..." Emily stared at the White Ranger before lowering her eyes away from the body. This couldn't be happening. That was it...this was all a dream. Tommy wasn't really dead...he was just unconscious again, and the heart monitor was wrong. Looking back at Tommy, she saw that he didn't seem dead at all. It looked like he was sleeping. She touched his forehead. It was still warm from the fever he had been running ever since he had passed out.

Adam gazed at his fellow ranger...his leader...one of his closest friends...and looked at his chest. It was no longer rising and falling peacefully like it had been before. Now it was just still...the whole room was frozen in Adam's mind. Time had stopped. This must be a hallucination...or a horrible dream. Tommy, you can't be dead! No! He didn't even notice the tears rolling down his cheeks until Tanya had wrapped her arms around his waist comfortingly.

Jackie touched her brother's stomach before rubbing it. "Tommy?" Zhane gazed at her, easily seeing that Tommy's sister wasn't accepting the truth...Tommy was gone. "Talk to me, Tommy. Please?" As he didn't respond, Jackie, with tears rolling down her cheeks, shook him softly. "Tommy, answer me!" All of a sudden, it struck her like lightening. The flood gates open, and she threw herself on Tommy, crying hysterically. Yes, they were rangers...they took chances with their lives, but Jackie had never expected her brother to leave her. Not like this.

Zack gazed at the body of the White Ranger for a moment before turning around and kicking a console with all his might. "Damn it!" He screamed angrily. "Damn that Tommy! We need him! That asshole! Idiot!" Zack continued to kick the console until Emily pulled him away. Suddenly exhausted, the Green Ninja Ranger leaned against her, sobbing helplessly.

Rocky laughed suddenly, startling everyone in the room. The Blue Ranger gazed at Tommy before raising his hands up in exasperation. "He's not dead, Guys! This stupid heart monitor is a piece of crap. Tommy's probably still alive, and we don't even know it!" Feeling for Tommy's pulse on his neck, Rocky frowned. "Um, I must have missed the pulse point. Let me try again."

Adam gazed at him through blurry eyes and shook his head. Rocky miss the pulse point on the White Ranger's neck? He was a lifeguard! They had to take courses on finding a pulse point. "Rocky, Tommy's no longer here."

"No!" Rocky shouted angrily, startling the Black Ranger. "I just didn't find the pressure point!" Feeling for it again, he didn't find it before smiling faintly, and everyone could see the maniacal look in his eyes. He was becoming delirious. "I must be losing my touch! That's it...let me try the heart..." Rocky put his hand on Tommy's chest.

Kim gazed at him expectantly. "Did you find anything, Rocky? Please say you found something. The heart monitor must be cheap." As Rocky shook his head, Kim buried her face in her hands, collapsing to her knees. Trini ran over to her best friend and threw her arms around the Pink Ninja Ranger. She cried onto Trini's shoulder, and the two wept together.

Rocky, however, would not be put off so easily. "There must be something else that I can check...maybe his wrist pulse!" No...no...no...Tommy, you aren't dead. Prove them wrong. Wake up right now. Show all of them that you're still here.

"Move away from him," Yaralla ordered softly, putting a hand on Rocky's arm. He pulled away from her and reached out towards Tommy again, but, like before, Yaralla held him back. The Blue Ranger bit his lip, still not wanting to accept the truth, before letting Yaralla walk and sit with him against a console. Tears fell from his eyes, and the Kerovian woman let Rocky put his head on her shoulder. Personally, she hadn't known Tommy well enough to react like Rocky was, but a part of her was saddened. Tommy had been a wonderful warrior and a great guy despite his occasional senseless maneuvers. She was going to miss him.

Kat kissed Tommy's forehead softly before putting her head against his, sobbing uncontrollably. Kneeling beside him, she put a hand through his long brown hair, and felt that it was as smooth as it had always been when he was alive. "What am I going to do without you, Tommy!?" She called out sadly. "How can I go on without you!?" Andros, meanwhile, had put his hand on Jackie's back. Tommy's younger sister gazed at him through eyes glistening with unshed tears and had slowly let him pull her into his embrace. She needed to be held by someone...to forget what had just happened...

Jason, unlike most of the other people in the room, had kept his emotions inside. Gazing at Tommy's dead body, he turned around, clenching his fists, before feeling a small tear trickle from his right eye. Trini looked back at him, frightened by his silence. Whenever Jason got really quiet, it usually meant that he was holding something inside, and Tommy's death was a big thing.

Facing Tommy again, Jason kicked a console like Zack had before covering his eyes. "How dare you!" Even Kat, in her tremendous grief, had no choice but to watch his exploding rage which hadn't come out so suddenly in a long time...at least, not in front of all the rangers. "Damn you, Tommy! You do something idiotic, and then you leave me hanging before you die!? Damn it! How dare you do this! Are you happy now!? You died first before anyone of us! It was what you always wanted, asshole! Damn you, Bro!" Zhane looked at him through misty eyes, and was barely able to run out and catch the Red Ranger as he collapsed under the stress of the day and the blow Vile had given to him.

Zordon watched as Zhane and Zack got Jason to lie back against a console before closing his eyes in fury. The moon powers would pay for this. Yes, Vile was dead, but the White Ranger meant so much more than that. Dark Specter, first you took Tolvery and now you've taken my White Ranger from me. You will pay for this. I can't forgive you for these crimes. It took me forever to get past Tolvery's death, and now you take Tommy Oliver...I loved the reckless mortal, and you will die for this. In the name of all the just powers and the Meledan itself, I will punish you... Looking down once more at his White Ranger, Zordon faded away and let the tears he had been holding in fall from his eyes for his brave young mortal who had given all his strength just so the Eltarian Wizard could defeat Vile.

Uriel didn't have to go back into the throne room to know what had happened to the White Ranger. Everyone's shouts of joy were enough to inform her of the outcome of Tommy's injury. "He's dead!" Rita had yelled with glee, and Zedd, Melantha, and all the others had joined her chanting, "Tommy Oliver is finally gone!"

Crying into the bed sheets, Uriel did her best to muffle a sob as she clutched the silver arrowhead around her neck...now, it was the only thing she had to remind her of the courageous White Ranger who had carried her through her days at the moon palace. He had kept her alive, in all honesty. Without Tommy, there was no point for her to live. This child she was carrying was his, and her whole point of giving birth to it was so she could win the White Ranger over. Now, she never would.

Standing, she walked over to the small glass night stand next to the bed that she shared with Rashell and picked up her small dagger which was in its small brown leather holster. Pulling out, she admired the small weapon. It was a tiny thing, but Uriel had become skilled with it in battle. She remembered her first meeting the White Ranger when she had almost slit his throat. That moment seemed so long ago...any time that she had wanted him to die was far from her mind.

Uriel put the dagger point against her chest and took in a slow breath. "Well, this is it. I never thought I would do this, but desperate times call for desperate measures." She was going to do it...the final act of Rashell's wife.

The Queen of Evil was about to push the dagger into herself, ending her short life, when a voice from behind her caught her attention. "Well, Uriel, if you are going to kill yourself, I think I deserve to know why. We are family, after all."

Turning around, Uriel gasped as she saw a tall woman wearing a brown spaghetti strap tank top with a short white and brown skirt standing behind her. Dropping the dagger at her feet, new tears fell from her eyes as she embraced the woman with blond hair as long as her own. "I've missed you so much. Why did you come to me?"

"I can sense your fear and sorrow, Sister," the woman told her, returning the hug just as enthusiastically. "Now, tell me what's wrong, and I'll determine whether you need to kill yourself or not." Her green eyes sparkled with love for the Queen of Evil.

Uriel couldn't help but laugh and, after wiping the tears from her eyes, she locked the door to the bedroom before lying down with her sister on the bed. "It's a long story, Kali."

Kali, Uriel's older sister, shrugged and pushed a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. "So? Spit it out, Little Sister, or I'll be forced to threaten you for it." She had missed Uriel. When growing up together, they had been inseperable. Kali had sensed her little sister's grieving in her mind...they had always been closely connected. Now, she found that Uriel had been about to kill herself. It was a good thing that she had come!

Taking in a deep breath, Uriel closed her eyes and let her mind wander to when it had all started...after the destruction of the Machine Empire. She wondered if she should tell her older sister everything. True, they never kept secrets, but Kali was a servant of Dark Specter, as was she, and to tell her of what she felt for the deceased White Ranger could threaten her well-being. Then again, you were just about to kill yourself, Uriel. Making her decision, she took a deep breath. "Well, Kali, prepare for one of the weirdest tales you've ever heard..."

End

Anyway, let's all say it together: She killed Tommy!? Well, I hope you enjoyed part thirteen of Allied Evil. I'd love to know what you thought of this fic, and what you like and don't like about Allied Evil in general, so e-mail me at Rkacat@aol.com Thanks for reading part thirteen of AE, and I hope you have a great day :)

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