Disclaimer: I am the Devious One and I do not own Power Rangers or all the characters in this story that were part of the series. The full owners of that are Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. I am writing this disclaimer because I want it known that I do not intend or plan to use any of these stories or any of the other stories that I have written to make a profit for my wallet. I write all of these stories for fun, hoping people will enjoy them and other than that, I just love to write Power Rangers fanfiction. It excites me to write them. If you would like to email me with your comments OR criticisms, you can send you mail to either letsrocket_1998@yahoo.com or at darkrealm72811@yahoo.com. I leave it up to you.
Timeline: The timeline for the InterGalactic Saga is in the year 2002, taking place during the season of Power Rangers Wild Force. In Wild Force, it's taking place in the early part of the show, during the six episodes that feature Duke Org Zen Aku.
Author's Note: There are a few characters that are of my own making. Those characters are Lord Algotha the Merciless and a female character named Lynn Morris. Also, for the Republicans that happen to read my stories, there's something for you to know. As I have included in most of my other stories, there are going to be gay characters in my story. One of the rangers in my series is going to be gay and Lynn is going to her partner. So, if there is anyone out there who happens to be disgusted by that, I pity you because you should be living in the present not the time of the KKK. Thanks and enjoy the story!
Author's Note 2: The new Palace on the moon is nothing more than the Palace that Zedd and Rita had in MMPR: The Movie. I'm sure all you fans remember it.
Author's Note 3: Later in this installment, there deals with the issue of homophobia. Just for the record, I am against the idea of anyone assaulting another person merely because of their sexual preference. The only reason I added it to my story is because my goal was to have a little romance, a lot of action, and some drama.
Author's Note 4: Just so all you readers are aware, this installment, which is the beginning of the series, is going to be a fairly long one and the actual battles won't start until pretty late. Because, before I get to the battle, I want to give everyone the picture about all the rangers.
Author's Note 5: As I'm sure all Power Ranger fanfiction fans are aware of, the whole concept for the Morphin Warriors comes from Ellen Brand and her simply wonderful Personality Conflicts saga, which is still going strong. I emailed her a while back asking for permission to use the Morphin Warrior idea and she allowed me to do it. And this is the first story where I actually borrow her concept. Thanks a bunch, Ellen!
Author's Note 6: As you read down to about the fifth chapter, you will notice that the fight scenes are sort of forced. I've never been really good at writing fight scenes and I've been doing Power Rangers fanfiction for a few years now. I will try to improve as time wears on, but, just be patient with me and don't hate me for the forcing of the battle scenes. Thanks.
Author's Note 7: I thought I would go ahead and list the couples I have included in this installment, which will remain the same throughout the series. Tommy/Kat, Rocky/Kimberly, Andros/Ashley, Cassie/Lynn, Carter/Dana, Chad/Kelsey, Joel/Ms. Fairweather, Leo/Karone, Kai/Kendrix, Mike/Maya, Wes/Jen, Trip/Katie, Cole/Taylor, Danny/Kendall, and Zen-Aku/Princess Shalya. And here are the characters that are going to be gay in my series: Cassie, Lynn, Samantha Mathis and her partner. Thanks.

Faces from the Past
by The Devious One

Chapter One—Zedd Returns

He was dreaming again. This would make the fifth night in a row that he would have this dream, or this nightmare as his wife was beginning to call it. When he first received the horrible nightmare, he was standing in an alley, dark as night, and a lone figure stood at the end of the alley, laughing unmercifully. Each time he would have this nightmare, more details and feelings would be revealed to him. Details about the alley, about what he was wearing. But most of all, details of what the long figure laughing at him looked like.

This time, however, a lot of extra details and emotions were revealed to him and now, he was wishing he hadn't been revealed these details. Because standing at the end of that dark alleyway laughing at him was the one being he hoped and prayed he would never have to see ever again. The figure as he saw him was tall and covered with red skin. He had metal armorings over his arms, shoulders, chest, legs, and back. But it was the face the dreamer knew by heart because it was the face he hoped to never see again after he put his past behind him.

His face was covered by a silver steel plated mask, with the point of a small uprising of the steel marked at the top with a small letter. The letter the dreamer knew without even needing to remember. The letter was of a z. The Z could only mean one thing. And in the stranger's right arm was a long metallic staff with a large letter Z at the top of it. The stranger began walking towards him and he could begin to feel the sweat bead off his skin from fear the stranger would get to him. Halfway from him, the being stopped and raised his staff, emitting a powerful surge of energy towards him from the staff. As the figure laughed with delight, the dreamer screamed.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" the scream pierced through the home in downtown Angel Grove, California. In the large spacey bedroom of the home, a young woman less than thirty years old sat up, the sheet that was covering her body no longer covering her upper body, which caused the night air to cascade over her breasts.

She looked over at her husband, who was sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his left hand, the gold band on his ring finger visible in the light that shone through the window thanks to the moonlight. She used her right hand and gently, but firmly, removed the hand from his face and gazed into the eyes of the man she married and loved very much. "Was it the same one again?" she asked quietly.

Resolutely, he nodded. "Yeah. Fifth night in a row."

His wife tensed her lips before she spoke firmly. "That's it Tommy, tomorrow I'm taking you to see a doctor."

Tommy Oliver shook his head. "No I'm not Kat. I don't need to go to a doctor because of these nightmares. They'll go away in a couple of days."

"Tommy, it's been five nights and you're still having the same nightmare. You need some help with this. You haven't been able to sleep much because of them so what would you have me do. Just sit by while my husband continues to suffer." she demanded.

Tommy swung his legs over the side of their large bed and sat up, looking out of the night sky. He was wearing a pair of red boxers and nothing else. Behind him, Katherine was standing and putting on her pink silk gown over her naked body. "Kat, the nightmares will go away." he said with surety. "At least they did before." he muttered.

Kat heard the mutter and her eyebrows raised sharply. "What exactly do you mean by they did before?!"

Tommy closed his eyes, knowing he would have to tell her what he'd told no one except their former mentor, Zordon of Eltare. "Sit down Kat, if you want me to explain it to you, you're gonna need to sit down."

Kat sat down next to him after she went to the bathroom to pour a glass of chilled water. She handed him the glass as leaned against his shoulder. "Go ahead Tommy."

Tommy took a sip of the water before he began to speak. "About five or six years before I came to Angel Grove, I started having these weird nightmares. Nightmares I knew I shouldn't be having. They were like a scene out of horror movies but the thing is....I hadn't been watching any scary movies then so it didn't make much sense to me." he paused. "I had the nightmare eight nights straight. They were just like these are, each night more details get revealed to me until the last night of the nightmare, I see and feel everything."

Kat digested that. "What was your nightmares about then?"

Tommy stared out their bedroom window before he spoke. "I was in a dark room, lying down on the ground. All around me was a cloud of smoke and there were green candles lit everywhere. But, the strangest part of it was that I was wrapped in some cloth like a mumy. I heard a woman's voice, speking in a language I didn't understand. Each night, I started learning more about where I was and everything. It only lasted eight nights, but by the time it was over, I was scared that I was losing my mind. I wouldn't really find out until years later what I actually saw."

Kat swallowed hard, "what did you see in that dream, Tommy?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

Tommy stood and walked to the window. "I saw the room I was in after Rita grabbed me to do her spell on me. You know, the spell that made me her evil Green Ranger."

Kat nodded, closing her eyes from the pain she could see etched in his face.

Tommy turned around and gazed at her. "That's why I know these nightmares will go away. They have to run their course. But, there's one thing I'm sure of."

"What's that?" Katherine asked.

"There's something powerful on the horizon. Something or someone is coming and they're coming to take Earth. I can just feel it." Tommy said, knowing she believed him.

~*~

A rustling of papers was heard as a man wearing a business suit placed his paperwork in his black briefcase. He was standing in front of a wooden table in a crowded courtroom. The man wore a solid black business suit. A black blazer with a pair of black slacks he wore. The man's dress shirt, however, was blue and the tie he wore was the color of crimson, red. After closing his briefcase, he turned to regard his client.

His client was a short stocky man with thick gray hair and a thinly cut gray beard. His face was full of smiles as he shook both the man's hand and the woman's hand behind him. As he watched the man walk out of the courtroom with his family, who were all teary, the man in the blue dress shirt turned to his assistant. "So." he said.

She smiled back at him. She wore a pair of dark blue slacks with a pink silk shirt tucked into it. A dark blue blazer was over her shoulders. "So." she responded.

"You got everything done, Sam?" the man in the suit asked.

"Yep. Everything's finished at the office. I'm headed home." Samantha Mathis, the assistant attorney, replied.

"Alright, go ahead and head on then. I've got a dinner date with some friends. Friends I haven't seen in over a year actually." the man replied.

"Alright, I'll see you next week then, Rocky." Samantha said before she started walking out.

Rocky DeSantos, former Power Ranger, nodded as he wrapped his fingers around the handle to his briefcase and lifted it up. A moment later, he turned and began heading out of the courtroom. Today was the last day of a trial that had tested Rocky's own limited patience and the trial that had put every member of the firm that Rocky now worked for to the test as far as their own abilities went. It was a difficult case because all the evidence that the police had discovered were pointing right at Rocky's client. But, as the trial progressed, Rocky had come to discover that the client had been framed and that the killer was still on the loose. Rocky, through his investigative means, was able to prove to the jury that the client didn't commit the crime and now, the Angel Grove Police would continue their investigation and hopefully, find the right person this time.

The drive from the Courthouse to the restaurant where Rocky would be meeting his friends was fairly short. As he pulled up, he spotted the three of them with relatively easy action. The restaurant was called Emilio's and it was an Italian restaurant that had tables outdoors and that's where his three friends were sitting, waiting for him to show up. Rocky got out of his car, a Lincoln Oldsmobile, and walked over to them, smiling as he sat down in front of them.

"Rocky, it's great to see you man." Tommy said as he shook his friend's hand. Also present was Katherine and Adam.

Rocky smiled as he pulled his black blazer off and laid it across the back of his chair. "Man, it's great to see all of you too. What have you guys been doing since I last saw you?" he asked.

"Well, much like yourself, Rocky, we've mainly been going about our daily lives, doing our jobs and getting paid." Tommy said. Tommy and Katherine, about three years ago, decided to become astronomers. Since entering that field, they each got intern positions with two of Angel Grove's best Astronomers. They have learned a lot about outer space and they continue to serve the two scientists to the day, only now they get paid a lot more than they did then.

Rocky looked at his long time friend, Adam Park. "What about you man?"

Adam laughed, "Well, I can't say I've just been working and getting paid. I've finally been able to start dating more and I've been going out with this very nice woman. Tommy and Kat's met her. She's helped me through a lot of my personal problems. So, life's been okay for me. But, what about you Rocky! I mean, you've become a successful defense attorney and you own those dojos. Life's gotta be treating you well."

Rocky nodded a little reluctantly. "I can't really complain. Life's been good to me the past few years. I've got my dojos that are doing really well and I bring in a lot of money with the firm." Rocky said.

They all smiled at him, glad for his success.

Rocky eyed the three of them, seeing the hidden glances of the eyes as they looked at each other before looking back at him. Through the years since retiring from being a Power Ranger, he'd learned a lot about how to read people's reactions or their lack of reactions. That's what he'd had to do when he entered law school.

Rocky tilted his head a few inches. "Alright, something's up with you guys."

"What do you mean, Rocky?" Katherine inquired, surprised that Rocky picked up on it.

The former ranger leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. "Don't give me that. I've known you guys for a very long time. There's something you're not telling me. You suddenly call me out of the blue after a year of not hearing from you and want me to meet you here. Something's up and I want to know just why you called me today."

Tommy and Adam shared a look before they nodded once. "Alright." Tommy said quietly.

Tommy began telling Rocky about the reason why Kat called him earlier that day. He explained the nightmarish vision he had been having for the past few nights. Tommy also told him about the visions he had had years ago that ended up happening a few years later. When he was finished telling Rocky what he wanted to tell him, Rocky stayed quiet for a few moments before he did speak.

"These nightmares you had, you think what you saw and felt is something that's going to happen in the near future?" he asked after a moment.

Adam looked at Tommy. "I'm not sure." Tommy said. "The reason why I can't say for sure if it's something from the future is because last night, I saw a face just before I woke up."

"What did you see?" Rocky asked.

Tommy hesitated for just a moment. "I saw Zedd's face."

Rocky took several deep breaths before he could speak again. "Are you sure it was Zedd's face?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Tommy said.

What does that mean, Rocky wondered. He was afraid of the answer, but at the same time, he was afraid of not knowing the answer. He took a deep breath to calm his jarring nerves and concentrated on the conversation as he and his three friends began speaking about the old times and what they'd been doing since leaving the Power Ranger legacy behind them.

~*~

At the same time as their lunch meeting was taking place, flashes of powerful energy were erupting through the remains of what once was the Lunar Palace, belonging to the fallen Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. The flashes of energy destroyed the remains in seconds and in mere moments, a brand new, much larger and much more lethal looking Palace stood in it's wake.

Whereas the old Lunar Palace had a smooth stone look, what now stood in it's place had rough, rocky edges all around it and a huge balcony adorned the surface of the moon around it. Inside the Palace, steam rose from the rock and stone covered ground. The surface on the enterior of the palace was the same as the outside, rough edged and the entire throne room was very spacey, much more so than in the old Lunar Palace. The throne was made of rock and stone, smooth only at the seat and backrest. At the far wall, two halves that made the wall pulled apart and a figure entered into the throne room, his footsteps sounding loud. A testament to his size.

The figure's chest was red, though the remainder of his body was a solid black. On both his shoulders was a white mark, his symbol. It was the profile of a human skull with wings extended at the back. The figure was about six feet tall with incredible bulk. He moved forward with ease and knelt before the throne, it's back was to him and at the center of the back of the throne was a letter Z, glowing in red.

"My Emperor, everything is prepared as you have demanded." he spoke in a deep Irish accent, his voice a deep one.

A hand reached outward on the left side of the throne, reddish skin with metallic coverings on the fingers. "Excellent." this voice was much similar to a villain that had once grazed this moon before. The only difference was that the tenor was a little lighter. "Soon, the time to make my move will be at hand. Algotha, I want you to go to Earth. Shake things up a bit. I want to know if there are Power Rangers in Angel Grove still."

"Your will shall be done, my Emperor." the figure called Algotha bowed obediently before he turned and headed out.

The figure in the throne chuckled deeply. Soon, my time will come....soon.

~*~

Lord Algotha served his master with absolute loyalty. Although Algotha had only served his master a very short while, Algotha had respected him and his power for much longer. Algotha was over seven thousand years old and he had been involved in many of the universe's different wars. He'd served for many different monarchs, some very powerful while others didn't garner much power at all. But it was respect and loyalty that kept Algotha tied to each of the monarchs he'd served under.

But, three years ago, when he'd been visited by his master, Algotha knew that he'd found his new master. The master that would soon have revenge against all that wronged him in the past. So, when his master made the decision to begin his plans for destroying Earth, Algotha was ready and prepared to follow his master's wishes.

Standing on top of one of the buildings in Angel Grove, Algotha was prepared to begin the attack against the city, only enough to test the city's defenses. His master, his emperor, didn't yet want to destroy the city. He just wanted to know if they're were still rangers among the city. And Algotha was prepared to find that fact out for his master. Raising his right arm, Algotha began shooting powerful blasts of energy at several of the buildings throughout the city. Within moments, buildings shattered, fires erupted and the same buildings began to fall.

Algotha dove off the building he was standing on and swiftly landed on the street. He smiled as he watched citizens run from him in fear. He also watched as people were moaning in pain, holding their sides as they struggled to move down the street. Algotha rose his hand again and prepared to fire.

***

Tommy, Kat, Adam, and Rocky were finishing up their lunch when they heard and saw someone running towards the restaurant, yelling in fear.

"Everybody take cover. There's some kind of monster attacking the city, just down the street!" he yelled before the man turned and ran in the direction he had been going.

"What's going on?" Rocky asked.

"I don't know. Angel Grove hasn't been attacked by monsters in five years." Kat replied.

"Guys, I know we're not rangers anymore. But, why don't we go see what's going on?" Tommy suggested.

Adam nodded, accepting the statement.

"Alright, let's go." Rocky replied.

***

And as the four of them neared, they saw the scene before them with widened eyes. People were running in all directions. Almost every person had blood on their faces or dirt soot covering their faces as they fleed from the figure standing in the middle of the highway. The four former rangers stopped about twenty feet from where Algotha was standing, his back to them.

"Who in the world is that?" Adam asked.

"I don't know. I know I've never seen him before." Tommy responded.

Upon hearing low voices, Algotha turned around and spotted the four people standing there. He stayed silent as he studied his adversaries. On the end was a woman with blonde hair. She wore a pink button up shirt that was tucked into a pair of black dress pants. She had her hair wrapped up in a bun. Next to her, to her right that is, was a man a little taller than her. He wore a pair of white jeans with a black belt around them and a red pullover t-shirt tucked into them. A dark blue blazer was over his shoulders. To that man's right was a man a little shorter. This man had wavy dark colored hair. He wore a plain green t-shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans. And to that man's right was a man that Algotha could tell was wealthy, as far as Earth's humans went. The man had on a crisp, unwrinkled, blue dress shirt, buttoned all the way up with a crimson red tie on. The man's pants was black, though Algotha could see that they too, were unwrinkled.

"Please," Algotha said, "introduce yourselves to me so that I may know who I am defeating."

Tommy and Kat exchanged glances. "My name is Tommy."

"My name is Katherine."

"My name is Adam."

"And if you must know, I'm Rocky."

Algotha paused, knowing the names to be four of the names that his master had told him were his first targets. His master would be pleased if he was to defeat them in battle. A devious plan in motion, Algotha moved forward. "I am Lord Algotha, servant of my master. Since you have the courage to face me, let's find out what you're made of." Algotha said before he began moving forward.

The four former rangers knew they had one of two choices they could make. The first, of course, would be to just turn and high tail it out of there and forget the heroics that they had when they came this way. The other choice was to face Algotha, although they knew they wouldn't have powers to back them up. They didn't need to even look at each other to know which choice they were going to make. Once you've been trained as a ranger, the training never really goes away.

Adam was the first to advance against Algotha. Adam tried a reverse thrust kick right at Algotha's head, but the warrior had seen it coming and dodged out of the way before he lauched himself up and forced both of his feet right at Adam's chest, knocking the former ranger down to the ground with an audible grunt. Algotha turned to his left as Katherine came charging up. He blocked each of the overhead fists that Katherine tried and caught her wrists, twisting them before he smacked his head against hers. She fell to the ground with a thump. Rocky launched himself at Algotha next. Rocky tried many thrust kicks and overhead arm strikes, each one Algotha sidestepped. Algotha retaliated by whipping his right arm out and catching Rocky at his temple, knocking him down.

Algotha turned around and faced Tommy. He started to move forward against him, but he felt something that made him stop in mid move. He looked up at the skies for a moment then he bowed and stepped back. "My apologies to you, Tommy. But, my Emperor is calling me. I have a feeling we shall see each other again." With that, Algotha raised his hands and he disappeared with a flash of colored light.

Tommy helped his wife stand back on her feet as Rocky and Adam walked over. "Man, that guy was tough. I don't think we've ever seen anyone that strong before." Tommy said.

"Yeah," Rocky agreed, "and we didn't even get to see who it was, either."

"Well, whoever it was. I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the last of him." Adam remarked.

"Or whoever his Emperor is." Katherine added.

"Come on guys. Let's get going." Tommy said as the four of them began heading back towards the restaurant they were having their lunch at. Behind them, a dark, feral laugh sounded, leaving the silence eerie.

~*~

Algotha entered the throne room of the Palace after returning to the Earth's moon. As he entered, he saw his master standing on the balcony, watching the Earth beyond. As Algotha neared, however, his master turned and faced him. There was no doubt who was looking back at Algotha. It was the same evil monarch that was once called Lord Zedd. His body was slightly different and the metal coverings were slightly different, but it was Zedd.

"Algotha," Zedd said, his voice the same as before except it was slightly deeper, "I apologize for pulling you out of that battle....but, I am not yet ready to make my move against those four. I have special plans for them."

"I understand, my lord." Algotha bowed.

Emperor Zedd walked from the balcony back to his throne and he set his long metallic staff across the arms of it. Lying on a small stone podium near his throne was the very object that had given him the incredible new power he now had. The power that will soon enable him to have his full and complete revenge against the enemies that stood in his way before. The object was called the Galaxy Book.

He picked the book up and looked at his battle general, Lord Algotha. "Algotha, my friend, this book is how I will begin with the next stage of my master plan."

Algotha remained silent, content to watch and listen to his master.

"This book has enabled me to have the body and power I now have and it will be with this book that I build my new army." Zedd said as he opened the book to the page he desired. The page he turned to had lines of written text in an ancient language that normal humans of different planets would not recognize or know about. Zedd, however, could read the ancient text without any problem. Zedd began speaking the words of the ancient text. Moments flew by as lights started flashing when a bluish vortex opened up where the balcony to Zedd's throne room was.

The vortex, or portal as it is sometimes called, swirled as it remained open for the next few moments before a gold colored figure dropped from it and hit the ground a few feet from where Zedd was standing. Zedd spoke a few more lines of the page and the vortex closed, leaving Zedd and Algotha with the golden figure that fell through the portal. Zedd picked up his staff and walked towards the figure, slowly.

After a few long moments, the figure rose to his feet, his shock at being pulled from the hell called the Shadow World and brought here still evident in his features. He looked first at Algotha, remembering the face from somewhere, but he couldn't recall. Then, his eyes fell on Zedd and he immediately did something that even Algotha wasn't expecting. The figure fell to both knees and bowed before Zedd. Algotha looked to his master and saw that Zedd had already expected that much of a reaction.

"Diabolico, my old friend, rise." Zedd said, laying a hand on Diabolico's shoulder. The old demon rose and looked from Zedd to Algotha, his confusion evident. "Surprised to see me, aren't you?" Zedd asked.

The gold demon nodded once. "Lord Zedd, I had heard rumors before my destruction by the Lightspeed Rangers that you had been returned to your human form due to Zordon's energy wave. So, please forgive my surprise."

Zedd walked to the balcony while he spoke. "Diabolico, the first thing you need to know is that it's no longer Lord Zedd. I am now and forever Emperor Zedd and yes, Zordon's energy wave did revert my to the human that I once was. But weakness is no longer an issue. I am back the way I was meant to be, without the human emotions that lead to my feelings towards that witch, Rita. Those emotions were a weakness and I have purged them from my essence for good. Diabolico, I have freed you from the Shadow World because I want you to join the Dynasty that I am building. Soon, I will be ready to launch my invasion of Earth. I want you to be a part of it."

Diabolico lowered his head a fraction or two. "My Emperor, I would be honored to serve under you once again. To have the chance to destroy worlds in your name again will be an honor I am glad to be a part of."

Zedd laughed, thoroughly enjoying the moment. "Excellent. Now that you are on board, Diabolico, I am almost ready to begin attacking Earth. But first, I still need to collect the other battle generals that I had in mind."

"Who are they, Emperor Zedd?" Lord Algotha asked.

Zedd sat in his throne as he answered. "Algotha, the time to learn of their identities will be revealed soon enough. I have already either resurrected them or contacted them. They are on their way here as we speak. Soon, I will be ready to launch my invasion and I will have my revenge against the Power Rangers."

Chapter Two—Old Friends Come Home

Just over an hour from Angel Grove, in the air, an airplane soared closer to the city where the legendary Power Rangers fought evil monsters for five years. Inside the airplane were many people, sitting and anxiously waiting the arrival to Angel Grove. A lot of the people were unaware of the significance of the city and many were just on this trip as part of a larger trip to cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco. There was one young woman, however, who sat at a window seat, very much aware of the city's past....as she'd been a part of it herself.

She had dark brown hair, which she had tied in a single ponytail at the base of her neck. She wore a light pink shirt with a white silk vest over it. Her shirt was tucked into a darker pink skirt. She had her fingers laced together, tensing them together about every three seconds. She was very nervous about returning to Angel Grove. It had been almost forever since she had been here and she was already a nervous wreck at what she knew she would find once she got back. Faces that would be happy to see her, but the same faces that would wonder why she'd come back and ask her what she'd been doing since she came back.

And Kimberly Hart wasn't sure if she was ready to tell any of them why she chose to come back to her former home. She had two very important reasons for coming back to the city of her former Rangering days. The first reason she didn't really feel comfortable thinking about right now, a reason she knew she'd have to tell her former ranger friends when she saw them. But, the second reason was a single person whom she had found herself thinking about more than anything. A ranger she'd left behind when she left Angel Grove all those years ago. And, to her surprise, it wasn't her former boyfriend Tommy Oliver that she'd found herself thinking about. No, it was one of his best friends, a guy she'd been trying to keep tabs on during the past two years.

Two years. Kimberly mused. It had been two years prior when she first found herself thinking about him. At first, it was just wondering what he was doing at the moment. Then, before she knew it, she had begun to wonder about what it would be like to kiss him....or to run her hands over his body....or to feel his hands on her body. Even from that point, before she could stop it, she started wondering what her life would be like if she had dated him instead of Tommy. Would they have married? Would they have had a family by now? It was at that point that she had begun to realize that she had strong emotional and physical feelings for him.

The entire situation had thrown her for a loop. She couldn't believe that she'd had feelings for this guy and never known it until then. But, instead of going to see him like she'd been wanting to do, she instead kept her eyes open on what he had been doing. She knew he'd dated a few girls, but none of them had been serious. She was glad for that. It had two months ago when she made the decision to come to Angel Grove and stop wasting time and go up to him and tell him how she felt. She also would reveal to him her first reason for coming back. And hopefully, as her heart hoped, he would return her feelings and they would be together.

Taking a deep breath, Kimberly forced her hands to stop gripping each other as she looked out the window, knowing Angel Grove was getting so much closer.

~*~

The University of California at Angel Grove was one of the larger colleges in the entire state. The University offered each student a choice of over a hundred different courses of study. There were twenty five buildings that taught the different subjects to the student and each classroom was very spacey, fitting nearly three hundred students at one time. There were five buildings that each held game rooms for the students' enjoyment and in each of the five buildings was a good sized cafeteria for the students to eat at.

UCAG had something that no other college in California had, though. In one of the five gaming buildings was something made purely for the students. A bowling alley filled one of the buildings. In this bowling alley, students who just wanted to relax from their studies and spend time with friends came here to bowl. There were thirty five lanes in the regular area and twenty lanes in the glow in the dark atmosphere. It was the most popular part of the campus on the weekends.

In the bowling alley on this day was six young people who were in their twenties. Each of the six were highly popular with the other students and with even some of the faculty. It was all because of a revelation they had been about four years ago. The six people that were bowling with two lanes were none other than the former Space Rangers. Andros, Zhane, Cassie, TJ, Ashley, and Carlos were bowling a game and having a fun time while doing it.

Currently, their game was at the ninth frame. TJ was up with his dark blue bowling ball. His score before tossing the ball was a one hundred and ninety. Cassie's was a one hundred fifty. Carlos's was a one hundred seventy five. Ashley's was at a one hundred thirty. Zhane's was at a two hundred and twelve. And Andros's was at two hundred and fifty. TJ walked up to the line and delivered his bowling ball, watching it gain speed as it got closer to the ten bowling pins and neatly, but firmly, knock all ten of them down in a perfect strike.

"Alright, a strike!" TJ cheered.

"Way to go man!" Carlos high fived his friend.

"Pretty good, TJ." Andros said as he rose for his next attempt.

"Thanks." TJ returned their kind compliments. "What are you guys doing tomorrow?"

"Um....Andros and me were heading to the movies and a late dinner." Ashley replied.

TJ turned to Carlos. "What about you Carlos?"

Carlos ran his fingers through his just now returning long locks of dark hair. "Um....well, tomorrow...I've got basketball practice. But, tomorrow night I have a date with that girl Denise. You guys met her, right?"

"Yeah, she seemed nice and all." Cassie said.

"She is." Carlos affirmed.

TJ looked at Cassie, who was watching Andros complete his toss of the bowling ball. Andros's attempt knocked down seven of the ten pins. "How about you, Cassie? Got any plans tomorrow?"

Cassie looked from the bowling score screen to TJ, then she looked down. She pursed her lips for a long moment before she replied. "Sorry Teej, I've got something I have to do tomorrow. Take a raincheck, okay."

TJ smiled at her. "It's ok Cassie. The only reason I'm asking all of you is because after hearing about that monster attack, I thought it would be a good idea to make sure we all would be somewhere safe."

Andros walked back over, picking up his spare. "Yeah, that was a surprise. There hasn't been a monster attack here for....well a long time."

"Yeah, and unless I'm mistaken...." Ashley said, "that was Tommy, Adam, Kat, and Rocky DeSantos standing against that monster. I could be wrong though."

"No, you're right. I'm pretty sure it was them. They must have been in the area when that guy showed up." TJ agreed.

They were silent as Zhane picked up his bowling ball, a shimmering gold ball. They watched as he took his stance and released it, watching as it took down nine of the ten bowling pins. He turned back towards them. "You know, I've been wondering about something. I've seen that monster before. I can't remember just where it was that I've seen him before. But, I know I have."

"I recognized him." Andros said, meeting his KO-35 native's eyes for a moment. "His name was Algotha."

"Who is he?" Cassie asked, turning in her seat.

Andros took a deep breath as he prepared to answer. Andros had a personal knowledge of Algotha because a year before Andros met his four friends and just a few months after Zhane's fall on KO-35, Algotha had come to their home planet and unwillingly become involved in a battle with Andros. Andros hadn't been thinking clearly and his attitude had brought about the challenge to Algotha. Andros knew for a fact that Algotha was unlike most other villains in that Algotha had a code of honor that he lived by. Most monsters or servants of evil had no honor. Being challenged by a Power Ranger was a great honor and defeating the ranger who made the challenge would propel Algotha's reputation tremendously.

They had fought and the battle had lasted over two hours and the distance of the battle had been from the city that Andros had once lived in all the way to the mountains beyond it. It had ended with both of them hurt and exhausted to the point that they had to end the fight without a winner. Algotha had left KO-35 and Andros had continued his search for his sister. Seeing Algotha attack Angel Grove now was a shock because he couldn't understand what would cause an honorable warrior like Algotha to attack a defenseless city.

"Algotha," Andros started, "he's a warrior that's unlike any other. He's one of the most honorable warriors you will ever meet. I fought him once on KO-35 after Dark Spectre's attack forced Zhane into the Cryogenic Chamber. The fight lasted a few hours and it went from our home city to the mountains. We were pretty evenly matched. The whole thing ended when neither of us could continue the fight. We called the fight off and he left the planet and I went about my search for Karone."

"If he's so honorable like you said, why is he attacking Earth?" Carlos asked.

Andros shook his head. "That...I can't tell you."

~*~

Rocky unlocked the lock to his front lock and opened one of his suite's double doors that the entrance had. After walking inside, he ushered his long time friends in after him. Tommy and Kat walked into the living room, where two leather couches were arranged facing each other, but enough feet between them for leg room. In the center of the space between them was a see through glass table. Adam walked over beyond the living room where there was a double glass doors that led to the balcony.

Rocky DeSantos lived in the penthouse of one of the better hotels in the entire city. After he was hired by a law firm called McKinney & Donovan, Rocky found that being with their firm allowed him certain benefits. One of them was that all of their employees, no matter what the position, were housed in the best suites in the better hotels. One of the other benefits is that they bought Rocky the car he now has.

Rocky shut the door softly and walked into the kitchen, it's stark white appearance different from the rest of the penthouse. Just beyond where the living room was was two doors. One was close while the other remained open. The opened door led to his bedroom. The other door led to a second bedroom that he used as a weight room and a practice room that he used to help keep his martial arts skills up. Rocky opened his luxury refrigerator and took out four cold Michelob beers, in bottles and brought them over. Halfway there, he heard someone.

"Just a water or club soda for me, Rocky." Kat said.

"How about a glass of soda?" Rocky compromised.

She nodded. Rocky returned to the kitchen and put one of the beers back into his fridge and took a small glass and poured some Coca Cola into it. Re-entering the living room, Rocky handed Tommy and Adam a bottle of the beer while he handed Kat the glass of coke. Sitting next to Adam on one of the leather couches, he watched Tommy and Kat as they took sips of their respective drinks.

"So, what do you think about my place?" Rocky asked.

"Wow, this is a really nice place Rocky." Katherine said after looking around.

Rocky smiled a little. "Thanks, it's nice to finally have a good place after all the things we had to deal with, remember?"

"Oh yeah. But," Tommy said, "I have to say. Seeing you here with the success you've had, it's good to see. I mean, I imagined a lot of ways for your life to turn out, Rocky. This wasn't one of them."

Rocky nodded. "I know. I didn't really think about being a lawyer until I guess I year after I gave up being a ranger. It's been a surprise at how quickly I rose at the firm. But, you know, it's been a fun journey."

"So," Adam spoke after a few moments of peacefulness, "are we going to talk about what we're all really thinking about?"

"You mean the possibility of Zedd being alive?" Tommy said.

Adam nodded.

Tommy leaned towards his knees as he studied the colorful carpet. "Well, if Zedd is alive and behind this Algotha guy, then he's got to have kind of plan behind it. Because you all know just as well as I do that Zedd never goes into anything unprepared. He's got something planned, that much is for sure."

"Yeah, but I don't get it. Just sending that Algotha guy to attack the city only to leave once he has us beat. That doesn't make sense." Rocky shook his head.

"Maybe not. But, what if Zedd wasn't expecting us to show up." Adam said.

They looked at him in confusion.

"Think about it. The last time we saw or heard from Zedd, we were still rangers. And I'm pretty sure he still has a grudge against us for standing in his way so, what if he sent Algotha to find out if the city had Rangers still and when we showed up, maybe he didn't want us hurt then because he might have plans for us." Adam explained.

Tommy rose and walked to the double glass doors that led to the balcony. "That makes sense I guess. But, I'm still wondering what Zedd has in store. I mean, is he as powerful as he was before or has he gotten stronger since we last heard from him."

"That is the question, Tommy." Kat said.

The others kept quiet, not knowing what to add to that.

~*~

The airplane landed at the Angel Grove Airport without incident and Kimberly Hart, former Pink Power Ranger, exited and waited at the luggage area for her cases. She was a little less nervous now that she was back in the city, but, she was now finding herself a little happier to be back in her former home city. As she waited for her cases to come out, she let her eyes drift to the many people that were moving about through the airport.

Her eyes happened to fall on a man and a woman. It was obvious just by looking at them that they were either married or a happy couple. They were hugging each other like crazy and after a moment, they kissed deeply, surprising some people who stole glances at them. Kimberly shook her head, knowing that at the moment, she had no one to hug or kiss but hopefully, before tomorrow ended, she would be with the man she was having intense feelings for.

Kimberly took a deep breath to calm her nerves before she glanced at her watch. It was just slightly passed eight o'clock and she debated whether or not to go ahead and see the center of her thoughts tonight instead of waiting to see him tomorrow. But, the more she thought about it, the more she like the idea of seeing him tonight. So, as her luggage rolled out, she picked her two cases and hefted them as she walked out the front doors of the airport to the busy streets. She set her luggage down as she brought out her cell phone. She dialed for the operator and when prompted, she spoke his name to learn his address. The address was given to her and, for the next few minutes, she hailed for a cab.

The yellow car pulled up just in front of her and a man in his later fifties got out, walking over to his trunk and opened it. "How are you doing tonight, ma'am?" he asked in a light voice.

Kimberly smiled as he grabbed her things. "I'm doing alright. Kind of nervous because this is the first time I've been back in Angel Grove in a long while."

The cab driver shut his trunk and walked to his door, opening it and sitting down as Kimberly sat at the opposite side and in the back seat. "So, you're originally from Angel Grove, then?" he asked.

"Yes. I left for Florida when a great opportunity opened itself up for me." Kimberly said.

The cab pulled out unto the semi-busy highway and headed down towards the part of the city that Kimberly's address dictated. "May I ask, miss, were you here during the days of the monster attacks and the Power Rangers?"

Kimberly bit back a smile, reflecting on all the memories of her ranger days. "Yes, I was here during those days." she deliberately refused to remember the memory of being stuck in a cab turned monster with her high school bullies, Bulk and Skull.

"Those were troubled times, then." the cab driver glanced at her through his mirror. "And it seems that those days are returning I fear."

Kimberly's head snapped up and she glanced at him sharply. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

The cabbie turned a left and headed down the street towards the address. "Well, earlier today, as a matter of fact, Angel Grove was attacked today by some monster looking thing. Didn't really disclose his name or say who he was working for. But, you know that's always how it starts."

A pensive look crossed her features as she glanced out the window. She shook her head. Hmph, had to come back at the worst time, didn't you Kim. she grumpily thought. The cab pulled to a stop just outside of a large and very tall building. A bellboy stood outside the front doors of the building complex. He walked forward as the cabbie pulled the latch to open the trunk. Kimberly got out of the cab as the bellhop grabbed her cases.

"Here, thanks." Kimberly said, handing him the money for the fare.

"You take care of yourself ma'am." the cabbie said. She smiled back. She watched as the cabbie drove the cab out until it was out of her sight before she turned to the bellhop.

"Do you have any rooms available?" Kimberly asked.

The bellhop nodded. "Yes ma'am. There's a room on the fourteenth floor available. Just need to check in with the desk clerk and a serviceman will help you take your cases up."

"Thanks." Kimberly said as she entered the hotel.

Nearly two blocks away, the cab entered a dark alley where two figures were standing. They watched as the cabbie exited the cab and walked towards them, morphing into his true form while he did so. "It is done." the being formerly the cabbie said.

"Good." one of the two other figures said. "Everything is starting to take shape. Zedd will not wait much longer before he begins his assault of Earth. The chosen ones need to be in the same vicinity when it happens."

"All of them are here, then with her arrival." the other figure said.

"No." the first of the two spoke again, stepping out of the shadows and letting the moon's light glitter on him. It revealed his form to be that of the Phantom Ranger. "There is still one more who is not in this city. And he must be here for everything to be ready."

"How are we going to accomplish that, then?" the former cabbie asked.

Phantom Ranger walked around, towards the cab, before he spoke again. "We do nothing. Each of the chosen ones destinies are linked. We must only wait and see what their destiny is."

~*~

Tommy, Kat, and Adam had left about a half hour ago. Rocky was no longer in his suit. Instead, he had changed into a pair of dark blue sweat pants and a normal red sleeveless shirt. He was about to walk into his training room, as he liked to call it, for some exercising, but he heard his doorbell rang and he sighed, turning as he headed towards his door. He really wasn't expecting anyone to visit this late, so he half expected it to be someone from either his dojo or from the firm to discuss work. Either way, he wasn't looking forward to it. He opened the door and his eyes widened as he saw who it was. It was the one person he'd been thinking about the past couple months. The one person he'd had a severe crush on since the first moment he saw her, but knew he couldn't tell anyone about because she was involved with one of his friends. Standing there, smiling shyly, was Kimberly Hart.

"Kimberly! My it's so good to see you!" he said, smiling broadly.

Kimberly willed her beating heart to slow as her eyes fell on his face. It was the first time she had seen him this close since she first started having the strong feelings for him. "C....can I come in?" she asked.

It was comical...how fast he moved when she spoke. "Of course. Come in, come in." he spluttered, watching her as she moved into his penthouse. He watched as she looked around his apartment, nodding in enjoyment of his living conditions.

"This is a really nice place, Rocky." she commented, turning to face him.

Rocky smiled at her. "Thanks. I've been here for about eight months now. It's a nice place for me. I have my own room and use the extra room for exercising and keeping up with my martial arts."

Kimberly allowed her attention to be drawn into what he just said. "Really. I thought you owned a few dojos. Why not just do your training there, instead of here?"

"Well," Rocky answered her, "normally I would. It's just, after I retired from rangering, I opened the dojos. But, it wasn't long after that that I put all my attention on being a successful lawyer and when I got this penthouse, I pretty much stopped going to the dojos on a daily basis. I keep track on the classes so I know how they're doing financially. But, most of my time goes into my attorney at law job."

Kimberly had sat down on one of the couches and she eyed him. She loved the way his life had turned out and it thrilled her at how well the conversation was going. It turned out she had made the right decision to come here tonight. "It seems things have really worked out for you since I left." she said.

Rocky watched her as he walked to the other couch, sitting down. "I can't complain. How have things been going for you? What have you been doing?" he asked her.

"Well," Kimberly started, debating on how much to confide to her, "after I left for Florida, I trained hard for the Pan Global Games. I did pretty well in the Games. Won two Silver Medals and one Gold one. So, that's one of my life's highpoints. After the games were over, Coach Smidth had wanted me to continue training for the next Games. But, my heart wasn't in it anymore. I'd accomplished what I wanted to and I was happy. But, mostly I think I just wanted to move on."

Rocky nodded, smiling at her. "What happened after you left Coach Smidth?" he asked.

She rubbed her forehead, pretty sure she was going to going into dangerous territory. "Well, I left Florida and enrolled at New York University. I studied to become Music up there and before I knew it, I graduated in three and half years and had my degree in Music. I learned how to play guitar, the violin, and the drums."

"That's great, Kim. Sounds like things are working out for you too." Rocky said.

She shook her head and watched his face cloud in confusion. "Well, yeah I got my degree and that was a positive thing, but, something happened to me while I was at NYU."

"What?" he prodded gently.

She swallowed nervously. There were only a handful of people who knew about this. "During my second year there, I met a guy named Greg. He was nice and he paid a lot of attention to me. I had been in kind of a depression until I met him. We spent six months together. Those were good months."

Rocky saw that her face went off staring into the distance for a few moments. He felt an ache in his chest, knowing she must have cared for this guy very much. Instinctively, he rose and walked over to the other couch and sat down next to her. He reached out with his right hand and gently picked her left hand up in his fingers. She gripped his fingers, lacing them together with hers. "You loved this guy, Greg." he said.

She nodded. "Yes, I did. But, not in the romantic sense." she said before she continued. "Like I said, we knew each other for six months. We'd become best friends. But, after he helped me out of my depression and helped me feel again, he trusted me enough to tell my something about him. Something I really wasn't expecting to hear." she said.

Rocky squeezed her fingers in support.

"You see, he was....gay. And, his family had shunned him because they were Catholic and against that sort of thing. He didn't have many friends except for the people he hung out with who knew about him. But, I'd been his friend for a while, so he told me about his being gay and also told me about something else." a silent tear trickled down her cheek. "A couple months before he met me, he found out from his doctor that he had contracted the AIDS virus. He'd slept with a guy who was just after sex, no relationship, y'know." she said.

Rocky nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean Kim."

She continued, glad he was still holding her hand. "He only had a limited time to live before the virus killed him. So, I spent most of my time with him. But, here's the worst part. About a month before he was expected to pass on, we were heading back to his dorm from seeing a movie and we were jumped by a group of guys."

Rocky kept silent.

"They were homophobes. They had heard about him and they pretty much suspected me to be gay. They figured they'd beat him up pretty badly and do some horrible things to me and get away with it." she said with sarcasm. "But, thing is, not only did I know how to fight....but so did Greg. We fought them off until one of them, I still can't see his face clearly, pulled out a gun and had it aimed at my face. He was pulling the trigger and it happened so fast, I couldn't believe it. The next thing I knew, the gun went off, but Greg took the bullet. He shoved me out of the way and he got shot." she ended in a whisper.

Rocky moved his hand that was holding hers and laid his arm over her shoulders.

"I used my cell phone to call for the ambulance, but he was already gone. I knew it....I felt it." she said. "Since that happened, I sort of blocked myself off...emotionally. Except for recently."

"Recently." he said.

She nodded. "One of the last things he said to me before the shooting was that, he wanted me to promise him before he died that if he did die that I wouldn't give up on finding the person I wanted to be with. Even though I was never expecting things to end the way they did, I made the promise and so far, I've kept it."

Kimberly took another deep breath and turned her head to the left, her face coming even with Rocky's. Her breath caught when she noticed the very close proximity that their faces were. She swallowed hard when she felt his face slowly coming closer to hers. Rocky, whose heart was beating a mile a minute, could hardly believe what was happening between them. He knew that it was possible that her emotional state was controlling her actions and he pulled all of his willpower to stop what was about to happen before she made a mistake with him. Slowly and regretfully, he pulled his face away and spoke. "Wait." he said hoarsely.

Kimberly closed her lips and slowly opened her eyes. Looking into his eyes, she saw hesitation and felt a lump rise in her throat. I knew it, she thought dejectedly, he doesn't feel that way about me. Trying to gather as much of her self respect as she could, she spoke. "Yeah." she whispered.

Rocky took several breaths before he said anything. "Kimberly, I want you to know something. I don't want you to do something that you're going to regret later. Because, I know you're very emotional right now. I don't want you to be with me tonight with just your emotional state leading it. I want it to be because you love me....like I love you." he finished, still with his arm over her shoulders. He looked into her eyes and saw the moisture there.

He....he....h...he said it. she thought dreamily. He actually loves me. "Rocky," she said after a long moment, "do you know why I came here instead of searching a lot of different people out. People like my parents."

Rocky drew a blank. "N..no." he said.

She smiled at him, taking her hands and wrapping them in his shirt. She pulled him closer. "Because I love you. I've loved you for a very long time. I've just never realized it until a few years ago. I've been too scared to come to you, but I knew I couldn't stay away any longer. I want to be with you Rocky. I love you very much." she said before she closed the distance between their lips and pressed hers against his gently before doing it again and adding pressure.

Rocky could hardly believe what she'd just said when she pressed her lips to his. His astonishment lasted only but a moment before he returned the amazing kiss they were having and gently curled his fingers in her hair, his lips wrapping her upper lip between them. Kimberly moved her hands from the front of his shirt and wrapped her arms around his upper body, bringing them closer together. Rocky opened his mouth and nearly gasped as his tongue and hers melted together in a dance of pure bliss.

Kimberly moved her weight forward, pushing Rocky until his back fell against the couch's soft surface. Kimberly's body straddled his as they continued the powerful kiss. Long moments later, they both ended the kiss, needing to breath. They were looking deep into each others eyes. Rocky raised his hand and brushed his fingertips across her cheek. He watched her eyes flutter closed at the touch. "Kim?" he waited until she opened her eyes before he spoke again. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are to me right now?" he asked.

Tears again filled her eyes and she let them fall. "That....was the most wonderful thing anyone's ever said to me." she said softly, smiling through her tears.

He looked surprised. "Surely, you're kidding. I mean, I was around when you and Tommy were together. To see you two together, he must have said nice things to you."

Kimberly smiled sadly at him. "He was...." she reflected, "Tommy. He said pretty good things to me, but nothing like what you just said. I think....mostly it was because we weren't meant for each other. I know for a fact that he was meant to be with Kat, not me. And, I was putting so much attention on my gymnastics, that I hardly had any time for him. So, you can guess why our relationship ended the way it did."

He smiled at her, raising his arms and resting his hands against her sides. "Well, how about this? Let's not put anymore attention on the past. Let's put all of our attention on the present and the future that we build, how 'bout that?"

She leaned her head down, kissed him softly, then leaned her forehead against his. "I say that's a good idea. I'm glad I came here tonight."

"Me too, Kim. Me too." he looked into her eyes, knowing that tonight was a night he would never forget. A night where he finally had what he always dreamed of.

Chapter Three—A Dynasty is Realized

As a new day was beginning in the state of California, a definite buzz was going around on the moon. There were many ships that had landed at different places on the moon behind Emperor Zedd's new Royal Palace and inside the palace, activity was a buzz. Many faces thought deceased were not that way as Zedd had used the Galaxy Book to resurrect them, but other faces were familiar ones of those that had not been destroyed, just disappeared. Then, there were the faces of those who had not been seen by many. Zedd was standing on his balcony, watching everything with his careful eyes within his helmet. He was enjoying what was happening before his eyes.

Standing in his throne room was his chief battle general, Lord Algotha. Algotha was standing off to one side and he remained out of most of the conversation. Diabolico was standing more in the center of the room, holding his staff. He wasn't really speaking, more watching the activity closely. A face from the past, Finster stood, his hands holding together, was speaking with another incredibly ingenius scientific mind. That being was more of a robot than anything else. It was golden and slightly tall and his name was Frax. The robot called Frax had just only recently been rebuilt from scrap by Zedd's scientific forces based far from the moon. He had ordered Frax's mind reprogrammed so that he would obey Zedd without question. And, it was done perfectly.

Also standing in the room was General Havoc, brother of former space pirate, Divatox. The General, having been in hiding since Zordon's energy wave spread through the different galaxies, was glad to serve under Emperor Zedd. He was engrossed in a conversation with a being that really wasn't paying attention. He was more or less watching Zedd. This being was one that was resurrected by Zedd. He was Deviot. Since Deviot's merge with Trakeena, he'd thought himself to be dead, floating in a higher plane of existence. But it was Zedd's use of the Galaxy Book that enabled him to be where he was now and he pledged his allegiance to Zedd. For now that is. Just until he could figure out how to overthrow Zedd.

Also present were others who Zedd had resurrected for his purposes. Those were Hexuba, Barbarax, Captain Mutiny, Prince Gasket and Archerina, and Furio. Each one had a specific use that Zedd desired and each of them pledged their allegiance to them. Of course, Zedd realized that most of them were ambitious and would, sooner or later, plot and scheme to overthrow him. But he knew, that when they did, he would have enough power to reduce them to nothing but ashes and use them as examples to keep the others in line. But, there was one thing missing from the scene before him. Zedd had been trying to find a way to resurrect the princess Astronema as his heir, but he didn't want to go to the trouble of kidnapping that girl Karone and bringing the Galaxy Rangers into this fight. He was researching in all of his mystic books and the Galaxy Book on channeling all the evil aura and the darkness that still existed that was once Astronema. He was also toying with the notion of using Karone's DNA to magically create a duplicate and reverting the duplicate to Astronema. So far, that was the plan he was going with.

Zedd stepped off from leaning on the railing and thrust the point of his staff against the ground, effectively cutting off the small tidbits of conversation that was going on and getting their attention to him. "First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming to my little get together." he said. "I have brought all of us together for a very special celebration. Today will mark the day that will all have come together to destroy all Power Rangers and bring about the end of peace throughout the universe."

Despite the dislike around the room, they all cheered at what Zedd said.

"Today, we will form the most powerful Dynasty ever created. Today, my friends, the Dynasty of Darkness is born!" Zedd yelled and more cheering erupted through the throne room. Even Deviot was cheering, even with his own agenda, he was liking the sound of this. "I have a plan that will rid the universe of all Power Rangers and that will begin a change in the entire universe that will end with the Dynasty of Darkness ruling over all of the universe."

"We're with you, Emperor Zedd!" many of the voices cheered.

Zedd laughed. "Of course you are! But, before we can proceed with my plan, I want one thing prepared. Since this is going to be a powerful Dynasty, I want to have an heir to my throne should one day, I fall. So, in that once case, I am in the process of bringing back to power one of the strongest warriors I have ever seen. I am going to clone the human known as Karone and that clone will be once again Astronema! If any of you have any problem with that, I want you to step forward right now. Because, I promise you, once we take control of the universe, each and every one of you will have great power and great riches. You just have to serve under me."

There was nothing but silence for many tense moments. Then, "I will serve you, Emperor!" Captain Mutiny declared.

"As will I!" Barbarax said.

"I pledge myself to you, Emperor!" Hexuba promised.

"I will lead your armies, Emperor!" promised Prince Gasket and Archerina.

Slowly, similar words were spoken by the rest of them, except for Deviot, who remained silent. Zedd, who realized it, walked over to the silent Deviot and looked into his cybernetic eyes. "And you Deviot? What is your decision?"

Deviot and Zedd were aware of the silence around them as the other warriors watched on. After a moment, Deviot responded, his stance and voice defiant. "Zedd," he deliberately avoided saying Emperor, "for as long as I can remember, I have never served anyone without plotting their destruction. I alone am responsible for Scorpius's demise and I plotted the attempt against Trakeena's life. If I can't have rulership of this Dynasty, I do not want to be part of it." he stated.

Emperor Zedd nodded slowly. "Honesty. That's a virtue in this day and age, Deviot. I respect that of you." he said while taking a step back. "However," he paused, "since you won't serve me or my Dynasty, you are a threat to me. An enemy. And, my enemies must be taught a lesson." With that said, Zedd extended his right hand and tendrils of red energy bolted from his fingertips and blasted at Deviot. Deviot felt that pain as his body was lifted off the ground and thrown against the far back wall.

Zedd stalked forward, the others staying out of his way. He stopped just in front of Deviot. "Guards! Take this traitorous piece of scum to the dungeon and lock him up." he ordered.

Emperor Zedd's personal guard were warriors covered in shiny silver armor, only their face was uncovered by silver. Their faces were dark red, with scales. They had dark red eyes and long fangs for teeth. Long swords were attached to their waist and a letter Z was plasted to the center of their chest armor. Two of them grabbed Deviot and began pulling him away, his screams echoing through the throne room. All of Zedd's foot soldiers were the same, the silver armor, the scaly faces and red eyes, the only difference between the foot soldiers and the royal guards was the color of the Z on their chest. Gold Z was the highest ranking Zedd Warrior, as they were called, and they were called the Lords of the Zedd Warriors. Zedd Warriors with a blue Z were the Lieutenants and battle captains, just under the position of Lords. And a red Z were just the foot soldiers that fought the enemy on the battle grounds in the name of the Emperor.

Zedd turned back to his group. "Now, let's enjoy ourselves as preparations for the end of the universe's peaceful reign are made. Shall we."

~*~

It was morning in the city of Angel Grove. The sun was creeping up over the city. People were already up and about, moving through the streets as they either headed off to school or headed off to work. But, for one penthouse suite with two people, it was a day of new beginnings for each of them. It was a change in both of their lives. A very welcome change that is. Kimberly Hart and Rocky DeSantos were both lying together on Rocky's bed, snuggled together.

The previous night had been intimate, very soft, and incredibly romantic for both of them. Both Rocky and Kimberly had been unsure of how to proceed, so they had taken it one step at a time and before long, they were moving together, love leading their movements, and finally making that one leap that separated them from friends to something beyond that. And as Kimberly opened her eyes and watched Rocky's relaxed profile, she felt incredibly wonderful at how the night had progressed from that one perfect kiss that had started the night off.

Now, as the first day of their new lives together began, Kimberly knew that today, she would have to face her other friends and have to reveal to them her new relationship with Rocky. She was prepared to tell most of them. It was Tommy that she was a little concerned about, though. She'd loved Tommy once and even though he was now happily married to Katherine, a very nice woman as far as Kim was concerned, she was still worried at how he would take the news. Then, she sighed, rubbing her cheek against Rocky's warm skin a little. She also had to admit, that no matter what Tommy's reaction to the news, she was going to hold onto Rocky as long as she could, now that they were together.

"What are you thinking?" Rocky's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hmm, just thinking about how wonderful this feels." she admitted. "And, I'm a little worried about when I tell Tommy about us."

"Oh." Rocky mumbled.

She sighed. "It's just....part of me will always be with him because of the bond we shared early on. But, another part of me, a bigger part, knows that he and I drifted apart for a reason and he's married and now we're together...I don't know. I'm just hoping he won't be mad about it."

Rocky nodded, opening his eyes a little. "I know what ya mean, Kim. I've come to know Tommy pretty well and I think he's going to be surprised a little bit. But, I think he's going to accept and approve of us once he sees how happy you are. I know he stills cares for you very much and I know all he's ever wanted for you is to be happy."

Kimberly closed her eyes and opened them. "Thanks for the little talk, Rocky. I feel a little better now."

Rocky kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you told me about it. Listen, I hate to do this, but I've got to start getting ready for work. I've got some stuff to take care of down at the dojos, then I have to go to the firm and prepare the opening statements for a case that's starting in a few weeks."

Kimberly smiled, peeking up at him. "It's funny Rocky. Hearing you talk about opening statements is kind of funny to me because I remember when you were playing games all that time and...well, it's a surprise to me how much you've changed."

Rocky quirked a grin. "Yeah, it's been a surprise to me too."

Reluctantly, Kimberly rolled off his side and onto her back. She watched as he rolled out of bed and stood up. She licked her lips as she watched his back and posterior move as he walked. Then, he was in the bathroom, beginning his shower. She stayed in bed for a few minutes longer before she too, got out of bed and threw on a bath robe that was sitting next to the bed. Smelling it, she guessed it was what Rocky usually wore during the mornings.

About ten minutes later, she heard the shower stop and a moment later, she saw him exit the bathroom, wearing a pair of light blue boxers and a sleeveless t-shirt. He stopped as he noticed her sitting on the bed in the robe. "You look good in my robe, Kim." he commented before he moved to the spacey closet to the left. Opening it up, he removed a crisp white dress shirt, a light blue tie, and dark navy dress pants. He finished the outfit by grabbing some incredibly dark blue socks and laying them all down on the bed as he began to dress.

Kim ran her fingers over the robe's texture. "Thanks for the compliment. How long do you think you'll be today?" she asked him.

After slipping the shirt on, he began to button the buttons. "Well, all I have to do at the dojos is talk to my class instructors that I left in charge and collect the reports. So, that shouldn't take me any more than an hour, two tops. But," he sighed, "after I get to the office, I'll probably be busy with the statements preparation for a few hours. Past lunch for sure. I'll probably be out at two, two thirty at the most."

She nodded, accepting that. She knew what kind of a life he had. "You wanna have dinner tonight, then?" she asked, hopefully.

Now, he smiled. "Absolutely. Our first real date."

She smiled back. She rose from the bed and walked towards him. He know had his shirt on, buttoned and all, and was tying the tie. "Listen, um...I was thinking maybe I should break the news to Tommy first. Then, I'll go see how my parents are doing. Is that okay with you? About Tommy I mean."

He stood still for a few moments, looking down. He looked up. "You...don't want me there when you tell him?" he questioned, doubt flickering in his features.

She shook her head, laying her palm against his cheek. "It's not that at all, Rocky. It's just...I kind of thought it would be better if I talked to him privately first. You know, to soften the blow. Because he doesn't even know I'm back. If I had you with me, I'm pretty sure it would freak him out a little and that would be bad for you two and your friendship with him."

He absorbed that while he took a deep breath. "I guess you're right. I do see your point, Kim. Okay, you do the talk with him. Then, tonight," he grabbed her hips and brought her closer, "you and I have a nice, romantic date with candles and a nice restaurant. And who knows, maybe afterwards, we can see a movie."

Instead of answering, she leaned forward and kissed him, letting the sensation linger for a few moments. Then, she stepped back to wait for him to finish dressing.

As Rocky was pulling his dress pants on, he spoke to Kimberly. "Um...there's something I kind of want to give you before I leave. And, I know it's taking a big step in our relationship...but, I want to do it anyway."

Kimberly ran her fingers through her hair. "What is it, Rocky?" she asked, wondering what it was.

After fastening the pants with his dress shirt tucked in, Rocky slipped his suspenders over his shoulders and turned to her. "Well, before I do that, I was wondering if you have any place to go. I mean, did you rent a room or something?"

"Oh," Kimberly said, "actually, I did pay for a room on the fourteenth floor here. That's where my stuff is."

Rocky nodded, taking a careful step towards her, his right hand inside his pocket, grasping a small object. "Well, Kimberly...last night I told how I felt about you. I love you. I want to wake up every morning feeling you with me and I want to go to bed each night holding you. What I'm wondering is....will you move in here with me?"

Kimberly's breath caught on the question before she released it and hugged him. "Of course Rocky. I want to live here with you. How could I not?"

Rocky smiled, hugging her back. "Phew, I was almost scared to ask you. Here, this is the key that opens the door and the door to the balcony. While I'm leaving, I'll get everything straight away with the manager and everything."

His new girlfriend sat back down at the bed. "Thanks Rocky. And, go on. After the bellhop brings my stuff up here, I'll change and head to see my folks."

Obediently, he did, putting his dark blue blazer over his shoulders and giving her a final smile before he left the suite, his mood very happy. And hers was the same way.

~*~

Cassie Chan hummed a little tune she remembered from childhood as she moved across the campus of the Angel Grove University. She was wearing a pair of very faded blue jeans with a pink sleeveless flowery shirt over the jeans. She two long braids on each side of her head, with the rest of her hair cascading down her shoulders and neck. She was on her way to a dorm where someone she knew lived at.

My secret. Cassie thought as she moved along. Cassie had been wrestling with this one aspect of her life for the past two years, carrying the burden for it and not knowing when she could tell her friends about it. About her.

Her name was Lynn Morris and for the past ten months, Cassie had been deeply in love with her. It wasn't something she had planned or had even been looking for. It was something that just happened one morning and she couldn't believe it herself. Because all her life, Cassie had never been attracted to anyone of the female persuasion. And her relationship with Lynn started off merely as friends.

Cassie had first met Lynn during her first semester at the University of California at Angel Grove. She was having lunch at the Student Union Center when she saw Lynn sitting in the corner, by herself, and looking very lonely. Cassie's first plan was just to go over and say hello and possibly strike up a conversation. So, she had picked her lunch tray up and walked over, looking at Lynn when she looked up.

"Do you mind if I sit down with you?" Cassie had asked.

Lynn had looked up from her meal, merely two small cheeseburgers and a small order of fries. "Um...sure...okay." she had stammered, motioning for Cassie to sit across from her.

Cassie had done so, sitting down and eating her meal for a few moments before she spoke again. "Um....my name is Cassie." she said, extending her hand across.

Lynn had looked at her, then at the hand, then back to Cassie's face. She took the proffered hand and shook it. "I'm...Lynn....um Lynn Morris." she said.

From there, they had started talking, learning things about each other. They had become friends early on in their relationship, finding a kinship with each other that neither woman was expecting. Then, before Cassie knew what was happening, she started thinking about Lynn in ways she had never thought of any girl. That, at first, had really thrown her off and she didn't know what to think.

Cassie and Lynn had now been involved in their romantic relationship for just over three months and, even though Cassie's friends didn't know about their relationship, things were going very well for them. They hadn't fought with each other at all and the only disagreement that they have had to the day was just over when Cassie was going to tell her friends. Cassie entered the lobby of Hunt Hall, named after the actress Helen Hunt.

Hunt Hall looked pretty much like most female dorms, carpeted in a rich blue color and the walls were brick painted white. In the lobby, there was a ping pong table and a pool table for the student's enjoyment. Cassie entered the stairwell and walked up to the fourth floor of the six story building and quickly found her way to Lynn's dorm room. Her room was room 306. She knocked softly. Smiling, she heard Lynn's soft footsteps on the carpet as she neared the door.

The door opened and a smile grazed Lynn Morris's face as she saw who it was. "Cassie, come in!" she said, stepping aside as Cassie entered. She softly closed the door and watched Cassie walk over to her bed and take a seat. Cassie looked up as Lynn walked over. Lynn was a striking young woman with sun gold colored hair and dazzling blue eyes. She was about an inch shorter than Cassie herself was. Her body was well proportioned with muscular arms and well defined legs. She wore a pair of cut off jeans into shorts with a spandex white tank top, leaving her shoulders mostly bare and showing her midriff to Cassie's admiring eyes.

"What were you doing, Lynn?" Cassie asked, motioning to the computer screen.

"Oh," Lynn replied, "I was trying to finish my class paper for English. It's due in a couple days."

Cassie nodded. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go see a movie tonight. I haven't had a chance to just be with you in a while and I kind of want to."

Lynn walked over and sat down next to Cassie. "I know, Cass. We've both been pretty busy lately with school and....friends."

Cassie noticed the emphasis on the last word and sighed. They had had this discussion before. "Lynn, I promise you, I'll tell them. It's just....I've known them a long time and it's just hard to tell them this. Especially Ashley."

"I...I know Cassie. I just....sometimes, when I'm in my bed at night, my mind starts drifting and I start thinking about why you're not telling them about us. Sometimes, I worry that you....might be....kind of...." Lynn paused, "embarrassed about me or ashamed of our relationship. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time that's happened to me."

Cassie took a deep breath and laced her fingers with Lynn's. "Lynn, I am not ashamed of us...or embarrassed by you. I swear that much to you. It's just....you know about me and my friends being former Power Rangers. Being in that with them kind of formed a circle with just us six. And, it's hard to let people into that circle. But, I will tell them and soon. I'm just trying to find the right way to do it."

Lynn nodded, accepting that. "Alright, pick me up here at seven and we'll have a grand ole time tonight."

Cassie stole a kiss from Lynn, smiling when she leaned back. "Absolutely."

~*~

At a different part of the city, a man was exiting his pickup truck and was walking to a small pizza restaurant. He wore a dark red button up shirt tucked into a pair of khaki pants. He had his long dark hair tied into a single ponytail, tied at the back of his neck. And after he placed his order, he sat down at a corner booth, his back to the entrance. He sighed as he waited for his meal to arrive.

Tommy took a sip of his coke while he waited for his pizza to arrive. He had only an hour to spare for his lunch before he had to return to the Observatory. He and Kat worked for two very smart scientists and each day, they seemed to learn more and more about how to run the Observatory, among other things. Tommy was happy though. They both got paid good money for the work they did and in return, they got to learn a lot about the universe that Earth existed in. He knew Kat loved the work, so that made up for whatever problems Tommy did have. A throat clearing made Tommy look up, meeting eyes of someone he hadn't expected to ever see again.

Oh my god! Tommy thought dazedly as he gazed at his former girlfriend, Kimberly Hart. "Oh my god! Kim, I don't believe it. You're back!" he said, rising to give her an enthusiastic hug.

Kimberly smiled as she hugged her ex-boyfriend back. "Yeah, I just got back in town last night. How have you been Tommy? You look great." Kimberly said. After Rocky had talked to the manager, her two cases were brought up to his penthouse suite and she had cleaned up and dressed. She decided to wear a pair of crisp blue jeans with a short sleeved pink shirt over her upper body.

"Thanks." Tommy smiled sheepishly. "I've been doing great. Can't complain. I'm working at the Observatory for Dr. Stevens."

Kimberly smiled at him and it appeared to Tommy that she had a glow that was just radiating off her. It made her look even prettier than he remembered her ever being. A wistful memory hit him before he could stop it of one of the last moments he had seen her. He shook it off as he turned his attention to her.

"Wow, that's great to hear Tommy. Sounds like you finally have what you wanted. You have a great job, married to Kat, and all." Kimberly said.

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, I'm kind of surprised things worked out like that, but I'm glad. I'm happy with the way life ended up for us. I still do a little racing every now and then."

"That's great Tommy. I um.." she paused, "I have something I need you to know and I'm kind of concerned about how you might react to it."

Tommy raised his eyebrows. "Go ahead Kim. I promise you, whatever it is, you can tell me."

Kimberly took a deep breath. "I'm glad you said that. You see....the thing is....the main reason I came back to Angel Grove now....is because I wanted to see a guy....that I've come to realize I love. I wanted to tell him my feelings and see if he felt the same way."

Tommy was silent for a moment. She doesn't mean me. Tommy realized with a start. He wasn't sure how he felt about it, so he remained quiet as Kimberly continued.

"See, the thing is..." Kimberly said, "about three years ago, I started having powerful feelings for this guy. Feelings that I didn't really expect to have for him. I thought it was just a momentary thing because I was sort of in a rough spot at the time. But, the more time I waited, the stronger my feelings got. After a while, I began to realize that I loved him and I knew that sooner or later I would have to come back here to tell him. And last night, I did just that."

Tommy brow furrowed, but he couldn't reply as his pizza arrived. The pizza was a thin crusted pepperoni and sausage with extra cheese. He offered any to her. "Wanna help me finish this?" he asked.

"Sure." Kimberly replied.

After a moment, they both started biting on the slices. "Kimberly, um....are you going to tell me who this guy is? Is he somebody I know?" he asked carefully.

Caution edged her face for a moment before she spoke. "Yes, you do know him Tommy. In fact, the last time I checked, you were friends with him. Which is why this whole thing is more difficult for me and for him. Because he wanted to be here when I told you."

Tommy swallowed. "Who is it, Kimberly?" he asked quietly, already knowing it was one of three people he was thinking about.

Kimberly remained silent for several long and tense moments before she spoke. "It's....um....um....it's Rocky."

Total silence from Tommy. Every muscle in his body froze, not expecting that name to pass her lips. It was a total shock to him. "Rocky!?!?!" he yelped, not meaning it sound as it did.

Unwillingly, Kim defended her new boyfriend. "Why are so surprised? Rocky's a great guy!"

"Oh, I know he's a great guy. I guess I'm just kind of surprised. I mean, you never looked at him as the dating material before." he said, subdued.

She nodded. "I know. But, I don't know......I'm in love with him. I can't help the way I feel and he's changed a lot since our ranger days so.." she left it unfinished.

"Well," Tommy said, "I'm happy for you. Both of you. I do have some issues with it, but I'll work them out on my own. Don't worry. But I am happy as long as you are."

She smiled at him, finishing off the second slice of pizza. "I am."

"Then, that's all that matters to me." Tommy stated.

Chapter Four—The Emperor's Heir is Born

Emperor Zedd stood just outside of a technologically enhanced room. He was watching the activity inside through a clear window made out of energy instead of glass. Inside the technologically enhanced room was Frax, Finster, and Porto. All three of the scientific minds were in the process of cloning the human Karone using a strong DNA sample that Zedd had acquired through dealings with a mercenary that had been around when Darkonda had originally kidnapped her. The DNA was good enough for a completely genetically created clone to be made.

The thing that Zedd was planning on doing, however, was once the cloning process was complete, Frax would use the computer programs Zedd had and erase every single memory that the clone had of being either Karone or the Astronema that served under Dark Spectre. Once that was completed, Frax and Porto, who were the computer experts of the three, would create a whole new system of memories to be filed into the clone's brain. The memories she would have would tell her that she served only one being, and that was Emperor Zedd. The memories would also serve to tell her that Zedd was her biological father and that she would ultimately become his heir.

Once that was done, Zedd would be ready to begin the destruction of Earth. He brought his musings to the present as Frax looked to him. "The cloning process is complete, Emperor. We are now ready to give the clone the form you desire." Frax said.

"Excellent." Zedd replied, "Proceed with it."

Frax programmed his computers with the designs that Zedd had in mind. Zedd had always admired the actual Astronema because of her capacity for destruction. Especially after Dark Spectre had reverted her to evil with the dark red hair and the computer parts on her body. From the metallic implants on her face to the wires and metallic implants throughout the rest of her body, that's what how he liked her best and that's how he wanted her to look. This part of the process lasted only minutes as the black outfit was fitted over the clone's body and the hair was turned to red. Soon after, the microchips were placed in exactly the right parts and the body armor was fitted in just the right spots. Soon after, Frax turned back to the Emperor.

"It is done." Frax decreed. "All that remains now....is the programming."

"Good work, Frax. Reprogram her mind to my designs and then come get me. Once my heir is by my side, the assault against Earth will begin." Zedd decreed as he walked off.

~*~

Rocky was sitting behind his desk at McKinney & Donovan. He had been busy for the better part of the afternoon. He was going through everything he needed in order to be fully prepared for the upcoming trial that started in a few weeks. The trial was of an older woman in her mid sixties that was being charged with 2nd degree murder. She was being blamed for the murder of her husband of over twelve years. There was a substantial amount of evidence against her, but after interviewing the woman, Rocky was positive that she wasn't guilty.

And so, he was busy finishing the last few pages of his opening statement when a knock interrupted him. "Yeah?" he called to the door. The door opened to reveal Samantha Mathis's face.

"Hey Rocky." Samantha smiled as she entered and sat down across from her superior.

"What's up? You look like you've been busy." he commented.

"Oooh yeah. You bet I have. I have two cases that I'm working on for next week. Then, I have to prep two of the witnesses for that big murder trial that I'm working with you on. So, I'm staying busy today." Samantha said.

Rocky nodded as he put his papers away, content to finish the rest of them either at the penthouse or when he came in the next day. "Something on your mind?" he asked, cautiously, learning a long time ago when she was wondering about something with him.

She pursed her lips before she spoke. Samantha Mathis had hazel colored eyes and dark red hair, which was straight and without a single curl, which was the way she liked it. Today, she wore a black dress skirt that reached from her waist all the way to just below her knees. She wore a light blue button up dress shirt that was tucked into the skirt. Her hair was tied back into a single thick braid that went to her shoulder blades. "Well, I've noticed something different today."

Rocky was looking through his briefcase as he listened half heartedly to her. "What's that?" he asked, absent mindedly.

She smiled, her red lips gleaming, "You're a hell of a lot happier today than you have been in a very long time."

His hands stopped in mid motion, as did the rest his body. "Oh." he said, "Well, yeah, I guess Iam."

"Is there any reason why that is?" she asked.

Rocky licked his bottom lip. "Um...last night, someone that I loved a long time ago....well, still love actually dropped by last night and....well things happened. I'm not going into the details with you, alright!"

"Hey!" Samantha protested, "I'm not saying another word about it. It's just, I've known you a few years now and I don't remember you being as happy as I saw you being today. And, I'm glad it worked out for you."

"Thank you, Samantha. Coming from you....that means a whole lot to me." Rocky said.

Samantha rose and walked out, whistling while she did. Rocky took a few deep breaths as he prepared to close up. One thought entered his brain though. I need to get a picture of Kimberly in here. He mused happily. Shaking his head, he finished his work and started organizing his things so he could leave without worry.

~*~

Frax had already summond Emperor Zedd back to the technology room. Zedd was now entering the room. They had finished with the reprogramming of the clone's mind and all that was left was for Zedd to bring the clone to life using energy from his staff.

"Emperor, as you have ordered, the clone is ready to be awakened by your power." Frax bowed as he moved back.

The being that would be Zedd's heir, Astronema, lay on a steel platform with leather straps holding down her wrists and ankles and one long strap securing her chest down. Zedd gazed excitedly over the clone, his plan was coming together rather nicely if he did say so himself. All that was left was for him to give the clone a little energy. "Excellent. Stand back." he warned.

They obliged by moving away from the platform. Zedd raised his silver steel Z Staff and placed the Z over the chest of the clone. With both of his hands grasping his Z staff, he projected his energy through the Z and watched, as his science team did, as the energy exuded from his staff and entered the clone's body. Lights flashed throughout the room as the clone's body began to glow a devilish red color for several long moments before Z brought his staff away from her and stepped back. For long moments, nothing happened. Then, the clone's eyes began to flutter open. After a few more moments of silence, she sat up, recognizing Zedd's face and immediately rising and bowing her head. "Father." the voice was Karone's, but it held a darker tinge to it.

Frax, Porto, and Finster all watched on with astonishment as Zedd raised his right hand and placed it on her left shoulder. "Astronema, my daughter." he said, "Finally, you are back and together, we will lead the Dynasty of Darkness on a conquest of the entire universe."

Astronema smiled evilly. "Yes father, I can't wait for the slaughter to begin."

~*~

Adam Park was dripping with sweat and persperation as he worked against the boxing bag. He had his dark hair tied back in a small ponytail, much like he did when he was helping Carlos out a couple years ago. He wore a pair of dark green sweatpants and a black tank top without sleeves. He was busy with his thoughts. For one thing, he was ecstatic about the success his long time friend Rocky DeSantos was having and he himself was enjoying tremendous success with his chain of martial arts dojos.

Over the years since Adam retired his Turbo powers to Carlos, Adam accomplished a few good things that he was proud of. For one, he went off to Angel Grove University and earned a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and he did that in just three years. During his second year of college, he was able to put all of his earnings, and a little bit from donations of his father, with earnings from his good friend Jason Scott and together, the two of them opened a single martial arts dojo. The dojo did so well in it's first year that soon after Adam graduated, middle of the year 2000, he and Jason branched out and made their single dojo a chain of dojos and hired a team of instructors to help run the dojos. Now, as the month of May of 2002 was here, their chain of dojos included eight dojos and five dojos in the city of Mariner Bay.

But that wasn't the only accomplishment for Adam. He also has written two science fiction novels, using his education from AGU. The first book didn't do as well as he'd hoped, but the second book was a lot better and he made a lot better profit off it. Relationship wise, Adam and Tanya Sloan pretty much ended their relationship back in the year 1999, after a one night stand on Tanya's part put a lot of things in perspective for both of them. Adam came to realize that he wasn't that upset about the affair and she was, so that spoke volumes towards their relationship. The ended on a friendly note, however, and she left Angel Grove soon after. He sometimes wondered where she was now.

Currently, though, Adam was not seeing anyone. He was content to just sit by and wait until he did meet that special someone. Adam wiped the sweat off his forehead as he turned and headed to the shower.

~*~

Back on the moon, Zedd re-entered his throne room, his heir and adopted daughter, Astronema, following behind him in silence. In the throne room were the warriors that Zedd had selected as War Lords. Those were Lord Algotha, Captain Mutiny, Hexuba, Diabolico, Prince Gasket and Archerina, and of course, his adopted daughter he deemed as a War Lord. And Astronema, Zedd had already deemed, was the Chief War Lord, meaning that aside from him, she had the most authority.

"My fellow warriors of evil....the time has come for our Dynasty to introduce itself to our enemies. The time to begin our conquest of the universe is at hand. And it must begin with Earth. Are you with me!!!" Zedd yelled.

Nothing but cheers greeted his words.

"Then, let it be known that the Earth will fall victim to the powers of the Dynasty of Darkness. Captain Mutiny...you and Hexuba will lead the assault against the city known as Silver Hills. Diabolico, you and Prince Gasket and Archerina will lead the assault at Mariner Bay. If those Lightspeed Rangers show up, destroy them!" Zedd paused. "And my daughter here will lead the charge against old Angel Grove with Lord Algotha assisting her. Understood!!"

"YESS!!!" they cheered in loud voices.

Zedd stood on the balcony as he looked at them. "Then, let the first wave begin!!!!!"

Chapter Five—The First Wave Begins

Tommy was just getting into his truck when the first wave of Zedd's assault on the Earth hit. One moment the streets were just like they were everyday, people moving from here to there, vehicles driving past. Then, in the blink of an eye, troops that Tommy had never seen before suddenly seemed to come out of nowhere and they were attacking the defenseless citizens without a care in the world. Tommy knew better than most that this was no coincidence. He knew with that attack from that Algotha character, that these warriors were likely from the same source.

Without even thinking, Tommy moved out and away from his truck and towards the warriors that he would later now to be called the Zedd Warriors. Tommy knew he was in trouble when a good number of them advanced towards him as they spotted him. Three of them that were heading his way pulled their swords from their sheaths, the sound of metal against leather resonating to Tommy's ears.

Oh boy. Tommy thought as he looked around quickly and spotted a steel bar lying on the ground nearby. He grabbed it just as the three reached him. He ducked and rolled as two of the swords came down fast, the impact of the metal hitting concrete hitting Tommy's ears. Standing with the bar, Tommy met the first Zedd Warrior that came at him. He used his bar like a sword, expertly meeting each shot and returning with one of his own. He engaged the warrior's sword, twisting it and bringing it down, forcing the warrior's upper body to move over and Tommy then thrust his knee at the warrior's face, knocking him down.

The other two Zedd Warriors came at Tommy then and Tommy smiled, feeling the familiar rush of entering a battle, using only his wits and experience in battle to urge him on. Taking a deep breath, Tommy advanced.

~*~

Several blocks away, Adam Park and Katherine Hillard Oliver were coming out of Adam's dojo when they saw the dozens and dozens of Zedd Warriors fill the streets suddenly. They didn't waste time to think or strategize. They went right to work, attacking the warriors and trying to help keep them away from the more defenseless people on the streets around them.

These warriors didn't have swords. Instead, they carried in their hands long silver staffs with a sharp point that they used to slaughter lives with. Some of the warriors already had blood dripping off their staffs. Adam ran ahead and dove into the air, catching one of the Zedd Warriors in the chest with a swift kick. Landing, Adam twisted around and whipped his opposite leg across a Zedd Warrior's face, knocking the warrior down. As Adam's legs landed back on the hard ground, he reached down and grabbed one of the fallen warrior's staffs. Nodding to himself, Adam charged at three incoming Zedd Warriors.

A few feet from Adam, Katherine was holding her own against the surprising strength of the Zedd Warriors. She had just finished kicking one warrior in the midsection with her right foot before she twisted her body around, knocking another Zedd Warrior to the ground with the heel of her foot. Instead of backing off as more warriors approached, Katherine moved ahead quickly and dove into the air, thrusting her legs out in repeated fashion. One of her kicks knocked a warrior down while her other kicks knocked others back a few feet.

Landing back on her feet, Kat turned to see how Adam was faring. Adam was expertly maneuvering his staff against a stronger Zedd Warrior. Adam's movements were a blur as he used his quicker movements to force the Zedd Warrior off step before Adam thrust the point of the staff into the warrior's chest. Adam watched as the warrior's reddish eyes fluttered before the warrior fell to the ground, dead. Adam pulled out the staff and saw that the blood of the Zedd Warriors was an ominous black.

"Kat, you okay?" Adam asked with concern.

She nodded. "Yeah....but, what are these things?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, but I think you better grab one of these things. They'll come in handy."

Kat walked over to one of the fallen Zedd Warriors and snatched the silver steel staff. Turning back to Adam, she nodded. Together, they headed off in the direction of fresh screams.

~*~

At the Angel Grove University, things were pretty much the same. Zedd Warriors appeared out of nowhere and began attacking the students. They didn't enter any of the buildings, merely attacking any students that were outside or roaming the campus.

Fighting some of the warriors were three familiar faces. Andros, Zhane, and Ashley were holding their own against a hoard of Zedd Warriors. Lord Algotha was overseeing the Zedd Warriors' progress of the campus. He watched as Andros neatly sweeped the legs out from under one of the Zedd Warriors before turning and helping the young lady with light brown hair with two other Zedd Warriors.

His fighting style....I've seen it before. Lord Algotha thought, trying to place the fighting style with a face and was troubled when he couldn't.

The Zedd Warriors invading the campus grounds had the swords instead of staffs and they were moving through the entire campus, finding anyone to attack. Ashley blocked a sword thrust of a Zedd Warrior with both of her hands before she twisted the warrior's wrist and flipped the warrior neatly over and forcing his back to the ground, hitting hard. She followed it up by grabbing the warrior's sword and meeting another warrior's strikes before whipping the sword across the chest of a few other Zedd Warriors.

Algotha watched as Andros helped Zhane, the one with white hair, he mused, with two Zedd Warriors and then, the three of them headed in the opposite direction of where Algotha was. His enhanced eyesight let him see that they were heading towards the buildings were the students lived. Algotha silently followed their movements, a plan forming in his very strategic mind.

~*~

Kimberly's back landed against the side of the hotel as she was thrown there by a Zedd Warrior. She had just returned to the hotel after her conversation with Tommy had gone a lot smoother than she had thought it would. Truth be told, she had been expecting Tommy to lose his temper a little bit, but he told her that whatever problems he had with it, he would deal with on his own and she admired her ex-boyfriend for that.

There were two Zedd Warriors advancing towards her, their faces tense. She looked around and saw that the Zedd Warriors in this area of the city were equipped with only hand blasters and they were blasting at most of the city's taller building structures. There was smoke from fires filtering up into the skies and she saw that there were at least a hundred Zedd Warriors packing along the streets.

Kimberly ducked below as a warrior tried a thrust kick. His boot crashed through the bricked wall, causing pieces of brick to scatter to the ground. As she saw the warrior reaching for his blaster, instinct took over. She lifted her right leg and lashed it against his chest, knocking him back. She stepped up and grabbed his blaster out of his holster and opened fire once at him. He fell over with an audible thump. Looking down, she saw a thick black substance begin to ooze out of his wound.

"Eww, yuck." she gurgled.

Turning around, she saw several other Zedd Warriors attacking innocents all along the streets and she made an instant decision. While praying that Rocky was alright, she prepped her weapon and headed over to join the fight.

~*~

When the first wave of Zedd's attack began, Rocky DeSantos was on his way back to the penthouse that he called his home. He had had a headache from all the paperwork he had been handling and he was looking forward to the date with Kimberly. Then, in mere moments, the Zedd Warriors appeared in the streets. They seemed to come out of nowhere and Rocky had to viciously turn his wheel to the right when it happened. He quickly parked his car and exited, watching in horror at the scene before him.

He had taken his suit jacket off and left it in the car. He spotted two of the Zedd Warriors advancing towards him and he took a deep breath as he prepared for the battle he knew he would have to fight. One Zedd Warrior reached him first and tried to swing his weapon at Rocky's head. These Zedd Warriors carried silver axes made out of a strong and sturdy steel. Rocky ducked below the coming shot and raised his knee up, feeling the sharp pain of his knee as it impacted the warrior's chest armor. It did it's trick, though, as the warrior was in a kneeling position. Rocky took the axe out of the warrior's hands and raised it with both his hands and swung down powerfully, separating the head from the warrior's shoulders with a sickening sound of flesh and bone being cut through.

Rocky watched as black blood oozed out. He made a face before he faced two more Zedd Warriors with matching weapons. Just as the two warriors reached him, Rocky surprised them. He performed a perfect somersault, something he had been experimenting with in his training room. Landing softly behind them, he thrust the axe into the back of one of the warriors before he whipped his leg out, catching the other warrior in the face. As the impact backed the warrior up, Rocky pulled the axe out of the other warrior before he sliced the cutting edge of the axe through the warrior's throat, killing it.

After the two warriors were no longer a problem to him, Rocky felt the stinging pain. He glanced down at his left arm and he saw that one of the warriors had gotten a clean slice at his arm. There was crimson blood all over his arm, dripping off his fingers. The cut hurt....but Rocky knew he had to manage. He turned and began heading off towards the hotel, hoping against hope that Kimberly was there. He kept the axe with him as he went.

~*~

In Mariner Bay, the six Lightspeed Power Rangers had their hands full. Prince Gasket and Archerina were leading the Zedd Warriors in downtown Mariner Bay while Diabolico led a separate group of the warriors several blocks away. When the first wave first struck, Captain Mitchell, who was now based at a brand new and slightly larger base of operations for Lightspeed, summoned the Lightspeed Rangers and dispatched them to help out where they could.

It was initially Carter's idea for the six of them to split up. Carter, Dana, and Joel were fighting the Zedd Warriors with the two former servants of the Machine Empire leading them. And Chad, Ryan, and Kelsey were leading the defense against the Zedd Warriors being led by Diabolico.

"Alright guys," Carter said after being thrown to the ground by one of the Zedd Warriors. "Ready!"

"Let's do it, Carter!" his fiancée said.

Together, the three of them made their morphing call. "Lightspeed.....Rescue!"

Red Lightspeed brought out his Rescue blaster and began opening fire on the Zedd Warriors. His blasts knocked the warriors back several feet as they fell to the ground in a heap. Some feet away, Green Lightspeed called forth his Mega Battle Armor and went to work on the Zedd Warriors that were advancing his way. Using his "pizza cutter" in appearance weapon, he quickly defeated the warriors in front of him. Pink Lightspeed had her Rescue Baton out and was knocking down Zedd Warrior after Zedd Warrior, quickly fighting her way through the many warriors.

Several blocks away, the remaining three Lightspeed Rangers were trying their best to save that part of the city form Diabolico and the group of Zedd warriors he was leading. "What are you doing here, Diabolico?" Titanium Ranger demanded.

Diabolico laughed. "I am here on behalf of the future enslaver of mankind, you fool. Soon, my Emperor will have conquered this planet and you will be working for him. Warriors, destroy them!"

There were at least twenty Zedd Warriors barreling down on them. The three rangers split apart as the warriors advanced towards them. Titanium Ranger had his Titanium Laser in it's axe mode and was moving through as many of the Zedd Warriors as he could, his actions almost a blur as he thrust his weapon across one warrior's chest before moving and doing the same to other warriors that were advancing towards him.

Yellow Lightspeed had her V-Lancer out and was using it in expert fashion, slicing her way through the warriors much the same way that Titanium Ranger was doing. She performed her V-Lancer energy move to dodge through as many of the Zedd Warriors as her abilities would allow her to.

And Blue Lightspeed had his Rescue blaster in his right hand and he was moving from one position to the next, blasting away at as many of the Zedd Warriors as she could. Two of the warriors were knocked down, but a few more remained advancing at him. He blasted at them as well.

But still, there were a lot many more of the Zedd Warriors moving through the streets. And the Lightspeed Rangers weren't sure how to handle them all.

~*~

Another city. This one was called Silver Hills and it was just recently subjected to the rampage of a criminal from the future, the year 3000. The criminal mutant was named Ransik and he, his daughter Nadira, and a cyborg now working with Zedd, Frax, came here to conquer this time because of Ransik's hatred towards humanity. The conflict against six young people that were the Time Force Rangers lasted about a year.

The whole thing ended with Ransik learning a very powerful lesson. That humans and mutants were not so much different as he had believed since his initial creation. After almost killing his daughter, he gave himself up to Jen, a Time Force Officer from 3000, and was prepared to serve the time for his mistakes. The four Time Force Rangers that came from the future were Jen, Lucas, Trip, and Katie and once their mission to bring back Ransik had been completed, they had to return to their own time, even though it hurt them all to do so as they had become attached to Wes Collins, the Red Time Force Ranger.

As the first wave struck through the city of Silver Hills, Wes and his partner in the Silver Guardians (a group created by Mr. Collins to protect the city) Eric Myers, also known as the Quantum Ranger, were on duty, helping people when crimes were taking place. But, when the Zedd Warriors erupted through the streets, they were two of the first people to begin fighting back the evil threat.

Both Wes and Eric were in their Time Force Ranger suits. Wes was in the Time Force Red suit and Eric was in his Quantum Ranger suits as they used their powerful weapons to battle the Zedd Warriors. Red Time Force had his Chrono Sabers in his hands as he advanced towards the oncoming Zedd Warriors. "Time Strike!" Time Force Red called loudly as he dove into the air to perform the powerful attack. The Zedd Warriors advancing towards him were thrown back due to the force of the powerful energy that surged at them. Time Force Red landed swiftly on the ground and turned to face more of the Zedd Warriors.

Across from him, Quantum Ranger was busy fighting his own advancing Zedd Warriors. After he blocked a shot from a warrior's sword, Quantum Ranger decided to end this short battle with them by putting his weapon away and using a much more powerful weapon that he had at his disposal. "Quantum Mega Battle!" he called out, feeling the powerful rush as the energy surged through his body when the powerful armor surrounded his Quantum suit. Quantum Ranger utilized the energy attack at his disposal by activating the armor. And he watched as the Zedd Warriors were thrown to the ground, grunting in pain as the energy knocked them down.

Quantum Ranger went to stand next to Time Force Red and they watched as the Silver Guardians began to help push back the first wave that was erupting through the city. With renewed effort, they joined in to help their team out.

Chapter Six—The Aftermath of the First Wave

Just as quickly and mysteriously as the Zedd Warriors had appeared on the streets of the three cities, they had begun to turn back when the War Lords leading them gave them the order. Within minutes, the cities were no longer in danger of being destroyed as they were empty of the dangerous threat. In Angel Grove, Tommy was standing in the center of one of, what was usually a busy street, the street as he surveyed the damage that the Zedd Warriors had caused.

Looking all around him, Tommy Oliver could hardly believe the damage left from the first wave of what Tommy was beginning to realize was an assault against the planet. Along the sides of the street he was standing on, there were piles of plaster, bricks, rocks, and glass from numerous buildings scattered everywhere. The scents of smoke from flames was in the air and a lot of smoke was coming from a lot of the buildings that outlined the sides of the street. People were moaning and gasping, some of them merely favoring a body part while others, the unlucky ones, were lying there on the ground, unmoving, a bloody mess.

Tommy swallowed once as he hoped beyond all hope that his wife was okay. She had told him that morning, just before they left for the Observatory, that she was going to help Adam at one of his dojos. Adam needed help with one of his classes and since Tommy was busy most of the time, she had volunteered. Now, Tommy was beginning to fear for her. But, Tommy knew that it would be a while before she would get to him as her natural instincts would be into helping the hurt. And Tommy knew that that was what he should start on. Taking a deep breath, Tommy moved over to help the people on the grounds.

Tommy's clothing, though, was a shredded mess. There were multiple tears on the front part of his shirt, a large tear in the center of his back and multiple smaller tears throughout the sleeves. Tommy had a few scratches along his face and arms, but mostly, that was all. He stopped thinking about his appearance as he started helping people out. He knew it might be a few hours before he got to Kat. He didn't even know where she was.

~*~

Several miles away from Tommy's position, still in Angel Grove, Adam Park and Katherine Hillard Oliver stared in bewilderment as the attacks pulled back until the Zedd Warriors were no longer visible and the War Lords that were leading them disappeared as well. After a moment, Katherine walked over to a young woman no more than eighteen years old who was holding her knee and visibly flinching when she moved.

"Easy." Kat said in a soothing voice.

The girl, with dark hair and hazel eyes, looked up at her with an anguished face. "What happened? What were those things?" she asked in a quaking voice.

Katherine pursed her lips, hoping to calm the girl so she could help her leg. "I'm sorry....I don't know the answer to those questions. What's your name? My name's Kat and this is my friend Adam."

The girl smiled at them. "I'm Daphne Wilson. I was trying to get back to my hotel when I was attacked. One of those armored guys hit my knee with his axe. I crawled out of sight ever since."

"Well Daphne," Adam knelt, his dirt smudged face looking at her face, "I think you were wise to stay out of the way. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened. We're gonna try to help you however we can, alright."

She nodded once. "Thank you." she said, wrapping her fingers around his wrist and giving it a squeeze.

Looking at her young and innocent face, Adam felt his face creasing into a relaxed smile. It seemed to happen without his knowing it. Katherine hid a knowing grin, knowing that's how her relationship with Tommy started to happen. After she was freed from Rita's control, that is.

Kat left Adam with Daphne and rose, glancing down the street they were near. There were numerous vehicles stopped, some covered in flames while others were destroyed, chunks of the cars or trucks scattered everywhere. Kat had left the house wearing a light pink t-shirt tucked into a pair of faded black jeans. There were a few tears on the sides and fronts of the jeans and her shirt was covered in grime, dirt, and smooth stains. She had dirt smudges all over her face and her hair was darkened as a result of dirt. A thick code of sweat covered all of her skin and she raked her eyes up and down the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of her husband.

So far, though, he was nowhere to be seen. And she knew he wouldn't have any idea where she was just as she didn't have any idea where he was. She shook her head as she committed herself into the task she knew she had to do. She turned and helped as many people as she could until the medical people arrived.

~*~

About twenty blocks away from that part of the city, Kimberly Hart rubbed her aching eyes as she sat up. She had been thrown to the ground by one of the Zedd Warriors and the warrior had a blaster in his hands, pointed directly at her face. Other warriors had gotten her blasters from her and they'd double attacked her, leaving her hurt and injured as she struggle to come to terms with the reality that she was about to die.

Then, she watched as the warrior looked up for a moment then nodded it's green scaled face before holstering it's weapon before it moved forward and kicked her in the face. The blow, she now realized, had knocked her unconscious. She knew she hadn't been out long because there were dozens of people either hurt, dying, or already on their way to heaven or hell. There was a long horizontal tear in the front of her shirt, exposing dirt covered skin of her stomach. She had a few light scratches on her cheeks and a bloodied nose. A small cut on her forehead also. The blood had already dried on her face and the cuts had stopped bleeding.

Kimberly rose to her feet as she walked down the street, wincing at the pain in her legs from the battle. Her first thoughts were on Rocky and where he was....if he was okay. Her hair was in a disarray and as she glanced down the street, she saw parts of many buildings crumpled along the streets, some part of the building trapping people under it. Paramedics had already arrived and they were helping the dying and the severely wounded. Other paramedics were helping the others that were wounded. Police officers had also arrived, as did firefighters and together, the two units of people were trying to help get people out from under the heavy pieces of the buildings. Kimberly realized she should be going to find her new boyfriend, but something inside her told her he was alright and that she should put her attention on helping the wounded. And so, with a sigh, that's what she began to do.

~*~

At the University of Angel Grove, the six Space Rangers were walking along the campus. They were unmorphed and there wasn't much for them to do now that the battle was over. Police, firefighters, and the paramedics had already arrived and began helping the injured. Those that had recognized their faces kept trying to ask them what those things were that attacked them and it was with great sadness that none of them could offer a positive answer.

Andros and Ashley were walking closer together. Andros's left arm was draped over Ashley's shoulders in silent comfort and Ashley leaned her head on his shoulder. Both of their faces were grim and covered with sweat and dirt. TJ and Carlos, a few feet away, were much the same in appearance. Their clothing tore and dirty, as was their faces as they gazed at the scenery around them. Zhane's usual pretty silk silver shirt was covered in dirt, as was his face. Much like it was during the Countdown to Destruction battle. Cassie looked like the rest of them, her sleeveless shirt tore in so many different places it was pitiful. As her eyes glanced at Ashley and Andros, she felt a strong pang in her heart because her thoughts kept going to back to her secret girlfriend, Lynn Morris.

She was with Lynn when the first wave struck. The two young women were snuggled together in Lynn's single bed, watching the television. Although they had agreed to the dinner at seven, Cassie felt the need to go back to Lynn's and just stay with her. They had been watching the television, a romantic movie on the screen when they realized there was an attack going on. After they had gotten outside, they had seen the warriors attacking. Since Cassie knew that Lynn didn't know much martial arts or defense in general, she had taken it upon herself to protect her lover as best she could. She still remembered turning around and....seeing Lynn leaning against the dorm's wall, holding her elbow. She had a cut over her forehead and it was bleeding slightly but she had urged Cassie to go help her friends because Lynn knew Cassie was worried about them. Cassie made Lynn promise to stay indoors before she did leave, though.

And so, seeing Andros and Ashley comforting each other, Cassie made her mind up. She wasn't about to ignore her personal feelings any longer. She turned around and faced her five friends. "Hey...um....guys?" she began.

Ashley rose her head from her boyfriend's shoulder and looked at her. "What is it, Cassie?" she asked.

"I um.....need to go see someone. I can't really explain right now, but I'm going to have something to tell you guys tonight. Alright?" Cassie didn't wait for a response from them, she just turned and left, heading in the general direction of Lynn's dorm and leaving her friends watching her leave, confused.

"What was that about?" TJ asked.

"I don't know." Carlos replied.

"Maybe she has a friend she's worried about." Ashley said.

"Or boyfriend." Zhane added.

Andros remained silent, but his brows furrowed together, deep in thought as he watched Cassie leave.

~*~

Rocky DeSantos hefted a large stone boulder off of an elderly man's left leg. On the opposite side of him was another man about his age, but this man was slightly more muscular than he was. Together, the two got the boulder off the old man's leg. The elderly man rolled out of the way very slowly and winced at the sudden jolt of pain that raced to his brain. Rocky was going to kneel to help, but a paramedic arrived and began tearing at the man's pants to get a better look at the leg.

"Hey," a gruff voice made Rocky look up at the man who helped him lift the boulder, "my name's Dave."

Rocky gripped the hand extended and gave it a good squeeze. "I'm Rocky."

"Been a weird day, hasn't it." the man said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Very." Rocky replied, but his mind was on something else entirely. The man seemed to realize it as he backed off and went to help other people. All around him, there were people lying, some already deceased while others lie there in helpless agony. Rocky's arm was still bothering him, but he did noticed that the blood had stopped and all of the blood already there had dried on his arm and hand. There was dried blood on his sleeve as well. On his face, there was a few drops of dried blood as Rocky's been hit once or twice by a warrior.

Rocky began walking down the street, in the direction of his hotel. He hoped Kimberly was there. There were already dozens of paramedics already present and accounted for as they helped the many injured individuals along the streets. Taking a deep breath, Rocky moved faster....more along the lines of a jog than fast walking as he hurried to get to the hotel and Kimberly.

~*~

In Mariner Bay, there was much less damage and the casualties of the battle were far less than what had happened in Angel Grove. There were about eight buildings left in ruins and less than a hundred people were injured. And the injuries were not life threatening. Only eight lives had been lost during the attack and Captain Mitchell considered that a great relief as he and dozens of other Lightspeed officers swarmed the streets to help those that were injured. As he walked, without his military jacket on, he saw his rangers, unmorphed, walking towards him.

He saw that their faces were grim, not expecting an attack on their fair city ever again since Queen Bansheera's threat had been dealt with and taken care of. The Lightspeed Rangers wore the new Rescue jackets that Captain Mitchell had ordered made. He had understood their desire to give their old ones to the Time Force Rangers, but he also wanted them to have their own jackets.

"Rangers, how are you all feeling?" Captain Mitchell asked.

Carter wiped his forehead with the back of his left hand. "I don't know about the rest of you, but, I'm exhausted and I think I pulled something in my leg." Carter grimaced.

"Yeah, all I wanna do right now is take a nice hot bath and cuddle with Angela." Joel stated, taking his cowboy hat off his head.

"Well," the Captain said, "in a couple hours, you'll be able to do just that. I've already been given the reports throughout the city. Thankfully, there wasn't much damage done to the city and the injuries are small, but there was some lives that were lost."

They were silent as they digested that.

"Captain," Chad voiced, "what were those things? They looked like mutants kind of."

The Lightspeed Captain put his hands on his hips. "I'm not sure what they were, Chad. If they were mutants, they work for a very different leader than Queen Bansheera. I'm more entitled to believe that they work for someone who's been believed to no longer be a threat to Earth."

"What are you talking about dad?" Dana questioned, her hand squeezing Carter's.

Captain Mitchell sighed, "did any of you notice what every single one of thoes armored warriors had in common?"

"Just that their armor was all silver." Ryan noticed.

"Not just that," the Captain paused, "there was a letter on all of their chest armor. The letter was the same on all of them. Some of them had the letter in a different color, but it was the same letter."

"I didn't notice it. I was too busy trying to keep them from harming anyone." Kelsey said.

Mitchell nodded. "They all had the letter Z. Do you all remember anyone where that letter is significant?"

Realization dawned on Carter's face, but he didn't want to believe it. "You're talking about Lord Zedd, aren't you?"

The Captain nodded.

"But dad....that's impossible." Dana declared.

"Yeah, that Zedd guy's gone." Joel said.

Captain Mitchell didn't say anything else. He knew what they were thinking. It was impossible for Zedd to be behind this, yet somehow, it was possible.

~*~

Silver Hills was a little worse off than Mariner Bay, but nothing compared to Angel Grove. A third of the buildings in the city were destroyed and there were a lot of people being taken to the hospital. Wes Collins took a deep breath as he gazed at the scene before him. Scattered all over the city's streets were parts of the destroyed buildings and dried blood stains from the people's bodies. It looked much the same as when Ransik launched his full assault on the city.

Wes was wearing his Silver Guardians uniform. When the day began, he had his full suit on, even with the red beret like Eric's. Now, the beret was forgotten and most of his suit was shredded from battling Zedd Warriors. Beside him, Eric had much the same look on him. The way Eric looked reminded Wes of the conversation they had back when Doomtron was tearing through the city.

"What is it with you!? For years, I've tried to be your friend. But, you don't want anything to do with me!" Wes had stated in frustration at Eric's attitude. He had stared at Eric for a long moment before the other man had replied.

"My friend....you don't even know anything about me...Wes." Eric had said, "I had nothing...I was dirt poor. And I have struggled for as long as I can remember," Eric had paused, "to pull my life out of the gutter. No one'd help me...not even for one minute. Unlike you...who's had everything handed to him....on a silver platter." he'd paused again. "YOU and I have NOTHING in common."

Wes had stared at him..then at the ground, knowing most of the words to be true. But he also knew that he and Eric did have one thing in common and he was going to tell Eric that. "NO...we may have grown up differently....but we have a lot in common. We both fought to change our destinies and we BOTH succeeded." he'd realized Eric wasn't believing him, so he grabbed Eric's wrist. "LOOK AT THIS! We are Power Rangers Eric....and friends or not, we're the only hope this city has right now. Let's do it!"

And staring into Eric's eyes, an understanding had passed between them.

Wes and Eric had become friends after that tragic event had faded and they led the Silver Guardians with pride. They still had their disagreements every now and then, but they got a long a lot better than they had. Wes looked up as Eric spoke.

"Guess there's a new bad guy in town." he said.

Wes nodded. "Yeah. Thing is...we don't know who it is, yet."

"I'm sure we'll find out pretty soon." Eric stated.

Again, Wes nodded as they joined the paramedics in helping the injured.

~*~

Just outside the city of Angel Grove, three figures stood, their eyesight allowing them to see the damage that was done to the city. They were the same three figures that had convened in the dark alley just the night before. One of the figures was the Phantom Ranger. And as he looked to his two friends, he knew what they were thinking. One of the other two figures standing there was a robotic figure. The Blue Senturion he was. The last figure, the figure that had been the cabbie that had driven Kimberly to the hotel, had a robe draped over his entire body, only his head visible to anyone who saw him. He had dark brown hair and a thick brown beard covering most of his face. He had hazel colored eyes and he was dressed more along the lines of a monk than anything else. And he could have easily been mistaken for a monk if not for one detail. Attached to a holster at his waist was a weapon. At first glance, it just appeared as a small metal bar, but the weapon was a powerful instrument that the man's people had used for millennia, just before they were wiped out.

His name was Deacon. He had no last name, nor did he have a middle name. He just was known by the name of Deacon. Deacon had great powers. Although in appearance, he looked human, he was actually from a planet light years from Earth, where other planets of humanity existed. Deacon was a powerful Sage, like Zordon.

"It's begun." Blue Senturion stated with a strong tone of regret and sadness.

Deacon nodded his head. "Yes. Both of you knew this day would someday arrive. The day when one invasion would trigger the InterGalactic War. It has been prophesized for eons."

"I know...but," Phantom Ranger said, "I just don't like it. This war, when it really begins to happen....is going to cause a lot of lives to be lost before it's over."

Deacon placed his arms to his side. "I am aware of all of that, Phantom Ranger." Deacon said. "But, the truth is....what has transpired today had to happen. The future and the very existence of the universe depends on this war being fought and it's outcome."

Phantom Ranger and Blue Senturion nodded, but remained silent. They knew the truth to what Deacon had said. But they also didn't like it one bit. And they both knew that things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

Part 1 | Part 2