Disclaimers: 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 Seven—To the Year 2002

The future was, as some people have said, not itched in stone and that a person's actions would shape and define it. The year 3000 was so different than a thousand years prior. The currency for this time wasn't in pieces of green paper and there wasn't multi governments running the planet. A single Chancellor ran the Earth with a council to help him. Transportation was mainly in flying vehicles and spacecrafts.

Still, Jen thought to herself as she gazed out the window of her apartment, there was things about the year 2001 that she missed that this year didn't even come close to having. Namely, just one person. Wes Collins. It had been just over two months now since Jen, Lucas, Trip, and Katie had successfully returned to the year 3000 after Ransik giving himself up to pay for his crimes. Two months since Jen had turned her back on the one person her heart told her was the one. She'd wanted so desperately to kiss Wes before they left, but something held her back.

Jen had gone about her usual business as a Time Force Officer during the two months, keeping herself entangled with her work so she wouldn't have to think about him. But, occasionally, late at night when she was trying to sleep, her mind would drift off and she would have intense fantasies about what her life would be like if she'd chosen to forget about Alex, and the year 3000 and stay with Wes. She knew it wasn't possible, but she still thought about it anyway. She paused in her musings as she remembered a conversation she had had with Alex a few days after they returned.

She had just gotten out of a shower and had put her pajamas on and was preparing for bed. He'd buzzed her intercom, asking if they could talk. Even now, so many weeks later, she could remember everything about that conversation and the pain she knew Alex had felt after they'd ended it.

She'd been standing near her window, with her light pink silk pajamas on. Her hair was soaked and combed back, sort of like he always had his hair arranged. He, however, was the consummate Commander of Time Force. He still had his white uniform on. They'd stood there, staring at each other for long moments, before their conversation had begun.

"I've missed you." Alex's voice had been gentle....and sad.

Jen had pursed her lips. "I missed you too, Alex. I can't lie. I've missed you too."

He had felt it. The way she had said those words, he had felt the word coming. "But..."

Jen had sat down on her bed. "But," she had said, "things are so much different now than they were before."

Alex had remained silent, knowing she needed to say this before he could speak again.

She looked down at her hands. "When we disobeyed Captain Logan and went after Ransik, I was so consumed with revenge, I couldn't tell what was right from what was wrong." she had said, "I thought Ransik had killed you."

"But he didn't Jen." Alex had stated.

She nodded. "That's not what I thought, though. But, when I first saw....Wes, I had a lot of conflicting emotions." Jen had said, "On one hand, he looked so much like you that I could hardly believe it. But, at the same time, he was so different than you. He was richer, much more arrogant and at first, I didn't like him much."

"Hm." he'd mumbled.

"But...the strange thing is, the more time I spent with him fighting Ransik's mutants, I more I realized that it wasn't his looking like you that attracted me to him, it was something else, something stronger." she'd looked into his eyes. "I tried my damnedest to ignore the feelings for him, but each day....they kept getting stronger and stronger. Then....you came back."

Alex had swallowed, hearing the sadness in her voice now. "Yes," he whispered, "I did."

Jen had continued. "When you came back to take the morpher back and fight Frax's robot, you were so cold....so mean to all of us. I knew you had to be that way to beat Frax, but it still hurt a lot." she'd paused. "Then, after you'd left, a few days after you left....I was standing outside of a church and I saw a couple come out, just married and I realized a couple of important things that I couldn't ignore any longer."

Alex fought to keep himself calm when he just wanted to curl into a ball and cry. "What were those things?"

"I realized you'd changed and that I had also changed. I realized that I used to imagine you and I getting married like that couple. But, I realized I couldn't imagine that anymore. And," she'd stood and walked to him, placing her hand against his cheek, "I realized that....as much as it hurts.....Wes was in my heart the way you used to be."

Then, Jen had retaken her seat on the bed. "I won't lie to you, Alex. I still love you very much. It's just...not the way it used to be. Now, I know that I am I love with Wes and not being able to be with him....it hurts very much."

Taking a deep breath, Alex walked over and knelt before Jen. "Jennifer, look at me."

Slowly, her eyes met his.

"Whether you believe me or not, all I've ever wanted for you is all the happiness in the world. Yes, my attitude did change over the past several months. And I realize I shouldn't have taken it out on you and for that, I apologize. And I know you love Wes very much, more than me. I've come to accept that. I don't like it, but I accept it. But what I do want from you is a promise that no matter what happens from here on out, promise me that we will forever be friends."

"I promise." Jen said after a long moment. Then, she embraced him in a warm hug, feeling his arms closing around her. "I promise."

Then, Alex had left and she'd gone to sleep. They had remained great friends since that moment as Jen had come to realize that Alex did accept her choice. A buzz startled Jen as she rose from her work bench. She walked over and pressed her open button and the two steel doors moved apart, bringing the face of her friend, Lucas.

"Hey Jen." Lucas said as he entered.

"Lucas." she said.

"Um, Alex sent me to find you. We have a meeting in conference room C in ten minutes. He said it was urgent."

Jen stopped writing in her journal and faced her friend. "Alright. Let's get down there."

Together, they left her quarters and made their way down the mass of corridors and hallways before they entered conference room C. Trip and Katie was already there, seated on one side of the oval shaped oak table. Jen and Lucas sat down on the opposite side of the other two Time Force Rangers.

"What's this meeting about?" Jen asked.

Trip shook his head. "I don't know. From what I've been able to gather, this meeting has something to do with that Earthquake that rocked Japan and China last night. Other than that, I have no idea."

They all turned as two Official Time Force Officers walked and stood at both sides of the entrance. Their suits were the same as the Rangers', with the exception that while theirs was mostly white, these officers' suits were black and Jen realized that they were the Chancellor's personal guards. Her hackles rose as she knew something was up. The Chancellor of Earth entered right after them. Alex followed behind the Chancellor.

The Chancellor of the Earth was a man named Dallas Corson. Chancellor Corson was a man of six feet seven inches height and he had dark raven black hair. It was cut and arranged much like Alex's hair was, slicked back by a come and hair spray. He had pale blue eyes and a clean shaven face. He was about ten years older than Captain Logan was. The Chancellor was a well muscled man and anyone could tell. The Chancellor's suit was the same as Captain Logan's with the exception that his was gold where Logan's was silver. The Chancellor stood at the head of the table and watched them.

"Time Force Rangers, I'm afraid there is a terrible situation that needs your attention immediately." Chancellor Corson stated.

"How can we help?" Katie asked.

Chancellor Corson stepped back and motioned for Alex to explain. "Rangers," Alex's voice was heard, "the Earthquakes that rocked through Japan and China last night were not normal Earthquakes."

"They weren't?" Lucas queried.

He shook his head. "No," Alex said, "Rangers, when the Earthquake happened, the history banks in our computer mainframes were wiped out completely and replaced with a new set of events."

Jen rose from her seat. "What does that mean?"

Alex tipped his head up. "It means that history has been greatly altered at a point in the past and that alteration is slowly, but surely going to began causing disruptions in our time so devastating that not one single person will survive. I have been studying the new history banks all morning and I believe I have figured out what exactly happened and when it happened."

They remained silent as Alex continued. Even the Chancellor was paying attention. "Do any of you remember your class lessons of an evil monarch called Lord Zedd?" Alex asked.

They all nodded, remembering the classes being taught at the TF Academy, teaching them about the many battles that the legendary Power Rangers had fought against the evil tyrant.

Alex nodded back. "Well, the history banks have indicated that somehow, Zedd survived Zordon's energy wave back in 1998, and he got his hands on a very powerful book. The Galaxy Book. Using it, he was able to expand his powers a thousand fold and use the book to create himself a new and stronger form, including a powerful new army. He used the Galaxy Book to resurrect powerful monarchs who were destroyed by various teams of Power Rangers. By doing so, he formed what was called the Dynasty of Darkness."

"What happened then?" Lucas asked.

"According to the history banks, Zedd became known as Emperor Zedd and he launched an assault against Earth. The first wave of his assault nearly crippled Angel Grove, Mariner Bay, and Silver Hills." Alex said.

Jen sucked in a breath, knowing Wes lived in Silver Hills.

"It was the second and third waves that caused the most destruction." Alex continued, "Soon after, the Earth was taken over by Zedd and humanity was enslaved by his warriors. Because of that, our time....our sequence of events is slowly being erased. I have been able to discover through the computer terminals that there will be a sequence of events that will erase our timeline. First, there will be numerous Earthquakes and other disasters to destroy the Earth. Then, the Polar Ice Caps will melt and cover the Earth with water. All lives all over Earth will die. And a new timeline will replace ours."

They all sat back in their seats, stunned. "Wha....what year did this happen?" Jen finally asked.

Alex was silent for a long, long moment. "2002."

"Oh no." Jen whispered, closing her eyes.

The Chancellor retook the conversation. "Rangers, even though the history banks have already been replaced, there is still a chance to set things right."

"How?" Trip asked.

Chancellor Corson looked at each face. "According to our history banks, Zedd's second and third waves didn't happen until around November of 2002. The first wave happened in May. There is a good length of time between those two periods. A length of time that you four can help change. I have spoken with your Commander and he feels just as I do. We are going to send the four of you to Silver Hills, in the year 2002. You will return there just after the first wave hit. You will rejoin the Red Ranger and the Quantum Ranger and stay and fight until Zedd and his Dynasty are destroyed."

"You mean....Wes wasn't killed?" Lucas asked.

"No." Alex said, "He and Eric fought during the first wave and they helped to push back the first wave. They led the Silver Guardians in pushing it back. Former Power Rangers helped push the first wave back in Angel Grove and the Lightspeed Rangers pushed it back in Mariner Bay. You will be sent back to two days after the first wave ended. You will rejoin Wes and Eric and fight Zedd's forces until he and his forces are no longer a threat."

The four slumped against their seats long after the Chancellor and Alex left, just thinking.

~*~

Night had fallen over the city of Angel Grove. Tommy Oliver's body was sore and hurt and he had been busy for the better part of the day. Once the warriors had pulled back and the city was no longer being attacked, Tommy had put every once of energy he had into helping as many people as he could. He still hadn't seen Adam or Katherine, but he knew they were alright because if Kat was injured or worse, Tommy knew he'd feel it.

He had just finished helping the paramedics put the last of the injured into an ambulance and take off. Now, he stood in the center of the street, now no longer with people. The police had taken all the bodies to the muliple morgue locations and had been busy calling the deceased's relatives to tell them about the deaths. So now Tommy stood here, not knowing where to begin to search for his wife.

He felt a hand close around his shoulder and he turned and sighed in great overwhelming relief as Katherine stood there, soot covering most of her skin. Tommy embraced his wife tenderly as she wrapped her arms around him. Off to one side, Adam Park stood watching the tender scene. It kind of made wish he had a partner and he wished that when he did have one that they'd be as happy as Tommy and Katherine so obviously were.

Tommy and Kat broke apart after a quick kiss. "What happened Tommy?" Katherine asked.

"I wish I knew. One second I was leaving the Pizza Shop, and the next....those armored warriors were everywhere." Tommy said, wincing a bit as he moved his left shoulder. Katherine, noticing it, peered closer.

She gasped as she spotted his shoulder. Through the tear in his shirt, she was able to see a purple and yellowish bruise that covered most of his left shoulder. "Tommy! What happened to your shoulder?" she demanded.

He sighed. "I got hit a couple times by those warriors. A paramedic already saw it and he told me it's just bruising. With a little rest and a couple days, it'll be fine." Tommy said.

Adam walked over to the pair. "I guess we should probably be heading back to our homes now, right? I mean, what's the use of sticking around here anymore?"

They nodded to him. The three of them started walking towards Adam's house, speaking occasionally.

"Oh!" Tommy suddenly said, "Guess who I saw today....just before the attack happened?"

Adam thought about it, as did Katherine. "Um..Jason?" Adam hazarded a guess.

"No." Tommy shook his head.

"How about Justin?" Katherine asked.

"Wrong." Tommy answered.

"Why don't you tell us, Tommy?" Adam said.

A snort. "Alright. I saw Kimberly today."

There was dead silence as they digested that statement. It had been several long years since Adam or Katherine had heard from or seen the former Pink Ranger. They didn't know what had happened to her, just that she'd won several medals at the Pan Global Games and had retired from Gymnastics after that.

"Wow." Adam breathed.

"Yeah, it's been a good while since we saw her." Kat said.

Tommy nodded, about to inform them of what she'd told him about earlier.

"What you two talk about?" Kat asked, curious to hear his answer. She wasn't the jealous type, but that little sensation was creeping up on her and she didn't like it one bit.

"Well....this may surprise you. Might even shock you....because I'm still having a difficult time digesting it....but, she came back to Angel Grove to tell a friend of ours that she loved him and it looks like they're a couple now." Tommy told them.

"Alright, you gotta tell us who that is Tommy. Between the three of us, we have a bunch of friends." Adam stated with surety.

Tommy was silent for a few minutes. "Adam, Kat....Kimberly's in love with Rocky."

Kat slowed down at that and Adam stopped altogether. They looked at Tommy with widened eyes. "Rocky!?!" Kat exclaimed.

Adam turned sharp eyes at Tommy's blonde wife. "And what is wrong with Rocky!" Adam defended his long time friend, havin known Rocky since they were preschoolers.

Kat turned to Adam. "I'm sorry it came out like that Adam. I'm just a little surprised, that's all. I mean, Kimberly never showed any interest in Rocky at all when she lived here, you know that."

Adam calmed. "I know. But, yeah I am really surprised by that, but....I think it's great."

"You do?" Tommy said.

"Absolutely. I've known Rocky longer than anyone...well besides Aisha. We've been through a lot and I know for a fact that Rocky had the hugest crush on Kimberly since the first day we moved here. He refused to make a move on her since we found out you two were together. Then, she moves away. Let me tell you something, Tommy, Rocky came to my house a couple years after he retired from rangering and he told me that he was in love with her. I already knew of course, I just didn't know if Kimberly shared those feelings."

"Guess she did." Tommy said.

"You mean 'does'." Kat corrected him.

He nodded. Together, the three of them kept moving forward, towards Adam's house.

~*~

Several blocks away, Rocky was just reaching the hotel when he saw Kimberly Hart running out of the front double glass doors, heading right towards him. He only had a moment to spare before she was there and he lifted his arms and gave her a heartfelt hug as she returned it. A paramedic had already bandaged his arm and he'd used a water basin to wash most of the dried blood from his hand and arm.

"Thank god you're alright." Kimberly's voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Of course I'm alright, Kim. I promised you a romantic date and we're going to have, one way or another." Rocky said as he pulled back to gaze at her beautiful face. He noticed the tears on her cheeks and wiped at them with his thumbs. "Hey, come on now. I'm here and I'm fine."

Kimberly nodded, closing her eyes. She'd been a nervous wreck ever since the attack had ended. After she'd helped the injured that were there, she'd gone searching for up to two miles within the hotel and she hadn't found him, but she'd seen the car she instantly recognized as his. She'd felt fear so strong it nearly blinded her. Their relationship was so new that she didn't want it to end that way.

"I know. I just got so scared when I saw your car." Kimberly said, leaning her forehead against his collarbone.

"Yeah, I kind of liked that car. I had already gotten out of it before it blew. After those attackers left, I tried to help as many people as I could." Rocky admitted. "I knew I should have come to see if you were okay, but something told me you were fine, so I just started helping people. As many as I could."

Kimberly nodded. "Yeah, I helped some injured people that were around here." she said before she noticed the bandage on his arm and the dried blood stains on his sleeve and hand. "What happened?" she indicated it.

Rocky winced as he looked at it. "I was so busy holding off those warriors that I didn't even feel it when one of them cut me with their weapon. After I'd knocked enough of them down, that's when I felt it. Paramedic told me all it was...was a mild laceration of my bicep muscle. It should be alright in a week or two."

"Come on, let's get to the penthouse and clean up." Kimberly suggested.

"Alright." Rocky agreed, draping his right arm over her shoulders and relaxing when she put her left arm around his waist. Together, the two headed back into the hotel, towards the top suite.

~*~

Jen entered the cargo bay of the Time Force Headquarters building with her black duffel bag in her right hand. Lucas, Trip, and Katie were already there, their bags in their hands. Chancellor Corson and Alex stood by as Jen approached.

"Alright, rangers. You have your mission parameters. Stay in the year 2002 until Zedd's forces are finished. Good luck." Alex told them.

Lucas, Trip, and Katie all nodded as they grabbed their bags and headed to the Time Ship. Jen stayed behind for a moment as she faced her former boyfriend and former fiancée. "Alex.." she said.

"Jen....let's not fool around right now. We both now that you're excited about seeing Wes again. And I told you before, you and I will always be friends. If you and Wes get together after you see him, that's okay. Just be happy and for God's sake, Jen, please be careful. With as much power as Zedd's absorbing from that book, he's much more dangerous than Ransik was."

Jen nodded, not sure what to say. "Goodbye Alex."

Alex and Jen embraced in a farewell hug. As they pulled back, Alex pressed his lips against Jen's forehead and closed his eyes. "Goodbye Jennifer." somehow, someway, it sounded like a permanent goodbye. And they both knew it.

Without saying another word, Jen headed to the Time Jet's combined formation and entered it. Within moments, Alex and the Chancellor watched as the Time Jet glowed a bright whitish blue color and vanished, on it's way to the year 2002.

After it was gone, Alex turned to Chancellor Corson. "Sir." he said.

"You didn't tell them what else the history banks dictated, did you?" the Chancellor inquired.

Alex's face twitched. "No sir, I did not. They needed to have their confidence in this mission. If I told them that the history banks revealed that they all died during the third wave, it would take much of that confidence away."

The Chancellor nodded. "I agree with you on that one point. But, I do think you should have told them about the way this Wes Collins and Jen died."

Alex remained silent, just staring back at the Chancellor.

The Chancellor turned and left the cargo bay, his two personal guard following closely behind. Alex turned to look one more time at the spot where the ship had been. Goodbye Jennifer...I will always love you, no matter who you choose to be with.

Chapter Eight—Emperor Zedd's Demands of Earth

Cassie knocked softly on Lynn's door before she reached down and turned the door handle to the right and opened it. She entered the room and looked inside. Most of the room was dark, safe for one lamp that was on that was right next to Lynn's bed. Lynn was sitting on it. She was about to rise and answer the door when Cassie knocked. Cassie saw that Lynn was relatively okay. She was sporting a white bandage that was wrapped around her upper left arm. She had a slight cut on her left cheek that had been cleansed. Otherwise, she was okay. Cassie breathed a deep sigh of relief as she walked to Lynn's side.

She smiled slightly when she saw Lynn's smile at her. "You're alright." she said as she sat down and took Lynn's right hand in both of hers.

Lynn tucked a piece of her light hair behind her left ear as she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." she said slowly. "I was pretty scared after you left though. I was....scared something had happened to you. Then, those things suddenly started leaving and then they were gone."

Cassie touched the bandage on Lynn's left arm lightly with one finger. "What happened?" her gaze swept to the injury.

Lynn looked at the arm then back at Cassie. "Like I said....I got pretty scared after you left. I didn't know if anything had happened to you, so I left the dorm. I got maybe to the Administration building before two of those warriors appeared in front of me."

Cassie sighed, dropping her hands to her knees. "I really didn't want to leave Lynn. It's just....I knew my friends would be looking for me. And, if they didn't pay attention to the battle by worrying about me, something could happen to them. I just wanted to know they were safe."

Lynn stood and walked to where she kept her small box refrigerator. She pulled a can of Sprite out and turned back. "You want something to drink?" she asked.

Cassie nodded. "Yeah, a Pepsi would be fine."

Lynn took out a can of Pepsi as well. Walking back over to the bed, she handed Cassie the Pepsi and sat back down with her Sprite. For the next few moments, the two just sat there, sipping their drinks.

Cassie closed her eyes for a moment, glad that her lover was alive and relatively safe. On the way over here, she'd been so worried that something might have happened to her and that thought.....frankly, it terrified her.

She took a deep breath. "I told them before I came over here that I had something to tell them tonight." Cassie said.

Lynn sat frozen for a long and tense moment, not sure of what she should or shouldn't say.

Cassie turned sideways, so she was facing her lover. "Lynn," she took the still hand in her left on and squeezed the fingers, "tonight, I'm going to tell them about you and me and hope they can understand. If they don't," Cassie sighed, "if they don't, it's their problem. It will probably hurt if they don't accept it, but I'll have you and that's all I care about."

Lynn turned so that she was sitting sideways like Cassie. She raised the hand that Cassie had been holding and layed it flat, her palm over Cassie's left cheek. As she began to melt when Cassie's eyes fluttered closed, she moved her face closer to Cassie's. "I love you." she whispered slowly.

Cassie's eyes reopened as she moved her face closer as well. Just a split second before lips met lips, Cassie whispered the same words, heartfelt as they were. "I love you." Nothing else was said for a long while after. Everything else melted away as two souls came together in a cry of blissful peace between two lovers.

~*~

Up on the moon, Zedd found himself enjoying the success of his plan. For three years, he had been planning this one moment. The moment when his first wave against the Earth happened. Now, as his reddened vision swept over the three cities that his forces had caused damage to, he couldn't be more pleased. Everything was going exactly as he had planned. The next aspect of his master plan was for him to make his presence known by projection.

Within the hour, Zedd was going to project himself into the skies of the planet. Every single country on Earth would see his form in the sky. Then, he would give Earth his demands and leave it up to them as to what they should do. He figured they would reject his off of them surrendering to him and that was actually alright with him. Zedd was already prepared for that if they decided to fight him. After Zedd had Frax rebuilt and reprogrammed, he ordered that all of the remains of the once powerful robot known as Dragontron collected and brought to one of Zedd's bases. And for over a year, Zedd's forces had rebuilt the robot, stronger than it was before.

When his order of surrender was refused by the pathetic Earthlings, Zedd would unleash Dragontron on Silver Hills and instruct Frax to destroy the entire city with it. As for the city of Mariner Bay, Zedd had a special idea in mind there as well. Using a resurrection spell from the Galaxy Book, Zedd brought one of the most powerful monsters from the Lightspeed Rangers' past back to life, Magmavore. The monster now merely awaited Zedd's order. And for the city he loated the most, Angel Grove, Zedd had something in mind for them as well. Zedd had already resurrected three very powerful monsters and he had them hidden in the mountains that separated Angel Grove from Stone Canyon. When the time came, he would send them to destroy the city. The monsters was the demon that the Time Force Rangers and the Lightspeed Rangers defeated together, Quargenon, the monster Magnatox that the Galaxy Rangers once defeated, and the mutant Angelcon that Zedd personally had cloned for just this purpose. With his order, they would attack and destroy the city, along with all the citizens in it.

After Zedd delivered his demands, he would tell the pitiful humans that he would send his Princess, Astronema, to Earth to hear their answer. He was only going to give them one hour to decide. Zedd knew that the world leaders would have more than enough time to convene through various means of communication and they would be able to tell the military base that was in Angel Grove the answer and then, Zedd would know which course of action his Dynasty would take.

With a laugh, Zedd concentrated and began to project his form.

~*~

Cassie Chan walked across the campus of the Angel Grove University deep in thought. She had just left the house, just off of the University campus, where she and the other Space Rangers had been living for the past year. She had done it. She'd been scared the entire way through the telling them of it, but now she knew she was relieved to finally have that burden off her chest. It had gone....well, it had gone pretty much the way Cassie had thought it would.

She'd explained to them that since entering college, she'd been going through some personal changes that had taken her a long time to finally acknowledge and deal with. She had told them that she had met someone during her first semester at the University, but she hadn't told them because she needed the time to figure it out for herself. Then, she'd told them that, over the two years she'd known that person, she had fallen head over heels in love with that person. Carlos had asked who the guy was and Cassie, hesitant somewhat, had replied with the name Lynn.

Her friends had remained silent somewhat before Ashley had spoken. She'd said 'that's a strange name for a guy'. Then, Cassie had found herself suddenly feeling the urge to defend Lynn's name and she'd said proudly, "Lynn isn't a guy. Lynn's a girl and I'm in love with her." she'd just said it and waited. There wasn't anything said after that. She'd waited a few moments to see if they were going to react to her news, but they'd sat frozen, not knowing what, if anything, to say. Then, Cassie had just told them that she'd come back later and she just left, letting them adjust to her announcement.

Now, Cassie was on her way back to Hunt Hall. She and Lynn had experienced a simply amazing intimate moment earlier and Cassie was still tingling when she thought about it. Afterwards, though, they had decided that Cassie would go ahead and spend the night at Lynn's. They had done it only a few times before and that's what Cassie was planning on doing tonight. So, as she moved across campus, she smiled as she knew she would be with Lynn very soon.

Cassie suddenly heard a very loud roar boom through the campus and, at first, she was going to look around her, but she heard the sound come from above her. Looking up into the sky, Cassie's eyes widened when the skies started darkening and dark clouds came together. The darkness of the clouds spread all over the place. Then, in the middle of most of the sky, clouds spread apart in the form of a circle and a strong and bright beam shot down. Then, a lone figure, a hologram, was visible to everyone who looked up. It was Zedd and the time was nearing.

~*~

In Silver Hills, Wesley Collins was just leaving his father's house large and spacey white house. Ever since his best friends, the Time Force Rangers, had left and gone back to the year 3000, Wes had decided to move back into the old house that he grew up at. His father, Andrew Collins, had welcomed him back enthusiastically and glad to have his son around again. Wes moved back because he missed his father and the fact that the Clock Tower had been destroyed by Ransik. Wes's father had promised him that he would have it rebuilt, to look exactly as it had before it was destroyed and Wes was happy about that.

Wes was dressed in his normal street clothes. His white sleeveless shirt with the red button shirt over it and the khaki pants tucked over the white shirt. Wes had just showered after the day full of fighting strange armored warriors that Wes couldn't remember fighting ever. He and Eric had parted downtown. Wes had changed out of his Silver Guardian uniform and into his street clothes and now, he was just going to head down to one of the pizza places and get him a bite to eat. As he reached his motorcycle and extended his hands towards the helmet, something in the sky made him look up.

A bright streak of light came screaming out of the sky, heading towards a spot outside the city. As it disappeared beyond his sight, Wes was nearly knocked to the ground on his back by a rush of surging wind and loud booming sound. As Wes kept his balance, Wes began to wonder what that object was. Instincts honed from a year of fighting as a Time Force Ranger against Ransik controlled his actions as he put the helmet over his head and hopped on his bike, starting the engine and heading down the highway.

He maneuvered through the streets with ease, having grown up in Silver Hills all his life, he knew exactly which roads led outside the city. Within fifteen minutes, Wes was there, slowing his motorcycle down to a slow speed as he looked at the craft that had landed. Just behind him, and in the sky above, Zedd's form began to take shape in the sky.

~*~

Jen, Lucas, Trip, and Katie were in the combined formation of the five Time Jets. Much like they had arrived when they came back to help Wes the last time, the combined Time Jet formation landed with a loud sound just outside Silver Hills. Alex hadn't told them the trip back would this jumpy. Jen thought to herself.

As the movement around them stopped being so loud and bumpy, the four Time Force Rangers released the collective breaths they had been holding and buckled the straps holding them to the seats. Getting up, Jen turned and looked at the controls on the wall. Sure enough, the arrival date on the monitor read 5 - 2002. Which meant that they had succeeded in arriving in May of the year 2002. Taking a deep breath, Jen faced her three friends.

"Everybody okay?" she asked.

Trip was holding his right elbow. "My elbow's a little sore from the landing, but I'm okay."

Katie, after hearing that, went over and gently massaged the elbow in question. Jen's lips quirked at seeing it. "Yeah, what was the deal with the landing?" she asked.

"We've never had that problem before." Lucas admitted, relatively okay as well.

Jen went over to the luggage cage and took their bags out of it. "I think that with the changes happening in the timelines, massive disturbances are causing all of it. That's the best explanation I can come up with. Come on, we need to get to the city and find Wes and Eric and tell them what we know."

The three of them stood for a moment, knowing she really wanted to see Wes for obvious reasons.

"Move it!" she barked at them after seeing their smirks.

They moved and grabbed their bags without saying another word.

The four of them, still clad in their white uniforms, left the Time Jet Flyer, as the combined formation was sometimes called, and stopped before they had moved ten spaces. Up over the hill that the Flyer had landed on, a lone motorcycle sat at the top, rider standing just in front of it, helmet still over his head.

But Jen could recognize the form and clothes of that figure anywhere. "Wes." she said in a low tone.

~*~

Wes slowed the motorcycle to a stop just on the top of a normal sized hill that overlooked a desert type area. As he hopped off the bike, he could see that the object that had landed on the ground wasn't from outer space, it was from the future. As Wes's shocked mind grasped that, he recognized the ship. It was the five Time Jets combined formation, the Time Flyer. And before he could think of anything else, he saw four figures walk out of the ship, looking back at him with shock on their faces.

Faces he recognized. Trip. Katie. Lucas. Jen. Jen. It's Jen! Wes thought with shock taking residence in his body. He slowly, but surely, rose his hands up to grasp the helmet on each side and started to lift the black helmet off his head. As he did, his face was shown to their faces. Swallowing, he saw pleased relief swept over their faces at seeing his face. Jen, Wes had faintly noticed, had smiled hugely at seeing him. Then, before Wes had realized it, he had begun heading towards her, dropping the helmet. Then, he saw Jen dropping her bag and running in his direction.

Before either Jen or Wes knew it, they were there, halfway between the other rangers and the motorcycle, embracing each other more tightly than they had when they had hugged before. Jen's arms were around his upper body while Wes's arms went her lower back, lifting her off the ground as they continued their embrace. Jen had her eyes closed very tightly as she started crying at the sensation of hugging the man she loved. Wes, for his part, was trying his hardest not to break down at the sensation of hugging her. But, try as he might, a few tears leaked out of his eyes.

Trip, Katie, and Lucas all had small smiles on their faces as they watched the two reconnect. It was clear to anyone who happened to see that the three of them were more than happy about the two hugging each other.

After several long moments later, Jen and Wes stepped apart and merely watched each other. It was Wes who spoke first. "I don't believe it. What are guys doing here?" Wes asked, holding Jen's hand and delighted that she let him.

Lucas stepped up. "Something's happening to our future and we're here to set things right."

Wes shook his head, hardly believing it. "I'm so glad to see you guys again." he said, then looking into Jen's eyes. "I missed you."

It was clear to all of them who Wes was talking about when he said the last three words.

"We missed you too." Jen replied, before taking a deep and calming breath. Then, she straightened, releasing Wes's hand. "We have a lot to talk about, Wes." she said.

Wes nodded, accepting the change in topic. "Alright, come on, let's get back to the city." he said, turning and heading back to the bike. The four TF rangers grabbed their bags and followed behind him.

~*~

Zedd's form took shape. Everyone and everything in the cities of Angel Grove, Silver Hills, and Mariner Bay could see his form now. No matter where they were, everyone could see it. He could be seen in every other country of the world as well. And, Zedd wasted no time in his demands.

"Greetings, citizens of Earth!" Zedd's voice bellowed through the skies of the Earth. "In case you have forgotten me, I am Zedd of the Zaruthian Clan. Once, I was called Lord Zedd, but that title no longer has any importance to me! From now on, you can and forever will call me Emperor Zedd. It is I who have led the attacks against your planet. As you have witnessed, my power has far surpassed anything you have ever seen before."

Zedd's voice stopped for several long moments, letting the people of the planet acknowledge the truth of his statements.

"What you have witnessed is only a small fraction of the power I now wield. I am communicating with you now because I wish to give you one chance, only one, to surrender to me and to my will. I am speaking to the world leaders of course. I will give you only one hour to find a way to convene with each other. Only one hour to choose your fate. If you surrender all of your weak humanity to me, none of you will lose your lives. You will be slaves, but you won't lose your lives. If you refuse my offer of surrender, my forces will flood through your cities, and I will not stop until every last human life is destroyed. You have one hour to give me your decision."

With his message said, Emperor Zedd's face and form vanished from the darkened skies and the skies returned to their color of the time of the day, which was around three o'clock in the evening.

Chapter Nine—A Prophecy Revealed

Tommy, Katherine, and Adam stood just outside Tommy and Kat's house as the skies cleared away to nothing but blue sky. They were still a little shocked at what they'd just seen and heard.

"I don't believe it." Tommy said, still shocked at learning the truth that Zedd was still alive and existing, much more powerful than he had been before.

"If Zedd's gotten stronger than he was, there's no telling what he'll do to Earth if the world leaders refuse." Katherine stated.

"Yeah," Adam added, "I'm not even sure if the Power Rangers can stop them. I mean, the Space Rangers."

"The Space Rangers," said a voice from behind them, "alone cannot destroy Emperor Zedd."

The three older former rangers turned around to see a lone figure standing there. The person was draped in a long brown robe and had his arms crossed over his chest. He had on a long white colored monk style shirt with loose leggings over his legs. A dark utility belt circled his waist. As Tommy looked at him, he saw that there was a weapon at his waist.

"You wouldn't be fast enough to take it from me, Mr. Oliver." the stranger said as he uncrossed his arms.

"You know him?" Katherine asked, taking a step back.

The man merely watched them. "I know all of you. You, Mrs. Hillard Oliver and you, Mr. Park. I know all about the three of you because I have been watching you for a good number of years."

Adam's hackles rose, as did Tommy's, as they moved into defensive stances. "Who are you?" Adam asked.

The man placed his arms behind his back. "Believe it or not, I am an ally. My name is Deacon." the man said as he walked a few feet away from them, watching the sky. "I take it, you are surprised by Zedd's return?" he inquired.

Tommy relaxed, as did Adam. "Of course we're surprised." Tommy said.

"We thought Zordon's energy wave destroyed all evil." Adam remarked.

Deacon turned back towards them. "As former rangers, you of all people should know that there is some evil that even Zordon's goodness can't defeat."

The three were silent for a moment. "How do you know us?" Kat asked.

Deacon walked to them. "I know you.....because it has been my duty to study you."

That confused them, Deacon noticed. "If you will come with me, I will explain everything to you."

"Where?" Warning bells were still ringing in Tommy's senses.

"I am taking you to the home of one of your friends. Rockwell DeSantos. He is your friend is he not?" Deacon asked them.

"Of course he is." Adam answered.

"Then, there should be no problem?" Deacon said.

"Why do you want to go there?" Kat asked.

Deacon sighed. "I promise you....all will be explained when we're there. But, I can't say anything else until we get there."

Finally, Tommy nodded. The three of them followed Deacon.

~*~

Kimberly sighed as she looked at her reflection. She was wearing a regular white t-shirt with a pair of blue jeans on. She left the shirt untucked. She had just gotten out of the shower and quickly dressed. Her hair was wet and combed back. The small cuts and scrapes that adorned her skin were tale tell of the day she'd had earlier today. She and Rocky had decided to forego their date tonight to just staying in the penthouse and relaxing.

Right now, Rocky was out on the balcony, just watching things. They had also watched the message that Zedd had given with a strange sense of foreboding. They knew the future, their future, was beginning to look bleak because of Zedd's sudden return, but they also saw hope in it because it WAS their future.

After splashing some water over her face, Kimberly headed out to the balcony. "Rocky?"

Rocky turned as Kim walked out onto the stone balcony. "Yeah?" he returned.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked as she stood with him, watching the city.

"Just thinking?" he replied. Rocky had also showered and he wore a plain red t-shirt with a pair of cut off blue jeans into shorts. Like Kimberly, his shirt was not tucked in.

Kimberly was silent for a few moments. "Mind if I ask you about what?"

Rocky kept his mouth shut for a few minutes before he sighed. "I guess I was just thinking that it really doesn't matter if you retire from being a ranger, you're one for the rest of your life."

Kimberly tucked her hand around his elbow as she considered it. "Why do you....say that?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Well, today, when Zedd's new troops attacked....my first instincts took over and I was fighting those things with a vengeance. I wasn't even thinking about what I was doing. I just knew that I had taken one of their weapons and I was slashing away at them."

Kimberly could feel the tremors going through his body and she moved closer. "Your right Rocky. When you take an oath as a Power Ranger, you learn a whole lot about life, about yourself, and about those you fight. You begin to have a sixth sense and even...years after you're no longer a ranger with powers, when danger surrounds you, that instinct, that sixth sense, is still there and you can't ignore it any more than you can hide it. You just have to accept it. Being a Power Ranger will always make you different from everyone else."

Rocky closed his eyes before he opened them a few moments later. "I guess that's the thing, isn't it? I'm never going to be able to put being a ranger behind me. It's always going to be there, always going to lead me into fighting first when a situation rises."

Kimberly didn't know how to respond, so she merely stayed quiet and rubbed his elbow with her hand. The doorbell at the front door rang and, because there was a speaker installed at the balcony, they heard it as well. "Let me answer it." Kim said as she turned. Rocky merely stayed where he was, too exhausted to disagree.

Kimberly walked through the living room and into the hall, where the front door was. She opened it without looking through the peephole and her eyebrows went straight up when she saw Tommy, Kat, and Adam standing there with a man she didn't really recognize. "Um....hi." she said, weakly.

"Oh my god!" Kat enthused, stepping forward and embracing her friend. Even though she'd heard it from Tommy, seeing her in the flesh was something else entirely. "You're back Kimberly, it's great to see you."

Kimberly hugged the blonde back as well. "It's great to finally be back, let me tell you. Though, I think I could've picked a better time to do it." she joked.

"Well," Adam said as he embraced his old friend, "whether it was now or some other time, it's just great to see you back in Angel Grove. It's where you belong."

She smiled back at him.

"Yeah, Angel Grove's your home." Tommy added as he hugged her, both doing it awkwardly. "It's good that you're back."

Kimberly closed the door after they entered and she followed them into the living room. She still had no idea who the fourth one was, the man in the strange robes, but she figured she'd find out soon enough. Rocky was entering from the balcony, the white bandage on his left arm visible to them.

"What happened Rocky?" Adam motioned to the bandage.

"Oh," Rocky looked at it, "one of those armored warriors slashed me during that battle. I'm okay now, though." Rocky told them.

Tommy and Katherine both sat down on the leather couch at the far wall. Adam sat down next to Kat on the same sofa. Kimberly merely walked over to Rocky and stood next to him. "I don't think I caught your name?" Rocky said to the stranger.

"Oh, um....Rocky," Tommy said, "this guy says his name is Deacon. He has some stuff to tell us, but he wanted us to come here before he would say anything."

Rocky gazed at the man for a few moments. "No offense to you, Deacon, but I'm exhausted and all I really want to do is go to sleep. So, can you make this fast."

Deacon pursed his lips, pretty much expecting that reaction from Rocky. "Very well, if you two would sit down, I'll begin."

Rocky sat down at the opposite couch than his three friends and Kimberly sat down next to him, her left hand's fingers curling around his right arm. Tommy, who watched it, merely tucked that memory into his brain. The five of them turned to Deacon, who was watching them all. "You going to start now?" Rocky asked.

Adam was silently surprised by Rocky's attitude here. He'd never known his friend to react this way. He didn't understand it and hoped he'd be able to speak with his long time friend about it later.

Deacon nodded. "Very well. Like I said before, my name is Deacon. I come from a planet light years from Earth. My planet's name is Dagon. I am one of the last surviving members of my people's clan. For eons of generations, the people of Dagon has studied and analyzed prophecies and ancient artifacts for the purposes of good."

"How far from Earth is Dagon?" Adam asked.

"Dagon is about one thousand light years away. On my home planet, there is a large temple that houses all of the ancient writings of my ancestors. And ever since I was young enough to read, I have studied all of the prophecies and all of the artifacts there." Deacon said as he paused, "When I was twelve, I came across a prophecy that warned of a war, a powerful struggle, between the forces of good and evil. The prophecy warned of an evil threat once defeated returning more powerful than ever before."

"You're talking about Zedd, right?" Tommy asked.

"Yes. After I read through the prophecy, I became entranced by it. I went to my elders and I told them I desired to learn as much as I could about both the prophecy and the wise Sage who wrote it. It turned out that it was written by a traveler of the stars who visited Dagon. My grandfather told me the story of how the prophecy was originally written." Deacon paused, "Grandfather told me that the tale of the prophecy had been passed down generation from generation by my people's ancestors. The traveler came to Dagon because he was seeking peace after spending much time involved in wars. He merely wanted to relax and live in peace. Dagon's always been a peaceful planet, so my people welcomed him to our lands." Deacon said.

"What happened then?" Rocky asked.

"The traveler had been on Dagon for a little over a year when he had a frightening vision while he slept. The vision was so horrifiying that his scream woke every person in my village up. The traveler went into hiding a few days later, staying in the mountains that surrounded our village. While he was in the mountains, the traveler wrote, detail for detail, the story of his vision. The vision became a reality and it became the prophecy. This is what he wrote." Deacon said before he continued, "One day in the very distant future, a powerful evil monarch, once thought long gone, will arise with a mighty new army and more powerful than ever to conquer the universe.

"This great monarch would resurrect evil forces already destroyed to form a massive Dynasty of Darkness to help him in his mission and it would take the forces of good from the past, the present, and the future to defeat him." Deacon stopped for a moment. "From the time I was twelve till I was twenty four, I spent all my free time researching as much as I could about the prophecy and the traveler. It took me fourteen years, but I was finally able to learn the identity of the traveler who had the vision."

"Who was it?" Kat asked.

"I will tell you in a moment. But, when I turned twenty, I left home in the space ship that the traveler had left behind. I spent seven years on the planet Eltare, learning the ways of their ancient fighting style and gradually becoming an Eltarian warrior. This..." he motioned to the weapon at his belt, "is the weapon that the Eltarian Knights use to defend their homes with. They call them Lightsabres. The years I spent there were hard ones, learning all the secrets from my master, an Eltarian known as Zentrek. And it was through Zentrek that I learned about the traveler to my world. Master Zentrek told me that he'd heard about the traveler that fleed from a peaceful planet because he didn't want to bring war to that world. He told me that shortly after he left Dagon, he was involved in a vicious battle with a witch named Rita Repulsa, a battle that cost him his physical body."

"Wait a minute," Tommy stood up, "are you telling us that the traveler who wrote this prophecy was Zordon?"

Deacon stood his ground, "That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"You're wrong." Tommy said, "Zordon would have warned us about some impending war if he knew it was going to happen here!"

Deacon remained calm. "Yes, I believe he would have....but, I don't think he was aware that it was going to happen to Earth. I also firmly believe that he hoped his energy wave would wipe out all the evil so that this prophecy he wrote would never be. That's why he hoped for."

"Well....maybe Zordon was wrong about the prophecy...I mean, he's been wrong about other things." Kimberly said.

Deacon sadly shook his head. "He's not wrong about this. This prophecy is true because it was written in blood."

"What?" Adam said, now rising.

"As I said, the temple on Dagon has many prophecies. Some of them have already come true. There was once a prophecy that predicted the arrival of a traveler who would receive a startling vision about the fate of another world. That prophecy was written in blood and it happened when Zordon visited our land." Deacon said. "I knew it was true when I studied it, I just didn't know what planet it would be."

The five of them were silent for a long few moments. "How did you learn it was Earth, then?" Kimberly asked slowly.

Deacon noticed their eyes on him. "Written on the prophecy were signs at which one could tell of the planet. One of the signs would be that the evil ruler would have already fought many legendary battles on the planet and lost. One of the other signs was that it would be the planet where a powerful force of good existed. With the knowledge of everything going on in the universe right now, it wasn't hard for me to figure out that it was going to be Earth."

"Um....I'm glad we know this stuff....but, we're not even active Power Rangers anymore." Katherine said, "why did you come to us?"

Deacon slowly crossed his arms over his chest. "There's something else about the prophecy I have not yet told you."

Rocky rose and walked towards Deacon. "What's that?" he asked.

Deacon looked down at the floor before looking at them. "The prophecy includes a section on a rebellion formed to defeat the powerful ruler. And the appointed leaders of the rebellion were fighters known as the Morphin Warriors."

"Morphin Warriors?" Tommy said, question in his tone.

Deacon nodded. "Yes, the rebellion leaders were called Morphin Warriors. While I was on Eltare, I did my bit of studying in one of Eltare's grand libraries. I asked people about the Morphin Warriors and I was finally able to track someone down who knew everything there was to know about them. Her name was Ellista. She explained to me what Morphin Warriors were and I am about to tell you as much as I can about them."

"Alright." they prepared to listen.

"Any human being has the capability of becoming a Morphin Warrior. All the Morphin Warrior is....is a living being who has tapped into that powerful energy matrix known as the Morphing Grid." Deacon told them.

"The Morphing Grid?" Tommy knew of the Morphing Grid's existence.

"Yes. When a person or being morphs into a Power Ranger suit, they do so through accessing the Morphing Grid. When that happens, they absorb a substantial amount of Morphin energy. Whether that person realizes it or not, that Morphin energy is surging through their bodies, unchanneled. The more time a person is morphed into their Ranger powers, the more energy they absorb because they are continuing to tap into the Grid. Each of you possess a very large amount of Morphin Energy. I can sense it radiating off of each of you." Deacon stated.

"You mean....we can be these Morphin Warriors?" Katherine asked, astonished.

Deacon nodded. "Yes, it is possible. But," he paused, "in order for you to do that....you have to learn how to channel your Morphin energy and focus it into every once of your life force. Then, and only then, can you access your Morphin powers. And while I was on Eltare, I learned many meditative secrets that can help you channel and focus your energy."

They all nodded. Then, Adam stepped up. "Are there other ways, other than being a Ranger, that someone could have Morphing energy?"

Deacon walked to the glass doors that led to the balcony before he answered. "Yes, there are two that Ellista told me about when I asked the same question." Now, he turned around. "The first is if a Morphin Warrior or someone who already has a good amount of the Morphin energy in them is on their death bed, their energy can pass into someone else by a single kiss." he paused, "the second way, and this is a very important one, is through what I believe your Earthling people call....sexual intercourse."

"You mean through sex." Rocky clarified.

"Yes." Deacon responded. "I have read about instances where a Morphin Warrior passed some of his Morphin energy into his life partner through sex and together, the two of them were a formidable team."

"Will you show us how to access our energy?" Tommy asked.

"Yes I will, but only if you want to access it. Because, once you do....it's like being a Power Ranger again, you will be part of the fight against evil." Deacon told them.

Rocky sat down, looking at his knees. He knew Tommy, Adam, Katherine, and Kimberly were agreeing to it. He just wasn't sure if he wanted to do it. Then again, he didn't know if he even had a choice in the matter anymore.

Chapter Ten—Earth's Retaliation

The hour was up. Zedd was sitting in his throne. He had already looked down at Angel Grove and he saw that there was an assemblence of military forces lined up on the streets where Zedd was going to send his daughter, Astronema, to collect their answer. When they refused, and he was sure they were going to, she would order the destruction of the three cities. Then, Zedd would sweep in with the rest of his forces to take the remainder of the planet.

"Are you ready, my daughter?" Zedd quiried as he rose from his rock made throne. Astronema was leaning against the railing of the balcony. Her eyes watching the Earth. Now she turned and smiled at her father.

"I am ready to bring the humans your wrath, father." she said as she approached Zedd. She had her staff in her hand.

"Excellent. Go and take Lord Algotha with you. He will see to it that you remain unharmed while there." Zedd ordered.

Astronema lowered her head a fraction in obedience before she turned and headed out of the throne room, Lord Algotha following right behind. Zedd's orders to him less than fifteen minutes ago were to make sure no harm came to her while they were on Earth. And Algotha took his position within Zedd's Dynasty very seriously. He may be an honorable warrior, but he was also a loyal servant of evil.

Several long moments later, Astronema appeared on Earth, the dark leather that covered her body outlined the sun's harsh rays. Algotha stood behind her, ready to help protect her should danger arise at them. Less than fifty feet in front of them, an army barricade filled the usually busy highway. Camouflaged army officers lined up on the other side of the barricade, their weapons aimed at Astronema and Algotha. A man in a army dress suit approached them. Astronema's reprogramming allowed her to recognize that this man was a General.

"I am General Eugene McAllister of the United States Army." the General stated. "And I have been in direct communication with the President of the United States."

Astronema stepped forward, closer to the General and spoke. "And have you an answer to my father's demands of this planet?"

The General's chin rose in a display of arrogance as he answered her. "The President feels, as I do....that surrender is not an acceptable arrangement for us. He has given me the authority to place you under arrest."

Algotha moved forward, only stopping when he saw the hand signal from Astronema. Astronema moved forward with surprising speed and grabbed General McAllister around the throat with her left hand, leaning towards his face. "Do you really think you or your pitiful soldiers are strong enough to take me?:" she hissed.

The General remained still, suddenly no longer arrogant and very much scared.

"Algotha!" Astronema called.

"Yes, my Princess?" Algotha replied.

"Unleash Angelcon, Quargenone, and Magnetox on this city. Unleash Magmavore on Mariner Bay, and tell Frax to destroy Silver Hills with his robot!" Astronema ordered as she turned and began stalking away, vanishing in purplish red energy as she was doing so. Algotha, pleased to do so, turned and vanished, but going in another direction than Astronema had gone.

~*~

In less than ten minutes, Magmavore suddenly erupted out from under the ground of the city of Mariner Bay. He had his reddish appearance and he began blasting away at the city's taller buildings. He roared as he moved through the business district, destroying everything in his path.

The Lightspeed Rangers, who had still been helping people get to the hospital, all ran towards the spot where Magmavore was spotted. It was with great shock and disbelief that they spotted the monster that they had believed to have been destroyed all those months ago.

"It's Magmavore!" Joel yelled, looking at the powerful monster.

"Yeah, but how is he here?" Chad asked, disbelief in his voice.

"It must be Zedd." Ryan commented.

"Yeah, he must of resurrected Magmavore some how." Carter said.

"Well, let's send Magmavore right back where he came from, then!" Kelsey said.

The othe five rangers nodded.

"Ready!" Carter called. His friends nodded.

"Lightspeed......Rescue!" the five called together.

"Titanium.......Power!" Ryan called a moment later.

The six, now morphed, Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers charged down the main highway where Magmavore was stalking and pulled to a stop.

"Everybody ready!" Lightspeed Red declared.

"Ready!" the other rangers promised.

"Let's do it!" Lightspeed Red said. "Rescue Zords!"

The five Rescue Zords begin heading into the city as the rangers prepare for battle against Magmavore!

~*~

In Silver Hills, Wes, Jen, Lucas, Trip, and Katie were just returning to the city, having to have walked there since Wes only had his motorcycle, when they heard a disturbance through the screams of people ahead of them. They five of them started running towards the city, Wes's bike forgotten as they reached the cause of the pandemonium. They saw Frax, a being they thought was destroyed with Doomtron, standing there, causing the chaos.

"It's Frax!" Jen yelled.

"I thought he was destroyed!" Wes stated, watching Frax walk their way since he spotted their faces.

"He must have survived somehow." Lucas said.

"Well well....lookie what we have here." Frax sneered as he approached him.

"Frax, what are you doing here? I thought you were destroyed." Jen stated.

"Actually, I was destroyed. But, my new master Emperor Zedd rebuilt me and now I serve him happily. I am here to see to the destruction of your pathetic little city. And, I have a very special surprise for you to see. Dragontron, arise!!!" Frax ordered as he held a small mechanical device.

Suddenly, the rebuilt Dragontron emerged from the waters of the Silver Hills Lake and landed swifly on the ground of the city. At Frax's order, it began attacking the city, crushing the buildings with ease.

"Dragontron!" Trip said, "...but how!"

"My Emperor has many secrets." Frax said, laughing. "Prepare to say farewell to your city, rangers!"

As the five rangers looked on, Dragontron began using all of his multiple blasters and began firing on the city's bigger buildings, taking many of them with no trouble at all. Frax continued laughing as he sauntered off, ready to complete his Emperor's bidding.

"We've got to do something!" Katie stated.

"Then let's do something about it." Wes told them, looking at them.

The knew what he was thinking. With their morphers already on their left wrists, they nodded to him. Wes took a few steps forward, knowing they were already falling in step behind him. Stopping, Wes rose his left arm up near his face, his morpher even with his head. "Ready!" he called back.

"Ready!" he called back.

"Ready!" they answered.

"Time for..........Time Force!" they called together.

The five rangers went through their morphing sequence and, less than ten seconds later, they were in their ranger suits....quickly approaching Dragontron.

"Circuit....we need the Megazord!" Time Force Red stated into his communication device.

"Already on the way Wes!" Circuit's boyish voice stated from the other end.

Then, sure enough, the combined formation of the Time Jets was heading their way, quickly dispersing into it's five parts as the Time Force Rangers dove into the air, getting into the cockpits of each designated Time Jet. The Time Jets approached Dragontron, ready to fight the robot to the end.

~*~

Andros ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Just moments ago, he had watched as three monsters descended down from the mountains, all three of them already in city destroying size, and began attacking Angel Grove with a vengeance. He and his friends would have already morphed and begun to fight back the monsters had it not been for one teeny little problem. Cassie wasn't there. They needed her in order to call on the recently rebuilt Mega Voyager and Mega Winger. Well, not so much the Winger, but still.

Ever since Cassie had told him and the rest of them about her big secret, they'd all been a little shocked. Well, except for Andros and Zhane. Andros and Zhane had come from a planet and a realm of understanding so unlike Earth. On KO-35, the notion of same sex or interspecies couples was accepted and approved by most people. And Andros was wondering if Cassie had come to realize her preference. Certainly Andros had seen hints of it in recent years.

Andros reached Hunt Hall and immediately headed up the stairs, towards the third floor. Cassie had told them where she'd be and with whom she'd be so Andros had no difficulty finding the room. Stopping just in front of room 306, Andros mentally and physically calmed himself down before he knocked on the door three quick times, hoping he wouldn't be too late, hoping Cassie was here, otherwise they'd be in trouble.

Andros had been wearing a pair of light blue jeans with one of his favorite shirts over them, a solid gray shirt with a red strip over the shoulders of it. The door opened and Andros saw a young face with sun gold hair looking back at him with enchanting blue eyes.

Lynn saw Andros standing there and she froze for a split second, recognizing him at once as one of Cassie's friends. She recovered however. "Um...can I help you?" she asked in a calm and polite voice.

"Yeah...um....I'm looking for Cassie. Is she here?" Andros asked in return.

Cassie, who had been laying on Lynn's bed and watchng tv, got up and walked to the door. "Andros....what's going on?" she asked at seeing his anxious face.

"We have big problems Cassie. I mean....big." Andros put the emphasis on the last word.

Cassie caught his meaning. "Relax Andros, she already knows about our being rangers."

That put Andros at ease somewhat. "Well, Lynn is it." she nodded. "I'm really sorry for intruding right now, but, there's a problem down town right now and we really need to get down there and help."

"Lynn," Cassie gently nudged her lover away from Andros, "you stay here and I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?"

Lynn was about to protest, but she knew the look in Cassie's eyes meant she wasn't going to back down. "Just...be careful, alright?"

"You know I will, baby." Cassie said before she kissed her lover's lips quickly and joined Andros, who was in the hallway. "Let's go." she told him.

Lynn watched her leave before she walked over and softly closed the door. She leaned her forehead against the wood for several long moments, already knowing he was behind her. He always came when she was alone.

"Hm....and here I thought you were avoiding me." the sinister voice said from behind her.

Lynn stayed where she was for a few moments before she turned and regarded the being in front of her. He had shimmering dark hair with black leather pants on with an even blacker leather top covering his massive sized chest. A dark robe was over his shoulders and cascaded down his body. His eyes, though, were different. An eery shade of red and green that were so unusual to Lynn.

"I can't ignore you, even if I tried." Lynn said with sadness, hoping he would go away.

He sensed her sadness and approached her, a dangerous glint in his face. "Don't forget who I am....girl. We made a bargain. I would help you find someone to love and in return....you would deliver me the Power Rangers. Don't go backing out now."

Lynn sighed, knowing his words true. Still, she hadn't expected that the person she would love would be one of the Power Rangers and leading them into a trap against her benefactor was tearing her up inside but she didn't know what else to do. "What do you want me to do?" she asked, knowing she had no other choice.

"That's a girl. Listen closely and I'll tell you what you need to know." he said as he began telling her of his his plan.

~*~

The Rescue Megazord clashed against Magmavore in a fury of blasted shots. The Megazord had the Rescue Megazord Sabre in it's right hand and it was busy clasing against the monster. Magmavore was firing repeated blasts at the zord, forcing the zord back a good number of feet.

Magmavore roared loudly as he charged at the Rescue Megazord. The Rangers, who were inside the cockpit, prepared for the oncoming advance.

"Lightspeed Rescue Sabre, power up!" Lightspeed Red called. The sword energized and is suddenly looked like a blaze of fire as the Megazord performed its usual array of firepower, neatly slicing through the center of Magmavore's chest. The huge and very powerful monster stopped as the blade sliced through him.

Several moments later, the rangers were relieved to see that small explosive eruptions began happening all over his body before Magmavore fell to the ground, chest and face first. As his body fell against the ground, a powerfully fiery explosion erupted through the entire area, completely destroying the monster and keeping the city safe one more day.

~*~

In Angel Grove, the Space Rangers were already morphed and in the cockpits of the two zords they would use against the three monsters that Zedd sent to destroy the city of Angel Grove. The two zords were the Mega Winger and the Mega Voyager. It had been two years ago when Andros and Zhane had contacted their friends on Eltare and Triforia. They had merely asked if there was any way for the advanced technology of the two planets could help them rebuild the two zords. And both the Triforians and the Eltarians, who were allies to the Earth Rangers, gladly decided to help.

The rebuilt the Mega Winger to be stronger and more equipped than it had been before and they had rebuilt each of the Mega V's. And using materials from Triforia's soil, the Mega Voyager was even stronger than it had been before. The five standard Rangers were in the cockpit of the Mega Voyager while the Silver Ranger helmed the cockpit of his zord, the Mega Winger. Together, they faced off against the three monsters.

The battle had been going on for a little over ten minutes now and the three monsters were controlling the upper hand in this battle. The Mega Winger strolled forward with purpose, the Silver Ranger controlling it. "Wing Blaster!" Silver Ranger called. "Fire!" he demanded.

Powerful bolts of energy shot from the cannons of the Mega Winger and hit Angelcon straight on and with purpose. The monster was forced backwards. Mega Winger stepped up it's attack by transforming into it's jet mode and flying highinto the air before heading back down, closer to the monster. Silver Ranger again opened fire through the Mega Winger's blasters, this time the blasts having doubled the fire power and knocking Angelcon to the ground, a fiery explosion signaling Angelcon's demise. With one monster down, the Mega Winger transformed back into the robot mode and rejoined the Mega Voyager as they faced the other two monsters.

Magnatox and Quargenon stood as the two Megazords came closer to them. "For the glory of our Emperor," Quargenon stated, "we will destroy you or die trying."

From inside the cockpit of the Mega Voyager, Red Ranger spoke. "Then, you're going to die trying Quargenon!"

"Let's find out!" Magnatox sneered as he advanced with his Magnet Staff. Magnatox charged at the Mega Winger while Quargenon attacked the Mega Voyager.

Magnatox struck his staff across the Mega Winger's chest, making the sparks fly off the Winger's body before he did the same type strikes at different points of the Mega Winger's form. The Mega Winger took the abuse as it tried to maneuver around for a retaliation. Silver Ranger used his controls wisely, getting the Mega Winger in the position he needed. Then, the Mega Winger brought out the Wing Blaster a second time. This time, however, Silver Ranger put all access energy into the blasts and opened fire on the powerful monster. The blasts had the desired effect, quickly disposing of the monster known as Magnatox.

With Magnatox disposed of, the Mega Winger stood with Mega Voyager as they advanced towards the now wisely backing up Quargenon. "This is your last chance, Quargenon. Give up!" Red Ranger ordered from within the Mega Voyager's cockpit.

"Never!" Quargenon vowed before he summed his demonic guts up. He let out a vicious roar as he advanced towards the two powerful zords with purpose.

Red Ranger was ready for the advance, however. "Mega V3 Missile Mode!" he called out. The V3 Missile formed in the Mega Voyager's right hand. "Fire!" the five rangers called together.

The missile went straight at the monster from where the two zords were. Along with powerful shots sent from the Mega Winger's Wing Blaster, the V3 Missile did it's job nicely, destroying Quargenon with a vicious explosion after it hit. The six rangers cheered as they accomplished goal of once again protecting Angel Grove from the forces of evil.

~*~

In Silver Hills, Dragontron was busy using it's blasters to destroy as much of the city as it could. The five Time Force Rangers had arrived just a few moments ago and now they were in the cockpit room of the Time Force Megazord, Mode Blue.

"Destroy them, Dragontron! Destroy them now!" Frax ordered from the ground as he manned the controls of his rebuilt Dragontron.

Dragontron stalked his way towards the Time Force Megazord, Mode Blue. With the cannons on his chest, he opened fire on the Megazord. The force from the blasts propelled the Megazord back several feet. The TF Rangers quickly recovered from the force of the blasts, however. The Mode Blue TF Megazord quickly brought out the Megazord Blaster and opened fire, getting the desired effect from the blasts when Dragontron was forced back and down to the ground.

"Dragontron!!!" Frax bellowed. "Get up!!"

Obeying his creator's words, Dragontron resumed his attack on the Megazord once he got back to his feet. He still had most of his blasters in operation and quickly, the giant robot opened fire on the Megazord, blasting with all the energy it could muster. The Megazord wasn't prepared for the onslaught and it small eruptions blasted throughout the front of the Megazord as the Dragontron's blasts correctly and perfectly hit the Megazord. The TF Megazord hit the ground hard, the rangers trying their hardest to get the Megazord back up.

Dragontron advanced quickly. Revving it's blasters up at maximum level, Dragontron prepared for the final strike. But several blasts from beyond knocked the Dragontron back several feet and Frax screamed in outrage as the Quantum Ranger brought the Quantisauras Rex into the fight.

"Q-Rex, Warrior mode now!" Quantum Ranger called out.

The Quantisauras Rex transformed into it's Warrior form with quick precision and within moments, the Q-Rex and the Dragontron were squaring away at each other. Armed with it's arm full of powerful missiles, Quantum Ranger called for the firing of themissiles. The powerful missiles knocked and weakened Dragontron to a powerful degree while the Time Force Megazord got back to it's feet and stood with the Q-Rex.

"Glad you could make it, Eric!" Time Force Red stated.

"Let's just destroy this thing and be done with it!" Quantum Ranger called back.

Agreeing completely with what Quantum Ranger said, the two zords advanced on Dragontron. Frax, not ready to lose yet, ordered Dragontron to advance quickly. Quantum Ranger stepped up the Q-Rex's attack by using the Max Blizzard attack, continuing to weaken the Dragontron. The Rangers, in the TF Megazord, decided to end this battle with Dragontron.

"Alright, let's finish it!" TF Red declared.

"Let's do it, Wes!" TF Pink agreed.

"Time Force Megazord, Mode Blue Blaster! Fire!" Time Force Red declared, using the platform placement in front of him as the blaster. The Mode Blue Megazord, likewise, did the same, blasting with all of it's power at the Dragontron.

The battle came to a fiery end as the combined firepower of the Q-Rex's Max Blizzard attack and the Mode Blue Blaster's power finally destroyed the Dragontron, leaving Frax to scream in outrage and loss as he slowly retreated back to Emperor Zedd's Royal Palace.

Epilogue—The Dark Days Ahead

The battles in Mariner Bay, Angel Grove, and Silver Hills scared most of the citizens into staying indoors for the next two days. But, most of the authorities were out and about as they helped the people that they could and the doctors and nurses at the hospitals were busy with new patients and busy with the telling of the loved ones that people had passed away during the first wave.

In Mariner Bay, things had pretty much slowed down to what they had been. The six Lightspeed Rangers slowly, but surely, returning to their normal lives. In Silver Hills, much the same was happening, only to a different degree. Wes was having the time of his life getting re-acquainted with his friends and although the Clock Tower was gone for now, he had them staying at his father's mansion until the Clock Tower's damage was repaired, then they would move back into the Clock Tower.

And in Angel Grove, things were tense, but things were finally starting to slow down. Most of the citizens in the city had now adjusted to the fact that there were going to be wars fought in their city once again. It was going to be busy to say the least once again. Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Carlos, and TJ had pretty much gotten used to the fact that there was going to be one facet to their friend Cassie that they wouldn't understand. And even so, they reconciled with the fact that they didn't want to lose that friendship with her so they were determined to put forth an effort to get to know Cassie's lover, Lynn Morris.

As for the older and retired Power Rangers, most of them had gotten accustomed to the fact that they would soon have to be re-involved in the fighting against evil again. Tommy and Kat were, as always, aware of the danger but determined to do what they had to to stop Zedd and his forces. Although he had his businesses to run, Adam was also determined to help in the struggle against the Emperor. As for Kimberly, she knew the moment she returned to Angel Grove, that her life would forever be changed again. Even if her relationship with Rocky hadn't gone as well as it had, she knew she'd be changed by it. And knowing that...in less than two more days, Deacon would take them all to a secret location to help them access their Morphin energy, Kimberly found herself getting more excited by the minute.

But Rocky, he was the one who had mixed feelings about getting back into the battle.

The simple fact was that Rocky just wasn't sure if he wanted to go through all the pain, all the heartache, and rejoin the fight against evil. He still remembered how he felt when Justin Stewart had taken his place when his friends had gone from Zeo to Turbo. He remembered drinking a lot of beer to get over the loneliness he had felt after that. And it had taken him a long time to move on with his life and finally get his life back on track. He just wasn't sure if he was ready to become a Morphin Warrior and fight the evil forces again.

But one thing was for sure for everyone in all three cities. Whether they liked it or not, there were dark days ahead for them all.

End

Part 1 | Part 2