Man in Pink
by Jeremy Ray Logsdon

A snarling green snake-like creature suddenly rose up from the wreckage around them. Jay quickly withdrew a short silver weapon, known to them as a GZ-21, and fired. A focused blue beam shot from the weapon, striking the green snake and destroying it. Green slime burst from its insides, splattering over everything in a ten foot area.

"You know who these guys are?" Jay asked, tucking the GZ-21 back into his black jacket.

Dee knelt beside the remains of the snake. He withdrew a small glass beaker from a pocket inside his jacket and scooped up a considerable sample of the green gel. "First guess, I'd say Surlohi."

"Surlohi," Jay said thoughtfully. "B-49, Celestina constellation. Hostile?"

"They're the ones," Dee remarked disdainfully. "Not good for anything. Hated across the galaxy. I haven't seen a Surlohi since late seventies. This is very bad. Something big must be planned."

"Why would the Surlohi be back?" Jay asked. "And why did they crash here? Why Katherine's family?"

Dee frowned at his younger partner. Jay hadn't been on the force long enough to remove his emotions from active duty. Rather than give him another lecture, Dee explained, "Pure coincidence, Jay. They didn't come after her family out of personal reasons. It doesn't matter that Katherine Hillard used to be a Power Ranger. If she was still a Ranger, yes, there might have been a connection. Since she's not, this is just where that bastard happened to land. They must have seen him, so he killed them. The whole family."

A sudden moan came from Jay's right. "Katherine?" Jay asked. "Mr. Hillard? Mrs. Hillard? Tracy? Brooke? If you can hear me, make another sound."

"Jay, we've done what we were supposed to do," Dee said forcefully. "The clean-up crew is on their way here, and after that, we'll notify the city. I know it hurts you still, but when a civilian is injured, you have to let them die. No interference."

"Dee, don't make me do this," Jay said. "At least let me see if it's Kat."

"If it is her what are you going to do?" Dee asked. He was starting to get irritated with his younger, more inexperienced partner. The older black man sighed and ran a hand over his graying hair.

"Her family is dead," Jay said as he began to dig through the rubble. "Why can't she do like I did? Without the organization, I would have gone nuts after my parents died."

"Just because she was a Ranger doesn't mean she's MiB material," Dee said sternly.

"Katherine IS MiB material," Jay growled firmly.

"I must respect your enthusiasm, and your love to help others, but you have to be realistic."

Jay removed a large section of dry-wall, and suddenly found himself face to face with a rapidly dying Katherine. "Kat," Jay said softly, brushing against her face with his fingertips.

"Who-?" Kat stammered.

"Hello beautiful," Jay whispered to her. "Dee, she's alive."

Agent Dee scurried over to Jay and looked down at the attractive blonde. He pulled a hand-held scanner from his pocket and placed it against her forehead. "She can be saved," Dee told Jay after the results came back. "The call is yours. We can take her back to Headquarters, save her life, and try to convince her to join. And Jay, do not do this because of some crush you might have had on this woman at some point in your past."

"If she doesn't want to join?"

"Her memory will be wiped, she will be given a new life, and reincorporated into society."

"Is it - really you?" Katherine sighed, causing a trickle of blood to slide from the corner of her cheek when her mouth opened.

"It's really me," Jay promised her. "Katherine, I know this is a rough time for you."

"My f-family," she stammered. "Are they dead?"

"I'm afraid so," Jay sighed. At that, tears began to slide down Katherine's cheeks. Jay reached out to touch Katherine's shoulder and pressed a button on his watch. The two disappeared in a glimmering shadow of white light.

Dee sighed and pulled his left wrist up to his mouth. "You guys, we're going to need an organic dead mannequin to match the injuries of the body you've got coming in with Agent Jay. Get me a clean-up crew out here asap as well as the Memory Brigade. We've wiped people all over the place; there's a thirty minute window that has to be filled in. Oh, and 'Don, while you're at it, go ahead and have my papers for transfer to Manhattan ready. I think Agent Jay is about to get a new partner." Smiling, he closed the communications with the Headquarters. "Was I ever nineteen years old?" Dee asked himself with a chuckle.

Two days later...
"This can't be happening," Justin muttered to himself. He stared at his feet, unable to make eye contact with anyone, even his father, who had brought him back to Angel Grove for Katherine's wake and funeral.

Tanya frowned unhappily, tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of Justin. Katherine had been like a mother to him, and he was taking her death as though she had been his mother. She then turned to look at Tommy. She had never seen Kimberly and Tommy as a couple before, but Adam had given her the distinct impression that Tommy was merely using Katherine as a Kimberly substitute. From the looks of the former Red Ranger, his feelings for Katherine had been genuine, and her untimely death was about to kill him as well.

Adam fumbled with his hands in his lap. _She can't be dead. There's no way._ Rocky, sitting next to him, put his hand on Adam's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. Jason mirrored the move on his other side. The three were pallbearers, the only male Rangers to have served with Katherine in battle who were emotionally stable enough to carry her casket. Carlos, TJ, and Lt. Stone were the other three pallbearers. Even the other Rangers, those who hadn't known Katherine, were at the funeral, including Zack, Trini, and Aisha, all of whom had flown in from the other side of the globe. A morphed Red Space Ranger sat near the front of the room. The official story was that he was there for security reasons, but all of the Power Rangers knew he was there as a sign of respect for a fallen Ranger. Even Ernie had flown up from the Amazon. Everyone from Katherine's life was there.

Except for Billy. Dimitria couldn't seem to get in contact with Billy on Aquitar. Alpha Six had set up a continual message loop in the hopes that it would eventually be picked up by the Aquitian Rangers and relayed to him. The others just wished he had shown up, for despite never having served on the same team as her for long, he had felt a very strong friendship with her. Kimberly had remarked more than once during the past forty-eight hours she had always thought Kat and Billy would have made a good couple.

The entire Hillard family was dead. Their death had caused a stir in Angel Grove unlike any since Rita Repulsa had initially shown up. The entire family had been killed by an unknown species of alien. It wasn't known if their murders had been intentional or the Hillard family had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Katherine was certainly in the wrong place at the wrong time, as she had just that very weekend come home from the Academy in London.

The minister stood up to speak. The five caskets, holding the entire Hillard family, sat on the stage of Angel Grove High. The entire gym was completely filled, along with people standing all along the walls, as well as on several hundred folding chairs in the center of the gym floor. The turn-out was due partly to respect, but mostly for fear. Every single family in that gym knew that it could just as easily have been their backyard that the alien spacecraft crashed into, and then it would have been their caskets on the stage.

~*~

"Pardon?" the dark haired woman asked in a shaky voice.

"Do you want to stay for the whole funeral?" he asked her again.

"No," she spat as though the word itself were poison. "No. I believe you now. Let's go." The two left through the same door, their presence and absence unnoticed by all.

~*~

"Jay," he said firmly.

"Fine, Jay," she snarled. "Are you ever going to fill me in?"

"Now that you are legally dead," Jay told her, "yes. Just not here."

"Where?" she asked. "And why do I have to have black hair?"

"Please," Jay said, "everything is going to be okay. I promise. Would I lie to you?"

"You already have," she griped. "Apparently repeatedly."

"Technically, that wasn't me," Jay said defensively. "Are you ready? Besides, it was for the greater good."

"I'm ready," she said. She stood close to Jay as he lifted his left arm up. Pulling his black coat sleeve back, he revealed a black watch. He quickly opened the face and pushed a small black button beneath. White light overwhelmed them, and they disappeared with a few stray white sparkles.

~*~

"First off, we'll remove the coloring," Jay said. "Then, we'll explain everything. I promise. Follow me."

"Where are we going?" she asked. "And why can't I call you Billy?"

"Then we'll explain everything," Jay said. "Come on..., Kat."

Jay lead Kat over to a room attached to the catwalk. "Take a seat," Jay told her.

"Bil- sorry, Jay, this is all happening too fast."

"It happens to everybody when they first join," Jay said. "Have a seat." He guided her to a black velvet chair. Upon sitting in it, he tilted her back and guided her hair to a sink on a marble counter behind them. "This might tingle a little. About like it did when we put the coloring in."

Jay poured some clear gel on his palms and began to work it into Katherine's black hair. "If ... if I say no," Katherine said, "what will happen to me?"

"Then we'll wipe your memory of this, give you an alternate personality, and give you a new life," Jay explained.

"And if I do? I mean, is it like in the movie?"

"The movie was a pretty big joke," Jay said, "but Agent Kay had fun with it. He would go on the set and tell them what to do, and then wipe their memories and make them think they had thought it up themselves. Some things weren't quite right though. You don't ever leave the Agency. Ever. Well, I suppose if you wanted to, they'd let you, but it hasn't happened yet."

"Ever?"

"Ever," Jay promised.

"Do you at least have flashy-things?"

"Sort of," Jay said. Katherine was quickly relaxing. His fingers massaging her scalp, along with the slight tingling of the gel, was having a very soothing effect on her. "Not quite the same model, but the same basic effect."

"If I do stay, what will I do?"

"Well, it's my plan that you'll be my partner," Jay said. "My partner before you, Agent Dee, was transferred to the Manhattan Department. Of his own volition, since the L.A.MiB has a whole lot more action."

"Due to Angel Grove's proximity?"

"Partly," Jay told her. "This is where most of the really good older agents retire, and where the new agents with potential start. I doubt I'll ever leave here. You'll see why in a few minutes. Dee'll probably be back in a few years to retire here."

Jay's fingers left her hair to be promptly replaced with warm water. The gel quickly washed out of her hair, taking the black color with it. "Nice and blonde again."

"I'm still sore, Billy," Katherine said. Some of the universe's best doctors had restored her body to its maximum health, but her muscles still ached terribly. "Sorry. Jay. Now explain to me what is going on."

"Come on," Jay instructed. "There are two old friends of mine here I'd like you to meet."

~*~

"Zordon?" Kat asked. She stared up at the large holographic image of her former mentor's face. He didn't have the same fuzzy, blue quality as last seen in the Power Chamber. He was now three-dimensional and very detailed. He had short greenish-blue hair and large vibrant silver eyes. "I thought Dark Spectre had captured you!"

"It is me, Katherine," he said, smiling warmly. "Dark Spectre merely caught a holographic image, and we saw no need to inform him of his mistake."

"I'm here, too, Kat!" Alpha Five said, hobbling up beside her.

"Alpha!" Kat cried happily, catching him in a quick hug and immediately regretting it as pain tore through her aching muscles. "I thought you were on Eltare!"

"We told you we left for Eltare to explain our absence," Alpha explained. "After recommending Jay to the MiB, Zordon decided to work from here as well."

"How are you holding up, Katherine?" Zordon asked.

Katherine immediately sobered up. "Okay, I suppose. I don't think it's sunk in yet. How long has it been? Two days?"

"Barely that," Jay said. "You spent thirty-six hours in surgery."

"Are you going to tell me exactly what's going on?" Kat asked. "I mean, I know that this is the Men in Black, right? Like in that movie with Will Smith?"

"Sort of," Alpha said.

"We are the Men in Black," Zordon told her. "The movie actually was a pretty good representation of our organization. We are the Universe's defenders from evil alien races. The movie was made as a living tribute to Agent Kay."

"Agent Kay?"

"Agent Kay is one of the founders of the MiB," Jay explained. "He retired from active duty last year, and he serves on our Intelligence Council. The movie was his idea. He got a kick out of it."

"Well, where do the Power Rangers fit into this?" Kat asked cautiously.

"The Power Rangers deal with the homicidal maniacs of the universe, so to speak. Never entire species. Lord Zedd, for instance, is from a very peace-loving planet. He just happens to be an exception, and is so powerful that the Power Rangers were recruited to stop threats from him and others like him."

"Why the secrecy? The planet already knows we're being invaded by evil aliens," Kat asked.

"The Power Rangers handle those threats," Zordon explained. "We are more like Intergalactic Policemen. In fact, most of the species we deal with are not evil. You've noticed many aliens here in the Headquarters. These are all peace-loving aliens, many of whom work here in the L.A. chapter."

"Now the million dollar question," Kat said. "Why can't I call Billy, Billy?"

At that, everyone in hearing range of her stopped. They all turned to look at her, astonished that she had just used an agent's former name. "Resume your business," Zordon boomed. To Katherine, he answered, "As a Man in Black, Jay has given up his old identity. The man you knew no longer exists. With the possible exception of when he is in his apartment. Then he may be referred to as he desires, provided no superior officer is present."

"Kat, we know that this is a very big decision for you to make," Alpha said. "Becoming a Man in Black is a lifelong commitment, and you will have to weigh the pros and cons."

"What will happen if I say yes?"

"You will be sworn in immediately, given a new name, and assigned a female partner."

"Female partner?" Kat asked. "What about Bi-, dang it, Jay?"

"All partners share apartments," Alpha explained. "With the exception of married partners, and we do have a few, we never pair up agents of the opposite sex. We can't risk any sexual attraction."

"Actually," Jay said, "she's a lesbian."

Kat whipped her head in Jay's direction and gave him a confused, angry stare. "What about Tommy?" Zordon boomed.

"He was just a cover-up," Jay said, casting Katherine a pleading glance. He silently mouthed, "Play along."

"Katherine, are you a lesbian?" Zordon asked.

"I ... guess," she stammered, looking at Jay for support. He smiled his approval.

"Then if you chose, and it is your will, you shall be assigned partnership with Jay," Zordon rumbled. "You have twenty-four hours to make your decision. Jay, you are given a twenty-four hour leave of absence. Be there for her to help her make her decision."

"Thank you, Zordon," Jay said, nodding in agreement.

~*~

"Yes it does," Katherine agreed. "Can we go someplace where I can call you ... your other name." She didn't want another public display of shock at hearing her say an agent's former name.

"We can go to my apartment," Jay volunteered. "If you accept, it will be our apartment."

"That's more than a little weird," Kat commented as Jay lead her farther back to the apartment complexes.

~*~

"The apartments," Jay answered, pointing to the giant wall before her. It was divided into about four hundred levels, extending far below them and high above them. "This is where the Headquarters end, but they wanted all of the Agents to be an equal distance. Just in case of a surprise attack or something."

"Happened before?" Kat asked as they stepped onto the moving stairs.

"Not yet," Jay answered. "It's pretty secure down here."

"Who got the money for this place?"

"We borrow alien technologies and adapt them for the planet," Jay said, "like in the movie. So far, we've borrowed CD's, contact lenses, microwave ovens, air conditioning, and Velcro. Oh, and Bill Gates works for us. He's from Io, a moon of Jupiter."

"Bill Gates is an alien?" Kat asked as they stepped off of the escalator.

Jay lead them to apartment V-487. "Home sweet home," he said, pressing his palm flat against a green sheet of metal where the doorknob should have been. A beep sounded, and the door opened.

Kat proceeded to walk into his apartment, and found it surprisingly beautiful. Though the apartment was only one room, it was laid out well. The carpet was blue, the walls were covered in a pleasing cream colored wallpaper, and beautiful furniture decorated the room. A large television was set into one wall, and a pristine kitchen was at the very back. To the far left and right of the room was a double bed, both well made. A single oak door was at the far back, hiding the bathroom. "Can I call you Billy now?" Kat asked.

"Now you can," Billy said. He took off his black jacket and draped it on his couch. "So, I guess you're pretty confused."

"How did you end up here?" Kat asked, curling up on a recliner. "I thought you were on Aquitar."

"Katherine, my parents were killed about nine months ago," Billy said. "In a car accident. I told everyone they moved to England. After it happened, Zordon told me about the MiB. Immediately after it happened. I had no other family, my parents were dead, so I accepted. That's when we erased the memories of their deaths, and I told everyone they moved to England. Then there was the problem of getting me out of society. I didn't want people to think I had died, so I had Agent Kay pretend to be me. I kind of lied about turning old. It wasn't me, it was him. The Alien Rangers were in on it, of course, and I used the excuse of moving to Aquitar."

"That's why you didn't come back," Kat said. "Ever."

"Right," Billy explained. "As far as the state of California is concerned, I no longer exist. I've been here ever since. Billy Cranston will never be seen again. In about three weeks, Cestria is going to come to Earth and tell the others that I had an allergic reaction with some fauna on Aquitar. That way, I'll never be expected."

"That's so sad," Kat remarked. "To think that you'll never get to see any of your friends again."

"You won't either," Billy said sadly. "If you become a Man in Black, you won't be allowed to, and if you don't become a Man in Black, your memory will be wiped and replaced with an alternate memory and you won't remember them in any way, shape, or form. If we hadn't brought you here, you would have died, and not seen them anyhow. It was, in a sense, a lose-lose-lose situation for you."

"If I join, what will I do?"

"You'll wear nothing but black, you'll be given a new name, and we'll patrol Los Angeles and surrounding cities, dispatched to problems, et cetera. Basically, we'll police the aliens."

"Is it fun?"

"It's better than being a Power Ranger," Billy smiled. "Continual adrenaline rush. And some of the things I've got to see... it's unbelievable."

"Why are we going to share an apartment?"

"Partners are required to share apartments," Billy explained. "Just in case. If you are called out, I am called out. While on duty, we're basically one person. That's why they don't like to pair up any couple with even the slightest possibility of sexual attraction. Distraction. That's why I told Zordon you were a lesbian."

"Oh, and thank you for that by the way."

"Sexual preference is irrelevant down here," Billy told her. "There is one species of alien that requires four genders to lay an egg and another seven to hatch it. Sexuality is just that - sexuality. I could have told them your sexual preference lay with ... elephants, and no one would have batted an eye."

The two sat in silence for a while. Kat didn't ask any more questions, and Billy didn't know what to say. Finally, she spoke up. "What about Tommy?"

"None of the former Rangers are a part of our lives anymore, Kat," Billy said sadly. "And I'm honestly sorry for that."

"So I guess we've broken up, huh?"

"I'm afraid so," Billy sighed.

Kat looked to be close to tears, but rather than stop talking, she continued pushing. "Will I ever have a family?"

"No," Billy said. "Men in Black are sterile. I had an alien version of a vasectomy when I joined. If I choose, I can get married, but I can't have children. Sexual relations are fine, though. Provided it's not with your partner. That sounds weird. I can have sex with anyone I want, if they want to, provided we aren't MiB partners. Understand?"

Katherine nodded that she did. "Have you?"

"Have I what?"

"Do you have a sexual relationship with anyone?"

"Not yet," Billy admitted sheepishly. "I'm still a virgin, actually." He paused when he realized he had admitted a lot more than he had intended, but he didn't recant.

"I'm gonna do it, Billy," Kat said. "I'm joining. I don't want to forget my past. I may have lost it, but I'll be damned if I'm losing my memories. Sign me up."

Billy smiled warmly. "Partner?"

"Partner," Kat agreed.

~*~

"Changes your fingerprints and other markings, permanently," the alien replied. "Please place your hands on the ball," he said, motioning to the large steel ball before her. Katherine did as instructed. Her palms began to burn, and was promptly replaced by a sharp pain. A few seconds later, it was finished. Both hands had completely new markings, forever engraved into her hands. Her old lines would not be growing back.

"Now what?" she asked, astonished that the pain had vanished so abruptly.

"Sterilization," the alien told her. "Quick and painless. Won't take but a second. If you'll lay down on that table over there, I'll get started on it."

~*~

"I feel warm," Kat said, gently touching her abdomen. "Although that didn't hurt nearly as bad as removing one's fallopian tubes should."

"It'll subside," Jay told her. "Since you are dead, technically, we don't have to delete your old life. We just have to give you a new one. If you're ready, we'll swear you in. Of course, first, we have to get you in the right clothes."

An attractive Asian woman stepped up to Katherine. "Hello," she said. "My name is Tee. If you'll come with me, I'll hook you up with the last outfit you'll ever need."

~*~

Tee smiled and placed her own sunglasses on. "We wear black because it best lets us blend in," she explained. "Men in Black are seldom noticed."

"Better than being a Man in Pink, I suppose. Man in Black," Katherine said, staring at herself in the mirror and straightening her tie. "I think I'm gonna like this."

~*~

"Guf-Hae," Jay answered. "Head honcho."

Suddenly, a white glimmering outline appeared on a silver pedestal before them. It quickly solidified, revealing a surprisingly short alien with bipedal arms and legs and a head that looked strangely like that of a Schnauzer. Mint green fur covered what parts of the body were exposed, and his eyes were an explosive shade of electric blue. "Agent Guf-Hae," Zordon boomed. "This is Katherine Lynn Hillard, applying both to the agency and for a partnership with Agent Jay."

"You have deemed her worthy?" Guf-Hae asked in a remarkably human voice.

"Yes sir," Zordon replied.

"Then I have no objections," Guf-Hae said. "Katherine, your former identity is dead. From this day forward, you shall be referred to as Agent Elle." Guf-Hae noticed that her eyebrows unexpectedly shot up at that. "Is there a problem?"

"No, I just expected to be Kay, is all," Elle said. "I mean, Kat, Kay, not that big of a change. But Elle, where does that come from?"

"L from the name Lynn," Guf-Hae explained, his patience already stretched to the maximum. "There are some letters that are not used. H, I, K, Q, W, X, and Y. Kay is not used to respect the original Agent Kay. The others are not used because you Earthlings cannot unanimously agree on how to spell them. Satisfied?"

"Elle is fine," Elle said with a nod. "I'm just glad to be aboard."

"We are glad to have you," Guf-Hae said. "I understand you also wish to be assigned partnership with Agent Jay?"

"Yes sir," Elle nodded.

"Agents with matching sexual tastes are not permitted to be partners," Guf-Hae explained.

"Actually, I'm a lesbian." _This is the stupidest thing I've ever had to do._

"You are?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Elle asked. "And why is it when I announce my ... lesbianism, nobody bats an eye, but if I call Jay Billy,", and with that, the few people in the room began to shift uncomfortably and mutter amongst themselves, "you act like that."

"You are new to this organization, Elle," Guf-Hae growled. "I suggest you respect our time-honored ways and not question them on your first day."

"Yes sir."

"I deem it so," Guf-Hae said. "From this day on, Agent Elle and Agent Jay are partners until one or both of you transfer to a different chapter or decide you are no longer compatible. If you'll excuse me, I am needed at the Moscow Chapter." With that, Guf-Hae disappeared in a glimmer of white light.

~*~

Billy smiled as he took his jacket off. "You've done really well these past two days," he commented.

"What's this little silver gun called?" Kat asked, pulling it from an inside pocket of her jacket. It was incredibly small. In fact, it only measured about three inches in length.

"F-Moss Three," Billy told her. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to change into something more comfortable."

Katherine looked down at her black outfit. It was still hard for her to accept the drastic change that had occurred in her life in only the past four days. Her family was dead and she hadn't even had a chance to grieve yet. "I'm dead, too," Kat whispered in awe. She suddenly felt a need to visit "her grave."

"Billy?" Kat called. "When will I be allowed to go out on my own?"

Billy stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a comfortable pair of blue cotton shorts and t-shirt. "About four more days," he said. "Why?"

"I want to visit my grave," she said.

"It's not your grave."

"I still want to see it."

"Well, in four days, you'll be allowed to." Billy crossed over to the living area and sat on the couch. "I promise, once you get out on active duty, things will be much better. I was horribly depressed until my first day on active duty. I haven't been happier since then. You have to be in good shape. That's why they've been working you so hard."

"How much do you weigh now?" Kat asked. "You look..."

"Bigger?" Billy asked with a smile. "I weigh about two hundred and five now. That's thirty-five extra pounds of muscle I've put on since I joined the MiB. I just wish I could grow about another four inches. I'm only 5'9"."

"Me too," Kat said, "although I sure don't weigh over two hundred." Billy turned on the t.v., and they sat in silence for a while. Katherine was the first to break the silence. "I really miss Tommy, Billy."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Billy said softly. "I miss everybody, too. Trini, Zack, Jason. Kimberly... Adam and Tommy were practically my best friends, and Rocky, well what can you say about Rocky. He was just fun. Tanya, Aisha, everybody... Even Bulk and Skull. But, this is our new lot in life. And we've got to meet a lot of good people."

"That's true," Katherine agreed. "Especially Tee. I really like her."

"I think she thinks you have a crush on her," Billy said, barely able to contain his laughter.

"Darn it Billy, that's why I didn't want to be a lesbian!" Kat cried. "Why can't I tell them I'm straight?"

"They're afraid we'll develop a sexual attraction for each other, and won't be able to act normally when we're on duty," Billy smiled.

"Billy, we should explain to them that we aren't exactly the type of people that fall for each other," Kat said. "Are we?"

"Who knows?" Billy said. "I guess their line of thinking is if you spend enough time with somebody, something sexual is gonna happen eventually."

"Well, going by that theory, since I am straight, then something sexual is gonna happen between us. Right?"

"I suppose so," Billy said awkwardly.

"And what would be so bad if it did?" Kat asked. "I mean, I'm not fishing for it, but if it happens, so what? Right?"

"I suppose," Billy agreed.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to change into something more comfortable, too," Kat said, leaving Billy to his suddenly stimulated imagination.

~*~

~*~

"It drives," Jay said. "Isn't that enough?"

"Doesn't it fly, or anything?"

"We're both new agents, Elle," Jay said. "We aren't trusted with anything that impressive for at least another ten years."

Elle sighed and leaned back in her seat. "So just what are we doing today?"

"Well, right now, we're headed for L.A.'s Alien District," Jay said.

"To check out that Jewelry Store?" Elle asked.

"Right," Jay said. "Rumor has it they got their hands on some Quadrithian Crystals and they've been selling them in various appliances and tools."

"What are Quadrithian Crystals?"

"Extremely rare, and extremely valuable," Jay told her, "but they're pretty much useless to Earthlings. However, they're used to power the entire Base."

"They can be converted to pure energy with absolutely no waste, and each crystal is so potent, they last a long time. Right?" Elle said, trying to recall what little she had been told about the Base's powering methods.

"Right," Jay affirmed, almost proudly. "A pile of crystals the size of your thumbnail could power a city the size of Hong Kong for three years."

"Alien technology?" Elle asked. "Sounds like it could save the entire planet. Why haven't the MiB introduced it to the rest of the world?"

"Too easily abused," Jay answered. "It can also be used to make a horrific... death ray or something. Some lunatic gets his hands on it and wipe out the entire planet."

"That wouldn't be good for anybody."

"No it wouldn't," Jay agreed. "Look, we're almost there."

"This is the Alien District?" Elle asked, looking all about her. "Are all of these people aliens?"

"Oh no," Jay said. "Ten percent, tops. The main reason why its called the Alien District is because all of these stores double as alien stores. You'll understand when we go inside."

Jay parked their car in front of a very normal looking jewelry store. "This is it?" Elle asked, looking to Jay for conformation.

"This is it," Jay said. "Remember, this is not a hostile situation. The guy that runs this store is a good guy, he's just a little ignorant of the law. Since this is your first run, let me do the talking."

"What do I do? Stand around and look pretty?" Elle asked sarcastically.

"Better yet," Jay said, "stand around and look dangerous. Titanians are terrified of Earth women as a general rule."

"Titanians?"

"From Titan, one of Saturn's moons," Jay said. "Have your badge ready, and be very inconspicuous, especially if anyone else is in the store."

"Got it," Elle agreed.

~*~

"Morning, Gustav," Jay said. He nodded to Elle, and the two reached into their jackets. "Agent Jay."

"Agent Elle."

"What did I do to deserve the pleasure of your visit?" Gustav asked nervously.

"We've had reports that you've been selling Quadrithian Crystals illegally," Jay said sternly. "Elle?"

"I'm on it," she said, removing a small hand-held scanner from an inside coat pocket. _Looks just like the Turbo Navigators,_ she thought to herself as she began to slowly walk about the room, letting its scanners do their work.

"I'm very sorry, Agent Jay," Gustav muttered in a thick German accent, "but I honestly do not know if I have been selling Quadrithian Crystals."

"Ignorance of the law is no excuse," Jay said. "Elle?"

"I'm getting some intense readings from this case here," she said. "Sir, would you please open this case?"

"Yes ma'am," he said nervously, hurrying over to Elle. He fished for a key in his pockets for a few moments, and after finding it, opened the case and stepped back.

Elle directed the invisible beam over the numerous rings in the display case. "Jay, I'm still getting the readings, but not in the rings."

"Gustav," Jay said sternly, "show us the other case."

"Yes sir," Gustav said, shaking horribly. He pressed a hidden button behind the counter, and immediately, every display case in the room flipped over. There were unidentifiable products on the flip side, and Elle's scanner began to register the Quadrithian Crystals.

"It's the mother load, Jay," Elle said, removing a small golden rod. "What is this?"

"That is a Pleasure Rod," Gustav explained. "It creates feelings of euphoria in certain species."

"Eew," Elle complained, quickly putting the rod back in its place.

"It's not used like that," Jay told her. "It's used orally, triggers pleasure centers, similar to tickling. Different culture." To Gustav he said, "Where did you get these?"

"Th-they just came in with the regular shipment," he explained frantically.

"Which came from-?"

"Various places," Gustav said truthfully. "I've told you all I know."

"Has anyone bought anything from this particular case?" Elle asked.

"Yes ma'am. Some."

Jay motioned Elle over to the side, away from Gustav's ear. "The rest of the store?"

"It's clean. Just that case. But it has nearly four grams of Quadrithian Crystals embedded in those products," Elle told him. "That doesn't make sense."

"You're right," Jay agreed. "It doesn't make sense. It can't be an accident. Quadrithian Crystals are worth more in the universe than gold is here on Earth. It wouldn't have been accidentally placed in these products, not four grams worth."

"Perhaps someone was going to intercept it?" Elle suggested. "Like drug smuggling?"

"That's my guess," Jay said. Clearing his throat, he said, "Gustav? How long have these been out?"

"Since we opened this morning," Gustav said. "Two hours, maybe?"

"How many have been purchased?" Elle asked.

"Three, ma'am. Two Pleasure Rods and a Glizepper."

"How many people bought these?" Elle asked.

"Oh, no people ma'am."

"How many beings, then?"

"Oh, each item was bought by a different being."

Jay turned his back to Gustav and whispered to his partner, "His story holds. In a situation like this, we take the items in question back to the Base and we send somebody in to reimburse this guy. According to the Agency's rules, he's not breaking any laws. He didn't know what he was doing."

"How do you know? He could be lying."

"Titanians don't lie," Jay explained. "Start loading these things into the car. I'll explain to Gustav what's going on."

"Agreed," Elle said.

~*~

"Thank you, sir," Jay and Elle said in unison.

"Any knowledge of these crystals' origins?" Guf-Hae asked.

"I have attempted to track their-," Elle began.

"Agent Elle, I was speaking to your superior, Agent Jay," Guf-Hae said sternly. Elle kept her face frozen, not allowing a frown or grimace to crease her features.

Jay did likewise and said, "Elle attempted to track their energy pattern throughout the solar system, but she had no luck. This seems to be an isolated incident involving a rookie crystal smuggler and we do not expect another such batch of Quadrithian Crystals."

"Thank you," Guf-Hae said. "Dismissed."

As soon as her superior officer left, Elle immediately frowned. "Why doesn't he like me?"

Jay shrugged and said, "You must have made a bad first impression. Sorry."

"I don't really care what he thinks anyway," Elle said. "What will happen with these crystals?"

"Since they are illegal, and technically have no owner, they will be divvied up among the MiB headquarters here on Earth. L.A., Manhattan, Lima, Sydney, Moscow, London, Cairo, Hong Kong, Siberia, and Tokyo."

"Now what do we do?" Elle asked. "I wanna wipe somebody's memory."

"We're dismissed," Jay said. "It's customary that if someone does something pretty memorable, they get the day off. Unless there's an emergency, and as far as the MiB is concerned, today is very dull."

"Am I allowed to leave the headquarters?" Elle asked.

"Depends on what for," Jay said.

"I want to visit my grave," she said softly. "I doubt the stone is up yet, but still..."

"You can," Jay told her. "Would you like to take a motorcycle?"

"Can I?" Elle asked, a spark lighting up in her eyes.

"Of course," Jay said with a smile. "They encourage it if an agent wants to go out for a personal reason. Let me show you why."

~*~

He walked up to a nearby motorcycle and flipped a switch on the console. Instantly, the bike became a hazy black blur. "What the-?" Elle asked.

"If you are forced to do a high speed chase, then this makes you and the bike invisible," Jay explained. "It works on the same principle as the Neuralyzer. There are several thousand tiny pin-holes lining the chassis. The specially altered neuralyzing light shines from the pinholes and it's essentially invisible." Jay flipped the switch again, and the motorcycle once again came back into focus. "She's all yours. Just bring her back in one piece. And remember, even though you aren't on duty-"

"I know," Elle said. "I'm Elle. I know."

~*~

Elle opened the tall steel gate and slowly walked through the rows and rows of graves. She suddenly found herself misty-eyed, and fumbled in an inner pocket of her coat for a few moments. She pulled out her black sunglasses and slipped them on.

She didn't really know where her former life's grave was at, but she had a good guess. She had often come to the cemetery with Justin to sit by his mother's grave. It was set, in her opinion, in one of the most beautiful places of the entire cemetery. A tall shade tree sheltered it from the elements, and it was set on a high enough hill that you could see all the way to the mountains outside of Angel Grove. She had commented more than once that it was a beautiful place.

"I wonder who decided where our graves should be?" Elle asked herself thoughtfully. As soon as she reached the tree, she knew who had decided.

Five fresh graves formed a perfect line beside the grave of Alicia Stewart. Hay covered the mounds of dirt, as well as the remains of their flowers from the funeral.

Elle knelt beside the grave closest to Alicia's. The small temporary marker read, 'K. Hillard. 1979-1997.' "I suppose you're dead now, Katherine," Elle said softly. "I'm gonna miss you more than you will ever know. I'm gonna miss Tommy, and Tanya, everybody... Justin especially. That boy was like a child to me."

"Miss?" a young voice said from behind her. Katherine turned around to see a young kid in dark blue clothing approaching her. As soon as her face was pointed in his direction, his eyes opened wide in astonishment. "Kat?"

"Justin?" Elle asked, her voice rich with the love she felt for him.

"Kat!" he cried happily, throwing himself at her. She opened her arms wide and caught him in a big hug. They both squeezed each other tightly, each crying just short of uncontrollably. "I thought you were dead," he said at long last. "Where have you been?"

Elle pulled away from Justin and wiped away the tears beneath his eyes. "Justin," she began, "I'm not dead. An old friend saved my life after we were attacked, and I've been living with him since then. I've got a new job..."

"Tommy misses you so much," Justin said softly. "He doesn't hardly eat anymore, or anything." He hugged her again, and then asked, "Why are you wearing that black suit?"

"You probably won't believe me, but I'm a Man in Black now. My partner is a very nice man named Jay. He's a lot like you actually. Zordon and Alpha work there, too."

"Are you back?" Justin asked. "Are you back for good?"

Smiling sympathetically, Elle reached into her pocket. She removed an oval shaped device. One side was a black screen. The entire perimeter was a large button, such that when it was squeezed, it was activated. She put her glasses back on and said, "No, Justin. I'm not back for good." She lifted the neuralyzer up to Justin's face and squeezed it. Before he could make any type of reaction, the light flashed in his eyes, and his memory of the past few minutes were wiped.

"Justin," Elle said smoothly, "you came to visit your mother and Katherine Hillard's grave. You did not see her here. However, you did feel both her and your mother here spiritually. You could sense that they were both very happy and better off where they are at, and you will be able to grieve for them normally. In a few days, you'll be back to normal, and you will have accepted that Kat is dead."

Elle placed the neuralyzer back in her pocket and walked away. Justin remained standing by the graves, a dim look in his eyes that wouldn't wear off for a few more seconds.

A few moments later, he smiled. "I'm glad you're happy, Katherine," he said softly. The roar of a motorcycle caught his attention, and despite the proximity of the sound, he couldn't see the motorcycle or its rider anywhere.

~*~

"It's not been that long since you died," Billy told her.

"Justin said he wasn't eating anymore," Kat sighed.

Billy paused what he was doing. He had seen Tommy depressed, namely in his Green Ranger days. He also knew what the teen did when he was depressed. He shut his emotions off from everybody, and he stopped exercising, eating, and even bathing, on occasion. It was almost as though he were trying to turn himself off.

"We'll just have to hope that nothing becomes of it," Billy said sympathetically. "Tommy isn't our concern any longer."

Katherine sighed unhappily. "The only time I've seen him depressed was after Kimberly dumped him," Kat said. An idea suddenly occurred to her, and a smile crossed her face unbidden.

"What are you thinking?" Billy asked.

"I've got an idea," Kat said happily. "I'm going to go pay a visit to Tommy. You know, plant a subliminal message in his head. Kim too! If she's still in Angel Grove."

"Kat, you can't do that," Billy said. "It's bad enough that you told Justin who you were. You can't make a habit of this. They'll kick you out of here so fast you won't know what hit you."

"Please don't tell, Billy," Katherine pleaded. "This is something I have to do. When I 'died' I left a lot of things undone. Let me take care of it."

Billy took his jacket off and laid it on the back of the couch. "Flash me," he said. "Flash me before I change my mind about it."

"Huh?" Kat asked.

"If you're going to do this, I am not getting in trouble for it," Billy said. "Now flash me and get it over with. Oh, and Kimberly is still in Angel Grove. She's going to AGU this semester."

Katherine ran up to Billy and slipped him a quick kiss. "Since you're not gonna remember," she said with a wry grin. She slipped her sunglasses on and pulled her neuralyzer from an inside pocket. A bright light flashed in apartment V-487.

~*~

~*~

"Hello Tommy." His head yanked up to the voice's source.

"Kat?" he asked softly.

"It's me, Tommy," she said.

"You're not dead?" He crawled off of his bed and slowly made her way toward him.

Elle put her hands up before her to ward him off. "I am dead, Tommy," Elle said. "I just came back to check on you."

Tommy lowered his head. "Kat, I miss you so much."

"I miss you, too," Elle whispered. "But you can keep grieving like this. You aren't going to remember this visit, Tommy." With that, she placed her sunglasses on and removed her neuralyzer. Bright light flashed from the small unit in her hand. She removed her glasses and looked at Tommy. His immediate memory had been wiped and was ready to be replaced. "Tommy, Katherine is very happy. You realized tonight that all she wants is for you to be happy as well. You also realize that despite the deep love you felt for her, you are still in love with Kimberly. Call her tonight. She'll be happy to hear from you, and you'll arrange to see each other, also tonight. If tonight goes how I hope it does, it'll be a night you won't soon forget. Now go take a shower, shave, and clean yourself up real good. Get a good meal in your belly, and in fifteen minutes call Kimberly. But most importantly, remember that Katherine wants you and Kimberly back together. Never feel like you are betraying her or her memory. And look into getting a haircut."

~*~

~*~

"What's your major?" a familiar voice asked.

"Who said that?" Kimberly asked, looking around her. Lab had let out later than planned, and she was forced to walk to her car, alone, after dark.

"I did." Elle stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself to Kimberly. "What's your major?"

"Katherine?"

"It's me," Elle said. "I'm dead, so don't come any closer, and I'm in a hurry too. So, I've got four quick questions for you."

"You're dead?"

"Question one, what's your major?"

"Not declared yet, but I'm doing Pre-Medicine. You can't be dead."

"Question two, do you have classes tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is Saturday." Kimberly attempted to step closer, but Elle took a step back and put her hands up.

"Three, do you have your own apartment?"

"Yeah, my mom's paying my rent. Katherine, please, what's going on? You're scaring me."

The two girls were both slowly walking around the parking lot; Kimberly was trying to catch up to her supposedly dead friend while Elle was doing her best to keep it from happening. "And four, do you still love Tommy?"

That stopped Kimberly dead in her tracks. "Tommy?" Kimberly asked. Blushing slightly, she pulled her books closer to her chest and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Of course I do."

"Why did you two break up?" Elle asked. "I have to know."

"Because of you," Kimberly admitted. "I knew he was attracted to you, and I didn't want to keep him tied down. You are so much better than I am. You're poised, and elegant..."

Elle approached Kimberly and hugged her. "I wish you could remember this," Elle said. In a bright flash of light, Kimberly's memory was wiped. The teen stood before Elle, unmoving and blank-eyed. "You have accepted that Katherine is dead. First off, Katherine is very proud of you for wanting to become a doctor and you can sense this for some reason. No matter how hard it gets, you will stick with it, even if it takes you ten years. You will become a doctor. Also, in exactly ten minutes, Tommy is going to call you. As soon as you hear his voice, you will realize that you are as deeply in love with Tommy as you ever were, and you'll suspect that he loves you as well, which he does. You are going to invite him over to your apartment, you'll talk for several hours. You will decide to be a couple again, if you both want to. And whatever you do, don't feel like you are betraying Katherine by going out with Tommy. You know that she gives you both her utmost permission. And talk him into getting a haircut. He'd look good with short hair."

~*~

"Kim?"

"Tommy?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Silence followed, and then Kimberly said, "How have you been?"

"Okay, I guess. You?"

"Good. Uhm, would you like to come over tonight, or something?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. Want me to bring anything over?"

"If you want," Kimberly said. "You could stop and rent us a movie."

"Okay," Tommy agreed. "That'll be good."

Kimberly laughed and said, "Yeah. Have you had anything to eat yet?"

"Not yet."

"Well, get everything you need together, and be here in about an hour. I'll have a good meal waiting for you."

"That sounds nice."

"See you then?"

"Yeah. See you then."

~*~

"Nothing," Elle lied.

"Wanna go on a more complex tour of the compound?" Jay asked.

"That'd be nice," Elle said. "Let's go."

~*~

"Amazing," Elle sighed. "All of Los Angeles doesn't even know we're under here."

"Not a clue," Jay remarked. "It's amazing, really." He paused and said, "Elle? Is something bothering you?"

"Truthfully," she began, "yeah. There is. Tommy and Kimberly are getting back together."

"It's a little soon, isn't it?" Jay asked. "Kat's only been dead for about a week and a half."

"That's not why I'm upset," Elle said. "I just..."

"You feel slighted?"

"Something like that."

"I'm very sorry," Jay said, slipping an arm around her shoulders.

Elle sighed heavily and leaned against his body. "Don't be," Elle whispered. "I'm happy for them, really I am. It's just bothering me more than it should."

"The finality of it all hasn't set in yet, right?"

"That too," Elle agreed. "To think that this is my home for the rest of my life. Even though I'm not dead, I am dead. I'm dead."

"In another week, I'll be doubly dead, too," Jay told her. "That's when Cestria is coming back to tell them that Billy has passed away."

"Even though it isn't possible, I just want things back the way they were," Elle sighed. A tear trickled down her cheek before she could brush it away. "I want my parents back, and my sisters, and Tommy..."

Jay pulled Elle closer and wrapped his arms around her protectively. "I know," Jay said. "I know how you feel."

"How did you get over your parent's death?"

"It took time. It just took a lot of time."

Jay made no attempt to pry Elle from his arms. He merely held her as long as she needed to be held.

~*~

"It really does," Billy promised. "It does. You at least have just good memories of your old life."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Things changed so much after Zeo," Billy sighed. "Not only was I not a Ranger, I wasn't even part of the gang anymore."

"Billy, that's not true," Katherine chided.

"It is true. Tommy stopped talking to me, unless it was specifically about the Rangers. You, Adam, and Rocky talked to me, and Tanya some, but... I never saw any of you without Tommy, and since it seemed like he was going out of his way to keep me from becoming a part of the group, I just... dropped out of sight. That's why it was so easy for me to join the MiB."

"You think we abandoned you?" His silence was answer enough. "Billy, we never once intended to..."

"Don't worry about, Kat," Billy whispered, his voice barely audible. "Don't worry about it."

"No," Kat said firmly, her tears instantly drying up. "It is important. Billy, I never once meant to make you feel out of place, or hurt, or..."

"I know it wasn't intentional, Kat," Billy said. "It just happened. But the fact remains, it still made it easier for me to leave."

"I-I'm sorry, Billy," Kat said softly, sighing heavily. "I really am. If I had known you were unhappy..."

"It's okay, Kat," Billy assured her. "It's okay."

~*~

"Katherine," he whispered, gently shaking her. She moaned slightly but didn't move.

Billy cautiously placed his arms around her body and shifted her off of him. He then slowly got off of the bed. Katherine lay before him, still sound asleep. He removed her black shoes and then pulled the covers back up over her. He hesitated for a moment, and then bent down to her and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Sleep tight."

Two Weeks Later...
Elle leaned against their car with her arms folded and black sunglasses on. Most people around her didn't pay much attention. A few, however, walked very cautiously past her. That told her that they were aliens, and acted around her much as humans acted around policemen.

Jay walked up to her with a cardboard box in his arms. "This is it," he said coldly.

"Again?" Elle asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Four grams worth again, at least," Jay said. "Something very weird is going on here."

"You take those back to HQ," Elle told him. "I'll go check out the Pawn Shop."

"Good thinking, Elle," Jay said proudly. Elle was quickly becoming a very valuable partner who no longer had to be spoon-fed. She was becoming physically stronger, faster, and more agile, and her reasoning skills were top-notch. At the beginning, she had relied on Jay to tell her exactly what to do. However, as time passed, their partnership become more equal.

Elle dug the car keys out of her jacket and ran around to the driver side. She slipped behind the wheel, checked the rear-view mirror, and pulled onto the quiet street in the Alien District. _I don't like this at all,_ Elle thought to herself. _Not at all._

~*~

"The odds of yet another large batch of Quadrithian Crystals being accidentally smuggled into L.A. are nil to none," Alpha told him.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Jay said. "Four grams. Alpha, I want you to monitor any and all hostile alien species in the Maxell Belt. Full details."

"Yes sir, Jay," the automaton said. Jay quickly hurried out of the lab and into the bustling atmosphere of the HQ.

~*~

The alien disguised as a Hispanic woman answered, "Si ma'am. We have been very busy this morning."

"Ma'am, you have been selling Quadrithian Crystals," Elle said, showing the woman her MiB badge. "You are being shut down. The Agency will reimburse you for lost business hours and any damage done to your property? Do you understand."

"Si," Senorita Lopez answered. "I understand."

Elle turned her back from the woman, and after checking quickly to see that the coast was clear, pulled her WristCom up to her mouth. "This is Agent Elle. I need a thorough searching of Pier 14, a pawn shop in the Alien District. Quadrithian Crystals have been sold here today. I repeat, Quadrithian Crystals, guestimate approx four grams, have been sold here today. I need a thorough searching of the store. Elle out."

~*~

"I doubt that," Jay answered. "Size is probably irrelevant. I just think we've got ourselves a sloppy smuggler on our hands."

"Hostile?"

"Possibly," Jay said.

Suddenly, a single beep came from Jay's WristCom. He motioned for Elle to follow him and the duo hurried over to an out of the way alley. "Jay and Elle," Jay said into his wrist.

"Agents Jay and Elle," Zordon said from the WristCom, "we have a hostage situation at BlueView Memorial Hospital. Unknown alien species is holding several nurses in the OR. Please report immediately. Backup is on the way."

Elle smiled guiltily and patted the F-Moss Three in her jacket pocket. She was finally about to get some real action, something she had been hoping for ever since going on active duty. "Let's go."

~*~

"Do you?" Elle asked with a wry grin.

The two walked in front of the policemen, most of whom had their guns unholstered and aimed at the door to the Operating Room. "What do you think you're doing?" a large man asked angrily.

"Joseph Brimm, LAPD."

"Lisa Silverstone, LAPD." Both flashed official badges from the Los Angeles Police Department. Jay immediately separated the superior officer of the group off to the side while Elle approached the other policemen.

"No offense to any of you gentlemen, and lady," she said, motioning to the single policewoman among them, "but this is not your concern. I am Captain Silverstone."

"You look awfully young to be a captain," a man close to her asked.

Elle cast him a cold angry glare and continued, speaking in a voice about twice as fast as her normal speed, "I am Captain Silverstone of the Los Angeles Police Department, Division 19, Section B Four Five. I am a superior officer to every single one of you, and the next person to speak out of line will be reprimanded more severely than any you have yet to experience. This hostage situation is not in your field of expertise. You're all just children out here trying to act out your greatest fantasies of being superheroes. Well, I've got news for you all. You aren't superheroes. This situation not only puts your lives on the line, it puts the lives of the several thousand people in this hospital on the line, and I don't like that. You hurt the people of this town and you hurt me. And guess what. I don't like to be hurt. I would strongly recommend you go back to giving parking tickets and leave the serious situations to those of us capable of handling them." A bright flash of light came from her right, and she looked over in time to see Jay give her a thumb's up. She quickly pulled a neuralyzer from an inside pocket of her jacket and activated it, flashing the entire group of policemen. "Now get out of her and don't remember any of this. You people sicken me."

"Wow," Jay said as the policemen numbly left the hospital. "I'm impressed."

"Talking that fast and making it up on the spot is hard," Elle said. "Before long I would have been reduced to name-calling."

"You did anyway," Jay said as the two let themselves into the OR.

"Stop right there or I'll kill her!" Jay and Elle immediately did as they were told. A man, who was currently glowing bright blue, was standing on the wall, perfectly parallel with the floor. He had one arm wrapped around the neck of a nurse who stood on the floor. He held a foreign red gun against her temple.

"We're not here to hurt you," Elle said.

"Your guns," the man demanded. "On the floor."

Jay and Elle shared one glance, and then nodded simultaneously. They pulled their weapons from their coat pockets and sat them down on the ground. "We're not armed," Jay assured him.

"Kick 'em over here," the man snarled. Jay and Elle gave their guns a slightly nudge with their toes, sending them sliding across the tiled floor.

"Now let her go," Elle warned. "We are currently unarmed. We're obviously the ones you have problems with, no her. She's an innocent woman."

"How do I know you don't have backup on the way here?" the man asked, poking the woman with his red weapon.

"How do we know that you won't kill that woman?" Elle countered, much to the nurse's displeasure.

Suddenly, in a move that was too fast for mortal eyes, the glowing man threw the nurse to the floor and leapt at Elle. Two powerful arms wrapped around her shoulders, and he yanked her off of the floor and leapt to the ceiling. Holding tightly to Elle, he crept across the ceiling to a corner, where he continued to defy gravity. Despite the situation, Elle did not scream or give even the slightest cry, although she was terrified beyond all means.

"Get out of here," Jay snapped to the nurse, who did not need to be told twice. Once she was away, Jay turned his attention to the glowing man on the ceiling, who currently held his partner in a death grip. "Now who are you?"

"Stop talking," the man growled, "or this beauty gets it."

"Do not hurt her," Jay warned. He held his hands up in a defenseless position. "You don't even know her. She hasn't been in the Agency long enough to have a disagreement with you. Am I the one you want?"

"You hurt me," the man said, "I hurt you."

"Then deal with me," Jay told him. "She means nothing to you. Tell me how I hurt you and I will make amends."

"I am hurting you," the man warned, poking Elle with his red gun. "I can smell it on you. You love this woman."

"Tell me how I hurt you."

"For lack of a more poetic way to say it," the man said, "you killed my son."

"I did no such thing," Jay said.

"Well, I suppose that your partner, Dee, killed him, but you were there," the man said. His eyes flickered green, a serious contrast to the blue currently surrounding his entire body. "So was she."

"You killed my family, you bastard," Elle snarled.

"That was my son," the man laughed sarcastically, "and there's more of us on the way."

The man leapt from the ceiling to the floor, never losing his grip on Elle. "Surlohi," Jay growled. The man chose that moment to reveal his true self. The blue glow intensified as his skin began to split open. Green scales were underneath, and a snake-like body began to emerge from the human shell of a body he had been inhabiting. However, in the process, his human arms became worthless limbs. "Toss me the gun, Elle!" Jay demanded. Despite the sudden shriek the Surlohi emitted, Elle grabbed his hand and yanked the small weapon from his grip. She tossed it to Jay, who caught it in one fluid grab. Raising the weapon up, he took quick aim and fired.

An intensified red beam shot from the end. The kick-back knocked Jay into the wall. The Surlohi screamed, and then, everything was quiet.

"Elle!" Jay cried, sitting up from his prone position on the floor.

"I'm okay," she groaned. He looked up at Elle, who was currently coated in a thick layering of the green gel from the Surlohi's innards. "I've been slimed, Jay." She wiped the gel from her face and then remembered, "His watch. We have to get his watch, Jay."

"What about his watch?" Jay asked as Elle began to dig through the thick remains of the Surlohi.

"I think it had Quadrithian Crystals in it," she said. "It looked like them."

As the two were looking for his watch, the doors suddenly swung open. "It's about damn time," Jay complained as several more MiB's entered the room with gun's unholstered.

"We're looking for a watch," Elle told them as she stood up from the ooze. "Could have Quadrithian Crystals in it."

"Surlohi," Jay told another officer. He suddenly remembered something and hurried over to his partner. "The Surlohi said that there were more on the way."

"You're right," Elle agreed, continually scraping the gel off of her body. "He did. I think we've got an invasion on our hands, Jay."

~*~

"What could the Surlohi want with Earth?" Elle asked, looking to the floating head of her former mentor.

"I do not know at this time, Elle," Zordon said. "The Surlohi's interests range from slave labor to crystal smuggling to murder for enjoyment. We will have to wait and see."

"Jay, Elle," one of the agents from the hospital called. "We found the watch you told us about."

"And-?" Jay asked.

"Sixteen grams of Quadrithian Crystals," he said.

"Sixteen grams?" Elle asked in disbelief.

"Dear God in heaven," Jay said, leaning against a nearby table for support. "Zordon, I've -..."

"I have never heard of more than ten grams of Quadrithian Crystals in one source at a time, myself," Zordon agreed with Jay's unspoken comment.

Silver light flashed near them as Guf-Hae materialized. "This assignment is no longer your's," Guf-Hae said to Jay and Elle.

"What are you talking about?" Elle asked defensively, folding her still slimy arms across her chest.

"You are rookies," Guf-Hae told them. "Both of you. You especially, Elle. You both show promise, but we're dealing with Surlohi and a potentially planet-threatening situation. I'm giving this assignment to more experienced agents."

"Guf-Hae," Zordon said, "Jay and Elle were never actually given an assignment to deal with the Surlohi."

"But you have sent them into several crystal smuggling situations," Guf-Hae explained. "It seems that there could be a definite connection between the Surlohi and Quadrithian Crystals. I do not want two dead rookies. Is that understood, Zordon?"

"Yes sir," Zordon said solemnly. Guf-Hae nodded and teleported away.

"Uppity little Schnauzer," Elle complained.

~*~

"Billy," Katherine said softly, "you saved my life today."

"Uh, you're welcome?" Billy tried, not entirely sure what she was getting at.

"I would be dead now if you had been just a split second slower," Katherine sighed.

"Kat, you would have done the same for me."

"I know," Kat said softly, "but..." She stepped closer to Billy until they were just a few inches apart. "I can't say what I want to say, Billy."

"Katherine?" Billy asked slowly.

Swallowing hard, she delicately placed one hand against his face, tracing out his features with her thumb and index finger. "I-," she tried, before finally whispering, "Thank you."

Billy blinked once, unable to take his green eyes off of Kat's vibrant blue ones. "You're welcome," he whispered. Her thumb gently drifted over his lips, sending a mild shudder through Billy's body.

"Why are we both so nervous?" Kat asked. "Isn't this something we both want?"

"I do," Billy sighed deeply. "I do with all my heart, soul, and body. But, I can't get rid of the nagging feeling that you're Tommy's girlfriend."

"Tommy is-"

"I know," Billy said. "I know he's out of the picture. I just don't feel right making any advances. To him, you're dead. It doesn't seem right that I should be allowed to ... be with you."

"You're dead, too," Katherine said. "Besides, Tommy has found someone new. Or old, as the case may be." She smiled warmly and asked, "How about if I make the initiations?"

Billy said nothing, but offered no resistance as Katherine kissed him. He moaned deeply and kissed back. Their tongues met in a sensual duel, and Billy's hands began to slide down her back. The two stood in the center of their apartment; both were now completely silent and in each other's arms.

"Is this something you really want?" Billy asked.

"Is it something you want?"

"I do," Billy said sincerely. "More than you could even imagine."

Katherine replied by kissing Billy and slipping his black jacket off of his shoulders. Billy mirrored the move on her, quickly divesting her of the garment. He closed his eyes and gently nuzzled the side of his face against hers. He had never felt emotions like he was feeling at that particular moment. He was desperate to be with Katherine, wanting nothing more than to be with her.

"Katherine," he sighed heavily, "I want to make love to you. I want to experience every part of you, I want..."

"I know," she whispered huskily. "I do, too."

"Really?"

"Is this against some kind of inter-galactic law I'm not aware of or anything?" she asked before things had gone too far to stop.

"Well, yeah, because we're partners, but... I don't think it's a problem if we don't let anyone know."

"Good deal," Katherine whispered with her lips brushing against his. "Lights down, dim," she instructed, and the room was promptly plunged into near-darkness. The two still stood where they were in the center of their small apartment.

Billy's hands were trembling as he began to unbutton Katherine's shirt. "Relax, Billy," Katherine said soothingly. She wrapped her hands over his. "Relax. This is going to be perfect. There's no need for you to be embarrassed or nervous."

"I know," Billy whispered. "It's ... excitement more than anything."

"Don't get premature on me," she whispered back. "We have a good fourteen hours before we're on duty again."

"Fourteen hours?" Billy whispered in a surprisingly deep voice.

"Unless you have something else planned."

"No!" Billy cried. "No no no no no. Nothing like that. No."

Katherine smiled and pressed her lips square against Billy's. "Eager?"

"How can you be so calm?"

"How can you be so nervous?" Katherine asked. "This feels so right to me."

"Me, too," Billy said. He gently placed a hand at the back of her head and kissed her deeply. Katherine's arms wrapped around his waist, and the two of them simultaneously moved toward their own beds.

"Sorry," Billy and Katherine mumbled in unison. "Uhm, my bed or yours?" Billy added.

Katherine laughed and said, "Your bed is fine. That way I won't have to make my bed up in the morning."

"Did you and Tommy ever make love?" Billy asked, almost nervously.

"No," Katherine told him, shaking her head. "I'm a virgin, too, Billy." The two slowly made their way to his bed.

"This is something you want?" Billy asked as they sat down on his bed.

"If you do," Katherine said, pausing in her actions.

"I do if you do," Billy sighed. "More than anything."

Katherine felt a cold chill rush through her body as she leaned in closer to give Billy a passionate kiss. Her hands moved up to his neck and quickly loosened his tie. Her fingertips then slipped into the collar of his shirt as she began to ever-so-slowly unbutton his white shirt. Neither said anything as Katherine slowly bared him to the waist. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, causing smiles to simultaneously spread across both of their faces. The smiles quickly turned into laughter.

"We are acting like such dorks," Katherine chided herself, although she didn't stop unbuttoning Billy's shirt.

"I think we are nervous," Billy continued.

"Here," Katherine whispered, leaning in closer to kiss him. Her hands finally reached the last button and she pulled his shirt tail from his pants, while Billy's arms encircled her body, pulling her closer. When she broke away from him, she asked, "Are we still nervous?"

Billy smiled a genuine smile, just as the door swung open. "Jay, Elle," Tee said, hurrying into the room, "Zordon and Alpha need to see you -," and then paused. It was then that she noticed Billy and Katherine, Billy who was only half-dressed, were very entangled on his bed in a situation that was anything but innocent.

"We'll be right there, Tee," Elle said.

"What the hell kind of lesbian are you?"

"Oh crap," Jay complained.

"Please don't tell anyone, Tee," Elle pleaded, hurrying to shut the door.

"Oh no," Tee said warily, backing away. "This is totally against every type of regulation we have. I can't..."

"I'm not a lesbian, I never have been, I just pretended so I could be Jay's partner. Please, please, please, don't tell Zordon or Guf-Hae."

"Elle," Tee continued. She paused, and then said, "Flash me. I'm not lying for you."

"Get dressed, Jay," Elle said. Tee handed Elle her neuralyzer, and then flashed it at Tee. As Jay finished getting dressed, Elle gave Tee an alternate series of events that did not culminate in the discovery of any type of secret.

"Zordon and Alpha Five need to see you right away," Tee said before leaving.

"We need to talk about this later," Elle whispered to Jay as they followed Tee out of the apartment.

~*~

"Thirty-two grams," Zordon repeated.

"It's doubling," Elle said.

"Pardon?" Jay asked.

"The amount we're finding is doubling," Elle remarked, looking at the test tube filled with even more Quadrithian Crystals. "First four, then eight, sixteen, and now thirty-two. Next should be sixty-four."

"Zordon, is there any way you can get us back on this assignment?" Jay asked.

"It is currently out of my hands," Zordon told them. "However, I do want you to perform a routine check at forty, sixteen, twenty-seven East."

"Isn't that in the desert?" Elle asked, typing up the coordinates on a map.

"Jay and Elle, listen carefully. I want you to perform a routine check at forty, sixteen, twenty-seven East."

"Yes sir," Jay said, picking up the meaning beneath Zordon's words. "Let's go, Elle. We'll take bikes."

~*~

"We are supposed to perform a routine check," Jay said. "Agent Elle, what does that entail?"

"We perform a chemical sweep of the immediate area, as well as a sonar check to see if there are any cloaked object either above ground or below."

"Very good," Jay said. "What's your pleasure?"

"Sonar," Elle told him, removing the instrument from the back of her bike.

As Elle went about her own business, Jay removed a small device from his inner jacket pocket. He began to slowly walk about, allowing the device to scan the immediate area. A continuous beeping began to sound from Elle's instrument.

She watched on the green-shaded monitor as the sonar beams began to return to her. However, a large section of the five-mile radius around them was blacked in. Elle turned the sonar beams on that area, and the beams were bounced back even quicker. "Jay," she said nervously.

"Chemical sweep reveals nothing abnormal," Jay announced. "Problem?"

"I think so," Elle told him, pointing at the monitor. "Look, there is something huge coming straight for us."

"How huge?"

"Mass, undetermined... diameter, estimate, one and a half miles."

"Speed?"

"Forty-seven miles per hour and increasing. Increasing fast," Elle said hurriedly. "Eighty... ninety... over one hundred and still increasing."

"It's definitely cloaked," Jay announced, looking up. "We should be able to see something of that size."

"Over two hundred miles per hour and still increasing," Elle said calmly. "It is only two point three miles from here."

Jay reached into his pocket and pulled out a GZ-21. Holding the gun out before him, he fired a single shot. The blue laser beam shot away from him. A split second later, it exploded as thought it had just hit a wall. Blue light traveled up an invisible wall that was coming even closer to them.

"Let's get out of here before this thing lands on top of us," Elle insisted, packing up her device. Jay was in agreement, and the two drove to safety on their motorcycles.

~*~

"It should be right around here," Jay agreed. The lights from their neuralyzers didn't hint at any hiding object.

"The cacti are flattened," Elle said, pointing to several of the flattened plants. Suddenly, a physical object was before her, and she stepped back a few feet. "Jay, it's right here."

"You've found it?" Jay asked.

"It is right here," Elle said again. She rested one hand against the invisible but solid object.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet sank. She didn't cry out, but she did grope the object before her for support. "Jay!" she called.

"Elle?" he asked, hurrying over to her. "What happened?"

Elle had sank into the desert sand up to her knees. "I don't know," Elle said. "I just sank." Then, the sand began to swirl clockwise around her legs. She dropped into her waist, and the sand continued to fall away beneath her. She reached into her coat jacket and pulled out her trusted F-Moss Three. "Jay!" she cried for support. She pointed the barrel of the gun at the sand circling around her and fired, sending several intense red beams of light at the sand. The sand, which was reminiscent of water going down a drain, continued to swirl about her, and before she had a chance to voice another protest, it had completely covered her up.

"ELLE!" Jay screamed, withdrawing his own GZ-21. Dropping back into a defensive stance, he fired his weapon at the invisible object. Red beams of light danced across the invisible shield, but otherwise, the weapon had no effect. He yanked his watch off and pressing the transmit button, brought it up to his mouth. "Elle! Answer me!"

Static was his only answer. Rather than waste time with a drive back to the headquarters, he hit the teleport button and disappeared in a diminutive white light.

"Zordon!" Jay cried, running down the walkway leading from the Transport Core. "Zordon! Elle is MIA!"

~*~

"Negative, Jay," Alpha informed him. "No transmittance. I suspect that Elle has left the solar system."

"No," Jay said firmly. "They've just found a way to block her signal, that's all."

"Incoming transmission, Zordon," Alpha said suddenly. "Shall I accept it?"

"Location?" Zordon asked.

"Unknown, but possibly at previous coordinates."

"Accept."

The main viewing screen flickered, and then a view of a green reptilian face appeared. "Surlohi," Jay growled.

A horrendous series of gurgles and clicks began to flow from the speakers. Immediately, the computer system began to translate it into a multitude of languages. Jay turns his ears toward the English translation and listened in horror.

"Listen up, Zordon," the Surlohi said. "You've got in our way for the last time. The Milky Way Galaxy will be ours, understand? I've got two of your creatures here. One is worthless, the other is extremely valuable to your organization."

The snake-like creature stepped aside, revealing Elle and Guf-Hae chained to a golden wall. "Katherine," Jay whispered to himself, breaking one of the MiB's most revered laws.

"The girl was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," the Surlohi continued. "Guf-Hae... well, he belongs to me now. And we also have the Quadrithian Crystals you intercepted. Please don't steal what belongs to us again.

"You're probably wondering just what we'll use the Quadrithian Crystals for. Have you heard about our latest project?" A brief image of a glowing blue tube flashed on the screen. "When we say the word, this explodes, reducing the entire Milky Way Galaxy to cosmic dust."

"What are your demands?" Zordon asked.

"Give us your twelve greatest minds," the Surlohi said. "Give us them, and we will spare your galaxy. Provided we are permitted to freely travel about this quadrant. Ek'toh'eltig-kea out." The screen blackened, leaving the entire MiB Headquarters deadly silent.

~*~

"Agent L-749, Los Angeles Division, Earth, Tribeta System, Milky Way Galaxy, Maxell Belt," she said aloud.

"Elle?" a frightened voice said from near her.

"Guf-Hae?" she asked. "Is that you?"

"Elle, what's happened?" Guf-Hae asked.

"We've been kidnapped by the Surlohi," Elle told him. "Don't worry; we're going to be okay."

"Elle, I'm scared," Guf-Hae admitted.

"It'll be okay," Elle whispered to him. Before she could continue her soothing speech, a door was thrown open and sunlight streaked into the room. A Surlohi slithered into the room, wrapping two tentacles around Elle's shoulders and pulling her to her feet. "What do you want with me?" Elle asked.

"Nothing, directly," the Surlohi said. "Rather, you are our bait. Actually, you're just an extra. Guf-Hae is our bait. You are our leverage point for Zordon and Agent Jay."

"The MiB won't stand for this," Elle said, not even bothering to struggle in his grip. "I may be worthless to them, but they'll skin you alive if you even harm a hair on Guf-Hae's head."

"Aw, that's so noble," he growled. "Even though you know your life is in danger, you still uphold the creeds of the MiB. Now come... We have a transmission to make."

~*~

"Okay," Jay said softly. "You let her go, and I'll come aboard your ship."

"Jay, no!" Elle cried before the Surlohi slid a slimy tentacle across her mouth, effectively gagging her.

Jay slowly approached the teleportation console. As he did so, the fingers of his right hand deftly moved in a quick pattern. Elle barely caught the movement, but she did get the message. 'Attack S. Tele console Behind you.'

Just as Jay was about to teleport to the ship, Elle inverted her hands and grabbed the Surlohi's tentacles. He was so startled that she had him flipped on his back. She gave him a devastating kick in the chin which completely shattered his reptilian jaw, coating her lower leg with slime. Elle touched the console, sending her coordinates to the MiB headquarters. "No wait!" she cried in an afterthought. "Guf-Hae!" But it was too late, and she had already disappeared in a white flash.

"We left Guf-Hae!" Elle cried as she ran out of the Teleport Core from above them. "Get me a motorcycle ready, now!"

"Elle, let someone else handle this!" Jay insisted as she ran to the bottom level.

"No," she snapped, dodging aliens and other agents as she made her way to one of the hangars. "This is my responsibility now. You stay here and track that ship's coordinates for me. I have to catch them before they leave."

"Elle, you're being ridiculous," Jay insisted.

"Please," she said calmly. She gave him a gentle kiss, despite the crowd around them. "I know I just kicked myself out of the closet, so please... do this for me. Okay? I need you to track the ship for me."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Jay said.

"I do," Elle promised him. "Now go."

"All right," Jay whispered. Elle continued to run down to the motorcycle hangars as he slowly made his way back to Zordon.

"I knew she wasn't a lesbian," was all Zordon had to say.

~*~

"Excuse me?" the man asked.

"Give me your...," Elle began. "Never mind," she said as she reached inside his jacket and pulled out a much more powerful weapon than she was used to. "K-Cree 88?"

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Go ask Zordon," Elle answered as she continued to run down the sloping hallway to the motorcycle hangar.

"Agent Elle, Agent Jay requested that I have our fastest motorcycle ready for you," a purple alien at the hangar entrance said. "Bay Four."

"Thank you," Elle said. She ran through the darkened hangar until she found the lit-up black motorcycle, waiting for. "All right."

She jumped on it and quickly drove out of the hangar. "Agent Jay, Agent Elle reporting. Where is the Surlohi Craft?"

"Heading for San Francisco. There is an ideal space window above the city they're going to use to leave the atmosphere," Jay said.

"Intersection point?" Elle asked.

"You can intersect them in twelve minutes in the small podunk town of Hill Valley."

"Is there a river?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Is there a bridge?"

"Across the river. Why?"

"Just hoping," Elle answered. "Elle out." She closed the communications channel and put her mind on the task at hand.

"Turn green, turn green, turn green," Elle said hopefully. She was rapidly approaching the intersection at the end of Wilshire Blvd., and it looked like she was going to have to dodge traffic. "GREEN LIGHT!!" Elle screamed hopefully as she drove through the busy intersection. She wrenched on the handlebars, narrowly avoiding a red convertible. She glanced up just in time to see a tractor trailer in the outside lane. She let go of the handlebars and threw her upper body back on the seat, driving effortlessly beneath it.

With that, she cleared the intersection and headed for the small town of Hill Valley.

~*~

"You can't be serious!" Jay protested. "That's suicide!"

"Do I have my times right?"

"Yeah, but-..."

"Elle out." She continued to drive at dangerous speeds through the small town, headed for the bridge that crossed their river. A small scout ship was traveling above the river. _You can do this,_ Elle thought, reminding her that they were the very species that killed her family. Any thoughts of being kind left her mind and she headed for the bridge.

She located the position of the scout ship, and quickly made a mental calculation. "NOW!" she screamed to herself, driving off of the road that would have taken her across the bridge. The ground suddenly ran out beneath her, and she was air borne. The bike fell away from beneath her, and then, Elle slammed into the top of the scout ship. The bike skidded across the black surface of the ship, and she continued to slide in roughly the same path her bike had taken before plunging off into the river. Elle turned over, which allowed her to dig her toes into the smooth surface of the ship. She finally found purchase, and stopped sliding. _Thank God,_ she muttered.

She let one hand loose and quickly dug her neuralyzer out of an inside pocket. Her fingers fumbled with the controls, and a few seconds later, a bright white light was shining from it. She let the light play across the top of the scout ship, and she soon found what she was looking for. The door.

~*~

She scooped up a handful of the sparkling blue crystals. She considered putting them in her coat pocket, but they would be too easily lost there. Since she fully intended to be safely back at headquarters soon, she theorized that the safest place to store the crystals was internally. So thinking, she put the handful in her mouth, and with a grimace, swallowed. _That wasn't too bad,_ she mused. The thought of her on an alien spacecraft eating powerful crystals created such a humorous image in her mind that she was scarcely able to swallow the remaining crystals for grinning. However, the tube was soon devoid of its blue glow, and within Elle's innards was enough power to completely and totally demolish more space than she could fathom.

Once that job was finished, she removed her K-Cree 88 from an inside pocket and quickly left the room. The ship was silent and darkened, and that was when she realized she was glowing. A soft blue glow was emanating through her stomach. She buttoned her black coat over her stomach, and though it helped somewhat, the glow was still present. In fact, it gave her enough light to go by.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded, and an alien language began to float through the air in panicked tones. Elle backed against the wall and held her weapon ready. A Surlohi ran by her in a panic, headed for the room with the bomb in it. Before he even knew what had happened, Elle had obliterated him. She hurried down the hallways, looking for another Surlohi. She saw none, until she reached the main control room.

"Ah, Agent Elle," the Surlohi said. He was sitting on a black lounge in the center of the room, and he held a weapon in his hands. Guf-Hae was tied up on the ground next to him. "We meet again."

"Do we?" Elle asked with a smirk on her face. "I can't tell any of you apart."

"I feel the same way about you Earthers, but I recognize your accent," he said. "From the glow in your stomach, I'm going to guess that you've swallowed our Quadrithian Crystals."

"Good guess," Elle said.

"Well, let's keep this short, shall we?" the Surlohi asked. "As I see it, there are two possible outcomes. One, you shoot me first, and the Earth is safe. Two, I shoot you first, and you are the epicenter of an explosion that rocks the next three millennia. What shall it be?"

"You shoot me, you die, too," Elle explained.

"I know that," he said, "but... well, we've already got more than we came with. The mother ship is on its way back to B-49 with a lot of information on this little planet you call home. Any way you look at it, its a win-win situation for the Surlohi."

~*~

"Guf-Hae's say in the matter doesn't count for much now, if you ask me," Jay said. "Zordon, we have to stop that mother ship. With your permission..."

"Contact Andros," Zordon said. "His MegaShip has the ability to effectively destroy the Surlohi mother ship."

"I'm opening a communications channel with them, now," Jay announced.

~*~

"Guf-Hae," Elle breathed happily, hurrying over to the alien. "Are you okay?"

"I'm doing much better, now," Guf-Hae sighed as Elle untied him. "And Agent Elle, thank you."

"Let's get back to L.A.," Elle said. "Do you know how to fly one of these things?"

~*~

"How many Quadrithian Crystals did they take out of me?" Elle asked. She was resting in a black gown on a med table while a computer performed a routine scan of her body. No one had ever ingested Quadrithian Crystals before, and they wanted to make sure they weren't going to be having any profound effects on her body.

"Six ounces," Jay said. "We also learned something very interesting. Whenever you store Quadrithian Crystals, their power merges, and it doubles. When you combine it with an equal amount of Quadrithian Crystals, the powers quadruples, rather than doubles."

"That's why we were always finding them in certain amounts."

"Right," Jay said. "You are very revered in MiB headquarters all over the world tonight."

"Who'da thunk," Elle whispered. "Thank you for staying with me, Jay."

"I'll never leave your side again," Jay promised.

"Agents Jay, Elle?" Tee asked, entering their private medical room.

"Come on in, Tee," Jay said. "Problem?"

"No, I just thought I should tell you both that even though Elle is quite famous this morning, you're both in big trouble," Tee said sheepishly.

"What did we do?" Elle asked.

"We kissed," Jay answered.

"Guf-Hae wants to speak with you as soon as you are well, regarding this," Tee said. "I'm sorry."

"What'll they do to us?" Elle asked.

"I don't know," Jay whispered. "Don't worry. Nothing bad."

~*~

"Yes sir," she said.

"So you are not a lesbian?"

"No sir. I am completely heterosexual."

"Do you wish to have a sexual relationship with Agent Jay?"

Elle smiled and looked at Jay, whose face was covered with a red blush. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Then I have a proposition for you," Guf-Hae said. Before anyone could comment, he continued, "I have decided that it is time that the Men in Black tried a new tactic. Agents Jay and Elle, if it is your will, you shall continue to serve the Men in Black, but you will serve us from an external station. You will, for all appearances sake, lead a normal life in the suburbs of the town of your choice, but you will report for normal MiB duty. Your true identity will still remain a guarded secret, but we will permit you to tell former Power Rangers your true identity. Do you two accept this proposal?"

"Yes!" Jay cried happily, taking Elle's hand in his. "Do you want to?"

"More than anything," Elle sighed happily.

"Then Billy and Katherine, I return to you fragments of your former life. You will have the next two months off of the force to reorder your lives," Guf-Hae said with a smile. "Katherine, I am very proud of you, and I am honored to have you be a Man in Black."

The only reply Katherine could give was a warm smile.

~*~

"Do you, Thomas Tyler Oliver, take Kimberly Ann Hart to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward, through sickness and health, good times and bad, for the rest of your lives?"

"I do," Tommy said proudly

"Do you, Kimberly Ann Hart, take Thomas Tyler Oliver to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, through sickness and health, good times and bad, for the rest of your lives?"

"I do," Kimberly said, squeezing Tommy's hand tightly.

"In the eyes of God, your families and friends, and the commonwealth of California, I now pronounce you... man and wife. Thomas, you may kiss your bride." Tommy lifted the white veil from Kimberly's face. He studied his bride's face for just a moment, and then he stretched down to kiss her. "I present to you," the preacher continued, "Mister and Misses Tommy Oliver." The entire congregation stood up and applauded as the newly married couple walked down the aisle.

Billy slipped his arm inside Katherine's as the followed Tommy and Kimberly down the aisle. Provided the pair always wore their specially designed MiB watches, no one would recognize them without being told specifically who they were. The watches worked on the same general principle as the neuralyzer in that it created a force field around their bodies that made people who did not know their identities see an alternate face. It was an overly elaborate concept that worked on a remarkably simple principle. That let them reincorporate themselves into society, while keeping their true identity confined to the former Rangers. "When are we going to announce our plans?" Billy asked quietly.

"You have a best man toast to give, don't you?" Katherine asked. "Besides, we had better ask soon. We've only got three weeks left of our hiatus, and I'd like to have a long honeymoon."

"Anxious?"

"Eager," Katherine said as they walked out of the church. "There's a difference."

~*~

End