Thunder on the Horizon
by Jeremy Ray Logsdon

"Truth cannot be oversaid, really." - Willow Blessing
"Metal has to be tempered, Lil Bro, or it never gets to be strong enough to survive a fight." - Julia Holochwost
"That's quite touching, in a strange, twisted way." - Ellen Brand
"It was getting dark so suddenly that Alice thought there must be a thunderstorm coming on." - Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass"
"I hate quotations." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sigma's Universe
August 22

Omicron looked up from beneath the console as the white teleportation booth flashed with an incoming teleport. "Hello Sydney," Omicron said, returning her gaze back to the task at hand. "What are you doing here so early? It's not even six a.m. yet."

"Pattern nightmares," Sydney muttered. "Can't really sleep."

"Well, would you care to give me a hand with this?" Omicron asked. "The wiring system on this computer keeps shorting out for some reason. I think I've got some crossed wires."

"Yeah, I'll be glad to," Sydney said as she hurried down the lighted stairway. "What do you need me to do?"

"Can you take the top of the console off?" Omicron asked. "It's unbolted; just lift it right off."

Sydney nodded and hooked her fingers under the back of it. She gave it a hard yank, and the large piece of silver metal came off easily. "Ooh," Sydney muttered, looking at the mass of wires beneath. "An electrician's nightmare."

"My nightmare, at the moment," Omicron muttered. "We have three of the most powerful Swords in this universe here, but sometimes, you just can't beat a little elbow grease."

"What does this console do?" Sydney asked.

"Well, this one controls the interaction of Sigma's Sword with the material properties of our Rangers when they're morphed."

"Really? And that means-?"

"It keeps their bodies intact when they're morphed," Omicron answered. "Without this, we could conceivably cause them to disintegrate when they morph or de-morph. A morphed Ranger isn't a flesh and blood human being. This system here helps the transition to and from Ranger mode. They would most likely be able to morph without this console safely, but, as Sigma says, why take chances? All you really need is a Power Coin and a universal Morphing Grid."

"What exactly is the Morphing Grid?" Sydney asked, leaning her elbows on the console.

"Dana came up with a pretty good analogy once," Omicron said. "Do you know anything about computers?"

"Just enough to be dangerous," Sydney answered.

"That's enough. The Morphing Grid is like a giant computer, and the Power Coins are like programs. The program won't run without the Morphing Grid to make it run. That's a really loose analogy, but that's the gist of it," Omicron told her. "Most universes have some form of the Grid, even if they don't have any Rangers. Very complex and above most mortal comprehension."

"Computers, program, got it," Sydney said with a smile. "What does this here do?" she asked, poking at a crystalline orb that seemed very out of place amid the wires and machinery.

"Uhm, that's the relay," Omicron answered. "An extension of the Sword, sort of." Sydney reached out to gently caress it with her hand, just as Omicron said, "Don't touch it."

The orb flashed, and energy coursed through Sydney's body. She screamed as the energy lifted her off of her feet and threw her across the Power Core. "Sydney!" Omicron cried, crawling out from under the console. A glowing white after-image of Sydney being thrown across the room lingered in the air for a few seconds like a photographer's flash. She looked over to the other wall and saw Sydney lying in a moving heap at the base of the wall. White light was gathered up around her, although it, too, was dissipating. "Are you okay?" Omicron asked, hurrying over to her side.

"I think so," Sydney remarked, sitting up. However, as soon as she said it, she realized something was very different. "Do I sound different to you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Omicron told her. "You-... Look at me."

Sydney turned to look at Omicron. A quick glance down at her body told her what had happened. Extending her arms, she looked at her hands and was startled to see that they were smaller. "Omicron?" Sydney asked.

"You're, uhm, younger," Omicron remarked. "I would guess... fourteen or so."

"I'm younger," Sydney sighed, tugging at her now very loose clothing.

"The Sword must have done it for some reason," Omicron said. "But this is incredible. Your face is younger, your body is younger... Is your mind younger?"

"I don't think so," Sydney said warily. "I think I can still think the way I could before. Kind of catch-22, isn't it? A mirror. Is there a mirror around here?"

"In my room," Omicron offered. She pulled Sydney to her feet and then escorted her into her bedroom. Sydney walked up to her dresser and stared at a reflection she hadn't seen in seven years.

"I'm fourteen, again," Sydney realized. "Omicron, this is just like in my dream! I dreamt I was a teen again last night!"

"It's definitely correlated," Omicron said. "Well, not a biggie. We shouldn't do it real quick, but tomorrow, we can restore you to a twenty-one year old you."

"So I've only got to be flat as a board for twenty-four hours," Sydney complained, running her hands down the length of her body. "This is SO weird."

"Did your dream involve Justin?" Omicron asked warily.

"You know about that, too?" Sydney sighed.

"Everyone knows about it," Omicron answered.

Frowning, Sydney tugged at her oversized clothing. "I think I am going to have to get used to a life of perpetual weirdness," she muttered.

~*~

Jenga's Universe

Jenga, wearing a full-bodied cloak, walked cautiously down the hallways of the UDAB headquarters. Many divisions for the Universal Department of the Allied Benevolence were situated across the universe. Jenga had chosen the closest one on the planet Triforia. Since it was a universal organization, beings of every imaginable size, shape, color, and genetic make-up roamed the building. Many were contained in stasis fields, as many beings could not breathe the nitroxy mix in the atmosphere.

She stepped toward her goal, the office of the Triforian named River. River was one of a handful of universal experts on the manipulation of unbonded Ranger Powers. She had to have his expertise to redefine the Thunder Orbs.

"How may I help you?" a mechanical voice said as she stepped up to his door.

"I request permission to speak to River," Jenga answered in a deep baritone.

"Have you spoken with River before?"

"Yes sir," Jenga said. "My name is Driforzer."

"We will need to perform a retina scan for identification purposes."

Jenga smiled. "Understood," she answered. She reached into a pocket of her shawl and pulled out a pint-sized jar. It was filled with a clear liquid, and floating in the center was a perfectly shaped eyeball with a red iris. It was removed from Driforzer's dead body not more than three minutes prior. She positioned the iris at the scanner.

A second later, there was a ding as the computer said, "You may proceed, Driforzer."

"I give you the thanks of a million lands," Jenga sighed, bowing as she did so. Thus far, she had kept up her charade of Driforzer perfectly, speaking in his voice and mannerisms, dressed in his very shawl, and carrying his eye. The door opened, and she entered an office that an Earthling would have found remarkably familiar.

"Greetings, Driforzer," River said as he stood up. He extended his forearm. Jenga rubbed her own forearm against his, the alien equivalent of a handshake.

"It is pleasing to make your acquaintance again, River," Jenga lied.

"How can I help you?"

"I was wondering... Have you heard anything of Jenga Xett, lately?"

"No more than usual, I suppose. Why do you ask?"

"I have heard rumors in the Azaria market that she has obtained the Thunder Orbs and is going to make a team of evil Rangers with them," she said. "Is such a thing possible?"

"For some, yes," he said. "I could manipulate the Thunder Orbs to serve evil, assuming I would want to." Smiling, River strummed his fingertips together and added, "But not Jenga. She isn't very adept at working anything you can't yell at."

Jenga scowled beneath her hood. With a flip of her hand, the door to his office slammed shut. River was promptly on his feet. Jenga was smiling as she pushed the blue hood down. River's eyes widened in fear as he saw that the most evil person in existence was in his office. "Jenga?" River grunted.

"The one and only," she said. "I cannot believe you talked bad about me!"

"Jenga, I didn't mean it," River said sympathetically. "I promise."

With a flick of her wrist, Ioaeu Sjknth flashed into existence in her hand. "Oh, dear Sophia," River groaned.

"You recognize this, don't you?" Jenga asked.

"Please don't kill me," he pleaded. "Please. I'll do anything."

"You can do nothing for me," Jenga told him. "Your intelligence will do much for me, however."

"I have a wife and children," he insisted. "Please."

Rather than pay any heed to his concerns, she lashed out with Ioaeu Sjknth, beheading him. Plunging the blade into his body, she drew on Ioaeu Sjknth's powers and absorbed all of his knowledge, intelligence, and memories. She quickly discarded what she didn't need, placed the jar holding Driforzer's eye on his desk, and walked away.

~*~

Sigma's Universe

Sydney held her toothbrush and toothpaste in her hand, leaning against the wall. She was waiting for whoever was taking a shower to finish so she could use the bathroom. Suddenly, the door opened and Billy stepped into the hallway, loosely holding a white towel around his otherwise bare frame. "Good morning," Sydney said.

Billy did a double take, unconsciously tightening the towel as he did so. He hadn't really expected to find anyone else awake so early. He certainly hadn't expected to find someone he didn't know awake so early. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Sydney," she answered. "I went to the Power Core this morning and accidentally had seven years knocked off of my life."

"You're kidding?"

"No, but it's just temporary," she told him. "I'll be changed back tomorrow morning. So... Bathroom mine?"

Sydney stepped past the scantily clad Billy and entered the bathroom. She widened her eyes and exhaled a sharp breath as she closed the door. "Trini is a lucky woman," she muttered to herself.

~*~

Jenga's Universe

Back at Earth, the Space Base was making its fourth revolution, now colored bright green and streaking through the daytime skies. Zordon was once again the only disembodied Eltarian on Earth. After the kidnapping of Dimitria, Catalina had left for Triforia to resume her old mentoring job. She insisted it was only temporary, as she had no doubts Dimitria would return to the side of Good. Meanwhile, on the Earth's moon, Jenga was in the Lunar Palace, preparing to activate her Thunder Orbs.

"We don't have prospects in mind, just yet," she told everyone. "Just the basic concept. A team of five evil Rangers, just for my very own. Astronema, I'll need a fire crystal."

"Got it, sis," she said, summoning one with yellow flame inside. She tossed it to Jenga, who caught it, and then broke it on DECA. Yellow flames danced around the blue object. Jenga was silent for a moment, silently chanting an incantation. A moment later, DECA flashed with yellow light. Jenga opened the top and pulled out the closest Thunder Orb. It was about as big as the circle made with her thumb and index finger. It gave off a bright, red light, and within it was the power for a Thunder Ranger.

She set it down on the ground and quickly pulled out the rest, blue, pink, green, and yellow. Then, she pointed her hand at them. A colored tendril of light leapt off of each of her fingers and stuck the orbs. They quickly began to change shape and size, growing to full Ranger size and forming an empty shell of armor.

"That is hideous," Jenga commented. The chest of each Ranger was white with a golden line running from neck to navel. "Nope, we gotta change that." She waved her hand, and immediately, the armored section of white was replaced with a chest not unlike that of the Morphin Rangers. However, instead of a white diamond on their chest, they had a white circle. "Much better." The Thunder Rangers' gloves were colored, instead of white. The glove was their Ranger color, as were their boots, while their wrist and ankle cuffs were white with gold trim. A small strip of gold, no more than an inch wide, stretched around both biceps of each Ranger. The belt was gold, with an intricate black and gold belt buckle that looked not unlike an entwined knot or a design by Escher.

"There's only one girl," Divatox commented, motioning toward Pink Ranger. All of the others had male-formed armor.

"No matter," Jenga said. "I'm hoping we might get an Orange and Purple Ranger out of this."

"How so?" Dark Spectre asked.

"In most of the universe, blue is the color for male and pink is for female. As such, Blue Powers were designed for men and Pink Powers were designed for women. However, if a man has the Pink Power, it makes his armor orange. If a woman has the Blue Power, it makes her armor purple," Jenga explained. "But this is applies only to powers that are under Ninjor's guard, crystals, coins, stuff like that. The Triforian Powers, for instance, work on a totally different principle."

"Isn't it kind of odd that blue and pink as a standard for male and female has arisen on so many planets?" General Havok asked.

"No, not really," Jenga answered. "It's such a universal concept that it works its way into every culture on its own. On Earth, blue and pink were assigned in 12th century England. Blue was used to cover boy babies at birth to protect them from evil. No demon would want a girl, so the saying goes, but people felt they needed a color, too. Red would have been chosen, but it's too strong, so it was watered down to pink.

"On Eltare, there was a pink flower called the Yager whose perfumed scent was used to adorn female corpses at death. It had a blue counterpart called the Layon which was used on male corpses," Jenga said. "But I'm getting away from myself."

"I really like their helmets," Astronema commented.

Red Ranger's animal was the Red Dragon. The visor was shaped not unlike two eyes, tilted to their side and with the insides merged. A golden dragon's snout was placed at the center of the top of the visor, set off by two small red dragon eyes. The golden design flared out to the edges of the visor, and the golden imprint of two ears were set above the eyes. The tail of the dragon, complete with a black stripe down the middle, extended down the center of the helmet towards the back. His mouthpiece was merged with the bottom of the visor. It was a sheet of silver, but there were no lips imprinted on it. Instead, three lines stretched across it horizontally.

Green Ranger had the power of the Lion. The visor was very thin. The mouthpiece had two curved lines on it, one near the top and another near the bottom. The visor was in the mouth of the lion. Two green eyes were above the visor, and the mane stretched out to the top center of the helmet. The golden design extended down the sides of the visor and curved around to go all the way down to the bottom of the mouthplate.

Blue Ranger's visor was much the same as Red Ranger's. However, his animal was the Pegasus, not the Unicorn as Zordon had named the Blue ThunderZord. The mouthplate, like the others, went straight up to the edge of the visor, although it had neither lips nor lines bisecting it. It was most similar to that of the White Ranger. A golden line outlined the mouthplate and the visor before merging together to form the Pegasus' head. Blue eyes, as per usual, were set above the visor. Horse ears completed the head, as did a few golden lines representative of the horse mane.

Yellow Ranger had a Kirin, a creature of Chinese mythology, on the helmet. It was a creature most similar to a unicorn. The visor was like that of Green Ranger. Yellow Ranger's helmet had the most gold on it. A rough outline of a face was set above the visor, and golden lines were straight out behind the face, indicative of the mane. The mouthplate had five lines across it horizontally.

Pink Ranger bore the Firebird. Her helmet was the most simple. A firebird head was into the center of the visor, and the wings curved across the top of the visor. The body of the firebird extended down the midline of the helmet, complete with black highlights. The mouthpiece was a triangle, its apex situated at her chin.

"How will you select people to wear the armor?" Lord Zedd asked.

"I'm going to pick people with totem animals most similar to the Thunder animals," Jenga said. "Red Ranger will be a rattlesnake, Green Ranger a lion or jaguar, Blue Ranger a killdeer, Pink Ranger an eagle, and Yellow Ranger a flamingo."

"How will you keep them evil?" MasterVile asked.

"Rita Repulsa kept Tommy evil for a time with her Sword of Darkness," Jenga said. "I have created my own Dark Thunder Weapons to keep my five Rangers evil. The Red Ranger has a Thunder Whip. Blue Ranger, Thunder Dagger. Green Ranger, Thunder Spinning Blade. Yellow Ranger, Thunder Claws. Pink Ranger, Thunder Nunchaku."

The weapons, all black as darkest midnight, appeared in the hands of each set of armor. In both of Pink Rangers hands was a set of nunchaku, not unlike that of Zeo Ranger II. Yellow Ranger's Thunder Claws were frighteningly reminiscent of Freddy Krueger's glove. A handle was connected to five, curved blades. The blades were set in a manner that almost looked like a hand, and they would no doubt inflict a wide swath of damage. Green Ranger's Thunder Spinning Blade was a long chain with a circular, tri-sectioned, saw blade at one end. Blue Ranger held a simple dagger with a sharp blade, simple but deadly. And the Red Ranger held a cylinder with a dragon's claw at the end. With a simple flick of the wrist, an infinitely long red whip would snake out.

Jenga snapped her fingers, and all five Rangers disappeared, leaving the five Thunder Orbs behind. They all flew into the air and entered DECA, which Jenga picked up and tucked under her arm. "Now if you will excuse me, I must scan the Earth and select my Rangers."

Neither she, nor anyone else present, realized that DECA had been activated when the Thunder Orbs were removed. Already, the mechanical gears of DECA's brain were spinning, trying to come up with a plan.

~*~

Heather looked in what had been Willow Blessing's office. After the rather-young-herself Blessing had taken a big risk and put the even-younger Heather St. John on the air, she was suddenly an even more valuable asset. While Willow had been happy at KBKO, she knew she would be happier at WKRZ in Houston. Her family was in Houston, and not only that, but the job was going to hold much more promise for her.

It hadn't been an easy decision, but it was one she made quickly. As soon as Heather had shown up the next morning, she told her the news. After a rather tearful goodbye, Willow left KBKO studios with a promise to write. As Heather looked into the office, she realized that someone had already moved in. A middle-aged black man was unpacking things from a cardboard box on his desk. Turning around, he saw Heather at the doorway, and he said, "Hi, c'mon in."

"Good morning," Heather smiled, extending her hand. "Heather St. John."

"Oh, I know who you are, Ms. St. John," he said. As he shook her hand, she caught sight of a very unusual wedding band on his left hand. It was silver, but it glinted with blue and green highlights. "My name is Andre Ferguson."

"Very nice to meet you, Andre," Heather acknowledged. "So, uhm... Do you know about my little weird story?"

"Intern turned superstar overnight."

"Yeah," Heather commented. "I suppose that's the one. So, what do we do today?"

"First thing we gotta do is get you some good PR. We have to get your face all over Angel Grove and Stone Canyon before Monday," Andre said. "You ready to take some pictures?"

~*~

Sigma's Universe

"Justin, stop kicking me," Skull mumbled.

"Sorry," a deep, baritone voice came back. Instantly, both Skull and the person he was sharing the bed with sat straight up.

"Justin?" Skull asked in disbelief.

Rather than be his normal thirteen-year old self, Justin had aged considerably overnight. "What happened to me?" he asked in his deep voice again, delicately touching his facial features. Glancing down at his body, he saw a broad, bronzed, muscular chest. His arms were also built up with muscles, and more golden-brown hair than before covered his forearms. "Skull?" Justin asked, turning to look at him.

"Are you Justin?" Skull asked.

Justin turned slightly and picked up the shreds of the t-shirt he had worn to bed. Whatever had happened had happened quickly enough to shred his clothing to bits. He slowly picked up the sheets, stared for a moment, and then lowered them again. "Skull, I turned into a man overnight." He touched his jaw and smiled proudly as he said, "I need to shave!"

~*~

Jenga's Universe

"Oh!" Cassie cried as she ran into a person coming into the Youth Center. She dropped both of her milkshakes to the floor, and the two people tumbled to the ground in opposite directions.

"I am so sorry," the other person apologized. Looking up, Cassie saw that an attractive, albeit nerdy, girl was frantically picking up her books that had been spilled in the tumble. She had brownish-blonde hair that stretched a bit past her shoulders, and a pair of brown eyes that sparkled behind a pair of thick, black glasses. "Let me replace your milkshakes."

"No, it was my fault," Cassie insisted. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I didn't get any on you, did I?"

"No, I'm fine," she said. "Are you sure I can't replace your drinks?"

"I'm positive," Cassie said as she stood up. "What's your name?"

"Uhm, Ashley Hammond," she answered, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I sat behind you in English last year."

"Oh," Cassie muttered sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's okay," Ashley said with a smile. "I'm a rather forgettable person. Uhm, if you're sure I can't pay you back, then I guess I'll be on my way."

"I'm very sure," Cassie told her. "Sorry again." Ashley smiled as she walked off to find a table, her arms filled with various books.

"Hey Cassie," Carlos called as he hurried up to her side. "Have an accident?"

"Yeah, I bumped into that girl," Cassie answered.

"That's Ashley," Carlos said. "You don't know Ashley?"

"Should I?"

"She sat behind you in English last year," Carlos told her.

"So I hear," Cassie sighed. "Is, uhm, she sort of a-?"

"Nerd?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, she is. But she's really cool. She's been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember," Carlos answered. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

"Would she, possibly... be good for Tanya?" Cassie asked as guardedly as she could.

"Yes!" Carlos cried, his eyes wide. "She'd be great!"

"Well, I'm going to talk to Tanya about her replacement," Cassie said. "I'll mention her. Ashley Hammond, right?"

"She's the one," Carlos said. "Catch ya later."

~*~

"David?" a meek voice asked.

Turning on his bar stool, David Trueheart saw Marge Lubbock standing a few feet away. "Marge!" he cried, jumping off of his stool. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Smiling, she tilted her head to the side and said, "I've been visiting my grandmother."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a smile. "So, what brings you back?"

"Well, school starts next week, but... I heard that Phantom Ranger left town," she answered. "Are the rumors true?"

"What rumors?"

"That Phantom Ranger turned good?" she asked hopefully.

"That's the word on the street," David said, smiling. "Come on, sit down. I don't bite unless I'm asked."

Laughing, Marge took him up on his offer and sat down next to him. "I'd like to apologize for the way I acted last time I saw you," Marge said. "I was pretty freaked out. If it makes you feel any better, you weren't the only person whose face I screamed in."

David kept his grin under check as he said, "It's okay. It's forgotten. Emily wanted to see you a while back, but I haven't seen her for a few days."

"I guess Em would want to see me," Marge sighed. "We... have a lot to talk about. I hope she's okay..."

"Are you okay?" David asked.

"David, I know we aren't really all that close, but I have to tell somebody this or my cranium is going to implode!" Marge cried. "Can we go someplace private?"

"We can go see if there's anybody at the reflecting pool," David suggested. "It's pretty early; I doubt the rollerbladers are out yet."

"Okay," Marge agreed, nodding.

~*~

Sigma's Universe

"Sigma!" Billy shouted as he and Kimberly rematerialized in the Power Core. "We've got a weird problem here!"

"What kind of problem?" Omicron called from somewhere down beneath. "If it's about Sydney, we already know about it."

"It's about Justin," Kimberly said.

"Is something wrong with Justin?"

"He turned twenty-one years old over night," Billy said.

"He's like six three, two hundred and forty pounds, and he's got the physique of a bodybuilder!" Kimberly clarified.

~*~

"I've never shaved anyone else before," I said as I guided Justin on how to apply lather to his face. "And I've never had anyone shave me. Even when I broke my arm, I learned to shave with my left hand. Granted, I about shaved my lips off a few times, but still..."

"This might hurt, Justin," Jason told him. "But it might not."

"Either your new body is used to shaving, so your skin will be tough, or this is like the first time you've ever had a razor on your skin," I told him. "In that case..."

"It'll hurt like hell," Jason clarified.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Katherine asked, leaning against the doorway. "I mean, it's probably not even permanent. If I was you, I'd just walk around with some face fuzz for a while."

"No way," Justin said in his adult voice. His voice still had a juvenile lilt to it, but the tone was definitely mature. "My face feels all weird."

"Are you ready?" Jason asked, holding up a disposable razor.

"Go for it."

~*~

Jenga's Universe

"Ashley Hammond?" Tanya asked, looking at her yearbook photo. "My goodness, those are ugly glasses."

"I know, and she's really cute, too," Cassie said. "But Carlos spoke pretty highly of her."

"She was actually on my prelim list," Tanya realized, flipping back a few pages through her notebook. "I took her off because I couldn't find anyone who knew her. That was before Carlos showed up."

"Finalist?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Tanya said, writing her name on a sheet of paper with two other names. "So, I've narrowed it down to three people. Ashley Hammond, Kelly Roarke, and Barbara Gordon."

"I don't know either of those two girls," Cassie commented.

"You know, I should probably choose Ashley," Tanya realized. "Kelly and Barbara are both Seniors. Ashley is a Sophomore..."

"So, you're choosing Ashley to be the Yellow Ranger?"

Tanya looked at the sheet of paper for a few moments longer. "Yeah. Oh, man, this feels so strange. But, yeah, I'm picking Ashley."

"Do you wanna do it now?" Cassie asked. "She's at the Youth Center with Carlos."

"I guess so," Tanya sighed. "I mean, I'm leaving for UK tomorrow. I gotta do it sometime today, I might as well do it now."

"I'll go get them," Cassie volunteered. Patting Tanya's arm, she hit her communicator and teleported away in a pink flash.

Sighing heavily, Tanya pressed her own communicator and went to the Command Center in a streak of canary yellow.

~*~

Sigma's Universe

"Now was that really so bad?" I asked as Justin washed his face off.

"You never touch me again," Justin snarled, pointing a threatening finger at Katherine.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking when I put the aftershave on you," Kat said. With a shrug, she added, "I like the way it smells."

"Why is everybody congregated in the bathroom?" Sydney asked as she peeked her head in the door. "I- who is he?"

Justin looked at the door. "Sydney?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "And you are-?"

"This is Justin," Jason said. "He had a growth spurt last night."

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"It happened at the Power Core," Sydney said. "I had a bad dream about turning young, and I touched something I shouldn't have, and I actually did turn young. But I can be fixed tomorrow morning. What's up with this?"

"I just woke up like this," Justin informed her.

Sydney's eyes slowly widened as she realized, "You turned old in my dream, too... I must have done it, somehow."

"C'mon, we'll go ask Omicron," Katherine said. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, the two teleported away.

~*~

"Omicron?" Kat asked as she stepped out of the white teleportation booth.

"All right," Omicron called from beneath. Sydney looked over the railing and saw Billy, Kimberly, and Omicron clustered around one of the viewing screens. Looking up at the balcony, she said, "If Rocky, Skull, or Jason have turned into women, if anyone has sprouted horns, or if anything is growing hair that shouldn't be growing hair, it is NOT my fault."

"I think my dream is what made me and Justin... change," Sydney said. "Is that possible?"

"With the Sword, anything is possible," Omicron told her. "Well, almost anything. If you dreamed exactly this, you turning young and Justin turning old, then that's probably what the Sword made happen when you touched the conduit. But... that brings up a really big, ugly problem."

"What kind of problem?" Kat asked.

"The Swords aren't very adept at fixing biological problems," Omicron said, "and especially since they kept everyone going a while back during that Armageddon thing, they are fairly well drained. I can fix one of you tomorrow morning, but it'll take a week or longer to fix the next person, just because it will take that long to recharge."

"We probably won't even be here in a week," Kimberly realized.

"Yeah," Omicron sighed. "I know. It means either you have to stay young or Justin has to stay old."

~*~

Jenga's Universe

TJ Andrews looked up to see two well-built men in red clothing approaching him. He knew neither, but from the way they were walking toward him, he knew they were coming after him.

"Hey man," the white man said. "Are you TJ Andrews?"

"The one and only," TJ answered warily. "And you are-?"

"Tommy Oliver," he said, shaking his hand. "This is my good friend Zack Taylor."

"Hi," TJ said, still a bit cautious. "Uhm, can I help you guys?"

"Yeah, actually you can," Zack said. "Are you familiar with the Power Rangers?"

"Who isn't?" TJ returned.

"There is just no easy way to bring this up, is there?" Zack asked of Tommy.

"I don't think so," Tommy agreed. "Look TJ, it's like this. Zack and I have both, at one time or another, been the Red Turbo Ranger. It is time for both of us to retire, and we've picked you to be the new leader of the Turbo Rangers."

"Did Cindy Beth put you up to this?" TJ asked. "I am going to kill my sister."

"Uh, no. We don't know Cindy Beth," Zack promised him. "We're legit. Am I clear Tommy?"

"Go for it, man," Tommy told him.

"Shift into Turbo!" Zack shouted, taking the Turbo stance. With a flick of his wrists, he summoned his morphers. A moment later, he inserted the Turbo key and shouted, "Red Lightning Turbo Power!" TJ shielded his eyes from the intense light put off by the morphing process. Then, when he opened his eyes, he was more than mildly surprised to see the Red Turbo Ranger standing before him.

"You're serious?" TJ asked. "You want me to not only be a Power Ranger, but the LEADER of the Power Rangers?"

"We've done a lot of background stuff on you," Zack told him. "If you aren't Ranger material, then no one is."

"If you are willing, and we have to warn you, it involves a lot of work and danger, then we'll go transfer the power now," Tommy said.

"Yes!" TJ shouted, throwing his baseball bat and helmet to the ground. "I'm ready!"

"We're outta here," Tommy said, reaching out to touch TJ's arm. In two streams of red and one blinding white, the three teens teleported away from the batting cages.

~*~

"Hey Carlos, Ashley," Cassie panted as she stopped at their table.

"Cassie," Carlos acknowledged.

Cassie looked at Carlos and tapped her communicator. "Ashley," Cassie said, "this might sound strange, but Carlos and I have something very important to show you."

"Okay," Ashley agreed. However, before they could leave, two gorgeous woman with long blonde hair approached them. Carlos did a quick double check before he realized they were just Ashley's twin Valley Girl sisters.

"Hi Ashley," one of them said.

"Hello Maggie, Molly," Ashley acknowledged. "What do you want?"

"Oh my goodness," Cassie muttered as the two identical blonde twins marched a set of identical brown-haired triplet girls into view.

"We need you to watch the kidlets so we can go to the mall," Maggie said.

"These are your family?" Cassie asked.

"They're like the biggest family in Angel Grove," Carlos told her. "Two sets of twins, one set of triplets..."

"Both of our parents are twins, and they're extremely fertile," Molly said to Cassie. "It like runs in our family."

"Didn't Mom ask YOU two to watch them?" Ashley challenged.

"Come on, Ashley," Maggie said. "Stop being so difficult."

"Look, we're busy," Cassie told the twin girls. "We gotta go."

"Well, can you watch them?" Maggie asked, turning to Carlos.

"He's coming with us," Cassie said.

"Thank you for cooperating," Molly sneered. Ashley returned the sneer as she hurried away with Carlos and Cassie.

"So," Maggie tried, looking at their three siblings, "you guys wanna go to the mall?"

"No," they all said in unison.

"Ugh, what is wrong with our family?" Molly griped.

"Oh, I know," Maggie drawled. "Let's just take 'em back home."

"Thank you for treating us like human beings," the eldest triplet, Randi, quipped.

Outside the Youth Center, Ashley was being led by Carlos and Cassie to a secluded spot. "Just how big is your family?" Cassie asked.

"Too big," Ashley returned. "There are fourteen of us in all. There are the triplets, two sets of twins, and five singlets. See, Mom and Dad are each a twin, so it runs in our family, anyway. And apparently they don't believe in birth control or abstinence."

"It's clear to go," Carlos said.

"Go where?" Ashley asked.

"Ever wanted to be a Power Ranger?" Cassie asked her.

"Pardon?" Ashley asked.

In unison, Carlos and Cassie reached out and touched her arms. Activating their communicators, they teleported away in pink, white, and green sparkling trails of light.

~*~

"Jenga, I've got a question," Dark Spectre asked.

"Shoot," she told him, still scanning Angel Grove for suitable Thunder Rangers.

"It's been said that you were Supreme Evil since the dawn of time. Is that true?"

"Quite true."

"But, you also said you've only been the UAE's Supreme Evil for about seven hundred and ninety thousand years."

"That's how long I've been official," Jenga said. "How old do you think the universe is?"

"I have no idea."

"No one does," Jenga told him. "Literally no one. The farthest any type of conscious thought goes back is eight hundred thousand years ago. There was a Supreme Evil before then. Now, the Supreme Evil is in me. It is me and I am it in a way that you'll never understand. Now I was Supreme before the UAE decided to elect Zilactin. Of course, I had to take him down as soon as I found out."

"So... Darkonda never actually had a chance of defeating you?"

"No shit, Sherlock," she said. Suddenly, she cried out, "Oooh! I've found a Jaguar!" In a rush of blue fire, Jenga disappeared.

~*~

"Oh my God," Ashley sighed as they rematerialized in the Command Center.

"Welcome to the Command Center, Ashley," Alpha commented.

"That's Alpha," Cassie said.

"Hi, Ashley," Tanya welcomed. She stepped up to Ashley and said, "Are you up for this?"

"Up for what?"

"We didn't have time to explain to her what was going on," Carlos said. "We had to get away from her sisters."

Just then, red and white light flashed as Tommy, Zack, and TJ arrived. "Two at once," Bulk commented. Chuckling nervously, he said, "That makes me Senior Member."

"Ashley Hammond and TJ Andrews," Zordon boomed, "you have been brought here today to join the world's supreme and only supernatural fighting force. You have both been selected for your outstanding place in the community. Should you accept, Ashley, you will be the Yellow Turbo Ranger, and TJ, you will lead the Rangers as the Red Turbo Ranger."

"I'll do it!" TJ cried happily.

"Me?" Ashley asked. "A Power Ranger? I mean... if you're sure, then yes. I accept."

In a yellow flash of light, Tanya silently morphed. Zack moved to her side, and Tommy stepped between them with the Sword of Light. The yellow and red gems on the side of the golden blade flashed brightly. A string of red and yellow light leapt from Tanya and Zack into the Sword. The gems flashed brightly, and then a burst of appropriately colored light shot out and struck TJ and Ashley. Their bodies glowed brightly for a moment, and then they were clad in the Turbo armor. For a few seconds, there were two Red and two Yellow Turbo Rangers in the Command Center. However, that changed when Zack and Tanya's armor disappeared in a flash of light.

"This is incredible!" TJ shouted as he removed his helmet.

"Prodigious!" Ashley agreed. She removed her helmet, and her glasses reappeared in a brief glimmer of yellow. "Wow."

"In a few days," Bulk said, "your team will be complete. I'm just a temp."

"And Emily will be joining us as Phantom Ranger again before long," Cassie said.

"This is so cool!" TJ cried. "When do we get to go fight or something?!"

"It'll happen soon enough," Carlos said.

"C'mon, let's go back to my place, and we'll tell you about what you can expect," Cassie told them.

"I'll get you some communicators later," Alpha said. He then teleported the four Rangers away, sending them off to create what would be a lifelong friendship.

"You okay, Tanya?" Zack asked.

Sighing heavily, she answered, "Yeah. I think so. It's just-"

"Gonna take some getting used to," Adam told her. "Come on, we'll go to the Youth Center and drown your sorrows in some smoothies."

The elder members of the team teleported away, leaving Zordon and Alpha alone.

~*~

Sigma's Universe

"I don't want to be fourteen years old for forever!" Sydney cried. "You don't know how bad fourteen was to me! I had to wear a back brace for scoliosis for six weeks, and every time I turned, it squeaked! No, there's no way. I'll just stay behind and wait for the Sword to charge up so I can turn twenty-one again."

"We can't leave you behind," Justin said. "Heck, I want to stay big! This is awesome!"

"Justin, you can't be an adult," Rocky told him carefully.

"You're thirteen years old in there," Trini continued. "You have to be aged down."

"Aw man!" Justin complained. "Why?! I've been missing for so long, I can just take on a new identity! We can tell Mom and Dad, and..."

"No," Billy said. "I'm not really all that fond of having a little brother who is seven inches and seventy pounds bigger than me. But, if you are going to be that much bigger, then you have to go through the hell that is puberty."

"OH!" Justin shouted, jumping to his feet and giving the living room a jolt. "I just thought of something! No matter which one of us gets changed, me and Sydney are gonna be the same age! You don't have a good excuse anymore!"

Sydney dropped her head forward onto the table, her head colliding with a heavy thud along with an exclamative but whispered, "Dammit."

~*~

Jenga's Universe

Tandy Sparks looked up as a beautiful red-headed woman walked up to the front desk of the lobby in KBKO studios. "Hi," Tandy said warily. "Do I know you?"

"Yes, you do," Jenga said, handing her a business card.

Tandy took the card, and then looked back up at her. "Oh," Tandy sighed. "Uhm, are you here to see someone?"

"I'd like to speak with someone in charge," Jenga said.

Not taking her eyes off of the space demon, Tandy pressed the intercom and said, "Andre, there's someone here to see you."

"Who is it?"

"The Queen of Darkness."

"Janet Reno is here to see me?"

"No, it's Jenga Xett. Shall I send her back? Please don't make me turn her away."

"Send her back," Andre said.

"Thank God," Tandy sighed as she started to stand up.

"No, I can find my way back," Jenga told her, smiling warmly.

~*~

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Xett," Andre acknowledged, extending his hand.

"The pleasure's all mine, and please, call me Jenga," she said with a smile.

"You know, you aren't at all what I imagined," Andre said bluntly.

"You're a very brave man, Mr. Ferguson."

"Thank you."

"Very few people have the guts to say anything that isn't a mindless compliment to me," Jenga continued. "I respect that."

"Again, thank you. How can I help you today?"

"There is a mystique about me," Jenga said. "I don't want to get rid of it; actually, I'd like to expand on it, and the best way for me to do that is to do an interview."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes sir," Jenga said. "I'd like KBKO to do my first Earth interview."

"That would be wonderful," Andre agreed. "We can get our top anchors in here in the next few minutes if you like-"

"Actually, I want to be interviewed by Heather St. John," Jenga said firmly. "Is that a problem?"

"She's here now," Andre said. "I'll go talk to her."

"Please do," Jenga smiled as she leaned back in her seat to wait.

~*~

"Jenga Xett?" Heather asked. "No, I don't think so."

"Heather, please!" Andre pleaded. "This could be the biggest break of your life! You could be the most well-known person on the planet tomorrow morning."

"But it's Jenga!" Heather cried. "Are you trying to get me killed our first day on the job together?"

"I'm trying to help us all out here," Andre continued. "This could be a monumental interview for the entire planet! Imagine it, Heather St. John is the brave soul who interviewed the epitome of evil and survived to tell about it."

"Imagine it, Heather St. John is the stupid idiot who interviewed the epitome of evil and ended up the main dish at a lunar barbecue."

"All right," Andre sighed. "I'll go tell Jenga we need to find someone else."

Heather watched as Andre turned to walk away. "Wait," Heather called. Sighing heavily, she relented, "I'll do it. But you owe me big."

~*~

"Hello, Ms. Xe-"

"Jenga."

"Hello Jenga," Heather said. She shook Jenga's hand, already startled at the amazing calm of the evil woman. "So... I'm gonna be interviewing you."

"That's my plan," Jenga agreed. "Now I would prefer to do this on my Space Base, but we can do it anywhere you're comfortable."

"Your Space Base?" Heather asked.

"Mmm hmm. So...?"

"Oh-kay," Heather agreed warily. "I just need to get some stuff ready. A camera, a..."

"No camera," Jenga insisted. "Tape recorders are fine, but no video."

"You do realize I'm in television news, right?"

"You do realize I said no cameras, right?"

"Okay," Heather agreed. "Just the tape recorder and a notepad. Can I take a few minutes to gather my thoughts before we leave?"

"Certainly. Will fifteen minutes do?"

"Fifteen minutes will be fine."

"Excellent. I have other matters to attend to." She magically produced a golden hourglass with blue sand. "I'll be back..."

~*~

"Emily St. John is the Phantom Ranger?" David asked.

"Yeah," Marge said, nodding. "I saw her change into Phantom Ranger right over there. I- I was kind of freaked out that day. I'm sorry I ran away screaming from you. I just wasn't ready to handle human contact."

"It's okay," David accepted. "I understand perfectly."

"Thank you," Marge returned, lowering her gaze. Her long, silken brown hair drifted off of her shoulders and she quickly brushed a hand through it, pushing it out of her eyes. "I'm glad you aren't going to hold it against me."

"Hello, David, Marge," someone said saucily. A quick glance around revealed them to be alone.

"Uhm, hi," Marge said, looking around.

"Do you see someone?" David asked.

"Not at the moment," Marge answered.

"Marjorie," the same someone said. The water in the reflecting pool began to roll and bubble.

"David," Marge said warily.

Water shot straight up in the air and in a rush of flames, Jenga stepped up onto the sidewalk. Half of her face was hidden by her tousled hair, but the half that could be seen possessed a seductive smile. However, seduction comes in many forms, not just that of sexuality. Seduction also comes with power and promises.

"Marge, David," she acknowledged. "I have a proposal for you!"

"Run Marge!" David shouted, pushing her toward the hedges. However, before they could run for safety, a giant slab of stone fell from the sky, flattening the hedges and blocking their way. Three more slabs fell around them, enclosing them in a giant box with Jenga and the reflecting pool in the center. Lastly, a gargantuan lid, also made of stone, dropped from the sky and sealed them in. Blue and red light was flashing in the reflecting pool, giving their sudden, dark prison an almost surreal look.

"Marge, David," she said a bit more harshly, "I have a proposal for you."

"What do you want from us, Jenga?" David asked firmly. Marge cowered behind him, trying to look strong but failing miserably.

She smiled and raised her right hand to chest level. Between the thumb and index finger was a glowing orb of red light, while an otherwise identical blue orb was held between her middle and index fingers. "Just your undying service."

~*~

DECA winked her camera-like eyes open. She slowly scanned the room, and her infrared scanners picked up no life forms. Activating her tiny thrusters, she lifted up into the air and hovered there for a few moments. She quickly put herself back online entirely, and she took a few moments to re-integrate all of her systems. She had rested in MasterVile's belongings for over ten thousand years before finally being placed in the Space Base.

She had her plan formed. She knew what she had to do to stop Jenga from bringing her plan of evil Thunder Rangers to fruition. DECA set one of her internal computers to replicate sufficient money to complete her project. By her estimates, she would need a minimum of three million in Earth American funds.

With an almost inaudible whoosh, DECA moved off of the Space Base. As she left the protective atmosphere of the satellite, she stabilized her internal pressure and flew off through space to the humongous planet Earth, looming before her.

~*~

"Oh my God, I HATE rude people!" Molly cried, commenting on the man giving a cashier at the help desk a hard time.

"Me too!" Maggie agreed. "Geeze, you'd think if they didn't have anything good to say, then they wouldn't say anything at all."

"Really," Molly nodded.

"You know what we should do?"

"What?"

"We should go over there and just chew that guy out for her," Maggie said, "'cause she can't say anything or she'll get fired, but we can rip that guy a new butthole if we want to."

"Ooh, you think?"

"It's not right that he's just allowed to yell at her for something that's probably his fault in the first place."

"That's true," Molly agreed solemnly, nodding her head.

"Wanna go rumble?"

"Okay," Molly said quickly. The two blondes started to walk toward the Sunglasses Hut when blue light flashed before them, producing Jenga Xett. Maggie and Molly both gasped and backed away.

"Maggie, Molly," Jenga acknowledged.

"Uhm, hi," Molly said slowly. She glanced at her twin and shrugged.

"Can we talk?" Jenga asked. She held up her hand, holding two glowing pink and yellow orbs in her palm.

"Those are beautiful," Molly sighed, only to have Maggie slap her on the arm.

"We're busy," Maggie answered plainly. "C'mon Molly."

"Margaret Tobin and Molly Brown Hammond!" Jenga shouted. "You come back here right now!"

"Run!" Maggie yelled, pushing Molly into the crowd of people on the second deck of the Galleria.

Jenga smiled to herself as the twin blondes ran off into the crowd of teenagers, parents, and Senior Citizens. They would be her's soon enough.

~*~

"Is she still back there?" Molly asked, pausing to look behind them. They saw plenty of people, but no red-haired demonness.

"No, I think we lost her," Maggie groaned as she leaned against the railing that overlooked the lower level. "She knew our middle names."

"I can't believe our parents actually named us after that 'Titanic' chick," Molly complained. "What kind of middle name is Brown?"

"Like Tobin is any better?" Maggie asked. She glanced over and saw that the escalator leading people up onto the second deck was just a few feet away; the one they needed was on the other side. "Come on, let's go."

Molly need in agreement and turned around to walk away. However, she was immediately face to face with someone and bumped into them, taking a few steps back instinctively. "Going somewhere so soon?" Jenga asked, flashing Molly the Yellow Thunder Orb.

"NO!" Maggie screamed. She reached out and grabbed Molly by the forearm and yanked her around. "MOVE!" Maggie bellowed as she plowed down the Up escalator.

"Hey!"

"Watch it!"

"Bite me!" Maggie returned as she pushed her way through the angry mob of people trying to make their way up to the second deck. People were getting out of their way, however, although many took the time to toss a few choice insults at the pair. Excepting the men, of course. They eagerly got out of the beauties' way.

Even without the people in their way, running down the escalator would have been a trying job. They had to run twice as fast as the escalator did, just to stay ahead. But suddenly, their job was made much easier when everyone vanished.

Maggie slowed to a halt, pausing on the now empty escalator that was slowly carrying her back to the top deck. "Where is everyone?" Molly asked, still running down the Up escalator. Her voice was extremely loud in the dead silence of the mall.

"I dunno," Maggie muttered. "Let's get outta here."

Before they could reach safety, however, everything changed around them. The black steps of the escalator turned into wooden planks, and the moving banister became an old rope. The mall disappeared, and the escalator finished its transformation into a swinging bridge above a ravine. With a scream, the plank Molly had both feet on broke through. "Molly!" Maggie cried, lurching forward. She grabbed her younger twin by the forearm, and she was pulled down onto her knees as Molly fell.

"Pull me up!" Molly pleaded, dangling above a roaring river where what a few minutes before had been the Galleria.

"Molly, Maggie," Jenga acknowledged again, kneeling beside the gaping hole in the suspension bridge. She lifted her hand up, holding the glowing Yellow and Pink Thunder Orbs. "Will you accept my proposal now?"

~*~

DECA hovered near Little Angel's Haven. A quick interior scan of the building revealed a large number of children, ranging from infants to the age of eighteen. According to everything in her scanners, she would have the most luck working with a child around the age of thirteen or fourteen. She quickly narrowed her search down until she found one final person.

Cross referencing her galactic files, she soon had a detailed report of the person. Tasha Young. Thirteen years old. Orphaned. Free-lance computer expert. _Perfect,_ DECA realized.

DECA did have access to the UDAB's records, which included a detailed account of virtually every person born on practically every planet in most of the universe. It was quite a comprehensive list, but for DECA, it wasn't a daunting task to scan through it. She was built with an internal computer systems that made Earth's most impressive computers' internal processors seem like lines drawn in sand. DECA was a bit concerned with having to carry her plan out using Earth technology, but she had no other option.

After checking for any onlookers, DECA entered the shelter and flew up to the second floor. She entered the room of Tasha Young, who was currently lying on her stomach on her bed, reading a magazine on computers.

"Hello Tasha," DECA said sweetly.

"Hey," Tasha muttered. However, she slowly lifted her eyes up and saw the blue UFO-like object hovering in the middle of her room. "Uhm... What are you?"

"My name is DECA," DECA said. "I am a Didactic Electronic Computerized Amalgamation, and I seek your help."

"My help?" Tasha asked, still staring at the blue object.

"I need to build a Blue Senturion unit, and I will need you to assist me."

~*~

Tasha, while at first skeptical, soon found herself enthralled with the elaborate story DECA was telling her. "So, if you can't make a Blue Centurion-"

"Senturion," DECA corrected.

"That's what I said."

"You said Centurion with a C. These are Senturions with an S."

"Okay, Senturion," Tasha said. "If you can't make a Blue Senturion, then the Earth could be doomed."

"That is one way of saying it, yes," DECA said. The blue contraption was hovering, quite placidly, beside Tasha's bed. "A Blue Senturion unit is our best line of defense against Jenga's Thunder Rangers."

"Well, if these Blue Senturion unit things are so hard to make, how can we make one?"

"I have full blueprints downloaded from the UDAB to create a fully functional Blue Senturion unit," DECA said. "I just need a native of this planet to assist me in getting the necessary materials."

"I don't have enough money to build a robot," Tasha quipped.

"Money is no object," DECA announced. The top of DECA opened and a robotic arm extended with numerous money notes in her hand. "I can make us as much money is needed."

"Wow," Tasha sighed as the arm withdrew and the top closed. "Counterfeit money." Cocking her mouth into a mischievous grin, she said, "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Let's go make us a robot."

"Excellent," DECA announced. "But first, I need a personal opinion on what type of Blue Senturion unit to build."

"How many types are there?"

"The Blue Senturion is merely a type of intergalactic police officer unit," DECA said. "However, the body housing the unit varies from planet to planet. Based on my own personal studies of this planet, I have devised two basic styles which I think would be effective." With a whir, the top compartment opened like a hinged lid. A video screen was on the bottom of it. "Blue Senturion, Unit One." The screen showed what could best be described as a robot from a bad B movie. It was humanoid and had a row of blue, yellow, and red lights across the chest. It was blue with large sections of white, black, and silver highlights.

"Nope," Tasha said. "Unit Two."

The scene flickered to a robot that looked much more impressive. There were no blunt edges, lights, or labels. It was almost entirely blue with silver highlights. To Tasha, it brought to mind one fictitious robot : Robocop. "Definitely," she said with a nod. "That looks cool." It had a silver face, but a blue visor covered the top half of its face, leaving only lips and the chin exposed. A silver holster rested on its left hip. A silver belt set off its waist, and its chest and legs had a brief hint of what was designed to look like organic musculature beneath. "So, what can I do to help?"

"The first thing we must do is rent a hotel room at the Hilton," DECA said.

"Why the Hilton?"

"Isn't the Hilton the finest hotel in Angel Grove?"

"Well, yeah."

Without saying another word, DECA turned tail and floated out of the room. Shrugging, Tasha followed her.

~*~

"You know, maybe I should carry you," Tasha suggested. DECA was hovering near her left shoulder as they walked toward one of the world's fanciest hotels. "I mean, this is Angel Grove, but still... tiny UFO's?"

"That is not advisable," DECA said. "Many of my internal wiring is Triforian Silver."

"What does that mean?"

"Triforian Silver is one of the universe's densest metals," DECA said. "A lump of Triforian Silver the size of your fist would weigh nearly two Earth tons."

"Really?" Tasha asked, a curious tone in her voice. "Well, if we're confronted by a police officer or something, then what will we tell people?"

~*~

Robert Sparling, doorman at the Hilton, did a doubletake as a young girl walked up to him, holding the hand of a metallic arm that looked both robotic and skeletal. The arm was attached to a blue object that looked like a stereotypical flying saucer. "What is that?" he asked.

"It's an optical illusion gag," Tasha said. "You know, like those people who walk invisible dogs."

"Good deal," he said with a smile as he opened the door to let her in.

"I can't believe that worked," Tasha whispered to her flying companion.

"People will eagerly accept the simplest hypothesis," DECA informed her. Changing the subject, DECA said, "Please try and get one of the best rooms here."

"If you've got the money, I can get us any room in this hotel," Tasha announced.

Tasha walked up to the counter as DECA lowered in altitude. The sentient blue robot hovered just beneath the edge of the counter. "Hi," Tasha called.

"Hello," a friendly voice returned. The clerk, an attractive woman with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair, stepped up to the desk. "My name is Sheila. How can I help you?"

"I need to rent a room for me and my family," Tasha lied. "We'd like one of the best."

"Money is no option," DECA whispered.

"Money is NO option," Tasha repeated.

"Are your parents around?"

"Well, no..."

"We can only rent rooms to people who are eighteen years of age or older," Sheila said. "I'm very sorry. Have your parents come by, and we'll be glad to give you our finest room."

Before Tasha could walk away, DECA popped up from beneath the counter. Sheila gave a short cry of alarm. Tasha reached out to take DECA's hand, but the arm had already been drawn back in. "Are you familiar with the concept of bribery?" DECA asked.

"I think that's illegal, DECA," Tasha said.

"We will not be doing any harm or damage to anyone or anything," DECA said. "Quite the contrary. I am on your planet to save you from an evil plot devised by Jenga Xett. I am willing to both pay for the room and give you, and the manager of this hotel, twenty thousand dollars each if you will rent my young friend here a room."

"Twenty thousand?" she asked in a small voice.

~*~

"I can't believe that worked," Tasha muttered to DECA as one of the bellhops, a young man by the name of Tim Shell, led them to their room.

"According to my databanks, bribery is a wonderful Earth method of getting what you need," DECA announced. Tasha was still holding DECA by the hand, just in case someone confronted them about it. So far, they had only had to use their optical illusion excuse on the doorman. Sheila had been too content with her twenty thousand dollars to question much.

"Here is your room, madam," Tim said, opening the door.

"Wow," Tasha sighed as she entered the luxurious room. She had never seen anything so fancy.

"I think we're supposed to give him a tip," DECA realized.

"How much is usual for your tip?" Tasha asked.

"Different patrons give different amounts," he said calmly.

"Gimme twenty," Tasha requested.

"Certainly," DECA answered, extending a mechanical arm with a thick wad of bills in it.

"Here ye go," Tasha said. "Buy yerself somethin' pretty."

"How much money is this?" Tim asked.

"Twenty thousand dollars," DECA answered. "Thank you for serving us."

With a happy yelp, Tim literally bounded out of the room. "It takes so little to amuse Earthlings," DECA said.

"Yeah, twenty thousand here and there and you've got people falling over all each other," Tasha remarked. "So DECA, what do we do now that we've go the room."

"We start planning," DECA answered. Floating over to a window that looked out over the city, she continued, "Jenga will release her Thunder Rangers on Angel Grove tomorrow morning at dawn. We have until then to get the necessary materials to build our Blue Senturion unit."

"Overnight?" Tasha asked. "I'll have to be at the shelter for supper and I can't leave after eight o'clock."

"Ordinarily, I would not ask one to break the rules, but could I persuade you to stay with me all night if I can keep you out of trouble with your organization?"

Tasha grinned. "I don't have a problem with breaking some rules," she said. "If you can do the impossible, then I'm with ya 'til dawn, girl."

DECA slowly opened a lid on the top. A marble-sized blue bead floated out of it. It hovered off of the ground, and then it glowed white. A holographic image of Tasha formed around it, hiding the floating hologram bead. The image was mildly transparent for a moment, but it quickly solidified. Tasha stared wide-eyed at the exact replication of herself. The replication said, "I don't have a problem with breaking some rules. If you can do the impossible, then I'm with ya 'til dawn, girl." Then, the image disappeared, leaving only the floatin

"Is this a satisfactory replication?" DECA asked.

Tasha blinked a few more times in disbelief before giving a one-word answer. "Yep."

Part 1 | 2 | 3