Disclaimer: Power Rangers Zeo and Power Rangers Turbo are not my property, and are that of Saban Entertainment. All characters, besides Cleo Lotus, Samantha Greene, Tygris, Falconia and Daran: The Hunter, are my ideas, and I take the credit for them. This is set directly at the end of "Rangers of Two Worlds: Part 2". Portions of this fic are rated at PG-13. This fic is not recommended for young children, because of some slightly violent scenes. The history of the beginning of time is not a religion of any sort, and is not intended to be worshiped by anyone. It was only created for this story alone.

Half-breed
by Kay Enasni

A rewrite of the original version written by my other alias, ZeoDiamond

The Power Chamber
"So, Billy...When are you coming back?" Tommy asked, smiling at his friend. Billy stood next to Cestria, Cestro and Delphine, their faces were grim and serious. Billy could only mirror their visage.

"Actually," he said, unable to look his friends in the eye. "I'm not." Out of the corner of his eye he could see Adam looking around at the others, a shocked expression on his face.

"But, why?" he asked, growing noticeably paler. His worry was evident.

Billy turned to Cestria, smiling softly. She lay her hand on his. "I've finally found someone I can relate to."

The rangers smiled.

Rocky, always the loud one, piped up. "I knew you'd find the right girl someday. I didn't think she'd be from another planet!

Jason nodded, grinning widely. "I don't know how you do it, bro!"

"Thanks guys. You don't know how much this means to me." Billy replied, smiling.

"Congratulations, Billy." Kat said.

"Yeah! Good luck!" Tanya said, her usual bright smile plastered to her face.

He nodded, looking happier than he ever had before. "Bye, guys."

"Hey!" Tommy interjected, just as the image started to fade. "You'd better not forget to write"

Chuckling softly, Billy replied. "Don't worry, I will."

"Bye, Billy." they all said. The image of the young man, Billy, the former blue ranger, a dear and trusted ally, faded away in a blur of static, flickered, then died.

Cestria's Place, A Few Weeks Later
"Mmm... Oh, Billy." Cestria purred in his ear, running her hands along his back. "I'm so glad that you decided to stay here with me." She let out a soft moan as Billy began to work his mouth around the nape of her neck, and she lifted his shirt up over his head, and tossed it aside.

"So am I..." he whispered. His voice could barely be heard over the soft music that Cestria had playing in the background. The two were on Cestria's couch, the lights dim. Like humans, aquations had furniture and such inside their dwellings.

It seemed as if Cestria had every intention to have a sensational evening with Billy, and so far so good. The champagne had made him delirious, and he could not realize what he was doing. Under any normal circumstances, he would have noticed the giant picture of Tideus that Cestria had sitting nearby.

The champagne had been a nice touch, Cestria had to admit. She couldn't believe how easily it had been stolen from that space pirate, who was headed to who knew where, but ofcourse, it mattered not. It was so typical for someone who had never touched a drop of it before, to go overboard. And indeed he had, so much so, that he couldn't think straight, and his hormones were out of control. And that is exactly that Cestria wanted.

She never had anything but a physical attraction to Billy. That and she wanted his brainpower. And who wouldn't for that matter? Her true love, Tideus, knew that she was doing this...and didn't care a bit. What a loving and caring husband he would make for her. And as soon as she had the guts to tell Billy that they were through, {after getting precious information out of his egghead first}she and Tideus were to be married. But the first thing she needed to do was to finish her mission...and get rid of...this loser.

Trying to keep herself from shouting out in sheer pleasure, Cestria added, "What is Earth compared to me?"

"Nothing."

"Good..." Cestria managed to say. Billy's eyes shut tightly. She smiled coyly at him.

"I love you."

Cestria nearly snorted, thinking to herself how pathetic this human was. And yet, she knew she had to keep him occupied, and not let him know what was really going on. "I love you too.... Forever and ever

Billy's Place, The Next Day
Billy awoke the next morning, to find himself in his own quarters. His head throbbed, and his stomach churned. All he could remember was the night before. The music, the dim lights...the champagne.

"Oh damn!" Billy said aloud, clutching his head as he did so. "I drank too much champagne."

You really did it this time, brainiac. He thought to himself. Now you know why people complain about being hung over. Wh...where's Cestria?

He looked around the room, finding that he was alone. Where had she gone? Hadn't he been at HER place? His head began to spin, muddling all of his thoughts.

Rest...just rest. No more champagne, ever. Oh...what a night! A sly grin slid across his face as he shut his eyes. Images of the previous night flooded into his head, causing his hormones to go wild once more. Just the thought of what they had done drove Billy off the deep end, and caused him to grow excited to the point of no return. He loved her, she loved him, and that was all that mattered.

He was finally happy.

The telecommunications unit nearby began to pulsate. Billy groaned and covered his ears with his hands. Oh damn! It's so dang gone loud! I don't remember setting it that way! He thought. The sound was magnified a thousand-fold, and he cursed at himself for drinking so much. He reached over and managed to graze the button with his fist.

"Hello?" he asked, his voice scratchy and dry. He swallowed hard. I certainly hope I don't sound as bad as I think I do.

"Billy, this is the Ambassador. King Poseidon requires you to be at his palace immediately."

"How important is this?" he asked. He sat up abruptly, causing his head to spin. "I'm not feeling well."

"How unfortunate." The Ambassador added. "For this is of the utmost importance."

"If you could tell me what it is, then I might be able to see if I can be there. I really am NOT feeling well."

"I cannot say, my friend."

"Confidential...." Billy sighed, "I'll be there as soon as I can." He flipped the switch and stood, head pounding. He was surprised that he managed to make it out to the pod, much less drive it. But he managed to get to the palace without spilling his guts all over the floor.

On the Moon: The Machine Skybase
"Oh this is perfect!" Archerina squealed. "Your father is gone...and we are the rightful rulers of the Machine Empire."

Gasket put a loving arm around his bride. "Yes, my love, and there is still more wonderful news that I have to tell you."

She turned her yellow eyes to look into his. There was a slight hint of curiosity there, despite the lack of emotions that all machines have. "What wonderful news, darling?"

"I have something to show you." he said, taking hold of her arm "Follow me."

He led her down the dark corridors, through the dimly lit rooms, until they finally entered a room, made entirely of silver. On the far wall, there was a gigantic safe, silver locks holding it tightly shut as to keep intruders from entering it.

Archerina gazed around the room in amazement. She had never before seen it, and none of the other machines probably never had either.

"Inside the safe, there is a great power. The 7th Zeo crystal lies within." Gasket whispered, running his metal hands along the shining surface of the safe. "There is only one in the whole universe who can open it."

"Who?" she asked. Her hand took hold of the silver lock, and she desperately tried to pull it off. But to no avail. The lock stayed in its place.

"Do you remember that pesky friend of the Power Rangers? The one with the brains?"

"Oh, him. Why him?" she asked.

"He is a half-breed."

On Aquitar: At the Palace of King Poseidon
Billy entered the throne room. King Poseidon looked at him and sighed. This is exactly what he had feared would happen. Billy's hair and clothes were crumpled and misshapen, his pupils dilated, he was barely able to walk in a straight line and kept calling out for his glasses, as if he could not see a foot in front of him.

"Oh dear, Billy. Do not tell me that you have gotten with Cestria."

Billy nodded, grinning widely. "Uh huh, sure did, sire!"

Poseidon shook his head and put his chin in his hands. "Poor soul," he said. "She has seduced another."

"Wha?" Billy asked, holding onto his ear. "I canna understand you...stop screaming."

This has happened to so many of our more intelligent citizens. I need to warn Billy of Cestria. Not only does our alliance with Earth depend on it, but his life as well. I cannot see another of our kind, or any kind taken advantage of and slaughtered by her. Our laws against harming and/or punishing females are going to change very soon, enough is enough.

The king rose up off of his throne, walked over to Billy and grabbed him by the shirt. "Look, Billy. I don't mean to be so rude about this, but it is for your own good. Stay away from Cestria. She is no good for you."

Blinking his eyes severely, Billy looked at the King of Aquitar. His speech slurring, he answered, "Wha? You wan her for yerself?"

"Not in the least. I'm married, and very loyal to my wife. Cestria is a horrible being, Billy. She will pretend to be in love with you, seduce all of your intelligence out of you and then kill you."

"Now why would she do a thing like tha?"

At the time, it was fairly obvious that Billy was far to hung over to be talking to, but the king knew, that if he did not tell him now, it would be too late. Billy would give all his intelligence away to Cestria, and then she would kill him, just like all of the Aquations. It was strange for Poseidon to care so much about a human, besides the fact that an intergalactic alliance would break up, but hedid. This boy, who had come to their world to help get rid of the hydro contaminators, had been like a son to him. He did not want to see Cestria hurt him.

"Please, Billy. LISTEN to me! What I am telling you is true! Stay away from Cestria. Or it will cost you your life!" He was pleading now, dark eyes wide with fear for his young friend.

"Look dude," Billy muddled, pushing the old man's hands off of his shoulders, "I know what I'm getting into. I love Cestria, and she loves me, and we're not gonna let some old fogy try to interfere. Got it?"

And with that, Billy stormed out of the throne room, never to be seen again by the King.

The Angel Grove Youth Center
"Man," Tommy said, almost to himself. "It's been only a few weeks since Billy left, and I miss the guy."

Tanya sighed and sipped on her drink. "I barely knew him...but it felt like I knew him forever. He was a really nice guy."

"And one of my best friends." Said Adam, looking around the Youth Center. The weights seemed so empty without Billy there, and everything just seemed so...different.

"I've known Billy practically forever, and I know that he's doing the right thing." Jason said. "He looked so happy. So...at peace, it seemed."

"Definitely a side of Billy no one saw since he gave up the Zeo powers." Kat said. She twirled a lock of her blond hair with one hand, and squished a French fry between her fingers with the others. She didn't seem to care what she was doing.

Rocky tapped his pencil on the table. "Algebra just isn't the same without him." He said, looking glumly down at his math book, "And I think Zordon and Alpha miss him a lot too."

"When he told me that he was going to forget to write...I didn't know he was serious. It's nearly been a month, and no word from him. Is he so happy that we don't even matter to him anymore?" Tommy mumbled.

"Now don't you even think it!" Adam interjected. "Billy is our friend... he's probably just really busy on Aquitar. You know how everyone there likes to take advantage of his brains."

"I hope you're right." Tommy said, his voice only a whisper. "I really hope you're right."

The Cranston Residence
"No...you can't be serious."

"We can't find him anywhere, Mr. Cranston. We've got search parties out all over the place on the lookout for him, but so far, nothing."

"Isn't there anything more you can do? He's my son, and he's all I got left...after Racheal."

"We're sorry, Mr. Cranston. We're doing the best we can. And we won't stop till we are totally sure that we cannot find him."

"Totally sure?"

"A body, sir. The only real evidence that he is not missing. Except if he comes back on his own."

"A...a...bo...body?"

"Yes, sir. Murders, suicide, accidents, that type of thing."

"He would never commit suicide. I know my Billy all to well."

"Don't they ALL say that. But most of the time, it's what the parent's say they know, and really don't. You're son could have been very unstable...and you might not have known about it."

"Please! Don't talk as if he is dead, Lt. Stone."

"That's how it is in most of these cases, Sir. Your son had seemed VERY unstable to me for the past few months."

"He seemed perfectly fine to me."

"I notice these things...I noticed, most of all, that when the Power Rangers changed, that he went from wearing blue, and being happy, to wearing black, and being depressed."

"Are you saying that he is the former Blue Ranger?"

"I would say so. And then, Rocky went from wearing Red, to wearing blue. I know who they all are. Aisha and her family disappeared, and Tanya shows up. Yes...I notice many things, Mr. Cranston."

"So, you're saying that Billy could have gone suicidal on me?"

"The very same."

"I cannot believe this...all I called you here for is because I wanted news on the search for him....not for you to come here and tell me a bunch of rubbish."

"I only thought it appropriate..."

"Don't give me that...now...get out of my house...and DON'T come back until you have found my son!"

Cestria's Place
Hours later, after Billy recovered from one of the worst hangovers in the entire history of the universe, he made his way to Cestria's place. The words of the King echoed in his head, but he could not bring himself to believe it. Cestria loved him, he knew that with all of his heart. Why else would they have done what they did the previous night? What plagued his mind the most was that the King of Aquitar, a supposedly happily married man, would interfere with his relationship with Cestria. He was not a really good king if THAT was the way he operated.

He stood at her front door, smoothing his hair with his hands. After all, I want to look good! he thought. His eyes looked along the door as he did so, and he caught a glimpse of the inside of the room through the peephole. His eyes grew wide at what he saw.

"No...no...it can't be." He whispered.

There, on the couch, was Cestria. But oh, she was not alone. Not in the least bit. She and Tideus were on that couch, intertwined, lying in each other's arms. They were engaged in such an activity, that Billy thought was only meant for him. Cestria had told him, that she loved him, and no other. And now he saw proof otherwise. King Poseidon was right. He thought. His eyes began to fill with tears. She is only taking advantage of me. She doesn't love me.

His eyes once more ran over them. Yes...she was truly in love with him. Her passion was so much more than it had been for him. So much more. This hurt...more than anything had ever hurt anything in his life. He covered his face with his hands and began to sob, letting out all of his rage and frustration. He ran for the pod, and drove it all the way back to his place.

Cestria jerked up suddenly, nearly knocking Tideus off of her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I...thought I heard something." She stammered, looking out the window. She could see Billy's pod as it sped away towards his quarters. She gulped. "He knows."

Billy's Place: On Aquitar
"No...this cannot be happening. It just can't be!" he exclaimed, yelling to no one in particular. "She...she took advantage of me! It's just like what his majesty said! I was so mean to him about it too. He KNEW she would hurt me! And there I was! I didn't even pay him any attention! How could I have been so blind!?"

Countless things were thrown around the room as he suddenly let all of his rage out on the furniture, the tears in his eyes blurring his vision. I hate her! I thought she loved me! She said she did! She RAPED me!

Billy sat down on the bed hard, hugging his shoulders. "I...have to calm down." he muttered. He tried desperately to stop himself from shaking. "Must get away from here. Gotta talk to the others."

He punched the buttons on the telecommunications unit...and sent a signal out for Earth. Minutes later, his image appeared in the viewing globe in the Power Chamber on Earth.

The Power Chamber

"Zordon, Alpha, come in. This is Billy."

"Oh, Aiyiyi!" Alpha yelled as his head shot up. Billy's face loomed large on the viewing globe. "Billy! It's so good to hear from you."

"Hi guys." he said, managing a smile. "How are things at home?"

"OTHER THAN THE OCCASIONAL MONSTER ATTACKS, THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY." Zordon said. His voice was filled with happiness at the sight of Billy's face, but he could tell that there was something wrong with him. "BILLY, WHAT HAS HAPPENED?"

"Nothing. What makes you think that something has happened?" he asked. It was quite obvious that there was something the matter, but he could not bring himself to say it. He didn't know why. Zordon had been one of his best friends, a father-figure to him for the past 3 years. And yet he could not bring himself to confide in him.

"Aiyi-yi, Billy! Why must you lie to us? I thought that we were your friends."

"You are! It's just...well...this is very uncomfortable for me. The subject that is."

"YOU CAN TELL US ANYTHING, BILLY." the mentor said, looking gently down upon Billy.

Zordon's wise face, and his comforting voice had calmed Billy's shattered nerves, and he soon found himself spilling out the entire story. He skipped no details, and never once over exaggerated. The truth, and nothing but the entire, heart-wrenching truth. The old wizard nodded.

"I CAN TELL WHY THAT IS TROUBLING YOU SO MUCH," he said. "I WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING MORE I COULD DO."

Billy's eyes were filled with tears once more. "I...want...to come home, Zordon." he wailed.

"SHH.....PERHAPS YOU SHOULD TALK TO THE OTHERS. THEY HAVE MISSED YOU TERRIBLY THESE PAST FEW WEEKS."

"Could you call them in, please?" Billy asked. "That is...if you don't mind."

"NOT AT ALL. ALPHA, PLEASE CONTACT THE RANGERS."

"Right away, Zordon!" the little robot chirped. He waddled over to the control panel and pressed a button. "Rangers. Teleport to the Power Chamber immediately."

Within seconds, 5 streaks of multicolor brilliance shone in the room, and then materialized into his friends. Tommy, the always benevolent leader, stepped forward.

"What is it Zordon?" he asked.

"WHY, TOMMY. AREN'T YOU THE CONCERNED ONE. THERE IS NO EMERGENCY. IT WAS JUST A CALL FROM AN OLD FRIEND."

Then a familiar voice piped in, "Hey! I'm not THAT old!"

"Billy!" they all chorused. Their faces lit up at the sound of his voice, and all turned to face the viewing globe. It was at that instant when they fired a barrage of questions at him.

"How are you?"

"How is Aquitar?"

"Is there any way you can help me out with my algebra, long distance?"

"Can you believe how dumb Rocky is?"

"How are things between you and Cestria?"

"How come you never wrote? I mean, I know you said you weren't going to. But I thought you were kidding."

Billy could not help but laugh. "To answer your questions, guys. I'm fine, things here suck, yes there is, yes I can, I'd rather not say and I never had the time."

"Oh," Tommy said. "We've missed you bud."

"We've been wondering how you've been and stuff." Rocky said. "So, How have you been?"

"Things were great...until very recently."

"What happened?" Tanya asked him. She was worried for him, even thought they did not know each other well.

"It's hard to explain....." he said softly.

"You can tell us, Billy. We're your friends." Adam said.

"I know that....but....it's a very sensitive subject for me."

Rocky cocked his head off to one side. "Can I guess? I'm really good at this kinda thing."

Billy slowly shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Go right ahead. I doubt you can figure this out though."

"Thanks!" Rocky said. He cleared his throat. "When you got to Aquitar things were great. You and Cestria were very happy together, or so it seemed. She was going rape you to get your brains...and was gonna get rid of ya as soon as she had gotten what she wanted. The way she was gonna get rid of ya was to kill, and she was really going to marry Tideus. So she got you drunk, got you in bed and got some brains. The next day you ended up in your place with a really big hangover, and you didn't know how you got there. The King of Aquitar called you up and told you to meet him...which you did. He warned you about Cestria cause she had done that type of thing before. You didn't believe him and went to pay her a visit. Then you saw her with Tideus, went back to your place and called here. And there you have it, exactly what happened."

Billy stared at the Blue Ranger, wide eyed. "How on Earth did you know?" he asked.

"I read the script, silly." He said, and held out his hand. In it there was the script for the newest Power Rangers Zeo.

"Oh," Billy added. "I didn't know that. Hey! I don't have a script!"

All of the others turned to face Rocky. "Neither do we!" They exclaimed.

Rocky looked at them nervously. "I'm just special I guess." He said.

"Then tell me what else the writers have in store for me."

"No can do. This thing is confidential."

Kat put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat. "Can we get back onto the subject at hand?"

Billy slapped his forehead. "Doii! OK....Guys...I don't think I'm going to be on Aquitar much longer."

"Don't blame you a BIT." Tommy said. "But don't you think you should talk things out with Cestria first?"

Billy looked at the grim visage on each of the faces that were looking at him. "I will.....and if things aren't any better after that, I'll be on my way home. Billy out."

They all stood there, staring at the blank viewing globe in silence. They hadn't realized all that Billy had been going through. It had all sounded so terrible. It made them realize that some of the worst things could happen to the nicest people. Billy would need a lot of support when he came home.

"That had to hurt." Tommy said, breaking the silence.

"Poor Billy." Tanya added. She nodded her head solemnly. "He's going to need us more than ever."

"And we're going to be there for him. One hundred percent." Adam said.

Kat nodded. Suddenly, her blue eyes widened. "Oh my gosh. I just realized something."

All of the other rangers turned to face her, bewildered looks on their faces. "What is it?" they said.

"Billy's dad! He's probably worried sick!"

They all looked around at each other, wide eyed and worried.

"Poor Mr. Cranston." Tanya said. "The sooner Billy gets home, the better!"

The Machine Skybase
"Half-breed? What is....a half-breed?"

Waving his hand in front of his face, Gasket replied. "It's some blasted condition where an Earthling is part Animal, part Human. It usually happens under rare occasion where one parent of the child was somehow turns from animal, to human and mates with another human. Thus causing a half-breed. Billy is a half-wolf half-breed, and the only one who can hold the 7th Zeo crystals power."

"How queer."

"Isn't it though."

"How do you plan to capture this...Billy, my love?" Archerina asked. "And how will you get him to become our very own Silver Ranger?"

Gasket fiddled with the lock in the silver room. "Very simple." He replied. "He will be on his way home soon. The moment he lands on the Earth, we capture him. From there, we use THIS."

He lifted up his left hand. In it, he held a small vile that contained a glowing green liquid. "This is the most powerful mind control potion in the history of the universe. And I am fortunate enough to be the only one to hold it. We will use it on Billy, and he will be totally under our power. Our own personal slave until he withers and dies."

"Is it THAT powerful?"

"Indeed it is, my darling. All we have to do now is wait for that little fish lover to come into the atmosphere. And then, he's as good as ours."

Archerina squealed with laughter. "Oh dearest, I cannot wait a minute longer!"

"Neither can I, my love. Neither am I. But we will have to. Our plan is perfect. And if we go through it perfectly, we will soon have those pathetic Zeo Rangers at our mercy. And THEN we'll show them which machine is the REAL king of the Machine Empire!"

The two machines began to laugh maniacally, the tones echoing in the halls, outside of the palace and out onto the lunar terrain.

The Cranston Residence
"Are you SURE that you haven't seen him, Adam? The police aren't being of any help, and I'm so worried about him." Daniel Cranston said, his voice wavering. Tears streamed down his burning cheeks and dropped onto the phone that he held in his shaking hand.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cranston. I wish there was more that I could do. But I don't know where Billy is." Adam said. "I'm sure he'll show up soon."

"I am worried out of my mind." He said. "I hope you're right. If anything happened to him, I don't know what I would do."

"The feeling is mutual. But I have a gut feeling that he is going to come up sooner or later."

"I hope that what Lt. Stone said wasn't true. I hope that Billy didn't lose his mind, and commit suicide. I hope that he's all right. I hope.... I...I....I hope...." His voice trailed off, and he began to sob. Why had Billy left him? He had always thought of Billy as such a happy boy. He never thought that he could have done anything to drive him away. He had always been fair, and rarely ever had reason to punish Billy. So why had he left? Why had he left everyone he knew and loved behind to suffer and worry?

Adam's voice rang in, full of concern for Billy's father. He knew that he couldn't tell him where Billy really was, but he tried his best to reassure him that Billy was OK. Mr. Cranston was very unbelieving at this point. And who could blame him? For all he knew, his son was lying dead in a ditch somewhere, and not on Aquitar, safe and sound.

Cestria's Place
Cestria walked around her house, humming to herself. The fact that Billy had seen her with Tideus was hardly a strain on her mind. All she cared about was seeing Tideus again.

"La dee dee da dum."

Suddenly there came a knock at the door. Or was it more of a furious pounding? She couldn't be sure. Cestria rushed to the front door to answer it, looking through the little window to see who had come to call. There was Billy, his face flushed with anger. Her eyes widened and she opened the door.

"Billy! What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting you." she said, faking a surprised pleasure. The scowl that his face bore did not change, and she chuckled nervously. "Won't you come in?"

Billy pushed her out of the way and made his way into the main room.

"Is something upsetting you, Billy?"

He turned to face her. She met his gaze, only to be locked into his icy cold stare. His voice, low and deep took her by surprise. "What makes you think that seeing you with Tideus would make me upset?"

Cestria backed away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh.....oh oho....yes....you do know what I'm talking about. I know everything, Cestria. Everything about how you were only seducing me to get my brains, and how when you had gotten what you wanted, you were going to kill me off. King Poseidon told me that, and my friend Rocky told me that. Don't deny it."

"Deny what? I haven't any idea what you're talking about. It's lies, all lies. Billy, I love you." Cestria bit her lip as mouth uttered the lie. His eyes only grew colder.

"Lies will get you no where Cestria. Just admit it. That is EXACTLY what you were trying to do."

Cestria tried to force her eyes to look away from him, but it was impossible. Those blue eyes, which once shone with love and admiration only for her, were now as colder than ice and were made so by extreme anguish and pain. She knew that it was the truth, but she would never let herself admit to her lies. She had gotten away with this so cleanly before. Never a problem. None of the previous men she had done this to had figured it our before. And now she stood face to face with the smartest of them all, and he had found out. She knew of only one thing to do. It did not matter anymore if she had his intelligence. What mattered is that he was gotten rid of.

She backed up into the wall, gently nudging a switch nearby. A panel on the ceiling swung open, and a gleaming sword fell down into Cestria's hands. "You know too much," she growled. "Now you must die!"

Billy's eyes went from icy cold, to wide with fear. He backed away quickly. She swung the sword at him, growling and cursing. Her eyes glowed a bright red and her mouth was twisted into an evil sneer. When she spoke, her voice screeched and hissed. It was a voice all too familiar to Billy's ears. Then her body began to transform into a armored woman. Scorpina.

She had disappeared shortly after Rita and Zedd were married, and had disguised herself as an Aquation ever since. So THAT was why Rita and Zedd had gotten so smart. Scorpina had stolen all intelligence out of every brainy man on Aquitar, and had then tried the same on Billy. In the process she had fallen in love with Tideus, the Yellow Alien Ranger. And now here she was, trying with all her might to destroy someone that she had tried to destroy many times before.

She was enraged, screaming and shouting. The swinging of the sword did not help her much in the way of killing the young man, but it certainly was frightening him. Billy had never before felt true fear, and surely this was it. Somehow, despite the sharp sword that could enter his trembling body at any second, he managed to knock her down with a low roundhouse kick and ran out of the door.

She climbed to her feet and charged after him, sword out. "I'm going to kill you, Billy Boy! Just you wait and see!"

Hot tears streamed down Billy's cheeks as he ran towards his pod. Every few seconds he could feel the sharp blade of the sword nudge at the back of his shirt, and could nearly feel Scorpina breathing down the back of his neck.

Have to get away! Have to go home!

Scorpina growled and jumped at him, knocking him to the ground. Lifting her booted foot, she flipped him over to face her with the broad side of the sword and brought her foot down hard upon his chest. He gasped, his eyes wide with both terror and pain. His arms flailed outwards, reaching desperately outwards so that he could grab onto the frame of the pod. Scorpina only laughed and raised the sword high above his head.

"This is something I have waited a long time to do!" she exclaimed, "And now, Billy, the FORMER Blue Ranger, you will die under the sword of Scorpina! The most powerful warrior in the universe!" Her arms thrust downwards, sending the sword plunging towards the middle of Billy's heaving chest. His screamed echoed through the pod chamber and his hands instinctively rose up to meet the forthcoming blow. He knew that it was the end for him. He shut his eyes tightly, and prepared to die.

Suddenly, as out of nowhere, a blur of purple and black slammed into Scorpina into the opposite wall. She growled in protest and leapt at Billy's rescuer. Billy scrambled to his feet and turned to face them, only to be met by a great shock.

"King Poseidon!" he yelled. "Get away from her!"

The King of Aquitar was struggling against the efforts of the powerful Scorpina, and was fighting a losing battle. "No! You go on without me! Go home!"

Billy rushed forward, ready to enter the fight. "I won't leave you! Come with me!"

At that instant, Scorpina ran her sword through the noble King. He hunched over, eyes wide and glazed over. The blood was the first sight that met Billy's eyes. Oh, the blood. So red...too red. Death. There was death everywhere. Images of all the blood, all the death before him flashed inside of his head, even as he closed his eyes. The world was spinning. Billy's breathing became more rapid, coming in quick pants. He clutched his spinning head, and began to scream...a scream that would rival that of a banshee.

Scorpina pulled the blade out of Poseidon's stomach and let the bleeding body slump onto the ground. She once more turned to face Billy, pointing the red blade at him. There was an evil gleam in her eyes, a lust for blood. Billy ran to the pod and climbed inside. He turned it on, ready to speed away. Scorpina thrust the sword into the side of the pod, screaming. Billy tried desperately to keep the images of blood, and his tears from blurring his vision, and sped away, leaving a ranting Scorpina behind .He was going so fast, that the pod shot high above the surface of the water and was soon out in the depths of space, headed towards home.

Somewhere between Jupiter and Mars
"Zordon, This is Billy. I'm on my way home."

"THAT IS GOOD NEWS INDEED." Zordon said. His voice rang in loud and clear, echoing through the pod. "HOW DID YOUR LITTLE TALK WITH CESTRIA GO?"

Billy sighed. "Well...Cestria is not at ALL what I thought she was. She is really Scorpina, and she k....k..." he could not bring himself to utter the horrible words. Zordon sensed the pain that Billy was feeling.

"BILLY, WHAT HAPPENED?"

"The King of Aquitar is dead. Scorpina killed him, and it's all my fault." He spat out angrily. His face flushed red, and once more the images of all the blood poured into his head. Billy forced the images into the back of his mind and held onto the steering mechanism tightly. So tightly that his knuckles were white. He would not allow himself to think about all the blood. The bright red blood, the sword, the king. No. He would not think about that. "B...but I'm on my way home. And I'd rather not talk about what happened these past few days. Do NOT think that I am going to need support. I am JUST fine without you guys." He did not even realize the harsh tone that he was using, nor the words. To him, this was all one horrible nightmare. One that seemed never-ending. And he was reacting how any normal human being would react to the situation.

"PLEASE TRY TO CALM YOURSELF, BILLY. THERE IS NO NEED TO BLAME YOURSELF FOR SOMETHING YOU DID NOT DO."

Taking in many deep breaths, Billy forced himself to calm down. "Y...you're right. I need to calm down. Are the others around?"

"NO, THEY ARE NOT. THEY WENT TO GO REASSURE YOUR FATHER ABOUT YOU."

"My dad! Oh no!" he screamed, slapping himself on the forehead. "He must be worried sick! I am so stupid! I should have told him...I should never have left in the first place!"

"BILLY, PLEASE CALM YOURSELF. YOU WILL SOON BE HOME WITH YOUR FATHER."

"What will I tell him!? I just can't go up to him and say 'Hey dad! I'm home! I'm sorry I'm so late. Just took a month and a half detour to another planet, only to be raped by one of that planets inhabitants, who really wasn't who she seemed to be, and I witnessed the king of that planets brutal death, but I'm fine now."

"THAT WOULD BE A PROBLEM."

"You're darn right it would." Billy replied, sighing. "And I can't come up with anything decent TO tell him either."

"YOU..." Zordon paused, obviously deep in thought. "YOU MIGHT AS WELL TELL HIM WHAT REALLY HAPPENED."

"He'd think that I have gone out of my mind. Wait a minute....that's not such a bad thing....It's the truth after all."

"YOU HAVE NOT LOST YOUR MIND. YOU HAVE JUST BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF MENTAL STRAIN."

"No shit, Sherlock." Billy growled.

"PLEASE CALM YOURSELF. I HAVE NEVER HEARD YOU SPEAK IN SUCH A HARSH TONE TO ANYONE."

"I'm sorry," Billy said. "But with the way things have been lately..."

"I UNDERSTAND. PLEASE HURRY HOME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT YOU MAY BE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FATHER ONCE MORE."

Billy stifled a smile. Zordon always knew what to say to make him feel better, if only a little. "Thank you Zordon, and I'll be home within the hour."

"HAVE A SAFE VOYAGE, BILLY. ZORDON OUT."

Billy leaned back against the soft cushioning of his seat and sighed. He reached over and clicked off the communicator, the static died slowly. Then, he set the pod to auto pilot and closed his eyes. So many bad things had happened. Before, it seemed as if it could not get any better, Of course that meant, from there everything would go downhill, but he had never expected THAT downhill. He never expected the affair, the real motivation, Scorpina and the death of one of his most trusted friends and allies...the King of Aquitar. No...he had not expected any of it. And yet it had happened, and so quickly.

The mental scars would fade, but never heal entirely. From then on, he had resolved never to love again, for to him it now meant betrayal, sadness and death in it's most horrible form.

Machine Skybase
"Gasket! Darling! He is on his way home!" Archerina exclaimed, pointing out of the window and bouncing like a tiny child.

Gasket came up to her and took her into his arms. "So he is." He said in soft tone. "At long last. I am so glad that you noticed it, dearest. I would never have seen him."

"It is time to unleash that brilliant plan of yours!" she squealed. "I cannot wait!"

"Neither can I, my love. It is all too perfect. We shall grab him as SOON as he gets out of that pod, and use my precious little potion on him. Then, we shall have him unlock the safe that holds the Silver Zeo crystal..."

"And then we shall use our little half-breed ranger to destroy the others!"

"And then, I, Gasket, RIGHTFUL king of the Machine Empire, and you, my dear queen Archerina, shall rule the Earth!"

Archerina pulled her husband into a bear hug and planted a kiss onto his cold, metallic lips. "But first...we must recruit our cogs to capture him."

Gasket nodded slowly. "COGS! Prepare for battle! We are to take the young man, Billy, captive! Archerina and I will be with you, but you will be the ones doing most of the work! Do your job well...and I will make sure that you are amply rewarded with your...VERY OWN OILCAN!"

The Cog army cheered to the best of its ability. Gasket laughed to himself about how foolish they could be. He had meant that the whole army would get one can. They were uplifted by some of the stupidest things. He could hardly believe that he had to constantly deal with them on a daily basis, and that he trusted in them to bring his greatest prize to him. Oh well, Cogs will be Cogs.

"You will be hidden around the area where he lands, and the INSTANT that he steps out of that pod, GRAB HIM! Make SURE that the rangers do not get in the way! Do NOT fail me!"

Power Chamber
Five streaks of colored light streamed into the Power Chamber. An instant later, they were all 5 humans. before Tommy could step forward to ask what sort of monster was against them this time, Zordon spoke.

BILLY IS COMING HOME, RANGERS.

The Power Chamber filled at once with cheers and cries of joy. Zordon and Alpha did not join in the celebration, however. Kat noticed this and asked, "What's wrong?"

MY FRIENDS, MORE HAS HAPPENED SINCE BILLY LAST SPOKE WITH US, AND NONE OF IT IS GOOD. HE WILL NEED OUR HELP, THOUGH HE DENIES IT. Zordon had hated hearing the pain in his oldest student's voice when he'd spoken of Scorpina's murder of the king. Billy was going to need more than help, but what it was, Zordon had no idea.

"What is it?" Adam was at once worried; if something was wrong with Billy, he, of all the Rangers, wanted to know about it. Zordon looked at them all, should he really tell them? They were his friends; they deserved to know.

CESTRIA . . .IS SCORPINA, AND IN HER RUSH TO KILL BILLY WHEN HE DISCOVERED HER SECRET, SHE KILLED KING POSIEDON. Zordon almost flinched when he saw the horror in the five pairs of eyes beneath him. He told them all that Billy had told him, including his refusal to accept help for the pain he felt.

"Well, whether he wants it or not, we're going to help him!" Adam insisted. "That's what friends are for!"

"Friends and family," Tanya nodded suddenly. "Let's surprise Billy: have his dad waiting for him when he gets back."

"I think he'd want to tell his dad about what's happened himself," Tommy objected. Tanya shook her head.

"We can surprise them both. We can ask his dad to take a walk with us or something, maybe mention there was a sighting of Billy wherever he's supposed to land at. His dad won't know what to expect, and neither will Billy."

The Rangers exchanged glances, and as her plan sunk in, one and all smiled.

"Cool idea!" was Rocky's comment.

"I'll go ask him!" Adam said.

"We'll be with you in a minute, Adam." Kat said.

He nodded, smiling and teleported off without another word.

The others called up Billy's course on the computers, and plotted where he was going to land. It was going to be one heck of a welcome-home!

The Cranston Residence
"Come on, Mr. Cranston!" Tanya said cheerily, tugging onto his arm. "Let's go on a walk!"

"No...I really need to stay here. In case someone calls." He replied. He drew his arm away from her. "I need to be here in case they find Billy."

"But a walk will do you A LOT of good!" Adam protested. "Please?" Adam then instinctively moved into his 'cute adorable, gotta love it, puppy dog face' maneuver. This was something that no human in their right mind could resist. Be they male or female, it was so cute it tore at their hearts. It was Adam's secret weapon against adults who refused to do something that might help them, or that he wanted really badly.

Mr. Cranston winced as he stared at Adam's face. "Adam, please, don't do that to me. You know what that face of yours does to me...."

Adam smiled quickly, then continued the face. Mr. Cranston whimpered and tried to turn his gaze away. But then, the total cuteness of it all took over. "Alright, alright! I'll go on a walk!"

Rocky laughed and leaned over to whisper in Tanya's ear. "I wish I could do that. He always gets his way!"

"So do I! Hey Adam! Can you teach me how to do that!?"

"It's an acquired skill...very few can actually do it. And I am one of the few!"

Tanya snorted and punched him playfully on the shoulder. "Show off!"

Pulling Mr. Cranston out of the door by his arm, Adam stuck his tongue out at her. "Thank you!"

Angel Grove Park
"Oh, Gasket! Is he here yet?" Archerina peered out from the bushes, trying to catch a glimpse of the descending spacepod.

"Calm down, dear!" Gasket, too, was looking out for Billy, but he spared a glance for the Rangers and human standing only a few dozen feet away. "They'll hear you!'

"We could just call our Cogs if they find us!" Archerina dismissed the idea the Rangers might interfere with her Gasket's brilliant plan. That just wouldn't happen!

Gasket sighed; he loved Archerina, but at times, she WAS a bit silly. "Here he comes! Quiet down, dear, please!"

She was quivering with delight, about to pop out of the bushes. "I can't help it, love. I am far too excited!"

He reached over and took hold of her shoulders and pulled her back against him. "It's landing, Shhh." He whispered. His bright yellow eyes were locked on the pod.

"What is THAT?" Tommy deliberately widened his eyes in shock. Kat could tell it was only with the greatest of control he was able to stop himself from bursting into laughter.

Mr. Cranston's surprise, however, was unfeigned. As the ship descended to Earth and landed not far from them, he felt his heart rate tripling. He knew, as did everyone in Angel Grove, that aliens were trying to invade. Were they about to be victim to a monster attack?

Tommy was shaking with concealed laughter; he hoped he could keep up this act until Billy came out. "We'd better get back," he said, pushing Mr. Cranston a few steps back. "Never know what could come out of that thing."

Just as if on cue, the pod opened, gushing out an expanse of fog. A dim light flowed behind it, and the shadow of a dark figure could be seen. It moved out of the way of the light, it's obviously humanarms thrashing out in front of it. It coughed and sputtered, and the fog began to clear, revealing the face of the figure.

"BILLY!" Mr. Cranston yelled, eyes brimmed with tears.

Billy looked up, his eyes wide in true shock. He'd wanted to tell his dad about what had happened, but he hadn't expected to MEET him the moment he stepped off his ship! Billy, for the first time since seeing it happen, forgot about the king's death, Scorpina's existence, and ran to his father.

"Dad," he whispered. "Oh, Dad. I'm home."

The tears now flowed freely from Daniel's eyes as he held his son close to him.

"Oh Billy." he sobbed. "I...missed you SO much! I was so worried!"

"I'm home now. You don't need to be worried anymore. I'm not going anywhere, ever again!"

Gasket leapt out of the bushes, sword out. "Such a Kodak moment! Too bad you ARE going somewhere, little half-breed! COGS! GRAB HIM!"

Billy and his father jumped away from each other, emitting a cry of terror. Dozens upon dozens of cogs materialized out of nowhere, their mechanical arms whirring and creaking. They charged at Billy.

The rangers stood there, wide eyed. "What are we going to do?" Adam asked worriedly. "We have to do something!"

Mr. Cranston whirled around to face them. "Why won't you do something!?" he cried. They all gave each other worried glances, then nodded.

"IT'S MORPHIN TIME!" Tommy yelled. Their arms moved in the familiar formation, locking the zeonizer to the communicator.

"ZEO RANGER I! PINK!"

"ZEO RANGER II! YELLOW!"

"ZEO RANGER III" BLUE!"

"ZEO RANGER IV! GREEN!"

"ZEO RANGER V! RED!"

"GOLD RANGER POWER!"

The six teens dissolved into armored superheroes at an instant, and began plowing their way through the cogs. Unfortunately for them, another dozen of cogs, far beyond their reach hand taken hold of Billy and were dragging him towards the two cackling machines.

Of course the cogs were not getting there easily. Billy was giving them quite a hard time with his kicking and screaming. They hadn't realized how strong he actually was, but that was just too bad for them. Gasket and Archerina could have cared less, and ran out into the mass of cogs to grab Billy themselves.

"LET ME GO!" He yelled. Grabbing onto Gaskets arm, he gave it a tremendous tug. With a disgusting snap, in broke off and fell to the ground. Billy crashed down with it, and scrambled to his feet. Gasket snarled.

"Not so fast!" he screamed. "No one amputates Prince Gasket's arm and gets away with it!" With that, Gasket slammed his big metal foot into Billy's head. Billy sighed deeply and collapsed, a thin line of blood trickled down his forehead. Gasket kicked him in the ribs, growling. He then bent over and grabbed onto the fallen arm. "Archerina, darling. Could you help me with my arm? HE isn't going to be headed anywhere any time soon."

"Of course, my love." she said, and helped him tend to his arm. This distraction had given the rangers some time to make their way closer to Billy. Tommy was the first to break the barrier line of cogs and broke out in a run.

"I'm coming Billy." he grunted, panting. He reached Billy's side, only to find him unconscious. Gasket, who was standing nearby getting his arm repaired, gasped and pulled away from Archerina, tearing his arm off once more.

"I have worked too hard!" he yelled, holding his sword out with his only hand. Tommy had lifted Billy up onto his shoulder and was suddenly struck in the ribcage with Gasket's sword. He toppled over backwards, crying out in pain, and Billy landed on the ground with a loud 'thump'. The other rangers saw this, and tried desperately to get to them. But alas, Gasket would not have anyone ruin his perfect plan, more and more cogs appeared, practically burying them. Gasket plunged the blade of his sword into the Earth and managed to get Billy onto his shoulder. Archerina came up, carrying his other arm, and pulled the sword up.

"Let us go." she said. "We have what we want."

Gasket broke out into an evil laughter and shot a glance to Billy's father. The poor man was staring, wide eyed and helpless to save his son. Gasket continued his laughter and made a quick bow in Daniel's direction, then he, Archerina and the cogs vanished.

It was at that very moment, when Daniel Cranston collapsed. He let his body relax totally, and found comfort in the back of his mind. There he was safe. There he was with Billy. Nothing could harm him ever, here in his mind. He never had to feel worry, or pain, or sorrow. There was nothing but peace here. There were no monsters, nor was there anything that could cause him any grief. This is where he would stay. The shell of the body he once knew would remain there, a sign of a sad and lonely man, now dead. He was now at peace, for nothing in the outside world mattered anymore. All that mattered was that the pain was over.

The rangers shouted out cries of outrage. Adam slammed his fist into the bark of a nearby tree, screaming profane language all the while. Tommy had clambered to his feet, and was busily blaming himself for not saving his friend. Rocky ran around, screaming and making a racket like a chicken with it's head cut off. Kat sunk down unto her knees and began to wail. Tanya came over and tried to comfort her. And there was Jason, standing as still as stone, fists clenched. The only words spoken came from his mouth, and they bit as hard as steel, despite the plainness of the words. "We'll get him back."

Without another word, the rangers lifted Mr. Cranston up and teleported to the Power Chamber.

Power Chamber
Hours passed without a single word spoken. Alpha was working worriedly on reviving Mr. Cranston, as Adam and Tanya continuously tried to lock onto the Machine Skybase so that they could get Billy back. The others sat around, holding their helmets in their hands and looking very depressed. After all the trouble that Billy had gone through, Cestria, the affair, Scorpina, the murder, he was now in the clutches of Gasket in Archerina. It all seemed so hopeless.

It was then that Tommy remembered. Gasket's arm. Billy had taken it off, giving Tommy a new hope. Breaking the silence, he whispered. "I have faith in Billy. He won't give up without a fight." The others looked at him, tears in their eyes. They all nodded slowly, and continued their work. Tanya and Adam came up with nothing, and Mr. Cranston was taking a turn for the worst.

All the while. Tommy's words echoed through everyone's mind. I have faith in Billy. He won't give up without a fight.

The Machine Skybase
"Ohhhh..." grumbled Billy. "My head." His eyes flickered open. The only image that met his eyes was a landscape of blur. The colors were all muddled, what colors there were anyway. It was dark in this room, and he could not tell whether or not he was alone. He blinked several times, rubbing at his eyes. What he saw when he was done, was two pairs of bright yellow eyes locked on him. Attached to those eyes, there was two heads, and attached to those, two bodies. Rising himself up onto his shoulders he saw who it was and screamed.

Gasket was hovering over him with a syringe needle, filled to the top with a glowing green substance. Archerina was standing at his side, holding onto a bottle with the same eerie liquid.

"At last you have awakened, half-breed." Gasket said softly.

Billy's only nervous reply was, "Get away from me!" as he tried to creep away. To his misfortune, his ankles were shackled to the floor...and he could not move. He began to cower and whimper.

Archerina only laughed. "Oh, don't worry. This isn't going to hurt a bit." she said. Reaching down, she rolled upthe sleeve of his shirt on his right arm. He swatted at her, only to have Gasket's sword pointed directly at his throat. This caused him to quiet down. The only movements he made was his quivering of fear as Archerina held tightly onto his arm. "Go ahead, darling." she whispered.

Gasket's eyes gleamed brighter still, seemingly full of triumph. He reached down to gently slit the needle into the exposed skin on Billy's arm. There he paused, as if for dramatic effect. Every nerve in Billy's body was screaming out, wanting him to do something. He gritted his teeth and balled up his fists. What did they think they were doing to him anyway? They wouldn't accomplish anything by it. He wouldn't let them. Never.

Laughing, Gasket plunged the syringe downward, spilling mind control potion into Billy's blood stream. A loud yell escaped Billy's throat as the foreign substance raced through his body. Every muscle became stiff, every nerve became shot. The potion moved quickly through him, making his mind become more and more dark. They had gotten what they wanted. Billy's eyes began to shine brilliant silver and narrowed into glowing slits. A low growl came from Billy's lips.

"How may I serve thee, my master and mistress?"

In the Mind of Mr. Cranston
There were trees all around. Dark, ominous looming trees, covering all sunlight and blocking them from the world. They ran, as swiftly as they could, but to no avail. The Hunter was coming, and his teeth bared at the thought of fresh blood. They could hear his heavy footsteps stomping along behind them. He was gaining on them. Faster and faster he came, until they could feel his hot breath rushing down the back of their necks. They couldn't stop running, for to stop would mean their certain, horrible death.

The Hunter was an evil man. His big muscles were covered by the hides of animals that he had slaughtered in his long lifetime. He had a mop of long blong hair, and a yellow mustache and beard to match. Deep set in his big face were peircing blue eyes. Around his neck, and tucked under his shirt made from the hide of a seal, there were five beautiful necklaces.

As the two ran something so horrible, so beyond their control happened. The Hunter yelled only one word, but it was enough.

"Up!"

Instantly, the roots of the trees sprang up and entangled the pair. Their shrieks echoed against the thick wall of trees. They were trapped. Bound tightly by the roots of trees. They struggled with all their might against the mighty magical roots, but they held steadfast. The Hunter walked slowly up to them, breathing in quick pants. Or was he laughing? The man could not be sure. The only thing that he could feel in his heart was fear. They were going to die.

The woman did not give up her attempt to break the bonds of the enormous roots. She grunted and snarled as she tried to break free. "You will never get away with this Daran! You will never win!"

He walked up to her and took her chin in his hand. "I always win...and I always get what I want." He whispered. "Too bad that you decided to go with this loser, wolf woman. My taste always has run towards wolf." Daran: The Hunter, bent down, about to draw her into a passionate kiss. Fangs grew within her mouth, and she bit down hard onto his tongue He pulled back, squealing like a wounded pig. His hand flew up to his mouth, and the woman could see the redness of blood squeeze through his clenched fingers. With his hand over his mouth, he uttered a muffled sentence.

"You'll pay for that dearly, wolf woman." He waved his hand in front of her face and the roots retracted away from her, sending her crashing to the ground. The air was knocked out of her, and gushed out from between her teeth. She shut her eyes tightly, as to keep the sight of the Hunter out of her mind. He waved his hand once more and in it appeared a gleaming katana blade. He ran his thumb along the sharp side, laughing evilly.

The man, still stuck in the roots, was screaming and yelling in protest, bucking and thrashing against them. One of his hands broke free, and he began to pry at the other. He called out the woman's name, warning her of the Hunter that was hovering over her with the giant blade. She did not move a muscle. It was like she did not hear him at all. His scream was the only thing heard as Daran the Hunter brought down the blade into the body of the woman. He slashed at her, giggling like a schoolboy. The man pulled his other hand out of the root and leapt to the ground. He ran to the woman, for whom there was no hope to save. She had died. The only thing that the man could hear was the echo of his beloved wife's voice ringing through the trees.

Tis time for me to leave thee. Thou alone, among men & beasts, doth have my heart... thou art my true love & together didst we have a most handsome and wise son, who will grow to a great destiny. Thee must save a valuable medallion from the clutches of the evil Hunter. Save this medallion once I have departed this sweet Earth, and give it to our son. Good bye, my love...I have...but one last request.

Do not forget me.

The man held the dead form of his wife against him, rocking to and fro. His tears fell upon her, mixing with the several streams of blood. They began to twinkle softly, then began to glow. The man gasped and jumped back, unsure of what was going on. The glow became brighter and brighter, until it became almost blinding. Both the man, and the Hunter shaded their eyes.

When the glare died down they uncovered their eyes. The Hunter let out a laugh of pleasure as he saw what it was. The man could only gape in amazement. There, standing over the body of his wife was the ghostly figure of a silver wolf.

It turned around in a full circle, looking over the two. It then stopped for a minute as she looked at the man. There was a look in it's eyes, something that the man couldn't quite pick out. Sadness? Despair? Anger? Or was it pleading? Yes, it was all four of them.

"Racheal?" he whispered. The wolf cocked her head and nodded

You know what you must do, Daniel.

"I'm scared, Racheal. Terrified."

You know what you must do. Do not fear, for nothing will happen to you.

The Hunter snarled. "I will have what I want, wolf woman. Your spirit shall be mine!" His hand flew up to his neck, and out from underneath his shirt he pulled out 5 shining medallions. They glistened, hanging from his thick neck by a mass of golden chains. "See these!?"

Daniel nodded. "What do you think? That I am blind?"

The Hunter raised his hand once more. "Tou lina zooha borli. Canis lupis ashdir rahim." He whispered. A low howl escaped the throat of the silver wolf, and it's image began to fade. As it did, a golden wolf medallion with eyes of gleaming sapphire formed in the Hunter's hand. His deep laugh and a low howl rang in Daniel's ears.

"At last. My mission is complete! I have the power of all now! The crane, the falcon, the bear, the ape, the frog and the most powerful of them all , the wolf are now under my control. I now have the ultimate."

The tears had returned in the man's eyes. "No you don't."

Thee must save a valuable medallion from the clutches of the evil Hunter.

"For you, Racheal!" He yelled, and leapt at the Hunter. He had no weapon, but he had the will. He would get the medallion from the Hunter, even if it meant his death. There was no longer any fear, for he had felt all the fear that was possible within a man. His hands grasped onto the medallion, but the Hunter held it steadfast.

"It is MINE!" he proclaimed. "You will never be able to take it from me."

With his mighty arm, the Hunter reached out for Daniel's throat. He took hold, and began to squeeze tightly. Daniel began to choke, his air supply cut off from him. But this did not stop his attempts to take the medallion. Somehow, he managed to inch his fingers around the sides of it, enough to get a hold of it. He looked into the black eyes of the Hunter. They gleamed and glistened with hate and pleasure.

Thee must save a valuable medallion from the clutches of the evil Hunter.

Daniel kicked and thrashed, managing a guttural moan. It was then when his foot struck. In the most sensitive area of the male body, Daniel's foot landed with such strength that no one had ever known. The Hunters eyes grew wide with rage and pain. His grip loosened on both the medallion and Daniel's neck and he toppled over backwards, crying out in agony.

Daniel landed with the agility of a cat, and with the quickness of a cheetah, he sprung for the katana. In his bony fingers the sword was clumsy, but he knew that he had to rid the world of this hunter. And with the help of all he held holy, he would do it. He ran forward, as fast as lightning, and swung the sword out at the Hunter.

The Hunter was already up, and turned to run only to meet the cold steel blade in the back. He screamed and ran as fast as he could, running through the trees, and out of the wood, never to return.

Daniel plunged the blade deep into the earth and let out a glass-shattering scream of triumph. He had won, the medallion clasped to his palm. He brought his eyes down to gaze at it, the sapphire eyes of the wolf figure glittered in the streams of sunlight that now shone through the trees. They no longer seemed so ominous, or black, or frightening, and the body had disappeared.

Save this medallion once I have departed this sweet Earth, and give it to our son.

"I will, Racheal." He whispered.

Thou alone, among men & beasts, doth have my heart... thou art my true love & together didst we have a most handsome and wise son, who will grow to a great destiny.

"Billy will have it, as soon he is old enough..." The tears began to flow once more. She had left him, killed by the evil Hunter.

Good bye, my love...I have...but one last request.

Do not forget me.

And he would not forget her. Ever.

The Machine Skybase
Billy stood with his master and mistress in front of the door to the Silver Room. Gasket spoke.

"Unlock the safe there and take out what's inside, Billy," the evil machine ordered. Billy nodded and opened the door smoothly. Archerina squealed and grabbed onto her husband's arm.

"Oh, Gasket, my darling, in only a few moments, we will have our very own Power Ranger!"

Gasket laughed as Billy walked towards the safe. "Yes.... Ours FOREVER! There is nothing that can break the control of that potion . . .nothing at all!"

Billy touched the lock, and at the touch of a half-breed, it opened easily. The safe door swung open, and small tendrils of fog, similar to what had happened when the door to his spaceship had opened, poured out. Inside, there gleamed a crystal, long, slender, and gleaming from within. He reached inside and picked it up, and as he touched it, the crystal melted into him.

Gasket bellowed in triumph, "MORPH, my Silver Ranger!! Let me see my newest and greatest warrior at his full power!"

A moment later, Billy stood before them, the Silver Ranger, morphed and completely under their control. He blended in perfectly with the brilliant shine of his surroundings. A sword was in it's sheath at his side, and his hand rested on the sapphire studded hilt. On the helmet, was the image of a snarling, vicious wolf, which they would see their reflection in. The visor too was made of silver, so that no one could see in, and he could see out. On his chest there was a brilliant shining silver shield. It, like the sword hilt, was studded with sapphire. His armored body glistened underneath their watchful eyes. Such a fine warrior was he. And he was theirs, for all eternity.

The evil laughter of the two machines echoed throughout the Skybase, only to be joined by Billy's own shrill, insane cackling. It truly was a great night for the forces of darkness.

In the Mind of Mr. Cranston
Daniel walked through the door. His clothes were bloody and misshapen, his neck bruised as well as the rest of him. He was out of breath, and obviously very weak. He collapsed to the ground, knocking over a lamp as he did so. The sudden noise awoke his sleeping son, who had been lying on the couch. He shot straight up from where he lay and turned around.

"Dad!" he cried, and ran to his father. The man was unconscious, and holding something tight in his left hand. The boy nudged him gently, looking out of the open doorway to see if his mother was close behind. She wasn't there. "Dad," he whispered. "Wake up. Please, wake up!"

A soft moan escaped Daniel's throat, and his eyes fluttered open. "B...Billy?" he said. The boy nodded.

"Dad, what happened? You're all bloody, and tired, and...and...dad, where is mom..."

"I. . I. ..," Daniel stared at his son, unable to say the words he knew he had to. Despite what had happened, despite the horrors he'd seen, his mind cleared suddenly. He was almost sure he'd heard his wife's whispered voice in his mind. Tell him. He must know.

"Dad?" Billy stared up into his father's pale face; what was wrong? Where was his mother? Had something. . .no. . nothing could happen to her.

"Billy," Daniel made his shaky way to the couch and pulled Billy down next to him. "Listen to me, Billy. There . . .there was an accident."

In quiet tones, Daniel told his son an edited version of what had happened, not mentioning the fact his mother was. . had been...Whatever the proper phrase was. .. a wolf. That was something Billy would never have to find out. Whatever the destiny he was supposed to grow into was, he wouldn't need to know.

Billy couldn't believe his ears. His mother was dead. Mom was dead. "NO!" he yelled suddenly. Daniel jerked back, surprised by Billy's anger. "No, she's not dead! This is some bad joke! How could you?!?!?!"

Without another word, Billy ran up to his room and locked the door. He stayed there for hours, crying. Daniel tried to get him to come out, but Billy simply ignored him. He didn't want to believe his mother was gone. It just hurt too much. Far too much.

The Angel Grove Youth Center
The Rangers all trooped into the Youth Center; every last one of them was tired and worried over Billy. There had been no sign of him since he'd been taken by Gasket and Archerina, no word on a ransom or any plans the two evil machines might have for him. Alpha had been searching day and night for any clues; but came up short every time.

It was only at Zordon's insistence that they'd even left the Power Chamber in the first place. He'd told them as soon as there was any word, good, bad, or otherwise, on Billy, they'd be the first to know.

"We've got to find him," Adam muttered to them as they took their usual table.

"We can't let Gasket and Archerina do . . .whatever it is they plan to do with him."

"I think I'd be even more concerned if we knew what it was they had in mind," Tanya replied softly.

Tommy shrugged. "I don't know. Not knowing is nerve-wracking enough, to my way of thinking."

Their conversation was cut off when a young woman approached them. She was very beautiful. Her hair, long and blonde, was pulled up into a flowing ponytail. Among the rest of her lovely facial features, she had a pair of bright, cat-like green eyes. She had a full figure, an was not ashamed to show it off with the tight bluejeans and black leotard that she wore. "Excuse me?" her voice was sweet and gentle. "You're Tommy Oliver, right? Billy Cranston's friend?"

Tommy nodded. The woman smiled. "I'm Samantha Greene; I used to live in Angel Grove. I just moved back to town, I was wondering if Billy's around anywhere."

Rocky shook his head. "Not at the moment." It was all he could bring himself to say. Tommy agreed with him.

"Where is he?" Samantha asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's been a while since I saw him; he and I were friends, or at least knew each other, a few years ago."

Kat glanced around nervously; they'd never had to deal with quite this situation before. "He's out of town; we're not really sure when he's going to be back." Or even IF he'll be back.

The others nodded simultaneous agreement. Samantha frowned. "Just my luck. Well, if he shows up anytime soon, let him know I'm around, would you?"

Tommy nodded. "Will do."

"Thanks," she headed away, leaving the Rangers to wonder if they'd ever be able to give Billy the message: or even ever speak to him again.

The Machine Skybase
Looking down upon the Earth , Gasket saw the rangers engaged in conversation at the Youth Center. A slight sneer crossed his face and his eyes narrowed. Oh, yes. They shall know what happened to their precious Billy. Especially when he is down there, beating their puny behinds.

Battle cries echoed through the halls of the Skybase; Billy was practicing on the cog army. The way that things were headed, they needed to replenish the cog population, and keep their precious silver ranger away from them. The crunch of metal crashing against the wall was soon heard, then the electronic whirring of the disassembled gears. Gasket turned around. It is time, thought he, to send my silver ranger to Earth. The rangers will be no match for him if he can destroy an entire cog army.

"Silver Ranger!" he called. Seconds later, the silver clad warrior bounded into the room.

"Yes master? I am here to serve thee."

"It is time, Silver Ranger. Go down to Earth and destroy the Power Rangers. Be sure that you do not leave one alive unless circumstances show otherwise. Do NOT fail me."

"I do as my master commands." Billy said; then he disappeared in a brilliant flash of silver.

In the Mind of Mr. Cranston
Daniel. Our son is in the deepest of peril. He was to become the Silver Warrior, that is true. But that power fell into the wrong hands, and now, so has he. I am afraid, my husband, for our son. He is under the effect of a powerful mind control potion. He will kill, and kill again, not knowing his good and true side underneath. He could kill you, and everyone we love, dear one. His friends are at the greatest risk.

You must remove yourself from this mental state that you are in right now. I have been sending you images of the past. A dark and painful past for you...and if you resist in saving our son, so be it. I shall send you horrible images of the future that may be if you do not get off of your rump and help.

Dear one...I am counting on you. Remember that.

In the Jungles of Brazil
The sun sent golden streams of light dancing off of the gleaming gold surface of the 5 medallions. The faces of the frog, the crane, the falcon, the bear, and the ape spun lazily around on the golden chain, which was dangling from the burly wrist of a man. He sighed as he stared at them. All he needed was one more... just one. And a mere mortal had pulled it out of his grasp! How times had changed. Things used to be, hunter chases mortal, mortal flees and cowers, hunter threatens and tortures; having a lot of fun with the victim, then the hunter goes in for the kill. Then that was that. There was never any rebellion, much less the mortal WINNING.

Daran was lucky to even be alive after that fateful day. Lucky for him.

Not so lucky for the Half-breed of that blasted she-wolf and that blasted human.

A gentle rain dripped from the gigantic leaves of the trees. It was such a beautiful day in the rainforest, fro everything alive was up and moving; making all of the music of the wild. And what harmony it was; a symphony of living things. All of these things did not matter to Daran: The Hunter. He would kill it all if it were within his power, and it nearly was. He stood, pulling the medallions over his head and around his neck.

"I WILL get that medallion, little half-breed. You will fall, and I will have the supreme power in the entire universe. You had better watch yourself, Billy Cranston, because your Mommy isn't around to take care of you anymore, and that father of yours is too helpless. I will have my revenge!!"

With that, he ran faster than a deer in her prime, headed for California, where he knew that Billy would be. He knew for sure that there was nothing that could keep him from the power any longer.

He would, at long last, win the battle that was started decades ago.

Angel Grove Park
The Silver Ranger arrived at his destination seconds after his departure from the Machine Skybase. If anyone had been able to see his face, they would have seen the most evil sneer imaginable. And his eyes...were no longer the beautiful bright blue...but an inhuman shade of yellow. The people in the surrounding area should have been glad that they could not see his face...not that it would have mattered much. For he caused fear without them having seen him. His actions did all.

As he landed on the soft earth, his hand immediately flew to the hilt of his sword. He jerked it out and held it before him, cackling. "Oh, yes...." he whispered. "This is the last day that the rangers will ever live to see. And their heads will be my proof." He thrust the sword outwards, and it struck a nearby telephone pole. It came crashing down, and any people who were around tried to flee in terror. But it was no use, for the falling power cords took their lives. Well... it was more the Evil Silver Ranger who took their lives, for when he struck the pole, the deaths of the civilians were his VERY intention.

Those who were not killed ran away, sobbing and screaming. The ranger laughed, and pointed the tip of his sword at a building. It instantly caught fire. Oh how FUN it was to be evil! How wonderful it was to such things as this! He had never dreamed of being like this. Anytime prior, he would have been seriously against it. But now...it was different. He knew what he had once been, and...he did not care. Worst of all...he loved what he was doing now. NOTHING could stop him.

Or so it seemed.

The rangers, of course, arrived moments later. When they saw the new, stealthy Silver Ranger, they could do nothing but gasp.

"It can't be! It just can't!" The pink ranger cried, pointing to Billy. He only laughed and pointed his sword at her, and suddenly Kat was all aflame. She screamed out in pain and dropped to the ground, attempting to extinguish the fire. She could feel the intense heat, and the horrible pain as the flames tried to burn through her suit. She could hear the screams and shouts of the other rangers, and Billy's evil laughter. Rolling around, she tried to put the fire out. There were burnt holes in her suit by this time, and they were only becoming worse. The fire leapt and licked at her skin, and she snarled as she looked at Billy. "Billy...this is not you!"

"How would thee know who I am? Thou are not me." he chuckled.

"You're our friend! Billy Cranston!" Tanya yelled. She was trying with all her might to get Kat over to the water, as to extinguish the fire.

"Thou hast my name correct. Unfortunately for you, I am befriended to no one. ESPECIALLY thee!" He turned his sword to her, and suddenly she was thrown into the lake. The water rushed above her head, and she was plunged deeper, and deeper. The water rushed into the helmet, so that Tanya found it impossible to breathe. Deeper, deeper. There is only so much time that a human can stand underwater before losing consciousness, and some water had already entered her respiratory system. Her lungs were full of filthy water. It seemed as if she had been under for only a few seconds, where it had been 5 minutes. She then lost consciousness, and floated the surface of the lake.

The screams became louder, and Tommy turned to face the laughing Silver Ranger. "You are TRULY evil! He yelled, and charged at him. Billy easily dodged him, and with the point of his sword, Tommy shot up into the air and went hurtling into a nearby tree at over 100 miles per hour. There was a sickening crunch, and the body dropped to the ground. He did not move.

Kat too, had ceased moving, and the flames began to grow higher and higher. There was no movement or struggling from each of the three fallen rangers.

Adam, Jason and Rocky seemed so helpless. They did not know what to do, and whether or not the others were dead. Billy walked up to them, and so doing, thrust his word into the dirt. In a low voice, he said unto them. "Forget them...they are no longer with us. Why don't you join me...and we can work together...and EVERYTHING will be ours!"

Just as Rocky, Jason and Adam were about to refuse, a streak of black ran into the silver form standing in front of him, and was soon holding Billy by his neck. As Daran had run by, the power of the medallions had healed all of the others, and they came running up to the three remaining rangers.

The Hunter held Billy tightly by his neck, and squeezed tightly. All of them heard a grinding sound, and heard him begin to choke.

"Where is the wolf medallion, Half-breed!" Daran yelled. "Tell me, or it shall be your death!"

"I swear...by my lifeblood, oh Hunter, that I do not have it! I have never heard of the wolf medallion. You MUST believe me!" he cried. He sounded so desperate, so pleading. So much that he did not even seem to be evil anymore.

"You lie, Half-breed! If you wish to live to see the next sunrise, then you will tell me where it is!"

"I tell you! I do no have it...I swear by all I hold holy, I don't!" He sobbed. His hands tried with all of their might to pry the mighty fingers off of his injured neck. The Hunter only squeezed tighter, then kicked him and let him drop to the ground.

"I will be back!" he yelled. "And if you do not have the medallion with you, you know what will happen!" and in a flash, the Hunter disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Then, the injured silver ranger vanished as well. This was INDEED very strange.

The Machine Skybase
"I cannot believe this!" Gasket screamed, hitting Billy on the head with the broad side of his sword. Holding onto his head, he cowered away. "You failed me! And you were about to kill them off! If you could handle the rangers then you could SURELY handle DARAN!"

Billy's yellow eyes were wide with fear. "I apologize, master. I did not mean to fail you!"

Gasket struck him again, leaving him bleeding and sprawling out on the ground. "If you fail me again, I will take away what I gave to you...your life!"

Then, at that instant, a fire began to spark in the bright yellow eyes of the Silver Ranger. He did not have to obey this machine! He himself was flesh and blood, and machines were to bow to HIM! He should make things proper, and put these machines in their true stature, FAR below the human race. It was humans who created the machines, and not vice versa. Which meant that the machines were not to try to overthrow the humans.

Humans could VERY well reprogram a machine if it did not obey!

Billy stood and turned to Gasket. "I think not. You were not my maker. My birthparents were. You know what I think? I think that YOU should bow to ME!"

Gasket laughed. "What!? You have GOT to be joking! Archerina! Come quickly! Our ranger is trying to make a funny!"

"Oh?" she asked, entering the room that they were in.

"He said that I should bow to him!" his laughter only became louder.

Billy grabbed onto Gasket's newly attached arm, and pulled it from the socket. "I was not joking." he whispered. "I said bow to me. BOTH of you!"

Archerina dropped to her knees and bowed without argument. Gasket gaped at her. "Get up!" he yelled.

Before she could respond, Billy came up behind her and opened her back hatch. Reaching inside, he grabbed onto all of the wires and connections and ripped them out of her back. She slumped over and her motor whirred, and stopped responding.

"Next!?" Billy asked evilly, headed toward Gasket. He jumped back, so that he could get away from the Silver Ranger that he had created. But within minutes, he too had been disconnected from his power source, and Billy was now the one who reigned over the evil empire.

Little did he know, that his father had awoken from his coma, exited the Power Chamber discreetly, and was on his way to save his son from evil, the medallion in hand.

The Dawn of Time
In the beginning of time, there was one being that created the earth, and the stars, and everything that we now know. No, this was not a god, or a goddess, or even a diety at all, but merely a mortal from another dimension, who held the greatest of powers. Of course, where she was from, this power was only mediocre, and her transportation, merely an accident. But when she saw the blank void in which she was floating, she decided that it was time to do something about it.

But first of all...I must tell you her name. She was Cleo Lotus, an apprentice to the goddess of the other dimension, Una. She was a bumbling young woman, and never seemed to get anything that Una asked of her correct. It was a wonder that Cleo was able to keep her grace. And one day, when Cleo was practicing on her interplanetary transportation, she ended up transporting to the void that would soon become our universe.

"Tsk tsk tsk," she had said. "This will never do." She flicked her wrist, and then, before her, all of the galaxies appeared. She named them all carefully. And of course, she had a favorite. It was a darling little spiral one called 'The Milky Way", and it was her favorite for many reasons. The main one, was that there was a little star, with 9 little orbs of debris circling them. They were so cute, so she named them as well.

The star, she decided, should be called "The Sun" and the planets were named, in this order. "Mercury." For the tiny one just outside of The Sun, "Venus" for the clouded one that was next in line, "Earth" was for the one that had rushing blue waters, and large green landmass. Cleo named the little sphere circling it "The Moon". "Mars" was the little red one with the two little moons. They were called "Phobos" and "Demos". The next one in line, the gigantic swirling, multicolored gas giant, was called "Jupiter." The moons were so many, that she only named the four first ones. "Io", "Callisto", "Ganymede", and "Europa". The remaining planets, were named "Saturn", "Uranus", "Neptune", and "Pluto" and they too had moons that were properly named. And so, "The Solar System" was created.

And as Cleo Lotus had a favorite galaxy, she also had a favorite planet, and it was Earth. It was here where she created the first "Life."

She went down herself, and created 9 creatures.

There was the wolf: cunning and swift. Her name was Racheal.

There was the frog: small but mighty. Her name was Biannca.

There was the crane: agile, light as a feather. His name was Raoul.

There was the ape: smart and strong. His name was Philipe.

There was the bear: fierce and unstoppable. Her name was Kira.

There was the falcon: winged lord of the skies. His name was Cazir.

There was the cat: quick and sly. Her name was Samantha.

And then there was the human. His name was Daran.

And it was then, that time dawned. And from there, things progressed to what they are today. Of course, no one ever new about Cleo Lotus, the true creator, for she left the memories of different religions within the animals...and left the Earth to return to her own dimension.

The Power Chamber
The Zeo Rangers teleported into the Power Chamber, shocked, hurt, and amazed. They first of all, were very startled at Billy. He had nearly wiped half of the team out, and just with a point of his sword. None of them had actually come in contact with him, and his sword had done all the dirty work.

The casualties he had caused, they knew, would be blamed on them. All people were to be afraid of the rangers after one had killed so many. Zordon reported to them, that there had been 20 deaths, just from the powerline alone. In all of their history as Power Rangers, they had never had that many deaths in one battle.

Tommy sighed and walked up to the control panel. "I can't believe this," he said. "Kat, Tanya and I almost died! And all because of those blasted machines!"

"Gasket and Archerina totally went overboard this time! Poor Billy, under a spell!" Kat said, rubbing her hands together. "Who was that who saved us from him? We really must thank him."

Each of the rangers looked up to their mentor. He frowned. "THAT MAN IS NOT A GOOD MAN. HE HAS LIVED SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME AND WAS THE FIRST OF HUMANS. HE IS DARAN, THE HUNTER OF POWER."

"Hunter of Power? I don't like the sound of that." Tommy said. "Why was he after Billy? And what was all this business about a medallion?"

"DID ANY OF YOU SPOT THE MEDALLIONS THAT HE HAD HUNG AROUND HIS NECK?"

Tanya picked a slim green lake plant out of her wet hair, and smoothed it down. "I did." She said. "What is so important about them?"

"Oh aiyi-yi! They contain the essences of the other 6 animals that Cleo Lotus created at the dawn of time! The power inside is so great...that if they all were in the wrong hands, the universe would be his for the taking!"

"But...." Tanya interjected. There was a stern, confused look on her face, and squinted her eyes. "I only remember seeing 5 of them."

All of the rangers, the old wizard and the robot looked at her. Zordon flashed her a very concerned look. "TANYA, IT IS IMPERITIVE THAT YOU REMEMBER THE ANIMALS THAT YOU SAW ON THE MEDALLIONS."

"I think I remember them all." She whispered. For a minute, she was deep in thought, and then she cried. "AHA! I remember! There was a frog, a bear, a monkey or something, I think it was an ape, a crane, and a eagle....or a falcon or something."

The others looked at each other, all in a state of complete shock. They knew something that Tanya and Jason didn't; That each of the animals that she had named were their former animal spirits. And now, at least, some of the story became clear. The only animal that was missing, was the wolf; Billy's spirit animal. Daran had been after Billy for the medallion, but WHY he would have it, none of them would know.

"What? What is it?" Tanya asked. She was very worried looking. "Is something wrong?" Jason nodded in agreement, for he too had not been there.

"Kinda." Rocky said. "The animals...the ones that you just named...were our spirit animals before the Zeo powers came along."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Jason said

"THAT IS UNDERSTANDABLE, TANYA AND JASON. YOU WERE NOT HERE WHEN THE NINJA POWERS WERE AROUND." And with that, Zordon explained the Ninja era to the Yellow and Gold Rangers. When she was through listening, what the others were saying made perfect sense to her.

"I understand now." She said. "But....Daran wasn't after YOU guys....was he?"

Each and every one of them looked at each other, and shook their head.

"AND HE HAD NO REASON TO, FOR THEY ARE NOT A CHILD OF LIGHT, A HALF-BREED."

Rocky grimaced. "OK...now I'M confused! I lost the script!"

Sighing, Zordon went into the tale of the Half-breed, and the tale of the beginning of time. He made sure to mention that the death of the animals, one by one. How Raoul: The Crane, and Biannca: The Frog, had died before the discovery of metamorphosis. And how all were killed, except the wolf. There seemed something missing, but he could not tell what.

"So, what you're saying is that Billy's mother was one of the first animals created; the wolf, and married Billy's dad....thus creating Billy?" Rocky inquired.

"YOU COULD SAY THAT." Zordon sighed.

"So....where does that clue Billy into the picture?" Adam asked softly. "Why would Daran want the medallion from him...."

"RACHEAL WAS KILLED BY DARAN, AND WAS MADE INTO THE WOLF MEDALLION. UNLUCKILY FOR HIM, DANIEL CRANSTON WAS THERE, AND MANAGED TO STEAL THE MEDALLION AWAY FROM HIM. DARAN MUST ASSUME THAT BILLY IS THE ONE WHO HAS IT...FOR HE KNEW THAT RACHEAL WOULD WANT IT GIVEN TO HIM."

"And Billy doesn't have it!" Kat exclaimed. "But...what happened? With Billy finding out, I mean."

"HE NEVER KNEW THE TRUTH, AND STILL DOESN'T. TO HIS KNOWELGE, HIS MOTHER WAS KILLED IN A CAR ACCIDENT. THAT IS WHAT DANIEL TOLD HIM, FOR HE KNEW THAT THE NINE YEAR OLD BILLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE TRUTH."

"Poor Billy!" Alpha moaned. "Oh aiyi-yi!"

Tommy took on his leader position, stepping forward and sporting a determined look on his face. "Where is the wolf medallion?"

"TO MY KNOWELGE, DANIEL STILL WEARS IT."

Adam turned around to look at the cot where Billy's father had lain. "Oh no! He's gone!"

"No!" Tommy yelled. "Where could he have gone!?"

Alpha set to work right away on locating Mr. Cranston, and the search turned up that he was inside the Machine Skybase.

"This cannot be happening. Why did he leave!?" Kat said.

"GO TO HIM....I FEAR THAT HE HAS GONE TO SAVE BILLY, AND THAT MEANS TROUBLE."

"RIGHT!" Jason cried. "BACK TO ACTION!"

And then, in seconds, they all had teleported away; on their way to the Machine Skybase to save their friend and his father.

"Oh NO, Zordon!" I just realized something!"

"WHAT IS IT ALPHA?"

"Samantha! The Cat! She is STILL ALIVE! The Hunter has missed her!"

Zordon's eyes became wide. "THEN WE MUST PROTECT HER. AS SOON AS THE RANGERS RETURN, SEND THEM TO KEEP WATCH OVER HER. DARAN MUST NOT HAVE HER POWER."

The Machine Skybase
Billy had taken NO time on situating himself in the throne room, and began to bark out orders to the remains of the Machine Empire. He made it VERY clear to them who was boss, and all who disagreed were immediately dismantled. And by this time, there were QUITE a few dismantled machines lying around.

"Gee...ain't this livin'!" he exclaimed with great relish. He sighed happily and leaned back in the throne, taking off his silver helmet. The throne room had the most magnificent view of the world he was to conquer. "Hmm....I think....that my palace....should be in the Hawaiian Isles. No! France! Definitely France! D'oh! Why am I fighting with myself over where to live, I can have a palace in ALL of those places. I'm going to rule the world!" Billy broke out into evil laughter, only to be interrupted by a strange...yet familiar voice.

"This isn't you, Billy." it said. There were two tiny blue lights, twinkling in the shadows nearby.

"Who is there!?" Billy demanded, standing. He clutched his helmet to his hip, and drew his sword. "I command you, show yourself before me: King Billy of The FORMER Machine Empire!"

A figure crept out of the shadows. Yes indeed, this was a man he knew well. It was his own father. In his hands; which he held out before him, was a lovely golden wolf figure with sparkling sapphire eyes. It was hanging on a chain, that too was gold. "You are not evil, Billy. You are my son...and I love you. You mean the world to me. Come back, please."

"You're request is feeble." Billy grunted. "Tell me, old man. Why should I go back to a life where I was never happy?"

Daniel advanced, still holding out the medallion. It's eyes seemed to pulsate, glowing brighter and brighter. As they flashed, they grasped onto something inside Billy's mind, and began to tug at his heart. "You're not happy here, are you Billy?" Daniel's voiced seemed to be unison with another...a female one.

Billy gulped, staring into the wolf's eyes. "M...mom..?" he stuttered. The inhuman yellow that his eyes had been had returned to their normal shade of steel blue. He was fighting with himself inside, though he did not wish to admit it. It truly WAS the voice of his mother.

This is not really want you want, is it dear one? The voice said again as Daniel's mouth moved. His voice had drowned out to give way to Racheal's.

"Yes!" he yelled, then felt a sharp pain in his mind. It was wrong, and he knew it. The spell had broken once he had destroyed the machine's for it was a control potion, and he no longer hand anyone to control him. "I mean...Never." His voice was now nothing but a whisper. "I would never betray my friends like I just have. I am a failure." Stepping forward, he lay his sword and helmet on the ground.

That is not true! You were under a spell, and a powerful one at that. You had no control over what you were doing, and now you do. You will be forgiven by the world, for they will understand. Now come, take this medallion. The time has come. Daniel's arm reached out, and he had now walked all the way up to Billy. Slowly, he brought the gold chain down around Billy's neck.

The eyes of the wolf flashed a brilliant blue, as did the eyes of the Silver Ranger, as the essence of the first wolf rushed through his body. He felt powerful! His sense of smell and his ears were now keener, and his muscles were firmer. His canine teeth had become a tiny bit longer, and far more sharper. Yes....this was the way the Half-breed was to be.

Daniel and Billy both managed to break out of their trances, and were soon embracing each other, bawling wells and wells of tears. It was for certain, that they would do everything, and anything in their power never to be separated again. Billy was free, and the Silver Ranger was on the side of good.

The rangers teleported in to see this episode, and let out 6 simultaneous sighs of relief. Everything was fine. They no longer had to worry about the threat of a ranger on the side of evil; a friend that would take their life. At long last, things had slowed down, and actually became calm. There was a sereneness in this seen that no one could sense, and it was the calm of a ghostly spirit.

"Billy!" They all cried, and dove into a gigantic group hug. Each and every one of them got quite a bit squashed, and tears flowed freely. This really was a happy time for the rangers; another victory. It was a victory against something they had never encountered before, something difficult. Any yet, they had won.

After managing to catch his breath and stop crying, Billy said to them. "Come on guys! Let's go home!"

And then they left the Machine Skybase, headed for home. This victory certainly called for a celebration!

The Jungles of Brazil
Daran slammed his fist into a buttress, causing a flock of brightly colored birds to vacate their homes. "I cannot believe this!" he screamed. "He did not have the medallion! I do NOT have the power!"

A tiny monkey climbed down the tree and looked at him curiously. As it began to chatter, and Hunter grabbed onto it's long tail and threw it into a nearby tree. It hit it, and made a disgusting 'crunch' sound. Daran growled. He had worked too hard for the other 5...he did NOT want to lose this one; the one that was most essential in completing his quest for power. He took off each of the medallions and looked at them tenderly. There they were, all 5 of them that he had killed.

But...there seemed something that was missing. It was something other than the medallion of the wolf. There had been 7 animals in all, hadn't there? Getting the wolf would make his collection into 6. YES! There WAS one missing! The Cat! The Cat was still alive!

He slapped himself hard in the face. "I cannot believe that I forgot all about her!" he exclaimed. "I am so STUPID!"

"That you are." A voice said. "Perhaps you could use some assistance?" From behind the gigantic tree came a woman. She was clad in gold armor from head to foot, and besides that, her long, silky black hair flowed down. Her dark eyes were very capitivating.

"Who might you be?" the Hunter growled. He was not easily affected by women, and their so called "charms". He had had far too much of it over the millennia. She came closer to him, smiling wickedly.

"I am Scorpina." Said she. "And I am after ALMOST the same thing that you are!"

He cocked his head to one side and studied her face. "What might that be?" he inquired.

"Revenge. But besides that, Billy Cranston."

"Oh?"

"He has done something awful to me...and he is going to pay for it." she pointed at her stomach with her sword. "The bastard made me pregnant."

"I heard about that." Daran said. "It's all your fault if you ask me. You were the one who drunked him into it."

She sighed. "OK..OK...fine...I'm not pregnant. But it would be a DOOZY of an excuse to use on him! Don't you think?"

The Hunter nodded at her, and took hold of his katana blade. "You nearly had ME fooled, Scorpina. You say that you are after him yourself, am I correct."

"I will not rest until I stand over his mutilated body, with his blood smeared bright red on my sword."

"And I want that as well." He replied. "And the medallion as well. A shame he hasn't got it."

"That is where you are WRONG." Scorpina said. She was smiling ear to ear. "He has it now."

"Then we team up. I will need some help after we do him in though."

"Oh, really?" She said darkly. "What is it, and what's in it for me?"

"I have to skin a cat. If you help, you get half of the greatest power in the universe." He said.

"Sounds tempting." She muttered thoughtfully. "Deal!"

The two villians shook hands, and in that, an alliance of ultimate evil had been made. This new team was a threat....one that the rangers knew nothing about.

At the Residence of Samantha Greene
Samantha Greene sat alone in her lovely little apartment. Gazing up at the shelves of her display case, she could see the entirety of her cat figurine collection. Some of them were priceless; ones from ancient Egypt that she had been given to as soon as they had been forged. Those were the days, when nothing was after her and everything was right. She truly loved the Egyptians, and they worshipped her like a goddess.

After all, she was the Cat.

Ever since the death of her closest friend, Racheal: The Wolf, she had tried desperately to seek out the friendship of her son; The Half-breed. She had pretended to be an ordinary schoolgirl {For she only looked 17...if even THAT old} who was in need of some academic assistance.

The brown haired beauty had easily won over his trust, and love. They became very good friends, and did nearly everything together. Even though Samantha would never admit it, she loved the young Half-breed. And when she heard of his disappearance, and then learned the cause of it, she was heartbroken. And so she had sought out the help of his other friends, The Power Rangers.

Of course, THEY were of no assistance to her.

She sighed softly, and picked a picture of her beloved up off of the nightstand near her bed. She looked lovingly upon the young man's face and whispered. "I will save you... somehow."

Being the last of the original 7 animals was very hard on her. She did not know when, or even IF Daran would strike. And of course, she didn't want to take any unnecessary chances. She had changed her appearance totally over the past century, to look like a typical brown haired, brown-eyed supermodel type. Her hair had been like that of a tabby cat, and that of course was very suspicious. And her eyes were shaped like that of a cat, so she had to change that as well. But inside, she was still a cat, sly and quick. And nothing would change that.

She stood and walked into her living room. There were dozens of cases filled with more "Cat-like" things, and her kitten, a lively little fellow whom she called "Whiskers" crawled up to her and began to purr like a maniac. Samantha managed a smile and hoisted the kitten up into her arms.

"Come on," she said. "Let's watch some TV...see if there is any good news today." She plopped down on the couch, and grabbed onto the remote. Clicking on the 'on' button the images of the battle that had raged on earlier streaked against her screen.

"Silver Ranger!" She gasped. "That has to be Billy! Oh no!" But her worry was soon calmed when she saw the Silver Ranger himself apologize to Angel Grove.

"I promise you...that I will never leave you to the forces of evil ever again."

She lowered her head and a tear slid down her cheek. "I wish that he would say something of that nature to me." She whispered. Justin put his hands on her face and licked the tear away.

Now she knew for sure...that she; The Cat, was in love with the son of the Wolf. And that she would love no other for the rest of her life; for all eternity and a day.

The Power Chamber
"WELCOME HOME, SILVER RANGER!" Zordon said cheerily. He and Alpha were both overcome with emotion, the robot jumping around like a rabbit, and the old man laughing happily. Billy smiled at them.

"I'm home." He repeated. "For good!"

They all greeted him home, yet again. "This calls for a party!" Rocky screamed, and for once everyone agreed with him. This really was an occasion special enough to have a party for. There was so much to celebrate.

There was Billy's return from Aquitar to celebrate. And the Silver Ranger powers. But most of all, there was his triumph over the potion.

They were making the party plans, when they all realized something. They each knew something about Billy's past that Billy didn't. Even if it would hurt him, he must know. Soit was then when they stopped him from his laughing and giggling.

"Billy....we have something that we need to tell you." Tommy said. There was utmost urgency in his voice that stopped Billy cold.

"What is it?" he asked worriedly

"Well...I...uh.... How to put this..." Tommy trailed off. He was very nervous about what had to be said, and how Billy would react to it. And worst of all, it showed.

"What Tommy is trying to say is that you're mom was a wolf, and that hunter dude is after you cause you have the medallion." Rocky blurted out. Somehow it was not all that surprising that he would be the one to do it. After all, he had the biggest mouth of them all.

Jason nodded gravely. "It's true." He said. "You're mother was one of the first 7 animals alive, and the Hunter; Daran, is after the essence of your mother that is trapped in that medallion."

"We're really worried about your safety." Adam said, nodding. "We care about you too much to have you ripped to shreds...."

"Like my mother?" Billy finished for him. "How come you're telling me things that I already know? I can take care of myself, I'm a big boy now."

Everyone in the Power Chamber shot him a weird glance.

"H...how did you know?" his father whispered. There were tears forming in his crystal blue eyes as he thought of the way that his wide had been taken from him, and how he had to lie to Billy so that he would not get hurt.

"She told me herself." Billy said plainly, as if it were not big deal.

"AHHH....I UNDERSTAND." Zordon said. Tanya turned to look at him.

"Well, YOU do. We don't have a CLUE what you're talking about! How could his dead mother tell him what happened?"

"WHEN THE MEDALLION WAS PLACED ON HIM, THE TRUE SPIRIT OF THE FIRST WOLF DID TOO. HE KNOWS EVERYTHING NOW."

"Yeah...what he said." Billy replied, grinning. "And I know about Samantha too. Mother told me to look after her, and that Daran would be after her next."

Once more, they all were confused, and Zordon once more explained.

"Hey! Is...Samantha...do you think that she is the same one that was asking for Billy at the Youth Center earlier?" Jason asked, tapping his fingers on the control panel.

"There is only one way to find out." Billy said. "Alpha, help me bring her up on the viewing globe."

In seconds, the image of Samantha Greene, alone in her apartment kissing a portrait of Billy appeared in the globe. Billy turned away and blushed deeply.

"THAT IS THE CAT, SAMANTHA." Zordon said. "OTHERWISE KNOWN TO YOU AS SAMANTHA GREENE." He began to chuckle a little as he saw what she was doing. "SHE....APPARANTLY HAS BEEN IN LOVE WITH BILLY...AND JUST WONT SHOW IT."

Kat giggled. "Gee, Zordon! What was your first clue. The fact that she is kissing the picture, or the fact that she is calling out Billy's name?"

All laughed except for Billy, who only blushed more. And there was still the matter of his vow of never loving again.

"She may be in love with me," he said. "But I am not in love with her, or anyone for that matter. And never will be again. Love is painful."

Adam hugged his friend gently. "Come on, Bill man! You aren't gonna just let one bad experience win you over, are you?"

"Yes. I am."

"Come on!" Kat cried. "It's not like you to give up! Live a little! Forget what happened on Aquitar..."

"That chapter of your life is closed, and it's time to move on!" Tommy finished for her. He was quickly rewarded with a kiss from his lady.

"They're right, Billy." Daniel said. "And I agree with them. They know what is best for my son almost as much as I do!"

Billy crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not changing my mind." He replied stubbornly. "Love is painful. There is NO use for it in my life. I love you guys, but not in THAT way. Not the EVIL kind of love."

Jason nodded. "I understand bud." He said, putting a comforting arm around his "little brother". But in response, Billy only threw it off and snorted.

"Understand!? You? Understand!? You weren't raped!" he declared. His arms flailed out, and his eyes flashed with a buried fury. He knew that they would not be able to help him. The best way that they could have helped him was to leave the subject untouched. But no... they had to tamper anyway!

Each one of them jumped back, startled by his reaction. They had no idea how hurt inside he really was. They did not know, that anything they said that they meant to be comforting, could be very cruel to the ear of the victim of the act that had made him this way. He collapsed onto the Power Chamber floor, sobbing.

His father went to him and held his shivering son in his arms. "Calm down." He said. "Remember, we STILL have that party to plan!"

"Yeah!" Rocky yelled. "PARTY! P-A-R-T why? Because you GOTTA!" He pulled Billy to his feet, and had him giggling at his Jim Carrey impersonations.

"You're right!" he said, wiping his eyes. "LET'S PARTY!"

A Month Later: The Angel Grove Youth Center
Billy and Samantha sat at a table, chatting about all of the times that they had spent together, and the others were all sparring. Jason had left to pursue the better things in life, all the way across the country with his family. It was good for him too, for the Gold Ranger powers were not agreeing with him at all. They all knew that he would be happy wherever he went.

Things had calmed down immensely since the Machine Empire was destroyed. No one was there to stop them from doing things that they had always wanted to do, and never could do before. There was no need for the Power Rangers much anymore, but nonetheless they kept the powers. You know, JUST in case that something....or someone for that matter showed up to torture the earth.

Rocky had been spending some of his spare time at the orphanage, and had befriended a wonderful boy named Justin Stewart. He was especially brilliant, and all of the rangers agreed that he reminded them all of Billy. It was not at all surprising that Billy and Justin got along so well, but Justin still tended to hang out with Rocky more than any of them. He was also a black belt in karate, which was great for a kid at his age; 12. He was a GREAT kid, and everyone really liked him. He needed friends...especially with what had been going on in his life recently, and they were there for him.

Also in his spare time, Rocky, along with David Trueheart and Adam, had started a karate class. It was doing EXTREMELY well, and they had a lot of students already. They all were having the time of their lives with it, and it gave them something to do with the extra time that they had gotten since the destruction of the Machine Empire.

Tanya had gotten a job at the radio station, and absolutely loved it. She had a great spirit over the airwaves, and people loved listen to her. The rangers liked how the girl, the one who had come all the way from Africa, had gotten used to the ways of American life and was making herself more comfortable. She sang some as well. This really was something that she would like to do with her life.

Kat went into ballet, which she was really talented at. She composed ballets, danced them, produced them, directed them, EVERYTHING. She even went out to audition for a chance to enter an EXCLUSIVE ballet institute. Everyone agreed that she would have an excellent chance at the part, but she still had her doubts.

It was not a surprise to any of them when Tommy went into driving racecars with his uncle. He had a natural ability for speed, and with HIS hair...the feeling of wind blowing through his hair was one of the ultimate things ever. The need for speed was great inside of him, and it was the best thing going for him since he had become a ranger. Definitely this was something that he could do with himself!

Billy had applied for a teaching position at Angel Grove High, and was accepted right away. He was teaching the freshman science class for the remainder of the school year. To his surprise, Justin was the top pupil in his class. It really should not have amazed him that a 12-year-old boy would be so intelligent, but it did. He decided that teaching should be his long-term goal, because he loved it more than anything he had done. And best of all, Samantha was his teacher's assistant.

Yes indeed. Things were calm, and life was pleasant for the first time in years. No one was there to ruin the opportunities that awaited them.

To continue...Billy and Samantha were sitting at a table, going over the end of the year grades. The table was piled high with grade books, papers, and pens. It was a wonder that they could be seen under such a mess, but as they were grading and averaging and such, they entertained each other with small talk.

Rocky and Adam were sparring in the ring. A big karate tournament was on it's way, and they were preparing for it.

"Hi-ya!" Rocky cried, as he attempted to knock Adam to the ground. Adam only tripped him with a low, roundhouse kick, which sent ROCKY to the ground. Giggling, Rocky climbed up. "Good move!" he said.

With a fake evil smile on his face, Adam said. "Oh yeah? Try THIS on for size! Hya!" and he went into a complicated maneuver. Rocky had to back up into the side of the ring to keep himself from getting hit by a barrage of flying feet.

"Wow! That's a good one! Try THIS!" Rocky said, and attempted a high kick. But something went wrong, and instead of just kicking, he bumped into the back of the ring and fell over backwards onto the ground.

His back hid the floor, and made a sickening "CRUNCH" sound. He cried out in pain, unable to move. "My back! My back!" Adam jumped out of the ring and ran to Rocky. The rangers ran over, and Billy pushed all of the stuff off of the table and made his way over as well.

Angel Grove Hospital
Hours later, the rangers, Justin and Samantha were all out in the reception area, waiting for the news on Rocky. They had called the ambulance right away, and he was immediately rushed to the hospital. Rocky had been screaming and crying. The poor guy hit his back on the concrete hard.

"I can't believe this!" Justin cried. "Rocky has always been so careful! These things ALWAYS happen to the best people!"

Samantha held the boy close to her. "I know." She said. "I have seen it happen so many times that it's no longer bearable."

There was not much conversation in the least after she said that. Justin had broken out into tears, and they all did what they could to help him. It seemed that hours upon hours had passed when the doctor finally came out. He had his hands clasped together, and was rubbing them together. He had a stern, disappointed look on his face.

"Are you all here for Rocky DeSantos?" he asked. They all could tell that his voice was quavering.

"Yes." Billy said. "We are. How is he?"

"Tell me he's going to be OK!" Justin shrieked, looking up at the doctor. "Please tell me that he's going to be OK!"

The doctor turned his eyes away from Justin, and opened his mouth to speak. He could not find the words to use, and so took off his glasses and covered his eyes with his hand. "I...I..." he stammered. "I can't say that, young man."

Tommy went up to Justin and looked the doctor sternly in the eye. "What is it? We can take it."

"I...I'm afraid that his back was broken in several different places. We did all we could, but it wasn't enough. Rocky...won't ever be able to walk again. I'm really sorry. I wish it wasn't that way."

"NO!" Justin yelled. "Don't lie to me! He's OK! He's FINE!"

It painted Billy to see this. He bit his lip, remembering how he had reacted that way when his father had told him that his mother was dead. He hadn't believed a word of it, and thought that his dad was playing a very cruel joke on him. When he found out that his father had not been lying to him, it hurt even more. But he bounced back, and became strong again. In fact, he became far stronger than he had been before.

I got over it. He thought to himself. And things got better. I bounced back, and was better than ever. Especially now that my mother is with me. Now I know that she is not dead, not totally anyway. Her human form and spirit may be dead, but her wolf spirit is alive. Maybe the others were right. Maybe I am being very foolish in my decision never to love anyone again. He looked at Samantha, and touched the wolf medallion around his neck lovingly. I know that I have already broken my vow. I love her.

"Can we go to see him?" Tanya asked. "He needs us now."

The doctor shook his head. "Immediate family first." He added.

Adam growled. "No one called his family like they were supposed to!" he exclaimed. "While you do that...we will go to him!" And with that, Adam stormed through the corridor, leaving the doctor flustered and bewildered.

They each followed him down the hallway, into Rocky's room. The young man was laying in his bed, staring at the wall to the left of him. He sighed softly, and then there was a sound of quiet tears. Billy could not help but stare at Rocky's legs for a moment, knowing that they would never move again. Knowing that they would never block the blow of any villain. Knowing that the power would have to be given up to another. Who? That was something that Billy did not know.

"Hey Rocky." Kat said. "We wanted to see how you were doing."

"That's nice to know." He muttered.

"Rocky, please." Adam whispered. "We're here for you. No matter what, we'll be here for you."

Rocky broke down, sobbing. The others surrounded him, doing all they could to calm him.

"Oh! I am so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Rocky apologized.

"It's OK!" Tommy said. "I understand completely. We understand completely. Anything you say or do, we will accept. Even if you say something so mean that we could hate you forever, we won't be made mad by it."

"That's right!" Justin said. "We're your friends, and that is what they are for!"

Sighing again, Rocky said. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it. And I'll be fine...but...there...is something more important to discuss." He gestured toward his communicator, and then brought up his Zeonizer.

"Oh man." Tommy said. "You need a replacement."

Samantha and Justin both gave themselves the stangest looks. "Is there something that you guys need to tell us?" Samantha asked.

Billy took hold of Samantha's hands. "I think you already know." He said to her. "You know that we're the Power Rangers, don't you?"

She looked away from him. "Well...yes...I do. But how did you know that I knew all along? I kept it very well hidden."

"I am the Half-breed." He said. "My mother has told me that you know. And that you are The Cat."

She gasped. "Racheal. Oh my....I knew that you were the half-breed but....I didn't know that you knew about me!"

"Ahem!" Rocky cleared his throat. "I know my replacement!"

"Probably someone REALLY great!" Justin said, smiling. "You're the best judge of character that I know!"

Laughing, he replied. "He's the best guy I know. And he'll make a great blue ranger. Won't you Justin?"

Wide eyed, Justin gasped. "What?"

"Justin. I want you to take my place as the blue Zeo ranger. You're the best man for the job, and I have the ULTIMATE faith in you. Will you do it? For me if for nothing else."

Justin looked very hesitant, and the rangers a little shocked about Rocky's choice in a replacement. They knew that they could handle the idea of a 12 year old being a ranger, but it would just be...well...different. They trusted Rocky's judgement though. He had never steered them wrong before.

Finally, after a long silence, Justin shouted. "Wow! Of course I will!" and his response was met by hugs from everyone, ESPECIALLY Rocky. After that, Rocky requested that they leave so that he could get his rest. And so, The balance of power, went from Rocky: The Former Blue Ranger, to Justin: The New Blue Ranger.

Angel Grove Park
After the episode at the hospital, each of them split off to go their separate ways. Justin stayed with Rocky, and all but Billy and Samantha returned to the Youth Center. Billy had decided to take a walk with Samantha in the park, so that he could confess his true feelings for her. And today was as good a day as any to do so. It was the loveliest day there had ever been for a while. The sun was shining, the birds chirping. Everything was JUST the way Billy wanted it to be.

As they walked into the shaded, tree-covered area {which just so happened to be VERY secluded, also as Billy had planned.} he took her hand. She was shocked at first, but it was a very welcome change of place. He had been really cold to her flirting, and this was the first time that he had done anything about it.

"I think we need to talk." He whispered. "About us."

Samantha could not help but laugh. "You use the word 'us' like we're married or something!"

"Well...that's kind of what I need to talk to you about. You know that vow I made, right? The one where I decided that I was never going to love anyone ever again.?" Still holding onto her hand, he stopped walking and turned to face her. Looking into her eyes, he tried to read her mind, but was unable.

"Yes." She said, frowning lightly. "I know about it. And it's been a real pain to me..."

"Well...I already have gone against it."

"Whom are you dating?" she asked softly. She tried to turn away from him.

"No one...but...I am in love with someone."

"I wish her all the luck in the world, and I hope you two are very happy together." Samantha felt that she was going to cry. It was like he was trying to break up with her before they had ever dated, and this hurt her very badly.

"You don't really understand, Samantha. The girl, or more accurately the WOMAN, that I love...is none other than you." his face flushed a deep scarlet as he said so.

"A...are you serious?" she stammered, blushing as well.

"I have never been more serious about anything in my entire life, Samantha. I know this is a little sudden...but...will you marry me?" he dropped to one knee and took her hands into his. There was the most pleading, loving look in his eyes, and Samantha could not resist. She smiled, kneeled as well and kissed him.

Something inside of Billy snapped at that moment. Something...animalistic. Something VERY wolf-like. His kissing became harder, and harder, like that of an animal. He held onto Samantha very tightly, and ran his hands along her back. His hands moved faster, and he caused more and more friction, and he held her closer...and closer...until she was practically on top of him. Samantha did not notice this strange behavior, though, and after a while, they broke apart.

"WOW!" Samantha exclaimed, panting. "I have been waiting for SOME time to do that!"

Billy's eyes, on the other hand, were very wide. "I...lost control, Samantha. I...didn't mean to do that. Something...something weird happened inside of me."

"I didn't notice anything." She said. "But, then again, you and I have never been engaged before."

"I'm not going to lost control like that again. That scared me."

"NOT AS MUCH AS THIS WILL, SILVER RANGER!"

Billy screamed and leapt to his feet. "NO!" he screamed. "NO!"

"That's right, Billy boy! I'm back for you!" Scorpina stepped out from behind the tree, grinning evilly. From behind her, came Daran: The Hunter. "Prepare to DIE Kitty woman!"

ate power!"

The tears had returned in the man's eyes. "No you don't."medallions strung out up on his arm. They dangled, and glinted in the sun. The eyes of each of them twinkled menacingly. "It looks like I will finally get the last two medallions that I need!" he declared.

Samantha was nervous, and backed up into a nearby tree. Inside her, every portion of her soul was screaming for help. She knew that it was nearly the end, and that her happiness with Billy would never be, and she would never live to see her wedding day.

"Le...leave me alone!" she pleaded. Scorpina came ever closer, the point of her sword was pointed directly at Samantha's heart, and her hands were ready to throw it at any moment.

"Never, Cat! You're head, and your medallion will be my prize once I have killed you!"

"SAMANTHA!" Billy yelled. A deep growl sounded in his throat, and his eyes flashed a bright silver. Inside of his mouth, his canine teeth became long and sharp, and his fingernails were sharper as well. Scorpina threw the sword, and Samantha's scream rang through the area.

With the speed of lighting, Billy dashed at the sword. It seemed to him as if he was running in slow motion, but to the eyes of the watchers he was nothing but a blur. He caught the sword in his hands and threw it into Daran's heart. The Hunter fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Despite this, Scorpina kept on her pursuit.

To her dismay, the Half-breed leapt at her, and began to tear her flesh with his claws. His teeth were busily working on her face and neck, trying for the jugular vein. He was going to kill her! NOTHING could stop him! He was the wolf: cunning, swift...and now vicious. The power he was using upon the scorpion woman was that of a vengeance that he never thought that he would get. The vengeance for the false love, the murder of a friend, and the attempted murder of his fiancée. Yes...she was going to die on this day.

Billy! Cease this at once! It is not time! You are not ready to use this power. Stop it! Listen to me and stop this insanity at ONCE! They will flee, and you will get your chance.

"Yes mother." He said, and pulled himself away. He went to Samantha, who was very much bewildered and shocked. His eyes stopped glowing, his teeth and fingernails had shrunken back down, and he was no longer growling. There was not a single drop of blood on him, unlike the other two. Scorpina shrunk away, and grabbed onto Daran. They then disappeared.

"B...Billy....what in the hell happened!?" Samantha gasped. "I...never saw anything like that in my life. E...except from...your mother."

Billy's eyes were wide. "I...I'm scared." He shivered as he said so.

"My lands, Billy. You're mother. The wolf instincts that your mother gave you are starting to surface. Billy....if you don't control it, then someone that you love can get seriously hurt!"

"I...nearly lost control completely this time! M...my mom managed to stop me. You can't believe how grateful I am!"

She put a comforting arm around him. He was shivering severely, but a passionate kiss solved that problem. "I can understand perfectly, love. Come on...let's go to my place and...calm you down."

"Woah." He whispered. "L...let's go!"

The Next Day: On Divatox's Submarine
Ahhh...the treasures of Earth. The gold, the rubies and gems, there for the taking. Yes, Divatox was a space pirate, and an excellent one at that. She had heard of the treasures of Earth from her former fiancée, Maligore, and dropped him to get them. Now she was nearing the Earth.

She stood at her periscope laughing down deep in her throat. In it, she could see the vast oceans and plains that the Earth had. "Oh, this is gonna be GOOD!" she exclaimed. "A whole world of riches, MINE for the taking! NO ONE can stop me now!"

"Yeah! No one can stop me now!" Elgar declared, laughing his egg shaped head off. Diva turned around to face him, growled and slammed him to the ground with her gloved hand.

"You idiot! I am ashamed to be related to you! I cannot believe that I have to continually, day after day after day, put up with you!"

"Um...duh?" was Elgar's only reply. Rygog cuffed him on the back of his neck, and the egg shaped monster toppled to the ground.

"Thank heavens he's shut up!" Divatox yelled.

"My Captain!" Porto decreed, looking up from the controls that he had been fiddling with. "We are entering the Earth's atmosphere!"

"At last! The treasures are all mine! ALL MINE!"

The space submarine plummeted through the skies, and plopped down, nearly soundless, into the ocean near the coast of Angel Grove.

"Hey! What was that!?" Justin asked worriedly. His hand pointed out to where the gigantic craft had plunged into the water. "It looked like...a space ship...or a submarine or something!" He zipped up the zipper on his wetsuit and put the oxygen tank onto his back. Reaching down to put on his goggles, and check the equipment, he said. "I'm gonna go check it out!"

Adam grabbed onto Justin's' shoulder tightly. "I don't THINK so!" he said. "Don't even think about it buddy! I'm not gonna let you go out there and get yourself killed. It might be better if we leave it alone and DON'T know what it is!"

"Then go with me! We're Power Rangers! We can handle it!" It was at that moment when Justin was very thankful that there was no one on the beach with them. The day was nice enough, but it was a little too cold to be going out onto or into the water.

"There are things that even Power Rangers can't handle, Justin. Especially things that we know nothing about."

"You really have a lot to learn about it." Kat said to him. She was staring out at the water. Justin began to argue with Adam over going out into the water to check the sub out, when their shouting and griping was interrupted by Kat's shrill scream. The sub had surfaced very close to them, and had opened out. From inside, the ugliest woman they had ever seen crawled out.

"Haha!" She called. "New slaves."

Justin started backing away. "Sorry, Adam. You were right. I don't want to know about that!"

Divatox waved her hand, and a bridge instantaneously appeared over the gap between the sub and the shore. The three rangers backed away, and newest and grecontact the others. After Divatox came ashore, three ugly monsters popped out after her. They obviously were her sidekicks, and came up to stand beside her.

"I am Divatox!" she said, pointing to herself. "The most positively, absolutely evil space pirate this neck of the universe has ever seen!"

"Oh yeah!" Challenged Justin. He was only a kid, and a bold one at that. "Well, we're the Power Rangers!"

"Oh really? Like I give a rats tail! What IS a Power Ranger anyway?" She put her hands on her hips and let out an exasperated sigh. "And who are you to reprimand me? You're nothing but a little midget where I'm concerned! Like you could even hurt a fly!"

Her response to what Justin had said was met by the young boy's foot in her stomach. She crumpled over, gasping out in pain. "Never call me a midget!" he declared, snarling at her.

"And to answer your question about what Power Rangers ARE!? Why...they're US of course!" as voice declared. A silver form, followed by a red one, and a yellow leapt out towards the piratress. The silver one held out his sword, and there was a low growl coming from his throat. "Now leave here!" he commanded.

"I don't think so, jewelry boy!" she said, laughing. "I came to Earth to get treasure, and I'm NOT leaving until I get it!"

"Get lost, Divatox!" Tommy yelled. He held out his blaster, ready to shoot her at a second's notice.

"Captain. It seems that these Rangers have a very special, powerful jewel with them, and it is the source of their power!"

"I want it!" she growled. "Rygog! Get it for me!"

The monster leapt out at the rangers, only to meet the bite of Billy's sword. He did not give up, however, until he had managed to grab each of their zeonizers. This took a long time...and Divatox was very displeased.

"NO!" Billy yelled. He dashed out to Rygog, attempting to grab his zeonizer back. He had been demorphed, and the power was gone. Once more his teeth and nails grew. He kneeled down low, then leapt out at Divatox {who now held the zeonizers} only to knock her, himself, and the crystals into the water.

Divatox and Billy cried out in pain as there seemed to be an electrical current flowing into their bodies. The power of the crystal seeped out into the water, and was shocking the two of them. The screams and shouts from both the monsters and the powerless rangers were drowned out by the sound of electrical whirring. Samantha too came running up, screaming like a banshee. She would have ran out into the water had it not been for the others holding her back.

Divatox managed to stumble to her feet, and waved her hand. Rygog, Elgar and Porto ran up, pulled her out of the water and onto the bridge and into the sub. The zeonizers were floating on the surface of the water, as Billy kicked and writhed. His screams were full of pain and anguish, and he was struggling to get onto the shore. Samantha broke the grip of the others and ran to him. She pulled him out of the water and into her lap. He was shivering and shaking, and she kissed from his mouth to his neck to calm him.

The sub sunk underneath the ocean and sped off. The zeonizers bobbed on the surface. Large electrical sparks leapt up from them, and a strange, glowing, colored liquid was leaking out of them. It was the coordinating colors of each shard. The power was gone. Washed away by the salty ocean.

What were they going to do? There was a new villain in town, and Daran and Scorpina would not rest until the day Billy and Samantha perished. They had to have power! If not.....

The Earth was doomed.

Their communicators began to beep. Sighing, Tommy answered. "This is Tommy. What is it Zordon."

"RANGERS. I HAVE SEEN WHAT HAS JUST OCCURED. REPORT TO THE POWER CHAMBER IMMEDIATELY, FOR I HAVE SOMETHING OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO GIVE TO YOU."

"Zordon! Billy got hurt very badly!" Samantha yelled. Over the month, she had been helping out in the Power Chamber as Billy had before he left for Aquitar. She stroked Billy's wet hair, and he whimpered helplessly. Samantha was NOT happy. She and Billy had not been able to complete their "Special Moment" because of this...and now he was hurt. Next time she saw Divatox, the first thing she would do was transform and rip her apart.

"HE WILL BE FINE. JUST BE CAREFUL WITH HIM WHEN YOU BRING HIM. AT THIS TIME, HE IS VERY PRONE TO WORSE INJURY."

"Come on." Justin said. "The sooner we know about what Zordon wants to give us, the better."

And with that, they teleported off into the sunset; seven brilliant flashes of colored light.