Disclaimer: I do not, have never and have no hope to own the Power Rangers. They are owned by Saban (Please don't sue me Mr Saban). I also do not own Doctor Who, which belong to the BBC or any associated characters. Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling and although not used directly in this series is an excellent read and deserves a mention.
I do not own VR Troopers, Big Bad Beetleborgs, Masked Rider, Galaxy Rangers, Transformers or GI Joe. Some of the concepts and character in this story are based on these shows as do any characters that make an appearance. They are all used without permission of the copyright owners.
I also need to credit Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Blake's Seven and Star Fleet/ X-Bomber for some of the ideas in this book and for general inspiration. References are made later in the series to Sailormoon, Digimon, Pokemon, Robotech, Zoids, Gundam Wing, Captain Planet, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future and Dragonball-Z and any character or idea taken from those series is done without permission.  If there is anything I've forgotten such as MASK, Terrahawks, Thunderbirds or Ghostbusters, they're not mine either.
I would like to thank Jeremy Ray Logsdon, Ellen Brand and Randel for writing their respective series. They were an inspiration to me two years ago when I started writing this series and remain so regardless of the numerous rewrites I have produced. The basis of the Morphin Grid in this series is modified from Randel's version of Ellen's definition of the Morphin Grid. The idea of the Infinity Crystals in later chapters was inspired by Jeremy Ray's Earth Crystals and Marvel Comic's Infinity Quest.  Any characters used have been taken with the permission of the author.
The mention of a series, book or television program in this disclaimer in no way guarantees characters, places or situations from those sources will appear in this series. Most are excellent programs that deserve a mention or that have had a positive influence on the direction of this series. No part of this series is used for profit.
Author's Note: This is a rewrite of the first part of Conquest of Evil first released at the Command Center Archives in 1998/99. This has been rewritten to allow for later seasons of Power Rangers including Wild Force.
Time Line: The series does not adhere to the Saban timeline. The year is 1996 and the series begins after Billy left for Aquitar, but before Jason started to lose the powers of the Gold Ranger.

Darkness Revealed
by ShadowRanger

The pieces were all falling into place; he was almost fully restored. He played the flute he had summoned as he made plans for the battle to come. The soothing music channelled his mental prowess and took him to a level of awareness beyond that of men. Once immersed in such a state he could easily plan and predict the moves of his opponents. He took his time plotting scenarios and counters, never forgetting the ability of humans to improvise and the uncanny amount of luck they seemed to have. As the tune ended his plans were complete and his priorities were clear. Top of the list was the need to find a place where he could control his forces. His attention immediately turned to the Moon.

It wasn't teleportation as such, that required a mental effort, but as he stepped forward he was aware of the shift in gravity, light, atmosphere and the severe drop in pressure and temperature. He was standing on the dust-covered floor of Rita's Palace. The place had been abandoned since he had convinced Zedd to leave and with the Machine Empire at the repair shop he was certain that the Moon was under his control. He walked silently through the stone corridors before heading into the Caves of Deception where the Rangers had found the Zeo Crystal.

It was amazing how much damage the removal of that crystal had done, not only to the forces of evil, but to earth as well. The Crystal had been preventing the release of another evil during its time in the caves; an evil which even now was free on the Earth and attempting to attack Japan. It was sickening though to think that five girls were constantly defeating such a wondrous force of darkness in short skirts and a couple of felines.

Still, he was becoming side-tracked from his purpose in the caves. He found his way to the place where the Zeo Crystal had been stored and after pulling the Lin Kuei Crystal from its storage place, had placed it in the position the Zeo Crystal once held. There it would act as a power source for a project he had in mind at a later date. But first he needed to protect it from harm. A quick spell and a barrier of darkness was erected through which only Minion could pass. He ensured that the spell was unbreakable before he was willing to continue.

Next he took a moment to place his flute where it would not be damaged. It was far more than a musical instrument and was capable of more than focussing the mind. Depending upon the setting it could serve as a control, a focus or a weapon. For now he used it as a focus, but that wouldn't last. He checked the ends and put it away.

As he made his way back into the Lunar Palace his power was already affecting the environment. Dust and cobwebs were removed from his path; the darkened hallways were once again filled with light. He marched into Lord Zedd's Chamber of Command and with a wave of his hand removed any trace that somebody else had ever occupied the space. He was left with a throne of his own design and technology he had removed from Mondo's old base. He doubted the rust bucket would be needing it anytime soon.

Cautiously he wired the machinery together, until he had the semblance of a radar and television monitor. Rita had had her telescope; Zedd has had his eye beams. Why shouldn't he have his own method of keeping tabs on his enemies? He pulled out an elderly keyboard and started to type, using commands he had memorised years before. He was accessing the Rangers' own defences and warping them to be his eyes and ears. Zordon's vast satellite network was soon programmed to relay signals to him, giving him a view of everything that happened on Earth.

With his home, storage and observation system worked out, he turned his attention to the issue of henchmen. In the past villains had always been let down by the incompetence of their subordinates. So he had already taken the time to ensure his plans were insulated from such idiocy. He would have servants, it was expected and for the short term desirable. He wanted the Rangers to see what they faced, to search for ways to defeat his henchmen while he continued his plans unhindered.

But what sort of henchmen would he have? Rita and Zedd used aliens, and Mondo was known for creating his servants. But neither was up to his standards. Magic was and option but held certain drawbacks for the user. He wanted them to have a combination of properties that he would not find on Earth. He chose instead the mysterious metal known as Validium,

Validium was a strong metal capable of conducting magic. It was normally found in a liquid state like Mercury, but when empowered it became solid. With the application of special control circuits it was possible to define the shape the metal would take. Once inserted the control would establish electronic circuitry throughout the body, develop a personality and finally produce a worth servant. He didn't stop at once; he created two beings to serve as his lieutenants. He pointed at his new henchmen and gave them life. He had coloured one of them silver and the other a dull metallic orange.

"You are Silvo," he said to the silver henchmen.

Silvo was solid metal, forged to resemble of muscular humanoid. In his right hand a silver sword appeared briefly before vanishing.

"You will be the leader of my army," Minion told his creation. "You are more than a match for any mere Ranger, and with my foot soldiers to back you up you cannot fail."

Behind Silvo another container of Validium was giving birth. This time the living metal was merged with Titanium and the control circuits were limited to providing movement and simple understanding. There were no thoughts, only complete loyalty. There was a bright flash and a small bang as the various compounds and elements reacted. Then as the smell of Sulphur filled the air, his foot soldiers appeared. They had blank plates over their faces and no seams in their bodies. Every time they moved their bodies reformed, thus eliminating the need for muscles or motors to move. He decided that the best way to judge the weapons he had provided for his troops was to send them into battle.

"Robo Troopers," he said. "You will obey Silvo's orders unless I command you otherwise."

As the foot soldiers nodded their understanding, he turned his attention to his second henchman. "You are Brasso, second in command of my army. You are responsible for sending my creations to Earth."

Brasso bowed to his new master. Brasso was identical to Silvo in every way except for his colour. In his hand a staff appeared. After testing the weight he put it away and returned his attention to his master.

Finally he turned to the final problem, the creation of his monsters. He could handle the task himself, but considered it to be beneath him. He could've asked Rita and Zedd to lend him Finster, but that was a problem he didn't want. He knew Finster was a traitor and had watched the monster maker as he undermined Rita and Zedd. He didn't want his secrets sold to Zordon just yet, so he ruled that idea out. He could've made a servant to build his forces using Validium, but like all machines such a servant would have limits.

No, he desired a servant who was creative and intelligent yet loyal. Unfortunately that left him with the option of choosing a human from Earth to fulfil the role. Luckily he had spotted such a human not far from Angel Grove. A human by the name of Malcum Frink.

~*~

North Valley

Kilokahn was bored, immensely bored. It is said that a week in politics is a long time, for a computer-generated virus a second of boredom seemed like an eternity. Despite his best laid plans he had been unable to conquer the world through the Internet and vast web of computer networks found within. The meddling of Servo had thwarted him at every turn firstly and then the small empire he had created as a digital world had been freed by a group of long foretold children. He had strayed briefly into the realm of Virtual Reality, but after witnessing the sheer magnitude of Grimlord's power he had decided it was best not to push the issue.

Malcum had not helped the situation; his infatuation with the female meat sack was narrowing the scope of their plans. An attack intended to wipe out the national power grid had ended up as a small time power cut to make one student late for school. Admittedly Servo had not shown up as quickly as usual, but the effect was lost.

In short Kilokahn need a change, he needed a way to move beyond the small scope of the Internet into the larger world of the flesh bags. To do that though he needed a body and that was easier said than done. He could steal one, but the chances were he would end up in a robotic body so simplistic that his mind would be lost inside the machine.

With no real option he continued brooding about his problems, hoping for a solution but growing closer to the realisation that this was the way he was going to spend his existence: trapped in a computer wishing to end his futile existence.

"It doesn't have to be that way," a figure in black told him.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Kilokahn demanded.

The stranger was not in Frink's room; he was inside the computer with Kilokahn. He stood calmly watching the virus monster as he calculated his response.

"The same way I can leave," he said. "And I can take you with me."

Kilokahn was not a fool, he knew there would be a price. But could he really pass up the opportunity of freedom?

"Tell me," Kilokahn snarled after some thought.

"I will give you the means to leave this place. You will aid me by providing monsters. I have seen some of your designs, they were impressive."

"I cannot," Kilokahn admitted. He sensed that any attempt to mislead the stranger would have dire consequences.

"You build them, Frink designs them," was the reply. "You are the one who has the choice about whether to work for me. Frink will not."

Kilokahn considered his options and swiftly decided he didn't have any. "I accept," he said.

"Then you may call me Minion," was the last words spoken.

A pair of red eyes burnt brightly as Kilokahn felt his body being torn from him. Minion held a device in his hand and as Kilokahn struggled, he was sucked inside. Minion swiftly vanished as Malcum's machine went blank. The human would never notice though since his life was now forfeit.

~*~

When Minion arrived back at the Lunar Palace he was pleased to see that Malcum had already arrived and that after being stripped and bound in place, the cybernetic implants were already being bonded to his flesh. The stench of scorched skin filled the air as layer after layer of molten metal was poured onto his skin and injected into his blood. Only the spells placed on him prevented his body from dying, but they did nothing to dull the pain. With the grafting complete the body was dipped into Validium, the plates helping to ensure that although the body was mechanised the brain would remain human. As a final touch the mind was slaved to the palace's computer where even it's most private thoughts could be interrogated.

"I think we can dispose of formalities such as a name," Minion said. "Frink will suffice don't you think?"

Frink didn't reply much to Minion's approval. He preferred his servants to speak only when he instructed them to do so. Convinced that his monster making problem was solved he turned his attention to Kilokahn. He wasn't obliged to fulfil his promise to give the virus a body, but there were advantages of having another ally or servant. With a wave of his hand a third body was crafted using the same process he had intended for the Robo Troopers. He would not expect Kilokahn to fight so a quality design was not called for.

When the body was formed he inserted the device where Kilokahn's personality was resident. He watched with interest as the body transformed into a smaller version of Silvo and Brasso. His face took on human features, a thick metallic moustache and a monocle over his right eye. The body came to life as Minion spoke its name: "Bronzo."

~*~

Angel Grove, Earth

"Sam, why do you hide from them?" the voice asked.

"I thought I'd heard the last of you," Sam said angrily.

"You know I cannot leave you," the voice replied.

"But, I accepted who I am," Sam protested.

"No," the voice replied. "You accepted you are the clone of Thomas Oliver. You have accepted that you are the Green Ranger. But you have not accepted your true role in the Rangers' lives. The Green Ranger is not destined to remain an outsider who hides when the battle is over. He is a comrade they know they can rely on."

"They don't need me," Sam said. "They have the Green Ranger to back them up and they have Sam as a friend. They don't need me."

"So you have not learnt," the voice said. "You are still scared of being rejected. They will need you soon."

Sam's morpher appeared in front of him. "Morph!" the voice commanded.

Sam did as he was told. "Dragonzord!"

"Good," the voice said. The image of the Green Ranger appeared as it had a few days before. "Hold out your sword, Sam. It is time you witnessed your future."

Sam summoned his sword, noticing the head of the dragon was glowing green and held it out towards the image. The image reached out a grabbed the sword, sending a blast of energy into Sam's body, accompanied by flashes of unwinding events. Sam collapsed to the floor.

~*~

"Ow," Sam muttered as the blast caused him to wake from his dream state.

He was in his house in Angel Grove. Downstairs he could hear his imaginary family moving about, living their made up lives. Sighing, he decided to get up, all the time remembering the vision he had had just before waking.

The Dark one sends his soldiers of silver to fight. The Rangers fall to him leaving only the Dragon. The former Dragon needs help. Only a sacrifice can save his life and gain the Dragon a real home.

Shaking his head, Sam decided to go to the Youth Centre. At least there he could keep an eye on things in case he was needed.

~*~

On the Moon, Minion decided the time had come to test his new forces. He summoned Silvo and told him: "Send a batch of Robo Troopers to Earth, now!"

Silvo bowed low and gestured to the nearest Trooper. A portal opened and the Robo Troopers stepped through.

~*~

"Heads up Tommy," Rocky called, throwing the Frisbee towards his friend.

Tommy jumped into the air, spinning as he caught the Frisbee and threw it towards Tanya. "Nice throw," he said as he landed.

Jason sat back against the tree, watching his friends having fun. Normally he would have joined them, but today he was too tired to play. At first they were going to hang out at the Youth Centre, but when Rocky turned up with his siblings and their friends in tow it had been decided to go to the park instead. Eventually what had started off as a meeting between seven friends had been transformed into a small party.

"Is this a private party or can anybody join?" Kat asked as she sat down next to him.

"Please," Jason replied, indicating a spot.

Kat sat down next to her friend. While he continued watching the game of Frisbee she chose to watch Sam and David Trueheart sparring. Surprisingly neither of them were able to gain the upper hand. _It's like watching David and Tommy, _ she thought. Under his brother's supervision David had improved his skills and was now as good a fighter as any Ranger. Over the time she had grown to know him Kat had been amazed by how different David was. While Tommy always seemed to have darkness within him David was filled with light. _Stop thinking like that, _ she told herself. _You're meant to be Tommy's girlfriend. _

"David's good," Jason noted, startling her back to reality.

Kat was about to reply when a silver spear struck the tree, just missing her head. As quickly as possible the two teens were on their feet, searching for the source of the spear. Another five spears hit the ground not far from where she was standing. Screams could be heard as more javelins streaked through the air.

"Everybody get down!" Tommy yelled.

The Red Zeo Ranger glanced around. They were in the open surrounded by civilians and under attack by forces unknown. This was not looking good.

In the sky over Angel Grove black clouds had gathered. A black masked face appeared. In the background were three metal beings. One was silver and the other two were bronze and brass. Tommy's eyes went wide, as the image grew larger, revealing the Sword of Darkness in his hand. As it became clearer so the body took on new features. Now the black face was replaced by and animal mask; the all black colouring turned silver. Additional armour could now be seen on the shoulders.

"Citizens of Earth, I am Minion your new ruler. I shall expect a quick and efficient surrender. Resistance shall result in termination."

The image faded and Jason once again looked around, trying to spot the source of the spear. He soon found it, twenty silver soldiers had appeared in a circle around the park, cutting off any route that the Rangers might have used to escape.

"We're going to have to fight," Jason said. "Let's go."

"Right," Kat agreed.

While Tommy, Kat, Adam, Jason, Tanya, Sam and David formed into a circle defending the younger children, Rocky was searching for a way to get the innocents clear.

"When I say now, run," he told Chelsea Oliver.

Tommy's sister nodded her understanding, catching hold of the younger De Santos children. Next to her Franklin Park and her younger brother Teddy had managed to organise the others so the strongest fighters were on the outside, protecting the younger children.

"Where are the Power Rangers?" he heard someone ask.

"I sure they're on their way," Chelsea said.

For a moment Rocky considered adding something to that statement, but decided against it. Now was not the time and he had his promise to Zordon to think about. Instead he held his hand up for silence. Chelsea nodded as she caught the gist of what he was planning/ She watched as the circle of friends moved outwards, drawing their attackers towards them.

"Now!" Rocky shouted as he saw the break in the soldiers.

Chelsea and the others ran as fast as they could. As soon as they were clear of the Robo Troopers they were teleported to the monster shelter.

"You and Sam go next," Tommy told his brother.

"No way," Sam said. "We all go together."

"He's right," David agreed. "You guys are going to need all the help you can get." He waited until Sam had turned away before adding to Tommy, "At least until I can get Sam clear so you can morph."

"Look out, here they come!" Adam shouted.

~*~

Zordon and Alpha had been watching the events unfold from the time Minion appeared. Despite Alpha's best attempts he had been unable to teleport David and the human known as Sam to safety.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, Zordon I can't beam the Rangers out either," Alpha reported.

"Alpha 5 calm down!" Zordon boomed. "Tell the Rangers to morph. Minion's forces are too powerful to face without their powers."

Alpha looked at the Viewing Globe, noticing the extra human in the area. "Zordon, there's someone with the Rangers."

"Tel them to morph Alpha," Zordon commanded. "We can limit the damage afterwards. Their lives are more important than any secret." _Besides, _ Zordon thought to himself, _David might be able to cover for the Rangers so they can morph without their other friend finding out." In his heart Zordon knew it was a long shot, but still worth hoping for.

"Rangers, this is Alpha, you need to morph."

~*~

Alpha's voice came over the communicator loud and clear. The Rangers and Sam had formed a circle and were trying to keep the attackers at bay. David was inside the circle, protecting an injured Kat from further harm.

"I'll be okay," she assured him quietly. "Accelerated healing is kicking in. But I don't think I'll be able to fight just yet."

David carefully examined her leg. Even though he wasn't a trained doctor it was obvious that it was broken.

"Take this," Kat whispered, handing David her Zeoniser.

David took the Zeoniser and strapped onto his wrist. Immediately he felt the power telling him what to do. Standing up he joined Tommy and the others.

"We'll explain later," Tommy promised Sam. Morphing in front of a civilian was not something he wanted to do, but with one team-mate down he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. "It's Morphin Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V- Red!"

"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason called.

"Dragonzord!"

The Rangers looked round in time to see Sam morph into the Dragon Ranger. As his sword appeared Dragon Ranger let loose a battle cry and tried to hack the nearest Robo Trooper's head off.

"Well that solves that problem," Red Warrior said to his leader as they drew their own Power Sword and charge in after him.

"David," Blue Zeo shouted as he joined the fight. "Cover Kat and try to stay under cover."

The acting Pink Zeo Ranger nodded in agreement, drawing his Zeo Laser Pistol just in case. He was glad he did not have to fight, even with powers. He was also relieved because although his uniform was determined by the Power and not by him, unlike Jason, at least the Zeo Crystal had adapted for the fact he was male and removed the skirt; the shade had also been darkened to make him more comfortable.

"Ugh!"

David turned towards the source of the noise and saw two of the machines holding Green Zeo while a third pummelled him with punches. There was a loud crack and David could see Adam spasm, as his ribs were broken. Elsewhere Jason was also struggling. He finally demorphed, his powers exhausted.

"No!" Pink Zeo shouted, summoning the Zeo I Power Shield.

As the three machines turned to face David he threw the disk like shield at them. Sparks flew as it made contact with their metallic bodies before bouncing harmlessly away. The Blue Zeo Ranger had used the diversion to attack all three Robo Troopers with his Zeo III Arm Blades whilst Yellow Zeo swooped in to pluck her boyfriends and Jason out of danger. Although the disk attack failed to cause any real damage it managed to convince the machines to attack David instead of his fallen comrade. Still with three Rangers down in a matter of minutes, this was not going to be an easy fight.

~*~

Minion watched the battle below. The fight had barely started and already three of the Rangers were out of action with a fourth untrained Ranger now trying to distract his forces. In addition the Red Morphin Warrior had shown a weakness that could be exploited: too much pain and he would demorph. And finally, Minion now knew the identity of the Green Dragon Ranger.

"Frink, begin a background check on Samoht Revilo," he instructed.

The once human cyborg bowed hurried to do his master's bidding.

Minion then checked on his own troops. So far none of them had fallen in battle despite the Rangers' best efforts. If this kept up he would soon have an easy victory.

"Silvo, tell the Robo Trooper to stop holding back. I want to see them at full power," Minion instructed

~*~

Rock was desperately outnumbered. Even if all the Rangers were available three to one odds would have been difficult to beat. With Adam, Jason and Kat out of the fight and David looking after them, Rocky found himself fighting five Robo Troopers. He barely ducked as one of the robots fired a weapon at him. He looked at the ground where the object had landed and realised it was a spear, at least as long as his arm.

"Tommy," Blue Zeo called to his leader. "Those spears are inside them."

The Red Zeo Ranger nodded, taking his attention off his opponents long enough to nod. That was all the time the Robo Trooper needed. It moulded its hands into sharp edged blades and slashed at the Red Ranger.

As Rocky was distracted seeing his leader fall he failed to notice the Robo Trooper sneak up behind him. Before he could react it punched him to the back of the neck. The Blue Zeo Ranger looked up to see the Robo Trooper preparing to fire another spear, this time at his head.

~*~

After setting Adam and Jason down in a place of relative safety, Yellow Zeo had summoned her Nunchuks and had started to bludgeon the nearest opponent. Then after freeing one end of the weapon she struck out, using the chain to increase the momentum. As the solid club struck the Robo Trooper's neck Yellow Zeo drew her Zeo Pistol and fired. The machine fell backwards, stunned by the attack.

As Yellow Zeo prepared for the next target it grabbed her from behind. Tanya found herself deposited on the back of her neck, the Zeo suit absorbing some but not all of the shock. She looked up, unable to move as another Robo Trooper prepared to hit her.

~*~

"Any bright ideas?" Blue Zeo asked as he looked up at his rescuer.

"Yeah," Dragon Ranger replied from his position at Rocky's back. "Teleport out of here as quickly as possible."

Samoht had managed to rescue Rocky after the Robo Trooper had punched him, but now they were outnumbered. In back to back formation they had managed to hold their own against the machines, but were fading fast. Looking around Rocky saw Tanya being driven into the ground.

"Duck!" Blue Zeo shouted.

As the Dragon Ranger moved to obey his blue companion leapt over his back, driving his Zeo Power Blades into the Robo Trooper's chest. As he pulled away Dragon Ranger pushed his Blade Blaster into the damaged patch and fired. The Robo Trooper collapsed as the Blade Blaster's energy ripped through to emerge from all directions, effectively slicing it in half.

"I don't believe it!" Blue Zeo complained as he noticed the Robo Trooper still moving, despite being cut in half. As he watched the two halves rejoined.

A silver spear struck the Blue Zeo Ranger in the shoulder, allowing more Troopers to fall on him. _This is bad, _ he thought as his helmet cracked under the constant pounding.

~*~

"Enough!" Minion shouted.

Before him was a scene many villains had only ever dreamed of. The Power Rangers were almost all beaten. The only exception was a newcomer, who Minion intended to humiliate before killing.

"Silvo, call back the Robo Troopers," he ordered. "Then go to Angel Grove and destroy the Green Ranger."

Silvo looked at the screen. All the other Rangers had been beaten down, leaving only the Green Ranger facing twenty Robo Troopers. The machines fell on top of the Ranger, punching and kicking him into submission. An evil smile formed on Silvo's lips.

"As you wish master," he said as he left.

Minion couldn't help smiling under his mask. He had known what Silvo was thinking and was pleased his henchmen were intelligent enough to know when they had an advantage. Whether Silvo could use that advantage remained to be seen.

~*~

"Robo Troopers, dismissed!" Silvo shouted as he appeared.

As the silver soldiers moved to obey Silvo stalked the Green Dragon Ranger, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him into the centre of the park, away from his friends. As Silvo moved away from the area Zordon was able to lock onto the fallen Rangers and teleport them back to the Power Chamber.

Sam forced himself awake. Silvo's initial assault had injured him more than the Robo Troopers and he could already sense his attacker getting near.

Silvo waited until the Dragon Ranger got back to his feet before kicking him in the stomach and power bombing him into the ground. Lifting the Ranger by the neck he started to choke the Ranger in unconsciousness.

"Fireball!" Sam shouted.

His hand erupted with green fire, catching Silvo off guard. Instead of dropping the Ranger however, Silvo drove him into the ground. With the Ranger down he continued to pummel him until Silvo could see blood seeping from a hole in the Ranger's armour. Kneeling next to the Ranger, Silvo opened Sam's helmet exposing the boy's face. Drawing his fist back he awaited Minion's permission to proceed.

A portal opened a Minion stepped through. Silvo bowed to his master and taking the hint disappeared.

"ZORDON!" Minion shouted.

~*~

Zordon turned his attention Viewing Globe. When Alpha had managed to teleport the Rangers back to the Power Chamber, Alpha had sprung into action. Thanks to the little droid's actions the injured Rangers had all been demorphed and stabilised. Most were suffering from broken bones, although in one case Zordon had had to use his powers to help heal internal damage.

"ZORDON!" the voice boomed a second time. "I know you can here me, Zordon!"

"I am here Minion," Zordon replied. "What do you want?"

"Your little Power Pukes left something behind," Minion sneered. Reaching down he pulled up the battered Green Dragon Ranger, now bleeding from several wounds. Sam's helmet had been destroyed, placing the armour into standby mode. Minion placed the Sword of Darkness across Sam's neck.

"What do you want Minion?" Zordon asked.

"A trade," Minion replied. "You give me the Zeo Crystal and I'll give you this piece of trash."

Zordon thought for a moment. Every part of him wanted to send the Rangers back out to destroy Minion, but he did not have that option. In addition he doubted they would be able to either beat Minion or free their friend. Faced with an impossible choice Zordon did the only thing possible under the circumstances. _I cannot sacrifice someone just to hold onto a power, _ Zordon thought. _If I do, then I don't deserve to hold it anymore. _

"Very well Minion," Zordon said. "Alpha will bring the Zeo Crystal to you. But be warned, if you harm either Alpha or Sam, you will be destroyed."

"As you wish Zordon," Minion hissed with a mock bow. "As you wish."

~*~

Alpha appeared in Angel Grove Park five minutes later carrying the Zeo Crystal in his hand. Making his way over towards Minion, he placed the crystal on the ground and stepped back.

"Very good Alpha," Minion said. "Now come here."

"That's not part of the arrangement," Alpha replied.

"Alpha Five, CPU L98485, access function B109 and come here!" Minion said a bit louder.

When King Lexian had built Alpha he had included a few special features, the most important of which was the ability of the owner to implant commands deep in a part of the droid's CPU that even Alpha was unaware of. Although these functions could only be accessed once, they had been used on the first two Alphas to activate self-destruct features. The second feature Lexian had designed was the method to activate the function and avoid accidental use. In the case of Alpha 5 no function had been implanted at default, so Lexian had programmed the command to activate when Alpha's full designation was quoted.

When Billy had first met Alpha he had discovered the function and as part of an afternoon's experiment he had programmed that upon hearing the function B109 Alpha would obey the speaker's command even if it contradicted his other programming.

"End function B109," Minion said as Alpha walked over to him.

Alpha returned to normal operating status to find himself kneeling on the ground with Minion standing over him. Next to him the form of the Green Dragon Ranger lay motionless.

"Zordon," Minion said, knowing the White Master could here him. "I now have two prisoners. But instead of killing them, you can have them back."

In a flash of green and white light the two prisoners were gone. Minion allowed himself to smile. While Zordon was busy caring for the injured Green Ranger, he would ensure the Ranger's were even less of a threat. He had taken their powers, now he intended to take their Zords.

~*~

Alpha ran the medical scanner over Sam's unconscious form. He had tried several times to monitor the young Ranger, but although Alpha was able to heal some of the wounds, the scanners refused to detect the Green Ranger's presence. To make matters worse, Zordon had been unable to force demorph the Ranger.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi, nothing is working Zordon," Alpha reported.

"Keep trying," Zordon instructed.

"Yes Zordon," Alpha replied, returning to his work.

A small alarm sounded in the Power Chamber causing both Zordon and Alpha to investigate. The control panel, which the Rangers used to control the Zeo Launcher, was operating by itself. Already the Zeo MegaZord, Super Zeo MegaZord and Warrior Wheel had been loaded for launch.

"Alpha, eject the Zeo Launcher before the Red BattleZord is lost as well!" Zordon boomed. As he spoke he noticed the other Zords had already been launched.

Alpha pushed the buttons on the console, causing the Zeo Launcher to eject from the Zord Holding Bay and explode near the bottom of the mountain. Zordon realised the Rangers would probably never use those Zords again. _The Rangers will probably never use the Zeo Crystal again, _ he thought. Then he groaned as he noticed the Red Battle Zord had launched as well.

~*~

"Sam, wake up!"

Sam opened his eyes to find himself hovering over the medical table in the Power Chamber. As he looked down he could see the battered the remains of his body and Alpha desperately trying to help him.

"Am I dead?" Sam asked.

"No," the familiar voice said. "But if Zordon and Alpha cannot heal you, you will be."

"Why are they not healing me then?" Sam asked.

"Because you do not want them too," the voice replied. "They want to help you but cannot do so while you are hiding from them. Only you can save you life, and to do so you will need stop hiding and reveal yourself."

Sam thought about the choice he faced. If he removed the spell that hid him from the Ranger and everybody else then he would survive. But if he did remove the spell he risked losing the people he cared most about and being alone again. For a moment he was tempted to just keep the spell and die, but what then. The Green Powers would be lost and the Rangers would be in even worse shape than they were now.

_I caused Zordon to give up the Zeo Crystal, _ he thought. _How can I quit before I have made amends. _

"At last you have seen sense," the voice said, once again taking the form of the Green Ranger. The voice changed to resemble someone Sam had come to respect over the years. The image flew into the Plasma Tube causing its inhabitant to smile, "Welcome back Sam."

~*~

"Ah, there you are," Minion said as the four large Zords appeared.

The Zeo Crystal had given him full command of anything connected with the power. He had ordered all the Zords to launch and despite Zordon's efforts to disable to launch mechanism, they had done so. He was certain the Rangers would be watching him carefully, but considering the message he wanted to send, that was probably just as well.

"Fight me!" Minion commanded, using his powers to give the Zords life. After teleporting the Zeo Crystal to a safe place Minion prepared himself to destroy the Rangers' prize weapons.

The Red Battle Zord acted immediately and tried to punch and kick wildly. Minion's response was simple: he drove his fist through the cockpit and poured his energy into the gaping hole. The Zord jerked as its systems overloaded and the safety controls failed. Then it exploded.

Before any of the three remaining Zords could react, Minion rushed them with his sword. Using the power blade he knocked the Warrior Wheel, attacking in robot-mode, to the ground.

Minion had spent time studying the Zords the Rangers had used since Zordon first recruited them. After watching their battles he had managed to determine the weaknesses of each of the MegaZords.

The Dino MegaZord had been quick and had been able to take abuse well, but lacked the strength and firepower of the future Zords. The Dragonzord had been more powerful, but lacked any finishing manoeuvres. Ultimately they had been destroyed not through the act of an enemy, but because Zordon had failed to enhance them.

The Thunder MegaZord had the raw power, but was unable to survive a sustained attack. The TigerZord was powerful, but was reliant on the co-operation between Ranger and Saba. In the end it had been their lack of endurance, which had drained them to the point where Rito had been able to defeat them. Minion wondered what would have happened if Zordon had given the Rangers access to the real Thunder powers, instead of allowing them to draw the power through their Dino Coins.

The Ninja MegaZord and Ninja MegaFalconZord were the most agile of the Zords, but neither Zord was unable to defend itself against swords. The Shogun MegaZord and Shogun MegaFalconZord were powerful and heavily armoured, but lacked the speed to defeat the faster monsters. Together they had made a good set of Zords, complementing each other well. Unfortunately the Ninja Zords' reliance on the Falcon Zord meant that when Zedd had stolen it all the Ninja Zords had been disabled.

Then came his current opponents. It was easy to find the weakness with the Zeo MegaZord or the Red BattleZord. Both had been added to the Ranger's arsenal after they had gained their powers. As a result they only drew part of the power from the Zeo Crystal. If Minion had had the opportunity to face the Red BattleZord, he would have simply aimed for the cockpit. The machine was designed for Tommy only and a quick laser bolt through the glass cockpit would have ended the Zord's attack. The MegaZord was at least a challenge, but Minion knew all he had to do was ground the Zord and it would be as good as scrap.

The Warrior Wheel was vulnerable when switching between modes. Minion had already damaged it, but now he planned to take advantage of its other weakness. While the Zord was down he intended to ensure he knocked out the other two MegaZords, thus eliminating its finisher. The Warrior Wheel did not have an effective solo assault.

As he was analysing his opponents the Zeo MegaZord and Super Zeo MegaZord had already moved into attack. The Zeo MegaZord had activated its Battle Helmets. Minion had laughed as he was hit by the various assaults; even the Zeo MegaZord Sabre had barely scratched him.

"Zeo Cannon!" Minion called, bracing himself as the cannon attached itself to his shoulder.

Minion fired the weapon once, blast a hole in the Zeo MegaZord's chest. As the Zord collapsed Minion aimed the cannon again, this time channelling the full power of the Zeo Crystal into the blast and fired. The MegaZord exploded, its parts being teleported back to the Power Chamber.

Twisting around to face the Super Zeo MegaZord, Minion fired again. The blast caused some damage but the Super Zeo MegaZord had been created to take more than the Zeo Cannon could give. In disgust Minion smashed the Zeo Cannon into the Super Zeo MegaZord's head.

Minion had spent a long time studying the Super Zeo MegaZord. It had a number of weaknesses, but none Minion could exploit to their full extent. Instead he had looked at the Zord's weapon and had discovered the combined swords generated too much power for even its wielder to use at full power.

He laughed as the MegaZord struck him the first time, gesturing for it to try full power. The Zord complied and Minion saw his chance. Grabbing hold of the blade he pushed it back towards the Zord until it made contact with the MegaZord's head. Minion continued to push, slicing through the MegaZord. Gradually the sword cut through the body, emerging at the base of the body.

As the Super Zeo MegaZord fell to the ground in two halves, Minion picked up the combined sword and used it to shop away the Zord's arms and legs. Finally he drove the sword into the head of the MegaZord. As the Super Zeo MegaZord was reclaimed to the Super Zeo Gems from which it was first formed, the sword disappeared with it.

"Just you and me then," Minion said as the Warrior Wheel got to its feet again, beckoning him to attack with his hand.

Faster than Minion expected the Warrior Wheel launched at him. A series of fists connected with Minion's chin. Minion laughed as he took all the punishment the Zord could dish out.

"My turn," he said.

Minion snap kicked the Warrior Wheel's knee, following up with several punches of his own. Lifting the Zord over his head in military press, Minion jerked his arms back to his sides. He threw the top part of the Warrior Wheel onto the ground in front of him, before dumping the legs on top.

He raised his hands in victory as he watched the remains of the Warrior Wheel disappear. "ZORDON! If I'd known it was going to be this easy I'd have attacked before!"

Reaching out Minion summoned the Zeo Crystal and placed it on the ground. With a mere thought he tapped the power of the Dark Dimension, feeding its energy into the Zeo Crystal. The crystal started to glow, changing colours rapidly. Red, yellow, blue, green, pink, silver, white, gold, black and finally purple shapes appeared inside the crystal. Sparks started to fly as the crystal pulsed with more power than it was ever intended to contain. As the pulsing reached fever pitch Minion drove his fist into the Zeo crystal, absorbing its energy and causing it to disintegrate.

Leaving the shattered crystal Minion looked down on the damage he had caused and laughed.

~*~

After Sam had recovered the Rangers watched their Zords do battle. It was obvious that Minion had the advantage and although terrified by what they saw, they were not surprised when he smashed the last of the Zords. They watched him as he finished off the Warrior Wheel and stood gloating. Sam though had seen enough and decided it was time for Minion to face a Zord that wasn't under his control.

"Back to Action!"

When he appeared in the park he drew his sword, allowing the sound of the Dragon Flute to travel over the city. As the machine emerged from the depths, he was already planning to call in Tor for additional firepower. As the Zord approached he teleported to its cockpit and inserted his sword ready for combat.

Minion lunged, the DragonZord successfully ducked and returned a deadly swing of its tail. As it swung a second time the tail was caught in the villain's hand. A quick spin of its drill tip and it was free to swipe two more times before unloading its hand rockets. Minion was thrown backwards and the Zord pressed its attack. A ball of flame erupted from its mouth as Sam continued to utilise the Zord's vast arsenal.

Minion had lunged with the intention of finishing the battle swiftly. But when it became clear that the DragonZord was going to provide some small competition, he allowed it to attack. He absorbed the tail swipe, rocket attacks and the sudden burst of flame. He ducked and parried as the Zord continued to press with its tail assault. He made a few attempts to hit back all the time allowing the Ranger to think he had a chance.

Then Minion struck. His fist connected with the DragonZord's chest plate. Two more blows connected with the sides of its head. With an upper cut he toppled the huge machine as its head snapped up and it toppled onto its back. The Sword of Darkness came into play as a few small cuts destroyed the tail drill and all the time his foot pressed into the Zord's jaw.

"Dragon Fire!" Samoht cried. He appeared for a hatch on top of DragonZord's had and unleashed a ball of energy that caused Minion to lift his foot.

With some desperate movements of the controls he managed to get the Zord standing and swept Minion's feet out from under him.

"Enough play," Minion announced as he sheathed the Sword of Darkness. It was time to prove just how prepared he had been for the DragonZord.

From its hiding place Minion pulled forth his flute, now set to control. As the villain played, Samoht noticed that the DragonZord had ceased moving. He frantically moved the controls, but they would not respond to his touch. Minion played a slightly different tune and the Zord started to sway in time to the music. And then he ceased playing and the Zord collapsed.

"This time I'll let you live," he said to Samoht as he once again pulled out the Sword of Darkness. "But not your Zord!"

His blade sliced through the DragonZord's neck causing Samoht to eject. The Green Ranger watched in horror as his old friend was destroyed in a single blow. He hardly noticed, as he was teleported away.

~*~

The Power Chamber,
Sometime later

When Tommy awoke Zordon asked him to join David and the others in the main chamber. As he entered the room Tommy was glad to see his team was still alive. The Rangers healing powers had taken care of the worst of their injuries. And with a little help from David and Alpha they had all regained consciousness.

Conspicuous by his absence was Sam. At first Tommy thought maybe the Green Ranger had left. Then, he noticed the blocked off area of the chamber where the medical table was located.

"Zordon, where is Sam?" Jason asked.

"Rangers, I have some bad news for all of you," Zordon said. "When you were teleported here Minion assaulted Sam and used him to gain control of the Zeo Crystal. He has since destroyed all the Zeo Zords and has damaged the Zeo Crystal so it cannot be used. Sam returned to the battle with DragonZord and was forced to witness its destruction."

Tommy felt as if he had been punched in the gut by that comment. DragonZord was one of the few artefacts left from their time as Morphin Rangers. Now like so many others the ancient machine was lost.

"The good news," Zordon continued, "Is that Sam survived and that we have today gained a powerful and wise ally."

The blocked area of the chamber vanished, revealing Sam in his civilian clothes. By dropping his power he had allowed Zordon to discover his true identity, but at the same time had managed to conquer his fear of discovery.

"Samoht Revilo, will you please reveal your true identity to the Rangers?" Zordon asked. If Sam refused then Zordon had no intention to tell them. He hoped that his reaction had helped.

Sam placed his hands over his face and slowly moved them aware. As he did so the other Rangers gasped. Sam's face became that of Thomas Oliver when he had first arrived in Angel Grove.

"Hi," Sam said sheepishly, "Remember me, your clone?"

For a moment nobody said anything. Most of them were too shocked to say anything; Tanya just didn't understand what was happening. None of the Rangers had ever thought to fill her in on their history and although she knew Tommy had once been the Green Ranger she had never been made aware that he had a clone.

Finally, Tommy spoke. "How can you be here? I left you in 1795."

"More to the point," Adam stated, "I thought two Tommy Olivers in one time would damage the Morphin Grid."

"I can answer both questions," Sam said, returning to his usual look. "I am the clone you left in 1795. I have not aged in all that time."

"Since Sam has not returned to this time zone, but has instead lived for the last two hundred years the effects on the Morphin Grid no longer apply," Alpha explained.

"What about your disguise?" Rocky asked.

"I can answer that," Zordon said. "Tommy has always contained a natural reserve of magical energy. It was this power that caused Rita to select him as the Green Ranger. Over the time Sam has been alive that magic has magnified to the point where it has merged with his Morphin Powers."

"In other words," Sam said, "I am now one with the Power Coin. In fact I am now literally the Green Ranger."

"Ai-yi-yi, I got it!" Alpha cried excitedly.

"Got what?" Rocky asked.

He was answered when a pile of blackened glass appeared on the console. It took everyone a minute to realise that what they were seeing was not glass. Instead it was all that remained of their powers. Lifeless and dark the Zeo Crystal was still smoking from where Minion had stolen its power.

"Aw man," Tommy said. "It's ruined."

"Rangers, I am afraid there is nothing more you can do here," Zordon said. "I suggest you all go and get some rest. I have a feeling you will need you strength soon."

As he watched the Rangers leave Zordon turned to his assistant. "Alpha 5, begin work to repair the Zeo Crystal. I fear Minion will not wait long before he decides to attack."

"Yes Zordon," Alpha said, hurrying to complete his task.

While Billy worked Zordon started to plan for what was to come. Minion had in the space of a day managed to hand the Rangers their first defeat. For some reason the new villain had not continued to attack, deciding to retreat. Zordon reached out with his mind, touching each of the Rangers. _Rest easy my Rangers, _ he thought, _I fear the worst is yet to come. _

End