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.

A Plan Revealed
by ShadowRanger

"Keep still," Kat instructed as she pressed the bandage against Rocky's side.

Upon returning from their unsuccessful attempt to replace their Zeo powers with armour they had found hidden within the Power Chamber, the Rangers had been attempting to clean and heal their wounds. Ranger Healing was not an option and they were forced to make do with techniques that were less effective and far more painful.

"Zordon, we need to try something else," Tommy gasped.

"I am afraid the risk is too great Tommy," Zordon boomed. "Without your powers you would be placing your team at severe risk. I cannot allow you to put yourselves at risk."

"But Zordon," Tommy started, but Zordon cut him off.

"I will not allow you to go out there without powers Tommy," Zordon snapped. In a calmer tone he said: "Alpha, please begin work to reconstruct the Zeo Crystal. We will need to hope that in the we are not attacked in the meantime."

"Zordon the Zeo Crystal will require more power than we have in the Power Chamber," Alpha warned.

Zordon sighed. He had hoped he would not need to ask Billy to hand over the five Power Coins he had collected from the fallen Rangers of Aquitar. But he knew there was little choice. For reasons he couldn't begin to fathom, Ninjor had flat out refused to make a set of new coins unless they were for new Rangers. And since Zordon was under strict instructions not to create any new Rangers, there would be no new coins.

_This is not fair to Billy, _ he thought.

The Blue Ranger had lost his wife, his home and his friends; all he had left was his ability to morph and prevent others from suffering the same fate. Under Ninjor's guidance Billy had been travelling through space to help out where he was needed. But now the fate of the Earth was in Billy's hands. If the Blue Ranger gave up the coins he would be powerless, but if he kept them the Earth was finished. For Billy it could only end in loss.

~*~

"The Zeo Crystal," Minion explained, "is a store of magical energy bound to the rules of science. It is pure magic not Grid magic and cannot be defined as good or evil. That is why Master Vile was able to use it to attack the Earth. But the crystal has had spells placed on it by its creators, spells that mean that it cannot be destroyed by evil. Only someone who is good can shatter the crystal permanently. Otherwise it will reform."

"What?" Zedd boomed, suddenly very attentive to Minion's words. "Those Rangers could have their powers back at any time."

"Relax Zedd," Minion told him. "You'll end up having one of Rita's headaches."

Minion had shifted his form again and for the first time since his resurrection appeared human. He had kept his hair black to match his clothes and his skin was unnaturally pale due to lack of sunlight. He was sat on Zedd's old throne; a goblet filled with a foul smelling liquid in his right hand that he sipped occasionally.

"But those Rangers could regain their powers at any moment. You've destroyed their Zords for nothing."

"The Super Zeo Zords are gone for now," Minion said calmly. "When I destroyed them their energies returned to the Super Zeo Gems. If they ever find the Golden Power Staff they could restore them, but I don't think Triforia's new rulers will allow that."

That much was true. The Super Zeo Zords were stored in the Super Zeo Gems and required a vast amount of energy to release them. In the event of their destruction the Zords could be restored from the gems. As a safety measure though the means to unlock their power was not the Zeo Crystal; the activation sequence required a different frequency. So without Trey the Super Zeo Zords would remain scrap.

"As for their other Zords," Minion continued. "I imagine the Warrior Wheel is capable of self repair. It was built on Triforia after all. As for the Zeo Zords and the Red BattleZord, the Rangers will no doubt fix them."

He placed the goblet down and stroked the cold sides of his throne. He stared off as if watching the Rangers and allowed a small smile to cross his lips. Then he turned back to Rita and Zedd, his face hardened. He stood abruptly and held out his hand, watching patiently as the Zeo Crystal appeared.

"How did you get that?" Zedd demanded. "I saw Zordon teleport the remains away."

"My dear Lord Zedd," Minion explained. "Zordon didn't teleport the remains of the Zeo Crystal, he took the fragments of a flawed crystal I found somewhere. I doubt he'll notice until he puts it back together. And while he tries in vain to recreate the Zeo Crystal, I will be draining its power."

He twisted his hand quickly and placed the Zeo Crystal back into its personal storage space. There was no point in taking chances. If Rita and Zedd gained possession of the crystal there was no doubt they would dispose of him. Minion wanted to stay alive.

"Tell me," he said in a patient voice. "If the Zeo Crystal can be repaired and the Zeo Zords can be repaired, what is there left to destroy?"

"The Rangers!" Zedd snapped.

"And you let them escape!" Rita added, unsure why they hadn't destroyed Minion earlier.

Minion's form flickered as he returned to his normal state of darkness. When he chuckled it was such a human sound Rita found it difficult to believe Minion could make it. "If I had allowed Silvo to finish the Rangers, Zordon could have summoned replacements. Perhaps he would have recalled some of the original Rangers or a completely fresh team." His voice lowered to a whisper. "Zordon has had to fight very hard to justify his actions on Earth. As it is the Council have placed limits on the number of Rangers he is allowed to create. While the Zeo Rangers are alive and connected to the Zeo Crystal, he cannot call in replacements."

"And while Zordon is unable to call in replacements they cannot use the power of the Morphin Grid," Finster pointed out.

Minion stared at Finster for a moment as if trying to see the monster maker's motives. He knew Finster was a traitor to Rita and Zedd, in fact he intended to do something about it in the near future. But for now he wondered what flaw the old servant had seen in the scheme.

_Perhaps he believes the Rangers will learn the truth and recover the Zeo Crystal. _

That was unlikely of course. When placed in storage only Minion could remove the crystal. Still it did explain the support. He decided it was time to reveal the rest of his plan.

"The Zeo Crystal is important to my plan," he told them. "Firstly, if we use it correctly it can be turned into a weapon we can use against the Rangers. More importantly, the Zeo Crystal will act as a map."

"What map?" Zedd demanded. He was losing patience with Minion, who seemed more intent on talking than taking care of the real problem.

"The wizards of the M-51 Galaxy did not settle for just one crystal," Minion told him. "Nor did they intend to make the Zeo Crystal in the first place. They were in the employ of the Morphin Masters and asked to build crystal capable of tapping the power of the Morphin Grid. The power of Zeo was an unforeseen failure."

"Why? The Zeo Crystal is more powerful than any Ranger."

"Exactly," Minion said. "The Zeo Crystal does not tap the Morphin Grid, it is flawed. Instead it draws power from non-Grid magic, completely untamed and uncontrollable." He stopped and thought of an explanation. "The Morphin Grid is split according to personalities, good and evil. The Zeo Crystal lacks these definitions; it simply emits an energy wave that can be directed. Zordon created five Rangers. Had Tommy not split the crystal they could have had any number of different shades and colours just by altering the frequencies of their Zeonisers. If they wanted too they could make one Ranger using all the power of the Zeo Crystal or use it to power a weapon. It is energy pure and simple."

"So?" Rita asked irritably.

"So, the Zeo Crystal was deemed to dangerous to be used by the Morphin Masters and was sent to the Old Kingdom that inhabited this Moon. Now, what do you think they did with the other flawed crystals?" he asked in a tone that suggested he was surprised Rita had ever learnt to walk upright.

"They hid them," Goldar growled. It was the first time either he had spoken.

"Exactly," Minion said. "Gold star for the monkey." He ignored Goldar's outrage at that comment. The Titan was always keen to point out he was not a monkey despite Rita's slanderous remarks. "They hid them on an uninhabited world where they thought nobody would look. A planet under the watchful eyes of those who had agreed to protect the Zeo Crystal."

"Earth!" Zedd realised.

"Affir- That's right," Minion said, "The crystals were hidden on Earth, using the planet's Ley Lines to disguise the energy. Seven crystals that combined together will allow the holder the power of total victory over their greatest enemy. For the forces of good that meant evil would be vanquished. For the force of evil though the crystals show their true power. Together they summon forth a demon to rid the Universe of the plague of all that is pure. He would separate the righteous from the wicked, and then destroy the good."

As he spoke a computerised screen hummed into life to show a diagram of the Earth with green lines shooting off in all directions. Occasionally where the lines crossed an orange dot appeared and at other times a larger red dot burnt the screen.

"The Earth," he told them. "The largest red dot is Angel Grove Ley Nexus, that is why everyone who starts to attack there is unable to change their target. The energy from this Ley Nexus is addictive. The orange points surrounding it are the minor nexuses that draw power from it. Charterville, Urbana City, Crossworld City, North Valley and several more. The whole area is bursting with magic, the perfect place to hide a magical crystal."

"So they're all hidden there?" Zedd asked.

"Only one crystal per group," Minion answered. "There are many other Nexus points on Earth and I don't think Angel Grove is hiding one. The chance of it being discovered accidentally are just too high."

~*~

"Activating containment field," Adam said.

The five former Zeo Rangers had gathered together above the Power Chamber, in the room that once housed the Command Centre. Although most of the Power Chamber was now below ground, Zordon and Billy had rebuilt the upper chamber soon after the Zeo Rangers had been created. Instead of a command area, Billy had adapted the room to serve as a control area for the laboratory and repair bay housed somewhere in the mountains.

Each Ranger was now seated at a console operating the controls as though they had been doing so their whole lives. On a raised pillar in the centre of the room was a platform holding the remains of the Zeo Crystal. Zordon had mentioned they might be able to reform the crystal using the power of the Super Zeo Gems, but they knew that without either the Golden Power Staff or the Power Coins that Billy had saved on Aquitar their hopes were in vain. Of course in an ideal world they would have been able to simply take the Powers Coins, but life was never that simple; the destruction of their coin during a time when their bodies were in an unconnected state had rendered their links to the Morphin Grid useless. But, even though the Rangers couldn't use the Morphin Grid, they could at least use the coins to restore the crystal. If Billy was willing to give them up of course.

Currently the Super Zeo Gems were floating above the remains. As Tommy activated the containment field the remains of the crystal were pushed closer to the platform. From each Super Zeo Gem a different coloured beam of energy emerged. As the beams of light struck the remains of the Zeo Crystal, it started to move frantically.

"Structure complete," Adam reported from his place.

The Zeo Crystal was now back to its normal shape and form. But it was too early for the Rangers to celebrate, the Crystal remained dark with no evidence of power.

"End Phase One!" Tommy said.

Now they had to wait for Billy to make his choice.

~*~

Could he do it again? That was the question that plagued Billy Cranston. Could he give up his powers a second time so that others could take his place? In all honesty he wanted to tell them no and be done with it. But what would that gain? If he kept his powers he was being selfish and making the statement that he was using them only to fulfil his own needs. He remembered when he had taken the oath so long ago never to use the Power for personal gain.

But what was the choice? The last time he had given up his power he had been living a complete lie. He had fooled himself into taking a backseat role believing it to be the right choice. Then as he slowly realised that the team did not need him as their mentor he had become more and more withdrawn. He didn't want to do that again.

He summoned the five coins and looked at them. They were just coins; they lacked the warmth of his original Power Coin. When he morphed he no longer felt the connection to the Wolf that he had on Aquitar. The frill of fighting was not the same as it had been when he had battle against a planet full of foot soldiers. The more he thought about it the more evident it became that he was just going through the motions.

Then he thought of Jason and how the Red Ranger had continued to serve the team in spite of losing his powers. Jason had become a Morphin Warrior while Billy had selfishly kept the Power Coins for himself. It was time to do something to help the Earth and make a difference.

He looked up at the looming shadow of Ninjor and nodded once. Even though he could not see the Blue Master's face, he could tell there was a smile there as the legendary maker of Power Coins plucked the Aquitian Ranger Coins from the soon to be former Blue Ranger's hand and sent them to Zordon.

"Come along Billy," he said. "It's time to start your real training."

~*~

Kat activated the four power inducers located over the Zeo Crystal. With small cameras positioned on the tip of each inducer to guide her Kat was able to convert the combined power of the Super Zeo Gems, Power Coins and the mighty generators buried deep underground that normally powered the Power Chamber, into a form of laser suitable for repairing the still damaged crystal.

The cameras on the tip of the inducers allowed Kat to see where the flaws were located and to rectify them. As she did so the Zeo Crystal slowly began to absorb the energy from the Power Coins. The Super Zeo Gems dropped to the ground indicating their purpose had been served.

"Phase Two complete," Kat said after what seemed like ages. "Ready for final power up."

"Okay, Rocky you start, Tanya you follow," Tommy said.

Both Rocky and Tanya nodded. Activating their consoles they began to feed more power into the Zeo Crystal. The crystal glowed as they increased the power levels.

"Full power, now!" Tommy called.

Tanya and Rocky turned the controls up to maximum, channelling all available power into the reformed crystal. A bright flash filled the room as the Zeo Crystal reached full power.

"Damn!" Tommy swore as the crystal shattered, falling apart under the stress of the power. "Shut everything down, we'll need to start from scratch."

"That might be a problem," Rocky said. The others followed his gazed to where the Power Coins had fallen.

Tommy felt all his hopes fail when he saw the coins. Once engraved with the images of the Aquitian Rangers' Spirit Animals, the coins were now blank.

"Now what?" Tanya asked.

"Now we go and tell Zordon we've failed," Tommy told her.

"Tommy, this isn't the Zeo Crystal," Samoht said.

He bent down and picked up the Power Coins and Super Zeo Gems from the ground. For a moment the two sources of power were touching each other. Electricity started to arc from the Gems to the Power Coins, causing him to drop them. As he picked them up the second time he was more careful. Once all the coins were gathered and all the Gems had been placed in their container he turned back to the Rangers and picked up a slither of glass.

"This is a fake," he said. "It's glass!"

"Look at the coins!" Rocky said.

"Ai-yi-yi! The heat has bonded the powers of the Super Zeo Gems to those of the Power Coins."

"Does that mean?" Tommy started, but didn't dare to ask.

"You can morph again," Alpha told him.

"Rangers, these powers are unstable," Zordon said. "Until we find a way to stabilise them you will need to be careful."

"Zordon, if the remains were glass, what happened to the Zeo Crystal?"

"That is something we will need to discover," Zordon said, "soon."

~*~

"So how do we find it?" Rita asked. "And how did you discover all this?"

"Zordon is a power wizard and a fine mentor," Minion said. "But he is also a fool. I discovered the truth about the Zeo Crystal in the same way that I know what the Rangers are doing at this moment: I broke into his computer via his own satellite system. I propose to find these crystals, unite them and destroy Zordon and every Ranger in the known universe. Then we can rule."

He watched Finster as he spoke and noted the nervous shift in the monster maker's stance. He decided the time had come to do something about their traitor.

"Tell me Rita," he said as he walked towards the treacherous henchman, "How many times were you defeated before Finster joined your little group?"

The reply was as expected and he smiled as Finster took an involuntary step backwards.

"I think we have a traitor in our midst."

"No, Lord Zedd," Finster said turning to his master for mercy. "I have never betrayed you."

"You could never betray him Finster," Minion said. "You never served him."

The old man took a step back as the Sword of Darkness appeared in Minion's hand. Finster was swift, but Minion was faster. Without hesitating he drove the tip of the blade into the traitor's chest and watched as the sword removed the life from Finster. The screams were those of pain, anger and terror as the monster maker's heart was turned as cold as his master's. When it was done, there was a very different Finster before them.

"Lord Zedd, Lady Rita," he said as he kneeled. "I am at your service."

Minion changed to his almost human form again and watched impassively as Finster reaffirmed his loyalty to his master and mistress. With that little matter taken care of Minion was satisfied they could at last put their plan into action. Just one small thing remained.

"We need a monster," he said calmly as his eyes glowed in anticipation. The Rangers would soon be removed from the picture and then he could start the search for the Infinity Crystals. "Would you do the honours Rita?"

The witch cackled as she lifted up hers wand. She pointed it at the Earth and was delighted as a familiar sword appeared in Angel Grove Park.

"Moon of ivory, stars of old,
candlelight that's spun of gold..."

Clouds gathered overhead and the wind seemed to pick up.

"...sky of fire, wind of fright,
bring to me a Nasty Knight!"

Red lightning streaked through the air and hit a tree next to the sword. As the wood shattered the Nasty Knight was returned to life.

"Perfect," Minion said. "Now the fun can begin."

~*~

The alarms sounded throughout the Power Chamber, putting an end to the Rangers attempts to find the Zeo Crystal. On the Viewing Globe an image appeared of the Nasty Knight surrounded by Putties.

"I guess we get to find out if these powers work," Adam said without enthusiasm.

"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy called.

The stand where the Zeo Crystal had once been placed now supported the five Power Coins. In response to Tommy's call the podium sank into the floor as the energies trapped inside the coins were forced into the Zeonisers.

"Zeo Ranger I - Pink!" Kat called

"Zeo Ranger II - Yellow!" Tanya cried.

"Zeo Ranger III - Blue!" Rocky yelled.

"Zeo Ranger IV - Green!" Adam called.

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!" Tommy finished.

Very few of the Rangers Zordon had known since the day Rita had been released were aware of a secret Zordon had tried hard to cover up. A secret that on one occasion had almost led to the downfall of the Power Rangers. Although he was embarrassed to do so, Zordon could not deny that he had had his doubts about the five Earthlings he had chosen as Rangers.

His doubts and mistrust had led to a rapid change in the old Command Center as the tradition method of powering Rangers was thrown out in favour of what Zordon deemed to be a safe approach. For the first few months of their careers Jason, Trini, Kimberly, Zack and Billy had been using fake Power Coins. Their real coins had been held in the Command Center where the energy was gathered and then transmitted to the imitation coins. From the Command Center it had been possible to cut the Rangers' powers at anytime should they breach their promise.

But then Tommy had entered the fray and Zordon had been unable to stop him. The Green Power Coin had been in Rita's possession and Zordon could not control it the way he had the others. It was disturbing to think that had Tommy struck one of the consoles in a different place then he would have faced five unpowered superheroes.

But now that secret had proven useful. By using the same technology they had been able to boost the Zeonisers with the Aquitian Power Coins. The computer controlled the appearance and powers of the Rangers as once again they were changed into a force capable of protecting their world.

The combination of the two power sources had a strange effect on the Rangers' appearance. At first they were dressed in white, then slowly their Ranger colours appeared over the top. Soon they were fully morphed. They wore their Ranger colours with white gloves and boots with bands around their upper legs, arms and chest; the tops of their gloves and boots were silver and they wore a white belt complete with holster. On their white chests they each wore a small golden coin.

For a moment there was some disorientation as they came to understand the changes to their powers. Then, they teleported away.

~*~

The Nasty Knight had teleported to an abandoned quarry outside of Angel Grove and was waiting. Some monsters would have started on a rampage, but the Nasty Knight was experienced enough to realise that just appearing would be enough. Once he had started to pose a threat to by blasting a few storage sheds he was content to await their arrival.

When they finally showed up, the Nasty Knight was disappointed to discover these were not the same Rangers he had faced before. Nor did the match the Zeo Rangers he knew Rita and Zedd were fighting. Squatt had been kind enough to keep him up to date on the enemy, but obviously the henchman was as incompetent as always.

For a while the Rangers were able to take advantage of the confusion and land some of their hits. The sudden change from sword and pistol to a simplified Blade Blaster shook them at first, but the quickly saw the advantage of having a multipurpose weapon. After a few minutes the Knight tried his old trick of destroying their weapons. The Rangers a fall back plan and after summoning a large black shield to protect them, the called for their Zeo Power Weapons.

Except their Zeo Power Weapons were not there. Instead each found they were holding a coloured staff. As the Knight charged instinct took over and they fought back as if they had held the weapons for years instead of minutes. At one point the staffs touched and combined with the shield to form a weapon. They aimed it at the Knight and watched him fall.

~*~

On the Moon, Rita was not pleased to see her monster defeated again. Since Minion and Zedd were busy trying to find their precious crystals, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Magic Wand," she screeched, "make my monster grow!"

It felt good to be able to do that again. She hadn't made a monster grow for so long and the power she felt when doing so had been missed.

~*~

On the Earth below the Nasty Knight started to grow, much to the Rangers' distress. Even with their restored powers they lacked Zords.

"Tommy, teleport to the top of the quarry."

"Billy?" Tommy asked.

"You were expecting someone else?" came the amused reply.

Tommy grinned as the five Rangers followed the former Blue Ranger's instruction. As they did so a flash of red indicated Jason's arrival.

"Now Jason," Billy instructed as he fell back into the role he of leader he had enjoyed before his trip to Aquitar.

No, enjoy was not the right word. The role of leader had filled a void in his world left by the loss of his powers. This time though he was needed and that made his role all the more important.

When Jason appeared the Nasty Knight turned to face him, pleased to see that one of those responsible for his previous defeat. That Jason was less powerful than the last time they had met just meant his victory would be that much sweeter; that the Ranger in question was so much smaller in size meant he could have fun crushing the tiny insect. He lifted his sword and drove it into the ground.

Jason held his ground, moving just far enough to avoid the point of the blade. A large key on the end of a chain had appeared around his neck. As he ducked the third time he removed the key and held it aloft.

"I call on Auric the Conqueror!"

"Auric the Conqueror once again steps in to aid the forces of good in their hour of need. Do not fear for he shall face the foes the Power Rangers find unbeatable."

Jason groaned. Auric's opinion of himself had not changed since the day the Red Warrior had first met him. Still, at least against the Nasty Knight he appeared to be holding his own.

_Just don't run and hide this time, _ Jason silently begged as he teleported next to his friends.

"Tommy, summon the Zeo Cannon," Billy instructed.

"Zeo Cannon!" the Rangers called in response.

Instinctively the Rangers moved into formation with Red Zeo at the front, Green and Blue Zeo kneeling behind and slightly to the sides; Pink and Yellow Zeo stood behind with Jason. A heavy brace attached itself to Rocky and Adam's backs as a backpack appeared on Kat and Tanya's back. Thick tubes connected the packs to the brace. Red Zeo raised his right arm and a thick metal gauntlet attached itself as a weapon similar to a small tank turret landed on top with its rear end supported by the brace.

As Tommy lowered so Rocky and Adam stood to change the angle of the weapon. A small trigger appeared in his hand, but he waited for Auric to move before he pressed it. This was not the Zeo Cannon they had grown used to. This like their uniforms had been altered by the combination of the Zeo and Morphin energies.

Auric continued to fight, using his sword to levitate the Nasty Knight and turn him on his head. Next he blew him into the wall, never once ceasing to narrate his actions.

"And so once again Auric the Conqueror vanquishes his foe and restores peace to the people of good."

He stopped when he saw the Knight had not only recovered, but was in the middle of charging towards him. Auric raised his sword, but the knight turned it to charred metal. Suddenly defenceless Auric started to search for a way out of his predicament as he heard the Rangers shout out: "FIRE!"

~*~

He sat high in the mountains, between the Power Chamber and Billy's test area. He was morphed, but had his helmet removed, his fingers moving delicately over the keys of his instrument. The mournful tune of the Dragon Flute filled the mountain range as he remembered the loss of his oldest friend the Dragonzord. After all they had been through he could not imagine the mighty beast had fallen so easily.

And with the sudden loss of the Zord, Samoht had also been effected. The upgrades to his powers had vanished as he was forced to rely on Tommy's faulty coin. He would not die; the situation was not that dire, but with he was reduced to the reliability of a Morphin Warrior. He could still picture the sight of the slain dragon as it roared for the final time and then went silent.

"It's always hard to let go."

"Hello Billy," he said absently.

The former Blue Ranger sat next to him and listened to the tune. He had done all he could to help by reactivating the Zeo Cannon. Now he was waiting for Ninjor to begin the training he had promised. Just what did the Blue Morphin Master have in mind.

"The last Dino Zord is gone," Samoht said quietly. "What now?"

"Now you stop feeling sorry for yourself so we can start fighting back," was Ninjor's reply.

Both humans turned to look at the Morphin Master, wondering what he had in mind. Of course it was impossible to read the blank expression on Ninjor's face.

"I'll explain when Jason arrives," he promised.

~*~

"Fire!" Red Zeo ordered.

The five Zeo Rangers demorphed briefly as their powers were channelled into a beam of energy. The Nasty Knight looked up as the blast struck and over powered his attempts to contain it. Auric was swift to act and ran the knight through with his sword. He turned away as the Nasty Knight exploded.

"Auric the Conqueror has triumphed again."

Jason held out the key and watched as Auric was once again returned to his tiki.

~*~

Power Chamber

The celebration was extremely brief since there was no real victory. True they had fought off the Nasty Knight, but his appearance had highlighted the flaws of their new powers and the gaping hole in their arsenal left by the lack of Zords. If not for Auric they would have had serious problems, and they knew that no matter how much they wished it, Auric could not fight for them every time.

Then there was the question of what happened to the Putties that had been sent down with the monster. Where had they gone and how much trouble would it cause the Rangers? That remained to be seen

It was with some reluctance that the Zeo Rangers finally left. They wanted to work on improving the makeshift powers and it was not until Zordon threatened to teleport them away and lock them out that they agreed to go home.

Once they had departed though Zordon was Zordon's mood became darker. It had been an accident that had led Alpha to discover the information Minion had stolen from the computer. It was just another piece to a gloomy puzzle.

"Alpha, continue to scan for the crystals," Zordon instructed.

The little android nodded and moved to obey.

~*~

Minion stood on the balcony of the Lunar Palace and watched as his forces searched for the first of the crystals. In his hand he held the Zeo Crystal and he stroked it lovingly. The Rangers had defeated Rita's monster, but that was to be expected. With the Zeo Crystal he had the means to ensure they would not prove too great a challenge. He smirked as he considered some of the things he would do to them if he got the chance.

_First things first, _ he thought. _Find the crystals. _

And of course once he had those crystals, all the Rangers in the world would not be enough to stop him.

End