In his brief career as a running back for the Angel Grove High School football team, Billy had scored only one touchdown, as the coach had generally used him as a "go-to guy," trusting him with the ball on third-and-long plays. When friends complimented him on his adept footwork and ability to dodge incoming defensemen, he always shrugged it off by saying he only moved that well out of fear of getting tackled.

Now, with Klank's head once again tucked against his chest like a football, Billy was again making a dash for it, but this time cogs instead of defensemen were chasing him. He outpaced the pursuers down a spiral ramp and out of the Machine Empire's satellite command base, never once breaking momentum. Once outside the towering structure, Billy sprinted clear as the first explosion rocked its foundation. This was followed by another, and another, each explosion larger than its predecessor. Billy leaped over a four-foot monorail track and took cover as yet another explosion caused the command base to lurch sideways before collapsing inward upon itself.

Billy peeked over the rail to see that the pursuing cogs had completely forgotten about him, and swarms of worker cogs were descending upon the wreckage, looking for all the world like ants scurrying around a stepped-on anthill.

"How does it look, Ranger?" Klank asked.

He raised Klank's head up above the rail. "See for yourself. You weren't kidding about that one spot being vulnerable."

"I'm overhearin' several transmissions," Klank informed him. "Aye, good. Like I said, they're turnin' attention t'the wreck. Now's our chance to take out the reactors b'neath the processors."

"I just wish we hadn't used so many of the explosives back there. Are you sure we'll have enough to blow the reactors?"

"We'll make do, Ranger, believe me."

"And you're sure we'll be able to get in?"

"Now would be our only chance, laddie, while they're confused. It won't take 'em long t' start lookin' f'r us again, and with tha' witch's scryin' power..."

"With any luck we'll be protected from that," Billy nodded, checking on the sword belted to his hip. "Otherwise, this little infiltration won't last long."

"An' if we dinna hurry, 'twill na' matter, laddie. Let's hop to."

* * *
"Blue Lion, can you give me an ETA on the mom and dad bots?" Jason asked.

"They'll be here inside of two minutes!" Kat replied.

Jason nodded to himself. They'd need this Voltron form Billy had told them about in order to take on something that size, he figured, but with those fighters still dogging them, he didn't like the odds of giving them only one target.

Then, as though in answer to his prayers, Adam's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Guys, the fighters have gone dead! They've just stopped moving!"

"What?!" Jason replied, stunned. "Lions, report in!"

"It's true!" Kat confirmed. "Blue Lion scans zero function in all the fighters! They all went dead at once!"

Aisha spoke next. "Yellow Lion's picking up no transmissions to the ships, and I'm reading several large explosions on the main Skybase!"

"Captain, I've got an aye-firmative on those readings," Skull reported from the lower deck. "The bogeys have all croaked."

"Yeah, all but the two big ones!" Bulk warned. "They're still coming in!"

"Billy!" Jason grinned. "He DID it! He must've knocked out the fighter controls! Okay, all lions, meet me at these coordinates! It's time for a little teamwork!"

"We're with you, Black Lion!" Trini replied.

"MegaZord, you'd better stick close to us," Jason suggested. "I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to engage those guys alone."

"I'm with you on that, Black Lion," Tommy replied. "Let's take it on the run!"

The MegaZord took the lead, then, setting a course away from the incoming Mondo and Machina. Behind the Zeo Rangers, the five lions fell into a V-shaped formation, with Black Lion in the front, Red and Green Lions to either side and slightly behind, and Blue and Yellow Lions one step further back.

"Hold onto your butts, gentlemen," Jason warned Bulk and Skull. He then switched communications to the five lions. "Okay, guys, let's do it! READY TO FORM VOLTRON!"

Jason pressed a thumb button on his right-hand control handle and twisted it a half-circle counter-clockwise. "Activate interlock!" he called, scanning his console as the results of the interlock procedure came up on his main viewer. "Dynatherms connected! Infracells are up! Megathrusters are go! Let's GO, Voltron Force!"

That said, an energy field reached out from the Black Lion, taking the four smaller lions in its grip as they continued their retreat. Jason both heard and felt the Black Lion roar as the transformation began. The front legs of the lion folded back and inward upon themselves, disappearing into the main body, and the back legs stretched out straight behind. Apertures came open in the shoulders to prepare for the docking procedure. Meanwhile, the other lions were bringing it together, legs likewise folding and disappearing into the main superstructures, preparing to be joined with the parent ship.

From his pilot's chair, Jason could see and sense it all. Like so many times before with the zords, he knew exactly what he needed to do. "Here we go! Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, form feet and legs!" The four and five ships pivoted their heads ninety degrees, so that the bodies of the lions were the legs of Voltron, and the heads were his feet.

"Red Lion, Green Lion, form arms and body!" The energy field surrounding the five lions began to contract, pulling the smaller lions in to hook up. The lions' tails plugged themselves into the shoulder apertures, which then locked them into place, so that the lions' bodies were arms, and the heads were fists. Soon after, the Blue and Yellow lions docked with the Black Lion's outstretched lower legs, becoming extensions of the lead ship. Now, only one thing remained.

Jason gripped his controls and took a deep breath. "And I'll form the head!" he cried, giving each of his control handles a sharp turn inward. As he did so, the head of Black Lion pivoted to match the rest of the body, its ears grew into horns, and the jaws opened wide to reveal the face of Voltron.

"We did it!" Jason cheered. He took a look around the cockpit, and was momentarily surprised to see that only Bulk and Skull were there. He'd been expecting that the others would join him here in the combined form, as with the MegaZord, but apparently Voltron kept the individual pilots within their own lions. "Everybody made it through that okay?"

"That was a rush!" Adam exclaimed.

"You can say that again!" Aisha agreed.

"It looks like all systems are go," Trini added.

"Our two friends are still in pursuit," Kat warned. "We're holding even with them at our current speed."

"Well what do you say we do something about that?" Jason grinned. "Okay, Voltron Force, it's time to see what this big guy can do! Prepare to intercept the bad guys!"

He brought Voltron around to face the onrushing robeasts, and the Zeo Megazord pulled into place beside them, both forces ready for battle.

* * *
In spite of the atmosphere controls of his flight suit keeping him at a nominal temperature, Billy was sweating as he climbed through a service hatch and down a ladder, into the heart of the main factory- slash-processing plant of the Empire. It was here that reclaimed metal was brought to be made into more fighters and more cogs, again and again and again. It was the source of the seemingly endless forces the Rangers had faced during the siege. And with luck, it would be their Achilles heel.

Monitors on the inside of his helmet reported that the temperature here was something to the order of a hundred ninety degrees, with radiation counts that would kill an unprotected human within moments: all the more reason to keep his suit in one piece, as it protected him from both.

The room they had entered was the very core within the core: three spherical reactors dominated the scene, held in place by enormous metal bracings, venting superheated gas and radioactive material every few seconds.

"Holy crow," Billy said, softly.

"'Tis a thing of beauty," Klank sighed. "A shame tha' we have t'blow it up."

"What do I need to do?"

"Carry me as close t'the center as ye can," Klank instructed. "I need t'see if anythin' has been changed since last I was here."

"Right," Billy nodded, holding Klank out at arm's length and creeping as close to the triad of reactors as he dared. The three were set in what amounted to a triangle shape, each one touching the other two. Billy was incongruously reminded of the last three pieces of cereal clinging to one another as they floated in the milk.

"Good," Klank reported. "No one seems t'have disturbed the works. Now, laddie, I need ye t'follow these next instructions t'the letter. I dinna have any arms t'do this m'self."

"I'm listening," Billy nodded.

"If ye look down at where m'neck used to be, ye should find a small panel. I want ye t'pry that panel open."

Billy studied the base of the neck, and indeed found the panel in question. Using a tool from his belt, he forced it open. Inside, he found four small, square white buttons in a row, each with a number of black dots between one and four. They looked rather like dice.

"D'ye see four numbered buttons there, laddie?" Klank asked.

"Affirmative," Billy said, nervously. He wasn't sure what Klank was planning, but just standing this close to three nuclear reactors was about all his nerves could handle.

"I need ye t'press 'em in this order. Four, two, four, two, one, three, one."

"Four, two, four, two, one, three...." Billy repeated as he pressed them.

"One moment, lad!" Klank exclaimed before Billy could press the last. After a brief pause, he continued. "All right, ye can finish now."

"One," Billy said, pressing the final button. As he did, there was a whirring sound from somewhere inside Klank's metal cranium, and his eyes flashed three times.

"Now set me down as close t'the center as ye can," Klank said, quietly.

"Why?" Billy asked. "What was that all about? What did I just do?"

"I've activated my self-destruct countdown," Klank replied, evenly. "The code ye entered locks out my automatic override. Nothin' can stop the countdown now."

Billy stared into Klank's immobile face for a moment, then shook his head. "WHAT?!"

"'Tis the only way, lad!" Klank growled. "Yuir explosives wouldna' be able t'dent these reactors, much less destroy 'em! Now put me down and go find that witch!"

Still stunned by this turn of events, Billy could only do as Klank instructed. He set the head down on a small platform near where the three spheres joined.

"Now get out of this place!" Klank insisted. "The witch will be in the castle! Remember yuir promise, Ranger!"

Billy turned to go, but then shook his head and turned back to the robot. "Klank, don't do this. There has to be something else we can do. You don't have to sacrifice yourself!"

"Oh, but I do, Ranger."

"Look, just shut up and listen for a second!" Billy shot back. "I have every intention of keeping my promise to you, Klank, but I don't plan to die today. I'm going to do everything in my power to take that witch down, then get back to my ship and make a run for it. You could come with me! Think of all the things we could learn from one another!"

"Nay, laddie," Klank replied. "Ye're a Maker, an' a talented one, but there're some things na' even you could program out of me. I will serve the Machine Empire until the verra last. Please, Ranger, let me do this last thing for m'King and m'Queen. Let me be the end of the one tha' slayed 'em. Let me make certain the forces of the Empire don't fall into other hands."

The two adversaries stared at one another for a few moments, then Billy looked away. "Okay," he whispered. "I just wish it didn't have to happen this way." He turned to go.

"Ranger!" Klank called after him.

"What is it?" Billy asked, looking back.

Klank paused before replying. "Ye were a worthy foe, Ranger," he said in a voice tinged with grudging respect.

Billy nodded. "Thank you. As were you."

"Aye, an' since ye WERE a worthy an' honorable foe, there's one last thing I'll tell ye, so tha' ye can tell yuir fellow Rangers if ye do escape."

"What's that?" Billy asked, taking a step closer.

"King Mondo conquered many star systems, an' in so doin' made many enemies. With him gone, there'll be more than one oppressed warlord hopin' t'take his place at the top to reclaim the Empire afore it fully collapses. An' they'll no doubt be interested in the world tha' brought Mondo down. Be ready for them, Ranger, for they will come."

In spite of the heat of the core, Billy felt a shiver run down his spine at this warning.

"The countdown is still goin'," Klank reminded him. "If ye do intend t'slay the witch and escape, ye'd best do so quickly."

"I'll try." Billy took a deep breath. "Goodbye, Klank."

"Good luck, Ranger."

* * *
Jason mentally ran through the list of weapons at Voltron's disposal. In spite of the situation, he found himself smiling. In addition to the Lion Torches and missiles controlled by the individual pilots, the combined form had several attacks which drew power from the unified strength. With the Mondo robeast rushing in first, Jason wasted no time in bringing up the first one. "Form Electro-Saber!" he shouted.

A pair of long blades materialized in the mouths of the Red and Green Lions. Jason brought Voltron's hands together, and the two fused together into a long javelin. He gave this one to Trini to control, gripped tightly by the Green Lion as the Red Lion reared back and prepared its torches.

"Here we go, team!" Jason transmitted to the group as Mondo came into striking range. The robeast King was a head taller than even Voltron, and thus dwarfed the much smaller MegaZord. Jason hoped Tommy wasn't planning on getting too wild out there with their limited power.

Mondo charged, staff raised to strike at Voltron. Jason came in to meet the former Machine King head-on, and staff and saber met in a shower of sparks. Voltron spun with the impact and sprayed the robeast with missile fire, with Adam adding to the barrage with his Lion Torches. Mondo retreated, then, only to turn around a ways off to prepare for another charge.

"Bulk, I need you to hook into Blue Lion's scanners!" Jason ordered. "Keep an eye on our other bogey!"

"Gotcha!" Bulk shouted from the lower tier. "Second bogey's holding back for right now."

"Doesn't make much sense," Jason muttered to himself. Why hold back, when they could outnumber Voltron two to one? In all Jason had heard about King Mondo, he'd never have guessed him to be particularly honorable.

Then there was no more time to wonder about it, as Mondo charged in a second time, staff held high. Jason again positioned Voltron to meet the charge, but this time, to the surprise of all the Voltron Force, Mondo spun around at the last moment and took a swipe at them with the spinning wheel of blades mounted on his back. Adam brought the Red Lion up to block the attack, but the saw-like motion of the blade-wheel dug into the Red Lion, and sparks flew into the blackness even as Adam cried out with shock and pain.

"That was a bad hit!" Bulk reported. "Hull's holding for now, but another hit in that same spot and we've got problems!"

"Trini, see if you can jam up the works there!" Jason called. "I'll give it a shot!" she replied.

Adam's move had at least deflected the charging robeast away, and as it withdrew, Trini reared back with the Electro-Saber and threw it, plunging it into Mondo's back, right amidst the whirring blades. It had the same basic effect as shoving a broomstick into a bicycle wheel's spokes. The blades seized up, and soon the motor spinning them exploded, sending Mondo sprawling through space.

"Good shot, Green Lion!" Adam panted.

"Adam, are you okay?" Aisha asked.

"It only hurts when I laugh. Have we got something else to throw at this guy?"

Jason again consulted the list of options available as Mondo righted himself and brought up his staff for another charge. "Let's get him with his own medicine! Form Spinning Laser Blades!"

Two huge shuriken-like blades materialized in Voltron's hands, and Jason spun the robot in a full three-sixty, allowing Trini and Adam to fling the blades at the robeast. They spun through the intervening space, then hit home, one cleaving into Mondo's torso while the other took off one of his lower legs at the knee. The robeast roared, but paused only a moment before resuming its charge.

"He looks pretty cheesed!" Adam shouted.

"We need something for short-range!" Kat added.

Jason nodded. "Okay, enough of the little stuff. FORM BLAZING SWORD!"

Again, the fists of Voltron came together, and as Jason drew them apart, a magnificent glowing blade appeared between them, its hilt gripped by the Red Lion's mouth. "This one's all yours, Adam!" Jason told his teammate. "Make it count!"

Mondo came in swinging, bringing his staff straight down upon them, but Adam brought up the Blazing Sword to block it. Sparks flew at the impact, and the sword half-severed the staff, but this only served to get the two stuck together.

At that moment, Mondo lowered his head like a bull, and the spikes of his warped crown shot forward, impaling Voltron through the chest in several places. None of the spikes penetrated the shield-crest for some reason, but several others pierced the Black Lion's hull and dug into place, locking the two enemies together.

Jason could not suppress a cry of pain himself, then, as he all but felt the spikes drilling into his own chest. He struggled to get them free, but they were caught, and Mondo was using this opportunity to start draining their power, as Sprocket had done to the MegaZord.

"I can't get him to let go!" Trini cried, as she pounded the robeast time and again with the Green Lion's head/fist.

"Looks like deja vu to me!" Aisha shouted. "Time to take care of business!"

That said, she brought up the Yellow Lion in an attempt to knee the Machine King in the groin. Her blow landed, but had no noticeable effect. Apparently this was not a vulnerable spot for the Machine King.

Then, to Jason's relief, a series of explosions snapped the spikes in half, and he was able to wrench Voltron free. Checking his scan, he saw that the Zeo MegaZord had come in and drilled the Machine King with several well-placed shots. The MegaZord's customary helmet was gone, replaced by a single huge cannon.

"We owe you one, Tommy!" Jason called, as Kat planted a kick in Mondo's chest and sent him flying backwards.

"You can thank Kimberly for that one!" Tommy corrected him.

"Gotta love these Battle Helmets!" Kimberly added as the MegaZord retreated alongside Voltron. As they did, the standard helmet reformed, putting Tommy back in command.

"Give me some good news, gentlemen!" Jason shouted down to his co-pilots.

"We're in pretty good shape, believe it or not!" Skull called back. "No critical areas are damaged!"

"Our other bogey's missing!" said Bulk, suddenly. "I can't find it on any scans!"

Jason blew a frustrated breath through his teeth. Their fight had carried them halfway across the world: Machina could be anywhere by now. "Keep your eyes glued, Bulk," Jason ordered. "The last thing we need's a surprise attack!"

"Here he comes!" Adam warned, drawing their attention back to Mondo.

Jason nodded grimly. "Let's stand our ground, guys!"

* * *
The climb to the throne room through the castle had not been without skirmishes, but Billy had been gripped with a resolve that would not be denied. He simply raced through the palace with both guns blazing, taking out any cog patrol or guard he might encounter with a flurry of attacks that brought them down before they could manage a counterattack.

He was working against a serious deadline here, and most frustrating of all was that he did not know how long he had before Klank blew the reactors. It honestly hadn't occurred to him at the time that he should ask, and it was probably too late to go back and find out. As it was he'd have to cover about a quarter of a mile over dangerous terrain just to get back to where he'd left Crow, assuming he could take out the witch in time. But that first required finding her.

At last, his ascent brought him to the topmost level, and the throne room. Before entering, he loaded his last cartridge into his rocket rifle and slung it at the ready. His pistols were all but drained of ammunition, so he hoped he wouldn't be involved in any more fire-fights.

Taking one last deep breath to steady himself, he charged into the throne room.

It was empty. The thrones, the observation deck, all of it completely empty.

Billy shook his head angrily. He hadn't come this far to fail. "HAGGAR!" he shouted into the empty room.

From behind came a evil cackling. Billy spun around to see that Mondo's throne was no longer unoccupied. Sitting there leisurely, stroking a blue cat that sat in her lap, was the witch. She stared at him with malevolent yellow eyes, a fanged grin framed by her dark blue- green face.

"How delightful!" the hag laughed. "The brave knight comes to destroy the wicked witch and save his world! How wonderfully pathetic! Were you really so foolish as to come alone, boy?"

"Who says I came alone?" Billy shot back. "Or haven't you noticed? Voltron and the Power Rangers will take care of your forces, Haggar."

"While you take care of me, I presume," the witch laughed. The blue cat, by this time, was growling and hissing at Billy, so Haggar set it down on the floor and stood, casually reaching to pick up her gnarled wooden staff from where it had been resting against the throne.

"Ah, yes, Voltron," she went on, and this time Billy literally saw a wisp of smoke from her eyes. "My dear enemy." She then whirled on Billy. "And you brought Voltron here, you little beast! For that alone I shall take great pleasure in watching you suffer before I kill you!"

"You're wrong, old witch," Billy replied, evenly. "You brought Voltron here when you destroyed Arus. They're here to pay you back for what you did for their world." After saying this, Billy drew the sword and held it out as best he could. "And so am I."

"Ah, yes, the sword of King Alfor!" she cackled. "I suspected as much when I could not locate my little invading saboteur. No matter, boy! My soldiers will soon restore communications to the ships of my fleet, and then all your hard work will be for nothing!"

Billy felt his heart skip for a moment, but she hadn't mentioned the reactors. He hoped she hadn't learned of that little detail of Klank's plan.

"Do you really think you can defeat me with that puny little sword?" Haggar laughed. "Why, it couldn't save even the mighty Voltron from my magic! An insignificant mortal like you will be child's play! And once I'm finished with you, Voltron will be next! Without the sword to protect them, I'll destroy them once and for all!"

She then gestured dramatically with her staff, and streamers of lightning arced forth to fry Billy where he stood. He gripped the sword tightly, though, and the energy beams were deflected, as though by an invisible sphere. This was followed by a flurry of attacks from the staff, but Billy deflected them all off. The sword seemed to be swinging by itself, and Billy knew that somehow King Alfor was guiding his hands.

After the initial volley, Haggar slowly circled Billy, watching him carefully. "Interesting. The sword seems to work well with you, human. Your strength and its strength feed one another. You're more like Alfor than I thought."

"If you want to surrender, now would be the right time," Billy offered.

As expected, this earned him another round of cackling. "Surrender?! To a stripling like you?!"

"Your spells can't harm me! Call off your attack!"

"I don't need my spells to harm you, boy!" Haggar shrieked. "GUARDS! TAKE HIM!"

Then, from all sides, demon-faced robot warriors materialized, murder in their glowing red eyes. These were much larger versions of the robots that piloted the claw-fighters, and each one looked strong enough to break Billy in two.

"That sword won't help you now!" the witch laughed. "Prepare to meet your doom!"

"I don't need the sword for the likes of them!" Billy shouted back. He quickly transferred the blade to his left hand, then with one fluid motion brought the rocket rifle from his right shoulder to his hand, braced the stock against his shoulder, and fired a rocket into the nearest robot, blowing it to fragments. Spinning in a full circle, he launched three more missiles at onrushing attackers, then dodged and rolled to one side, never taking his grip from either rifle or sword. One managed to graze him with a kick, but he rolled with it and blew away the attacker once he gained his ground. Soon he had launched his last rocket, so he chucked the rifle and drew his laser pistol, using the last of its battery power to finish off the remaining robots.

As he did, though, Haggar was up to something. Once the final robot was dealt with, he looked around to see not one but many witches, a dozen or more, now circling him. "Which one, fool?" they said in unison as they flew in a circle around him, their feet not touching the ground. "Which one is the real witch?"

"Let's find out!" Billy replied. Tossing aside his drained pistol, he again took the sword in both hands and charged the outside of the circle, hacking at one of the grinning witches. His swipe passed clean through it, though, and only served to make the image split into two more. They were spinning around him so crazily that he quickly lost track of the two, so he took another swipe, and ended up with another pair of images for his trouble.

Only then did he fully realize that he was outmatched here. Haggar was the mastermind behind the destruction of Arus and probably countless other worlds. What could one powerless Power Ranger do to defeat her?

Nothing, it seemed, except keep her busy, as Klank had suggested. After all, Klank was sacrificing himself in the name of his fallen Empire. Could Billy do any less for his world?

* * *
Far beneath the palace, Klank sat quietly in the reactor room, awaiting the inevitable. Not that he could do much else, he reminded himself.

He had never entertained notions of immortality. Even a free-willed machine had to come to terms with the idea that someday, somehow, something would prove stronger, and that would be the end. Klank was not an terribly introspective sort by nature, but he had given some thought to the idea of how he would like to meet his end, once it came.

This was, he thought to himself, the right way to go, in one last defiant gesture (preferably an obscene one) at the witch who'd destroyed his beloved Empire. His only regret was that his action came too late to save the royal family. But he'd seen what the witch had done to them. There was no recovering them from that.

The countdown marched on. It was now past the point where his automatic override would have kicked in, but the Ranger had taken care of that.

Klank had to admit (in a charitable mood brought on by his impending demise) that he almost liked the lad, as the two of them had been counterparts in the battles between the Empire and the Power Rangers. Behind the scenes, lacking much power on their own, but building and plotting and helping their leaders to keep up the fight. Klank even found himself hoping the Ranger would indeed manage to slay the witch and escape.

But he'd have to do it very soon. Time was nearly up. There was just enough left to do one last service-within-the-service for the royal family, for poor Orbus, and for himself.

In the heart of the reactor room, Klank began to sing.
The minstrel boy to the war is gone
In the ranks of death you'll find him
His father's sword he has girded on
And his wild harp slung behind him
"Land of song!" cried the warrior bard
"Though all the world betrays thee,
One sword at least thy right shall guard
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"
He exploded.

* * *
The throne room shook violently around Billy as he continued his attacks on the witch's illusions, and for a moment, he was knocked off his feet. Fortunately for him, the quake also distracted Haggar, snuffing out her spell and causing her to look around herself in genuine shock. "What was that?" Her yellow eyes widened. "The reactors!"

Billy scampered to his feet and charged the witch in her moment of distraction, but before he could bring up the sword to attack, a blur of blue shot out of the darkness and attached itself to his head, the force of its impact literally knocking him sideways. Billy heard a bestial yowl as the witch's blue cat gripped his helmet, digging in with all four claws. He tried to shake the creature off, but it clung to him like a burr, and to his shock, its claws began to slice through the visor of his helmet. If it were to claw through, he'd be exposed to the outside environment, and he doubted he'd survive that long.

But no amount of grappling or tugging could pull the cat off his helmet. He spun crazily around the throne room in his efforts to dislodge the feline, but the harder he pulled, the harder it hung on. Soon, his flight suit monitors were screaming out alerts as the claws all but pierced the visor.

He had a sudden flash of inspiration, then immediately hated himself for it, but this was a life or death circumstance. He scanned his surroundings for the closest wall, turned, and charged it head-first, as fast as he could.

"NO!" the witch screamed from somewhere behind him, just before his helmet collided with the wall.

There was a sickening twisting crunch sound, accompanied by a blinding flash of pain from the impact. Billy rolled to one side, maintaining his grip on the sword while using his other hand to strip what was left of the cat from his helmet and fling it away. He was still seeing stars, but at least he hadn't cracked the helmet.

When his vision cleared, Haggar was standing over him, her staff gripped with both hands, eyes ablaze with fury. "Blast you, you meddling fool! First the reactors, and now my precious pussycat! Do you know, insect, how long it will take me to find another familiar to take his place?"

"My heart bleeds," Billy shot back.

"Oh, it will, boy!" she hissed, rearing back with the staff and preparing to drive one sharpened end of it right into his chest.

Time went into slow-motion. Billy saw the point of the staff descending upon him, and brought up the sword to defend himself. It was a wild swing at best, as Billy was still nothing more than a novice with the blade, but again, there seemed to be something guiding his hand. Slowly but surely he saw the edge cleaving through the air, leaving a trail of electrical sparks as it swept through its arc and sliced the witch's staff in two.

Next came an explosion of such force that Billy was swept across the hall and dumped out onto the observation deck. Even the anti-magic properties of the sword couldn't hold back this destructive outpour of pure magical power, but it did blunt the waves of energy enough to keep Billy from being blown clear out into space.

When the blast finally died down, Billy struggled to pick himself up off the deck, but something kicked him in the head and sent him sprawling. When he looked up, there again was Haggar, all but afire with rage. "Do you have any idea what you've done, brat?!"

"Stripped you of your power, I'll bet," Billy replied with all the defiance he could muster.

"Not quite, you miserable piece of filth! You may have killed my familiar and broken my staff, but I still have enough power to escape! Which is more than I can say for you! Enjoy your victory for these few moments, Power Ranger, for they will be your last! And as for your friends, I have already taken steps to ensure that my defeat will be avenged! You haven't heard the last of Haggar!"

And then, after the volley of cliches, she was gone, vanishing in a burst of acrid smoke, leaving only her evil laughter in her wake.

Billy wasted no time in getting to his feet and charging back into the throne room. Something had gone wrong, obviously. If Klank had indeed blown the reactors, this place should have been vaporized by now, but obviously this was not the case.

"Empress!" came a small voice from a half-melted computer terminal nearby. "Empress, come in! There was an explosion in the reactor chamber, and the cooling systems have been destroyed! We're minutes away from a reactor core breach, and we can't stop it!"

That was all Billy needed to hear. He sheathed the sword quickly and ran for it, retracing his steps through the palace, back down toward the ground level. He had a long way to go to reach his ship, and the most literal of deadlines looming over him should he not make it in time.

As he ran, he gave a silent apology to Klank. Even as the robot had failed to directly destroy the reactors, Billy had failed to keep the witch from escaping. But at least he'd managed to disrupt most of her power base. And at least Klank had ensured that the material resources of the Machine Empire would not be around for the next would-be emperor.

Only then did it occur to him that with the witch's power gone, the magical shield would likewise have vanished, and one or more of the Voltron lions might be tempted to come in and investigate. He needed to do something about that, and quickly.

* * *
"Okay, I've had enough of this nonsense," Jason transmitted to the rest of the Voltron Force. "Give me full power to the Blazing Sword, and let's finish this guy!"

"I can give you a one-minute boost of power to the sword, but it'll weaken the shields!" Bulk called from below.

"Then we'll just have to make our best defense a good offense," Adam replied. "Give me the boost!"

Bulk complied, and Jason felt the power flowing through Voltron's right arm, to focus upon the shimmering blade of the sword. "Looking good, team! How's our bogey doing?"

"He looks confused!" Kat reported. "He's stopped his charge!"

Jason brought his attention to his scanners, and saw that Mondo had indeed slowed his charge, and was holding position, his remaining limbs twitching violently.

"Guys, I'm reading a huge disturbance on the main base!" Aisha called in. "It's even bigger than the last explosion!"

"It's distracting him!" Trini shouted. "His guard's down!"

Jason didn't relish the thought of striking down a defenseless foe, but this was a fight for the future of his entire planet, and his own personal sense of honor was wearing a little thin. "Bring us in! Adam, he's yours!"

Voltron charged, but before they could reach sword range, Mondo snapped out of his trance, faced the onrushing robot, and raised his arms to block the downward swipe of the blade. The Machine King's right arm was sliced neatly in half, but he had deflected the blow from his body, and brought his left arm around to slam into Voltron's midsection. Alarms went off on Jason's control panel as the Black Lion's hull shook, but Adam did not pause. Voltron spun in a complete three-sixty to gain momentum, then Adam cleaved through Mondo's torso with the Blazing Sword.

The Machine King went up in a spectacular fireball, buffeting Voltron and driving them backward toward the Earth's atmosphere. Jason quickly regained control and righted their flight. "Nice one, Adam!" he congratulated the Red Lion pilot.

"I'm restoring power to the shields," Bulk called. "Should we keep the sword running?"

"Until we know where Machina got to, I think we'd better," Trini suggested.

"I'm with you there," Jason agreed. "Zeo MegaZord, are you guys okay?"

"We're coming up on you now," Tommy replied through the comlink. "We were a little shaken by that explosion, but there was no further damage."

"Good deal. Kat, I need a full scan for...."

"I've got a faint signal coming in!" Aisha interrupted. "It's from the Skybase!"

"Patch it through!" Jason replied.

There was a deafening squeal from the comlink, making Jason wince, but it quickly resolved itself into a voice. "--peat! This is Billy, calling Vol-- Force! Come in, --tron Force!"

"Billy, it's Jason! I read you, man! Where are you?"

"Still on the Skybase!" Billy shouted back. There was something wrong with his voice: he sounded like he was in the process of running a marathon. "What's your status?"

"We just took out a couple of robeasts, but there's still another one out there! Are you okay?"

The sound of an explosion followed, accompanied by a surprised cry from Billy. "Billy, come in!" Kat shouted. "Are you okay?"

"This place is falling down around my ears!" Billy shouted. "Listen, guys, the reactors are overheating, and they're going to blow at any moment! Don't come anywhere near here! Stay away from the satellites, too!"

"What about you?!" Adam cried.

"I'm trying to get back to my ship! Don't worry about me! Just stay away from here!"

"That's not good enough, Billy!" Jason disagreed. "Give us your position, and we'll airlift you out of there!" Even as he said it, he plotted a new course, sending them toward the Skybase at maximum speed. The MegaZord fell into place behind them, matching their velocity.

"Look, this is serious!" Billy yelled into his comlink. "I'm talking about an explosion that's going to vaporize everything within about fifty miles, and a chain reaction that'll blow every satellite in orbit! Stay out of the way! There's no sense in risking all of you when I've got a perfectly functional ship parked less than a quarter of a mile away!"

Jason took a moment to confer with his teammates. "I'm going in. If any of you want to bail, let me know now!"

"I think we stand a better chance joined up," Trini replied.

"We'd better make it quick," Aisha said next.

"Let's go," Adam said, simply.

"Kat?" Jason called.

"Do you need to ask?" she said in a low, determined voice.

"Works for me," Jason nodded. He then switched over to contact Billy's frequency. "Sorry, little bro, but you've just been outvoted." He cut the transmission before Billy could reply, and switched back to communications within Voltron itself. "I need full scans from Blue and Yellow Lions as we come in. Home in on his communicator frequency, and we'll dive in and get him. Bulk, Skull, if either of you two want to bail, now's the time to hit the escape capsules."

"Let's just do like the lady said and make it quick, okay?" Skull said over his shoulder. Jason could hear the fear in his voice, but he wasn't getting up from his station. Bulk said nothing, but he likewise remained at his station, patching into the Blue Lion's scanners.

"Approaching Skybase," Jason said, mostly to himself, as he watched the base draw closer. The surface of the base was an inferno, with explosion after explosion erupting from the machine structures. Billy wouldn't be able to survive that for long. "Give me some good news on those scans, guys!"

"I can't pinpoint his position," Aisha reported. "His signal keeps fading in and out, and that place is putting out a lot of interference!"

"Blue Lion might as well be blind," Kat said, frustrated. "I can't pick anything out on the surface through all that chaos!"

"I'm taking us in for a flyby over the surface!" Jason called. "I want all scanners open wide, and let's see what..."

"Incoming!" Bulk shouted from below, and then the world spun around them.

Something came up out of the fire, grabbed Voltron by the right leg, and slammed them into the surface of the Skybase. Jason didn't even need to look at the scanners to know that it was the other robeast. It had retreated to here, laying in wait where their scanners could not detect it, and blindsided them. The Blazing Sword went flying out of reach as they were thrown bodily to the ground. Something exploded beneath them, and for a moment, Jason was robbed of his senses, much less control of the giant robot.

He quickly shook off the pain and tried to get them off the surface, but something had Voltron by the foot. Another alarm was blasting in Jason's ears, and over this sound came Bulk's shouting voice. "Hull breach! We've got a hull breach!"

"Then we've got to close it off!" Jason shouted back. "Where is it?!"

Bulk did not answer, so Jason repeated his question. "Come on, man, where is it?!"

"The cockpit of the Blue Lion," Bulk said, quietly.

Jason felt his heart in his throat. "Kat, come in!" he shouted. "Kat, do you read?!"

* * *
The Zeo MegaZord was in a perfect position to see as the Machina robeast lunged out from the cover of the Skybase and brought Voltron down. Tommy grimaced beneath his helmet as he saw that one of the robeast's clawed hands had half-crushed the head of the Blue Lion. "Voltron, this is the MegaZord!" he transmitted. "Come in!"

"There's too much interference!" Zack said, shaking his head. "I've lost all contact with them!"

"We've got to help them!" Kim insisted. "They're caught!"

Tommy nodded slowly as he saw Voltron struggle to get up, only to be thrown down by the former Machine Queen, still holding the head of the Blue Lion in a vise grip. "Rocky, Tanya, how are we looking? If we go in, how much good can we do?"

"We're going to have to burn a lot of power on defense just to hold off the radiation," Rocky reported. "Billy wasn't kidding about that meltdown!"

"We won't be able to use the saber," Tanya added. "I'll cut as many corners as I can, but we'll probably only have time for one good shot."

"Do it," Tommy nodded. "I'm bringing us in for a flyby, and engaging the Zeo I Battle Helmet! Kim, on my word, you and I hit her with everything we've got!"

"Let's make it count!" she replied.

Tommy fired the thrusters and plotted the trajectory for a diving assault, hoping to disable the arm that was holding the Blue Lion long enough for Voltron to get back off the ground. His instruments flashed innumerable warnings as they drew closer to the surface, but he ignored them. They only had one chance at this.

"On my mark," he repeated, drawing his own weapons in on the target site. "Go for the arm! Ready... FIRE!"

They opened fire with their remaining weapons, drilling into Machina's chassis and causing several explosions, but the hand holding Voltron did not unclench. Cursing, Tommy pulled up out of the power-dive and started speeding them back into space.

"Oh, geez!" Zack said, suddenly.

"What is it, man?" Tommy demanded.

"She's throwing something at us!" Zack cried. "It looks like a fan!"

Tommy checked his own viewer to see that Machina had unfurled her customary metallic fan with her free hand. But the fan, like the rest of her, had been changed, becoming a weapon. Tommy could only watch as she threw the fan, sending it spinning after them faster than they could retreat.

"Brace for impact!" Tommy shouted.

The fan struck the MegaZord's midsection and cleaved straight through, barely breaking momentum as it all but cut them in two. Tommy was thrown forward in the cockpit and slammed face-first into his instrument panel, which then exploded beneath him. The last he sensed before he blacked out was the bitter taste of blood in his mouth and the surprisingly distant cries of his teammates. Then there was nothing at all.

* * *
She was surrounded on all sides by quiet, comfortable darkness, and for a long time, that was all there was. It reminded her of how she'd felt just prior to waking up in the Power Chamber with Billy watching over her. His voice had been the first she'd heard, bringing her out of her sleep.

There were other voices now, off in the distance, but none of them belonged to Billy.

"Kat, come in! If you can hear me, please say something!"

"I found her! Vital signs are positive, but I can't tell if she's awake or not!"

"We need to keep trying, then!"

"Let me handle that! You guys concentrate on getting us outta here!"

She recognized the second voice first. It sounded like Bulk, but more serious and stressed than she'd ever heard him. The other was a newer voice... _Jason,_ she thought.

"Kat, this is Bulk," came the second voice again, confirming its identity. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but listen up. You've been pulled out of the cockpit by an automatic system. Just before you were breached, it automatically sealed your suit and pulled your chair out of that section."

Jason's voice came again. "Bulk, is she still in the head? If we can get her into the body, we could jettison the head if all else fails."

"If I'm reading this right, she's still somewhere in the head," Bulk said, but he no longer seemed to be talking to her. "She should have been pulled into the body, but there's some kind of blockage in the tunnel! I think it might have collapsed when she got grabbed!"

"Then we'll need to wake her up and get her to teleport out!" Jason replied. "Keep trying!"

Kat wanted to say something to let them know she was, in fact, awake, but she could not find her voice, nor for that matter could she find any sensation in her limbs. She needed to reach her wrist unit, as they said, but she could not seem to move her arms.

Then, gradually, she realized that she was being held in her pilot's chair by a series of restraints which had apparently come down around her when she was yanked out of the cockpit. The reason she could not move her arms was that they were clamped to the armrests.

She was stuck in pitch blackness with no way to teleport out. Katherine tried to scream, but even that was denied her.

* * *
As the MegaZord tumbled through space, the four conscious Power Rangers tried to take stock of their newest predicament.

"Is everyone okay?" Tanya asked.

"I think so," Kim winced.

"I think Tommy's out cold," Zack reported, reaching across the small space to check on their leader. "He's breathing, but that's about it. Is it safe to take off his helmet?"

"Don't," Tanya replied, shaking her head. "Just lean him forward so he won't choke on anything. Rocky, how come you haven't said anything yet?"

"Just waiting my turn," Rocky said through clenched teeth. "I think my right arm's broken. I can't move it."

"Can one of you guys get a fix on where we are?" Tanya asked.

Rocky clumsily attempted to get a reading, using his left hand on the control keys. The forward viewer came up, showing a swirl of stars passing at high speed.

"We're drifting," Zack said, quietly.

"No, look!" Tanya said, pointing at the monitor. As they watched, the Skybase crossed their field of view from bottom to top. A few seconds later, it did so again, giving them a brief view of Voltron and Machina, still tangled up at the surface.

"Okay, so we're tumbling," Zack corrected himself. "That's not much better."

"There has to be something we can do," Tanya insisted. "Can we route the thruster controls to another station?"

Rocky checked on this. "No. There aren't any controls to route. All thruster systems are down, and there's not enough power for self- repair."

"How about radio?" Tanya asked Zack. "Can we put out an S.O.S.?"

"No," Zack replied, checking his own controls. "Looks like they're all fried, too."

Tanya paused to take a deep breath. "This is starting to sound like Apollo 13. So what have we got that does work?"

There was a long pause as each of them went through their own control systems. Rocky spoke first. "Life support is still working, and so are the radiation screens."

"That's good news," Tanya nodded.

"Yeah, but there ain't much else," Rocky went on, his voice becoming more edged with pain as he worked around his broken arm. "That fan nearly sliced us in half, and there's no contact with any of the lower sections. We can't even separate into the five zords until that gets fixed, and that's not an option."

"The Battle Helmet is still engaged," Kimberly added. "I've still got firing control to that, but it looks like all the power's being used for other systems."

"Communications are completely shot, like I said," Zack finished. "But we still have our visual scanners giving us the picture."

"That doesn't give us much," Rocky said, stating the very obvious.

"Maybe, but..." Tanya began, but then trailed off as she stared at the display.

"What's up, Tanya?" Kim asked her.

"I've got an idea," Tanya replied, quietly.

* * *
"Give me all power to thrusters!" Jason ordered. "We'll try to pull ourselves loose!"

Voltron rose up from the surface of the Skybase and tried to rocket away, but the robeast maintained a firm grip on their foot: the head of the Blue Lion. The foot-thrusters from the Blue Lion were severely damaged as well, and even with the Yellow Lion pouring out maximum power, they could not budge. Machina was clamped to the surface with both feet, and was holding them with one extended arm, showing no signs of weakening.

"Why isn't she attacking?" Aisha asked. "We're sitting ducks!"

"She doesn't need to!" Trini replied. "She just needs to hold us here until the reactor goes!"

"We need to get Kat out so we can ditch the head!" Jason shouted. "Bulk, is there any way to get her out of there?"

"I'm trying to find one!" Bulk replied.

The next voice, to Jason's surprise, was Kat's. She sounded distant and strained, but it was her. "Jason, I can't move! All my restraints are on, and I can't reach my teleporter!"

"Hang in there, Kat, we'll get you loose! Adam, Trini, I want you to fry that thing with your lion torches! Try to get her to let go, but don't torch too close to Kat!"

"Jason, you have to leave me here!" Kat exclaimed. "Just get Billy away!"

"Not acceptable, Kat!" Jason replied. "Bulk, try to find a way to override the controls to her pilot's chair and disengage the restraints!"

"I'm looking, I'm looking! Skull, give me a hand with this!"

* * *
Far below, in the deserted Power Chamber, something was happening. It began with the sound of the main generators coming online and restoring power to all systems, one by one. First the computers, then the lights, then the circulation fans and other life support mechanisms. Diagnostic tests flashed across every screen, each one coming up green in turn. There was no movement to be seen, however.

After a few moments, something did finally move. The something in question was Alpha 5, who had just completed a full reboot. "Ay yi yi!" the diminutive robot shrieked, turning around in circles as power coursed through its limbs again. "All systems functioning within normal parameters! Power blockage has been negated!"

Alpha hurried to the controls of Zordon's stasis tube and began pressing buttons frantically. "Ooooh, Zordon, please be there!"

After a pause, the customary bluish light filled the tube, and Zordon's face gradually materialized. He looked groggy, but unharmed. "It is good to see you are still functional, Alpha," Zordon intoned. "I feared that the power block may have destroyed you."

"What was it, Zordon?"

"It felt like a strong magical field, the likes of which I have never encountered. Quickly, Alpha, find the Rangers!"

Alpha scurried over to a convenient scanner and checked the display. "Ooooh! Ay yi yi! Zordon! The Machine Skybase is coming apart, and the Zeo MegaZord is badly damaged! It's drifting toward the atmosphere!"

"Are the Rangers alive, Alpha?"

"I'm getting five positive life signs aboard the MegaZord, but they won't survive re-entry if we don't bring them back!"

"Then you must do so. Teleport the Rangers to the Power Chamber, and teleport the MegaZord to the holding bay."

"I can't!" Alpha cried. "Ay yi yi! Teleportation circuits are not yet functional!"

"Restore them as quickly as you can, Alpha," Zordon ordered "We may already be too late!"

* * *
Tanya pointed to the forward viewer. "Zack, can you magnify that view?"

"Sure thing," Zack nodded, typing at his console. The view changed, and the next time the battle scene passed by, they could pick out details. Voltron was spaceborne, but still being held from escape by Machina. Just as quickly, the view passed by, then reappeared, then passed.

"Kimberly, bring up the crosshairs for the Battle Helmet cannon," Tanya told her teammate.

"Got it," Kimberly complied, bringing the targeting graphic to the screen.

"There, do you see?" Tanya said, excitedly. "We're not just tumbling, we're rotating. Every time we spin, the crosshairs get just a little closer to where they're being held. If we can time it just right, we can take another shot at the arm that's holding onto them!"

"Great, but we don't have any power for the gun," Rocky observed.

"Not now, we don't. But if we route all power, and I mean all power into one shot, it might be enough. That means shutting down life-support, shutting down radiation screens, and leaving just enough to keep the viewer working long enough for Kim to fire the cannon."

"Shut down life-support?" Zack parroted.

"We'll still have all the protection of our armor," Tanya pointed out. "That'll last us a while."

"But that won't be enough to get us through re-entry," Rocky told her. "Then again, I don't think we have enough power to survive re-entry regardless."

"Then we've got nothing to lose and everything to gain," Tanya insisted. "If we can get them loose, they can save us. We can have one of our communicators put out a distress signal, and hope that they can hear it and come get us. Look, we're running out of time! They'll pass out of range soon!"

"Okay, let's do it," Rocky nodded. "If we can do anything to get them loose, I say we try."

"Kim, can you make a shot like that?" Zack asked.

"I can try," she said, nervously.

Zack paused, then shook his head. "Fine. Let's do it."

Tanya was already at work at her console, re-routing all the power she could get her hands on. Soon, the lights went down, and an eerie silence settled over the cockpit. The only illumination now was from the forward viewer and Kimberly's gun controls.

The battle scrolled past again, then again. The magnified view showed the crosshairs passing closer and closer to the arm that held Voltron. "Two or three more passes," Tanya whispered. "We know you can do it, Kim."

"Here goes," Kim said, quietly.

The perfect shot came into the crosshairs, and Kimberly fired. Before the Rangers could even see whether or not the shot hit home, however, they vanished in a series of teleportation beams.

* * *
Jason was wrenched with vertigo as Voltron suddenly rocketed into the sky, no longer held by Machina. "Whoa!" he shouted. "What happened?!"

"A shot came out of nowhere and blew her hand clean off!" Adam reported. "It must have been the MegaZord!"

"She's coming after us!" Aisha warned.

"We can worry about her later," said Jason. "Jason to Billy! Come in! Give us your position, man, we're coming to get you out of there!"

After a few seconds, Billy's voice came over the communicator. "What, are you guys still here?! Did you think I was kidding?! Get away from here, NOW!"

"Billy, we can't leave you!" Adam shouted.

"You have to! I'm nearly to my ship! GO!"

"Just tell us where you are!" Jason demanded.

Billy paused, then shouted his reply for all he was worth. "Seth, get them out of there, now! As a Maker, I a ordering you to get them to safety!"

And then, immediately, Jason's controls went dead, and Voltron began fleeing from the Skybase with all available speed. Machina followed them for a moment, then turned tail and headed straight back for her collapsing fortress.

"I've lost all controls!" Jason shouted.

"Automatic systems have taken over!" Skull yelled over his shoulder. "All five lions have gone to automatic pilot! We're locked out!"

"Billy, NO!" Katherine screamed.

* * *
Billy cast a glance skyward as he emerged from the base of the fortress, just in time to see Voltron streak away into the stars. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief. Seth had listened when push came to shove, and for that, he was grateful.

Now Billy had to see about saving himself, which meant sprinting two hundred yards across the flaming tarmac and hoping that Crow was still there. He wasted no time in doing so, diving forth into the chaos. Entire buildings went up in flames around him, but he did not break momentum.

To his amazement, Crow had not even been touched in his absence, and had miraculously been missed by any and all shrapnel from the explosions. He quickly popped open the canopy, vaulted in, and closed it behind him.

Before he could warm up the engines, though, his console lit up with the message, "RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL DETECTED. STAND BY FOR DECONTAMINATION."

"Can't we do this later?!" Billy shouted at his controls. The cockpit pressurized quickly, and the air became charged as the radioactive particles clinging to Billy's suit were neutralized. Billy began warming the engines as quickly as he could, buckling on his restraints as he did.

Then the ground shook beneath him. Craning his neck around to look over his shoulder, he saw, to his horror, that the robeast that had once been Queen Machina had landed not twenty yards away, and seemed to be looking for him.

Takeoff was going to be tricky as it was. Only the front support strut was left, which at least meant that his nose was pointed skyward. He had hoped to have a chance to do this carefully, but Machina's appearance made caution take a back seat to desperation. As soon as the engines came online, Billy gunned them, and Crow launched crazily from the surface, spinning out of control. Billy fought with the unresponsive controls until his one remaining stabilizer brought him to a level flight path, and he sped away from the Skybase, not knowing, nor caring, in which direction he was heading. Machina, to his disquiet, was following.

And then, behind him, the Skybase went nova. A shockwave of brilliant white energy erupted forth from the vaporized base, expanding in a fiery sphere of destruction.

It didn't take long for Billy to realize that the shockwave was catching up with him, and he had Crow's abused thrusters firing well past safe levels as it was. Through his rear viewer, he watched as Machina was overtaken and consumed by the wave, which continued on unabated after devouring her.

He just plain wasn't going to make it. The wall of brilliance drew closer and closer, but he kept the thrusters firing in a last desperate hope.

"Kat," he said again, quietly. "Oh, Kat, I'm sorry...." Then the wave overtook him, and his senses were lost to the brilliance.