"About what?" Hearing the voice, Zordon turned away from Alpha and looked at the Silver Astro Ranger who was leaning wearily against the far wall of the main room. His hair was tousled, and his good eye was half-closed, not to mention the fact that the Kerovian looked like he was about to collapse. I'm surprised he can even stand in that condition...especially after what happened last night! Sensing that it was no longer needed, Alpha muttered something under its breath and waddled slowly out of the room. "You said to come see you as soon as I woke up this morning. I couldn't sleep."

"NEITHER COULD I," Zordon admitted after a long pause as he continued to stare at the Silver Astro Ranger. Finally, he turned away. "YOU LOOK HORRIBLE."

This earned a small grin from Zhane who rolled his good eye. The other was still swollen shut, and it was then that Zordon could faintly make out the cuts and bruises covering the Silver Astro Ranger's bare chest. "Thanks, Zordon, for pointing that out as if I didn't know."

Deciding to cut to the chase, Zordon hesitantly muttered, "THEY'RE HERE." As Zhane tensed, Zordon sighed sympathetically before continuing, "IT'S MORE THAN JUST JALICE...FIVE MEMBERS, MAYBE MORE. THEY'LL COME FOR YOU TODAY. I HADN'T BEEN EXPECTING THEM TO ARRIVE SO SOON, BUT THEY'RE HERE. NO MATTER HOW MUCH I'D LIKE TO PROTECT YOU, I CAN'T...EVEN IF I WAS IN MY MORTAL FORM, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO. HOWEVER, I WOULD BE WILLING TO ARGUE THAT YOU'RE INJURED AND GETTING OVER AN UNKNOWN DISEASE--"

Cutting in, Zhane responded to his concern simply by saying, "I don't want you to protect me." It was what Zordon had been expecting, but he was still surprised to hear the words. Despite how much he smothered the other rangers, they never asked for him to lay off and let them handle things on their own. Sure, Tommy showed with his actions that he wanted some freedom. Jason did, too, but they had never said so to his face. Zordon admitted it to himself...this was his first time hearing those words, and they hurt. They really hurt. "All I want...all I need is for you to tell me what I can expect from them and what I can do to prepare for their arrival."

"THEY'RE VERY HARD TO PREDICT, ZHANE. I WISH I COULD TELL YOU OTHERWISE, BUT THAT'S THE TRUTH," Zordon admitted regretfully, and he could only watch as hopelessness and anxiety seeped into the Silver Astro Ranger's eye. Looking over the Kerovian one more time, he shook his head disapprovingly. "YOU'RE IN NO CONDITION TO BE TESTED BY THEM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING I DO KNOW THAT THEY'LL DO. MOST LIKELY, YOU WILL BE FORCED TO USE SIMPLY YOUR POWER AGAINST THEIR POWER." He added mentally. "TELL ME, ZHANE. HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN ABOUT THIS POWER?"

Zhane considered the question for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "Most of my life, but I knew that I couldn't tell anyone." He lowered his head guiltily. "Yaralla and Andros don't know, though I think Yaralla could guess. She caught me practicing one time. I was able to hide my aura quickly, but I know she must have seen something. Luckily, though, she never made a big deal out of it."

Understanding this, Zordon nodded. After all, it wasn't always a good thing to have people know about your powers. Bounty hunters and other evil beings would become interested in your ability, the Meledan swarmed to you like bees...there was no freedom. Zordon closed his eyes for a moment as he considered his surroundings. Freedom...I wish I had my freedom. "My father knew. He was the one who told me to put my guard up whenever I practiced so that the Meledan wouldn't find me."

"IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO FULLY PRACTICE WHILE YOUR GUARD IS UP," Zordon muttered skeptically. He sighed to himself as he remembered when Zhane, Yaralla, and Andros had first come to stay on Earth. They had all been so happy...no cares in the world. Now, he was speaking to the most flippant one of them bruised, sick, and deathly serious.

Zhane offered him a small smile. "It isn't like I wanted to become a pro or anything, Zordon," He reasoned softly. "All I wanted to do was gain enough power so that I would be able to save myself and my friends if ever in a tough situation...like last night."

Zordon frowned at him, his expression solemn. "YOU'RE BETTER THAN YOU MAY THINK." At Zhane's confused expression, Zordon quietly continued, "MELANTHA, DESPITE NOT BEING ON DARK SPECTER'S FRONT LINE, WAS A COMMENDABLE FOE. YOU DEFEATED HER IN LESS THAN FORTY-FIVE MINUTES WHILE RUNNING A TEMPERATURE OF 102 AND WITH MULTIPLE INJURIES!"

Thinking about this for a moment, Zhane shrugged. After all, what could he say? It was impossible to deny what Zordon was saying, and yet he didn't want to accept his own power. "I...I'm not as good as you though, Zordon."

The Eltarian couldn't help it. He burst out into hearty laughter, and Zhane couldn't help but smile. To put anyone in better spirits...Zhane had found that to be his lot in life. "OF COURSE NOT!" Zordon exclaimed after a minute of regaining his composure, and Zhane was almost shocked by the mocking in his voice. It didn't bother him at all. He knew he wasn't as good as Zordon by any means, and yet... I've never heard this brightness in his voice before. Am I truly hearing Zordon, the majestic wizard of Eltar, right now, or is this simply Zordon of Eltar, a laid back member of the Meledan? "YOU HAVE AN ODD SENSE OF HUMOR, ZHANE, BUT I ENJOY IT. HOPEFULLY THE MELEDAN WON'T SEE IT FIT TO MOVE YOU FROM EARTH."

It was only when he saw the shock on Zhane's face that he realized his mistake in words. "I DOUBT THEY WILL MAKE YOU LEAVE US, ZHANE, BUT IT IS A POSSIBILITY," Zordon said after a tense pause. "NO, YOU'RE NOT AS GOOD AS I AM OR AS ANY OF THE TOP MELEDAN MEMBERS ARE BY ANY MEANS, BUT YOU DEFEATED MELANTHA IN YOUR CONDITION. THAT'S SOMETHING THEY WON'T OVERLOOK. JALICE AND THE OTHERS MAY THINK THAT YOU WOULD SERVE A GREATER PURPOSE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE UNIVERSE FOR ALL I KNOW, BUT I HAVE FAITH IN YOU, ZHANE, AND I KNOW THAT YOU'LL MAKE ALL OF US PROUD WHEREVER YOU ARE."

"They're going to make me leave..." Zordon gazed down into Zhane's wide blue eyes and sighed. "I'll have to leave everyone. Yaralla. Andros..."

"DON'T GIVE UP ON YOURSELF SO EASILY," Zordon muttered, finally having enough of the uncomfortable silence. "I WISH I COULD PUT IT TO YOU IN ANOTHER WAY, BUT I CAN'T. YOU'RE A RANGER AND YOU SERVE THE GREATER GOOD. YOU DON'T SERVE YOUR OWN NEEDS. A WARRIOR WHO FIGHTS ONLY FOR HIMSELF AND FOR THOSE HE KNOWS IS SELFISH. THINK OF OTHERS OUT THERE...SOME GALAXIES DON'T EVEN HAVE FIGHTERS TO PROTECT THEM. WOULD YOU REFUSE TO HELP THOSE PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE YOU'D BE OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE? DO YOU HAVE TO BE WITH PEOPLE YOU KNOW TO BE A RANGER!? IS THAT WHAT BEING A WARRIOR IS TO YOU, ZHANE, BECAUSE IF IT IS THEN LET ME ASSURE YOU THAT FIGHTING EVIL IS NOT A SOCIAL EVENT. IN THE END, EVERY WARRIOR STANDS ALONE. WHETHER YOU LIKE THAT IDEA OR NOT, EVERY WARRIOR STANDS ALONE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Seeing that the Silver Astro Ranger had lowered his eyes, Zordon cautiously questioned, "ZHANE, DO YOU HAVE ANY RESPONSE TO THAT?"

As the Kerovian raised his head again, Zordon had to bite his lip to keep him from gasping in surprise. Both of Zhane's eyes were wide open, and yet they were so dark...so lifeless. "You're absolutely right, Zordon," Zhane muttered quietly, and Zordon shivered. He sounded dead. Zordon smiled to himself. His rangers. Since when did I claim Zhane, Andros, and Yaralla as my own? Strange...

"I can't fight for myself, and I'm a coward for having done so these past few years. Sure, Andros, Yaralla, and I helped a lot of people after KO-35 was taken over, but we only did it so that we would have an excuse to be together. I know that I can do it, though. I can fight without them. I don't need Yaralla to take care of me when I'm hurting, and I don't need Andros to stand by my side when I fight. Alone. I can do it alone." This said, Zhane turned to Zordon to see what his reaction to his statement would be.

He looks upset about something. I wonder why? Zhane was almost positive that he saw tears in the old mage's eyes, but these were quickly gone, and Zordon faintly whispered, "PERHAPS YOU'RE MORE LIKE ME THAN I REALIZED." In order to hide his weakness, Zordon turned away from the Silver Astro Ranger. "GO AND FIX YOURSELF UP AS BEST YOU CAN. YOU'LL SENSE THEIR ARRIVAL." After waiting for a moment to see if the Eltarian had anything more to say, Zhane nodded his understanding and left the room.

Zordon turned just as the door at the back of the room closed and lowered his eyes. "Monsters. The Moon Powers...Dark Specter...the Meledan...myself. We're all monsters for forcing these people to give up their lives and fight. Monsters. Demons. All of us."

The White Ranger didn't mean to stare, and yet he couldn't turn his eyes away from the spectacle in front of him. Rocky DeSantos and his girlfriend. Naked. In each other's arms. Too much had occurred the night earlier for Tommy to truly begin giving this matter some thought. After all, Zhane and Jaime had risked their lives to kill Melantha...Zhane's power had been revealed. There hadn't been time to wonder in full detail why Kat was lying in another man's arms. You know that you would have done anything to get the thought of them out of your head, Tommy. The thing with Jaime and Zhane was a welcome distraction.

He and Jason had teleported Rocky and Kat down to their own private sector of the Crisis Center. After all, no matter how curious and worried everyone was, the two deserved privacy in their intimate state. Intimate state. Tommy could feel the anger boiling within him again. Rocky...how could you do this to me!? Were you really so upset about my dying that you would go behind my back and do something like this!?...and Kat...? Katherine, why? It wasn't my choice to die. I didn't want to leave you! I didn't want you to attempt suicide on my behalf! That was when the tears started to flow, and he did nothing to stop them. After all, there was no one else around. It was just him...and his two fellow rangers wrapped in a blanket holding each other tightly.

Can I honestly go back to Kat now? Sure, I don't know if this is her fault...of course, I'm not blaming Rocky or anything, but Kat couldn't have instigated, could she? It's pathetic how little trust you have in the other male rangers when it comes to your girlfriend, Tommy. The White Ranger knew that he shouldn't be upset. After all, Kat had taken him back after he and Uriel had gone all the way. That's different, though! I couldn't help that! Does that change the fact that it happened? Kat admitted to being jealous of Uriel...now, I can freely admit that I'm jealous of Rocky. I want to be in his position. I want Kat to be giving me her love...why is it that she turned me down that one night in the shelter but decided to randomly give herself up to Rocky when they were in a prison cell?

Gazing down at Kat, Tommy smiled sadly. I still don't understand what I've done to deserve her. She's too beautiful...she's too kind. Then again, maybe I did deserve this. I've betrayed Kat countless times in the past. Isn't it time that I got my due? Kat's golden locks were hanging daintily over her bare and smooth shoulders. Her face was so cherubic in sleep, and Tommy was tempted to wake her up at that moment and beg her forgiveness for whatever had caused her to have sex with another man. "Kat..."

"There's a good explanation." Turning around, Tommy wiped his eyes quickly as he saw that Kimberly Hart was watching him with a pitying expression on her face. Touching her former boyfriend's shoulder, Kim sighed. "Kat loves you too much to do this without good reason, Tommy. In your heart, you know that. I know you do. Please, just trust your instincts and don't make too much out of this."

Laughing incredulously, Tommy motioned towards Rocky and Kat. "Don't make too much of that!? Come on, Kim! What am I supposed to think!? I can't tell myself that Kat and Rocky were forced physically by the Moon Powers to do this, because you know what? I know them. They never would have given in. Kat and Rocky would have rather died than done this...what other options are there? It's pretty unlikely that Rocky raped Kat. Is that what you believe!?"

Kim shook her head with frustration. "Will you listen to yourself!? You're making a big deal out of nothing, Tommy! All you're doing is going out on limbs. We won't know the truth till they wake up, and until then you have to understand that everything isn't always so black and white. Melantha had magical powers. You know what she did to Jaime...what she did to you and the other male rangers except for Zack. A love spell, remember? You fell so much in love with her that you were willing to kill for her.

"I'm not a sorceress or anything, but I know enough about Melantha to know that she had a bunch of love spells up her sleeve. She was one of those people who enjoyed messing with her victims before she killed them, and I believe that she pulled Kat and Rocky's strings somehow...controlled fate...How? I don't know, but it's a much easier thing to accept than your theory that in a day or two they got cabin fever from being stuck in a prison cell and decided to have sex just for the hell of it."

Tommy nodded reluctantly. He wasn't sure that he agreed with Kim, but she had presented a legitimate reason for the sight in front of him. Deciding to change the subject, he sighed. "What do we tell Yaralla? She was in bed on the Megaship and didn't see Kat and Rocky together."

Kim thought about this. "First of all, we don't say a word to her until Rocky gets up. Then, it's his decision. As his friends, we can give Rocky emotional and physical support, but we can't intervene every time it seems like a couple isn't going to get together. Rocky and Yaralla belong with each other. I know that much, but it isn't my relationship. Rocky has to choose for himself."

"Your relationship..." Sighing, Tommy gazed down at the Pink Ninja Ranger with concern. "How is your relationship...Jaime...everything?"

Idiot...why do you always bring it up when the issues are most sensitive!? Zhane... Shut up! "Adam checked on Jaime this morning. He's going to be fine. There are signs of exhaustion that were to be expected after he took that much power onto himself, and a light fever. Whether that's a symptom of this `power loan' from last night, I can't say. It is always possible that Jaime got what Zhane, Andros, and Yaralla have in which case we're down another ranger."

Tommy looked at her with interest before quietly muttering, "I didn't ask about how Jaime was physically. I asked how your relationship with him was going." Are you avoiding the question, Kim? I thought that things had straightened out between you two since Jaime was under Melantha's control. "What's going to happen between the two of you?"

"I, um..." Damn you, Tommy, I don't want to talk about this now! "I...I can live with what he's done. It'll be hard. Even now it hurts to remember him coming after me wanting nothing else but for my blood to be shed, but that wasn't his fault. I can't blame him for things that he wasn't responsible for." Zhane...No! "Adam and I had a conversation similar to this yesterday on the Megaship." Tommy looked at her questioningly, his soft eyes full or worry. "Yes, amazingly I spoke to Adam. It felt unnatural, and yet it felt so good to have his perspective on things.

"Tommy, I've made things harder on myself, and I'm only going to tell you this because you're the closest guy friend I know that I'll ever have. What I told Adam was that I took care of Zhane yesterday. You know, got him into bed, tried to lower his fever, and all that. He drifted off to sleep, and I don't know why...but something hit me at that moment. Have you noticed that Zhane is really attractive?"

Tommy rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, Kim, he's positively stunning. I fell head-over-heels for Zhane." As Kim stuck her tongue out, Tommy smirked. "You're the one who asked me if I thought he was attractive. Anyway...you thought that he was cute. The beautiful brunette woman notices the stunning young blonde Kerovian. Please continue..."

Kim sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder how you possibly ended up as my best guy friend. It would have been easier if you were someone a little less sarcastic."

"If you didn't want sarcastic then you shouldn't have dated me," Tommy reminded her with a small chuckle. The Pink Ninja Ranger gazed up at him for a moment before frowning deeply and shaking her head yet again. "Yeah, I know. I'm not helping. Seriously, go on. Zhane's attractive. What next?"

Taking a deep breath, Kim cautiously continued, "In those few moments, I thought about all that he had done for me. Zhane almost killed himself...sacrificed his life for me and the others, and do you know why? You probably already know this, Tommy, but I was the one who told Zhane to stop fighting. If I hadn't called to him at that time then Zhane would have kept up his attack...and he probably would have won, now that I think about it. Zhane had the upper hand when I told him to stop.

"I felt like an idiot on the Megaship yesterday because for about five minutes I was just kneeling by Zhane's bed and watching him sleep. Despite his obvious pain, he was so cute...just like a little boy, and I...I kissed him." Seeing Tommy open his mouth to ask the obvious question, Kim answered it before he could speak. "Zhane didn't wake up. I know...I wasn't caught so it shouldn't be a big deal, but it is because ever since I haven't been able to stop thinking about him...you know, wondering if he feels anything for me." Tommy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck wearily as he took in this information. "Ok, so you still love Jaime with all your heart even though he almost killed you...and then you kissed Zhane yesterday." Thinking about this for a moment, the White Ranger finally grinned. "Fantasy."

"Huh?"

At Kim's confused response, Tommy chuckled before continuing, "Remember when you used to tell me that you wanted to be a princess and have a knight on a white horse come and save you whenever you were in danger...someone so noble that he would die for you? Obviously, Jaime used to be your knight. Well, actually, first I was your knight," Tommy mumbled for emphasis which earned him a whack on the arm from his ex-girlfriend.

"Jaime was taken away, and you felt abandoned because you didn't really have someone to turn to...Zhane took up your knight role. Literally, he saved your life. How could you not feel something for him after that? What you need to do now is think about whether that fantasy is enough to break up your relationship with a great Triphorian guy."

As Kim closed her eyes, these thoughts sinking in, Tommy turned away from her and towards the door. "Zordon's going to be doing an evaluation of my powers today to see if I'm ready to go out into battle, so I need to get going. If you're interested, I know Zhane said that he'd probably need some help medically today, but Adam's going to be on the Megaship helping Billy try to find the cause of this disease."

With that, he left the room, and Kim turned towards the door with a soft smile. Medical help, huh? I can do that...hey, I did fine yesterday. Yeah, Kim, and remember what else happened yesterday... Pushing the annoying thought out of her mind, Kim also left the room and returned to the main part of the Crisis Center to begin her search for the Silver Astro Ranger.

Turning to his side, Andros found that the Purple Ninja Ranger, Jackie Oliver, was sitting in a chair by his bed with a huge smile on her face. The expression made him groan. How could she look so happy when he was as miserable as he was? "Jackie, how long have you been here?"

"Let's see...I've been around the Megaship for a few hours, but I've been sitting in front of your bed for about a half hour," Jackie responded dutifully as she pushed some of her brown hair away from her face. Concern filling her eyes, she hurriedly asked, "How are you feeling?"

Andros shrugged at the question. He felt sick. Wasn't that obvious? "Hot, dizzy, aches everywhere...You should know better than I do since I've been out of it for so long. What do I have?"

"That I don't know," Jackie replied solemnly, "but it is the same thing that Zhane and Yaralla have. As of now, the disease is unknown, but you shouldn't worry because Billy and Adam are trying to find out what it is, and I know that they'll succeed."

"Billy and Adam, huh?" I wonder how Zhane is coping. After all, I feel horrible and I'm just sick. He was beaten to a pulp on top of that... "Hey, Jackie, how's Zhane? Have you been taking care of him, too?"

For a moment, Jackie gazed at him with puzzlement, but she was quickly enlightened when she realized that he didn't know what had happened the day before. "Well, Zhane seems to be feeling a little better. He's tired and all that, but he sure saved our butts last night." She didn't notice Andros' eyes widen at this information and cheerfully continued, "I'm telling you, Melantha would have made us into mince meat. First, Zhane broke Jaime from this weird trance that he was in, and then Melantha attacked! Zhane's shoulder was even pierced by her magic! Together they defeated Melantha, but it was really strange because Zhane had this cool silver glow around him! You should have been there, Andros; it was incredible! He sent his power into Jaime who called for his Silver Thunder, and together they killed Melantha! Sure, they were both really weak afterwards. In fact, I think Jaime now has what you, Zhane, and Yaralla have, but it was worth it! That's one less villain to worry about!" Noticing for the first time that Andros had paled considerably, Jackie put a cautious hand on his arm. "Hey, what's wrong? Andros, are you ok?"

Andros felt like he was going to pass out any minute. "Zhane...fought yesterday? In his condition?" At Jackie's confused nod, he felt a heat go through him that was definitely not caused by his fever and glared at her angrily. "You LET him fight in his condition!? He had multiple injuries and a temperature over 100! How could you guys let him fight!?"

"We didn't really have a choice, Andros," Jackie argued quickly, alarmed by his sudden change in attitude. "Zhane just showed up. It wasn't like he did a lot of physical fighting. That silver glow made up for it. Whatever that power was, I wouldn't mind getting some for myself!" Deciding to change the topic to one that hopefully would get Andros off of his anger, Jackie eagerly questioned, "What about you, Andros? Do you have that cool power, too? Like, do you glow red if someone gets you really mad?"

However, this wasn't exactly a subject that would take Andros off of his fury. In fact, it increased his rage, and he coldly questioned, "What power? I don't know what you're talking about. Zhane doesn't glow. Silver light? You're not making any sense!" Jackie swallowed hard. Ok, this is not turning out well. "What do you mean he was glowing!?" Why didn't anyone warn me that Andros gets like this when he's sick!?

As Jackie shakily began to explain Zhane's energy to the best of her ability, Andros felt himself become more and more lightheaded. What the Purple Ninja Ranger was saying...she was describing Zhane like one of the Meledan's Chosen Ones...but that wasn't possible, right? The Silver Astro Ranger couldn't be a chosen one. That wasn't possible. They had been best friends ever since they had joined KO-35's military unit...before they had become rangers! There were no secrets between them! Zhane...why? How could you keep something like this from me!? Didn't you trust me to keep it secret? Jackie must not be describing it well. Zhane can't be a chosen one, can he?

"You're never going to get those clothes on in your state." Turning around, Zhane smiled at Kim as she slowly stepped into the room. "Don't ask me how you managed to get your pants on. I honestly don't want to know, but I can tell you that putting that shirt on will be impossible for you." Curiosity taking over, she closed the distance between them before asking, "Why are you worried about getting dressed anyway? It's not like any of us care what condition you're in when you're around us."

The grin falling from his face, Zhane lowered his eyes to the ground and slowly responded, "You know that power...silver energy that I used yesterday?" When Kim nodded, he explained, "I wasn't supposed to use it. That's Meledan power. I'm one of their Chosen Ones...that's what they call them anyway. For my whole life I've been hiding from the Meledan, but I couldn't let Jaime and the rest of you die last night. Now, the Meledan is coming for me."

Meledan? "What's a Meledan? I've never heard of it," Kim admitted, and she could only watch as Zhane's eyes widened at this confession. She frowned with puzzlement. "What? What's wrong?"

"Y-you don't know what the Meledan is?" Zhane questioned with a gasp. Kim's eyes widened. What was he talking about? Was she supposed to know what a Meledan was? "Kim, you're telling me that all this time you've had no idea what you were fighting for? I can't believe that! Zordon must have told you something!"

What I'm fighting for? Kim glanced at him with confusion. Of course she knew what she was fighting for. She was fighting for peace on Earth and in the Universe. She was fighting so that she and everyone else could one day be happy. I'm fighting for Zordon, too...but shouldn't Zordon be fighting for something? "What is the Meledan?"

Letting out a deep breath, Zhane sat down on the cot behind him before gazing up at her again. "Ok, you obviously know who Dark Specter is." Kim nodded. "He's the leader of the United Alliance of Evil. On KO-35 we just called it the UAE for short. The UAE has been terrorizing the Universe since before...well...before written history, I suppose. No one can even explain how Dark Specter came to be. He just appeared at some point and started forming his minions. "The Meledan represents the rebels fighting against the UAE. They refused to remain under its control as their people were killed and tortured by Dark Specter and his troops. Just like Dark Specter has been around since the beginning of time, no one can remember when Quena, the first leader of the Meledan, came to power. She just...did...and I've been told that she was the best leader that the Meledan has ever known. Quena assembled the best of the best to fight Dark Specter. That's kinda where the whole concept of the Rangers originated. Ninjor, the guy who created our powers, appeared just a little later than Quena. He was the one who made fighting units for different planets. Earthians, Aquitians, Triphorians, Kerovians, Horations...they were all given their powers by Ninjor. Sure, technology has gotten better and what not, but the original powers, like your original Power Coins, were created by him." Kim just listened to this in fascination. UAE? Meledan? Zordon, why didn't you ever tell us?

Zhane saw the upset expression on the Pink Ninja Ranger's face and quickly halted himself. "I-I'm sorry. I got a little carried away. On KO-35, our trainers and commanders wanted us to always be appreciative of our roots. I'm sure Zordon didn't tell you because he wanted to protect you. Sorry, Kim, I just--"

"Please continue." Quieting, Zhane was so focused on her pleading expression that he didn't notice Kim sit down next to him, nor did he notice the hand she put on his arm. "Please..."

The Silver Astro Ranger wondered if he should oblige her. After all, Kim did look a little upset, and he felt like he was betraying Zordon in some way by telling her of the Meledan's origins. "Um...sure," He said finally. That look in her eyes. Zhane found that he couldn't say no to it. "Chosen Ones don't need Power Coins to boost their powers. They can call up their auras to fight enemies, and that's what I've been blessed with." He didn't feel the need to hide the sarcasm in his statement. "I don't want this power. It's no secret that Chosen Ones are relied on heavily around the Universe. Sure, it's nice to be wanted, but Chosen Ones are often the ones to die shortly after being found by the Meledan. A lot can't stand up to the responsibility. Chosen Ones that were powerful enough came to be respected and were placed high within the ranks of the Meledan. Quena was a chosen one. I assume that's why she was such a powerful leader.

"Zordon is, too. There are a bunch of others...legendary ones on KO-35 are Gewtir, Kerip, Dulcea, Dimitria, and Jalice who have been fighting for the Meledan...thousands, maybe even millions, of years. There are newer ones, too, I'd wager, but they haven't done enough to be praised on my planet yet. Jalice took over after Quena died. She was brave enough to go up against Dark Specter alone, and she almost had him...her death was noble. When she saw that Dark Specter was going after retreating Meledan troops, she blocked them, and was finally killed by Dark Specter himself. Rumor has it that he even bowed slightly at her death. If you can get the Monarch of Evil to bow at your death knowing that you had been a worthy opponent...that's the most noble way I can think of to die."

Turning away from Kim, Zhane let out a shaky breath. "I'll be honest with you...I'm not that good. Sure, I've practiced with my powers. You know that I'm not a complete amateur with them, but compared to other Meledan members...I'm nothing. In all likelihood, I'll be dead in a few months if they make me go into battle without my Digimorpher..."

"No!" Gazing at the Pink Ninja Ranger, Zhane was shocked to see tears in her eyes. "Doesn't the Meledan care about human lives!? If they're such a noble group of warriors, how can they not take precautions with their warriors!? Hell, how can Zordon just give you up so easily when he knows as well as I do that we need you!? That power you used last night...I don't care what the Meledan says about it...you were incredible! We need that power, especially with Andros, Yaralla, Jaime, Jason, and Tommy off the team!"

Zhane sighed softly before putting his good hand on her shoulder. "Zordon talked to me about it, and I had to agree with him. No, I don't want to leave here, but fighting isn't a social thing. If I can't stand alone then how can I call myself a warrior?"

Kim shook her head at this. "Fighting as a group can produce so many positive results, though! How can they just separate us!? We're a team! You, me, the other rangers...we've done so much together! How can they split us up now!?"

"They're coming for me today, Kim," Zhane argued quietly, his eyes lowered. "There's no time for me to run from them, and even if there was it wouldn't help. The Meledan would find me anyway. I'm not saying for sure that I'll be sent away. All I'm saying is that they're going to test me, and there's the possibility that I might be of better use elsewhere."

"How can they test you when you're injured?" Kim questioned at his announcement. "Zhane, you know that you're in no condition to--"

"You don't understand, Kim. I don't have a choice with these people," The Silver Astro Ranger told her. He smiled at her morose expression. "Hey, don't worry about me. No one can take me down. Not Rita and Zedd. Not the Meledan. Not Dark Specter. No one will ever defeat me." Kim had to grin at his egotism. She didn't believe him in the slightest, but his confidence did make her feel a little better. "So, you won't worry about me?"

Sighing, Kim nudged him. "Of course I will. After all, you say you won't be defeated, but how many times have you been wrong?"

Zhane smirked at this. "Hey, I helped Jaime beat Melantha, right?"

"Jaime was the one that helped you," Kim voiced, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He was giving her a look...it was almost like Zhane could see right through her...see her picturing that kiss in her mind. "His Silver Thunder would have never been enough to defeat Melantha without your power to aid it."

"I was just trying to give your boyfriend a break," The Silver Astro Ranger told her, winking quickly before getting off the cot. Stretching out his good arm, Zhane walked over to the bed that Tommy had occupied a few hours earlier before picking up a white dress shirt from on top of his covers. "Well, what can I say? When you're desperate for clothes, you're really desperate." With that, he put his good arm through one sleeve and allowed his other one to remain dangling at his side.

Turning around, Zhane saw that Kim was watching him with worry and laughed lightly. "Come on...you're going to get wrinkles if you're this concerned about me...not that they would make you look any less beautiful." He didn't notice her faint blush and continued, "Kim, I'm going to be fine. Believe me, I can hold my own even if it is against people who have been in the Meledan for thousands of years." Stepping in front of the Pink Ninja Ranger, he bent down and pointed towards his cheek with a flippant expression on his face. "Kiss for luck?"

"What!?" Kim exclaimed. She didn't need a mirror to know that she was bright red now. How did he figure it out!? Was Zhane awake when I kissed him!? God, I'm so embarrassed! He's been playing me this whole time! Forcing herself to calm down, Kim fixed her question as best she could. "I mean, what did you say?"

"On KO-35, all of the guys would try to find the prettiest girl and get her to give us a good luck kiss before we went off to battle." Zhane chuckled at his own words. "Andros never took it very seriously, but it was a fun thing for all the soldiers to do. After all, there was always the possibility that we would never come home. It made sense to be kissed one more time before going out to face death and the unknown. You know, something comforting...plus, you knew you had someone to fight for." He winked and once again pointed at his cheek. "Be a sport, Kim. After all, you're one of the most lovely girls I've ever witnessed in my life. That means a kiss from you must be doubly lucky, wouldn't you say? Plus, when I'm being tested by the Meledan members I could think about you instead of all the pain I'm in."

Kim looked into his playful blue eyes with a sad smile on her face. For a minute...I don't know...I honestly thought he liked me or something. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to return the feelings. I love Jaime, but to hear him say that he did...well, forget that Kim. It isn't going to happen. Realizing something else, the grin quickly fell from her face, and Zhane could only listen to her as she screamed, "I don't want you fighting for me!"

Zhane frowned at this while feeling slightly hurt at the same time. What's wrong with Kim? "Why not? Don't you think I can beat whatever they throw at me?"

"O-of course I do, but I don't want you to!" Kim shouted at him, tears once again welling up in her eyes. Don't start crying in front of him, Kim. Please... "The last time you did anything for me you almost died at Jaime's hands! Then, when you fought for us yesterday, you almost killed yourself again! I don't want to be responsible for your death! I--"

"Kim." When the Pink Ninja Ranger turned to him, a few tears rolling down her cheeks, Zhane smiled warmly. "First of all, I doubt the Meledan would kill me during a test. I'm not going to die. Secondly, yes, you told me to stop fighting Jaime, but you know what? I've never blamed you because I always do whatever I want to do. No one tells me who to fight and who not to fight. Letting Jaime beat the crap out of me was ultimately my decision, not yours. Yes, you played a role in my decision, but don't think that I wouldn't have ended up in this condition if you hadn't told me to stop."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, the Silver Astro Ranger smirked. "Man, all of you guys cry so easily! You shouldn't worry so much about me, Kim. I'm just some guy you met a little while ago. Nothing more. You shouldn't let your emotions be guided by the actions of others because you'll only find yourself hurt in the end." Zhane grinned at his own advice. "I guess I should listen to myself now and again, huh? Sometimes I have a good point." Facing Kim again, he once more pointed to his cheek. "Just one? I'll never tell Jaime. Well, maybe I will...just to get him jealous."

"How long have you been practicing those words?" Kim asked softly as she allowed herself to get lost in Zhane's deep blue eyes again.

"Honestly?" When Kim nodded, the Silver Astro Ranger shrugged. "I never practiced the words, but I was worried about our confrontation about what I had done, I'll admit. Did you enjoy the speech?"

Kim smiled at him. "Of course I did. It's not often that a guy talks so much." Hesitating for a moment, the Pink Ninja Ranger finally leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. "There you go, and good luck. If it'll help you deal with your defeat against the Meledan, think of me."

"You're supposed to be supportive." Kim merely laughed at this, and Zhane shook his head mockingly before gazing up at the ceiling. "I should get to the main room. They'll be coming for me soon."

"I want to go with you," Kim confessed. "You know, to make sure you don't end up really hurt, and yet I know that I can't." At Zhane's nod, confirming this thought, Kim sighed. "Ok, then. Please be careful."

"Hey, I'm always careful." Smiling when Kim shook her head, Zhane squeezed her arm before activating his communicator and disappearing from the room in a flash of silver.

Watching him go, Kim sighed softly. "You're such an idiot, Kim. You're such an idiot. How could you fall for someone like that?" There's no denying it now, though. I can't pretend that he's just some fantasy like Tommy said. After all, most times fantasies completely beat out reality. Jaime, I love you. I seriously do, but allow me some time to experiment. Please...sometimes the joy of liking someone is trying to get them to realize your feelings. That's why I love you, Jaime. You were so much fun to fall in love with. Now that we've confirmed our feelings, though, you're pulling away. Guilt has clouded your love for life and even your love for me. That's why I dumped Tommy. Sometimes you just want to be with someone who's always confident and has a positive look on life. I've never been with anyone like Zhane before. Though I already know this won't work out like I want it to, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have my fantasy become a reality...

"Damn it!" Turning around, the Black Ranger sighed as the Blue Ninja Ranger, Billy Cranston, put his head down on his palms and sighed deeply. "I didn't realize it would be so difficult to find the cause of a simple contagion."

"Still no luck?" Adam questioned sympathetically. He was only responded to with another sigh from his friend. Walking over to Billy, Adam sat down in the chair next to his. "Hey, don't get yourself so worked up about this, all right? As far as we know, Andros, Zhane, and Yaralla are in no immediate danger with this disease."

"As far as we know..." Billy echoed thoughtfully. Punching a few more keys on the computer in front of him, the Blue Ninja Ranger cursed silently as a refusal notice popped up. "We're close. I can feel it, but for some reason the computer is refusing the fact that Zhane was the first one to catch this disease. It's almost like he got it from someone else, you know?"

Adam thought about this for a moment before shrugging. "What if he did? Maybe one of us had it and we didn't even know." As Billy took in this information and banged his head on the panel in front of him, Adam put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry that you're having to do all of this. Inside, I'm sure that you'd rather be with your fianc‚e than here with us. Your visit has just blown way out of proportion, and I apologize for that."

"Why are you apologizing? Don't you think I love being here?" Pulling away from the Black Ranger, Billy stepped over to another side of the Megaship's Bridge and punched an equation into the panel in front of him. Facing his friend, the Blue Ninja Ranger smiled sadly. "Have I seemed unhappy during my stay on Earth?"

"N-no," Adam stuttered, easily seeing that he had said the wrong thing, "I just, you know, I thought that you would...you would want to be with Cestria rather than with us. We love having you here, Billy. You'll always be one of us, but I know that this isn't your home now. I just assumed--"

Billy shrugged and walked past him, punching a few numbers into the computer located there which halted Adam's words. "You shouldn't assume things like that, Adam. Earth will always be my home no matter how much I love Cestria. Every single one of the rangers that I had the privilege of fighting by and meeting has helped me grow. I've gained confidence, respect for myself and others, social skills...I would never be the person I am without you guys."

Facing the Black Ranger once again, Billy grinned. "All of you are my brothers and sisters. In a way, I'll always be closer to the rangers than I will be to Cestria. Our experiences have formed bonds between us. Besides," He chuckled softly, "water can be tiring." As Adam nodded in agreement, Billy turned back to the panel he had been working on earlier. "Let's get back to work, huh? You guys are going to be at a disadvantage without this Andros guy fighting for you."

"You mean, we're going to be at a disadvantage, don't you?" Adam questioned with a smile. As Billy turned to him, surprised, he winked. "After all, you said that you'll always be one of us."

Billy nodded in agreement, his blue eyes sparkling happily. "Of course; we'll be at a disadvantage." Adam grinned and faced another panel, licking his lips before punching in a few numbers and waiting for the results.

Cutting off in the middle of his lengthy lecture, Zordon stared at the Silver Astro Ranger who was leaning against the back wall of the room and smiled faintly. He had obviously worked hard at making himself presentable in his black pants and a white button-up top. Amazingly, both of his arms were covered by the sleeves of the shirt. Turning back towards Tommy and Alpha, he closed his eyes. "PLEASE LEAVE US."

"Zordon?" Tommy questioned with confusion as he spun around and gazed at Zhane before looking back up at his mentor. There had been a change in the Eltarian's voice. Sure, a moment ago he had been lecturing him, but it was obvious that he had been in a good mood. Now, it was gone, and he wondered what about Zhane's arrival had caused this change. Alpha, however, found no reason to argue and wobbled out of the room without a word. "Um, is this about that power Zhane had yesterday?" The Kerovian lowered his eyes at this question.

"I TRUST THAT YOU KNOW BY NOW, TOMMY, WHEN I DON'T WISH TO DISCUSS SOMETHING WITH YOU," Zordon muttered with a shake of the head, and Tommy took a small step back. Sure, the wizard was known for having a mysterious streak, but never when it came to the well-being of one of his rangers. "RIGHT NOW, I AM DISMISSING YOU WITH THE PROMISE THAT WHEN THE NEXT BATTLE ARISES YOU AND JASON WILL BOTH BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE OTHER RANGERS. YOU HAVE MY WORD. NOW, LEAVE US."

"But--"

"Tommy, don't argue with him," Zhane murmured tiredly as he kept his eyes on the ground, unwilling to face the White Ranger. "Please, just go." There was an uncomfortable pause until the Silver Astro Ranger heard a small grunt followed by the sounds of a teleport. As soon as the bright white light was gone, Zhane raised his head and faced Zordon once again. "I'm ready, Zordon. Are they here?"

Zordon nodded, showing that he was right. "THE MEMBERS APPEARED IN ANGEL GROVE PARK JUST A MINUTE AGO. THERE ARE SIX OF THEM, JALICE INCLUDED. MY WAGER IS THAT THEY WILL ASK YOU A FEW GENERIC QUESTIONS, TEST YOU, AND THEN ASK FOR THE COORDINATES TO MY LOCATION."

Zhane nodded slowly before softly inquiring, "Should I give your coordinates to them?" Zordon was shocked at the question, and at that moment he finally understood. Zhane knows...not only how much hot water I'll be in for not giving them information about him, but also that I'm keeping Tommy's resurrection a secret. The Silver Astro Ranger seems to have accepted me as his mentor now...he's willing to betray them for my own well-being.

The mage of Eltar was flattered by this, and he nodded in consent to the question. After all, the Meledan most likely had no idea of Tommy's resurrection. As long as he kept the White Ranger out of sight there was nothing to worry about. "I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR POWER. ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES, ZHANE, BUT I WON'T COVER FOR YOU."

"I never intended for you take the blame for me," Zhane assured him with a small grin. Taking a shaky step forward, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before whispering, "During my time here, I've been very happy to serve you, Zordon. If I'm to leave, know that I'll always remember the period I spent here, and also know that I've been honored by the chance to fight under your command."

He can't hide the will to cry from me. I know...a long time ago, I was standing in front of my own mentor saying the exact same thing...that was before I was stationed on a planet light years away from Eltar. "THE HONOR HAS BEEN MINE, ZHANE. IF YOU ARE TO LEAVE, KNOW THAT I WILL MISS YOU GREATLY, AND I PRAY THAT THE FATES WILL GUIDE YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE TO GO. FROM THE TIME YOU'VE COME HERE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT HAS BEEN A SHORT WHILE, I'VE SEEN YOU GROW TREMENDOUSLY, AND I'M SENDING YOU TO THEM NOW NOT ONLY AS A POWER RANGER, BUT AS A RESPONSIBLE ADULT...ONE THAT I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT I COUNSELED."

Forcing himself to acknowledge Zordon, Zhane nodded, a small tear forming at the corner of his eye. Why is this so hard!? I barely know him! I barely know any of them! "Thank you...and tell a-all of them...I wish I could have stayed." Reaching for his Digimorpher, he paused and added, "By the way, please tell Andros and Yaralla if I don't have the opportunity to see them again that they've meant everything to me. Without them, I would have killed myself on KO-35 during the wars." Running out of things to say, the Silver Astro Ranger nodded mutely before grabbing his Digimorpher and pushing the sequence that teleported him out of the room.

Zordon watched him go with a sad grin. "FAREWELL, ZHANE. I WISH YOU NOTHING BUT THE BEST."

"Yaralla..."

Kat froze at the voice. Yaralla!? Reaching blindly up to the man's head, she put a hand through his hair...his SHORT hair. W-what the hell!? Finally, Kat forced herself to open her eyes, and she gasped at who she saw. Short brown hair... R-Rocky!? What's going on!? Why is he...I don't...what did... Taking a few panting breaths, Kat inched back in fear as she became blatantly aware of the fact that her body was completely unclothed as was the Blue Ranger's, and shock made her eyes widen as she felt his crotch touch her leg. Oh God...what is this...what the hell IS this!?

She couldn't help it. Kat screamed, terrified, at the top of her lungs.

"It sounded like Kat," Emily Johnson, who was kneeling down by the bed of Jaime Talsik, voiced with concern as she too turned and faced the direction that the sound had originated from. Laying a cool hand on Jaime's forehead, she sighed worriedly. "He's gotten worse. Look, you two go ahead. I'm going to contact Billy and Adam and let them know that they have to find a cure A.S.A.P."

The three had been trying to make the Triphorian comfortable the whole morning. It seemed as if the night earlier he had come down with Zhane's disease, only for him it was much worse. The Silver Ranger was unable to sit up in bed, and he was sweating constantly as well as complaining about having difficulty breathing. "Ok, we'll check it out," Zack said, and with that both he and the Yellow Ranger took off in the direction of the scream.

Emily watched them go with a sigh before turning back to Jaime and touching his hand comfortingly. "Hang in there. I'm contacting Billy and Adam. You're going to be fine in a little while. Just stay strong." The Silver Ranger only nodded weakly in response, his eyes shut tight against the pain he was experiencing.

Tanya and Zack didn't stop running until they reached the private room that Rocky and Kat had been put in, and they entered it quickly only to quietly stand in awe and stare at the sight in front of them. Kat was sprawled on the ground, shivering with fright and covered only by a light white sheet. Rocky, on the other hand, was frozen in shock and standing on the other side of the room...with not even a sheet to protect him.

Zack glanced at Kat and then at Rocky and then back at Kat before gazing at Tanya whose focus was entirely on Rocky and covered her eyes quickly. "Stop being a pervert! Man, talk about not honoring privacy!"

Noticing the newcomers for the first time, Kat pointed at Rocky hurriedly. "What kind of a horrible joke is this, Guys!? How dare you do this!"

"Us!?" Tanya exclaimed, pushing Zack's hand away. "Get a clue, Girl. Melantha teleported you two to Earth in the exact position that you found yourselves in. We didn't have a thing to do with it."

Shaking his head stubbornly, Rocky opened his mouth to speak, looked down at his exposed private area, and put his hands over it before saying, "That's impossible, though. Yaralla was with me, and we--" The reality of the situation suddenly hit the Blue Ranger and he closed his eyes in disbelief. "Oh my God."

"I had sex with Tommy," Kat muttered, not wanting to accept the possibility that Rocky had just thought of. "This must be Melantha's idea of a joke. She kidnapped Tommy, stuck him in a cell with me, watched us have sex, and then exchanged Rocky in his place! It's a sick joke, I'm telling you!"

"Kat, face it," Rocky said silently, his face lowered in embarrassment and shame. "Melantha manipulated us. It's that simple. I saw Yaralla. You saw Tommy."

Kat was about to protest but found that it was futile and lowered her face to her hands. "That means, not only did I betray Tommy, but he's also dead, right? It was all a prank. Melantha used us and gave me the hope that Tommy was still alive and pulled it away. She used me like I was a doll!"

At this, Tanya took a small step forward and commented, "It's not what you think. Yes, I do believe that Melantha used you both, but Tommy is alive." When Rocky and Kat both looked at her, shocked expressions on their faces, Tanya nodded. "I'm not exactly sure how, but Zordon was able to bring him back with the help of his Selvinian protector Trimaya. He's alive."

"Thank you, God," Kat whispered, a few tears falling from her glassy blue eyes. Gazing around the room, she faced Tanya expectantly. "Where is he? I have to find him and explain what happened--"

"First you need to get some clothes on," Tanya voiced with a grin. Closing the distance between herself and the Pink Ranger, she wrapped the blanket tighter around her recently returned friend and helped her out of the room in search of clothes.

All alone with the Blue Ranger, Zack smirked as Rocky slowly sat down on the cot that he had just recently been lying on with Kat. "Man, what a mess. I'll be honest with you, Rocky, when we saw you and Kat together we started thinking that both of you were fully conscious of what was going on when you had sex."

"I was so sure that it was her..." Rocky whispered sadly as he closed his eyes. Opening them quickly, he gazed at Zack with worry. "Yaralla...does she know about this?"

Zack thought about this for a moment before shaking his head. "No, she doesn't. Yaralla came down with the disease that Zhane had, and she's been on the Megaship, sick, ever since." Seeing Rocky nod, concern in his eyes, Zack sighed. "What are you going to do?"

Rocky groaned at the question. "I can't just tell her that I had sex with Kat because I thought it was her. Believe me, Zack, that's not the way to get a date with a beautiful girl. I...don't know. Everything is so fuzzy. It was so simple when I was captured by Melantha. She just, I don't know, manipulated Kat so she would say everything to make me believe that I was really talking to Yaralla, and when she said that she loved me and wanted to make love to me...talk about a burden off my shoulders!" The two male rangers fell into silence. There didn't seem to be any easy way out of this situation...

"Don't you think I know that!?" Astronema, the second of the Queens of Darkness, exclaimed angrily as she stared at the viewing screen. A red light started flashing followed by a mechanic voice saying `ACCESS DENIED.' This didn't please Astronema in the slightest. "Who knows when Dark Specter will come to us for information! What do we tell him!?"

"There isn't anything to tell him!" Karaya yelled with both fright and annoyance as she began pounding the console with her fist. "This new Chosen One just popped out of nowhere. There's no way to tell who it is, and the computer data isn't revealing anything! We're as good as dead!"

Astronema spun around and faced her, long purple hair whipping away from her face with the action. "We're not dead yet, and I'm not going down without a fight! Damn those Meledan assholes! Why do they have to use such heavy equipment to guard their little secrets!?"

"It isn't like this is a little secret," Ecliptor muttered as he walked into the room, his sword resting on his shoulder. Regarding Karaya with a nod, he bowed before Astronema. "What we need is someone with more resources."

"Whatever it is that he's going to suggest, I assure you, Queens, that it won't work." Growling, Ecliptor turned and faced the bounty hunter, Darkonda, who had just stepped into the room with his patented smirk on his face. "Ecliptor is a little outdated on his information."

Ecliptor clenched his fists angrily. "Yes, well, Darkonda is a bit outdated on his importance, and he should be thrown out of here as soon as possible!"

Darkonda chuckled mockingly at the machine and muttered, "I've done more than you could possibly accomplish in a century--"

"Please, would you both quiet down!?" Astronema screamed with fury. As her two top warriors complied, she gazed at Ecliptor curiously. "You were saying?"

Glaring at Darkonda, Ecliptor took a deep breath before continuing, "Evil minions of all rank and species gather on the planet Onyx. I'm sure that traveling there could obtain promising results, Queens."

Karaya sighed reluctantly. "Ugh, do we have to go there? That planet is so old-fashioned and dirty!" Astronema nodded with agreement, a disgusted expression on her face.

Sighing, Darkonda bowed slowly. "I'll accompany him, Queens. You know, to make sure he doesn't cause any trouble." Following this statement was one of the bounty hunter's classic cackles.

Astronema rolled her eyes. "I'm more worried about you causing trouble, Darkonda. After all, you're a gambler by trade." Darkonda smiled widely showing that she was right. After a moment of deep thought, Astronema nodded her consent. "Very well. Both of you, teleport down to the planet Onyx and find as much information as you can about this Chosen One. Dark Specter must learn of this new threat as soon as possible."

"Yes, Queen," Both warriors said in synch, and the both turned towards each other before teleporting away in flashes of lightening.

After watching them go, Karaya gazed questioningly at her best friend and fellow queen. "Do you really think they'll come back with positive results?" When Astronema sighed in response, Karaya nodded her agreement. "That's what I think, too. We'd better keep trying on the computer just in case." With that, the two women went back to work, hoping that Dark Specter wouldn't come to them before they had any information on the Meledan's newest member.

The time he had spent with the rangers of Earth now was like a brief moment in time to the Silver Astro Ranger. It seemed like only yesterday that he, Andros, and Yaralla had met the rangers on Horat and accompanied them back to their planet. Zhane shook his head sadly. It felt like a second had gone by since he and Andros had first filed for a technician and physician as a joke...and gotten one of the most beautiful women of KO-35. He felt a knot form in his throat...it seemed like no time had passed since he had first noticed the shy, lonely boy in the Kerovian Military Academy and decided that, no matter what, he was going to learn the truth about him...he was going to understand what it was that made Andros so morose. A slow tear rolled down his cheek. This was it.

"Chosen One?" Turning around quickly at the sound of the voice, Zhane found himself facing a women with pink hair tied up in a bun above her head. After he nodded, the woman, pink eyes sparkling, smiled invitingly at him. "Thank you for coming. I will take you to Jalice and the others now. They're by the lake." Thinking for a moment, she added, "I'm Kerip. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Zhane of KO-35." With that, she began walking in the opposite direction, subconsciously motioning for the Silver Astro Ranger to follow. He sighed to himself. How many people had she greeted only to hear of them dying a week later in battle?

What Kerip had forgotten to mention was that the Meledan members were on the other side of the lake. It was probably more than a mile walk, but to Zhane it felt like a few feet. As Kerip led the way, he obediently followed behind like a trained puppy, staring at his feet sadly. He knew that he should be excited...scared...something, but all he felt was sorrow.

Finally, the two reached the area that Kerip had spoken of earlier, and Zhane gazed around at the people in front of him. There was another woman, this one with long, black hair hanging over her shoulders. Next to her was a man with long, green hair, and by him was another man, this one with short brown hair and a wide grin on his face. Following this person was a man with blue hair styled much like the brown haired man. In front of all of them was a man with purple hair styled much like the ones with brown hair and blue hair, and he smiled faintly before murmuring, "Welcome, Zhane of KO-35, to your fate."

Zhane swallowed hard. From the outside, the man who had just spoken (who was obviously Jalice because he was standing firmly in front of the others) seemed like a normal person, but there was a feeling in Zhane's chest that told him quickly that the Leader of the Meledan was not to be messed with. Doing his best to kneel without showing any pain, he lowered his head. "From this day forth, I belong to you, Lord Jalice." It hurt to say these words...even more so than his leg which was protesting to being moved from its original straight position. "Do with me what you will."

Staring at the grass below him, Zhane was unprepared when a hand fell on his head and ruffled his hair ever so slightly. "I appreciate your allegiance, Silver Astro Ranger, but I do believe you have a very important question to answer for us: Why were we not informed earlier of your ability, and an equally important question: What involvement did Zordon of Eltar have in this scheme of yours?"

He could feel himself shivering, but Zhane forced himself to answer as confidently as he could. After all, this was the lord of all good in the Universe that he was talking to! Now was not a time to freeze up with fright. "It was no scheme, Lord Jalice. I simply did not feel myself fit enough to fight under your command, and so I allowed myself to be molded by my commanders. Despite what you may think, Kinwon of KO-35 and Zordon of Eltar, my current mentor, had no knowledge of my abilities. Zordon only learned that I was a chosen one last night when I battled Melantha."

"Do you understand, Zhane of KO-35, that your feelings do not coincide with your duty and that what you have done is considered treason under our laws?" Jalice questioned, frowning slightly as he felt the head of the young Kerovian nod. "What response do you have to this situation, Chosen One?"

What do I say!? What do I say!? Frantically, Zhane struggled to answer his question, making sure to keep his eyes on the ground as he spoke. "I have no response, Lord. As I said earlier, I am in your service now. If I have committed treason, then I will freely allow you the liberty to do as you will with me." He bit his lip, hoping desperately that he had said the right thing.

The hand that had been still on his head before now began ruffling his hair once more, and Zhane let out a sigh of relief. At least the Leader of the Meledan hadn't burnt him to a crisp for his transgressions yet. That was a good sign. He heard Jalice laugh softly and mutter, "I like you, Kerovian. You're an interesting boy. If you felt that you were doing the Meledan a favor by not turning yourself in then it is understandable. Besides, I would never waste a loyal subject such as yourself." Zhane cringed. Waste? Was that what slaughtering a traitor was called now? "Zhane, tell me, what are you feeling at this moment? Be honest, or I'll forget my interest in you and do what the law requires."

The Silver Astro Ranger had to force himself not to stand up and sprint away after hearing these words. Shit! This isn't good!!! "I...I..." Come on! Say something! "I'm afraid, Lord." SHIT!!!!!!

"Why are you afraid, Kerovian?" Jalice asked softly as he continued playing with his subject's hair. "Do I intimidate you?"

No...yes...no...YES! "Of course, Lord. You have the power to disintegrate me in a second and erase my existence from all minds. I know that I deserve such a thing because of my treason, but I beg you to have mercy. If you'll let me live, I'll travel wherever you desire and willingly give my life in battle." Where the HELL did that come from!? I'm sure Jalice doesn't favor beggars.

To his surprise, however, the Leader of the Meledan did not respond to his statement. Instead, Jalice sighed before putting his hand on his subject's forehead and turning towards Kerip, noting, "You're warm, Kerovian. Were you feverish prior to our meeting?"

This is not going well. They're going to kill me. He's going to kill me! "Yes, Lord. I was, and I do not know the cause of my illness."

Jalice nodded slowly at this response and whispered something into Kerip's ear before turning back towards the other four Meledan members who were watching the three intently. "Well, I hope you're in the mood for a good fight, Kerovian, because ill or not, your crimes have forced me to test you today or kill you." He shrugged unemotionally. "Do forgive my straight-forwardness. We must do this quickly." Jalice felt his subject's head nod. Looking at the four Meledan members behind him, he smiled faintly. "Now, which of you would be willing to test our new friend here?" Seeing the brown haired man, Wiren, jump up and down excitedly, his hands raised in a pleading manner, Jalice groaned with annoyance. "No, definitely not you. Um...Ryusen, I'll give you the honor."

"Shit," Ryusen, the blue haired man, muttered under his breath before nodding towards Jalice while rolling his eyes. "Thank you, Lord," He growled sarcastically, "for allowing me the honor of testing the Kerovian kid. I'm flattered."

Jalice smirked and shook his head good-naturedly. "Your welcome, Ryusen." Looking back down at Zhane, Jalice stepped back slowly and said, "Stand, Chosen One." As the Silver Astro Ranger complied, Jalice continued, "This will be a brief brawl, and don't worry. None of us expect you to win." Zhane had to use all of his willpower to keep from snorting. Thanks a bunch for the vote of confidence. "No ranger powers allowed...simply Meledan strength. Do you understand?" Zhane nodded, showing that he did. "Very well...get into fighting position!"

As Ryusen and Zhane stood face to face a few feet away from each other, Alyssia, Jalice, Wiren, Kerip, and Gewtir grouped together on the "sidelines." Alyssia leaned towards Jalice with a small smile on her face, all the while keeping her eyes on Gewtir. "You did tell Ryusen not to kill the kid, didn't you?"

"The one time I did that was a fluke!" Gewtir growled angrily as both Alyssia and Kerip chuckled. "That girl wasn't strong enough anyway! She wouldn't have made it in battle with the weak powers that she had!"

Wiren folded his arms over his chest, a pout forming on his lips. "Jalice, why couldn't I fight him??? Huh? Why not??" Kerip gazed at him before turning away and shaking her head. Some things never changed.

Jalice laughed out loud at this. "Surely you jest, Wiren. I couldn't have you fucking the boy in the middle of the battle. He'd be traumatized for life!" As Wiren turned away and scowled, the other members smirked and turned back towards the fight. Ryusen's dark blue aura was shining brightly around him as Zhane's silver aura, half as large, was doing the same thing. "Begin when ready!"

"Ok, Newbie," Ryusen murmured to himself as he watched Zhane's blue eyes become darker with concentration, "let's see what you've got." Raising his hands, Ryusen sighed as he felt his own power enter him. Jalice really should outlaw this fighting procedure. We end up traumatizing or killing half of the chosen ones that we find! Letting go of this thought, Ryusen created a ball of blue energy and hurled it at the Silver Astro Ranger, watching as his eyes widened in fright and he barely jumped away before the power hit him. Pathetic. THIS is the guy that defeated Melantha??

This guy is damned good! How can Jalice expect me to fight him!? Zhane wondered before dodging another ball of power. Shit...I'm dead. I'm so dead! As a stream of energy flew at him, Zhane raised his hands quickly and sent as much of his power as he could towards it, blocking the blow. Jalice watched this with a grin on his face. It was a good block, he had to admit.

Ryusen smirked. "Good, but not good enough, Kerovian!" Hurling a spiral of power at the Silver Astro Ranger, he smiled in satisfaction as the blast hit Zhane dead on, sending the younger man flying to the ground painfully. It was only then that Ryusen heard a gasp emit from the Meledan members who had been watching the fight, and he frowned with confusion. "What's wrong?" He demanded fiercely when he saw that everyone, even Jalice, was staring at him in disbelief. "Damn it, what's wrong!? I beat the kid...it's like I do to every other chosen one I test!"

"Your shoulder, Ryusen," Alyssia whispered, pointing towards his right shoulder. Turning, Ryusen's eyes widened as he found that his blue shirt had torn open and there was a thin line of blood coming from the wound that had just been opened. Facing Zhane who was lying on the ground and gasping for breath, he shook his head, not believing what had just happened. When did he...? Ryusen's eyes narrowed in fury. After all, he didn't appreciate being shown up...especially by a kid like Zhane.

As Kerip and Gewtir quickly went to tend to the fallen Chosen One, Jalice shook his head slowly and turned to Wiren who, for once, wasn't wearing a smile on his face. Instead, his mouth was open in wonder and his hazel eyes were focused intently on Zhane. "What do you think?" The Leader of the Meledan asked softly as he faced Zhane who was talking softly who Kerip. "No one's ever gotten through to any of our members during a testing...and Ryusen's one of the best! Zhane of KO-35...Wiren, what's your opinion?"

Wiren gazed at the Kerovian for another second before smiling flippantly at Jalice. "Well, he's young...fit...obviously a strong warrior...and I noticed that you were having a fun time flirting with the kid, Jalice." As the Leader of the Meledan smirked, Wiren's grin grew. "You asked my opinion, and that's my answer. He's confident, strong, young, cute...I like him! Zhane's good enough to eat if you ask me!"

"Say things like that and I might have to throw you out of the Meledan for threatening a fellow soldier," Jalice mumbled as he smacked Wiren's shoulder good-naturedly. "By the way, I was not flirting with him. He's a cute kid, sure, but he's not my type."

Leaning towards his leader, Wiren winked at him. "Just what is your type, Lord?" He was only replied to with a soft sigh, but this answer was enough to make him chuckle before turning and joining those who were tending to the Chosen One.

Trini frowned as she realized, with some embarrassment, that Jason had been aware of her staring. As he turned to her, eyes innocent and sparkling, she sighed again. "You're so distant," the Copper Ninja Ranger said at last. "I'm worried about you."

"That's actually funny because I'm more worried about the rest of the team than about myself," Jason admitted with a hesitant smile as he turned his attention to the sand around him. "There's Tommy's situation, Kat and Rocky's...event, Andros and Yaralla's sickness, Zhane's injuries and new power...Nothing seems to be going right with us. I kinda wish--" He paused for a moment, obviously considering his words. "I kinda wish that none of this had ever happened. None of us know each other anymore. We used to be best friends, but this whole situation is drawing us apart."

"I understand that feeling," Trini whispered softly. At his confused look, she faced the ocean again, unwilling to stare him in the eye. "My whole focus has been you." While Jason colored lightly at these words, it seemed as if the Copper Ninja Ranger found no embarrassment in saying them. "You're all that I can think about. I wonder if you're all right, I stay up at night watching you sleep, I pray for you whenever you're not with me...which is becoming more and more frequently."

Jason closed his eyes, relishing the warm sun on his face for a moment, before slowly saying, "I think of you, too, Trini. All the time."

Trini turned towards him again, a sardonic smile on her face. "Really?" Smirking, she shook her head at his statement. "I don't think so. You said it best, Jason. This whole time you've been worried about Tommy, Kat, Rocky, Andros, Zhane, Yaralla, and whoever else, but not me."

"I love you," Jason murmured, his gaze settled on his girlfriend. He didn't like her tone of voice...in fact, he didn't like this conversation. Period. It wasn't going in a direction that he wanted to go. "Trini, the rangers are a team. It's because of these recent events that we need to get closer together. Now is not the time to ignore our fellow teammates and friends."

"Is it the time to ignore your girlfriend?" At the Red Ranger's silence, Trini tilted her head, a playful expression on her cherubic features. "I remember when you first asked me to dance. We were in a club outside of Angel Grove, and it happened right after Tommy decided once and for all that he wanted Kat. That's when you realized that you loved me...when you realized that I had loved you forever, and you left a wonderful woman for me. Emily would have made you so happy."

Frowning stubbornly, Jason put a strong hand on her arm. "Trini, I love you. Yes, I loved Emily when I was going out with her, but that was a long time ago! You're all I see!"

"Love is fleeting," Trini muttered as she turned away from her boyfriend. "You literally threw out Emily in an instant! What if, let's say, you all of a sudden started liking Emily again. Would you toss me out in an instant?"

"It'll never happen, Trini, because you're all I see!" Jason persistent, his eyes wide with disbelief. Where the hell was she going with this argument? His mind desperately told him to change the topic, but the Red Ranger found himself tongue-tied. "Why are you saying all this?" He questioned at last. "Trini, what are you telling me?"

The Copper Ninja Ranger swallowed hard. This hurt to say, but it needed to come out in the open. There was no way to hold it in. Her heart hurt too much for that. "Jason, I love you as I've said many times. You're my world, but I'm not yours. You're all I see, but I'm not all you see. My thoughts are always on you, but your thoughts are more on the team...on Tommy...on all the others who are hurting right now, and there's nothing wrong with that, but...you need space."

Jason's grip on Trini's arm tightened, and he leaned towards her with fright. "W-what the hell are you saying, Trini!? Just tell me outright! What do you mean I need space!?"

"I'm holding you back. You know that I am, Jason. Right now, you don't need a girlfriend. What you need is a friend that will support you as you go through your trials in life...as you deal with the changing of the team! I want to be that friend, and when you're ready we'll try it again. Know that I'll always wait for you, but you need to get a grip on yourself first." Letting out a shaky breath, Trini forced herself to look at Jason...to see his reaction to her words.

What she found was pure rage in the face of the Red Ranger, and Trini found herself shivering. Jason was more than just angry...more than pissed...he was completely horrified and disgusted. Trini, you were supposed to know me the best! How could you do this!? A friend!? Can't a girlfriend support you as you go through trials!? Wait for me. Sure. I'm sure she has some other guy waiting for her to finish with me! Get a GRIP!? DAMN HER!!! Seeing the tears in the Copper Ninja's eyes, Jason slowly released his hold on her and listened to her faint apology before she ran from the beach, leaving him alone with his ocean surroundings.

Shit...what's happening? Everything's going dark! Someone, help me. They'll kill me... There was nothing after that, but it was enough, and Jaime's eyes widened to their largest. Gasping for breath, he pushed out as much sound he could, and even this only came as a hoarse whisper. "Zhane...Zhane..."

Staring down at the Triphorian, Emily did her best to hold the Silver Ranger in place as his movement increased. "Jaime, talk to me! Please! Do you hear me?" It was obvious that Jaime was conscious, and yet it didn't seem like he could hear her. His words now were the first that she had heard him utter since the prior day. "Jaime!"

"Zhane!"

The strangled shout startled Emily for a minute, and she stared at Jaime in wonder as she watched the Triphorian grab his chest and tear at his clothing in this painful rage. "Jaime...you're...him?" There was nothing else to say, and she quickly raised her communicator to her lips. "Tommy, come in!"

"Emily, you sound shaken up? Is something wrong?" Tommy replied, concern flooding into his voice. The White Ranger did nothing to hide his worry.

"I'm with Jaime...he's in a lot of pain, but it's almost as if he has some connection to Zhane. Jaime's been calling his name for the last ten minutes and I haven't been able to get him still! Please, could you just check his location to be on the safe side?"

This alarmed Tommy. After all, hadn't Zhane just been with Zordon? Their mentor couldn't have put the Silver Astro Ranger in danger, could he? "Don't worry, Emily. Just keep trying to calm Jaime down, and I'll talk to Zordon. There are a couple of questions I want to ask him about Zhane anyway."

He must be talking about the power Zhane exhibited yesterday Emily concluded with a nod. She licked her lips before answering, "Got it. Please hurry. If Zhane gets taken care of properly, it just might help Jaime." Realizing how stupid this sounded, Emily sighed. "Well, forget about the details...just go!"

"Gotcha." In all honestly, Emily didn't sound idiotic. In fact, her words made perfect sense. Jaime and Zhane had obviously been connected by some unearthly force the day earlier. Why wouldn't that tie carry over past that incident? "I'm on my way." With that, Tommy switched off his communicator before setting his coordinates on the main room of the Power Chamber. Zordon had a lot of questions to answer.

Meanwhile, Emily used all of her strength to pin Jaime's flailing arms at his side. "Hold on, Jaime. Please. You'll feel better soon." At least, I hope. We can't afford to lose another ranger, and I don't think Kim or anyone else could afford to lose you.

"That's Zhane, isn't it? That guy Tommy was hanging out with."

"He looks really screwed up!"

"...Wait a minute, who are you?"

Hearing the voices, Zhane forced himself to open his eyes despite the horrible pain that shot through him as soon as he saw the light. What happened to me? Ryusen...that beam...am I still alive? They didn't kill me?? "Zhane, are you all right?" Hearing the cautious voice, Zhane tilted his head upward and scanned his memory as fast as he could so that he could identify the person. Long black hair, female, darker skin than Kat and the others...I know her, but from where? We've met...I was with Tommy at the time. How else would I know her? Wait a minute... He looked around at the other three people that were huddled around him. A guy with light skin and brown hair...and kid with medium-length brown hair...and a guy with really dark skin. I don't...I know I know them. I know I do...

"It doesn't look like he remembers us," The one with the dark skin muttered, a small comforting smile on his face. Somehow, Zhane felt better when he saw it. In a way, this person made him feel safe. The man knelt down next to him and touched his forehead softly. Zhane tried to dodge the touch, but as soon as he felt a sharp stinging where the hand made contact with his skin he became blatantly aware of the blood that had dried on his face. "Zhane, you look like something chewed you up and spit you out," the man acknowledged with a shake of the head. "What the hell happened?"

"I...I don't know..." Zhane answered faintly which, obviously, was a complete lie. However, he wasn't sure that these four people were rangers, and in the back of his mind he could hear Tommy telling him not to reveal his identity to anyone. Zhane forced a weak smile that came out more like grimace. "All I do know is that I feel like hell."

The young boy looked him over quickly before grinning widely. "Well, whatever did happen, you aren't going to die or anything!" As the woman glared at him, he quickly backed behind the older boy with the brown hair.

That voice...I know that kid. Rocky was there; Yaralla was there... Deciding to try out the name that had come into his head, he whispered, "Justin?" The boy, Justin Stewart, quickly poked his head out from behind the brown-haired teenager and nodded, obviously pleased that he had been remembered before the others.

Turning to the brown-haired teen, Zhane squinted at him, wondering where he knew the guy from. Tommy and I were by the lake...looking at clouds, if I remember right. He heard a noise behind the trees and thought it was an attack, but it was really this guy... "Jeff, right?"

"I knew you couldn't forget a mug like mine, Zhane," Jeff Fowler said with a wide smile. This quickly fell away as he looked over the Silver Astro Ranger's beaten body. "You look like shit! We need to get you to the hospital!"

"Do you really want to move him in his condition?" The man with the dark skin asked with worry as he slowly took his shirt off. With the others watching, he tore it into three separate sections. Taking the first, he wrapped it around Zhane's forehead to cover the gash that was there. The second he wrapped on the top of his right arm where a slash was bleeding horribly. With the third he covered the bleeding wound on Zhane's right leg. "At least it doesn't look like he has a concussion," He said to the others before turning back towards Zhane. "Were you attacked out here?"

"Shit, it isn't safe living in the middle of a battle area!" Jeff exclaimed, not giving the Silver Astro Ranger a chance to speak. His eyes were wide with fear, and he looked around quickly as he muttered, "Remember what happened to Tommy? A gang attacked him or something! I swear, there are a whole bunch of thugs out here watching us, and--"

The Asian woman smacked him sharply on the arm. "Stop being paranoid," She ordered sternly. As Jeff snorted and leaned back on the grass, she shook her head. "I swear, the sun is frying your brain." Facing Zhane again, she quickly replaced her frown with a wide smile. "Don't mind him. Anyway, in case you don't remember, I'm Cassie and the guy with no shirt on is TJ. You met us in the shelter while you were with Tommy."

Gazing at her, Zhane forced his memory to work. He hadn't been able to find Tommy anywhere and had gone to the shelter as a last resort. There, he had found the White Ranger sitting with two people that weren't to know of his identity as a ranger or as a person from another planet. The Silver Astro Ranger smiled to himself. One of them was TJ and the other was Cassie. "I remember you now. Sorry. My mind seems to be malfunctioning lately." Looking down at his injuries, he sighed. "I don't really know what happened. Some of the injuries are work-related, but the newer ones...I don't know..."

"Could they have drugged him?" Jeff whispered questioningly into TJ's ear. In response, he shrugged, and Jeff sighed with frustration. "Well, whatever happened, you're safe now. That's the important thing," He noted finally, a comforting smile lighting up his face. Zhane found himself strangely grateful of the gesture. There was a gnawing at the back of his mind, however. Where were the Meledan members? Why had they left him there? More importantly, what had they thought of him, and were they coming back?

Coming back? Coming back!? They're not here, of course! Zhane, you idiot! They went to Zordon! Sitting up quickly, Zhane ignored the puzzled expressions on the faces of the non-rangers and gazed down at his communicator. I told Kerip where to go, but I didn't have the chance to warn Zordon before I passed out! "What's wrong?"

Acknowledging TJ's question, Zhane pointed towards the bushes behind him. "I saw something moving over there...the people who attacked me...I don't know, it could be them..." Hey, I may be no match for Tommy's acting, but if you're a ranger you have to be able to lie. "I have to go stop them!"

"That's bullshit," Jeff voiced as he shook his head stubbornly. "As a pretty good martial artist...and a pretty good-looker, if I do say so myself, I'll take care of them for you!" With that, he sprinted off into the bushes, intent on stopping whoever had been stalking them.

Cassie watched him doubtfully. "Well, we'd better go help him. That idiot wouldn't be able to fight off one guy without making a mistake." TJ nodded in silent agreement, and the two took off into the bushes. Justin watched them for a moment, turned to Zhane for approval and, after seeing the Silver Astro Ranger's nod, he ran off to find the others.

Zhane smiled weakly. "That was too easy. How come fights can never take this little work?" Becoming solemn as he remembered Zordon's situation, the Silver Astro Ranger painfully pushed himself to his feet and, with a small grimace, he teleported away in a flash of silver.

"Man, there's no one there! It was probably just a--" Cutting off, Jeff looked around, confused by the fact that Zhane was no longer there. He scratched his head. Had he returned to the wrong spot? No...he couldn't have. Cassie, TJ, and Justin had come to the same place, as well.

Justin gazed around the now open area and shook his head, deciding to voice the unspoken question. "Where did he go?" It was something that the other three couldn't answer.

Watching as the White Ranger stormed into the control room of the Power Chamber, Zordon sighed and did his best to hide a smile. "TO WHAT DO I OWE THIS PLEASANT GREETING, TOMMY?" There was no need to ask the question, but the Wizard of Eltar decided that it would be far more amusing to give Tommy what he wanted to hear instead of jumping to the point.

Stop trying to hide! You know what I want to know! "I think you know perfectly well! Emily is with Jaime right now, and somehow Jaime has developed a link with Zhane. If you've put Zhane in any kind of danger than I damn well have the right to know about it as the leader of the team!" Clenching his fists, he glared angrily up at Zordon's smirking face. "Well!? Are you going to answer me!?"

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU EARLIER, TOMMY, THAT THIS MATTER IS NONE OF YOUR CONCERN?" Zordon questioned, his eyes glittering with amusement as Tommy's darkened. Deciding to become serious lest the White Ranger go insane, the Eltarian sighed. "I'LL ADMIT, ZHANE IS IN A BIT OF PAIN, BUT IT'S NOTHING THAT HE CAN'T DEAL WITH."

"Where the hell is he!?" Tommy demanded, not being calmed by what he had just heard. I don't understand how Zordon could put any of us in a dangerous situation without the other rangers being aware...even if we aren't allowed to join the fight! This isn't like him! "You had better tell me!"

Zordon was tempted to stubbornly ask Tommy what he was planning on doing to him if he refused to comply, but answering the question seemed like the easiest plan of action, and so he did. "ZHANE IS IN ANGEL GROVE PARK BEING TESTED BY MY SUPERIORS. IT IS A MATTER THAT DOES NOT CONCERN YOU, AND I FOUND NO REASON WHY YOU OR THE OTHERS HAD TO BE AWARE OF THE SITUATION. ZHANE WANTED IT TO BE SECRETIVE JUST LIKE I DID. IF HE HAD WANTED YOUR BACKUP THEN HE WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR IT."

Tested? By Zordon's superiors? "I don't understand," Tommy admitted, the rage beginning to filter out of his eyes. Relaxing a bit, he took a step closer to his mentor. "Is this about the power Zhane displayed yesterday?"

"THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW ABOUT ZHANE, TOMMY," Zordon informed the White Ranger after a short pause. "HIS...ABILITY...WAS SOMETHING THAT EVEN I DIDN'T REALIZE UNTIL HE USED IT. SURE, I SENSED THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT HIM. HIS STAMINA IS GREATER THAN MOST OF THE OTHER RANGERS, HE NEVER GIVES UP, HE'S WILLING TO GIVE HIS LIFE FOR OTHERS...I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST OVERLY NOBLE UNTIL LAST NIGHT."

"Zordon?"

The Eltarian chuckled slightly and smiled at the White Ranger. "WOULD YOU BELIEVE, TOMMY, THAT ZHANE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE A HIGHER LEVEL OF POWER THAN MYSELF?"

Tommy was shocked by the question. Zhane's not a wizard...I think I would have noticed that. "No, I don't believe that, Zordon. It's not possible! Zhane doesn't have the internal power that you have!" He didn't need to wait for Zordon's answer to realize what was going on. Internal power? He does have internal power. What else could that aura have been yesterday? "I...I still don't understand."

"YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ME MENTION SOMETHING CALLED THE MELEDAN, TOMMY. HAVE YOU?" At the White Ranger's nod, Zordon took a deep breath before continuing, "THE MELEDAN IS THE FIGHTING GROUP THAT I BELONGED TO BEFORE I WAS TRAPPED IN THIS TIME WARP BY RITA. A LONG TIME AGO, DARK SPECTER CONTROLLED THE UNIVERSE, AND THE MELEDAN IS THE GROUP THAT DECIDED TO FIGHT BACK. I AM A CHOSEN ONE WHO HAS MAINLY ORANGE POWER WITHIN ME, BUT BECAUSE ORANGE IS ONE OF THE WEAKEST POWERS THAT THERE IS, I HAVE USED MY WIZARDRY TO CREATE MANY DIFFERENT AURAS WITHIN MYSELF. I AM ONE OF THE ONLY BEINGS LEFT IN THE UNIVERSE THAT CAN DO THIS. NOT EVEN JALICE CAN.

"JALICE IS THE LEADER OF THE MELEDAN. HE CONTROLS PURPLE ENERGY WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL. I CANNOT RECREATE IT WITHIN MYSELF. THERE ARE, HOWEVER, OTHER MASTERS OF THE COLOR FIGHTING. I'LL LIST THEM FOR YOU. KERIP CONTROLS PINK ENERGY, GEWTIR CONTROLS GREEN ENERGY, WIREN CONTROLS BROWN ENERGY, SERI CONTROLS GOLDEN ENERGY, ALYSSIA CONTROLS BLACK ENERGY, NINJOR, THE ONE WHO CREATED YOUR POWER MORPHERS AND THOSE OF MOST MELEDAN FIGHTERS, DOES NOT NEED A CERTAIN COLOR ENERGY FOR HE CAN CONTROL FLAME...RYUSEN..." Tommy thought he heard Zordon's voice shake as he said the name, but the Eltarian quickly recomposed himself. "RYUSEN CONTROLS BLUE ENERGY, AND ZHANE...ZHANE IS A CHOSEN ONE WHO CONTROLS SILVER ENERGY.

"IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THERE TO BE MORE THAN ONE MASTER IN A CERTAIN COLOR ENERGY. ZHANE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS A NOVICE CONTROLLER OF SILVER ENERGY, AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER BEINGS ON OTHER PLANETS THAT CAN CONTROL THIS POWER, BUT HIS LEVELS...THEY HAVE SUCH POTENTIAL THAT THE MELEDAN CAME TO TEST HIM. IF HE IS ACCEPTED, HE MAY HAVE TO LEAVE HERE AND FIGHT ALONGSIDE THEM.

"THERE WAS NO REASON FOR ME TO TELL YOU, TOMMY. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT AND ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THERE IS MUCH YOU CANNOT KNOW AT THIS MOMENT. YOU HAVE TO TRUST MY JUDGMENT AND BELIEVE IN ZHANE DURING THIS TIME. HE HAS ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT BEING PRESSURED BY US. THIS IS TO BE TOLD TO NO ONE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Tommy closed his eyes for a moment as he swallowed this new information. Chosen One? Colored energy? The Meledan...it's all becoming clear now, but why Zhane? "Zordon, there's one more thing that I don't understand," Tommy confessed and, seeing that Zordon was giving him approval to continue, he questioned, "Why is Zhane a chosen one? Was he born that way or can anyone train to be one?"

Zordon nodded slowly. "IF YOU'RE ASKING WHY YOU AREN'T A CHOSEN ONE AND ZHANE IS, KNOW THAT IT ISN'T ALWAYS A PRIVILEGE TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY YOUR SUPERIORS, AND KNOW THAT ZHANE DIDN'T WANT THIS RESPONSIBILITY. YOU SHOULDN'T WISH FOR SUCH THINGS BECAUSE YOU'LL NEVER GET THEM. ZHANE WAS BORN WITH THIS CURSE. YOU SHOULD NEVER WISH TORTURE ONTO YOURSELF, TOMMY. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

After saying these words, Zordon looked around suspiciously. He had just felt a jerk of power. Something was coming...someone was coming. Gazing down at Tommy who had just nodded in regard to his last question, Zordon's mouth fell open. They're coming? No! Not now! At first, he felt a twinge of anger as he wondered why Zhane hadn't contacted him, but then he remembered Tommy's words. Jaime had sensed that the Kerovian was in pain. He probably hadn't been able to warn him. "LEAVE."

"Huh?"

Looking down at Tommy frantically, Zordon motioned towards the door at the back of the room. "GET OUT OF HERE NOW! I'LL CALL YOU WHEN IT'S SAFE TO RETURN!" They can't find out about you yet, Tommy. It's too soon. If you're here when they arrive, they'll kill you...and me, most likely. "DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF! GO!"

Tommy stared worriedly up at Zordon before quickly nodding and teleporting out of the room. Breathing a sigh of relief, the Eltarian barely had time to compose himself when six lights flashed. He looked them over quickly. Pink, black, green, brown, purple, and...blue. Zordon swallowed. "THE REUNION BEGINS."

Slowly, the lights began to fade, and in their place stood six of the most legendary Meledan members ever to live in the Universe. Jalice examined his surroundings. This wasn't the same Command Center that had been built for Zordon many years ago...it was much more advanced, and he felt glad that his old friend had been able to keep up with the changes in time. "Greetings, Zordon. It has been awhile."

"I AGREE," Zordon said cautiously as he bowed his head to the leader of the Meledan. "EXCUSE ME FOR NOT BEING AWARE OF YOUR ARRIVAL. APPARENTLY, ZHANE FORGOT TO CONTACT ME."

"Your chosen one wouldn't be so clumsy, Old Friend," Alyssia noted with a seductive smile as she twirled a strand of her midnight black hair around her finger. "Ryusen fought him, he lost, and now he has passed out. No big deal."

Doing his best to keep a friendly smile on his face, Zordon questioned, "SINCE WHEN, JALICE, DO YOU LEAVE INJURED WARRIORS BEHIND BEFORE THEY ARE TREATED? THAT'S NOT LIKE YOU."

"Don't misunderstand," Gewtir cut in, seeing that Jalice was beginning to get upset. What they didn't need was the whole building going up in a rush of purple energy. "Zhane is being taken care of by a few humans that were in the area. He knows who they are, I believe, and everything will be fine. There was no reason to take him with us." Zordon nodded, pleased by this and internally grateful that Gewtir had come along on this mission. He could be a trickster, sure, but inside he was one of the kindest warriors in the Meledan and a valued friend.

Wiren smiled nervously as he glanced from Zordon to Ryusen who was looking at the floor and clenching his fists. I hate being in such tough situations. "Um, we're all happy to see that you're doing well, Zordon!" He glanced at Ryusen who shifted his weight from his left foot to his right one. "Ryusen, you agree, right?"

Obviously not pleased by being dragged into this, Ryusen shot a death glare at Wiren who backed away from his friend and fellow Meledan member before forcing himself to look up at Zordon. The two locked eyes for a moment. Ryusen then turned towards the wall and shrugged emotionlessly. "I suppose so."

Kerip opened her mouth so that she could break the tension, but it ended up that a better distraction came along, and Wiren collapsed to the ground as a silver streak of light landed right on top of him. As Zhane materialized on the unfortunate Meledan member, Alyssia and Kerip burst into laughter. Seeing Wiren's grin as he slowly helped the disgruntled Silver Astro Ranger to his feet, Jalice snorted and shook his head. "Really, Zhane, if you're going to be a full-fledged Meledan member then you're going to have to be more careful."

"Oh, I don't mind," Wiren said playfully which made Ryusen roll his eyes. Jalice aimed a glare at his fellow Meledan member who smiled widely. "Fall on me anytime you want to, Zhane!"

Grimacing for a moment in pain, Zhane looked at him and shrugged. "Um...thanks, I think." Turning towards Jalice, the Kerovian frowned with confusion. "What did you say before?"

Knowing exactly what he was referring to, Jalice smiled, his momentary irritation with Wiren forgotten. "I was going to tell you later, Zhane, but your, ahem, interesting entrance has allowed me to tell you and Zordon at the same time. Congratulations. You've passed our testing. I'd like to take you with us to Paladoi for a small training mission. After all," He glanced at Ryusen, "not everyone hurts a Meledan member during a practice fight." Zhane looked at the ground and nodded slowly.

Ryusen was positively enraged at this embarrassment. "The kid just got lucky! That's all it was! Let him try again and he won't be able to scratch me!" Stupid kid gets all the respect. What has he done to deserve it? I won the match anyway. Who cares if he cut my shoulder? He wouldn't last two minutes in a real battle.

"I SEE THAT YOU'RE STUBBORN AS ALWAYS," Zordon commented as he gazed down at the blue haired Meledan member. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ADMIT THAT YOU'RE UPSET BECAUSE YOUR PRIDE WAS INJURED? ZHANE HURT YOU. THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS. YOUR STATUS ISN'T ON TRIAL HERE. THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, ZHANE'S WAS, AND HIS IS IMPROVING QUITE RAPIDLY."

The other Meledan members nodded slowly and turned their attention to Ryusen who was looking at the ground again. They didn't know what to expect from him. Was he going to argue or be silent? Finally, Ryusen smirked and turned, heading for the door. "This is ridiculous. I don't need to be lectured by some weakling trapped inside of a plastic tube."

"Ryusen!" Kerip called in alarm. Wiren stared at Ryusen's back with a small frown tightening his lips. Alyssia shook her head, having fully expected a display of this kind.

Not turning back, Ryusen shrugged. "I'll be waiting in Angel Grove. When you're finished talking to the washed up Eltarian in there, come down and get me, and know this...if the kid gets within a few feet of me, I'll kill him. Understand?"

Zordon sighed and turned away from the man, choosing to look down at Zhane instead. The Silver Astro Ranger was biting his lip angrily, and he finally put his hands on his hips. "It's not my fault that you couldn't deflect a simple strike. Don't take your weakness out on me, and don't you dare talk to your superior like that."

This was enough to get a reaction out of Ryusen who, obviously surprised by this statement, turned around and stared at Zhane. Jalice put a hand through his purple hair with a sigh. At least this was getting interesting. He smiled to himself. The Chosen One had a backbone. That much was certain.

Ryusen watched Zhane for a few more minutes to see if the Silver Astro Ranger would back down, and when he didn't the blue haired man laughed lightly. "I like you, Zhane. You're an idiot...maybe I won't kill you yet, but know this...speak to me like that again and I won't hold back. Zordon may be my superior, but I'm yours. Don't forget it." With these words, he left the room, and Zhane was able to let out the breath that he had been holding. Wiren smiled smugly. This kid is interesting. Maybe he'll be fun to hang around with after all.

Opening an eye slowly, she took in her surroundings. Yep, she was definitely in her room. Her body was aching. Why? Why does it hurt so much? Could I...have what Zhane has? How long have I been out? "Hey, you're awake!"

Startled, Yaralla jumped out of bed and kicked at the form she found there. This move used up most of her energy, and she slid down to the floor, doing her best to clear her vision. A loud groan caught her attention, and she turned towards the figure who had been by her bed. Yaralla's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God...Rocky!? What the hell are you doing here!?"

"I thought that I was taking care of you," Rocky muttered as he rubbed his chest and winced, "but I guess you can take care of yourself." Helping Yaralla to her feet, he sat with her on her bed, putting a hand through his brown hair nervously. I have to tell her. If I don't, I'm going to die! "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I just exhausted myself," Yaralla acknowledged with a weak chuckle. "Sorry about that. Do I have what Zhane has?"

Rocky nodded slowly. "The disease still hasn't been identified, but Adam and Billy are working on it, and I know they'll come up with results soon." He closed his eyes and pictured his two friends working without rest on finding the cause of the illness. "I know they will. Adam and Billy have never let us down, and I'm not about to let them start now." He smiled to prove his point. Tell her! How hard can it be to say a few simple words. `I had sex with Kat by force.' It isn't that difficult!

Looking over the Blue Ranger, Yaralla grinned and put a hand on his arm. "I hope they know that they have my gratitude and my apologies. Though I know I'm in no condition to help them, I wish that I could. It's hard work...I should know." She pushed her tangled hair out of her face. "Ugh, I must look like a hag. Rocky, do I look like a hag?" Seeing his smile, Yaralla bashed him on the back of the head with her fist. "Don't answer that."

"You don't look like a hag," Rocky countered as he rubbed his now throbbing head. Running a hand over his arm nervously, he wondered what to say next. I have to tell her what happened... "Yaralla, I'd like to tell you something and I don't know how you're going to take it."

"I take all things well," Yaralla told him with a friendly smiled as she folded her legs and leaned back against the wall. "What is it?"

Say it! Say it! "Well, um, I...I..." Yaralla leaned towards him, silently urging him on. "I...havethebiggestcrushonyouandIhaveeversinceIsawyouonHorat!" Holy shit! Where did that come from!?

Yaralla's eyes narrowed as she studied the shaking Blue Ranger. What did he just say? It couldn't have been what I thought it was, could it? "Could you repeat that in a language that I can understand please, Rocky?"

"I have the biggest crush on you and I have ever since I saw you on Horat," Rocky repeated, this time more quietly as he inwardly kicked himself over and over. I guess I can say this now and tell her about the sex thing later...No, you idiot! You're making things harder!

Staring at Rocky in utter disbelief, Yaralla finally shrugged. "You know, it's not nice to tease a girl when she's sick, Rocky. Even you should be beyond--" Cutting off, she stared into Rocky's hopelessly sad eyes and a large grin appeared on her face. He's serious. Oh God, he's really serious! "Are you lying?" The Blue Ranger shook his head quickly. "Good, because I wouldn't want to say that I've felt the same way since Horat and find out that it was just a joke."

Taking in this new revelation, Rocky took her hand in shock. "Are you serious!? You felt the same way!?" Yaralla nodded happily. "Damn it, then I shouldn't have waited so long to tell you! This whole time I thought there was something going on between you and Andros or Zhane!"

Laughing at this previous assumption, Yaralla shook her head. "Look, Rocky. I love Andros and Zhane dearly. They're like brothers. Think about that. Dating Andros or Zhane would be like committing incest. Besides, they'd both annoy the hell out of me after a month or so and I'd have to kill them!"

Rocky stayed with Yaralla for about thirty more minutes before, completely drained of energy, she collapsed into slumber again. Watching her chest rise and fall peacefully, he rested his head in his palms. I could have cleared everything up...now I know that she likes me, too, but how can I tell her about Kat now? The answer seemed just as hopeless as the situation. This didn't look good.

It was so soft at first that Billy couldn't hear it, but slowly he became aware of the sound coming from the computer next to Adam's sleeping form. "What the...?" Walking over to it, he punched in a four-digit code to bring up the information that had been found. "DECA, what's going on?"

"I think the system has some answers for you, Billy," DECA's automated voice responded cheerfully as a set of graphs came up on the computer. Scanning them, Billy nodded happily. Finally, it had been identified. "We have the source of the problem," DECA reported. "On screen now."

Turning towards the screen at the front of the Bridge, Billy's eyes widened as he saw the image appear. "What the hell? How could it have started with him?" He stared at the still picture of Jason in shock. "What is this thing, DECA?"

"It's called the Notser Flu. This is a very dangerous disease, Billy. It's rare and is caused not by bacteria or a virus but by the manipulation of cells by a supernatural force." Hearing this, Billy frowned. Supernatural force? Then how did Jason get it? Why hadn't he shown any sickness? "This disease does not effect Earthians, and while the effect is heavy on Kerovians, it's mostly like a harsh cold on Earth. The disease comes and goes...there are some beings, however, that have severe problems with this disease, namely Horations, Waltarians, and...oh..."

Billy's eyes narrowed as he heard the hesitation in the computer's voice. "And what? Who else, DECA?"

Reluctantly, DECA read off the last name from the computer's list. "Horations, Waltarians, and Triphorians. If exposed to the disease, it can be fatal in less than three days time."

"Jaime...this isn't good. He's already been exposed for a day!" Billy exclaimed in shock as he began shaking Adam frantically. "At least we caught the disease early. DECA, what's the antidote? We have to get it for Jaime right away!"

DECA peered at Billy and Adam, who was just opening his eyes groggily, before whispering, "The computer has no information on the antidote. It is unknown."

"Master Vile?" Billy questioned in confusion at this statement. "How do you know?"

"It's too much of a coincidence!" Emily told him strongly. "Zordon was in Tommy's body and was fighting Master Vile. Jason knew that Tommy needed help, so he teleported out of the Power Chamber so that he could give Zordon his body. Master Vile hit him with something...I don't know what it was, but at first didn't seem to do any damage. When Jason was in the Power Chamber after Tommy's death, Zhane went to check up on him and contacted me from the Megaship, telling me to keep an eye on him because he felt really warm and looked kinda ill. Billy, that's your supernatural force."

Billy nodded in agreement and looked at Adam who showed with a nod of the head that he agreed with everything that Emily had said. "If that's true, Master Vile is dead. Do you even think there is an antidote?"

"We need to call the rangers together in order to discuss this," Adam suggested as he punched a few numbers into the Megaship's computer. "Zordon might know how to deal with this. If anyone knows how to find the antidote to this Notser Flu, it'll be him."

"I agree," Emily said through her communicator, "and we need to meet now. I'll start contacting people. You two teleport to the Power Chamber. Jaime's time is running out." She heard Billy's acceptance of this and, after he had cut their communication, Emily touched Jaime's clammy hand, fear creeping through her as he pulled his arm away. "Please hold on. It'll just be a matter of time before we find the antidote." The Silver Ranger only shivered in response.

"You couldn't protect a flea," Gewtir muttered with a smirk as he stepped next to Zhane and clasped a hand on his shoulder. "I agree with Wiren, though. This is an easy mission. You'll get your ranger back, Zordon, so please don't worry. If it will make you feel better, I'll personally make his life my responsibility. Will that do?" Feeling calmer, Zordon nodded his agreement.

A shout from the back of the room caught the attention of everyone. "Zordon, guess what!? We found out what the disease is!" Adam called happily as he stepped through the doors with Billy right behind him. "However, the rangers need to get together and find an...antidote." That was when he noticed all the people in the room.

Billy stepped past Adam and raised his fists warily. "What's going on here? Zordon, who are these people?" Seeing that the green haired man had a hand on Zhane's shoulder, his eyes narrowed warily. "Who are you?"

"Don't demand answers from your superiors," Jalice told the blond haired Earthian with a grin. "I suggest you teach your rangers manners, Zordon. We'll be leaving now. Zhane, lock in the coordinates 627544 into your communicator." Wordlessly, the Kerovian did as asked. Soon, the seven were gone, having teleported away in their specific colors.

Adam watched them go before looking up at Zordon, the dire situation of the Notser Flu momentarily forgotten. "Who were those people, Zordon?"

"Yeah, and why did they just take Zhane with them?" Billy added with a puzzled expression on his features.

Zordon looked down at them with a calm smile. "ADAM, BILLY, DON'T BE SURPRISED IF ZHANE IS GONE FOR QUITE AWHILE. HE'LL BE FINE, THOUGH. HAVE NO FEAR." Seeing that the two rangers still didn't understand what was going on, the Eltarian sighed and decided to change the subject. "YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT FINDING OUT WHAT THE DISEASE WAS. WOULD YOU CARE TO INFORM ME?"

Pushing Zhane's situation out of his mind for the time being, Billy nodded. "Zordon, we need to call the rangers together. This is urgent. We don't have much time to save Jaime."

"We're blaming Master Vile, Jason," Adam told him, his eyes sparkling comfortingly. "Not you. It wasn't your choice to be the carrier of this disease. None of us were aware of what Master Vile had done."

Andros nodded in agreement before looking around quickly. "Um...Zordon...where's Zhane? Shouldn't he be here?" Tommy swallowed and looked to his mentor, wondering what the Eltarian was going to say in response to this.

Looking down at the Red Astro Ranger with a pitying expression, Zordon answered, "HE HAS BEEN DISCOVERED BY THE MELEDAN AND TAKEN FOR TRAINING." Most of the other rangers seemed to have no idea what this meant, but Andros and Yaralla both stared at him with disbelief.

Yaralla lowered her head with a small smile. "I knew it," She commented quietly. "One day on KO-35 I caught him practicing, but I thought I had just been seeing things...and so I wouldn't worry about him I convinced myself that it was nothing...just residual energy from his digimorpher...God..."

Andros sighed. He's injured...he's sick...they can't do this to him! Not now! Zhane, why did you do this to yourself!? Forcing himself to calm down, the Red Astro Ranger glanced at Billy and decided to change the topic. "There has to be an antidote even if we don't know it. Master Vile was a being of evil...they must be hiding the antidote from us."

"That makes sense," Rocky commented with a nod. Tugging nervously on his blue tank top, he questioned, "What do we do about it, though? It isn't like we can go to the Moon Palace, appear before Zedd, and ask him to tell us what the antidote is, can we?" At Andros' sly smile, he faltered. "Why are you giving me that look?" Everyone turned towards the Kerovian who obviously had an idea.

"Rocky, you might be on to something." Hearing this, the Blue Ranger put his hands up defensively as if to say that he wasn't on to anything...he was NEVER on to anything! "We won't go to the Moon Palace. That would be dumb. Besides, Uriel, Rashell, Rita, and Zedd know who we are. Why don't we head to Onyx?" Zordon frowned. "The scum of the Universe goes there, and along with the lowlifes come even lower lowlifes...people that have been all over and know everything."

Tanya cut Zordon off before he could protest. "I agree that they won't know who we are, but we're Power Rangers...Power Rangers don't just show up around a group of monsters and demand information. We'll be outnumbered."

"It's too risky," Kat put in quickly. "What if we're caught? I mean, how far away is this Onyx?" She didn't wait for an answer. "We may not be able to teleport away in time if something happens!"

Andros crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "What else are we going to do? Sit here and wait for Jaime's life force to run out?" As the other rangers murmured among themselves, Andros nodded. "That's what I thought. Anything is worth a try, and who knows? We might get lucky. However," He paused for a moment before looking around at the others, "we all can't go."

"You're obviously not going," Trini muttered. As Andros glared at her, she smirked. "Do you really think that you'll be all right? Andros, you're sick. That's all there is to it. You and Yaralla don't have the choice of going."

Yaralla looked at the Red Astro Ranger, seeing his eyes narrow, and decided to defend him to the best of her ability. "First of all, this was Andros' idea. Secondly, he's been there before. None of us have. Sending rangers who have never been to the planet is a bad idea. It's very dangerous down there, and more so if you don't know what you're doing."

"If it's dangerous, that's more of a reason for Andros not to go," Adam voiced in opposition. "Obviously, whoever goes will be in disguise, but you might still be found out. In a morphed fight, he's not going to last five seconds."

"Andros is stronger than that!" Yaralla argued. "How can you doubt him that much!?"

"Adam wasn't doubting Andros. He's just worried about him!" Emily exclaimed with frustration. Yaralla put her hands on her hips with annoyance. Adam lowered his head, wishing he hadn't said anything.

Jason nodded, agreeing with Adam's earlier statement. "There's no way Andros is going. I won't stand for it. We don't need another ranger ending up like Zhane, all right?" Or like Jaime...Yaralla...Tommy...or even myself after Dactor. "Andros can give us all the information we need to know so whoever goes will know what to do."

"Will you guys PLEASE stop talking about me like I'm not in the room!?" Andros shouted angrily, a hand on his astro morpher. Everyone quieted in a heartbeat and the room became tense as the rangers stared at each other at a standstill on this issue.

Billy cleared his throat and took a step forward, breaking the silence. "I'll accompany Andros to Onyx." As the rangers opened their mouths to protest, Billy put up a hand, quieting them. "Andros needs to go. He can't pass down information about a location. You have to see and experience something to truly know what to expect. I need to go because I'll be able to retain information about the disease and the antidote which we