Green to White

Part One

"Ooo, Girl... this was just made for you!"

Alexis looked up, her hand still absently browsing through blouses on the rack. Her dark green eyes narrowed as she appraised the cotton knit turtleneck, the material a cool jade.

Her nose pinched. "I don't know about the color."

Angela blinked, setting the sweater back on the rack. "Since when don't you like green? It brings out your eyes."

"I think I have enough green stuff in my closet. I'm looking for... something else..."

Angela smirked, jerking her thumb to the pile of clothing the girls deposited on a nearby counter. "Lemme guess. Something purple."

Alexis visibly cringed at the offhand comment, glancing sidelong at her friend. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, just the fact that you're going on a wild shopping spree, and everything you picked out has been purple!"

Alexis frowned, shifting her gaze from the blouse rack to the clothing she had selected thus far. Sure enough, it was predominately purple... royal purple skirt, soft lavender sweater set, flare jeans with orchids embroidered near the ankle, black Guess logo shirt with plum rhinestones... even the canvas sneakers she selected were violet!

"I read in 'Seventeen' that purple is the in-color for the fall season." In truth, she hadn't even realized her color preference.

Angela shrugged, turning back to the sweater. She eyed it critically, lifting it from the rack once again and pressing it to her body. "Hmm... it's a bit chunkier than most of my shirts, but... what do you think?"

Alexis smiled her approval. "It'll look great on you."

Angela nodded in agreement, tossing the sweater over her arm. "Okay, I think that's enough for this store. We still have to get over to Masquerade and look for costumes for the Halloween Ball."

Alexis nodded obediently, sweeping up her purchases and following Angela to the registers. While the pair waited on the rapidly moving line, Alexis took another appraising look at her selections.

She then nudged Angela with her elbow.

"Do you think it's too much purple?"

Angela tilted her head. "Well... no. Lucky for you, purple compliments your skin tone. Though I think the richer shades look better than the pastels." She then leaned closer. "But that new watch of yours has got to go."

Alexis turned her attention to her purple and silver communicator band. "Really?"

Her friend nodded emphatically. "It's absolutely garish. Your wrist is far too dainty for such a bulky accessory. That style may look good on Zack, but you really need a thin one... maybe gold-tone."

Alexis blinked incredulously, her anxiety escalating. She absently settled her purchase on the register counter once the cashier was free. "Z...Zack?"

"Oh yes, he's got a very similar watch." Angela took the opportunity to take Alexis' wrist now that her arms were free. "Identical even; except for the color. Funny... I don't see a name brand."

Alexis jerked her hand away as gently as possible, laughing nervously. "Yeah, well... it's some flashy new European brand. I can't remember the name. Nana gave it to me when I visited her last week."

The new Purple Ranger barely contained a sigh of relief when Angela nodded, apparently accepting the explanation.

After the girls finished making their purchases, they strode through the sparsely populated halls of Angel Grove Plaza, Angela dragging her disinterested shopping-mate into Masquerade, a new seasonal shop that boasted the largest selection of adult-size costumes in the county.

Alexis gasped at the sight of the store.

It was decorated like a cave, the shelves and walls all covered with gray plastic designed to look like rock formations. The relatively dim lighting and dense fog that crawled along the floor gave the store a chill, emphasized by the air conditioning that kept the store noticeably cooler than the hallway just outside. Mannequins lined the walls, costumes covering just enough of the skin to make one wonder whether there wasn't a person within.

Alexis gulped, staring out into the darkened corridors. Where was everyone?

"Freaky," Angela marveled, an excited gleam in her eye as she moved forward, "It's like a haunted house! No wonder everyone's raving about it!"

"R...right," Alexis whispered, nervous fingers tightly clenching her shopping bags. It had only been a few days since her encounter with Goldar, which left her confined in a creepy, foggy, dark room for several hours, just waiting for death to claim her. Such a memory would leave anyone on edge.

The new Purple Ranger watched her friend vanish down an aisle, excitedly skimming through the selection of women's costumes hanging inside a wall. Alexis hovered near the entrance, her face still tight with anxiety.

Slowly, her gaze slid to a mannequin wearing a suit of armor that seemed to guard the entrance. He stood on a small podium next to the glass door, the tip of his sword grazing the ground between his toes.

She sighed loudly, desperately trying to recompose herself. "Angela? I think I'll... wait outside a bit. It's freezing in here."

When her friend didn't respond, Alexis couldn't help but worry.

Don't be so irrational, she chided, huffing aloud in disgust, It's just some stupid store...

Her lip quirking in a self-conscious laugh, she strolled toward the exit.

She promptly screamed when a silver sword suddenly appeared before her face, blocking her exit.

She didn't even think- her arms swung towards the left, where the knight stood at her side. Her heavy packages crashed into his gut, knocking the knight off his feet.

She almost broke into a run, but she heard the startled "Whumph!" from her would-be attacker, accompanied by a loud crash.

Alexis grimaced, dropping her bags and kneeling beside the knight, who had collided with a display of candy selections for Trick-or-Treaters. "I'm so sorry!" she gasped, "You... you scared me!"

To her surprise, the knight laughed riotously. "No, I think I owe you the apology," he said, once he'd recovered himself, "I didn't mean to really scare you... you were just too tempting a target."

He struggled to pull off his helmet, revealing a tan complexion and soft brown hair. He glanced up at Alexis, an impish grin spreading on his face. "Welcome to Masquerade. Mind helping me up? This suit's harder to move in than wet jeans."

Alexis sighed as she grasped the knight's hand, and pulled him to his feet. Once he was stable, he whistled, rubbing his sore neck. "You've got some quick reflexes," he commented, "Most people scream, but no one's hit me before."

Alexis glared at him, before turning away from his laughing copper gaze. Her face began to redden with humiliation. "I didn't mean it," she hissed, "But... that's what you deserve, sticking sharp swords in people's faces!"

He laughed again, bending down to pick up the "sharp" weapon. He held it before Alexis, and gripped the edge tightly. With little effort, he bent the sword into a U shape.

"Rubber," he explained with a smirk. He then tapped the edge of the blade against her forehead for emphasis.

Her face slowly folded into a snarl. This clown certainly didn't need to make her feel all the more the idiot by making fun of her.

"Whatever," she grumbled, collecting her bags, "I'm outside, Angie!"

Without even a gesture of goodbye, Alexis turned away from the knight and headed into the halls.

She blinked in surprise when she heard a heavy metal footfall directly behind her.

"You're not actually mad, are you?" the knight asked, "I mean, I said I was sorry."

She turned around with every intention of chewing out the young man for scaring her half to death. But one look at his face, alight with penitence and just a touch of boyish mischief, and all she could do was sigh. Again.

"Well, no," she conceded.

His face instantly broke into a sunny smile, and he grabbed her hand. "Great! Since you're such a good sport, you get 10% off your purchase! Today only!"

Alexis watched helplessly as the exuberant teen dragged her back into the store. "But I wasn't even shopping!" she insisted, "I'm just here with my friend."

"So you have your Halloween costume already?"

"Well, no-"

"Then you'd better get crackin'... you've only got a week before the big day."

Her eyes rolled as the pair re-entered the store. "I'm a too old for Trick-or-Treating."

His eyebrow quirked. "No one's ever too old for Trick-or-Treating. Besides, who doesn't love getting all decked out in a costume?"

Her hand rose to her lips in an attempt to hide an ironic smile.

"So, what do you want to be?"

She puzzled over the question for a moment, before finally shrugging her shoulders. "I have no idea."

The knight frowned at her skeptically. "Well, lucky for you I'm a master at finding the perfect costume. Have a seat, Miss."

Alexis obeyed, sitting on the empty chair near the entrance. She watched as the knight then turned his attention to the destroyed candy display, and began cleaning it up.

"Let's start with the basics," he said, glancing at her. "What's your name?"

"Alexis."

"Okay, Alexis... do you remember your childhood dreams?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything! The whole point of Halloween is wearing a costume... becoming a new person, just for one night."

"Really," she challenged, a smirk on her lips, "and silly me... all this time I thought it was a religious holiday which has been commercialized into games and candy by modern society, just like Christmas and Easter."

The knight paused his cleaning to stare at her. "You're sucking all the fun out of this, ya know."

She bit her lip to contain a giggle. "Sorry."

"Anyway," he resumed, "the best costume is one that feeds upon fantasy. That's when you really enjoy the holiday! Take me, for instance. I've always wanted to be a valiant hero, you know... rescuing a beautiful princess from a fire-breathing dragon, or saving the universe from a dark evil with my light saber. That kind of thing."

His smile widened, and he thumped his chest proudly. "This year, I'm the knight in shining armor. Last year, I was the masked superhero. The year before, I was the fearless cowboy."

Alexis leaned back, an amused grin on her lips. "I'm getting the picture."

"So, what's your fantasy? Think about it."

And so she did. She reflected on her youth... not that long ago, but for some reason it felt so far away the past few months. She thought about the carefree imagination that drove her parents to insanity, as she bound through the hallways as Wonder Woman, slid down the staircase atop a flattened cardboard box like a champion skier, or even huddled around the corner with her trusted water pistol as an intrepid British super spy.

What hadn't she dreamed to be? At some point she had been everything from G.I. Joe to Jem... how could she choose?

The knight noticed her overwhelmed expression, and smiled. "Hard to pick one, eh?"

"Yeah," she noted, absently fondling a lock of dark red hair, "How do I?"

"The next step is to focus on a theme- something that pervaded your dreams. Not a character, necessarily... but some aspect of a character that you cherish most. For me it's being heroic. Is there something you always wanted to experience?"

Then it dawned on her.

The thrill of sticking her head out the car window when her father sped down the highway, despite her mother's shrill demands for her to sit down and buckle her seatbelt. The rush that flooded her when she sat on the tire-swing in the middle school playground, always pulling her body higher. The feel of utter freedom when she swam in her grandmother's large pool, closing her eyes and just floating. The winter winds biting her cheeks as she glided along a frozen lake, only the thin blade of her skates touching the earth.

The feeling of freedom. Weightlessness. Full range of motion.

She had always wanted to fly.

Despite herself, she began chuckling. That's pretty stupid... I can fly! I've got wings now, for Pete's sake!

But the fantasy of flight was far different from reality. True, she could fly under her own power, but she couldn't really experience the pure thrill of it. She knew the rules... the Power was only to be used when necessary; and there was no time for dilly-dallying in the air during one of Lord Zedd's assaults.

The idealized dream was of hanging in the air, her hair free and floating in a glossy halo around her face. Her own wings... extensions of her body, not her uniform... holding her aloft. Cool breezes of the atmosphere tickling her flesh, contrasting with the warm glow of the sun that beat overhead. It was a far cry from reality, where her dense armor blocked out all the sensation... all the freedom she actually dreamed about.

And so, with a half-dreamy smile spreading her lips, she answered him. "I want wings."

From there it was easy to find the perfect costume. After fifteen more minutes, during which the knight helped her select accessories to truly personalize the costume, he escorted her to the register, where a cappuccino-skinned clown stood waiting.

"By the way, Bel, she gets 10% off," the knight informed the cashier.

Belinda smirked at him as she scanned the purchases. "Get back in place, good Sir Knight," she advised him, "before you miss your chance to spook another customer."

Alexis giggled, paid for her costume, and then moved toward the front of the store. She noticed Angela was waiting for her, leaning against the wall and holding a Masquerade shopping bag in addition to her previous purchases.

Angela smirked triumphantly. "I knew you'd find something," she teased.

"Well, I couldn't resist," Alexis admitted, as the pair moved to the exit side by side. On her way out, her gaze lingered on the silver knight, who had once again donned his helmet and taken his position beside the door. "So, what did you wind up buying?"

Angela's smile lit up. "The cutest frog-man helped me out, and I got this terrific belly-dancing outfit! Perfect chance to show off the fruits of all those crunches I added to my exercise routine. And get this, the frog was so adorable... he turned red as a tomato when I asked him how he thought it'd look on me..."

The girls then fell out of earshot, but the smirk on the knight's hidden face didn't budge. His hidden gaze swept towards the door, where Kermit the Frog watched the girls leave.

"Belinda says you gave the redhead a discount," Kermit noted, turning to face the knight while pulling off the large, cumbersome headpiece, "So how many girls did you try to charm so far?"

The knight chuckled, lazily tapping his sword against his shoulder. "For your information, just this one."

The frog's eyebrow quirked. "Only one? That's not the Rocky DeSantos I know!"

Rocky smirked mischievously, and pointed the tip of his rubber-sword at his friend's chest. "You'd better get back to your place, Park... or I'll be having frog's legs for dinner."

Adam laughed, sliding the "blade" away from him with his fingertip. "No... if Mrs. Campbell sees us goofing off again, she'll have both of us for dinner!"

* * *

Alexis pushed through the door to the girl's locker room, knotting her coiffeur in a ponytail as the door swung closed behind her. She stepped onto the gym floor, and waved to catch Jason's eye.

He smiled at her in greeting, and then continued demonstrating a new block as a squad of about a dozen attentive middle-schoolers looked on.

Amazing, Alexis marveled, I managed to hit the mall, go home and drop off all my stuff, change into my sweats, and still get here before Jason's class is over!

She then jogged over to the Juice Bar, plopping down on a stool beside Trini and Billy, who were also watching the class with interest.

"Hey guys."

"Hi Lex," Trini said with a smile, "Where'd you disappear to after school?"

Alexis shrugged. "Angela wanted to get a costume for Halloween, so I tagged along. I hadn't been shopping in weeks!"

"Did you buy anything?"

"You wouldn't believe how much money I spent today."

Billy smirked, his eyes still on the mats. "And I hypothesize that everything you purchased this afternoon was of purple hue."

The Purple Ranger was so startled she nearly fell off the stool. "H...how did you...?"

"It is a proven phenomenon," the genius explained, sipping his blueberry milkshake, "When a Ranger becomes connected to the Power, he instantly develops an affinity to the color of his energy signature."

"You're kidding," Alexis mumbled.

Trini smiled knowingly. "Nope. When I first became the Yellow Ranger, I owned about three outfits that had yellow in them. Since then, I wear at least one article of yellow every day! And the weirdest thing is, I didn't even notice it at first. I just had an uncharacteristic urge to shop, and I wound up buying about five hundred dollars worth of clothes the first month. My parents thought I'd either gone crazy, or lent Kim my credit card."

Alexis chuckled at the mental picture. She sobered almost immediately. "Come to think of it... you do all wear your color. I didn't think anything of it!"

"Worse?"

"Your color-preference will bleed into more than just clothing. Tell me Lex, what's you're favorite flavor ice cream?"

"Rocky Road."

"Well, don't be surprised if you develop a taste for grape."

Alexis gulped. "You've got to be joking now."

Billy shook his head, and held out his glass to Alexis. Her eyes widened when she noted the light blue hue of the ice cream.

She then glanced at Trini's empty bowl. "Trini...?"

"Lemon sherbet," the Yellow Ranger responded, "And no, I'm not joking."

Alexis shivered. "But... I don't even like grapes!"

Trini giggled. "Maybe not now, but that'll probably change. Once, Tommy ordered pistachio ice cream, completely disregarding the fact that he's allergic to pistachio nuts! We managed to get him to a hospital just in time to avert a real disaster."

"And that also explains why Jason copiously drowns his French fries in ketchup, Zack can't consume enough licorice, and Kim masticates Bubble Yum regularly."

Alexis paled, leaning her elbow against the counter for support. "Oh my God," she gasped, "But... there aren't that many purple foods! I'll be living off of eggplants and the horseshoes in Lucky Charms!"

"Relax, Lex," Trini soothed, "It's not that irrational. You'll still be able to eat everything you used to. Just don't be surprised if your taste buds suddenly start craving purple foods more than before."

Despite the comforting thought, Alexis still grimaced at the future that lied before her formerly normal appetite.

"Hey Lex... you okay?"

She glanced up, and offered Jason a weak smile.

"We just went through the basics on our color-preferences," Billy informed him.

The leader of the Power Rangers grinned, and then waved at the bartender. "Hey Richie! Can I get a water?"

"You got it," the pleasant young man acknowledged. Moments later, he brought a clear plastic bottle to the athlete before attending other customers across the bar.

Alexis found herself relieved to note Jason didn't order fruit punch.

"So, ready for your lesson?"

She nodded, hopping off the stool with a new burst of energy. "Absolutely."

He gestured to the mats, where several students lingered. "We can get started when the kids clear out. In the meantime, you'd better start stretching."

She nodded, and bounded to a relatively empty section of the gym floor.

"So, how's she doing so far?" Trini inquired.

Jason took a long sip of water, and sighed his refreshment. "Pretty good, considering the only thing she knows about martial arts is Karate Kid. She skates a lot, so she's limber and has excellent balance. I'll give her the basics, and then I think Kim could show her some moves. She looks more like a gymnast than a martial artist, so those kind of flips and kicks might be easier for her to get the hang of."

He then glanced around the gym. "Speaking of Kim, where is she?"

Trini shook her head. "I think she went home right after school. She's been a bit depressed. You know... Tommy."

Jason frowned in concern as he polished off the remainder of the bottle. "Sometimes, it's like she's taking Tommy's power loss worse than he is."

* * *

She raced along the pavement, caramel hair flying behind her like a raging comet's tail. She swerved around bicyclists, groups of people chatting, and even teens using the payphones that lined the entrance to the Youth Center.

Once inside, she slid to a stop, her grip tightening on a faintly pink envelope. Upon rapid surveillance, she noted Alexis and Jason on the mats, the latter inspecting his newest student's aikido stance. Billy and Trini were assembled at the Juice Bar, chatting with Richie.

"...didn't even pick out a costume yet," Richie continued, wiping the bar after collecting the group's cups, "I have to come... I'm actually working that night."

Trini frowned. "That's a shame," she said quietly.

"Well, if you need a costume, you should consider Masquerade in the Plaza," Billy reported, "I read in the Gazette a few days ago that Masquerade is a large costume store in Los Angeles, and is quite popular with the residents. The owner lives in Stone Canyon, and the past two years she opened a smaller seasonal shop in the Plaza. I've heard it's very unique... it's designed like a cavern, and the attendants are in costume."

Richie nodded thoughtfully, "I'll give it a try. Thanks, Billy."

Richie then shot a parting smile to Trini before returning to his duties.

Trini sighed quietly. "It stinks that he's actually working during the Halloween Ba-"

"Guys!" Kimberly breathed, her hands falling roughly on Trini and Billy's shoulders.

The Yellow and Blue Rangers nearly fell over at the force the petite Pink Ranger placed on them.

"I just got a letter from Tommy!" she squealed, twirling on her toes in delight, "He's coming home at the end of the week!"

"That's terrific!" Trini added, standing up and giving her exuberant friend a tight hug, "We've all missed him."

"We've got to throw him a surprise party," Kim gushed, pacing near the bar, "The works! A big cake, ice cream... Tommy loves ice cream... popcorn, decorations...!"

Billy and Trini exchanged amused grins as Kim continued to rattle off a "to-do" list.

"We've got to tell the other guys!" Kim decided "We've got to plan this right. Where's Zack?"

"I believe he is at the park with Curtis," Billy reported.

"Then let's go!"

The Blue and Yellow Rangers watched as Kimberly leapt onto the mats, distracting Alexis halfway through an attempted downward block.

She released a startled "Ooof!" as Jason's fist connected with her stomach.

"Alexis!" both Jason and Kim shouted, watching dumbly as she took a few steps back to regain her balance.

The new Purple Ranger giggled helplessly at her teammates' startled expressions. "Good thing for me you're just demonstrating," she wheezed.

"Where's the fire, Kim?" Jason asked, turning his attention to Kimberly.

"We've gotta find Zack," she declared, "Tommy's coming home!"

* * *

"Zordon? We're ready."

"AND THE RANGERS?"

"I've been keeping an eye on them. Zack is in Angel Grove Park, and the other five are in the Youth Center. Tommy is just emerging from the lake outside his uncle's cabin."

"ZEDD?"

"All's quiet on the moon so far."

Zordon grimaced. "I FEAR THAT LORD ZEDD WILL BE ABLE TO SENSE THE MORPHIN' GRID IS COMPROMISED."

"But there's no other way. Whether we do this now or later, it will still disable the Morphin' Grid."

The wise sage sighed deeply. "VERY WELL. I WILL JOIN YOU BOTH IN THE HIDDEN CHAMBER ONCE THE CONNECTION IS ESTABLISHED."

Alpha nodded, and watched as Zordon vanished from the Transdimension Cylinder, leaving only sparks of pure blue energy in his wake. The diminutive robot then turned his attention to the teleporter.

He pressed a few buttons, and almost instantaneously, a flash of white energy materialized in the center of the darkened Command Center.

Tommy raised his head from his towel, a shiver racing through his wet body at the sudden chill of his surroundings. He blinked several times, wide brown eyes skimming the Command Center in absolute confusion.

His perplexed gaze finally landed on Alpha. "What's going on?"

"Follow me, Tommy," Alpha advised, "It's time to make you a Power Ranger again."

Tommy frowned skeptically, but followed Alpha. He jumped slightly when a fissure appeared out of thin air, faint light pouring through it.

"Whoa," he muttered, and stepped into the hole in reality. He was shocked speechless when he got a full view of the Hidden Chamber.

The Hidden Chamber was very spacious, the walls lined with tools that ranged from the size of a school bus to that of a thumbtack. Also, another clear blue Transdimension Cylinder stood near the center of the room, surrounded by various computers that blinked in a myriad of colors.

But those objects didn't even reach Tommy's thought process. Instead, he stood utterly thunderstruck, his jaw hanging in visible astonishment at what stood in the furthest corner of the chamber... a circular table, almost resembling a computerized podium, that was nearly the size of his own bedroom. And stretching from that podium was a brilliant column of energy, pulsing with immeasurable power, and stretching to the ceiling and then beyond. It was almost a rainbow, the energy broken into individual beams of Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and Pink energy.

And strangely enough, a gap slowly formed between the Red and Pink, and gradually grew larger.

"Wh...what is that?"

"It's the Morphin' Grid," Alpha answered.

Tommy's eyes widened to even greater proportions. "Really? This is the Power?"

"Well, not quite," the robot clarified, "The actual energies that fuel the Power Coins aren't generated by this device. The Morphin' Grid was designed to channel energies from a hidden source, enabling Zordon to further break it into five 'streams,' which are then distributed to five people through the Power Coins, dampened slightly for safety reasons through the Morphers."

Tommy blinked, his overwhelmed mind slowly processing what Alpha said... as well as what he didn't say. "What about the Green and Purple Rangers?"

"Different power source. Which is why making the Green Ranger evil was a brilliant move on Rita's part. Any of the core Rangers could have been stripped of his powers right here, by manipulating the Morphin' Grid. But the Green and Purple Rangers are actually independent of Zordon, and the Command Center."

Tommy jumped when, seemingly out of nowhere, a narrow beam of energy erupted from the very center of the vacant space between Red and Pink.

That energy beam slowly expanded, crawling outward. And that energy was a blazing, blinding White.

"What's... going on?" Tommy whispered.

"Zordon is currently adding a Power Ranger to the Morphin' Grid."

For the first time, Tommy's gaze dropped from the enormous energy column. He stared at Alpha incredulously. "Are you serious? He's making a new Ranger? Completely new?!"

Alpha laughed at Tommy's disbelief. "Making a new Ranger isn't really that hard. We already had the template so it only took us a few hours. The really hard part is adapting this new Ranger, in order to fully incorporate him with the current team. That's what we've been working on for weeks- trying to analyze how to modify the design to allow this new Ranger to serve with the others, but without depriving him of too much of the power he would wield in his unaltered state. And another key step is determining how safe this modified power will be for a human."

Alpha then waved to Tommy, and the mind-blown former Green Ranger followed him to another computer station, where a small golden disk sat atop a glass bed, a faint white energy glowing from some source beneath the glass.

Tommy noted the smooth surface of the coin, and gasped when suddenly, the surface began to warp. Slowly, small bubbles of liquid gold began to sprout, creating a protruding design. Some parts sank in, creating fine, chiseled lines along the protrusion.

Finally, the perfected design emerged: a tiger.

"It worked!" Alpha gasped, clapping his hands in delight. Tommy marveled at the Power Coin whose birth he had just witnessed. A thought occurred to him, and he rapidly swiveled around.

As he suspected, the white beam of energy was fully complete, the edges touching and blending with the Red and Pink bands of light surrounding it.

"A White Tiger Ranger," Tommy breathed, frowning thoughtfully. His concerns were momentarily interrupted when a blaze of blue-tinted energy flashed in the chamber, and Zordon appeared within the Trandimension Cylinder.

"Everything went great!" Alpha reported, "The gold disc took on the properties of the White Tiger, just like you said it would! Now the White Ranger will Morph just like the core Rangers."

"EXCELLENT." Zordon's ancient gaze then fell towards Tommy. "I SUSPECT ALPHA INFORMED YOU OF THIS PROJECT DURING MY ABSENCE."

Tommy nodded. "He explained it."

"NOW THAT YOU KNOW MY INTENTION, YOU MUST KNOW THE RISK," Zordon grimly informed him, "THE WHITE RANGER POWERS THAT I HAVE JUST CREATED ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THEIR ORIGINAL DESIGN, SINCE I HAD TO MODIFY THEM FOR USE WITH THE CURRENT TEAM. THERE IS NO WAY TO DETERMINE HOW SAFE IT IS FOR A RANGER TO WIELD THIS POWER... UNTIL ONE ACTUALLY ACCEPTS THE POWER. THERE IS NO PRECEDENT TO RELY UPON."

He paused for a moment, letting the consequences sink in. "IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE POWER COIN CANNOT EFFECTIVELY CHANNEL THE ENERGY, OR THAT THE MORPHER CANNOT PROPERLY DAMPEN THIS INTENSIFIED POWER. THE WHITE RANGER POWERS MAY POISON YOUR BODY, OR WEAR YOU DOWN AS THE GREEN RANGER POWERS DID DURING THEIR DECLINE. AND YOU WILL ALSO BE THE FIRST RANGER TO ACTUALLY TAKE ON TWO POWERS. THERE IS NO WAY TO DETERMINE AHEAD OF TIME WHETHER THE FAINT RESIDUALS STILL IN YOUR BODY FROM THE GREEN COIN WILL INTERFERE WITH THIS NEW POWER. KNOWING THE RISKS... DO YOU ACCEPT THE WHITE TIGER POWERS?"

Tommy remained silent for several minutes, folding his arms in grim consideration. He exhaled sharply, his fingers grazing his forehead as his mind replayed Zordon's warning again and again.

Then, he finally spoke. "If you're willing to offer me this new power, then you must feel the chances are pretty good that nothing terrible will happen to me if I accept them, right?"

"THAT IS MY BELIEF."

Tommy nodded. "You know how much I miss being a Ranger, Zordon... and I really appreciate all the work you're putting in to reinstate me. I'm not afraid of the risks, but...." He sighed deeply. "Zordon, you made a hole in the Morphin' Grid to stick this new Ranger in. Will dividing up the Grid into six instead of five make the others any weaker? If so... I don't want the coin."

He then lifted his troubled gaze to Zordon.

The wise sage smiled, pride swelling in his heart. Tommy Oliver had truly grown so much in his relatively short career. He was willing to forever retire from the Rangers, just to make sure his friends weren't inconvenienced.

He had truly proven himself worthy... not only of the White Coin, but of much more.

"ADDING A NEW RANGER TO THE GRID DOES NOT WEAKEN THE EXISTING TEAM," he assured the erstwhile Green Ranger. "THE GRID ITSELF ONLY PROCESSES POWER FROM ANOTHER SOURCE. ALL I HAVE DONE IS CHANNEL AN EXTRA BURST OF THAT SOURCE THROUGH THE MORPHIN' GRID. DO NOT FEAR... THE RANGERS WILL NOT BE COMPROMISED IN THE LEAST BY YOUR ADDITION. ON THE CONTRARY, YOU WILL BECOME THE MOST POWERFUL OF THEM ALL... AND FROM NOW ON, THEY WILL FOLLOW YOU IN BATTLE."

Tommy's eyebrow rose. "Huh?"

"I HAVE DECIDED THAT YOU WILL BE THE LEADER OF THE POWER RANGERS."

Tommy stared at Zordon in even greater shock than he experienced when he first entered the Hidden Chamber. "The leader? But... what about Jason? I can't replace Jason! He's my best friend!"

"DO NOT THINK OF IT AS REPLACING JASON. YOU WILL BE ASSISTING HIM. THE BURDENS OF LEADERSHIP HAVE GREATLY TAKEN THEIR TOLL UPON HIM. I HAVE OBSERVED HIS GRIM SPIRIT, AND IT CONCERNS ME."

Tommy cringed. "Kim told me he was a little down before, but we resolved all that! He knows the Green Candle thing wasn't his fault. You can't demote him now."

Zordon gazed at the young man before him. "TOMMY, TELL ME THE TRUTH... DID YOU EVER ENVY JASON'S POSITION AS LEADER?"

Surprisingly, Tommy chuckled. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't want to deal with all that stress! Sure I wish I was more like him, but I never wished I could be the Red Ranger."

"THEN WHY DO YOU FEEL THAT TAKING THE LEADERSHIP WOULD DEPRIVE HIM OF SOMETHING DESIRABLE?"

Tommy considered this for a few moments. "Well... it seems like I'd be taking his job because he hadn't been doing it properly. And I know that he's a terrific leader."

Zordon smiled. "THAT HE IS. AND NOW, I FEEL HE DESERVES A RESPITE. I CAN TELL HIM TO RELAX, EVEN ORDER HIM STOP BEING SO DEMANDING OF HIMSELF. BUT THAT WILL NEVER STOP HIM. HIS DEDICATION TO THE TEAM IS BEYOND WHAT I EXPECTED OF HIM. IF SOMEONE ELSE WERE TO TAKE THE REINS OF LEADERSHIP FOR A TIME, THEN HE WILL HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE TEAM DOES NOT DEPEND ON HIM ALONE. THEN HE WILL LEARN TO SHARE THE BURDENS WITH THE TEAM, AND MAKE YOU ALL STRONGER AS A WHOLE."

A small smile softened Tommy's grimace. "Wait... you said 'a time.' So I wouldn't be replacing him or anything; just giving him a vacation."

"WE WILL SEE HOW THIS EXPERIMENT PANS OUT. JASON MUST COME TO UNDERSTAND HIS TRUE PLACE- AS A TEAM MEMBER. THE LEADER SHOULD BE AN INSPIRATION TO THE TEAM, AND A PILLAR OF STRENGTH TO REASSURE THE OTHERS. THE LEADER WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE THE 'HERO' OF THE TEAM. YOU ARE ALL HEROES, AND SOMETIMES, THE RISK WILL FALL UPON ANOTHER RANGER. IT WOULD BE TO JASON'S BENEFIT IF HE LEARNED THIS LESSON, AND AFTER WITNESSING THE MANNER IN WHICH YOU DEALT WITH YOUR POWER LOSS, I AM CONFIDENT THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF BEARING THAT LOAD UNTIL I SEE JASON HAS COME TO UNDERSTAND."

Tommy nodded, smiling faintly as he mulled over Zordon's reasoning. He had to admit... his mentor was right. Jason could use a few weeks of time... and perhaps then, he'd realize that the other six Rangers are more than capable of bearing a bit of risk.

But would Jason recognize the "demotion" as a helping hand offered by friends who truly care about him... or a slap in the face, further proving he was a poor leader who didn't try hard enough?

"Jason won't take it well," he said aloud.

"NOT AT FIRST. BUT HE WILL UNDERSTAND. JASON CAN BE EXTREMELY DEMANDING OF HIMSELF, BUT OTHERWISE HE IS A VERY REASONABLE YOUNG MAN."

Tommy nodded, exhaling sharply. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll be the White Ranger. And I'll be the leader... but only until Jason's ready to take it back."

"AGREED. ALPHA?"

The small robot stepped forward, hands clasped in front of him.

"MAKE THE FINAL PREPARATIONS. AND CONNECT TOMMY TO THE MED-UNIT."

Alpha nodded, and directed Tommy to a long cot with several machines hanging over it.

"What's a med-unit?"

"It's a prototype for a new healing and monitoring system," Alpha explained, "Now we're going to use it to keep a close eye on all your vital functions, to make sure the transfer of power goes smoothly."

"How long will this take?" Tommy inquired, as he hefted himself upon the cot. He watched as Alpha started attaching wires and sensory pads to his body with surgical tape.

"Several hours," the robot answered, "We've got to take this slowly. There're a lot of unknowns to keep an eye out for."

Tommy nodded, his face the very picture of stoic determination as Alpha explained in detail the power transfer process.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere deep within the dark labyrinth of the Moon Palace, Lord Zedd's eyes opened from their long slumber. However, unlike most mortals, Zedd awoke to complete consciousness, and razor-sharp awareness.

He jerked into a sitting position, hastily pulling plastic tubes of regenerative liquids from his bare muscles. He leapt off his stone bed with urgency, and marched out of his private chamber.

Goldar, who was lazily lounging in the stone throne, gasped loudly when the proud Emperor appeared at the threshold, red visor blazing with fury.

"F...forgive me, Lord," Goldar groveled, jumping off the throne and kneeling. "I... I meant no presumption. I thought you were still regenerating."

"Summoning Erebus drained me tremendously," Zedd admitted, sitting heavily in his throne, "but even in the dreamless restorative sleep, I was able to feel it."

"Feel what?"

Zedd growled low at the complete insensitivity his greatest warrior had to higher powers. "The Morphin' Grid," he snarled, "I don't know what is going on down there, but there is a serious disruption in the Morphin' Grid." He touched his silver-tipped fingers together in anticipation. "The Rangers' powers will be severely compromised so long as the Grid is unstable, and there is no way to determine how long my good luck will last. I won't let an opportunity like this slip through my fingers."

Zedd stood once again, grasping his trusted scepter as he strode to the balcony overlooking the peaceful globe of Earth.

He needed a special monster for this occasion.