The Sandman

December 31, 1985

The gentle drops of rain silently cool the city of Nairobi. Inside the warm den of the Sloan family, Agatha Sloan, her husband Henry, and their only daughter Tanya were relaxing comfortably. The five year old Tanya is trying desperately to stay awake, hoping to welcome the new year. She sits on the floor in front of the television, watching as the time counts down. On the couch, her parents stare at the clock in worry. Finally, ten minutes to midnight, Agatha rises to her feet, and looks at her husband pleadingly. Henry frowns, and turns away from her gaze. Agatha sighs inwardly, and kneels on the plush carpet beside her daughter.

"Tanya dear," she said, taking the little girl's hand, "Its time to go to sleep."

"But Mommy," she yawned, "Its almost midnight! I wanna be awake when the year changes!"

"Honey, its getting very late. You're tired..."

"Listen to your mother, Tanya," said Henry, lighting a cigarette, "The Sandman is coming, and if you aren't asleep when he arrives, you will regret it."

"The Sandman?" asked Tanya, staring up at her father curiously.

"Yes. He is a wicked creature, who throws sand on children's eyes when they won't go to bed. Then, he steals the children away who are awake to see his hideous face. He takes you to his magical kingdom beneath the Earth, and you will never be released."

Tanya gasped, and clung to her mother's leg. Agatha glared at Henry angrily, and lead the sobbing child out of the room. Once they were in Tanya's bedroom, Agatha tucked her in bed, and kissed her forehead. Tanya looked up at her mother, her eyes still wet with tears.

"Mommy," she said quietly, "Don't let the Sandman get me."

"There is no Sandman," said Agatha, smiling down at her only child, "Your father is just playing games with you, dear. Now, go to sleep."

Agatha once again kissed Tanya's forehead, and left the room. Tanya sat in bed, hugging her favorite stuffed animal tightly. But she couldn't fall asleep. She glanced at the clock beside her bed. At the moment the clock struck midnight, she heard a weird knocking from downstairs. She then heard two figures walking up the stairs-- one was her father, she could recognize the sound his shoes made, but the other was unfamiliar. Tanya gasped, and hid underneath the blanket.

"The Sandman's here!" she whispered to her stuffed toy, "He's gonna get me!"

Tanya waited in silent agony as the footsteps approached her bedroom. She sighed in relief when they passed her room, and continued down the hallway. She soon finally fell asleep, but her dreams were plagued by visions of a horrible creature, who threw sand into children's eyes, and kidnapped them from their homes.

December 31, 1986

Its been a year since Tanya first heard the story of the Sandman. Now that she's six, she feels she's grown out of the fear that gripped her last year. She was determined to get a look at the mysterious Sandman. After all, there's no such thing as monsters.

Instead of trying to convince her parents to let her stay up until midnight, Tanya retired early, saying that she was extremely tired. Both her parents looked at the young girl curiously, because for the past two years she begged to be allowed to stay up New Year's Eve. But Tanya's innocent smile convinced them both of her genuine desire to go to bed, so they let her go upstairs. Neither Agatha nor Henry accompanied Tanya to her bedroom.

Tanya went to her room, and made sure first that both of her parents were comfortably sitting on the couch. Then, she placed her pillows beneath her cream blanket, making it appear that a body was beneath it. She then snuck into her father's study, and waited for midnight.

As soon as midnight struck, she heard the rapping at the door that terrorized her last year. She froze with anticipation, and listened quietly as two sets of feet walked in her direction. She was hiding in her father's closet, and kept it open just enough so she could see the terrifying visage of the Sandman. Soon enough, two men entered the room. The first one was her father, but the second man was large and broad-shouldered, with a big mishapen head, ochre-yellow face, grey bushy eyebrows from under which a pair of green cat's-eyes stared out, and a large, heavy nose drawn down over his crooked mouth. He was wearing a pale yellow full-length trench coat, and black gloves.

"Giuseppe Coppola," said Henry, rather timidly, "welcome to my home."

"I suggest you skip over the pleasantries," said Giuseppe coldly, "I want the tithe, so I can leave as quickly as possible."

Suddenly, the electricity went out. Tanya barely managed to stifle a scream, as darkness enveloped her. Soon, though, a faint orange light was struck, and her father lit a few candles in the room.

"I'll get the tithe," Henry said, searching through his drawers, "You just make sure to remember your part of the bargain."

"Yes, yes," said Giuseppe, "So long as you pay me the tithe annually, your bloodline is free from the curse of the Sandman. Now, make sure you remember, Henry! No one must learn of our arrangement!"

"I shall not tell a soul," said Henry, pulling out a small navy blue chest, "Not even Agatha knows why you visit each year. Here it is."

Giuseppe's mishapen face contorted into a smirk as he grasped the small chest with both hands. He then quickly turned towards the closet, his green eyes peering at the wooden door. Giuseppe glanced at Henry, and then suddenly appeared in front of the closet. He threw open the door, and stared down at the young girl, cowering on the floor. He frowned at Henry, who wore an expression of unparalleled fear.

"I thought you knew our arrangement!" Giuseppe roared, "No one can ever gaze at the Sandman and live!"

"I beg you," cried Henry, falling to his knees, "Let her go!"

Giuseppe turned back to the girl, who was shaking uncontrollably, staring at the hideous face of the creature she has feared for a year. Giuseppe bent down, and touched her soft cheek with his gloved hand.

"She is a lovely child," said Giuseppe, "Consider our deal cancelled, Henry. I no longer desire to leave your family alone. This child will be my slave. Come with me..."

With that, shimmering sand fell from his open palm, and landed on Tanya's big brown eyes. She suddenly lost consciousness, and spread out on the carpet. Henry shrieked in outrage, standing up and leaning on his desk.

"We had a deal!" Henry roared, "I have paid your tithe since Tanya's birth, so as to protect her from your vile desires! It has been the curse of my family for you to haunt us, Sandman, and take our children from us!"

"Be silent, Human," chuckled Giuseppe, "Your family owes me for their very existence! Now, I shall take her!"

Giuseppe turned away from Henry, and kneeled beside the slumbering girl. He didn't notice Henry snatch the burning candle from his desk. Henry leapt at the yellow creature in a fit of rage.

"Die, monster!!" he cried, touching Giuseppe's arm with the flame. Giuseppe screamed in pain, and knocked the candle from Henry's hand. Henry immediately lifted up his slumbering child, and started to run out of the study. He noticed the candle had landed by the window, and had instantly ignited the curtains. Henry glanced once more at Giuseppe, and noticed that his arm was no longer on fire. Rather, it had turned crystal clear, like glass.

"You shall pay!" Giuseppe roared, as Henry ran through the hall as quickly as his legs could carry him. Just outside his bedroom, he saw his wife, dressed in her robe, with an alarmed expression on her face.

"What's happening?!" she cried.

"Please, Agatha," Henry said, "take Tanya and get out of here! Run away as quickly as you can!"

"What about your friend?" asked Agatha, taking Tanya.

"He is no friend of mine! And, our business together has been terminated! Now flee! I'll make sure he doesn't follow you! And whatever you do, protect Tanya from this monster! I beg you!"

Agatha ran from the now burning house, holding onto Tanya for dear life. Once they escaped the house, she continued to run down the street. She knocked on the door of one of her friends. A tall, dark woman opened the door, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"What the..." she mumbled, "Agatha! What's happening?"

"Marie," Agatha panted, "I don't have much time. Please, take Tanya!"

Agatha put the sleeping child in Marie's arms. Marie stared at Agatha, dumfounded.

"Take her where?"

"To Ishala! Ishala will protect her from Giuseppe Coppola! Please, do this for me! I must go back for Henry!"

Before Marie could debate the matter, Agatha gently kissed her daughter's forehead, and ran back towards the house, now with smoke pouring out of the upstairs window. She hesitated for a moment, and then ran inside. That was the last time anyone saw Agatha and Henry Sloan.

As time passed, Tanya lived with Ishala, an old family friend, out with the African tribes of Kenya. Marie was true to Agatha's last request, and made sure Tanya was taken care of by the tribe. Tanya was fortunate enough not to recall the horrible night when she lost her parents, and Ishala ws forced to tell the child a lie, so as to protect her from the terrible memory of the Sandman. Ishala always kept Tanya close, and told her that her parents, who were archaeologists by trade, were lost in an expedition. Tanya believed this story, although she never lost hope that she'd see her parents again. Years later, in November 1996, Tanya first left the plains of Africa, going to America to bring the magical Zeo Crystal shard to the Power Rangers. Even though she wasn't granted a position on the team, she remained in Angel Grove, and lived with her new friend Katherine Hillard and her family. She was never reminded of the horrible Sandman, until late December of the same year, when her dreams were disturbed by visions of a yellow-skinned man, with a crooked mouth, large nose, bushy eyebrows, and piercing green eyes.

December 30, 1996

Tanya Sloan is sitting up in her bed, with the sheets covering her body all the way up to her chin. She sits as still as death, staring up at the ceiling. She squeezed her eyes shut, but they flew open only moments later, when she heard an owl hoot. Tanya sighed, and glanced at the clock beside her bed.

For Pete's sake! she thought, Its four in the morning! Why can't I sleep?

Tanya frowned and rolled over to her side, facing away from the window in the bedroom she has been residing in ever since her friend Katherine Hillard asked her to move in with her family. Tanya has since made herself at home, and the Hillard family has come to regard Tanya as a daughter. Tanya herself couldn't remember the last time she felt like she was part of a family. Her memories of her parents were often occluded.

Tanya once again squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to count sheep, in order to lull her to sleep. But every time she shut her eyes, she saw a glimpse of a hideous yellow face. Tanya shuddered slightly, and nearly jumped when she heard thunder crash outside.

Funny. The sky was clear all day, and the weather report didn't say anything about storms.

Tanya brought the blanket over her head, and tried to shut out the sounds of a raging storm outside. But then, she heard a branch crack from just outside her window. Tanya sat up in alarm, and rose from her bed to see what had caused the branch to break. She yelped in surprise when she saw the shadow of a person retreating from the front yard of the Hillard residence. Tanya blinked, and once again looked for the strange silhouette, but it was gone. Tanya lay back in bed, and began to question whether or not she had seen some intruder. She shrugged off the incident as merely a figment of her imagination, and covered herself in her blankets. But her dreams were filled of images of a dark, mysterious being, and her night wasn't restful in the least. Soon, the sun peeked out from below the horizon. Tanya had long since given up trying to sleep, and tried to read a book. She was glad to see the sun rise, and vanquish the mysterious shadows that suddenly made Tanya fearful. At nine o'clock, there was a knock at Tanya's door.

"Come in," Tanya called. She tried to smile when her best friend entered the room. Kat was wearing her navy blue bathrobe, and she was drying her curly blonde hair with a matching towel.

"G'morning, Tanya!" Kat said cheerily, "Why are you still in bed? You're usually up with the dawn!"

Kat glanced at her friend, and gasped when she saw the bags under Tanya's dark eyes.

"What happened to you? You look like death warmed over!"

"I... I couldn't get much sleep last night," Tanya said with a sigh, "so I decided to catch up on my reading."

"Oh," said Kat, stepping towards the door, "Are you planning on coming hiking with us? It'll be fantastic!"

"Sounds great," said Tanya, putting away her book and getting out of bed, "Lemme get ready."

By noon, Tommy Oliver, Katherine Hillard, Tanya Sloan, Adam Park, Jason Lee, Kimberly Hart, Billy Mitchell, Rocky DeSantos, Aisha Campbell, and Zack Taylor were all hiking up the cliffs just outside Angel Grove. Zack, who was bringing up the rear, stopped to look back at Angel Grove from the high altitude.

"Wow," he said, "its beautiful up here."

"It is," said Aisha, "You know, I didn't realize how much I missed all this! You know, the whole gang, just hanging out and having fun!"

"Affirmative," said Billy, "its really wonderful when the entire group gets together for recreation. If only Trini and Alexis were here. Then every Power Ranger, past and present, would be with us."

Tanya was unusually quiet. She never spoke much when the others were talking about Trini and Alexis, since she had never even met the Purple and the original Yellow Ranger. And, since she is the only member ofthe party to never actually be a Power Ranger, she felt especially uncomfortable when the group referred to themselves as the Power Rangers. But today, Tanya barely spoke a word. She was too busy fighting off sleep, as well as thinking about the strange shadow she saw run away from her bedroom window early that morning.

"Hey, Tanya," said Adam, tapping her on the shoulder and startling her out of her reverie, "are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm just fine, Adam. Thank you. How are you feeling? You probably shouldn't be doing this kind of strenuous exercise. Not with your heart being so fragile and all."

"I'll be fine," said Adam with his characteristic shy grin, "After all, I haven't done exercise for a week! I'm starting to feel out of shape."

Don't worry, you're in perfect shape, Tanya thought to herself. She could feel the color rise in her cheeks, but due to her dark skin tone, the blush didn't show.

"Here we are," said Tommy from the front, "the peak of the cliff. The view's dynamite!"

"So I see," said Aisha, taking off her deep green backpack. She searched for a few moments, and pulled out a large professional camera with a zoom lens attached. She began looking out at Angel Grove, and snapping pictures.

"Since when have you been into photography?" asked Rocky.

"Since I lived out on the African savannah," she said, not turning around, "I have some magnificent shots of the wildlife, and I've even put together a portfolio of my work. I'll show you sometime. Now that the scenery's changed, so will the style of my photographs. But I must say, photographs from high vantage points are always breath-taking! Especially on such a clear day! I can see for miles!"

Tanya looked up, and was surprised to notice that the sky was completely free of clouds. "Wow, I guess that storm front passed quickly."

"What storm front?" asked Jason.

"The one that hit last night," said Tanya, "You know, the thunder?"

"I don't remember any thunder," said Kimberly, "Are you sure there was a storm last night?"

"Yes I'm sure!" snapped Tanya, "Don't you think I know what thunder sounds like?!"

She looked around, and noticed all her friends were staring at her worriedly. Tanya sighed. "Sorry, Kim," she said, "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm just tired, that's all."

"No biggie," said Kim with a smile, "Let's start back, guys. It'll take a while to get back to the city."

Once the group of teens returned to the city, Rocky suggested they get some lunch at Ernie's Gym and Juice Bar. Tanya was too tired to even think about eating, so she declined the offer, deciding to return home and rest. The rest of the group went to the Youth Center, and sat at at a booth for privacy. After they ordered their lunch, the conversation quickly turned to Tanya.

"Is something wrong with Tanya?" asked Adam, "I mean, usually she's pretty talkative and stuff, but today, she barely said three words, and we were out hiking for four hours!"

"She did say she had trouble sleeping last night," said Kat, "She looked extremely tired when I first saw her this morning."

"But what about that storm thing?" asked Kimberly, "There was no storm last night. What was she talking about?"

"Maybe she dreamed it," said Rocky.

"But she said she didn't sleep last night!" said Zack.

"Yes, but sometimes people doze off without knowing it," said Billy, "Its very rare for a person to have a completely sleepless night."

"Hey gang," said Ernie, carrying a tray of sodas, "how was your hike?"

"Fun," said Aisha with a smile.

"Exhausting!" Katherine.

"Say, where's Tanya?" asked Ernie.

"She's not feeling well," said Adam, "She went home."

"Oh, that's too bad. Well, I hope she feels better soon. Tomorrow's New Year's Eve, you know."

"Right," said Kimberly, "I can't wait for that party, Ernie!"

"You know I'm excited," said Zack, "I can't remember the last Youth Center party I was at!" "This year's party will be sensational," said Ernie with a proud smile, "I got a live band, a professional disc jockey, tons of food, and Billy even made a special confetti-throwing machine, linked to the clock. So, when the clock strikes midnight, BOOM! Confetti bomb!"

"Do you need any help setting up, Ernie?" asked Rocky.

"Actually, I could use your help. If you don't mind, that is."

"We're always glad to give you a hand, Ernie," said Katherine with a smile.

Ernie waved and went back to the kitchen.

Adam leaned over the table. "I sure hope Tanya doesn't plan on missing the party."

It was nine o'clock when Katherine walked into her family's house that evening. She saw Tanya sitting on the couch, flipping through the television channels absently. Kat sighed and sat next to her.

"How're you feeling now?"

"Tired," Tanya said quietly, "But when I try to sleep, I keep hearing strange sounds. And the shadows keep moving."

Kat arched her eyebrow, and Tanya's shoulders slumped.

"I know, I know," she sighed, "I sound like a six year old, right?"

"Not... necessarily," said Kat, "I mean, in our line of work, we know for a fact that monsters do exist."

"Yeah, but its never really affected me like this before. I mean, I can barely function! Last night, I heard all these strange sounds, and I saw the silhouette of a man running away from my bedroom window!"

"Oh my Gosh!" gasped Kat, "Maybe you're being stalked!"

"I doubt it," said Tanya, "He vanished in a split second, as soon as I blinked. No human can move that fast."

Tanya looked up at her friend uncomfortably. "Look, I know this probably sounds weird, but do you mind if I sleep in your room tonight? I can sleep on the floor-- I don't mind. I just don't think I'll be able to go to sleep if I'm all alone."

"No problem," said Kat, "I'll set the sleeping bag on the floor right now."

Two hours later, both girls were tucked into their beds. Tanya was lying down in Kat's pink sleeping bag, and as soon as her head touched the pillow, she was sound asleep. Kat turned out the light, and also went to sleep. Both girls slept peacefully, until the clock struck midnight. Suddenly, there was a loud tapping on the window. The sound caused Tanya to bolt up from her sleeping bag. She stared at the window, but she couldn't see anything. Then, a bolt of white lightning illuminated the night sky, and she caught a glimpse of a strange, disfigured creature, with a horrible glare in his green eyes, and a crooked mouth, elongated nose, and gruesome expression. She shrieked in fright, and shook Katherine from her sleep.

"Wha--?" asked Kat, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, "What's going on?"

"Didn't you hear it?!" Tanya whispered, "The tapping?!"

"Tanya, you were dreaming," said Kat, "Go back to sleep."

Kat tried to lie back down, but Tanya refused to let her. She forced Kat to look out the window. Kat almost fell asleep while Tanya held her up, until another flash of lightning cast the image of the horrific monster just outside her bedroom window. Kat screamed, and leapt out of bed. The two girls stepped back towards the door, clinging to each other.

"Its... its locked!" cried Katherine, pulling on the bedroom door with all her might.

"But, you don't have a lock on your door!" said Tanya. Both girls screamed again when the glass of the window shattered, throwing jagged shards of glass all about the room. They both ducked, and watched in horror as the monster leapt through the now open window. Kat's eyes widened with terror, while Tanya completely froze. The creature was a large man with a big mishapen head, ochre-yellow face, grey bushy eyebrows, frightful green eyes, and a large, heavy nose hanging over his crooked mouth. He was wearing a pale yellow full-length trench coat, with his hands in his pockets.

"Good evening, Ladies," he said in a deep, chilling voice. He hovered about a foot off the ground, and the bottom of his trench coat blew in the wind. He stared at Tanya, who was sitting on the floor and staring at the intruder with mute fright. He smiled at her, revealing yellowed, decaying teeth.

"My dear Tanya Sloan," he said, "its taken me years to finally find you again."

"Who is he?" whispered Katherine. Tanya's eyes began to water, and she shook violently.

"Its... the Sandman," she said quietly, "The creature that killed my parents, ten years ago..."

As soon as Tanya's gaze fell upon the frightful visage of the infamous Giuseppe Coppola, memories long forgotten streamed into her mind, like a raging river just released from the confines of a dam. She saw the horrible night that her psychological defenses had blocked out, when her home in Nairobi burned down, all because she couldn't resist looking at the mysterious figure that visited her father Henry Sloan each year. She saw his monstrous face, and he noticed her presence. Because of her, the Sandman ended up killing her parents in a raging fire. They sacrificed their lives in order to allow Tanya a chance to live without the fear of having the Sandman come and claim her someday. But it now seems they died in vain, because he now stands before her, coming for his slave.

"I knew you would remember me," chuckled Giuseppe, "After all, I believe I have one of those unforgettable faces."

"Stay away from me, Monster!" shrieked Tanya, backing away from the monster. She leaned against the wall, trying her best to calm her overwhelming fear.

"You can't hide from the Sandman," he laughed, "Now come, Tanya. You are a member of the Sloan family, so you are mine by right."

"No she's not!" cried Katherine, standing up, "No one can lay claim to another person!"

"But I'm no ordinary person! I am the Sandman!"

"For all I care, you could be Santa Claus! But you're not taking Tanya without a fight!"

"Really?" asked Sandman, floating towards the tall blonde, "And what will you do? Scream in my ear?"

"Maybe I will! TERRA WATER POWER!!"

Katherine Hillard raised both fists to the sky, and her body was immersed in a wave of aqua-blue light. The light startled Sandman, and gave Tanya a chance to hide in Kat's closet, and stay out of the line of fire. When the light faded, Kat was dressed in the Blue Terran Ranger uniform, with a golden shield, white boots and gloves lined with gold, and a blue and gold helmet. She stood with her hands on her hips, and glared at the monster from underneath her helmet.

"What are you supposed to be?" asked Sandman.

"The Blue Terran Power Ranger!" she answered, leaping into the air. She delivered a powerful kick to Sandman's stomach, throwing him out through the broken window, and out of the bedroom. Kat opened her closet door, and let Tanya out.

"Get your communicator!" she said, breaking down the bolted door, "Call the other rangers, and tell them to come back me up! I have no idea how tough Sandman is!"

"I'm on it!" said Tanya, dashing out of the bedroom. She ran past the master bedroom, and sighed in relief.

"Good thing Kat's parents went away for the long weekend!" she panted, running into her bedroom. She grabbed her communicator, and tried to catch her breath.

The Sandman hit the cold grass at high speed. His body dug into the well-manicured front lawn, and uprooted a good amount of grass. The mud and grass was flung into the air, and Sandman continued sliding until he struck a tree trunk. He groaned silently, and his green eyes flashed angrily as the Blue Ranger leapt gracefully out of the shattered window, and landed on her two feet.

"Had enough?" she challenged.

"I've barely begun, Power Ranger," Sandman replied. But, instead of standing up, he slowly melted, until all that was left was a puddle of yellow sand by the tree. Katherine stared at the puddle in confusion, and approached it warily.

"Gotcha!" called a voice from nowhere, as the puddle lurched out, and slithered under Kat's boots. Kat shrieked in alarm as she began to sink into the sand.

He turned himself into Quicksand! she thought as she struggled frantically to free herself. It only caused her to sink more quickly.

"Oh, no you don't!" she declared aloud, "Ice Daggers!"

Twin daggers with sterling silver blades appeared in Kat's hands. She reached down into the sand, which had already reached her midsection, and plunged the daggers into the sand. She mentally commanded the daggers to turn to ice, and instantly the puddle was frozen solid. She pulled with all her might, and managed to free her arms. She then pushed against her sandy prison, and managed to apply enough pressure to cause the sand to shatter. Kat heaved a sigh of relief as her Terra weapons vanished at her mental command. Just then, the five remaining Power Rangers appeared in streaks of colored light.

"What's happening?" asked Aisha, the Green Ranger, looking around.

"Are you okay, Kat?" asked Jason, the Black Ranger.

"I'm fine," she said, "I think the Sandman has had enough for tonight."

"Where is the Sandman?" asked Tommy.

"All over the place," Kat explained, "I froze him, and he shattered."

"Well, that was easy," said Zack, the Silver Ranger.

The Gold Ranger remained silent. She walked away from her friends, and kneeled on the grass. She touched the grass with her gloved hands, and concentrated. The Red Ranger noticed she was gone, and followed her.

"What's wrong, Kim?" he asked.

"The Sandman's not here," Kim announced, "I can't detect his presence."

"Is he dead?" asked Kat.

"I don't know whether or not he's alive. But, he's not here."

"So, our job is done, then," said Jason, "Let's check up on Tanya."

The Terran Rangers raised their arms to the sky, and in a flash of blinding light, they reverted back into their pajamas. The group of six teenagers hurried back into the Hillard house through the shattered window in Kat's bedroom. Kat shook her head in disgust as she surveyed her ranshacked bedroom.

"I know what I'll be doing tomorrow," she sighed, leading the group out of her room and down the hall, "If my parents saw that mess--"

Kat stopped short when she entered Tanya's bedroom. All the rangers were shocked when they saw Tanya huddled into a fetal position, leaning against the wall in one corner of the bedroom. She was still clutching her yellow wrist communicator, and her entire body was trembling. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her entire face was pale.

"Tanya?" asked Kat quietly, kneeling beside her best friend. Tanya glanced up at Kat, and hugged her tightly. Kat hugged her back, and looked up at the other rangers helplessly.

"Is Coppola dead?" Tanya whispered.

"Who?" asked Zack as he and the other Terran Rangers entered the room.

"Giuseppe Coppola. The Sandman."

"He's gone, Tanya," said Kat soothingly, "We've dealt with him. He'll never bother you again."

"No," Tanya said, pulling away from Kat and staring up at the other rangers, "He can't be dead! It was too easy! He's gonna come back! He won't give up until he finds me, and takes me away!"

"Okay, Tanya," said Aisha, "Why does the Sandman want to take you away?"

Tanya sighed deeply, and rose to her feet. She wrung her fingers nervously, and kept her eyes focused on her bare feet.

"Ten years ago, in my family's home in Nairobi, a man named Giuseppe Coppola came to visit my father. He had done so every year previously, right at midnight on New Year's Eve. In 1986, I finally let my curiousity get to me. I wanted to know who that stranger was, and I knew my parents were hiding something from me. So, I hid in my father's study, where he and the stranger had their meeting, and waited. When midnight came, he arrived, just as usual. I saw him first then-- that hideous... thing that you fought today. I watched as my father gave him something, but the monster somehow knew I was in the room. He pulled me out of the closet, and then declared that he wanted me to be his slave. He sprinkled some sand into my eyes, and I just couldn't stay awake. When I woke up again, I was at a neighbor's house."

"So, he's come to find you?" asked Kimberly, "He's hunted you down all these years?"

"I... I guess," Tanya said, "I didn't even remember the whole incident until tonight, when I saw Sandman again. His gruesome face awoke memories my subconscious had hidden from me."

"What happened to your parents?" asked Tommy.

"I... I have no idea. The last memory of them was right before I passed out. Both my parents were in the house. Ishala, the woman who took care of me when I lived with the tribe, told me that my parents were lost on an archeological dig, but I doubt it. I think Sandman killed them. And now he's after me."

Tanya turned away from her friends, and stared at the wall gloomily. She hugged herself tightly for warmth, and salty tears streaked down her cheeks.

"He's not gone," she said in a voice just above a whisper, "He's still out there somewhere, just waiting for the opportune time to come back, and take me away. I just know it."

The Terran Rangers stepped away from Tanya, and huddled into a close circle.

"What do we do?" asked Katherine.

"She may be right," said Tommy, "Sandman may still be alive. We have to make sure he doesn't get Tanya."

"How?" asked Jason.

"We can't leave her alone. She said he always visited on New Years Eve. Well, that's today. Maybe there's a reason why he doesn't visit at any other time. If he still is alive, he'll be back before New Years Day."

"Tanya," said Kimberly, "don't worry. We'll make sure he doesn't harm you."

"How do you plan on doing that?" she muttered gloomily.

"By not leaving you alone," said Aisha, "When dawn comes, the six of us will help fix up the house, so when the Hillards come back, everything will be fine. Then, we'll help Ernie set up for his party. We'll be there until past midnight anyway, and I doubt the Sandman will attack with a whole crowd of people there."

Tanya didn't look too convinced, but she nodded nonetheless. "But what if he attacks again tonight? You can't all stay here. Your parents would freak out if you just vanish!"

"I can stay," said Aisha, "My father already knows I'm a Power Ranger. And Kat'll be here too. The three of us can take on that monster, right?"

"You said it!" said Kat, "Everything will be fine."

Tanya smiled, and sat down on her bed. "Thanks, everyone."

"What're friends for?" asked Jason with a smile.

"The rest of us will come in the morning," said Tommy, "as soon as we wake up. See you then."

Then, Tommy, Kimberly, Jason, and Zack vanished in streaks of light, leaving Aisha, Katherine, and Tanya in the latter's bedroom.

"Well," said Kat, "I'd better get some blankets. We'll all be staying in this room tonight."

Kat and Tanya set up blankets on the floor, and the three girls were all tucked in in less than half and hour. But, none of them fell asleep. In fact, Tanya was completely alert. She was reading by the light of a flashlight, and every several minutes she looked up at the window, half expecting to see the horrible face again. But, there was no more thunder or lightning, and soon, the sun rose. Once the sun came up, all three girls were able to fall asleep. They slept soundly until the doorbell rang at about nine in the morning. Kat woke up, and dreamily walked over to the front door. She opened it, and smiled at Tommy and Adam.

"Morning," she said with a small yawn, "Come in."

"Sorry it took so long," said Tommy, "I guess I was more tired than I thought. I couldn't even fall asleep until five or so."

"Same here," Kat said, "I'll brew some coffee."

"Need any help?" offered Tommy. Kat shook her head.

"No, I can handle it. Make yourselves comfortable."

Adam and Tommy sat down on the sofa as Katherine made her way to the kitchen, and began brewing a pot of coffee. Aisha stumbled into the living room, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, hey, guys," she said, stretching her arms, "Wow, its morning already!"

"Yeah," said Adam, "We figured we should get here as early as possible, so we can fix the damage done to the house before we go to the Youth Center to help Ernie set up."

"How did you find out what happened last night?" asked Aisha, sitting on the sofa beside Adam.

"I called him this morning," said Tommy, "I thought he should know. Besides, we could use his help replacing the broken window. Fortunately, that's all the real damage done. The rest is basically a clean-up job."

"Where is Tanya anyway?" asked Adam, looking towards the hallway expectantly, "She wasn't hurt or anything, was she?"

"No," said Aisha, "but she was really terrified. Whatever that Sandman guy is, he's a genuine monster in her eyes. I've never anyone so scared before."

"Can I go check on her?" asked Adam, standing up. Aisha nodded.

"Go ahead. She's in the second room on the left."

As Adam walked slowly through the Hillard family's hallway, Aisha spoke to Tommy.

"How is Adam taking this whole thing?" she asked him.

"He's really frustrated," said Tommy with a sigh, "He's never missed being a Power Ranger as much as he did this morning. He wants to protect her, but he knows he can't. Its a tough situation to deal with, especially considering Adam is used to saving the lives of strangers. When someone he truly cares about is in trouble, he's completely helpless."

"How serious are Adam and Tanya anyway?"

"They aren't, really. I guess they're both too shy to do anything about it. Tanya did ask Adam to the Crystal Ball last month, but they've never gone on a date by themselves."

"Well," said Aisha with a knowing smile, "I know for a fact that some guys are so insecure, they wait for months before they ask a girl out."

Tommy turned around, and frowned at Aisha. "I guess Kim told you about the time I asked her to a dance by the lake, when I lost my Green Ranger powers."

"You mean the time you finally asked Kim out! Yep, she told me. She tells me just about everything."

"Uh, I think I'll go make sure Kat doesn't need help," said Tommy suddenly, hopping off the couch and hurrying into the kitchen. Aisha just started to giggle.

Just down the hall, Adam stands in the door, gazing at Tanya. She was still sleeping soundly, with a fluffy cream colored blanket over her body. Only her head peeked out from underneath the blanket. She looked so serene while she slept that Adam decided not to disturb her.

After all, she needs all the sleep she can get, he thought, I just don't believe this is happening! Some monster is trying to kidnap Tanya,, and I can't do a thing about it! Its driving me crazy! And I know I shouldn't stress. Doctor Campbell told me to take it easy after that operation. It'll be months before I can safely wield the green Zeo Shard again. And even when that time comes, I don't want to just take the Power from Aisha. She's always been such a great Power Ranger. So spirited, and constantly full of energy. My rangering days may be over forever. I shouldn't take it so badly, though. As long as the Earth is protected, I should be happy. So what if I'm not the one wearing the green uniform? I just wish there was some way I could help Tanya...

A soft yawn from across the room startled Adam out of his reverie. He stood his ground and watched as Tanya opened her eyes dreamily, and sat up slowly. She stretched her arms, and smiled up at him.

"Good morning, Adam," she said, standing up off the floor and straightening her nightgown, "When did you get here?"

"A couple minutes ago. I can with Tommy to help clean up the mess the Sandman made."

"You didn't have to. You shouldn't exert yourself--"

"I won't. I just wanted to help out a bit."

Tanya and Adam stood in an awkward silence for a few moments. Neither one knew what to say next, so neither said anything. Fortunately for the both of them, the doorbell's chime broke the silence.

"I'll get it!" they heard Aisha call from down the hall. Tanya put on her yellow flannel robe, and she and Adam stepped out into the hallway, where they saw Kimberly and Billy coming into the house.

"Don't close the door yet," said Kimberly, "Rocky, Jason, and Zack are right behind us."

Katherine stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a tray full of coffee mugs. "Okay, the coffee's ready, and I have some hot cinnamon rolls in the oven! They'll be done in five minutes."

"Wow," said Rocky, taking a mug of hot coffee, "I should visit you more often, Kat!"

After the group of teenagers enjoyed some coffee and rolls, they began work on the window. In only a few hours, the shattered window was replaced, and the house was cleaned. It actually looked better than it ever had before.

"Terrific job, everyone!" said Kat, "My parents are gonna be pleasantly surprised when they see how clean the house is!"

"No problem," said Jason, "Now that we're done here, let's go to Ernie's for lunch, and then help him set up for the party."

That evening was the New Year's party. The Youth Center was set up nicely, with a refreshment stand, tables set up, and the DJ played a mix of lively dance songs. Everyone was having fun dancing and talking. All but Tanya Sloan. She stayed at the table her friends were sitting at, and remained silent while the others talked about random topics. Aisha and Zack were dancing to Blackstreet's song "No Diggity", and impressing most of the other dancers with their skilled moves. Then, the DJ said goodnight, and the live band took the stage. Everyone cheered excitedly as the lead singer took the microphone.

"Hey there, Angel Grove!" she called, "How's the party?"

Everyone cheered their approval.

"Okay, its time for some slow songs, since its edging on midnight! So everyone, grab your sweetie! Now, we're gonna sing 'Never Forget You' by Mariah Carey."

Kimberly stood up, and grabbed Tommy's hand. She lead him onto the dance floor.

"I won't see your smile
And I won't hear you laugh anymore
Every night
I won't see you walk through that door..."

"Oh," said Katherine, closing her eyes, "this is such a beautiful song."

"Would you like to dance?" asked Jason, holding out his hand, "Just for fun, I mean."

"Sure," said Katherine, taking his hand. They walked over to the dance floor, and swayed to the music. Tommy made eye contact with Jason, and gave his best friend a thumbs up behind Kimberly's back. Jason rolled his eyes and shook his head.

" 'Cause time wasn't on your side
It isn't right
I can't say I love you
Its too late to tell you,
But I really need you to know, oh baby,"

"So, what do we wall-flowers want to talk about?" asked Rocky after watching Aisha and Zack, Tommy and Kimberly, and Katherine and Jason dance for a minute.

"I don't know," said Billy with a smile, "how about the weather?"

"Not bad," said Adam, "colder than usual, a little wet, but not bad."

Adam turned towards Tanya, who was staring at the clock anxiously. She was completely oblivious to the conversation at hand.

"Adam," whispered Rocky, "why don't you ask her to dance?"

"Why?" asked Adam.

"Because, dancing is fun! Maybe that'll get her mind off the Sandman. She's really tense."

Adam nodded, and turned back to Tanya.

"No, I'll never forget you,
I'll never let you out of my heart,
You will always be here with me,
I'll hold onto the memories, Baby."

"Uh, Tanya," said Adam timidly, "Would you like to dance?"

Tanya turned and smiled at Adam. "Well, okay."

Tanya and Adam stepped onto the dance floor. Adam wrapped his arm warily around Tanya's waist, and took her hand. She gazed into his dark brown eyes for a few moments, and then turned her focus away from him, slightly embarassed.

"Baby, can you hear me
Wherever you may be tonight?
Are you near me?
I need you to be by my side.
'Cause I never said goodbye
It isn't right.
I should have said I love you
Why didn't I just tell you?
God knows I need you to know."

Tanya and Adam swayed across the dance floor, catching the eye of many surprised teens. But they seemed to be in their own world, enjoying the close proximity, and the warm breath on each other's cheek. Tanya finally rested her cheek on Adam's shoulder. Adam stiffened slightly, but soon relaxed as he lead her across the floor.

"No, I'll never forget you

I'll never let you out of my heart.
You will always be here with me.
I'll hold onto the memories baby."

"Thanks, Adam," Tanya whispered into his ear.

"For what?"

"For being here for me. For trying so hard to make me feel better. I appreciate it."

"Its no big deal," he said modestly, "After all, we're friends, right?"

"Absolutely." And maybe something more?

"Somewhere I know you'll be with me.
Someday, in another time.
But right now you're gone, just vanished away
But I'll never leave you behind..."

"Look at them," said Rocky excitedly, "Man, Adam has all the luck!"

"Cheer up," said Billy with a smile, "You'll find the perfect woman some day."

"In the meantime," said Rocky with a playful smile, "Care to dance? We're the only ones left."

Billy just laughed. "Somehow, Rocko, I don't think you're my type. Besides, who'll lead?"

"No, I'll never forget you,
I'll never let you out of my heart.
You will always be here with me.
I'll hold onto the memories, baby..."

When the singer finished the final note, everyone on the dance floor stopped dancing and cheered. All but Tanya and Adam. They just stood there, in each other's arms, in silence.

"Okay, everyone, get ready! It's just about time to start the one minute countdown to midnight!"

Tanya's head rose from Adam's shoulder, and she glanced at the clock. Sure enough, it was 11:58.

"Where did the time go?" she asked him. He smiled shyly.

"I guess time flies when you're having fun."

"Look, Adam," she said, letting go of him and stepping back, "I'd better get going. Its nearly midnight!"

"And you've suddenly become Cinderella?"

"If only," she said, turning away, "Goodbye."

Tanya hurried out of the Youth Center. Adam stood there, dumbfounded. Zack walked up to him.

"What did you say to her, Man?" he said jokingly. Adam just shrugged. "Maybe you should follow her! Its a little chilly outside, and she's wearing a sleevless dress! The first way to a woman's heart is to be a gentleman."

"And I guess you're the expert?" asked Adam with a good-natured laugh, "I somehow doubt its working with Angela."

"Angela can be impossible," said Zack with a grin, "but Tanya, is an entirely different matter."

Adam looked at Zack, and saw that he was serious. He then hurried out of the Youth Center, and Ernie made an announcement.

"Okay, sixty seconds and counting..."

Tanya Sloan was running up the hill away from the Youth Center, her short yellow dress blowing in the cool breeze. Tears began to streak down her face, but she didn't let that slow her down. On her wrist, her silver and yellow communicator reflected the dim moonlight. For some reason, she wanted to get as far away from the Youth Center as she possibly could.

"Tanya!" called a voice from behind. Tanya recognized it instantly, and stopped in her tracks. But she didn't turn around. Adam caught up with her quickly, and lay his jacket over her shoulders.

"Its a bit cold out here," he said.

"Thanks" she said with a weak smile.

"Why did you run?" he asked, "I... I thought we were having fun."

"Oh, we were," she said, "but, its nearly midnight! If Coppola comes for me in the Youth Center, people could get hurt!"

"You make it sound like you plan on going with him," Adam said quietly. Her bottom lip trembled, and tears began to streak down her dark cheeks.

"I don't want to," she sobbed, "but he won't quit until he has me! I won't be responsible for other people getting hurt because of me. You should get going, Adam. You're not a Power Ranger anymore."

Adam looked away from her, obviously stung by her words. Tanya realized what she had said, and mentally slapped herself for being so harsh. She timidly touched his cheek, and turned his face around so she could look into his dark brown eyes.

"I... I didn't mean it like that," she said, "I just... can't let you get hurt. You don't have to protect me, you know. Its no longer your responsibility."

"Maybe not," he said, cupping her chin with his hand, "Maybe I want to..."

As Adam's and Tanya's faces inched towards each other, they could hear a bell going off from the Youth Center, along with a chorus of happy new years and laughing.

"Happy New Year, Adam Park," whispered Tanya.

"Happy New Year, Tanya Sloan," he answered softly, their lips nearly touching.

"Achem," came a chilling, authoritative voice, "Please step away from Tanya, Human."

Adam and Tanya whirled around in surprise, and Tanya shrieked when she saw the Sandman floating a few inches off the ground, with his hands in the pockets of his full-length trench coat. Adam stepped in front of Tanya protectively.

"I'm not letting you take her!" he yelled. Tanya's eyes widened at the sound of determination in his voice.

"And you will stop me, Human?" Sandman laughed. He quickly pulled one hand out of his pocket, and small grains of sand flew into Adam's face. Tanya screamed as Adam fell lifeless to the cold grass.

"Adam, NO!!"

"Come, child," said Sandman, grabbing Tanya's wrist, "Its time for us to leave."

"I'm not going ANYWHERE with you!!" she cried angrily, "Someone, HELP!!"

Inside the Youth Center, all the teenagers toasted the new year with sparkling glasses of apple cider. Kimberly shuddered when she telepathically heard a cry for help. She nearly dropped her glass, and she touched her head with her free hand.

"What's wrong, Kim?" asked Tommy, supporting her with his arm. She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"Where's Tanya? I... I think I heard her scream..."

"Let's get going," said Tommy, taking her hand and leading her through the crowd. They found Jason and Kat, and Zack and Aisha.

"Sandman's struck again," he whispered, "Let's move."

The six teenagers wove their way through the cheering crowd, and out of the Youth Center. They didn't need to go far to see Tanya struggling with the ochre-yellow demon.

"Its Morphin Time!" yelled Tommy, "TERRA FIRE POWER!!"

"TERRA WATER POWER!!" cried Katherine.

"TERRA WIND POWER!!" yelled Aisha.

"TERRA EARTH POWER!!" bellowed Jason.

"X-Ranger One!" shouted Zack.

"X-Ranger Two!" called Kimberly.

The six Power Rangers ran up the hill, and surrounded the Sandman, Tanya, and Adam.

"So," said the Sandman, "you chose to once again interfere?"

"You got it!" said the Red Ranger, "You're not taking Tanya without a fight!"

"But we do not need to fight," he said with a chilling grin, "I have a proposition for the young Miss Sloan."

The Sandman stepped back, and melted into a round puddle. The rangers watched curiously as an image appeared on the sand. Once it cleared, they saw a middle-aged African couple, sitting on a stone floor behind iron bars.

"Who... who are they?" asked Tanya quietly, "Why are you showing me this?"

"You don't recognize them?" he asked her in a mocking voice, rising from the puddle, "They haven't changed much in the ten years since you last saw them. They are your parents, Tanya. Henry and Agatha Sloan."

Everyone gasped, and Tanya continued to stare at the faces of the people in the image.

"How can I be sure you're not lying to me? Trying to trick me?!"

"Because my word is my bond," he answered, "I have never lied to anyone. After you had fainted, your father accidentally set the house on fire, trying to save you. He told his wife to escape with you, while he held me back. Agatha fled, but after you were safe, she returned, hoping to save her husband. We were all trapped within the consuming flames. I saved their lives. Therefore, they belong to me."

"No one can own another human being!" said Jason. Sandman laughed.

"That is a human rule, Black Ranger. And I am not human. I do not heed your laws."

"What do you want?" asked Tanya.

"It is simple, dear Tanya. If you agree to come with me, your parents will live, and can return to the surface and live out the rest of their lives. If you refuse me, I'm afraid I'll have to keep them as my slaves in your stead. Well, what is your decision?"

Tanya trembled, and sank to her knees. Tears streaked down her face, and she turned from the Sandman to the unconscious Adam, and back again to the Sandman.

"I," she stammered, "I... "

"Well," said the Sandman, a confident smirk wrinkling his grotesque yellow-ochre countenance, "will you come with me, Tanya? Will you trade your life for the lives of your parents?"

Tanya took a deep breath, and shakily rose to her feet. He held her chin up, and stared right into Coppola's murky green eyes. "Yes," she said in a voice barely above a whisper, "so long as you promise to let my parents go, and guarantee Adam's safety."

"Tanya, no!" said the Black Terran Ranger, "You can't trust this creature!"

"Stop your interference!" snapped Sandman angrily, "I agree to your terms, Tanya. The boy is only asleep, and shall awaken shortly. Come."

The Sandman pulled a gloved hand out of his yellow trenchcoat pocket, and held it out to Tanya. She hesitated for a moment, and then touched his hand. As soon as they made contact, they both suddenly disappeared, leaving the six Power Rangers stunned.

"I don't believe she just went with that... thing!" said Aisha, the Green Ranger.

"Her parents' lives are at stake," said Tommy, "What else could she have done?"

"You're not saying we're giving up on this!" said Jason, "We can't leave Tanya in the hands of that monster! We have to free her, and her parents!"

"We will," said Tommy, lifting the unconscious Adam, "Let's go to the Central Access Complex. We'll signal Billy when we get there."

With that, the Power Rangers, and their friend, disappeared from the slope of a hill just outside the Youth Center.

Tanya's eyes shot open in alarm. She half expected to see the ceiling of her bedroom in the Hillard's house, after awaking from a terrifying dream. But, this wasn't a dream. It was her worst nightmare.

Tanya lay upon a large canopy bed, with soft yellow silk drapes surrounding the entire bed. She sat up, and straightened the hem of her yellow party dress. She then peeked out from behind the drapes, preparing herself for the terror that she may be soon seeing. But what she saw illicited no fear whatsoever. Rather, she was awestruck.

The bedroom she was now in was furnished with fine antique furniture, decorated in a fashion most comparable with the Victorian age. The walls and ceiling of the chamber were made of yellow bricks, and there was a large window on one wall, with yellow drapes to match the decor of the rest of the room. It was obviously not the room of a slavegirl. She looked out the window, and saw many stalactites hanging from the cavern's ceiling, as clear as the finest crystal. She was obviously nowhere on the Earth's surface.

"Impressive, is it not?" asked a gentle voice behind her. Tanya gasped and turned around. Her eyes widened when they fell upon a strange young man, with an ochre-yellow complexion. His face and stature was very dignified and handsome, and his long hair, which was exactly the same shade of yellow as his skin, was tied back into a long ponytail. He wore what appeared to be a tuxedo, complete with a long, flowing cape, of matching ochre-yellow. However, what was most surprising was his eyes. Or rather, his lack of eyes. His eye sockets were empty pits of blackness.

"Who are you?" she asked, when her voice finally returned to her. He smiled at her.

"Let me show you," he said, his form melting into a puddle. Tanya gasped as he reformed, this time taking the shape of the hideous beast Giuseppe Coppola, with yellow trenchcoat and wrinkled face.

"Sandman! You're a shape-shifter?!"

"Indeed," he said, reverting into his more pleasant form, "My true form is amorphous, so I can choose whichever shape I prefer. And my name is not Sandman, nor is it Giuseppe Coppola. Those are just aliases I go by when dealing in the world of humankind. I am Coppelius, of Areana."

"Areana?"

"Areana is the planet of my birth," he explained, "I was the sole survivor of a space expedition from Areana, a planet circling the star known as Betelgeuse, which crashed here on Earth centuries ago. I had no way to contact my people, nor repair my ship. I was trapped on this strange planet, the only one of my kind. Needless to say, I was feared by mankind, because of my abilities, and appearance. Although I can change my shape, I cannot entirely fit in with human kind. I stood out, and was feared and hated."

"If you're trying to get sympathy from me," said Tanya in a low, nearly growling voice, "you're barking up the wrong tree!"

"I just thought you'd like to get to know me better," Coppelius said, his smile falling, "After all, you'll be spending the rest of your life down here. It can either be a pleasant experience, or it can be a prison for you. I do hope you choose the former option."

"What do you mean 'down here'?" she asked, glancing out of the window again, "Where are we?"

"We are several miles deep into the crust of the Earth. This is my only refuge from mankind. Here is where I constructed my own kingdom, made of crystal, glass, and sand. Here, I am in control. This is my sanctuary, where mankind can never follow."

"I want to see my parents," Tanya said coldly. Coppelius nodded, and turned towards the door.

"Come," he said, opening the door, "I shall take you to see them. I'm sure they will be most surprised to see you again."

Coppelius slowly marched through the spacious hallway, closely followed by Tanya. Tanya studied the artwork along the brick walls with interest. Most of them were of this underground land, with only the light of torches and small fires. The coloring was always of shades of yellow and orange, since the sand was yellow and the illuminating flames orange. At the end of the hall was a rather large portrait of a lady, with flowing curly raven hair, mysterious, large dark eyes, and flawless, chocolate brown skin. She wore a charming, heartwarming smile, revealing pearly white teeth. Tanya marvelled at the portrait she saw. The subject looked very much like herself, except the hair was longer and darker. Tanya turned away, and saw that Coppelius was descending a flight of narrow stone steps, into a consuming blackness. She followed him, cautiously watching her step, into the lower level of the exotic palace, where the dungeons were. Coppelius held a torch that lit the dark chambers with an eerie orange glow, and led Tanya to the last prison cell, which was lit by a small oil lamp. Inside the spacious cell were two middle aged people, dressed in clean, contemporary clothing. Tanya was visibly surprised by the sight of the two prisoners. The only thing that spoke of their captivity were the iron bars on the walls. Otherwise, they lived in the lap of luxury. But, Tanya could tell from their somber expressions that they were not happy with their present situation. She gazed at the two people whose faces were clouded in her memory, while the continued with their business, unaware of her presence. But Tanya knew in her heart that they were indeed her parents. Coppelius had spoken the truth.

"Henry," said Coppelius, "Agatha."

The couple within the cell looked towards the gate, and saw the handsome face of their captor. Henry stepped in front of Agatha, and frowned at his host bitterly.

"What do you want?" he barked, "I already told you, I refuse to tell you were we hid Tanya! So, either kill us or let us be!"

"I no longer need you assistance in determining the whereabouts of the child," said Coppelius coolly, "I have someone who has waited over a decade to meet you."

Coppelius unlatched the door, and Tanya timidly walked into the room. Both her parents gasped, and tears welled in Agatha's dark eyes. Agatha slowly walked towards Tanya, and tightly embraced her daughter with all the affection in her heart. But Henry's reaction was very different. He was mortified.

"No!" he roared, his eyes flashing with ire, "You will not take my daughter!"

"But, I didn't take her," Coppelius replied, "She came willingly, to save your lives. And so, you are free."

"What do you mean?" asked Agatha, releasing her daughter from the welcoming embrace.

"I mean just that," said Coppelius, "All three of you are free to move about the palace at your leisure. I trust you'd like to spend some time with your long-lost daughter before you return to the surface world. So, you have my permission to stay for one day. Then, I shall personally escort you to the surface world."

"You're just going to let us have free access to the palace?" said Tanya in surprise.

"Of course," said Coppelius, "After all, you have given me your life in exchange for your parents. We made a deal, and I trust you will not break it. Also, there is no way you can escape, for there is nowhere to go. You are miles deep within the crust of the planet, and you can never make it to the surface. Now, I shall leave you."

Coppelius disappeared, leaving the small family alone, within the prison cell with an open door. Tanya's eyes were watering, and she smiled as she hugged both parents at once.

"Mom, Dad, you don't know how much I've missed you."

"We've missed you too, Baby," said Agatha, "All these years, we silently wondered what had become of you. But we knew we could trust Ishala to protect and care for you, and we were right. You've grown into a wonderful, beautiful young woman."

Tanya turned to her father, who wore a bitter scowl.

"Dad," she said, "what's wrong?"

"Tanya," she said in a low voice, "I can understand why you did what you did, but you shouldn't have. We're old. We've lived our lives. Now you, in the prime of your life, have thrown your future away!"

"I couldn't just let you live in a prison!" Tanya objected, "Besides, you are two people, and I'm only one. He'll only have one slave."

"He doesn't want you for a slave," said Henry, shaking his head, "He want's your body."

"What... what do you mean by that?" asked Tanya.

"Sit down," said Henry, gesturing to a couch against the stone wall, "I'm going to tell you a story that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is the story of the Sandman..."

In the Central Access Complex, the two X-Rangers and the four Terran Rangers wait in a semi-circle, surrounding Billy as he tends to Adam, who is still unconscious. Billy losens his tie, and examines the computer scan of Adam's body.

"Well," he said finally, "he's only asleep. Whatever this substance Sandman threw at him, its a powerful chemical that induces sleep. It should wear off soon, but I don't think there's anything I can do to speed up the process."

"Don't," said Tommy, "Let the drug work through his system. Meanwhile, we have bigger problems."

"Namely the Sandman," said Zack, "Is there any way we can track the Sandman's teleportation signature?"

"I doubt it," said Billy, "Whatever means Sandman uses to teleport, its not similar enough to Rita and Zedd's magic for the computers to notice it. If it were, alarms would have gone off each time he came to Earth."

"How do we know he left Earth?" asked Aisha, "After all, the Sandman is a legend that's existed for centuries!"

"Do you really think this is _the_ Sandman?" asked Katherine.

"I don't know," said Aisha.

"Well, he couldn't have gotten far," said Kimberly, "Billy, is there any way you can track down Tanya?"

"Not unless she has her communicator with her," said Billy, "But if she had, she would have contacted us."

"Maybe she's out of range?" suggested Jason.

"Perhaps," said Billy, rubbing his chin, "Even if she's out of communication or teleportation range, we can still track her signal, and get coordinates. But, it'll take some time."

"Then, let's get to it," said Tommy.

In the prison cell inside the magnificent palace of Coppelius, Henry takes a deep breath, and begins his strange tale.

"In Falun, there was an ancient mine, that ran hundreds of feet into the earth. Once upon a time, in the year 1759, a miner named Nathaniel Sloan was trapped when the mine caved in. It was the day before his wedding to his love Olympia, and he was found unconscious by the Sandman, who is a mystical creature who lives in the ground below. Nathaniel begged the strange scientist to help him return to the surface, so he could live his life. Sandman agreed, saying that, in return, he would claim Nathaniel and Olympia's eldest child, to serve him until the day he dies. And every 100 years, the Sandman would claim a new servant from the upper world, to assist in his experiments, and perhaps be a part of them. Nathaniel agreed, sine he knew his wife was unable to bear children, and the Sandman brought Nathaniel to the surface through an entrance only he knew of. Nathaniel returned to Olympia, and they married that very evening. About a year later, Olympia became pregnant. Nathaniel knew that the Sandman would lay claim on the child, so he and Olympia fled Sweden, to live in the African colonies. But, twenty years later, the Sandman found them, and took their eldest child, Ligeia, from them. At first, she was his servant, but he grew to love her. But she weakened, and was dying. So, Nathaniel preserved her brain, and created a machine that could place her essence into another's body. But, it would only work if the host body was genetically similar to Ligeia's. So, every century, Sandman returned to the surface, and found another young girl in the Sloan family to place his beloved's essence into. However, he couldn't find a child similar enough to Ligeia for the transferrence to be successful, and to this day, Coppelius has been waiting for the young woman who was enough like her ancestor to bring her back to life."

"So, Coppelius hasn't been collecting slaves," said Tanya, "but companions."

"Yes," said Henry with a deep sigh, "He is a stranger in a strange world, and no one ever accepted him. Except Ligeia. She was pure and good, and grew to care for Coppelius. But she couldn't live forever, as Coppelius can."

"And this Ligeia, she is the woman on the portrait?"

"Yes," said Agatha quietly, "Tanya, you look exactly like her."

"I had struck a deal with Coppelius," continued Henry, "because he visited us on the New Year's Eve after your birth to remind us of the debt that hasn't been fully paid. I promised to pay him annually a tithe of rare chemicals, provided that he leave you alone. He agreed, because as a scientist, he has experiments to conduct, and he has difficulty obtaining the needed chemicals because he lives beneath the earth, away from all civilization. So, this annual tithe continued, until the night he saw you again, when you hid in my closet. Only then did he realize how much you resembled Ligeia, and he assumed that, because you look so much like her, your body would be an adequate vessel from Ligeia's brain. As soon as he saw you, he decided that having you was more important than the chemicals he had been collecting, she he tried to take you to his lair, hoping to raise you himself, and when you were the right age, he would transplant Ligeia's essence into your body. But I refused to let him double-cross me."

"That's when the fire started," recollected Tanya, "That's when I lost you..."

Agatha sighed and hugged her daughter even tighter. Tanya's eyes started to spill over as realization hit her.

"My God," she whispered, "can Coppelius really put another person's soul into my body?"

"He's been trying to perfect the process for some time," said Henry solemnly, "but he is mad. He refuses to accept that Ligeia is gone. He has preserved her brain, but that doesn't mean she is still alive. What was Ligeia is gone now. He cannot re-create a person."

"But that won't stop him from trying..." said Tanya, "He doesn't care if he kills me."

"Tanya, you must escape!" said Agatha. Henry placed a consoling hand on her shoulder.

"Escape is impossible," he said, "We are miles underground! How can we find our way to the surface? And certainly no one will come for us."

"Maybe," said Tanya, glancing at her yellow and silver wrist communicator. Discreetly, she unlatched it from her wrist and hid it on the floor. "In the meantime, let's take a look at this castle of his. Maybe we can find something useful."

Tanya stood up and pushed open the unlocked iron barred gate. Together, the small family ascended the stairs to the palace itself. Tanya frowned when she saw the painting of Ligeia, while Henry and Agatha marvelled at it.

"You... you look even more like Ligeia than I thought!" Henry said in surprise, "Its no wonder he spent so long searching for you."

"Uh oh," said Tanya, looking around on the floor, "I... I dropped my bracelet downstairs. I'd better go find it."

"What?" asked Agatha, "Its not that important."

"Its got... sentimental value. I'll be right back."

"I'll go with you," said Henry.

"No," said Tanya, hurrying down the stairs again, "it'll only take a minute." Tanya went back into the cell, and picked up her communicator, which was right where she left it.

"Billy?" she whispered, "Rangers? Do you read?" But all Tanya could hear was static. She sighed deeply and tried again.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?"

Tanya frowned, and slowly ascended the stairs, out of the dungeon. I must be out of range or something! she thought, Maybe some of the rocks in the caves are deflecting the signal? There must be a way to contact the CAC. Coppelius is a scientist, for Pete's sake! He's got to have some kind of communications device somewhere!

"Come on," Tanya said, closing the door to the stairwell behind her, "let's find Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory."

Adam's eyes slowly opened, but his vision was too blurry for him to recognize anything. When his eyes finally focused, he found himself staring at the ceiling of the CAC. He shuddered, instantly remembering what it was like to awaken after extensive heart surgery, only weeks before. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes. He saw the six Power Rangers standing beside Billy, as he busily worked at the scanning relay.

"Guys," Adam said quietly, "what's going on?"

His dark eyes widened when he remembered what happened just before he passed out.

"Where's Tanya?!" he cried, hopping off the med-unit and onto his feet. He balanced himself against the med-unit, and shook off a wave of dizziness. Aisha hurried to his side, and helped him stand.

"Take it easy Adam," she said, "You shouldn't stress yourself."

"Where's Tanya?" he repeated in a lower voice, "She's not here!"

"She went with the Sandman," said Tommy, as Adam and Aisha joined the others by the computer.

"Why?"

"Sandman has her parents as prisoners," explained Kimberly, "He threatened to kill them if she didn't go with him."

"So, what are you waiting for?" Adam asked, anger and fear prevalent in his weak voice, "Why aren't you following them?!"

"As soon as I locate Tanya, the rangers will rescue her," said Billy, "I'm recalibrating the scanning system, so we can get Tanya's coordinates. I believe I've found where Sandman has taken her. Or at least, where her communicator is."

"Where is she?" asked Katherine, "Are they still on Earth?"

"The coordinates read a latitude and longitude that marks a city called Falun, in Sweden. But..."

"But?" asked Jason.

"But the readings aren't in the city itself. They are... 2.7 miles beneath the city."

"The Sandman took Tanya underground?" asked Zack in surprise.

"That actually makes sense," said Tommy, picking up his helmet, "After all, the Sandman can't live with other people, so he must alienate himself. What better place on Earth to be alone than deep in the crust? Billy, can you teleport us to Tanya's location?"

"I'm having difficulty locking a signal," said Billy in frustration, "and since the signal is coming from underground, I don't want to make an error. You may materialize inside a rock or something."

"Its a chance we'll have to take," said Tommy, "Back to Action!"

The rangers all took their helmets, and strapped them back on in reply. Adam stood back, and watched as they vanished from the Central Access Complex.

"Good luck, gang," he said quietly, "I wish I could be there with you..."

The Terran Rangers and X-Rangers appeared within a dark cave. Large stalagmites and stalactites sprouted from the floor and the ceiling, and pools of molten lava heated and lit the cave from within small wells in the rock.

"Is it just me," said Katherine, "or have we stepped right into Dante's Inferno ?"

"That's the first thing that came to my mind too," commented Jason.

The Silver Ranger climbed up onto a large boulder, giving him a clearer view of the dark chamber."Guys," he called, "check it out!"

"What did you find, Zack?" asked Aisha, the recently instated Green Ranger.

"Would you believe... a humungous sand castle?"

The other rangers stepped onto the boulder, and gasped audibly. Not far away was a large palace of bricks made of sand, with a molten lava moat surrounding it entirely. The Red Ranger leapt off the boulder and began walking towards the castle.

"Come on," he called, "Something tells me this is the place to start looking for Tanya."

The Terran Rangers broke into a run towards the castle, but a wall of sand appeared in their path. They stopped short.

"Where did that come from?" asked Katherine.

"Sandman," Jason answered, looking around. Atop the high wall was a figure, who leapt down to the same level as the rangers. It was the troll-like Coppolla, who snarled at the rangers violently.

"Why have you come?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"Why do you think?" asked the Silver Ranger, "Where's Tanya?"

"She is home," he replied, "She will never leave. We made a deal, and it is not your place to break it."

"Sorry, Sandman," said the Gold Ranger, "but the deal's invalid! You can't bargain with what isn't yours, and you don't own Tanya's parents."

"I promised that no harm would come to Tanya's friends," Sandman growled, "but you have trespassed on land no human being may walk upon and live. Unless, I so grant him his life! And I shall take yours from you!"

With that, Sandman raised his fists, and the wall came crashing down, burying the six rangers beneath tons of yellow sand.

After wandering aimlessly through the vast underground palace of the alien being Coppelius, Tanya, Agatha, and Henry Sloan finally find the spacious laboratory. Agatha and Henry gasp as they gaze upon the machines before them. There is a large, long table, covered with beakers filled with labeled chemicals of all types. Lights flashed from the consoles of many computers, and in the far corner was a large viewscreen, showing the present fight between the Power Rangers and the Sandman. Henry and Agatha were amazed by the technology spread out before them, but Tanya has seen such technology in the Power Chamber. She looks over the consoles carefully, searching for something that resembled the teleporter in the Power Chamber.

"There must be a teleporter here somewhere," she muttered angrily, scanning the many consoles with her eyes. She found a suspicious red button, and looked at it curiously.

"Its always the red button," she decided, as she pressed the button with her index finger. The wall opened, revealing a secret room within. The Sloan family walked into the chamber, and were all awestruck. Inside, was a table just long enough for a person to lie upon. It was connected with various tubes and wires to a control panel. That panel was connected to a large glass cylinder, about seven feet high. Tanya gasped as she noticed there was a body inside. She peered at it intensely, and her eyes widened.

"Its... me?" she gasped.

"Its Ligeia," Agatha whispered, "Coppelius must've placed her in suspended animation!"

"Amazing," said Henry. He then frowned, and glanced at Tanya. "Tanya," he said, "Coppelius plans on using your body to bring Ligeia back to the living. Now is our chance to foil his plans!"

"What do you mean?" asked Tanya.

"We must destroy this machine! Its the only way to stop him from killing you!"

"But," said Tanya, gazing at Ligeia, "if we destroy the machine, we'll kill her !"

"She's already dead," said Agatha solemnly, "Coppelius just can't bring himself to believe it, but there is no science that can bring her back. Even if there was, is it fair to rob Ligeia of peace?"

"No," said Tanya.

"And no matter how powerful Sandman is, he is not God. He has no right to take your life and exchange it for one long dead."

"You're right," said Tanya, taking a look around the dimly lit chamber. She located a wooden table, covered with flasks of various chemicals. She ran over to the table, and kicked it over, spilling all the chemicals onto the stone floor. Her parents watched as she grabbed one of the wooden legs, and held her hand above the leg, aiming carefully.

"My friend Adam taught me this," she said, focussing on the leg. With a mighty chop, she cleanly broke through the wood, effectively creating a wooden staff. She picked up the staff, and carefully eyed the glass tube Ligeia was in.

"I don't think you'll be able to break through this glass," said Agatha, "It looks rather thick."

"Right," said Henry, "but perhaps you can destroy the main console."

"Good idea," said Tanya, hurrying to the computer console connected to the entire machine, "Step back, guys."

Henry and Agatha stepped towards the door to the main laboratory, while Tanya rose the wooden beam high. She slammed the heavy beam on the computer console over and over again, each time seriously damaging the delicate machinery. Sparks flew throughout the chamber, but Tanya paid no heed, focussing all her attention to the destruction of the device. She didn't notice the sparks that flew across the room, and struck the spilled chemicals that fell earlier. The sparks quickly started a chemical fire, with noxious fumes.

"Tanya!" gasped Agatha, covering her mouth, "Get out of there!"

Tanya turned around, and saw the flames spreading through the dark chamber like wildfire. She was soon surrounded by flames, in the far end of the room.

"Tanya, no!" coughed Henry desperately, trying to fight his way through the fire. But there was no way to reach his daughter.

"Dad!" said Tanya urgently, "Mom! Get outta here, now! See if you can get help!"

Henry and Agatha nodded, and hurried through the main laboratory as quickly as they could. Tanya backed away from the powerful flames, and winded up trapped against the yellow wall. She watched as the flames consumed everything in their path, and soon, they reached the device Ligeia was connected to. The bed quickly burned to ash, and the heat slowly melted the cylinder.

Maybe the water in Ligeia's chamber will quench the flames! Tanya thought hopefully. She held her breath as the clear liquid burst through the weakened glass, streaming into the flaming room. But instead of dousing the flames, they only increased in intensity. Tanya shrieked in alarm.

"It wasn't water! That liquid must've been some flammable chemical!"

Tanya ripped a piece of her dress, and covered her nose and mouth with it. She then stepped back from the flames, with her back against the wall.

My only chance is to contact the rangers! I wonder if they can hear me from outside...

Tanya raised the communicator to her mouth, and waved the smoke from her face.

The Sandman stood atop the mountain of yellow sand, beneath which lied the Power Rangers. He chuckled, and put his wrinkled hands in his trench-coat pockets.

"Now my front yard will serve as a tomb for the mighty Power Rangers of Earth," he said, a cold grin on his face, "They must have suffocated by now."

Suddenly, the yellow sand appeared to give off a golden glow. Sandman leapt off the dune and watched in surprise as the sand was thrown in all directions by some faint gold energy. The Power Rangers all rose to their feet, with the Gold Ranger being helped up by the Red Ranger.

"Good job, Kimberly," he said, "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," she assured, "that telekinetic burst just took alot outta me."

"And now, its time to take alot out of the Sandman!" exclaimed the Silver Ranger, "Light Lance, power up!"

A silver staff with a prism on either side appeared in Zack's hand, and he charged at the Sandman. The Sandman laughed as his hand took the shape of a sword. The other rangers could see Zack needed help.

"Wow," said Katherine, "Sandman's good!"

"Then we need to get involved," said Tommy, "Flame Sab--"

Tommy was surprised when a six tone signal from his communicator interrupted him.

"I'll answer," said Tommy, turning to his friends, "The rest of you, help Zack!"

"Right!" said Aisha, her Wind Shield taking shape in her hand, "Let's rock!"

Katherine, Kimberly, and Jason summoned their weapons-- the Ice Daggers, Thunderbow, and Earth Sword-- and joined the fight against Sandman. Tommy immediately pulled back his glove to reveal his wrist communicator.

"What's up, Billy?"

^Its... not Billy,^ came a weak voice, ^Its... Tanya...^

"Tanya?!" said Tommy in surprise and alarm, "Where are you? You don't sound so good."

^I'm in... Coppelius' lab,^ she gasped, ^The fire--^

Tanya then fell into a fit of coughs. Tommy glanced at the palace, searching for some smoke pouring from a window, to show where the laboratory was. Tommy's dread increased when he realized there wasn't any smoke.

That can only mean one thing-- the laboratory doesn't _have_ a window! Without ventilation, the smoke'll kill Tanya before the flames get to her!

Tommy was subsequently knocked off his feet by a wave of sand, which Sandman created to wash away the Power Rangers. Since Tommy was the furthest away from Sandman when the wave was created, he wasn't buried like his friends were. He rose to his feet, and leapt at Sandman.

There's no way I can find the lab in time Tommy concluded, Tanya's only chance is the Sandman himself!

"So," said Sandman with a cruel chuckle, "You're willing to face me alone, Red Ranger? You'll leave your friends to suffocate under my sand?"

"They won't suffocate," said Tommy confidently, "However, if you don't do something soon, your laboratory will be toast for good."

"What do you mean?" asked Sandman, dropping his fighting stance.

"Tanya paged me. She's trapped inside your lab, and its on fire. Your the only one that can save her... and everything inside your laboratory."

The Sandman's confident grin fell sharply, leaving a visage of fear and horror.

"No!" he cried, vanishing from his spot, "Ligeia!!"

Tommy blinked under his helmet, and watched the creature completely disappear. He then turned around to see all five of his fellow rangers dusting themselves off from the sand.

"What happened to Sandman?" asked Jason.

"And what did Billy say?" added Aisha.

"That wasn't Billy, it was Tanya," explained Tommy, starting to run towards the sand castle, "She's trapped somewhere in this castle, in Sandman's lab. I told Sandman about it, hoping he'd be able to stop the fire and save her. There's no way we'll be able to find the lab before she chokes on all the smoke."

"Did she say anything about her parents?" asked Katherine, "They must be somewhere inside the palace too! Is she with them?"

"I don't know," admitted Tommy, leaping over the moat of lava, "That's why we're going in!" The remaining rangers followed their leader across the moat and into the palace. They found themselves in a long hallway, with paintings along the walls.

"Hello?" called Tommy down the hallway, "Mr and Mrs Sloan!! We're here to save you!"

"This palace is huge," said Aisha frustratedly, "There's no way we'll find them!"

"Maybe we should split up," suggested Jason, "We'd be able to cover more ground that way."

"Good idea," said Tommy, "Kim, Aisha and I will go left, Jason, Zack, and Kat will go right."

The six teens separated, moving as quickly as they could through the empty hallways.

Sandman appeared inside his main laboratory, now in the form of Coppelius. As he feared, he saw smoke pouring out of his smaller laboratory, where his most precious treasure is kept. Coppelius dashed into the flames, being cautious not to let the actual fire touch him. The smoke couldn't harm him, but since he was a creature of sand, direct fire could melt his form, and transform him into glass.

"Tanya?" he yelled into the flames, "What have you done?!"

Tanya cringed when she heard the anger in his voice. She forced herself to her feet, and looked the enraged creature in the eye. At least, where the eyes would be.

"I did what I needed to do to survive," she said in a weak voice, "You were planning to exchange my life for hers!" With that, she pointed to Ligeia, who now lay upon the flaming floor, engulfed in flames. Her glass chamber melted, and the chemicals that preserved her made her flammable. Coppelius' fists tightened, and he turned back to Tanya. He roughly grabbed her shoulders, and held her at arm's length.

"You _killed_ her!" he roared into her face, "You killed the only person that ever mattered to me!"

"She's been dead," Tanya said quietly, "Ligeia died two hundred years ago. There is nothing you could do to bring her back. Let's say you can somehow switch her mind with mine. Then, you would have a woman who looks like Ligeia, and maybe even has her memories, but she wouldn't _be_ Ligeia. Her spirit-- what made her an individual-- is long gone. You can't replace it."

Sandman put Tanya back on the ground. Tanya felt dizzy, and leaned against the wall. The smoke was still surrounding her, and she didn't know how much longer she would last.

"If you loved Ligeia," Tanya whispered, "you'd let her rest in peace. You are being selfish by trying to re-animate her. Let her rest."

"Hello!" Jason yelled at the top of his lungs, "Mr and Mrs Sloan! Tanya! Answer me!!"

The Black, Silver, and Blue Rangers continued up a flight of sandy yellow stairs. Suddenly, the Silver Ranger stopped in his tracks.

"Guys," he said, "I think I smell something!"

He pulled off his helmet, and breathed deeply through his nose.

"Smoke," he said finally, sniffing at the air, "This way."

"Our helmets protect us from fumes," said Katherine, "but at the same time, they limit our sense of smell."

Zack led the rangers to another tunnel, where two human beings were standing against the wall. The man stood protectively in front of his wife, and he wore a threatening scowl.

"Get back!" he yelled, "Whatever you are, don't come _near_ us!"

"Relax!" said Zack, his helmet under his arm, "We're friends of Tanya's!"

Henry peered at the young man in silver in confusion. He did look human, although his uniform was as alien as possible.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"We're the Power Rangers," the Black Ranger answered, "And you're Tanya's parents?"

"Yes. I'm Henry, and this is Agatha."

"You've gotta help Tanya!" cried Agatha, "She's trapped in Coppelius' lab!"

"Where is the lab?" the Blue Ranger asked.

"Down there," said Henry, pointing in the direction from which they came, "Be careful! There are flames everywhere!"

"You two take the Sloans outta here," said Katherine, running down the hall where Henry had pointed, "I'll get Tanya!"

"Are you sure?" asked Jason.

"Positive!"

Zack strapped on his helmet, and took Agatha by the hand, who was quaking with fear over the predicament her daughter was in. Jason grabbed Henry's hand, and together they led the reluctant parents safely through the maze of hallways.

"I just hope we can find a way out!" muttered Jason.

"We should let the others know we found the Sloans," said Zack.

"You're right," said Jason, bringing his wrist to his mouth while not slowing down, "Tommy, you read?"

^I'm here, Bro,^ came the response, ^What's up?^

"We've found the parents, and Kat's going after Tanya right now. Get your team outta the palace! We'll meet you outside."

^Got it. See ya soon.^

"Once we get far enough away from the palace, we'll be able to teleport back to our base," Jason told Henry, "You're in good hands."

"I just hope your Blue friend finds my daughter," Henry said quietly.

Katherine followed the strong scent of smoke, and soon found her way into Sandman's main laboratory. She was surprised to see that Tanya was lying unconscious on the stone floor, with no fire around. The smoke still poured from a chamber next to the main lab, and as soon as Kat stepped near Tanya, Coppelius appeared at the doorway to the burning chamber, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Who are you?" she asked. He smiled sadly.

"A lone, broken-hearted soul who has finally seen the light," he answered, "Here is your friend, Blue Ranger. She was right-- I have no right to lay claim on her life. You are my witness-- I hereby release the Sloan family from my curse. I shall no longer interfere with their affairs, nor those of any human beings. You need not fear me any longer."

Katherine watched in confusion as the strange sand-colored man raised his hand above his head.

"I have teleported your friends and Tanya's parents outside the palace," he explained, "I shall also teleport you outside. You can find your way to the surface without my aid, correct?"

Katherine nodded mutely.

"Then farewell," he said, turning back into the flaming lab, "Oh, and I apologize for almost killing you."

"Sandman--?" Katherine whispered, as she and Tanya slowly dematerialized. In the blink of an eye, Katherine found herself outside hte palace, within the vast caverns beneath Switzerland. All of the Power Rangers were there, as well as Tanya, Henry, and Agatha Sloan. Everyone looked around in confusion.

"What happened?" asked the Green Ranger.

"Sandman teleported us out," Katherine answered, "He... apologized for everything he did."

Henry and Agatha quickly knelt beside their daughter, who was still unconscious.

"Will she be okay?" Agatha asked, biting her lower lip.

"I'm sure she will be," the Red Ranger answered, raising his wrist to his mouth, "Billy, do you read?"

^Tommy, is that you?^ said Billy's voice.

^Are you guys okay? Did you get Tanya?^ asked Adam's voice.

"Yes, we're all okay. And we saved Tanya and her parents. Can you teleport us back?"

^You got it.^

The nine people vanished from the dark cavern in beams of gold, silver, red, black, blue, green, and three of white light.

Three days later, in the Hillard family's house, Tanya is busy packing her belongings. Katherine's parents were nice enough to let the Sloans stay with them for a few days, so they could get organized. Now, it was time for them to return to their native Kenya, and Tanya is going with them. While Tanya packs in her bedroom, her parents and Katherine's parents talk in the living room.

"I can't thank you enough for taking care of Tanya these past few months," said Agatha.

"She was a delightful houseguest," said Richard Hillard, "We were glad to have her."

"Its absolutely amazing that after all this time, your expedition was found!" said Marie Hillard.

"Well, it was all thanks to the Power Rangers," said Henry, "Its been a decade since we were trapped on that uncharted Pacific island, and a storm completely destroyed our ship and equipment. We just had to stay strong, and hope someone would find us."

"Remarkable," said Richard, "So, are you going back to Africa permanently?"

"No," said Henry, "Tanya loves Angel Grove, and its not fair to take her away. We just need to go back for a few weeks, and get things organized. We need to settle accounts, and see what belongings we had may still be around, like our savings. Once we're all set, we'll find a house around here."

Just then, there was a knock at the front door. Marie rose and opened it, and a young Korean-American man with a green shirt smiled at her.

"Hello, Adam," she said cheerfully, "Come in."

"Thanks, Mrs Hillard," he said, closing the door behind him, "Hi, Mr Hillard, Mr and Mrs Sloan."

"Good morning Adam," they all said.

"If you're looking for Tanya, she's in her bedroom with Katherine," Agatha said. Adam nodded his thanks, and walked down the hallway. He stood quietly at the door, and watched as Tanya and Katherine taped shut a final cardboard box.

"I guess that's everything," Tanya said, stretching her back, "Thanks for your help."

"Don't mention it," said Kat, "I'm so happy for you! I can't believe you actually got your parents back, after all these years!"

"Yeah," Tanya said with a smile, "I've never been happier--"

Tanya looked up and saw Adam in the doorway, watching her. He blushed slightly. Kat noticed him too, and smiled to herself.

"I think I'll leave you two alone," she said, standing up. She walked past Adam, and winked at him. Adam stepped into the room, and wrung his fingers nervously.

"Do you need any help?" he asked.

"No, I'm all set," Tanya answered, standing up, "How're you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm fine," he said, "Well, as fine as can be expected."

There was a moment of awkward silence. The kind that always shows up whenever Adam and Tanya are alone.

"So," said Adam, "How long are you gonna be in Kenya?"

"I... I don't know. A few weeks, I guess."

"Wow," said Adam, "That's a long time."

"Yeah," said Tanya with a sigh, "I'm really gonna miss you guys. Especially you, Adam."

Adam lifted his head and looked up at her, his eyes wide. Tanya smiled warmly, and approached him.

"I never got a chance to wish you Happy New Year," she said, taking his hand. Adam looked at her questioningly, and blushed when he remembered New Year's Eve, where they were inches from a kiss before Sandman attacked. Suddenly, all his fear faded when he saw her so close to him. He knew she felt the same way as he did, so his shyness melted. Adam gently pulled her closer, and lowered his head to meet her lips in their first kiss. It was sweet and sad, because it said everything these two youths have been trying to say practically from the day they met to today. Including goodbye.

Neither noticed Katherine, who had peeked into the bedroom to check on them. She smiled when she saw her best friend in the arms of the man she loved, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. She turned back to the living room, where her parents and Tanya's parents were.

"Where's Tanya?" Agatha said, "We have to leave. The plane leaves in two hours."

"Give her a minute," said Kat, "She's saying goodbye."