Time After Time

The date is February 7, 2009. It has been over two years since the fateful day when the Temporal Comet flew past Earth, bringing the infamous Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd with it. The re-surfacing of these villains forced the long-retired Terran Power Rangers to retake their awesome powers and Zords to confront the invading monsters. After but one battle, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa left again, and did not return. But, there is always the possibility that they may. Or perhaps another malevolent alien race may attempt to conquer Earth. After the Power Rangers saved three world-famous NASA astronauts, they announced to the whole world that they would remain active superheroes, and try to protect the Earth from any blight, whether it be war, pestilence, famine, or invasion. They quickly became international heroes, appearing at numerous peace talks, at celebrity gatherings to raise money for the poor and underprivileged, dealing with various terrorists, diffusing numerous hostage situations, and even going on worldwide patrol in their amazing Terrazords, to insure the public that someone was looking out for them. Of course, the identities of these six heroes is still a mystery. The only way for the Power Rangers to be contacted was from the United Nations building in New York City, where a highly advanced computer system is kept, which can contact the heroes via their communicators.

Since the time the Power Rangers resurfaced, the lives of a select group of men and women, and also their respective families, have gotten incredibly complicated. After their last battle against evil, they decided to remain heroes and do what they could to keep the peace. Trini Kwan and William Mitchell were married only months after the incident, and presently Trini is pregnant with their first child. Zachary Taylor retired from his Olympic career, because it took too much of his time and energy. Now, he is a sports newscaster, who occasionally makes celebrity appearances. He now lives in Los Angeles, a mere hour's drive from Angel Grove, the city that changed his life more than any other. Adam Park is still a major action star, but he has eased up on his schedule. Instead of making three movies a year, which he used to do, he now stars in only one a year, on average. Also, he is engaged to be married to his longtime love Tanya Sloan, who only recently returned to the United States after living in Nairobi. Jason Lee, now the father of a two year old daughter Brittany, is the captain of the Angel Grove Police Force. Kimberly Hart-Monroe, the world-famous fashion designer, is the one charged with communicating with the UN, since she lives in New York City. Kimberly's life took a drastic turn when two years ago, her husband Trevor Monroe disappeared without a trace. She hasn't heard from him since. Thomas Oliver is still a Native American Studies professor at Princeton University in New Jersey, but due to his secret Power Ranger business, he had little time for anything else. His fiance Vanessa Stevens left him because he was spending far too much time with his old friends, and repeatedly left during their dates without a good reason. When Vanessa left Thomas, he realized that he didn't truly love her. Eventually, he fell in love again, this time with his high school friend and now bride-to-be Katherine Hillard. Katherine decided to move back to the States from Australia, and took a job as an Astrophysics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and she also guest-lectured throughout the country. She spent a lot of time with Kimberly and Thomas since they all lived in the general area, especially once Kim's husband disappeared. Katherine's attraction towards Thomas resurfaced after over a decade of denying it, and this time Thomas felt the same way about her. So Thomas proposed to her four months ago. Now, the couple is in New York to visit an old friend and pick up some necessities for their wedding, which will take place on February 14 in Angel Grove, California.

Katherine Hillard is sitting patiently in the luxurious 80th floor office of the CEO of the Hart Fashion Industry, which specializes in men's and women's evening wear. Katherine feels uncomfortable sitting on the plush chair in the spacious room. Even though Kimberly has been her close friend for over a decade, she has always felt a little jealous of Kim, mostly due to Kat's own loneliness. Now, one week before her wedding, she begins to wonder if the tables had turned. For the past two years, Kimberly has been suffering horribly at the disappearance of her husband, Trevor Monroe. Even though Kim doesn't show her pain, her friends can still tell how lonely she is. Meanwhile, Katherine has finally won the heart of the man she has loved dearly for over a decade, who just happens to be Kimberly's first true love. Now, Kat feels especially uncomfortable with Kim, even though Kimberly has taken the news quite well.

"Okay, Kat," said Kimberly, pushing through the door with a huge box in her arms, "here's my wedding present! I hope you like it!"

Kat smiled at Kimberly's enthusiasm. Even though Kimberly was just over thirty, she still had the energy and spirit of a teenager. Kat knelt on the floor and opened the box. She shrieked when she saw the magnificent wedding gown Kimberly had given her.

"My goodness, Kim!" she sighed, holding up the dress and looking into Kimberly's wall-sized mirror, "It's the most exquisite dress I've ever seen! You shouldn't have!"

"Why not, Kat," said Kim, shrugging, "After all you and Tommy have done for me the past two years, it's nothing. I hope you have a happy and long life together. Now quick, try it on!"

Katherine grinned at her friend, and carried the dress to the adjacent bathroom. In a few minutes, she stepped out, her blue business suit replaced by the pearly white French silk gown. It was sleeveless, with a low back that clung to Kat's body. It was silk with delicate lace embroidery, with shimmering blue sapphires scattered in intricate patterns throughout the lace. At the hips, the gown spread loosely, with layers of delicate silk down to the ground. At her hips was a row of pink silken roses, connecting the flowing skirt to the rest of the gown. Snowy white opera gloves with pink roses at the trim complemented the gown perfectly. The gown fit Katherine like a glove, and Kat stared at herself in the mirror, absolutely taken aback by the beauty of the gown.

"You look spectacular, Kat," said Kim quietly, taking pride in her latest creation. Kimberly could design any kind of outfit imaginable, and could make anyone look good.

"Kim, this is way more elegant than the gown you designed for Trini last year."

"Yeah, well Trini is very reserved, and they wanted to keep the wedding simple. You, on the other hand, like to make a scene, so I thought this was more your style. Anyway," said Kimberly, walking to her wall and taking a French painting off, revealing a safe, "I have another gift for you."

"You can't be serious!" cried Kat, walking to Kimberly, "You designed my gown, the bridesmaids' dresses, and even Tom's tuxedo, and you probably won't take a penny for them--"

"I don't want your money, Katherine," said Kim, working on the lock.

Kim pulled out a modest wooden jewelry box. She opened it to reveal a beautiful gold necklace with a large diamond at the bottom and smaller sapphires on the whole chain. There was also a pair of matching earrings, and a glittering tiara with a rather large diamond on the top.

"NO WAY!!" cried Kat.

"You know how they say 'something borrowed... something blue', right?"

"Yeah."

"So this is 'something borrowed' and 'something blue' at the same time! Seriously, Kat, I'd really like you to wear these jewels when you walk down that aisle. I had them in mind when I designed your dress. They'll match perfectly!"

Kat peered into the box and took a closer look at the gems. Her jaw dropped.

"Kim, that's the jewelry you wore at your wedding!" she gasped.

"Yes," said Kim wistfully, turning away from Kat's gaze to look at the view of 5th Avenue from her window. Kat sighed and gently took the box from Kimberly. She placed it on Kim's desk and gave her friend a warm hug.

"I'd be honored to wear the gems at my wedding," said Kat quietly, "and I really appreciate all you've done for me. Frankly, I didn't think you'd be happy for us--"

"What do you mean?" asked Kimberly, pulling out of Kat's embrace and staring her friend in the eye. Katherine fidgetted under the piercing stare of Kimberly's doe brown eyes.

"Well," said Kat uncomfortably, "you and Tom were an... item for years, and I know you still have, well, feelings for him..."

"Kat, don't be ridiculous! Tommy and I are friends! You know we were friends before we became an 'item' anyway. I don't live in the past."

"If you don't live in the past," said Kat, her voice growing colder, "why do you still call him 'Tommy'? After all, no one else has called him that since high school! Admit it, you look into his hazel eyes and you see the young man you fell in love with fifteen years ago!"

Kimberly looked at Kat for a minute, her expression of hurt cutting deeper into Kat than any words ever could. Kat turned away and picked up the box which previously carried the wedding gown.

"I'd, uh, better get changed," said Kat, hurrying into the bathroom once again. Kimberly let out a sigh and sat at her huge desk. She swiveled her chair around, to look out the wall-sized window and stared blankly at New York City.

She's right, Kim thought to herself, I do still love Tommy, er Tom. I think I always will. I hated myself for dumping him the way I did, but things just didn't work out between us. I am in love with Trevor, but I can't deny that Tommy will always have a special place in my heart.

Kim sighed again and leaned back into her chair. A beep from her phone brought her out of her reverie. She put the on the speakerphone.

"What is it, Mae?" Kim asked her secretary.

^A Mister... Thomas Oliver is here to see you, Ms Hart. Shall I send him up?^

"Uh, yes, Mae, thanks," said Kim, standing up. She walked over to the other side of her office, where the mirror wall is, and immediately started fixing up her eye make-up. She looked like she was crying, and the last thing she wanted was for super-sensitive Tommy to pick up on her sadness. She had just finished when there was a knock at the double mahogany doors.

"Come in," she called, taking her seat once again. A handsome man with short, dark brown hair, soulful hazel eyes, and a charming smile walked into the room. He was wearing black khakis, white dress shirt, and a deep green blazer.

"Are you two ladies ready for dinner?" he asked with a smile. He then looked around the room, "Uh, where's Katherine?"

"Right here, Luv," called Kat, stepping out of the bathroom and running to give her fiance a kiss. She had changed back into her blue suit. Kimberly looked away as the two kissed, staring at the jewelry box with her wedding gems inside. When the couple parted, she shut the box and rose to her feet to greet the former love of her life.

"Everything's set here," she said, giving Tom a quick hug, "but we still have to stop by at the house and pick up Anthony."

Kat went back into the bathroom and brought out the box with the wedding gown.

"You have to see this gown, Luv," she said placing the box on the carpet, "It's an absolute dream! Kimberly really has outdone herself."

"Wait!" Kim objected, "The groom isn't supposed to see the dress until the wedding. That way, he'll be totally taken aback when he sees you walk down the aisle!"

"How about my tux, then?" asked Tom, "When do I get to see it?"

"Oh, we can see it now if you like, but the same rules apply. Kat, you'll have to stay here when I show Tommy the tux."

"No problem," she said with a sweet smile, making herself comfortable on Kim's couch again. Kimberly took Tom's arm and lead him down the hall. Tom had to laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Kim, letting go of his arm.

"You still love to drag me around by the arm, don't you?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, how else am I gonna get you to follow me?" Kim asked, looking up at his eyes. She quickly turned away and continued into her personal designing room-- which was a mess, with fabric, photographs, colored pencils, sewing materials, and fashion books littering the floor. In the back of the room was a tall male mannequin standing on a podium, wearing a beautiful white tuxedo, complete with dress shirt, vest, and shoes. The buttons on the jacket as well as the cufflinks were white diamonds, and the bow tie was the only non white part of the ensemble, contrasting the pure white with the blackest of black silk. There was also a delicate red rose in the pocket of the jacket, but it was an unearthly blossom, perfect and thornless, emitting a subtle reddish gold aura.

"Wow," said Tom, looking at the tuxedo, "Impressive job, Kim. I don't think I've never seen a suit quite like it before! I think I've seen that rose before, though. It's extraordinary..."

"Actually, it is," said Kimberly, pulling out the rose from the jacket pocket and placing it in Tom's hand, "Remember when we were both running for presidency in high school, and Rita cast a spell on us, making us super-competitive?"

"Yeah, I remember," said Tom, looking down at the rose.

"Well, the only way to break the spell of hate is with the magic of love, symbolized by the red rose. Zordon gave each of us a magical bouquet of red roses to break the spell on us. I... I kept them."

"Kim, that was ages ago!" said Tom, astounded by Kim's sentimentality.

"I know, but they weren't just any old bunch of flowers. They were, and still are, perfect. No thorns, pure red petals, soft as silk, never wilting, always alive and beautiful. Like true love. They'll probably last forever, just like true love. And I noticed the aura they emit kinda gives one a warm feeling inside, like a summer's day, or the sound of sweet music, or even a warm embrace. I felt it... fitting to give it back to you, since you gave it to me. That's my wedding present. Now, be good to Kat forever, and cherish her, because true love is special and should last forever. I really want you two to be happy."

Tom's eyes misted over, and he smiled at Kimberly.

"Thanks Kim," he said quietly, "I will."

He gave Kim a warm, friendly hug and placed the rose carefully back into the pocket of the white tuxedo. He eyes then widened, and he slapped his forehead.

"Oh, I forgot!" he moaned, digging into his inner coat pocket. Kimberly giggled to herself. Tommy certainly hasn't changed much, she thought, watching him desperately search for something, He still is so forgetful, its a surprise he remembers his own name!

"Here we go!" he exclaimed, taking a small package from his pocket. It was wrapped in pink and white wrapping paper, with a gold bow. "Well, I'd like to say first that I'm sorry we're getting married on your birthday, but February 14th is Valentine's Day, the most romantic day of the year, and Kat insisted. I wanted you to know that I by no means forgot your birthday, but I figured I'd give you your present a little early. Happy Birthday, Beautiful!"

Kimberly shuddered slightly at Tom's use of his old pet-name for her, back when they were in love. Nonetheless, she accepted the package, and opened it to reveal a gold lightning bolt shaped locket, hanging from a delicate gold chain. She opened the locket, revealing two small photographs, one of Trevor, and one of her young son Anthony.

Tom looked down at Kimberly and noticed a single tear streak down her cheek.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked her gently.

Kimberly quickly composed herself, and put on the necklace.

"Thanks Tommy," she said quietly, smiling up at him, "It's perfect."

She started packing the tuxedo carefully into a cardboard box that was sitting on the floor. She gently placed the rose on top of the neatly folded tuxedo and taped the box shut. She lifted the box and handed it to Tom.

"We'd better get going," she said suddenly, "Katherine is probably wondering where we are."

Tom and Kimberly hurried down the hall, and found Katherine waiting patiently outside Kim's office, standing beside the box with the gown and the smaller jewelry box on top of it. The smile on her face fell as she saw that both Tom's and Kimberly's eyes were slightly red.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worry written all over her face.

"Kimberly just gave me a special wedding present and some good advice about love," he said quietly, taking Katherine's hand with his free one, "Now, shouldn't we get going? The four of us have dinner reservations at six."

Kimberly picked up the jewelry box and Kat lifted the box with the gown in it, and the trio made their way to the elevator.

The year is 1997, and as the sun slowly rises over the horizon, its gentle rays peek into the open window of the top floor apartment of a rather tall New York City skyscraper. Inside this room, which is supposed to be abandoned, sleeps a young man. But, this is no ordinary young man. In fact, he is a mutant, gifted with the awesome abilities of telepathy and telekinesis. Also, he isn't even from the world he now lives in. He actually was born, or rather created, in an alternate reality.

About two months ago, Nate Grey lived with his friends the Outcasts, and travelled across what was once the United States of America, helping to alleviate the suffering of those oppressed by Apocalypse, the self-proclaimed ruler of that world. One day, though, everything changed. Two young teenagers from an alternate dimension appeared, and first introduced Nate to the possibility of other universes. Together, he, the two teenagers named Zack Taylor and Kimberly Hart, and his allies Magneto, Forge, and the Shadow, attacked Apocalypse's citadel, intending on reuniting the M'Kraan Crystal, the nexus of reality, with its long-missing fragment, dubbed the Zeo Crystal. During that escapade, Forge, the only father and protector Nate ever knew, was killed by the creature Holocaust. This drew Nate into a frenzy, and he telekinetically thrust the Zeo Crystal, which lay on the ground, into Holocaust's armor. This act had unexpected, and unusual affects. The energy released from the crystal threw Nate, Shadow, and Holocaust into the Mutliverse, where they eventually ended up in an alternate reality, the same one Kimberly and Zack came from. Nate himself appeared somewhere in Switzerland, where he recovered from his injuries sustained by interdimensional transport, and basically created a new life for himself. His wanderings came to an end when he came to New York. He encountered many mutants that were called the X-Men, but they were far too different from the X-Men of the Age of Apocalypse for Nate to relate to them. Nate distanced himself from everything and everyone that was familiar to him in his home dimension, and this included Shadow, Zack, and Kimberly. After a few weeks of searching for his best friend, Nate came to the conclusion that he may not have survived the transport. Either that, or he didn't want to be found. And he didn't want to interfere with the lives of the X-Rangers. However, Nate didn't know he didn't have a choice in the matter.

Suddenly, Nate felt a strange tingle, that he was vaguely familiar with. It was Mutliversal transportation.

"What?" he said, sitting up in his bed. He saw the room he was in suddenly bend, and fade into nothingness. He soon found himself lying upon a floor of solid white marble tiles. He rose to his feet, and realized he'd been in this room once before.

"Otherworld?" he muttered to himself.

"Indeed," said a gentle voice. Nate turned around, and saw a woman clad in flowing white robes, with an ebony ponytail, olive skin, and dark, mysterious almondine eyes.

"Roma," he said, "why am I here?"

"As you recall, a few months ago, I requested your aid, to help the Power Rangers save the universe."

"Yeah," he said, "So?"

"So, I ask you again for your aid. The Power Rangers will be facing an enemy, one that they will never be able to defeat alone. Tell me, Nathan, do you recall a being called Onslaught?"

Nate's crystal blue eyes widened in shock, and his jaw dropped. "That monster is dead!"

"No," said Roma, "he is not dead. He has returned, and he now has the potential to be an even greater threat than he was before. He must be stopped now, before he can increase in power."

"Tell me what I need to do."

A red Jeep Cherokee parked in front of the magnificent home of the Monroe family, called the Angel's Palace. Of course, it wasn't a literal palace, but the half-mile of property had a regal air about it. The immense lawn was perfectly kept, even in the wintertime, with numerous bushes, evergreens, and winter flowers decorating the area. On the side of the mansion was a quaint greenhouse, where Kimberly kept her garden. There was also an outdoor pool, tennis court, and numerous pieces of playground equipment for Anthony and his friends. Kimberly, Thomas, and Katherine exited the car and made their way to the front doors. Kimberly knocked once, and a short middle aged Mexican woman opened the door.

"Senora!" said the woman, "Welcome home!"

She held the door for the trio, who all entered the mansion. Kimberly's head jerked just in time to see a flash of green jump on her and give her a big hug.

"Mammy!" he cried, "you're home!"

"Yes, Pumpkin," she said, returning his hug. She then put him down and ruffled his sandy blonde hair. "So, did you have fun today?"

"Yeah, but I missed ya," the little boy cooed, holding onto his mother's leg, "You're not supposed to work on Saturday! Saturday is our special day!"

"I know Baby, but I had to do a favor for Uncle Tommy and Aunt Kat. Did you say hi to them?"

Anthony immediately ran to his surrogate uncle and aunt, giving them both warm hugs. Kimberly turned to her maid.

"Anita, why isn't he dressed yet? I asked you to have him ready to leave."

"I'm sorry, Senora, but Antonio refused to wear his suit. Only you can get him to wear it."

"C'mere, Tony," said Kimberly, taking her son's hand, "We've got to get ready for dinner."

Kimberly led Anthony to his room and helped him put on his suit. She then proceeded to her own bedroom, and brushed out her hair. She saw a reflection of golden light in her mirror, coming from the crack of her open closet.

"What's that?" she asked out loud, opening the closet. She found the source of the eerie gold light-- her yellow Zeo shard, which grants her the Terra power of lightning. She picked up the shard from its place in the back of her shoe closet, and examined it in her hand.

"I don't understand," she said, staring at the small yellow crystal, "Its never glowed like this before!"

Kimberly hid the crystal in her palm and ran down the stairs. She found Tom and Katherine talking to Anita.

"Anita," she ordered, "fetch me Anthony's dress shoes please. I can't seem to find them."

"Si, Senora" said Anita, hurrying up the stairs.

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

"This!" she cried, opening her palm to reveal the Zeo shard. Both Tom and Kat stared at the strange gold beams of light coming from the yellow shard, befuddled.

"Has this ever happened before?" asked Tom, taking the shard and examining it more closely.

"No. The shard doesn't even glow usually-- unless its power is called upon."

Suddenly, the crystal jumped from Tom's hand to the ground. It touched the floor and emitted a single, wide beam of gold light to the high ceiling above. The three friends stood back and watched as a disk of gold light formed on the ceiling, and jumped in amazement when a young man wearing a blue and silver uniform fell to the ground from the hole. He moaned in pain and held out his hand. Immediately, the Zeo shard leapt into his hand, no longer glowing. The young man stood up and ran his other hand through his brown hair, streaked with white. His crystal blue eyes stared first at Tom, and then Kat. His left eye seemed to glow yellow when his gaze fell on Kimberly, who stared at this strange boy who just appeared in her house. He walked towards Kimberly, but she shrunk back from him. Tom stepped in front of the stranger menacingly.

"Who are you, and what do you want here?" he demanded, folding his arms over his chest.

The boy glared up at Tom, letting his left eye once again glow yellow. But Tom didn't flinch.

"Who are you, and what do you want here?" he repeated. The boy's frown disappeared, and he cracked an amused smile.

"I like him," he said to Kimberly, "He's got courage, even though he doesn't have his Zeo shard with him."

The three adults gaped at this remark. The boy just smirked and held out his hand to Kimberly, offering her the yellow Zeo shard.

"Here," he said, "It won't glow gold again. It only does that when psionic energy is focused through it, Kim."

"Do I know you?" asked Kimberly, taking her shard back.

"Not really, but I know you. At least, I've met you. Another you."

"What?!" asked the three adults in unison.

"I'm the X-Man, but my friends call me Nate. Nate Grey. I come from an alternate universe. A couple months ago, my time, I met a girl named Kimberly Hart and her friend Zack Taylor. They helped me and my allies battle an evil monster from my world. We had to retrieve the Zeo Crystal from the moon, to complete the M'Kraan Crystal, and fix reality, but they couldn't access their Terra powers. So, Kim and Zack's power signatures were altered, when someone created a weird kind of bond between us. Kimberly became a telepath, and her powers were basically a carbon copy of my own. Somehow, by gaining power through me, that created a link between us, and that's basically what caused the dissapearance of your husband."

Kimberly sank to her knees when she heard that. Tom was frozen in shock, and Katherine stood dumfounded. Nate sighed to himself. This is going to take a while.

Nate helped Kim to her feet, and led her to the couch to sit. He then gave Tom and Kat a telekinetic nudge, causing them to also be seated. Nate himself sat on the loveseat across from the other three.

"I... I don't understand," choked Kimberly, "Why would your giving an alternate reality's version of me telepathic power affect me...and Trevor?"

"I guess I should start from the beginning. I was born in a horrible world ruled by the tyrant Apocalypse. While I was there, Kimberly and Zack fell through an interdimensional anomaly. Their Terra Powers were blocked because there already was a Zeo Crystal in that dimension, and there can only be one of each Terran Ranger. So, in order to send them home, and repair the damage done to the Multiverse, Kim and Zack travelled to the moon to find the Zeo Crystal. An all-powerful being named Roma created an energy link between us, so as to create new powers for Kim and Zack, so they could morph and help in the final battle. Magneto gave Zack the power of magnetism, and I gave Kim the powers of telepathy and telekinesis. Since telepathy is such a delicate power, Kimberly's power kind of bonded with my own, creating a psionic link called a rapport."

"That still doesn't explain what that has to do with this Kimberly and her husband," said Katherine quietly.

"I'm getting to that. So, during the final fight, the three of us and another friend of mine were sent through the Multiverse by way of the M'Kraan Crystal, the nexus of all reality. We all were teleported away from my home universe, and we were separated. I made a life for myself in New York City, and Kim and Zack returned to Angel Grove with their new powers. While I was in New York, I met up with another team of mutant heroes called the X-Men. But, they weren't the same X-Men I knew from back home. Ever heard of them?"

"They're in the news from time to time," said Tom.

"Right. So, I got involved in this major battle with Onslaught, a monster with unsurpassed psionic abilities. When he was destroyed, his psionic power was released into the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane is constant throughout the Multiverse, so from there Onslaught could go anywhere. The Zeo Crystal, being a fragment of the M'Kraan Crystal, can easily be used as a doorway through the Multiverse, and since the yellow Zeo shard was attuned to psionic energy, it was the perfect escape route for Onslaught. I think Trevor was either touching the Zeo shard or was too close to it, so that the outburst of energy enveloped him."

"You're telling me he's...he's..." Kimberly's words stuck in her throat as she let the tears fall freely from her eyes.

"Let me finish, Kim," said Nate, standing up, "He's not dead."

"Then, what happened to him?" asked Tom.

"The psionic energies pulled him into a temporal hole, like the one I came here through. But that hole wasn't focused, so Trevor fell aimlessly into the Multiverse. He should have died, because no unprotected human can travel safely through the Multiverse, but his body bonded with the psionic energies of Onslaught, creating a new super-villain-- Solar."

"Solar!" said Tom, leaping to his feet, "That's impossible! We battled Solar ages ago, back when I was the White Ranger! He was the one that created those teleportation holes, kidnapping me, Adam, two Sailor Scouts, and two Spectrum Enforcers. We destroyed--"

Realization hit Tom immediately, stopping him in mid sentence. He looked down at Kimberly, who stared up at him in horror.

"He... he had sandy blonde hair and... and aqua eyes, just like Trevor," he said quietly, sinking into his seat, "I... I didn't realize the resemblance before now. He... he must have travelled back in time to destroy us all as teenagers, but he underestimated us." He turned to Kimberly, clutching her trembling hands in his, "Oh, God, Kim... I'm so sorry..."

Nate telekinetically lifted the couch off the carpet, trying to get the attention of the three sobbing Rangers. When they stared down at him in surprise, he lowered them to the ground and let out a huge sigh.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? He's not dead. You and the other five heroes managed to overload his telekinetic powers, but you didn't kill him. Almost a year passed since then before he returned, planning to get his revenge."

"But, I don't remember fighting him again!" said Tom.

"The second battle happened after the critical point."

"The what ?" asked Katherine.

"The critical point! It's kinda like a fork in the road, but in the timestream. You see, the timeline I live in now is much like yours. In fact, it is the exact same as yours, up to the point of December, 1996. In your time, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa left, and didn't return for ten years. You defeated them, and they left for good. What happened is that they traveled ten years into the future, hoping the Terran Rangers would be out of commission. You guys came out of retirement and defeated them. Zedd and Rita decided to go back to the time they left and continue invading Earth. By altering the timestream, they created a critical point, where two timelines diverge. In the alternate timeline, Zedd and Rita never left in 1996, and so the Terran Rangers never disbanded. That makes drastic changes to your lives. For example: Kimberly, you never went back to Florida. Therefore, although you met Trevor Monroe, you never fell in love with him. That timeline is where Solar exists now. He was severely injured by the Mars Fireball that caused his energies to backlash, and he's been recharging himself for the past year. He's preparing to destroy the Power Rangers, and since they don't know who he is, they'll use lethal force. Either they'll kill Trevor, or Trevor will kill them."

"How do you know so much?" askd Tom skeptically.

"Well, this may be hard for the three of you to swallow, but I was sent here by Roma, the Guardian of the Multiverse. She regulates the interdimensional travel, because it can damage the entire Multiverse. She realized how dangerous Onslaught is, and so she asked me to come here, get you, and stop him. Roma herself has taken a vow not to directly interfere, so she couldn't do it herself, although she is certainly able to. She guided me here."

"What do you need us for?" asked Tom.

"I don't know if I can stop Solar," said Nate, also standing up, "If he's as powerful as Onslaught, he could destroy the Multiverse! Also, my traveling through the timestream severely weakens me. I won't be anywhere near full strength when we get there."

"Okay," said Tom, pulling up his jacket sleeve to reveal his communicator, "Kat and I will teleport to our homes and get our Zeo shards. Kim, contact Jason, Zack, and Adam and tell them to 'port here ASAP. We should be ready to leave in a few minutes."

"No," said Nate, "I don't have enough energy to transport us all. I can barely manage one passenger. Navigating the Multiverse is serious business. Also, there can only be one of each Zeo crystal shard in one dimension at a time. The Kimberly in my dimension is no longer reliant on the power of Lightning, so this Kimberly will be able to morph into the Yellow Terran Ranger."

"No way!" objected Tom, "I'm the leader of the Power Rangers! I take the risks. Kim has never fought Solar before, I have. I know what kind of power he has, and what his limits are. Besides, Trevor and I had become pretty good friends, before he disappeared."

"You may be friends, Tommy," said Nate sternly, "But there is no strong bond of emotion between you. It's more like a mutual acceptance than a friendship, and it's for Kimberly's sake. You both love Kimberly on some level, and so you both decided to accept each other. You had to accept Trevor as Kimberly's husband, and he had to accept you as Kimberly's friend and former love. He may feel nothing but jealousy if he sees you, especially if he recognizes your younger self with the younger Kimberly. I think the teenaged Red Terran Ranger will be his first target. Kimberly is the only one who may be able to reach him."

Katherine stood up and rested her head on her fiance's shoulder. She could feel him tremble under her touch.

"Nate," she asked, "will Kimberly traveling back through time cause another critical point? Will it affect our reality?"

"Your reality has already diverged with the alternate dimension. However, Kimberly's appearance may affect the parallel reality's future, causing a critical point there. The best thing to do is keep Kimberly's identity secret from as many people as possible. We should also refrain from telling them too much about the future."

"What happened in the other reality's future?" asked Tom.

"I don't know, I've never been there. Now, Kimberly, are you ready to go?"

"Should I morph?" she asked, holding her yellow Zeo shard.

"It may give you away. The best thing for you to do is pass through in a disguise. Kimberly, take my hand."

Kimberly reached out and touched Nate's hand. Nate transmitted telekinetic energy through Kimberly, transforming her outfit into a yellow version of his blue-and-silver armor. Her yellow Zeo shard was reabsorbed into her heart, and she wore a yellow mask on her face with a visor over her eyes.

"Ready?" he asked politely.

"Just about," she answered, turning to Tom and Katherine, "Guys, do me a favor and watch Tony 'till I come back? Tell him I had a sudden business trip or something. If I don't get back..."

"Kimberly, don't say that," interrupted Katherine, hugging Kimberly, "You'll be fine. Just hurry! I'd love to see you and Trevor at my wedding."

Kim turned to Tom, who was trying to hide his fear. Kim could see it in his eyes, though.

"Take care, Kim," he whispered, giving her a hug.

"I will," she answered, turning back to Nate, who was creating another portal. Nate reached out and took Kim's hand.

"Time to go!" he called, "Bye guys, I'll take good care of the Yellow Ranger!"

With that, Nate and Kim disappeared in a flash of golden light.

In an interdimensional pocket in the Multiverse, a shimmering onyx castle floats proudly in the middle of the vast emptiness. The castle is an exact replica of the mythical palace in Otherworld, home of the guardian of the Multiverse, Roma. This castle is the sanctuary for the being called Solar, which is the body of the human Trevor Monroe controlled by the ambitions and memory of the tyrant Onslaught. Nearly a year ago, Solar made his first appearance, trying to conquer the Multiverse by destroying the defenders of three of the Multiverse's most powerful timestreams, the Power Rangers, the Spectrum Force, and the Sailor Scouts. These three universes have one thing in common-- magic. Onslaught has faced both technology and mutant powers, but magic is unfamiliar to him, and is therefore dangerous. So, Solar underestimated the three teams of teenaged heroes, and lost a great deal of energy in the last battle. Now he has recuperated, and had time to think. What Onslaught, the being whose ambitions and memories control of Solar, doesn't know is that during his convalescence, the consciousness of the host body, Trevor Monroe, has started to surface. Now, Solar is a true blend of the ambitions and powers of Onslaught and the feelings and concerns of Trevor Monroe.

"It is time," Solar says aloud, standing up from the throne in the middle of the otherwise empty room. He walks to the balcony, staring out at the Multiverse, which looks like a patch of blackness with streaks of colored light, each representing a different universe. Solar created a magical portal, and through it stepped one of Onslaught's most faithful and powerful followers--Holocaust. Holocaust is truly an intimidating sight-- a blood red skeleton inside a yellow-orange transluscent body armor, making him stand at a height of nearly eight feet. He was super-strong, extremely fast, cunning, and cruel, with a mighty arm cannon with enough fire power to slice through steel like a hot knife through butter.

"You summoned me, Onslaught?" asked Holocaust, the red skull on his shoulders glowing.

"Remember, from now on I am Solar!" hollered Solar angrily, "I am neither Onslaught or Monroe, I am my own being."

"So, what is your plan, and how do I fit into it?" asked Holocaust, starting to get impatient. As far as he was concerned, he was Onslaught's ally, not servant.

"My plan is to conquer Otherworld," said Solar, continuing to gaze out into the sky. He turned around when he heard a stifled chuckle.

"How do you plan do defeat Roma?" asked Holocaust, fighting back laughter. He immediately shut up when he saw Solar's fists glow a vibrant gold.

"All I require is the infinite power of the M'Kraan Crystal."

"You mean the gem that transported me to this universe?" asked Holocaust.

"Precisely. The M'Kraan Crystal is the nexus of reality. Within it is the power of the universe! The only thing is, we must unite the entire M'Kraan Crystal, or else its powers will be quite difficult to control."

"How do you plan on getting the Crystal? I thought it was lost for eternity."

"It is indeed lost, but it can be found. If we recover the missing fragment of the M'Kraan Crystal, we will be able to track down the larger piece. And, I believe I have located the crystal's shard. It is on Earth."

"Really?" asked Holocaust in surprise, "Where?"

"It is in the possession of the Power Rangers. Recently, they have been granted direct access to the shard of the crystal, which they refer to as the Zeo Crystal. If we find the Zeo Crystal in its entirety, we will be able to locate the remainder, and finally oust Roma from her throne. I will begin my attack now."

Solar created another interdimensional portal, and immediately stepped through. Holocaust hesitated for a moment, and then followed Solar through the hole. They both rematerialized in a tacky stone castle on the dark side of Earth's moon. The being sitting on the throne stared at the visitors, glowing an enraged scarlet.

"Who dares enter the palace of Lord Zedd unannounced?" asked Zedd angrily, standing up from his throne and grabbing his "Z" staff.

"I am Solar, soon to be the absolute ruler of the Multiverse. I will be staying in this dimension for a while, and I am in the need of accommodations. Your castle will have to do."

"Excuse me?" asked Zedd in a rage, pointing his staff at Solar, "No one barges into my castle and orders me around!"

With that, Lord Zedd fires a massive bolt of white lightning at Solar, who absorbs it without even flinching.

"I survived the energy blasts of Cyclops, Storm, and even the mighty Thor's hammer! Do you think your petty static electricity can harm me?!"

"What's all that racket?" came a shrill voice from the hallway, "I have a headache!"

"Rita, get in here!" said Zedd furiously. Rita Repulsa stepped into the throne room. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when she saw Solar and Holocaust.

"Eww," she croaked, "That one with the skull is even uglier than my brother!"

Holocaust snarled at the witch, powering up his arm cannon. Solar put his hand on Holocaust's shoulder. He then turned to Zedd and Rita with a smirk on his face and a golden glow in his eyes.

"I think I'll send the two of you into the Multiverse, to float about aimlessly for a century or two," he said, creating another portal. Zedd and Rita were helplessly pulled into the hole.

"Now," said Solar, making himself comfortable on Zedd's throne, "its time to take action."

At the picturesque beach of Angel Grove, California, ten teenagers enjoy a competitive match of beach volleyball. Aisha Campbell, Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, Alexis Darling, and Katherine Hillard play against Jason Lee, Tommy Oliver, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, and Billy Mitchell. The sun shines brilliantly down on the teenagers, who enjoy the surprising warmth of February in Angel Grove.

"Okay," says Alexis, tossing the ball to Adam, "the serve was out of bounds. We have serve, and the score's 7-11."

"We're gonna change that real quick!" said Aisha, giving Adam a thumbs up. Adam backed up, and launched a perfect overhand serve. Zack returned the serve with a quick spike, which was blocked by Aisha. Kimberly set the ball, and Billy swatted a powerful spike across the court. Katherine dove for it, setting a volley for Alexis. Tommy returned the volley, but his hit was blocked by Rocky. Both Zack and Jason ran for the ball, but collided with each other as the ball hit the sand.

"Watch where you're going, Man!" laughed Zack, standing up and brushing the sand off his white Adidas shirt and matching shorts. Jason laughed uncontrollably, still sitting on the sand. When he stands up, a white envelope falls from his shorts pocket. Tommy picks it up and looks at the return address.

"Whoa," he said, looking up at Jason, "Rice University! Jay, you didn't tell us you applied to Rice. Did ya get in?"

Jason stopped laughing abruptly, and lifted his gaze to Tommy with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"That's fantastic, Jase," said Kimberly, giving him a congratulatory hug, "What's wrong?"

"Guys, I've been thinking, about the future. Y'see, most of us are graduating this June, and from there, we may be going on to college. What'll happen to the Power Rangers? I mean, the Zeo shards supposedly can only be wielded by the person destined to be a Terran Power Ranger. Without Zordon here to guide us, we have to make the decision on our own."

"I've given that problem a lot of thought," said Billy, "Originally, we believed that each Zeo shard can only be wielded by one individual. However, Aisha managed to absorb the essence of the green Zeo shard without any apparent side-effects. I've been studying this phenomenon, and although I haven't reached any concrete conclusions, I know for a fact that anyone who ever wielded a Power Coin has sustained sufficient bio-chemical changes to harbor the Terra power."

"That doesn't help too much, Billy," said Katherine, "Jason, Tommy, Rocky, Kimberly, Alexis, and Zack are graduating this year, and the rest of us will be graduating next year. By the end of next year, we all will have gone our separate ways."

"Well, guys, what plans do you have?" asked Tommy.

"I'm going to Drexel University in September," said Rocky quietly. Adam and Aisha turned to him in shock.

"And you didn't tell us?" asked Adam.

"Well, I was going to," Rocky said meekly.

"Where is Drexel anyway?" asked Zack curiously.

"Philadelphia," he said, glancing at Alexis. She smiled at him.

"Drexel's campus is side by side with the University of Pennsylvania," she said, "I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other next year." "Wanna be roommates?" he asked with a smirk. Alexis rolled her eyes. "Okay," said Tommy, "I planned on taking a year off before going to college. I wanted to explore my Native American heritage a bit. After all, I still have this arrowhead, and its supposed to lead me to my destiny."

"I enrolled in Angel Grove University," said Zack with a smile, "The Zack-man ain't goin' nowhere!"

"What about you, Kim?" asked Tommy quietly, "Are you going to move to Paris with your mother?"

"Well, I'm staying with my uncle Steve through the summer, until I start attending class at Stone Canyon Fashion Institute. I'll probably live on campus or get an apartment, which means I'll be getting a job come summer."

"And you, Billy?" asked Adam, "You've already graduated! What plans have you made?"

"I've been admitted Early Decision to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but since I am no longer an active member of the Power Rangers, it shouldn't make any difference."

"Billy, you're an essential member of the team," said Aisha, "After all, you're the behind-the-scenes man who makes sure all the weapons and Zords are in working condition. What would we do without you?"

"Good question," said Tommy, concern etched in his voice and expression.

"I plan to remain in contact with you while I'm in school," started Billy, "and I've been tutoring Adam on the workings of the Zords and the other equipment in the CAC ever since he lost his powers. He should be a excellent replacement, and if you still need my help, just contact me."

"Wow, bud, you really thought this through!" said Zack. Billy just shrugged.

"And you're going to Texas, eh bro?" asked Tommy.

"I... I'm not sure. I may go to Notre Dame instead-- they're trying to recruit me for football. Or I may attend a closer school..."

"Jase, don't let being a Power Ranger hold you back," said Tommy, clapping Jason on the back, "After all, sooner or later we all will have to give up the Power. We'll have too many responsibilities to continue being on call 24 hours a day."

The conversation was interrupted by a loud whistle coming from Billy's communicator.

"What's up, Billy?" asked Adam, looking at Billy's wrist.

"That's the remote CAC alarm. Lord Zedd and Rita must be up to something."

"Then you guys better get going," said Rocky quietly.

"Yeah," said Adam, nodding his head, "see ya."

Immediately, Tommy, Jason, Billy, Alexis, Zack, Katherine, Kimberly, and Aisha teleported in streaks of colored light to the CAC, where Billy ran to his personal computer system without delay. He began typing a few buttons, and an image appeared in the Viewing Globe of a red-skulled creature encased in a powerful yellow-gold exo-skeleton.

"What is that?" gasped Alexis, "It doesn't look like one of Zedd's usual monsters."

Alexis turned to Kimberly, who was staring wide-eyed at the globe. She noticed that Zack wore a similar facial expression.

"Kim? Zack? What's wrong?" she asked finally.

"Holocaust," whispered Kim incredulously, "He's here--in Angel Grove."

"Who's Holocaust?" asked Jason, scratching his head.

"Kim and I fought him in the Age of Apocalypse a couple months ago," said Zack solemnly, "Man, that guy's bad news! I thought he died in an explosion when we attacked Apocalypse's palace! How did he get here, and why?"

"I'll try to figure that out," said Billy, madly typing on his keyboard, "But in the meantime, he's attacking Angel Grove Plaza."

"He's attacking the mall?" asked Aisha in shock, "That's so sick!"

"It's also good strategy," said Tommy, "He's putting hundreds of innocent civilians in danger, and he's not giving them a chance to escape. He's trying to get us out there. So, let's go!" "Everyone, be extremely careful," said Zack seriously.

"Yeah," said Kim, "His arm cannon packs a punch, and he's super strong."

"Right," said Tommy, "Terran Rangers, its Morphin Time!"

The four Terran Power Rangers stood in a line, and in a fluid single motion, they held their fists out, rose them to the sky, and then swung their arms to their sides.

"TERRA FIRE POWER!" hollered Tommy.

"TERRA EARTH POWER!!" yelled Jason.

"TERRA WATER POWER!!" cried Katherine.

"TERRA WIND POWER!!" screamed Aisha.

Zack and Kimberly, the X-Rangers, prepared to morph by crossing their arms in front of their chests, causing their hands to glow in their respective colors.

"X-Ranger One!" yelled Zack, immediately being clothed in a shimmery silver uniform with a thick black streak down the middle. His arm bands, collar, belt, and shoulderpads were of a highly-reflectant black metal. His helmet was black and silver, and his boots, which reached his knees, were black with bands of silver.

"X-Ranger Two!" cried Kim, transforming into a gold version of Zack's costume.

Alexis, the only remaining Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, pulled out her morpher and held it out in front of her. "Purple Ranger Power!" she called. In a flash of purple light, she was wearing the form-fitting armor of the Purple Ranger, with a golden shield, white boots and elbow gloves, purple and white helmet, and golden wings attached to the ankles of her thigh-high boots. The seven Power Rangers teleported to the mall, where Holocaust was using his arm cannon to destroy the elevator cable, sending the elevator flying to the first floor, with passengers crying out in terror. Suddenly, the elevator slowed to a halt, and softly landed on the first floor. Holocaust immediately recognized the barely visible silvery energy that encased the elevator, and smiled. He wasn't at all surprised to see the two X-Rangers float gracefully to the ground.

"So, how do the two of you manage to stop me this time, without any X-Men to back you up?"

"They have us to back them up!" came a shout from the escalator. Holocaust spun around to see the Red, Black, Blue, Purple and Green Rangers descend to the ground floor, immediately falling into battle positions.

"So, you're the Zeo Rangers," said Holocaust, powering up his arm cannon discreetly, "I'm not impressed."

"We're the Terran Rangers, braniac!" yelled Aisha, silently summoning her Wind Shield, "You obviously don't know who you're dealing with!"

"Oh, I know more about you than you may think," said Holocaust, firing a hot ray of plasma at the five heroes. Aisha blocked the brunt of the beam with her shield, but the sheer force of the hit knocked her into the fountain across the mall. Kim and Zack immediately leapt into action, tossing various objects at Holocaust with their powers while the other rangers recovered from the blast.

"Kat!" ordered Tommy, "check on Aisha! Lex, Jason, get ready to rock 'n roll."

"You got it, Bro!" said Jason, standing tall. Tommy beckoned to Kim and Zack, pointing upwards. They immediately caught on, and used their respective powers of telekinesis and magnetism to levitate off the ground. Jason, seeing his cue, pounded his fists to the ground, creating a devastating shock wave, directed at Holocaust. Holocaust was thrown off the ground and crashed into an electronics store.

"Oh boy," said Zack, "I feel sorry for the poor sucker who's gotta pick up that bill!"

"I've got him from here!" said Alexis, the golden wings on her boots flapping. She sailed through the air, her Laser Whip sparking with purple energy. She cracked the whip, wrapping it around Holocaust's waist. She then let the whip release its purple laser energy into his body.

"We have to get him outta the mall," called Kimberly, landing beside Tommy, "before he causes even more damage!"

Suddenly, Kimberly gasps and clutches the area of her chest above her heart. Tommy catches her before she collapses to the ground.

"Kim?!" he yelled, watching as she started to twitch violently, "She's having a seizure!"

"Get her to the CAC!" yelled Jason, mentally calling the Earth Sword, "We'll take care of Holocaust!"

The Red Ranger nods, gently lifting the unconscious Gold Ranger into his arms. They both leave in a streak of red and gold light.

In the CAC, Billy prepares the medical unit, where Rocky had healed from his injuries from the explosion of the original Command Center last year, and where Adam underwent extensive surgery not long after. Billy turns to see the Red and Gold Rangers materialize in the middle of the CAC.

"Bring her here," ordered Billy, beckoning Tommy. Tommy lays Kimberly gently on the cot and gently removes her helmet. Kimberly's face is contorted in pain.

"What's wrong with her?!" asked Tommy impatiently as Billy ran a scanner over her body, "She just had a seizure in the middle of the fight!"

Billy holds the scanner over Kimberly's heart. His eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets as that area of her costume begins glowing vibrant gold. Both Billy and Tommy watch in mute horror as the yellow Zeo crystal shard passed through Kimberly's body from her heart. It floated to the ground, and Kim's uniform immediately disappeared, leaving the still unconscious girl clad in her mid drift and shorts she was wearing earlier. The boys follow the shard with their eyes, and step back in shock when a beam of golden light shot from the crystal to the ceiling of the CAC, forming a portal. Two people, a woman in a yellow and silver uniform, and a young man in an identical blue and silver uniform, fell from the hole. The woman's hair and face were covered in a mask, with a visor covering her eyes. The young man's face and hair were both visible.

White hair?! thought Tommy, still in shock, What the heck just happened?!

The two visitors stood up and brushed off their spacesuit-type uniforms. The woman picked up the yellow Zeo shard and gazed at it with interest. The young man with the brown and white hair took the crystal from the woman and started to walk towards the medical unit. The Red Ranger stood menacingly in his path.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" he asked threateningly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Not again!" moaned the young man, rolling his eyes. The woman in yellow merely smiled. The Red Ranger didn't move from his position.

"Who are you, and what do you want here?" he repeated.

"Amazing," said the young man, "Not much as changed in twelve years! You are really protective of her, Tommy."

The Red Ranger removed his helmet, and stared at him in surprise. Meanwhile, Billy discreetly scanned the two strangers.

The man is a mutant, he thought, and the woman has... the yellow Zeo shard?! Is it possible...?

"I'm Nate Grey, the X-Man," said the young man politely, "and Kim is an old friend of mine. Now, if you'll let me, I'll restore her Zeo shard and wake her up."

Tommy slowly stepped aside, and watched as Nate stood at Kim's bedside. His eyes glowed with telekinetic energy, and the yellow shard floated above Kimberly. In a flash of yellow light, the Zeo shard vanished, and Kimberly's eyes fluttered open.

"Oooh," she moaned, her hand absently covering her heart, "what happened?"

Her eyes focused, and locked with the gaze of a familiar pair of crystal blue eyes. She bolted into a sitting position, her eyes wide with surprise and recognition.

"Nate!" she cried, hugging him tightly, "Oh my gosh, you're alive!! I thought you died in the Age of Apocalypse!! What's going on?" Nate's smile fell instantly.

"Kim, I have some pretty bad news," he started, "and its gonna take me forever to tell you the whole story--"

Instantly, five beams of colored light appeared in the center of the CAC. The arriving Rangers removed their helmets, not noticing that they had guests.

"Holocaust split!" said Zack angrily, "Just like that! I wonder what he's up to--"

Zack stopped in mid sentence as he saw a familiar man with white and brown hair.

"Nate!" he yelled, running up to him and shaking his hand vigorously, "I should have known you survived that explosion! What's up with Holocaust? And where've you been, anyway?"

Nate related the story about him, Solar, and Trevor Monroe. However, in order to preserve the future, he didn't mention that his travel companion was in fact Kimberly. He introduced Kim as "Annie", which is from Kim's middle name Anne. The elder Kim leaned silently against a consol, looking at the teenagers and smiling. She kept talking to a minimum, so the young rangers wouldn't recognize her voice. They're so young, she mused, so innocent. She noticed how closely her younger self stood to Tommy. I guess in this timestream, I didn't dump Tommy for Trevor. I wonder how things would have turned out if I didn't send Tommy that letter...

"Trevor Monroe?" said the young Kimberly with a gasp, "I know him! He works at the gym I trained at in Florida. He's a nice guy, definitely not capable of being Solar."

"Trevor isn't evil," said the elder Kim, jumping into the conversation, "The creature called Onslaught has taken over my husband's body! We have to find a way to destroy Onslaught while not harming Trevor. Once Onslaught is disembodied, we can find a way to destroy him!"

"One thing doesn't quite hold water," said Zack, "How are you able to time travel? When we met in the Age of Apocalypse, you didn't have any kind of Multiversal transit abilities, or you would've sent us home from the start."

"You're right. You see, the M'Kraan Crystal transported me away from my homeworld, and I ended up in Switzerland in this world. Just a few hours ago, Roma teleported me to Otherworld, and explained the situation. She basically asked me to make sure Solar is taken care of, so he can't destroy the Multiverse. She has given me the ability to travel through the Multiverse, guided by the yellow Zeo Crystal shard."

"Well, how are we supposed to separate Trevor from Onslaught?" asked Kat, "And how are we supposed to fight Solar? Any physical attack will only do damage to Trevor."

"I doubt you'll even manage to do much damage to Solar's body," said Nate, rubbing his chin, "When I battled Onslaught, the only thing that managed to destroy his physical form was the unadulterated wrath of the Hulk, the strongest creature on Earth!"

"Well, we took him down before," said Tommy.

"Not exactly," said Nate, "Roma told me about your first battle with Solar. Y'see, Sailor Mars' Fireball causes evil energy to lash back at itself. It created a vast amount of energy feedback, sorta like clogging a drain. And even that feedback didn't cause Trevor and Onslaught to separate. Besides, he's much stronger now. I doubt the Fireball would have a substantial effect this time."

"How do we find Solar anyway?" asked Alexis.

"I believe I already have," called Billy from his computer.

"What did you find out, Billy?" asked Annie, looking over his shoulder. Billy looked up at her curiously.

"Do I...know you somehow?" he whispered so only she could hear him.

"Impossible," said Annie hurriedly, "I'm not from this timeline."

"Perhaps not, but you know my name, you are obviously familiar with the CAC, you're wearing the yellow Zeo shard, and the computer has recognized your DNA matrix."

Annie stared silently at Billy. She then noticed the others approaching them.

"We'll talk about this later," she whispered, "Please don't tell anyone!"

"But, I can't keep something like this from them... Kimberly."

"Please, Billy, for the sake of the future! No one should know too much about the future. I'm sure a physicist like yourself can understand the repercussions!"

"What's going on, Billy?" asked Jason, standing behind Annie.

Annie stayed silent, and Billy returned his attention to his computer.

"Well, I traced Holocaust's teleport when he left the battle," said Billy, staring at the results. His jaw dropped.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" said Aisha impatiently.

"Holocaust teleported...to the Moon Palace!"

"As in Zedd's palace?!" asked Alexis disbelievingly.

"Solar probably took over Zedd's palace for a base of operations," said Jason, "He must be planning on staying here for a while."

"What do we do?" asked Kat, turning to Tommy. Tommy shrugged.

"We come up with a plan."

Holocaust landed with a thud onto the cold, slimey stone floor of Lord Zedd's lunar palace. He stood up immediately, trying to scrape the grime off his exo-armor. He then turned to the throne, where Solar sat in deep meditation. Holocaust angrily stormed towards Solar, his skull glowing red.

"How dare you pull me out of battle!" he roared down at Solar, "I could have defeated those five rangers once and for all! Then after we had their Zeo shards, we could have attacked the Power Rangers' home base and destroyed the other two! Solar, are you listening to me?!"

Solar had indeed heard every word Holocaust hollered, but he was too busy dealing with the rage of emotions in his splintered mind. He then blinked, his gold power signature tinted with aqua energy. An evil smirk crossed his lips.

"I don't want to kill the Power Rangers," he said quietly, "Or at least, not all of them. But that isn't the reason I summoned you back. I must figure out how I can separate the Zeo Crystal from the bodies of the Power Rangers. In order to wield the Terra powers, each ranger must internalize the gemstones."

"Why don't we just kill them, and rip the crystals from their cold carcasses?" asked Holocaust without the slightest tinge of emotion.

"I don't know if it will work. The crystals are intangible while they are inside the bodies of the Terran Rangers. There is no way to know if that is the case when they die. Besides, I told you, I don't want to kill them all."

"And why not?" asked Holocaust, his temper starting to boil, "If you want to rule the Multiverse, you need those gems. You must crush all who stand in your way, and the Power Rangers are on the TOP of the list!"

"We must capture one of them," said Solar finally, "That way, we can see how to separate the gem from the human. Once we learn how to do so, we can use the same technique to get the remaining gems. Or, we can also trade the life of the captured ranger for the rest of the gem."

"Very well," said Holocaust with a slight sigh, "But we have to wait until the rangers leave their headquarters and separate. Which one should I capture?"

"Tommy Oliver," said Solar bitterly, "The Red Terran Power Ranger. He is your target."

In the Central Access Complex, the seven Power Rangers argue about their next step.

"Jason, we can't just fly to the Moon Palace!" cried Tommy incredulously.

"And why not, oh fearless leader? Just because you never want to try the direct approach? You're not afraid , are you?"

"Well then, Hot Shot, what do we do when we reach the Moon?" sneered Tommy.

"Guys, calm down," said Kat gently, "You're not accomplishing anything."

Jason and Tommy stepped back from each other, still snarling. Annie sighed as she watched from across the room. Nate threw up his hands in frustration.

"I'm getting stir crazy in here!" he complained to Annie, "We have to do something!"

"Well, Jason's idea has merit," whispered Annie, "When the other Terran Rangers and I attacked the Moon Palace in 2006 we managed to not only save Will and the other astronauts, but also to get rid of Zedd and Rita once and for all."

"But we're not dealing with Zedd and Rita! Solar is a killer! And I don't understand how he's blocking my telepathic scans!"

"He's not," said Billy, approaching them, "The CAC cannot be scanned, either with technology, mutant powers, or magic. Your powers cannot penetrate the protective barrier, and neither can Solar's. The computers are especially designed in sync with the barrier's frequency, so we can scan outside through it. Nothing else can penetrate."

"So maybe Solar doesn't know I'm here yet," said Nate quietly, "I have an idea."

Nate walked over to where the Power Rangers were sitting in awkward silence.

"Okay, Tommy, here's the plan. I have reason to believe that Solar may not know of my involvement. That could be the Trump Card we need. And even if he does somehow know I've arrived, there is no way he'll be expecting Annie. Annie is our only chance of stirring Trevor's consciousness. Billy, Annie, and I are gonna figure out a way for us to go to the Moon Palace without being detected. It won't be easy, but there must be a way."

"So what do we do?" asked Alexis, picking up her helmet.

"The seven of you un-morph and go about your business."

"No way!" yelled Tommy, "Solar's attacking Earth, and the Power Rangers have the responsibility to stop him!."

"He's right, Tommy," said Annie quietly, "Solar hasn't informed you of his existence, and there is no reason for you to suspect that Holocaust works for him. Do what you would normally do after you defeat one of Zedd's monsters--go to the Youth Center and hang out."

Tommy looked at Annie curiously. How does she know so much about us? And why do I get the feeling that I know her somehow? Her voice sounds so--familiar...

"But Nate, can you and Annie defeat Solar without any help?" asked Jason, "If I'm not mistaken, the battle against Onslaught in New York cost the lives of dozens of super heroes."

"That was Onslaught, not Solar," said Nate, "I doubt Solar is as powerful as Onslaught was at his prime. At least, not yet. And since Solar is an amalgam of Trevor Monroe and Onslaught, I think we can coax Trevor's consciousness to the forefront. If Trevor has a good enough reason, he can muster the willpower to purge Onslaught from his mind. But, I probably could use Kim's help. She could be my backup telepath."

"If Kim goes, then I'm going too," said Tommy coldly.

Annie smiled weakly and put her hand on Tommy's shoulder, "Don't worry, Tommy, we'll take good care of her. If you come, you'll only complicate matters."

"They're right," said Zack, crossing his arms in front of him. His X-Ranger costume immediately vanished, leaving him in his Adidas shirt and shorts. "Let's go to the Juice Bar and wait for Solar to strike again. This time, we'll be ready for him."

The four Terran Rangers and the Purple Power Ranger un-morphed and prepared to teleport. Kimberly turned to Nate, still in her golden uniform.

"Should I stay here with you three?" she asked quietly.

"Nah, go with your friends, Kim," said Nate, "We'll contact you when we figure something out."

"Did you figure out what Solar wants from us?"

"Revenge, most likely," said Annie, "but we don't know for sure."

With that, Kimberly un-morphed and joined the others. They all teleported out of the CAC.

"Finally, they're gone!" said Annie, pulling off her face mask, "This outfit is so hot!"

Billy couldn't help but stare at "Annie" in surprise. She looked exactly like the Kimberly he knew: golden brown hair, charming smile, perky nose, and eyes that just twinkled with life. Wow, Kim certainly didn't change much in twelve years.

"What are you doing?!" yelled Nate in shock, "I thought I told you not to reveal your identity to them! Billy's still here."

"Billy realized it was me already," said Kimberly, trying to fix her hair, "So there's no reason to suffer under that awful mask! Its worse than the Power Ranger helmet." She turned to Billy, "So, what do we do now?"

"I've already started scanning the Moon Palace, to figure out exactly what kind of power Solar is radiating through the area and how we can cloak you from his senses."

"I had a feeling you'd have an idea what to do," said Nate with a smile, "You're just like an old friend of mine. So, how long will this scan of yours take?"

"Half an hour at most," said Billy, "Then I can use the data to create a device to block Solar's scans, and hook it up to the Thunderbird Terrazord. You are taking both Kims, right?"

"Right," answered Kim, sitting down on the step, "So what do we do in the meantime?"

"Well, you can start by telling me about Trevor Monroe," said Billy sternly.

"He's my husband," said Kim quietly, "In my timeline, Zedd and Rita Repulsa left in December 1996. They didn't return, so the six of us went our separate ways. I went back to Florida to prepare for the Olympics right after graduation, and Tommy and I had a fight not long after I left. I was so mad that I didn't talk to him again, 'til about a month later. I sent him a letter, telling him I had met someone..."

"You dumped Tommy?!" cried Billy in disbelief, "You dumped him in a letter?!"

"I didn't really dump him. I think we both understood it was over, I just severed the final link is all. Trevor worked at the gym we practiced in. He also attended the University of Florida. He was one of the two real friends I had in Florida, and our friendship blossomed into something more. After the Olympics, I started studying fashion design in France, where I lived with my mother and step-father. I always kept in touch with Trevor--he went to Harvard Law. He graduated in the year 2001, and asked for my hand in marriage. We got married in 2002, and now we have a son Anthony. I'm president and CEO of the Hart Fashion Industry, and Trevor is a corporate lawyer. He disappeared in 2007, which is two years ago my time. The rest of the story Nate told you when we first got here."

"How's Tommy?" asked Billy, enthralled by Kim's story, "How'd he take it?"

"I...I don't know. I didn't talk to him again until Zedd and Rita returned in 2006, but Adam once told me he didn't seem the same afterwards. I guess we both spent a lot of time wondering what could have been. We reconciled after we defeated Zedd and Rita and re-activated the Terran Rangers. We're good friends now--"

"I think you've told him enough about his future, Kim," said Nate crossly.

"It doesn't really matter," said Kim, "After all, I'm from an alternate future, one where the Terran Rangers disband. If your Kim doesn't go back to Florida, how will she fall for Trevor anyway? It won't happen."

"So, you, Kat, Tommy, Jason, Aisha, Alexis and Zack are all still active Rangers?" asked Billy, "You and Zack never became X-Rangers? You never passed on your powers to other teenagers?"

"Well, you're almost right," said Kim, "Aisha was never a Terran Ranger. She moved to Africa and became an ethologist. She calls me from time to time, but she never came back to the US, except for a visit every now and then. Adam is the Green Ranger. And I haven't seen Alexis in years. But yes, we're still rangers. Will hasn't figured out a way to transfer the power into people who never had Power Coins. He said that the ownership of a coin biochemically changes the person, making them compatible with the Zeo crystal shards."

"So different, yet so much the same," said Billy quietly. Then, the computer started to beep.

"The scan's done," he said, printing out the information, "You two make yourselves comfortable. I'll be in the Zord hangar. I'll call you if I need you."

With that, Billy hurried out of the main chamber in the CAC. Kim and Nate sit and wait.

"Do you think we'll be able to save Trevor?" asked Kim.

"I honestly don't know," he said, "But we're certainly gonna try."

Meanwhile, Zack, Jason, Tommy, Alexis, Katherine, Kimberly, and Aisha sit in the Juice Bar, sipping on various beverages. Usually, they'd be involved in an energetic conversation, or even practicing karate, gymnastics, or weight lifting. Today, however, the seven teens sit in a stony silence.

"Hey guys," called Rocky from the mat. He and Adam had been involved in a heated kata, and didn't notice their best friends walk in. Rocky frowned when no one answered his greeting.

"You okay?" he asked again, strolling over to their table and pulling up a chair beside Alexis. Adam soon joined them, his brow furrowed with worry.

"Did something happen?" he asked in a hushed voice, "Where's Billy?"

"Billy's running some scans in the CAC," whispered Zack.

"Where were you guys?" asked Rocky.

"A monster called Holocaust attacked the plaza," said Alexis, "He escaped."

"So Rita and Zedd are up to their old tricks," said Adam angrily.

"No," said Tommy, "Solar is the one behind it all. We have to wait for him to strike again. I feel so... helpless!"

Kimberly reached and squeezed his hand reassuringly, "Relax, Tommy. Something will happen soon."

As if on cue, the entire Youth Center started to shake. The nine friends cling desperately to the table in order to not fall down. Suddenly, the shaking stops, and a huge explosion is heard from outside.

"It came... from the school!!" cried Jason, leaping to his feet and running outside. The others immediately followed him, and stood in shock in front of the building. The entire entrance was destroyed, along with the majority of the wall along the offices. The teens saw Mr Caplan sitting dumfounded at his chair, staring at the gaping hole made in his office wall. Adam and Rocky stayed behind as the rangers immediately hid themselves among the rubble.

"It's Morphin Time," cried Zack, crossing his arms, "X-Ranger One!"

"X-Ranger Two!!" cried Kimberly.

"TERRA FIRE POWER!!" yelled Tommy.

"TERRA WIND POWER!!" cried Aisha.

"TERRA EARTH POWER!!" bellowed Jason.

"TERRA WATER POWER!!" shouted Katherine.

"Purple Ranger Power!" called Alexis. The seven Power Rangers leapt onto the battle scene, immediately digging though the rubble of their school, searching for survivors. The X-Rangers lifted the bricks and steel beams of the damaged building, the Blue and Green Terran Rangers put out the flames caused by the energy blast, while the Purple, Black, and Red Rangers cautiously helped the people trapped in the rubble. Holocaust watched from the roof of the building, chuckling to himself.

Now is my chance to capture the Red Ranger, he thought, powering up his arm cannon, Now he is inside the burning building, and the others are too busy to help him.

Holocaust burns a hole in the roof, and stealthily slips through it into the building. He heard a girl screaming for help, and soon saw the Red Ranger approach.

"Hang on, Angela," said the Red Ranger reassuringly, lifting the piece of ceiling that pinned her to the floor, "I've got ya."

He gingerly lifted Angela off the ground, supporting her with his shoulders. He quickly lead her to the entrance, where Holocaust waited for him, barring his way.

"Greetings, Human," he chuckled, "Missed me?"

The Red Ranger struck a protective stance in front of Angela, who was starting to panic.

"So, you're the one who caused this destruction!" shouted Tommy angrily, "Why? What could you possibly gain by hurting these people?"

"Well, I got you here, didn't I?" scoffed Holocaust, raising his arm cannon, "That's all I wanted."

Holocaust fired a deadly plasma ray at Tommy, who effortlessly dodged it. Angela had taken cover behind a fallen row of lockers, watching mutely as her savior battled the hideous creature towering above him. The Red Ranger continued to dodge Holocaust's best shots, causing the latter to glow with rage.

"You may be agile, Boy, but you're too selfless to avoid me forever!" roared Holocaust, charging his arm cannon for one final strike. Instead of pointing to Tommy, however, Holocaust released the pent up energy in the direction of the girl cowering behind the lockers. Tommy immediately saw the danger and leapt to Angela.

"Duck!" he ordered, leaping in the path of the energy beam. Angela screamed in horror as the hot plasma scorched through the Red Ranger's chest, leaving a patch of tender, bleeding flesh. The Red Ranger grunted slightly as he fell to the ground, losing consciousness. Holocaust roared with laughter and flung the fallen ranger over his shoulder.

"You heroes are all alike!" he roared, "Always too busy protecting the weak to properly protect yourselves!"

With that, Holocaust and the Red Ranger disappeared in a streak of golden light, leaving Angela still cowering behind the lockers. She had witnessed the Red Ranger's heroic deed, and had seen the horrible wound he now bore. Her eyes swelled with tears of guilt until she realized that the creature left her there to die.

"Help!" she cried hoarsely, choking back sobs, "HELP ME, PLEASE!!"

"Where are you?" she heard a voice from by the stairs call to her. She sighed in relief.

"By the lockers!" she answered, standing up to show herself. She was surrounded by powerful flames, and started to choke on the dense smoke.

"I've got ya, Miss!" said the Black Ranger, grabbing her hand. He lifted her gently into his arms and carried her quickly out of the building. Once he was safely away from the building, he gingerly laid Angela on the ground, giving her room to breathe. By now, the fire trucks and ambulances arrived, and helped the Green and Blue Rangers put out the rest of the flames. The Silver, Gold, and Purple Rangers, along with Rocky and Adam, helped the injured people into ambulances. Two attendents lifted Angela off the charred grass and placed her on a cot. They put on an oxygen mask and started to cart her towards the ambulance.

"Hey," said the Black Ranger, "Where's the Red Ranger?"

Upon hearing the question, Angela immediately pulled the mask off her face and cried out, getting the rangers' attention.

"The creature with the red skull grabbed him!" she coughed. The Power Rangers and Rocky and Adam all stopped what they were doing and ran to her, who was trying desperately to stop coughing.

"What do you mean?" asked the Gold Ranger gently.

"He was trying to save me... and the monster shot a blast at me... Red Ranger blocked the plasma... he's hurt badly and unconscious... the monster grabbed him and--"

Angela fell into a fit of coughs and the attendents immediately placed the mask back over her mouth. The Power Rangers stood back as the attendents carted Angela into the ambulance.

"Holocaust took Tommy," whispered Alexis, "But why?"

"We should get to the CAC," said Zack, "and fast!"

"What's going on here?" asked Rocky in exhasperation.

"It would take too long to explain," answered Aisha.

"Do you guys need our help?" asked Adam, "I don't think there's much we can do here."

"We'll keep ya posted," said Jason, "All clear?"

The Power Rangers took a quick scan around the area to make sure the situation was under control. The six rangers looked at each other, and in silent agreement, they disappeared in six streaks of colored light.

Tommy moaned quietly as he came into awareness. His eyes slowly opened, but there was nothing to see--everything was pitch black. He felt a searing pain in his chest, and tried to feel if he was bleeding, but his hand wouldn't respond. He then realized that both his arms and legs were restrained. He felt the chill winds blowing against his bare arms and legs, and noticed that he was no longer wearing his insulated Power Ranger uniform. He was lying on his back, wearing his red tank top and beige denim shorts, that reached just below his knee. He struggled against his restraints and tried to cry out, but his voice cracked and he was suddenly out of breath. Breathing became painful and difficult.

I hope I didn't puncture a lung, he thought gloomily, I can tell I have at least one broken rib.

Tommy shut his eyes tightly when a bright light flashed from nowhere. When is eyes adjusted, he lifted his head to see two forms approaching him from an enlightened entrance.

"Hello, Tommy," said the tall one, "I'm glad you're still alive. I was worried I had used too much power. I do hope you're comfortable on Finster's work table."

"Whatever you're looking for... I'm not gonna help... you find it!" wheezed Tommy painfully.

"You're so brave, Boy," chuckled the shorter figure, "But what I have planned for you doesn't require your consent."

Tommy squinted to clear his vision. He recognized Holocaust's mocking voice immediately, but the other voice wasn't clear. He saw a man, about six foot two, with sandy blonde hair and a rather muscular build. He had aqua colored eyes, and he wore a red, white, and blue armored uniform with a gold badge on his chest. Tommy recognized the figure immediately.

"Solar," he mumbled quietly, resting his head back against the cold stone lab table.

"Aren't you surprised to see me?" asked Solar, grinning maliciously, "After all, I'm sure you thought you killed me during our last encounter. I see you're hair has gotten even longer!"

"Cut to the point," grumbled Tommy quietly, trying not to show how much pain he was in.

"Fine then. I plan on separating the red Zeo Crystal shard from your body."

Tommy looked up at Solar in surprise, "Why? The shard only responds to its rightful owner- the one destined to wield its powers."

"Not true. You see, I plan on collecting all six shards to re-create the Zeo Crystal. Then I'm on my way to possessing the M'Kraan Crystal. You have a choice. If you surrender the shard willingly, it will be a painless procedure. If not, then I'll have to extract it myself, which will certainly cause you incredible pain and quite possibly death."

"Do what you will-- you're not getting any help from me," Tommy said weakly, but sternly.

"Fine. Holocaust, hook him up to that device we found in the laboratory."

Holocaust connected a few wires to the bed that Tommy was lying on, and activated one of Lord Zedd's old power-absorption machines. This particular one was the one Zedd used to drain the last vestiges of pink power from Kimberly during her last days as the Pink Ranger.

"This machine will transfer the energies of the crystal into another vessel," Solar explained, grinning, "Once all the energy within the crystal has been absorbed, then I can extract the crystal from your body without worrying about the possible hazzards of doing so. Then the energy will be returned to the crystal. Of course by then, you'll be dead. The process should take about an hour to drain all your energy. You have that much time to change your mind. Your body cannot withstand the incredible stress of having the gemstone lose its power while still in you heart. If you surrender the gemstone willingly, I'll let you live."

With that, the two villians leave the laboratory and shut the door behind them, leaving Tommy in darkness.

"It won't work!" growled Holocaust, "The boy has too much spirit. He will never give you the gem. You should have just killed him quickly and taken the gem from his corpse."

"How many times do I have to tell you that it might not work?! I refuse to take any chances. Besides, he may not surrender to save his own life, but he surely will to save the lives of the other rangers, and they'll surrender their Zeo shards to save him. Friendship is the humans' greatest weakness. They'd do anything to save each other, even let evil win."

In the Central Access Complex, the six remaining Power Rangers arrive. Annie immediately hides her face behind her mask and visor, and both Billy and Nate turn around in surprise.

"What're you doing here?" asked Billy, "I didn't call you yet."

"Where's Tommy?" asked Nate frowning.

"You don't know?!" cried Kimberly in rage, "Holocaust kidnapped him! He also nearly burned down the whole school! Four students are seriously injured, and the building will take weeks to repair! Its a miracle no one was killed!"

"Impossible," said Billy, running to his personal desk and activating his PC, "If there was any release of powerful energy, the system would have alerted us!"

"Solar probably cloaked the whole thing," said Nate, slamming his fist into a console, "And Holocaust snatched Tommy too?"

"Yes," said Jason, "Our friend Angela saw the whole thing."

"What do we do?" asked Katherine.

"Nate," said Annie, moving towards the zord hangar, "We'd better go now."

"You're right," said Nate, turning to face her, "Tommy's in great danger. Billy, is the Thunderbird Terrazord prepped for take off?"

"Affirmative," answered Billy solemnly, "The ship is cloaked from Solar's telepathic powers. You should be able to fly it close enough to the Moon Palace to enter it stealthily."

"Great!" said Kimberly, strapping her gold helmet back on, "Let's go!"

Annie looked to Nate, turned to her younger self, and sighed.

"Kim, you probably shouldn't come. Solar raised the stakes when he grabbed Tommy."

"There's no way you're going to the Moon without me. You need me."

Nate sighed and nodded his head, "She's right. We'll need all the help we can get."

As the trio ran towards the hangar, a face appeared on the Viewing Globe. A deep chuckle was heard through the audio systems, and Nate stopped in his tracks.

"Onslaught's laugh," he whispered, as he, Kim, and Annie ran back into the CAC. They saw the other rangers circled around the viewing globe. It was a close-up of a human with sandy blonde hair and aqua eyes.

"That's Solar?" asked Jason, "He certainly doesn't look that tough."

"Looks can be deceiving," said Nate quietly.

^Greetings, owners of the Zeo Crystal. I am Solar, the ruler of the Multiverse! I have a deal to offer you.^

The image shifted, and in a dark room, lying on a stone bed connected to a machine was--

"Tommy!" cried Kimberly, "What're you doing to him?"

^This machine drains the energies of the Zeo shard. The process will most likely kill Tommy, since the crystal is still in his body. He has one hour before the process is complete. Therefore, you have one hour to surrender your Zeo shards to me.^

The image disappeared, leaving the Viewing Globe blank.

"Jason," said Kimberly quietly, a golden glow transforming her out of uniform, "we need to buy ourselves time. If we don't come back to Earth before the deadline, give Solar the crystals."

"Excuse me?" said Jason incredulously, "We can't! We'll be helpless, and Solar will conquer the universe! I know how you feel about Tommy, but--"

"Jason, we can always get the crystal back, but once Tommy's dead, he's dead!!" cried Kimberly, nearly quaking with fear and anger. She raised her arms to the air, and in a flash of yellow light, her yellow Zeo shard floated out of her chest and landed in her palm. She placed it in Jason's hand. Jason looked at her, and nodded in agreement.

"But, Kim, how will you manage to fight without your powers?" whispered Alexis.

"Her telepathic powers are part of her," said Nate, "They'll function without the Zeo shard."

"WHAT?!" cried all the Power Rangers in shock.

"When Roma created the X-Ranger powers, she used my and Magneto's powers as templates. Magneto and I are both mutants, so, in effect, Kimberly and Zack can access their powers from within, even when the crystal is separated from their bodies. But, its not as powerful, and requires far more focus. But with practice, you can develop formidable natural skills."

"Roma did say that the X-Ranger powers were special," observed Zack.

"Wait a minute!" cried Aisha, "How do you plan to fly the Thunderbird without your Zeo shard, Kim? After all, the crystal is like the ignition!"

"Oh, I didn't think of that," said Kimberly quietly.

"It shouldn't be a problem," said Annie, "I can pilot the zord."

"How?" asked Katherine.

"I...uh," said Annie, searching for an explanation that didn't blow her cover.

"I created a device to allow Annie to pilot the Thunderzord," lied Billy, "just in case we decided that Kim should stay behind."

"Right," said Nate, "Now, we have lives to save."

The three heroes hurried into the zord hangar and sealed the door behind them.

"So," said Kimberly, "how are you going to activate the zord?"

"Simple," said Annie, lifting her arms to the sky, "TERRA LIGHTNING POWER!!"

After a blinding flash of yellow light, Annie was wearing the yellow uniform and golden shield of the Yellow Terran Power Ranger. Kimberly's jaw dropped.

"Yellow Thunderbird...ACTIVATE!!" continued Annie, and the whole hangar was saturated with yellow light. The red eyes of the Thunderbird began to glow, and its beak opened, releasing a loud shriek. The beak remained open, and the three heroes entered the ship and climbed up the ladder, which lead to the cockpit. Annie buckled up at the pilot's seat as Kim and Nate sat in passenger seats in the back.

"Billy," said Annie into the communicator, "Is the cloaking device on line?"

^It will be, once you activate the voice identification scanner,^ said Billy's voice.

Annie turned off the communicator and flipped a switch.

"PLEASE STATE FULL NAME, COLOR, AND POWER SOURCE" said the computer.

"Kimberly Hart--Yellow Ranger--Lightning! Thunderbird on-line!"

The zord gave a final cry and the thrusters activated. The door to the hangar opened, and the zord flew out the door, headed to the Moon.

"I hope you two are buckled up," said Annie, "I haven't done this in a while."

Kimberly absently buckled the seat belt, and continued staring at "Annie". She then turned to Nate, frowning.

"Why did you lie to me, Nate?!" she demanded, "Why did you lie to us all?!"

"Well, I really didn't want you, any of you, to know too much about the future. I needed her help to stop Solar, but I also wanted to preserve the future. So, I disguised her."

Kimberly crossed her arms angrily, mumbling to herself. She then sat up again, her doe eyes wide with surprised realization.

"Are you really Solar's wife?" she asked the Yellow Ranger.

"I'm Trevor Monroe's wife, Kimberly," she answered.

Kimberly fell back against the back of her seat, still overcome with shock, "What happened to Tommy?" she asked quietly, "What could have possibly happened between us? I always thought eventually..."

"Kim, the future isn't written in stone," said Nate, "In her timeline, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa disappeared in the winter of 1996, so the team disbanded. She went back to Florida, and... well..."

"I fell in love with Trevor," said the Yellow Ranger matter-of-factly, "and I don't regret it in the least. I love my husband. If I didn't, I wouldn't be risking my life for him now."

"But, what about Tommy?" asked Kimberly quietly, "Did you... dump him, or was it some kind of mutual separation...?"

"I'm the one who officially ended 'us', but I'm sure we both knew it was over."

"And... are you and Tommy... happy with your lives?" asked Kim, rubbing her arms for warmth.

"Yes. We're good friends now, and I'm happily married. Tommy's wedding is next week."

"Who is he marrying?" asked Kimberly, her curiosity piqued.

"Maybe its better that you don't know," interrupted Nate, "It doesn't matter anyway. He never would have fallen for her if he and Kim stayed together. Besides, we have work to do. Don't forget, both of you have loved ones trapped in that castle. Kim, how close are we?"

"About half an hour," she said, "If we go any faster, we may be detected. And by the way, you'd better just call me Annie. We don't want to get confused, do we?"

"We're certainly cutting it close," said Kim worriedly, "Tommy only has another fifty minutes left, before--"

"We know Kim. We're doing our best."

Solar angrily marched into the laboratory. He telekinetically crushed the iron door and lit up the whole room with his bright blue psionic fury. He leaned over Tommy, staring him in the eye.

"Give me your Zeo crystal shard NOW!!" roared Solar, his eyes glowing fiercely with a strange aqua colored power.

"Never," whispered Tommy weakly.

Solar scowled in anger and punched Tommy in the chest with all his might. Tommy groaned loudly, and nearly lost consciousness.

"I should tear you apart limb from limb, Tommy," said Solar angrily, "I owe you that."

"What are you talking about?" whispered Tommy, "What have I ever done to you?"

Solar sneered. He telekinetically ripped Tommy off the lab table and threw him against the cold wall. Tommy crumpled against the wall, hearing bones break in his body.

That's probably another rib or two, he thought grimly, I don't know how much of Solar's wrath I can survive. His voice sounds so...human, so in pain. And his powers aren't gold anymore-- what does it mean...?

Solar stood above Tommy, still glowing with rage.

"You dare ask me what you've done to me?" he roared, "You're the one thing standing in the way of what I love most of all! You both are so young, so in love! And even in my time, you still love her, and she still loves YOU!! If I kill you right now, you can't keep us apart anymore! You will no longer come between us!"

Tommy could barely understand a word Solar said, since he was fighting to stay conscious. A dozen thoughts were racing through his head as he tried to focus enough to morph. However, the energy draining process had left its mark, and even though he wasn't completely drained, he couldn't muster the strength to even stand up.

"Calm down, Trevor," whispered Tommy, "I only want to help you."

"HELP ME?!" cried Solar, "You're the one who needs help! You took everything from me! She is the world to me, did you know that?"

"Trevor, please. You know you don't want to do this. Annie, your wife, told us you're a good man. Help us help you, Trevor. Help us stop Onslaught. You're his pawn!"

"Annie?!" asked Solar, glowing in rage, "Who is Annie? You're trying to trick me, Oliver! Our little 'friendship' ends now!"

Tommy's squeezed his eyes shut, and tried desperately to concentrate, and push past the pain that threatened to make him pass out. Gotta think fast! Gotta find something to think about to calm him down. Before he kills me.

Tommy focused his mind on Annie, the woman who fell from the portal earlier that day. She had claimed to be Trevor's wife. He forced himself to visualize their conversation with her:

"Trevor Monroe?" said Kimberly with a gasp, "I know him! He works at the gym I trained at in Florida. He's a nice guy, definitely not capable of being Solar." "Trevor isn't capable of evil," said Annie, "The creature called Onslaught has taken over my husband's body! We have to find a way to destroy Onslaught while not harming Trevor..."

Solar cut off from Tommy's mind and fell to his knees, clutching his head in his hands.

"Kimberly," he whispered in his human voice, "she's here! She came for me... to help me."

Tommy's eyes shot open, and stared at Solar in absolute amazement.

KIMBERLY?!?! Of course! That explains why she sounded so familiar, and also why she hid her face from us. It makes sense now. Everything. But, why did Kim marry this guy? What happened to US? Is this what the future holds for us?!

"No!" cried Solar, his voice quickly deepening, "The woman means nothing to me! I am Solar, the ruler of the Multiverse! She must die! They must all DIE!!"

Solar lifted his head from his hands, his aqua eyes glowing gold. His face was unexpressive, and his glowing eyes displayed pure, unfathomable power.

"Nice try, Human," he said, "but I am stronger than Monroe. I am Solar, and I think for myself. I can keep my halves under control. And I will have the Zeo Crystal."

Solar stared at Tommy, and a glow of pure gold energy surrounded the Red Ranger. Tommy was lifted into the air, and placed onto the stone bed. The restraints quickly wrapped around his appendages, limiting his mobility. But Tommy was already too weak to resist. Solar then reactivated the machine, which continued to drain Tommy's energy. Tommy immediately passed out, and lay unconcious on the table.

"He is too weak to survive much longer," said Solar flatly, "Now is the time to go and claim the Zeo shards."

Solar walked to his throne room, where Holocaust was observing Earth from the balcony.

"Where did you go?" asked Holocaust.

"I had a little... issue to settle with the boy," he said calmy, "I had to teach him a lesson."

"Oh? How did it go?"

"Well," Solar said, sitting on Lord Zedd's throne, "Actually, the best word to describe it is... theraputic. Now is the time to strike, my friend. Go to Earth, and wait for the Power Rangers outside the ruins of the Command Center. I shall contact them through the Viewing Globe. If they refuse to surrender the gems, destroy them all."

"Very well," said Holocaust, stepping through the portal of light Solar made for him.

In the Central Access Complex, Jason, Alexis, Zack, Katherine, Aisha, and Billy wait anxiously for any kind of message from Nate, Kimberly, or Annie. Billy works furiously on his scanning systems, trying to find a way to register if there is any human life on the Moon. Zack and Aisha pace around the room in frustration, occasionally checking the Viewing Globe, which now keeps count of the minutes until the one hour deadline. Katherine sits in a corner of the CAC with a grim expression on her face. Alexis stands beside her, with a look of dread as the time ticks down. Jason stands silently in the center of the CAC. He's holding Kimberly's Zeo shard, and is lost in deep thought:

We only have twenty minutes left! What if they don't get back in time? What do I do? I can't surrender to Solar! If I do, the whole universe is at stake. But, I can't let anything happen to Tommy. He's always been a brother to me, and I know that he would do anything in his power to save me if I were in his place. But I doubt Solar would actually return Tommy to us if we give up the crystals-- heck, we've played that game too many times. But, at least Solar won't have a reason to kill him, and then maybe we could send a distress call to Zordon, or the Aquitians, or even the Spectrum Force. But, do we have time? I doubt it...

Everyone is pulled out of their reverie by a bright light shining from the Viewing Globe. Everyone turns around to see Solar's face once again glaring at them, his eyes glowing gold.

^Hello, Power Rangers. As you must realize, your time is nearly up. I don't think poor Tommy will last much longer.^

Solar started to chuckle maliciously, further infuriating the rangers who listened.

^Now is your one and only chance to rescue the Red Ranger. I have sent Holocaust to the ruins of your Command Center above you. Give him the five remaining Zeo shards, and the boy will live. Try and trick me, and he dies an agonizing death at my hand. Oh and trust me, I won't hesitate to kill him. He's been a thorn in my side too long.^

Everyone turned to Jason questioningly, praying he would come up with an answer. Even Billy, who usually accepted the decision-making role, deferred to the acting leader.

"You have a deal," said Jason quietly, clutching Kim's crystal, "We'll be right up."

^Excellent,^ chuckled Solar, and his image disappeared from the screen.

"Let's go and get this over with," muttered Zack, preparing to teleport.

Billy remained silent as he watched his friends depart from the CAC. Everyone had dark, bitter expressions on their faces. Especially Jason.

"Jason isn't a quitter," Billy reasoned, walking towards the communications system, "He's not giving up the Zeo shards. The amount of damage Solar can cause with that kind of power is immeasurable. The rangers are going to fight."

Billy glanced up at the Viewing Globe, which now displayed Holocaust, standing triumphantly atop the ruins of the Command Center. The five remaining Power Rangers were standing there as well, in a row with Jason standing a bit closer to the villain. The look in Jason's eyes spoke volumes as he gazed upon the foreboding monster.

"I'd better get the medical unit ready," Billy decided, " and I'll contact Adam and Rocky. I may be able to use their help if things get rough. Its too bad Tanya is still in Africa with her parents. I could probably use the extra set of hands."

Billy activated the communications system, and Adam immediately responded.

^What's up, Billy?^ he whispered though his communicator.

"The rangers have gone into battle, and it looks like its gonna be a tough one. I need you to come here and stand-by. I'll probably need your help down here really soon."

In seconds two beams of white light landed in the CAC. Adam and Rocky ran to Billy, who was busy prepping the medical unit.

"We're ready to help," said Adam, folding his arms, "in any way we can."

Meanwhile, the Thunderbird parks in a crater on the Moon. Three lone heroes step onto the lunar surface-- one Power Ranger, and two people inside a telekinetic bubble, protecting them from the vaccuum of space.

"We're about a mile away from the palace," said Annie, standing on a boulder, "You can see it from up here!"

The other two floated to the boulder to take a look.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Kimberly.

"We get inside," said Nate, flying towards the Moon Palace, "Now let's go. I can block us telepathically, but I don't know how long the shields will last. Besides, I think Tommy's time is almost up."

Nate carries all three of them inside a telekinetic bubble, and they quickly float over the desolate surface of the moon. In minutes they reach the base of the palace.

"We could enter by way of the balcony," suggested Annie.

"True, but we'll lose the element of surprise!" objected Kim, "Besides, I want to check up on Tommy. He must be somewhere in that palace."

"Do you know where to look though, Kim?" asked Nate, looking up at the balcony.

"Not really," Kim replied, "but I have to try."

"Okay then, we'll split up. Kim, you find another way into the palace, and take Annie with you. I'll barge into the throne room. I think I can feel Solar's presence there. Kim, keep in touch with me telepathically. Once you're both inside, find Tommy, and then get to the throne room. I know I'm gonna need your help."

"Uh, how am I supposed to be able to breathe?" asked Kim.

"Create a TK bubble, just like this one."

"But, I've never done that before. At least, not without the Zeo shard."

"Just relax, and envision an aura of energy surrounding your body. Telekinesis is relatively easy to get used to. Its the telepathy that's hard."

Kimberly closed her eyes, and followed Nate's instruction. A golden translucent shield of energy formed around her body, and stretched out to form a bubble. She opened her eyes, and touched the bubble with her hand hesitantly.

"Cool," she whispered.

"Okay, let's move."

"Right," said the two women in unison, and they both ran along the palace's outer wall, hoping to find an entrance. Nate focused his telekinetic powers to propel himself to the balcony, a good twenty stories off the ground.

It's harder controlling my TK when there isn't any gravity, he thought, If I'm not careful, I could accidentally throw myself into deep space!

Nate slowly rises to the balcony, and stands on the railing. Immediately, he feels the gravity around him, and lowers his shield to breathe in the oxygen.

Amazing, the castle has oxygen and gravity, but there's no field around it keeping the air in.

Nate walks around in the throne room, seeing nothing but thick smoke.

"Nice place," he said aloud, "Show yourself, Solar! I know you're here!"

"Greetings, Nate Grey," came a voice from within the smoke. The smoke dissipated to reveal a throne. Sitting on the throne was Solar, his hand clasped together and a wicked smile on his face, "I've been expecting you."

"How did you know I was here?" asked Nate, completely astonished.

"I knew you'd rush to help your young friends. You're too predictable, Boy. Especially considering that, for a brief time, you were a part of me."

Nate's eyes glowed with energy as he fired a TK blast at Solar. Solar blocked it with his own golden powers and stood up.

"I know you must hate me, Nathan. After all, I killed all your friends. The Avengers believed in you and befriended you, and now they're all gone. Each and every one of them. Too bad you couldn't save them. Just like you couldn't save your home world from Apocalypse. You couldn't save Forge, the only father you ever knew, and you couldn't even find your best friend Shadow. Perhaps he's been avoiding you, Nathan."

Nate's fury began to boil as he fired an even more powerful telekinetic blast at Solar. Once again, he deflected it.

"You always claimed to be the most powerful mutant alive. Well, I am not a mutant. I am the one and only Solar, and you are not match for me!"

Solar forced himself into Nate's mind. He immediately pulls Nate's consciousness out of his body and into the Astral Plane. Nate's physical body collapses to the ground while Nate's astral form takes shape. So begins the psionic battle between two of the most powerful telepaths in the Multiverse.

Jason Scott Lee remains frozen. His body is as still as death, as he stands and watches the creature known as Holocaust. Although he and his fellow Power Rangers have only been on the surface for a matter of seconds, Jason's perception of time is like the flow of molasses. Jason can feel the eyes of his teammates on his back. He knows they are expecting him to make the first move. He is the leader, given the situation, and therefore he determines the plan of action. He could count on his friends backing up his final decision. Although Jason had already made his final decision in the Central Access Complex, he is now once again questioning that reasoning.

If Tommy dies, I'll lose my best friend. Kim will lose her boyfriend, and the rest of the team loses a trusted friend and leader. The entire world will lose a vailliant hero. But what would Tommy think if I jeopardize the universe for his sake? If I give Holocaust the Zeo Crystal, the consequences will be serious for all that exists. Kim and Zack told us all how vital the Zeo Crystal's role is in the grand scheme of time, as a piece of the M'Kraan Crystal. I don't know what all that means, but I do know that evil can't have it. I have to stop thinking like a friend, and start thinking like a warrior...

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Holocaust roared, obviously upset, "Considering your precious leader only has about... twelve minutes left in his life, I would think you would act with a bit more... urgency."

Jason's face remained stony, as he slipped the yellow Zeo shard, that he was still holding in his hand, into his jeans pocked. He then slowly turned around, and glanced towards his friends. One by one, his dark eyes locked with those of his friends. He silently transmitted his intentions to the fellow Power Rangers, and he received their feedback in a similar fashion. Zack's deep brown eyes displayed sad, yet adamant agreement. Aisha's lighter brown eyes showed little surprise at Jason's change of heart. Alexis' emerald green eyes were supportive. Katherine's crystal blue eyes were at first upset, but then settled into an understanding gaze. Jason was reassured that his friends were in agreement with him. It was unanimous.

"Holocaust," announced Jason, glaring back at the armored creature with cold anger, "we're not surrendering."

"WHAT?!" cried Holocaust, completely shocked, "You will actually let your friend and leader die an agonizing and untimely death, knowing you could have done something to stop it?!"

"If we surrender, we'll give you the upper hand," said Zack, stepping beside Jason, "The whole universe will fall."

"Tommy wouldn't want us to risk the whole universe to save his life," said Kat sternly, also stepping forward.

"There's no way we can trust a villain to keep his promise, and give back Tommy," said Alexis, joining her friends.

"So go back to your boss, and tell him that no one messes with the Terran Power Rangers!!" Aisha finished.

"Its Morphin Time!" Jason announced, "TERRA EARTH POWER!!"

"TERRA WATER POWER!!" cried Katherine.

"TERRA WIND POWER!!" screamed Aisha.

"X-Ranger One!!" shouted Zack.

"Purple Ranger Power!!" Alexis finished, clutching her morpher.

Holocaust's mouth twisted into a smile as he gazed at the group of brave young heroes. "Perhaps you aren't as weak as I thought you were, Power Rangers. No matter, though. In the end, all seven of you will end up dead, and the Zeo crystals will decorate Solar's throne room!"

With that, Holocaust leapt at the rangers. He slammed into an invisible magnetic shield, erected by the Silver X-Ranger, and fell back to the ground. The others immediately lept into action.

"Time to rock his world!" roared Jason, slamming his fists into the ground. The force of Jason's punch caused the ground to crack, and the small canyon stretched under Holocaust. Holocaust lept off the ground and fired a tight plasma beam at Jason. Jason moved to dodge the beam, but he didn't move fast enough-- the beam sliced through the flesh of his shoulder, narrowly missing the bone. Holocaust moved in for the kill, but was met with an explosive flying kick from the Green Ranger. Usually, such a kick wouldn't even make Holocaust flinch, since he wears a mighty exoskeleton. But Aisha propelled herself with her wind power, making an impact like a cannonball. Holocaust was thrown back, and there was a faint crack in the chest area of his armor.

"I'm not through yet, girl!" roared Holocaust, charging up his arm cannon. He fired a very wide, less potent beam, which not only knocked out Aisha, but it also hit Jason, who was trying to recover from his shoulder injury. Holocaust was then struck by a steel beam, part of the imploded Command Center upon which the battle took place. He angrily picked up the beam, and crunched it into a ball. He proceeded to throw the ball mightily at Zack, who had to concentrate to magnetically stop the ball's momentum. While he was momentarily distracted, Holocaust fired his mightiest plasma beam at Zack, penetrating his magnetic shield and striking him largely in the helmet. The helmet cracked with the force of the hit, and Zack fell motionless to the ground. Holocaust smiled and started to laugh mightily.

"Don't laugh too soon!" called Alexis, pointing her fists at Holocaust, "The fun's just starting!"

Invisible streams of ultraviolet light poured forth, striking Holocaust in the chest. Holocaust laughed at her.

"What is light going to do against my inpenetrable armor?" he asked her. Alexis stopped firing and pulled out her Laser Whip.

"We'll see what some concentrated light can do!" she declared, wrapping the whip around his arm cannon. Holocaust smiled.

"That was a mistake," he said, as plasmic energy streamed from his cannon, through the whip, and into the Purple Ranger. She screamed in pain, and fell to the ground.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!! I defeated the Power Rangers in three minutes. Amazing! How on Earth did these puny teenagers manage to defeat evil for so long? Could their usual enemies possibly be any more incompetent than these twerps?"

Holocaust approached the bodies of the rangers. The Purple one was unconscious, but there wasn't much physical damage done. The Black one, on the other hand, had a nasty injury to the shoulder, and a few other minor cuts through the suit. The Green Ranger, who was thrown back with the blast, had landed on a jagged piece of steel, slicing through the flesh of her side. The X-Ranger lay in a heap, with a severe dent in his silver helmet, and a part of the mouthpiece chipped off.

He's probably dead, Holocaust mused, That's three more Zeo shards for Sol-- wait a minute. THREE?! Weren't there four Terran Rang--?

Before Holocaust could finish that thought, he was struck by a wave of liquid. It instantly hardened, and he suddenly couldn't move a muscle. He was trapped in a frozen heap. His eyes widened as he saw a massive mechanical alligator approaching him menacingly.

^That's my liquid oxygen ray, Holocaust,^ said the voice of the Blue Ranger from inside the Alligator Terrazord, ^Don't even bother trying to escape. No doubt the cold will make your exoskeleton very brittle...^

Holocaust struggled to free himself from his icy prision, by he couldn't. He watched in a red-hot rage as the Blue Ranger leapt out of the Zord and landed gracefully on the ground. She walked right past him and checked on her three unconscious friends.

"Aisha? Jason? Lex? Can you guys hear me?"

Aisha moaned and sat up. She struggled to stand up, and touched the slash on her side. She gasped at the loss of blood, but managed to remain standing. Kat had helped Jason stand. Alexis slowly rose to her feet, and joined them.

"Where's Zack?" whispered Jason, clutching his shoulder to try to stop the bleeding.

Aisha ran as quickly as she could to where she saw the broken body of X-Ranger One. His left leg looked crushed and his helmet was nearly shattered. Red patches of fresh blood stained the pale silver of his costume.

"Billy," whispered Aisha into her communicator, "teleport Zack in now. He's been hurt..."

^I'm on it,^ answered Billy, and Zack disappeared in a flash of silver light.

"What do we do about Holocaust?" asked Katherine, who was still helping Jason stand.

"I don't know," said Alexis quietly, "We certainly can't destroy him. We don't have the power!"

"I guess the question is, should we destroy him?" Kat asked, still holding her boyfriend tightly, "Is he a magical creature?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a muffled scream. They all turned their attention towards Holocaust, whose yellow transluscent exo-skeleton seemed to turn blue. They all saw utter terror in his eyes as even his blood red skull became blue.

"The crack!" squealed Aisha weakly, moving to Holocaust. Alexis, Katherine and Jason slowly followed.

"What crack?" asked Alexis.

"The crack I made in his armor with that kick! The LOX must have penetrated the armor through the crack, freezing Holocaust's organic parts from the inside!"

"I had only intended to imprison him, not to freeze him to death!" said Kat, still surprised.

"But, is he really dead?" asked Aisha, removing her helmet and staring closely into Holocaust's frozen eyes. He certainly looked dead, but one can never be sure.

"He will be in a minute," said Jason emotionlessly, raising his uninjured arm to the sky. The Earth Sword appeared, and Jason painfully clutched the hilt with both hands. Katherine, and the other rangers, stepped back to give the Black Ranger some room. He then focused his energy, and the blade began to glow with black energy. He pointed the sword at the frozen form of Holocaust, and released the pent up seismic power. Holocaust was hit by a seismic force equaling a 7.3 earthquake on the Richtor Scale. The force of the quaking energy shattered the LOX crystal, and Holocaust within it, into billions of sand-sized pieces. Jason dropped his sword in exhaustion, and collapsed to his knees. Both Aisha and Alexis caught him before he fell on his face.

"We'll take him to the CAC," said Alexis, looking up at the Blue Ranger, "You park the Alligator Terrazord and follow."

"Right," said Katherine, leaping onto the snout of the zord. She entered the cockpit, and steered the mighty Alligator back into the Terrazord Hangar. Alexis and Aisha had teleported both themselves and Jason to the CAC, where Billy and Adam were hurriedly working on Zack's injuries. Rocky was inside a storage closet, digging thought a pile of high tech medical tools.

"What happened to Jason?" asked Billy, sounding exhausted.

"He has a severe shoulder injury," answered Alexis, sitting the unconscious Black Ranger on a chair against the wall, "Don't you have another bed?"

"Just a minute," said Billy, activating one of the various healing devices attached to the medical unit Zack was lying on. He immediately reverted out of costume, and a soft blue force field surrounded his injured leg. A beam of white light was focused at Zack's head, where his injury was.

"Adam, keep an eye on Zack's EEG readings," ordered Billy.

"You got it," said Adam, focusing on Zack's brain waves on the small screen.

"Well, Zack's leg should be healed soon," said Billy, wiping the sweat off his forehead and approaching Jason, Alexis, and Aisha, "but he has slipped into a coma. He's lucky to have survived such a blow to the head. Help me with Jason."

Billy was examining the gash slicing through Jason's shoulder. "I need to get him out of this uniform in order to treat him," he said irritatedly, "It was so much easier to un-morph you guys when you had morphers. Now that the Zeo crystals are inside your bodies, I can't very well take them away. The med-unit has an automatic un-morpher, but since its being used at the moment... Rocky, hand me the negative-proton ray? Its the one that looks like a rifle."

Rocky searched for a few minutes, and then jogged across the room, giving Billy a machine that looked like a rifle. He held it in two hands, and fired a beam of blue light directly at Jason's heart. In a flash of black light, the Black Ranger uniform vanished, leaving Jason in his street clothes. He then put the rifle-like machine back in his desk and typed some commands into the teleporter, making a cot appear next to the chair Jason was slumped on.

"Too bad we only have one med-unit," muttered Billy, as he and Rocky gently lifted Jason onto the cot, "This cot will have to do. Zack's injuries are more life-threatening."

Aisha slumped into the chair Jason was sitting on, pressing her side discreetly with a towel.

Suddenly, the Blue Ranger appeared in a flash of light blue light.

"How are they?" she asked, immediately un-morphing.

"Zack's been stablized, and Jason should be fine," said Billy, finishing cleaning the cut on Jason's arm. He then wrapped the arm tightly in bandages, and attached a small machine onto Jason's arm above the bandage.

"That ought to stop the bleeding, but the flesh has to be re-generated," said Billy, standing up straight and stretching his back, "I'll have to wait 'til Zack's healed before I can put Jason on the med-unit."

"Aisha!" Rocky cried suddenly, staring at his friend in shock, "You're bleeding!"

"It's nothing," she said weakly, "I'll be fine."

Billy shook his head and once again typed commands into the teleporter. Another cot appeared, near the one Jason was resting on. Rocky helped Aisha lie down while Billy picked up the negative-proton ray to un-morph her. Once that was done, he began to scan the cut.

"You were cut by a piece of rusted metal," he said sternly, "That's very dangerous, Aisha. You could have gotten a serious infection. Rocky, get me some more bandages, please? And that antibiotic ray?"

Once again, Rocky ran to the closet. Billy ran some other device over Aisha's injury. Rocky handed both items to Billy. Billy first ran the warm blue beam over the length of the cut, and then unwrapped the bandaging.

"This'll need stitches," he said, wrapping Aisha's wound, "But I can't regenerate the flesh until Zack is out of the danger zone. Adam, how are his brain waves?"

"He's out of his coma!" announced Adam, "but he's still unconscious."

Billy ran to the teleporter, and in two beams of bright light, Aisha and Zack switched places. Zack was sleeping peacefully on the cot, while Adam started running the flesh regeneration program on the med-unit, which immediately starting closing the horrible gash on Aisha's side. While Adam kept an eye on Aisha, Billy turned to Zack, and examined the formerly broken leg.

"Its still a little tender," he mentioned, "I'll finish the second stage of the bone regeneration program after Aisha's been taken care of."

While Adam and Billy were tending to Zack, Aisha, and Jason, Rocky walked over to Katherine and Alexis, who hovered along the perimeter of the medical area of the CAC, attempting to keep out of the way.

"Are you two alright?" he asked them. Both girls nodded.

"Have you heard anything from Kim?" asked Alexis, sitting down in exhaustion, "Tommy's time is nearly up!"

"They haven't contacted us," Rocky answered, glancing over at Billy who was while scanning Jason with a pair of X-Ray goggles for internal injuries, "And the scanners are having a hard time picking up any life signs from the Moon at all. All we can register is that the Thunderbird is still parked on the Moon, but we have no way of knowing where Kim, Annie, Nate, and Tommy are."

"I hope they're okay," Kat whispered, sitting beside Alexis.

Inside the Moon Palace, Kimberly Hart and the Yellow Ranger run through the tunnels in search of any sign of life. Usually, any intruders would be attacked immediately by Zedd's monsters, or the Viper Putties. However, since Zedd's disappearance, the monsters that usually fill the castle have all fled in fear of the wrath of Solar. Even Goldar and Rito now cower in utter terror, hiding somewhere on the lunar surface. Kim stops running abruptly, rubbing her temples with her fingers.

"What's the matter?" asked Annie, turning around to look at her younger self.

"I... I don't know. Something's happening, though. I'm picking up a lot of psychic energy. I think it's Nate! He's in trouble!"

"Well, let's hurry and find Tommy. Then, we can go help Nate."

"Do we even have a clue which way to go?" Kim moaned, "Its hopeless, and Tommy's time is probably up!"

"Calm down, Kim," said Annie, more calmly than she felt, "We'll find him.

Kim subconsciously reached out to Tommy with her mind...*Tommy, where are you?*

She was startled when she heard a weak response...*Kim? Is that you?*

"Tommy!" she cried out loud, turning to face Annie, "I heard him telepathically!"

"Do you know where he is?" asked Annie.

"No, but I can feel that he's close. C'mon, follow me!"

Kimberly dashed through the hallway, with Annie beside her. Annie noticed Kim was practically glowing gold with psionic power, and soon she was airborn.

Well, she certainly is a powerful psi when she wants to be! thought Annie, following a bit behind Kimberly on foot.

Kimberly rounded a final corner, stopping when she saw a iron door lying on the floor, bent and banged out of shape. Starting to panic, she hurried into the dark room. The only light was a weak red glow, coming from a machine connected to the lab table.

"Tommy!" cried Kimberly, running to his side. She gently touched his neck, and breathed a little easier that she found a pulse, albeit a weak one. She winced when she saw burn marks through Tommy's torn shirt, as well as various other bruises. She stared at the wires connecting Tommy to the machine, and they were still crackling with red energy.

Somehow, he managed to fight off the process long enough to give us time to save him, she thought, her eyes starting to glass over, He held onto the last flicker of life energy. But how do I disconnect him? And how do I replenish the power stolen from him?

She turned around as the room became filled with bright yellow light. The Yellow Ranger walked in, both her fists glowing and crackling with lightning. She glanced at Tommy, and then at the machine that he was connected to.

"Hmm," she said, "The energy is being siphoned from his body into this machine, so there must be some kind of storage cell for that stolen energy. A battery or something..."

Annie took off her helmet and laid it on the floor. She then looked over the entire machine, and a small gemstone, now glowing with red energy, caught her observant eye.

"Solar must have been transfering the Zeo energy into this crystal!" said Annie, turning to her younger counterpart, "Quick, Kim, we have to re-energize the Zeo shard."

"But how?" asked Kim, trying her best to remain calm.

"Reverse the process! No wait, he may be too weak for that."

"So what do we do?" whispered Kim, biting her lip.

"You know how the energy of the Zeo crystal works, right? Then maybe you can separate Tommy from the crystal telepathically!"

"If I could force Tommy to surrender the Zeo shard, then so could Solar, and he obviously couldn't."

"Okay, then ask Tommy to release the crystal telepathically. You can still reach him."

Kimberly touched Tommy's forehead and closed her eyes. She cleared her mind of everything-- except reaching Tommy. She called out to his subconscious.

*Tommy, do you hear me?*

*Kim...what're you doing in my head?* came the reply.

*I'm a telepath, silly! Listen, I'm here to help you, but you must separate from the crystal.*

*Why?*

*Because we have to restore its stolen energies, and your body is too weak to survive the power transfer. It will be just as excrutiating as when the power was being stolen from you.*

*I don't think I have the strength to command the gem, Kim.*

*Tommy, you have to! It's your only chance! Please, Tommy, try!*

Kimberly could feel Tommy's determination, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Tommy's chest glow a faint red. The red light became brighter, and the Zeo crystal shard passed through his charred skin and floated into Kimberly's palm. She clutched it excitedly and stepped over to Annie, who was examining the machine while still holding the other gemstone.

"If I remember correctly," she thought out loud, "Tommy punched the control panel to free me. It was dumb luck, but it worked. Now, there must be some sort of reversal button here somewhere, or else it wouldn't have worked. Ah, here it is."

"But, what about Tommy?"

"Disconnect him from the machine, and then absorb the crystal into your body. Tommy is too weak to survive the energy transfer, but you're not. We have to reverse the process, and that means the crystal must be inside a person. We can't connect the two crystals directly."

Kimberly mutely obeyed Annie's command. She sounded like she knew what she was talking about, after all. Kim telekinetically lifted Tommy off the lab table after disconnecting him from the machine. After gently lying him on the floor, she held the red Zeo shard on her heart.

"I need Terra Power... NOW!!" she cried. She gasped when she felt the crystal pass through her body, and suddenly she was wearing the femenine version of the Red Terran Ranger uniform.

"