"Zordon?" Jason asked worriedly as he looked around the dark room. The ex-ranger had been practicing late in the dojo where he worked when he felt the familiar twinge of teleportation and saw the room start to shimmer around him. Wherever it was he ended up, it wasn't the Command Center or the Power Chambers or anywhere else he recognized. It was more metallic for one, and much darker for another. "Is anybody there?"

"Jase? Bro, is that you?"

"Tommy?" Jason turned towards the familiar voice. "Man am I glad to see you! What is this place?"

Tommy moved to stand beside his friend. "I don't have the slightest; I was about to ask you. One minute I was checking over my car and the next...well here I am."

"I was practicing. I thought all the evil in the universe was wiped out after... when Zordon was destroyed." The last part came out a little tense.

Tommy nodded, swallowing. It still hurt both of them to think of their old mentor dead. "That's what I thought too."

"A nice thought," a new voice spoke out of the darkness, "but hardly practical. The Astro Rangers managed to wipe out the forces of Dark Spectre. Period. And Zordon wasn't destroyed, just his power source. We, well Daro anyway, managed to revive him and get him a new life force." A thin human girl stepped towards them out of a shadow. She was about 5'6", with red-gold hair and tanned skin. Her outfit was a one-piece sleeveless jumpsuit somewhere between gray and black. "Astor, pink Shadow Ranger, at your service."

"You're a Ranger?" Tommy asked in surprise.

"No, I'm a badly disguised putty. Please, I'm well aware this is a shock to you, but this isn't the time for stupid questions. Trust me, we'll answer all those later."

"We?" Jason cocked his head.

"We. Kara, Tim, Harmony, Jet, Daro, and me. I'll introduce you to them later also. Right now I have a question for you. For the entire Morphin Team as it happens, but you two are the first to be asked. Are you willing to be rangers again?"

Tommy jerked in surprise, but found himself nodding. "Sure, why not."

Jason had a suspicion of something like this when he was first teleported, and had his answer ready. "Of course. But why are we the first ones asked?"

"Partly common sense, Daro thought that if when the others arrived they already had friends here, they would be a little more comfortable; partly expedience, it's easier to train two than six; and partly convenience- you two were both alone."

"Oh." Jason couldn't come up with a better response, no matter how hard he tried. "So what do we do now?"

"You come with me. We're going to the Holding Bay so either Zordon or Dimitria can reconnect you to the Morphin Grid, then Jet can re-impress you to your zords which, I may add, he and Harmony have been working on day and night to get battle ready again. This way." She led them across the room to an open tube going straight down. Then she walked out onto thin air. "What?"

"We can't step on that!" Tommy protested. "There's nothing to keep us from falling!"

"It's a dropshaft," Astor said, somewhat irritably. "Now step on."

Jason took a deep breath and stepped out. He didn't fall, so Tommy moved out beside him. "Gee this is fun," Tommy muttered.

"Agreed."

Astor shook her head at the two of them. "Down." The three began to sink, stopping a few minutes later. The room they looked out on was huge. Billy's Triceratops and Zach's Mastodon were in pieces all over and didn't even cover a quarter of the floor. Fightercraft that looked something like the planes in Star Wars were in three rows against the back wall. Above them were walkways that left plenty of room for the zord's heads to stick up, and Kim's Pterodactyl hung on wires suspended from much farther up. Astor led them up a set of ladders to the highest walkway and they got the surprise of their lives. Compared to the room they were now looking into, the other room was just a closet. All five Zeo Zords, as well as another Pyramidas were on control shelves, as well as Jason's Tyrannosaurus, Tommy's Dragonzord, and Trini's Sabertooth. There were 6 more of the fightercraft, nose cones pointed up on this level. Other types of zords and battlecraft were in groups all over the room and suspended from the ceiling. Astor led them across the higher of the walkways towards another room.

"Byrd, Byrd, Byrd," a voice spoke out of the Pterodactyl's head just above them. "I can understand getting your wing fried, I can understand radiation burns on your skin, but by the Lady of the Night how did you get the wires in you comm center crossed? Was that girl on Altara messing with you? I told Zordon you shouldn't go until I got to do a thorough overhaul but noooooo, you had to go save the universe with a totally inexperienced- oh, hey Astor, are those the new Rangers?" A boy, maybe twelve or thirteen, with a jumpsuit matching Astor's, silver eyes, and shoulder-length pure white hair twisted and held back by black beads leaped from the dactyl's eye to stand on the level with them. "Hello, I'm Jet. Black Shadow Ranger. You are?"

"Uhh, I'm Jason, this is Tommy."

"Nice to meet you. Red and green I take it?" he asked, checking out their outfits.

Tommy shrugged. "We've both been different colors."

"Cool. I think- wait, I thought I knew you. You," he stabbed a finger at Jason, "tried to blow up Rexi more times than I can count, and you," he turned to Tommy, "sunk Daggers without checking his insulation. I've told Zordon that he needs to give you people instruction manuals but nobody ever listens to me!"

"Rexi? Daggers?" Both Tommy and Jason were nonplused by these accusations.

"The Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Dragonzord," Astor explained. She turned to Jet. "If you want to give them the grand tour,

I'll finish fixing Byrd's brain."

"Deal." Jet tossed her his tool and indicated for Tommy and Jason to follow him. "I believe Kara just finished power checks on your Zords and Sabe- that's the Sabertooth, so she's probably getting ready to run a full accessory check. I finally built the laser cutter and concussion missiles into Rexi that I originally designed into her and I've been wanting on for the last 13 years, and update Daggers' tracking system which I was never given time to do before. See, the problem with being Zordon's strike team of rangers is that you never quite have enough time. I designed Rexi 15 years ago, built her 13 years ago, and Zordon sent both she and Harm's Byrd into battle before we finished all the modifications. Since then they and the others have only been in for maintenance runs or if the other ranger teams get them all shot up. Not nearly enough time for a complete overhaul."

Jason and Tommy had been pretty much bowled over by the continuous monologue, but when he stopped for breath Jason finally got a word in. "How old are you? You look 12, but you're saying 15 and 16..."

"I'm 22. See, I'm not exactly human, I'm Teevan. We've got a 600-year lifespan so we mature much slower." He walked over to a control panel. "Kara! Kara, we got company!"

"Who?" The person glaring down at them was easily over 6 feet, with dark skin and a heavily ridged forehead and neck. She wore the same jumpsuit as all the others, but her darker skin showed patterns of scars that were almost frightening. Her eyes were brown, her hair was black, and her teeth were jagged and pointed.

"You know Lady Bright, if you project 'danger' any harder, there are going to be little puddles of 'danger' on the floor around you. 'Look, look, I'm danger, don't step in me!'"

She relaxed slightly, some of the menace going out of her posture, and she stuck out a hand. "I'm Kara. Red Shadow Ranger."

"Jason."

"Tommy."

Jet cut through the awkwardness. "Are you ready to run the systems' check?"

"You take Rex, I've got Dag."

Jet caught her shoulder, pulled himself up even with the panel in front of him, and punched a few buttons, causing the Tyrannosaurus to roar to life. Kara brought Dragonzord on line a few moments later. The two zords spun, twisted, leaped around, and ran through their armaments quickly. "Looks like everything checks out with her," Jet said with a grin, shutting Rexi down. "Daggers and Sabe too?"

"Not quite," Kara cut in with a growl. "Dag is fine, but I tried to 'ses'ry check Sabe just before you came in, and his front right paw is lame. Energy surge must have shorted out a conduit, but I can't fit in to fix it."

"You finish giving these guys the tour and I'll take over up here then. As soon as Astor finishes with Byrd, ask her to send her up here, okay?"

"Okay. Come on you two."

She took them down to the first walkway. You're probably confused by now. The big room up there is the Launch Bay. This is the Holding Bay. That walkway we were just on up there," she jerked her head towards the second, "is just called the

Overhead walkway. This is the Star level because of the way the walkways fan out, and the main floor is called Down Below. This is Daro our yellow Shadow Ranger," she introduced them to a dark haired boy in the center of the Star level. Dar, this is Jason, and this is Tommy."

When Jason held out a hand, he recoiled from it so fast it almost scared the two humans. "Sorry, but I'm a touch telepath," Daro explained. "I'd rather not wander around in your heads if I can help it. Normally I'd wear gloves, but since I'm already bonded to these guys it isn't really practical around here." Tommy and Jason noticed for the first time that rather than the sleeveless jumpsuit the others were wearing, he had long pants and a long sleeved shirt. "Habit," he explained, noticing the looks. "It gets really awkward going through a crowd and brushing against people and getting memories, so I just make sure skin doesn't touch. Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I'm in contact with a group of rebel fighters from Telor's moon and I don't have time to chat."

Kara nodded goodbye and led them down to Down Below. Two people they hadn't noticed before were moving around the Triceratops. "Hey Kara," one of them called, "if you don't have anything else to do, Tim and I could use some help." Both stared in surprise at the creature who'd spoken. It looked like a velociraptor, the evil dinosaur in Jurassic Park. Heavy hind legs, thick tail, 6 feet tall, sharp teeth...

"Coming Harmony," Kara called. "Guys, this is Tommy and Jason. These two are Harmony," the lizard creature bowed slightly at them, "the blue Shadow Ranger, and Tim, the green Shadow Ranger." Tim was about even in height with Kara, but much slimmer, and except for spiraled ears covered by long, curly blond hair, he looked human.

This time Tommy stretched out a hand first and was greeted by an amused smile from the boy. "Do you ever plan on using that hand again? Then don't shake hands with me. Come on Kar, you get to help me lift this head onto the hacker panel."

Kara shook her head and moved to stand beside them. Harmony moved beside Tommy and Jason. "I'd move back were I you," she suggested. "If this thing falls, I'll get bruised, but you'd be killed."

"Falls?" Kara sniffed. "Have you no faith?"

"Don't answer that!" Tim called from the other side of the head. "On three?"

"Three." Kara and Tim both threw themselves backwards and the huge triceratops head lifted.

Harmony shot foreword and swung cables neither of the Morphin Rangers had even noticed under the head. "Down!" Then she pushed a moving bench with cables running all over it under and began too hook up the wires. "Thanks much!"

"No prob. Come on you two," Kara directed.

Tim fell into step with them as they headed towards one of the back corridors. "Do us all a favor and don't get Zordon to upset or excited or anything," he told them. "Contrary to popular belief, he lost a lot and isn't back up to full strength. He and Dimitria have been tracking all you former rangers, and keeping a spy eye open on the new Galactics."

"Bunch of idiots would pick now to pull the damn swords out of the damn stones on that damn Miranoi. And then they go and call up some Galactibeasts, and toss in a few Lights of Orion. Topping off the mess is the Magna Defender," Kara muttered. "Truth tell, they're just as screwed up as we are."

"Temper, temper," Tim cut in with a grin. "It isn't their fault the Beehive from Hell decided to wake up after Dark Spectre's forces vacated the area. I always said killing him was a bad idea. Better the enemy you know." Tim looked over at the surprise on Tommy and Jason's faces. "What?"

"Uhh, nothing," Jason said.

"Don't mind us." Tim grinned at both of them, reading the unsurity in their faces. "After sixteen years, there isn't much else to do but crack jokes and argue. We've been dealing with Dark Spactre for so long that life without him feels really weird."

"Not to mention all those outsystem idiots who haven't heard of us and therefore aren't frightened enough to stay away," Kara growled.

Tim shook his head. "Klatch-itaya selena, Kara. Be nice. Z and D, we've got company!"

"Tim? Jason? Tommy?" Zordon sounded totally surprised for once. The tube they'd been used to was gone; he was now in a corner triangular timewarp, opposite Dimitria.

"Zordon!" The two red rangers were thrilled to see him, especially after having come to grips with his death.

"Karagos, perhaps you would explain?"

"Look lady, the name is Kara. Kay. Eigh. Are. Eigh. And you're the one who suggested we assemble a second team of station-based rangers. Formers were our idea, but it made sense so don't loose scales. Zordon, if you'd be so kind as to reconnect them to the Grid?"

Zordon nodded. "Alpha?"

"Done, Zordon," Alpha 5 announced. "It is good to see you again rangers."

"You too, Alpha," Jason agreed.

Tommy also greeted Alpha 5, introducing Jason to Dimitria who introduced both of them to another android named Thelma 2.

"When do you intend on bringing in the others?" Dimitria asked.

"As soon as we knock the basics through their heads," Kara replied. From the sound of it, there was no love lost between her and Dimitria.

"Come on you two," Tim nodded to the two morphin rangers. "I'll get you set with your zords and Jet can explain all the improvements he probably told you about." He took them back up to the higher level, then turned to them. "Do us all a favor and don't go one-on-one with Kara. She and that nut-job from Inquirius are finally having it out, but I don't care for another war to be started. Not to mention you're no use to us in a regen tube. And I guarantee, that's where you'd end up if you tried anything on her."

Neither Tommy nor Jason had any response to that, and Tim led them in silence back up to the upper level. Jet grinned over at them from his perch on top of the console. "You're here to impress zords, hey? Over here." He waved his arm to bring them over. "Red, take this." Jason found a new power coin thrust into his hand. "I assume you know how to work it. And green, yours. You'll be bunking with me for a few days if it's all the same to you."

"Do we get to go back to Earth and settle things up?" Jason asked.

Tim shook his head. "Sorry, but not right now. Come on, I'll show you the equipment." This time they left the two huge bays, heading down a long corridor. "We're on the main level now, where the dorms are. That is the lab, this is the mess room, and here," he cut through what he designated the mess room, "is practice room A. The weapons and armor are stored in those cabinets. "Go out the door, turn right, straight through two intersections, the last door on the left is your room. Well, Jet's room anyway. So," he opened one of the side cabinets, "What weapons can you use?"

Tommy shrugged. "Staff, if you have one."

"Same," Jason agreed.

Tim grinned. "What a coincidence, that's the same weapon I use. Now green, you can probably use one of Kara's old ones." He tossed Tommy a dark metal staff. "It might be a little heavier than you're used to, but we'll fit you for your own later. And red, Daro's should work. Here." Jason caught a second staff, this one made of some odd type of wood. Tim flicked a six inch rod into his palm and squeezed, causing it to elongate to about five and a half feet. "Minbari fighting pike. Gift from an old friend. Let's see how good you are."

Jason gave him an odd look. "Both of us?"

"Why not?" Tim brought the staff into a guard position.

Tommy and Jason exchanged looks and then began one of the simpler katas. Tim blocked almost automatically, seeming to pay very little attention to anything. It took the two a few minutes to realize that his eyes were closed. Another two katas and they decided that normal karate wasn't going to work. Tommy suddenly spun his staff directly at Tim's head while Jason went for a lower blow. Again they were blocked, but this time Tim's staff took revenge of its own, smashing Tommy to the ground and knocking Jason halfway across the room. "Wha-?" Tommy managed to gasp.

Tim opened his eyes. "Not bad for two with very little combat training. A little slow on the uptake and obviously you know nothing about Andromedans, but that will come with time."

"Time we don't have," Jet sighed from the doorway. "I just finished with Sabe, thought I'd see how you were doing. How long do you think it will take to get them ready?"

Timn looked over Tommy and Jason. "They've got the basics by some minor miracle, but that's about it. Any one of us could take them without breaking a sweat, and I think Kara and I had best stay off them in practice. As to how long..." he shook his head. "Ask Astor. I have no clue as to human capabilities except from watching her, but I don't think Ast is quite normal. Weeks, months maybe, for them to get accustomed to the equipment and into actual combat training, probably years to get up to full potential."

Tommy was starting to get angry and Jason wasn't far behind. "We are standing right here," Jason pointed out.

Jet nodded to them. "Oh yeah. Come on, lets see how you do against me. Unlike my friends, I don't use weapons so if open-handed combat is okay we can do this."

Tim took the staffs back and moved towards the door. "I'm going to go make sure Kara hasn't suffered any lasting damage from that war she was starting with Dimitria."

Jet shook his head. "I'd be a little more worried about Dimitria were I you," he muttered, turning to face Jason and Tommy. "Shall we?"

Armed with a little more knowledge of their opponent's skills than last time, neither spent any time fooling around. Unfortunately, no matter how fast they spun or kicked, Jet was always just out of reach, spinning in from the other side. Tommy found himself laying flat on his back on top of Jason without knowing how he got into that position. Jason pushed him off lightly and shoved himself to his feet. "How did you do that?"

Jet grinned. "Long story, but against my friends speed is the only weapon I've got. Of course," he cocked his head up at them, "flash powder and explosives never hurt."

"Do you have any comments about our fighting styles?" Tommy asked, somewhat sarcastically.

Jet chuckled. "Don't let us get to you; manners have never rated high on our list of things to do. Timmy is extremely direct by nature and rarely pulls punches. Well, verbal punches anyway. Come on, I'll show you the room and try and tell you about us."

Tommy and Jason followed him down the corridor and took the turnoffs Tim had told them about. The room they ended up in was large, maybe 12X24, but a lot of it was taken up by two bunkbed and lots of tables. Bookshelves lined the walls, along with pictures and diagrams. "How many people are sharing this room?" Jason asked.

"Just me. And you guys now. The other bunkbeds are just there, all the rooms have two sets. The other things are what I've designed or built or helped design or helped build or am in the process of designing or building. See there are your zords there, I'm dying to talk to whoever has been working on those humanoid zords by the way." He shrugged. "You'll meet the spheres-from-hell and whirligigs soon enough, and I guess whizbangs are of no use except in combat anyway." Jet shook his head and seemed to totally forget the subject. "This is a replicator. Tell it what you want and it will produce it. One caution- be specific. Very specific. We use a synthetron for food, but it follows the same principles. Now, the people." He sighed. "Kara is our red ranger and supposedly our leader though she's never been particularly thrilled with the job. Hell of a fighter and I wouldn't get in her way when she's angry, but she's also one of the most loyal people I've ever met in my life. Timn is a little different. His color is green and, as I said, he's direct, but he's also a lot easier to talk to than you'd think. Harmony is the nicest person in existence, and being a genius doesn't hurt either. You aren't likely to see much of her, not until she gets to know you anyway; she's extremely shy." There was a scratching sound at the door. "Then again, you might meet her now. She's our blue, by the way."

The door opened slightly and a scaled snout came in through the door. "I have food."

"Come on in, Harm."

The lizard girl stepped into the room. "Ast and Dar are working out, and Tim is trying to convince Kara not to tear her room apart so I got elected to bring dinner." She bowed to Tommy and Jason. "I have no idea what you like, but this is what Astor eats." She handed a box to each of them and a third to Jet.

"You aren't eating?" Tommy asked.

"I have no wish to cause you distress on your first day here." She turned and left the room as silently as she'd come.

"Cause us distress?" Jason asked. "Is she always like that?"

"Harmony can't process cooked food or any type of plant matter. Basically her diet is raw meat and it doesn't look real appetizing. And as to always like that, Harmony is shy like I said. No exactly high-strung, but she prefers to stay away from strangers. All of us do I suppose. None of us were exactly happy on our homeworlds, one of the main reasons we accepted when Zordon asked us to come live here. Now, back to us. Daro is our yellow ranger. He's a touch telepath, and sort of keeps the rest of us level when things get bad. Believe it or not, he's the only ranger quieter than Harm. Astor is our pink ranger. Our public relations person, if that makes any sense. She has more contact with the rest of the world than any of us others care to. And she's my best friend in the universe. Now, I'm the black ranger, and in case you haven't been able to tell, I never shut up. I do rate genius on your IZ tests or whatever you call them, but I'm pretty average for my species."

Tommy yawned. "Look, you're definitely not boring me, but I've been going all day and it's past midnight back on Earth. Could we maybe finish in the morning?"

Jet grinned. "Sorry, there's no time in space so I don't really pay much attention. We all have our own cycles to follow; it's about midday for me. Uhh, put the meals in this space-heater here and get some sleep. I'll be around sometime after you wake up and can explain more then. Right now I'm off to run the system checks on Byrd. G'night."

Jason sighed. "Best thing I've heard all day." He crawled into one of the lower bunks. "Night Tommy. Guess this will all make sense tomorrow."

"Sure." Tommy dropped onto the other lower bunk. "And I'm the Tooth Fairy. Night Jase."

Jason woke up slightly before Tommy, and took a few minutes to get oriented. When he finally realized where he was, he had the urge to fall back asleep. He settled for waking up Tommy. "Hey Bro, guess what? We're on a space station with a bunch of mildly insane rangers supposedly getting ready to fight some bizarre galactic threat to the world."

"Translation: my head hurts." Tommy sighed. "Let's see what is in these lunchboxes."

Jason tossed one to Tommy and opened the other. "Let's not." The food vaguely resembled a blue flower and smelled like nothing they'd ever experienced.

Closing his eyes, Tommy jammed in a bite. "It doesn't taste that bad. Just a little unusual."

"Yeah. I just have to avoid looking at the food while we eat."

"I see you're awake. The first Shadow they'd met, Astor, stuck her head in the door. "Do you like the kenechi?"

"Uhh, it's different," Jason said.

"It is at that. Are you up for the grand tour?"

Tommy finished the last of his meal and looked over at Jason. "I guess so."

"Jet and Harmony got a FLASH from one of the outer systems so it looks like you get to follow me around. Did Jet show you this upper level?"

"Tim did, a little," Jason told her. "What's a flash?"

"FLASH. Faster-than-Light Active Supraspace Hail. Basically a galactic SOS. Must have been a big job since both of them went, and they took Kara with them so there are only three of us left around here. They'll be back in a few days."

Tommy and Jason followed her off down the corridors. "Are all these rooms dorms or what?"

"Okay, there are eight dorms. This is Jet's, obviously. Right across the hallway here," she opened the door, "is mine." This room was decorated in various colors, mostly pink and black, and there were posters and murals on all the walls. "Going straight down the hallway that way takes you to a closet." A head jerked at the metal door. "Now go this way and turn right at this first intersection. Those two rooms," she pointed at two other doors farther down the hallway, "are empty dorms."

The directions weren't much help to either of the two Morphin rangers, but they nodded anyway. "This is the Long Hall," Astor continued. "It runs down the middle of all three levels and connects the two dropshafts at either end. Go on through this intersection, and you come to another. Straight ahead is another closet; they're built at the dead ends on all the hallways. Go right at this intersection, and Kara's room is to the right, Harm's to the left. Go left at this intersection, and Timn's is to the left and Daro's to the right. Okay," she led them back to the long hall and took them down it. "This wide hallway right here is the Main Hall. It separates the dorms from everything else. The lab is the huge room to the right of us. This room right here," she went into a door on the left side of the Long Hall, "is the mess room. Food and stuff. Go through it and you're in practice room A. Where you were last night with Tim. He told you how to get back to your dorm from here, right?"

"Turn right out the door, last room on the left," Jason supplied.

"Great!" She took them back out and around to the Long Hall, then onto one of the walkways above the holding bay. This is the Overhead Walkway. Come on." She led them onto a dropshaft. "Down. Stop."

"Star Level, right?" Tommy asked. He was mildly amazed that a few of the things she said were sticking with him.

"Right!" Now, go straight, and we're in the Long Hall on level S2. We were just on S1, by the way. These three rooms on the right are Holodecks 1 through 3. This big one on the right with three doors is a storage room. All our junk and extra equipment and spare parts and things are in there. I bet you've never seen a bigger junkpile. This last room here," she led them to the fourth door, "is practice room B. That other door down there is for it too."

Jason stuck his head in the door. The room was easily twice as large as the doors and completely empty except for weapons cabinets and mats on the floors. "These rooms are huge," he pointed out. "The ceilings alone are incredibly high."

Astor grinned. "They have to be, to stay even with the Holding Bay. These are 25 feet high. Anyway, I believe the phrase is 'You ain't seen nothin' yet.'"

Tommy shrugged and followed Jason and the girl into a dropshaft at the opposite end they'd come in. "This would be S3 we're going to?"

"Yep."

"Holy-" Jason stared out into a huge room. It was at least 100 yards long and probably more than half that wide across. The

ceilings were at over 75 feet high. There were piles of clutter all over, not arranged in any order. Off to one side appeared to be a large sunken pool, next to that a set of gymnastics equipment, next to that a wrestling ring and weight set. Around the edges ran a track. "What is this place?"

Astor grinned. "This is Open Space. We've never bothered to give it another name. Sort of a stockpile area for things we'd like to do."

"And that would be the Long Hall?" Tommy indicated two lines of blue tape running from one end of the room to the other.

"You got it. There is actually a little bit of a level below this, but the only things there are the dropshaft machinery and a safety net. That's what comes into play if the dropshaft breaks."

"Breaks. Great," Jason muttered. "So when do we start this training?" he asked.

Astor grinned. "Now, if you're both ready. Are you?"

Tommy sighed. "Probably as ready as we'll ever be."

"Okay, let's go up to the holodecks. Might as well give you a crash course in how they work along with workout 1."

"1?" Jason stepped out onto the dropshaft with less anxiety than before.

"We have programmed workouts 1 through 50. After that you program your own."

"How do we do that?" Tommy asked.

"Well, you tell the computer what is it you want to do or the scenario you want to play. For an exact explanation you'll have to ask Jet or Harm; I'm not much good with techie stuff. Here we are." She stepped into a room with black walls covered by a yellow grid. "Run program T-1 for three. Brace yourselves."

Tommy and Jason moved back-to-back as the walls suddenly changed to a jungle-type scene. The attackers that came looked like strange combinations of putties and cogs with tenga wings thrown in for appearance's sake. Despite their looks, the attackers moved extremely quickly and it took longer than either of the boys had expected to disarm them. "How do we rate?" Jason asked.

"Not bad. Could stand to move a little faster, and always keep an eye on your backs, but not bad. Care to try program 2?"

Tommy shrugged. "Sure. Are they all set in the same place with different attackers or more of the same kind of attackers?"

"Different scenes, different attackers, all fighting styles. Just bits and pieces of everything we've done or seen, or that Zordon has suggested for us. Look, I've got a couple things left to do on the zords that I swore blind I'd get done so I'll leave the two of you here. Programs are numbered T-1 through T-50, please run them in order, and even though the safeties are on call 'freeze program' to stop it if you get in too tight a spot. Can you find your way back to the dorms from here?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Tommy looked over at Jason. "We can get to the dropshaft anyway."

"Yes, we'll get back to the room okay. Thanks for the help. Can we morph when we're in here?" Jason hadn't thought about it before, but having armor would have made the last fight ten times easier.

"I guess you can, but I wouldn't recommend it. Just run the programs with your own skill and muscles. Best of luck." She left the holodeck in a flash of pink cape.

"Why does she wear a cape do you think?" Jason asked Tommy

"No idea. Personality quirk I guess. Here goes. Run program T-2."

"For how many?" the computer queried.

"Uhh, two," Jason replied. Another scene sprang to life around them, this time a desert complete with sand blowing around them and into their eyes. "Where are they?" he called.

"Ahhh!" Tommy felt his feet knocked from under him. "Underground!"

They made it through simulation T-7 before they couldn't defeat the program, and T-7 itself was nearly impossible to beat. "Are you hungry for something?" Jason asked. "It'll probably be as easy to find the mess hall as our rooms."

"Yeah, but we'd better grab showers first."

"Good point." They made it to their rooms and then to the mess hall with very little trouble.

"Hey. Jason and Tommy, right?" The yellow Shadow was eating at one of the tables, something that looked oddly unidentifiable.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded. "You're Daro?"

"Mm-hmm." On closer examination, he didn't look as human as they'd thought. He still had on a long-sleeved jumper, this time complete with black gloves and a yellow and black headband, but his eyes were purple and there was a patterned mark across the bridge of his nose. "You know how to work the synthetrons?"

"Uhh, no." Jason looked at the odd assortment of buttons in front of him. "Not a clue."

"Push this button," he demonstrated, "and tell the computer what you want. There's a chance that what you like won't be in the memory banks, in which case you have to tell exactly what you want and how to make it."

Jason shrugged. "Peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. And coke." A plate and cup appeared. "Thanks."

Tommy repeated the process and got the same thing. "What do we do with the stuff when we're done?"

"Right on that shelf there. Waste reclaimator. Sit down." He nodded to the bench across from him.

Tommy and Jason shrugged and sat down. "What did you say you were from again?" Tommy asked.

"I didn't. I'm from Tenian 6 though. Touch telepath on my mother's side, full empath on my father's. Hell of a heritage, wouldn't you say." He grinned ironically. "Don't mind my chatter, I've been awake for three full days and this is my first meal. How are you guys taking to life here?"

"We haven't been here that long," Jason said with a grin. "We were just doing a couple of your training holodecks."

"Holoprograms. The decks are where we run them. We really threw you in off the deep end, didn't we?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Tommy grinned. "It's kind of neat."

"I guess it is. How far did you make it in the programs?"

"T-8 beat us." Jason had rapidly devoured the sandwich. It tasted almost- but not quite- like a normal PB&J.

"Ach- water demons. Hate those guys. Took me three months to beat them in T-43. If you want expert help in beating them, talk to Harmony. Say," he lifted an eyebrow at them. "Do you have any particular plans for this afternoon?"

"No," Tommy told him.

"Would you mind giving me some assistance in the Holding Bay? And don't try and lie to be polite, I'll know."

Jason looked over at Tommy. "I don't mind, you?"

Tommy shook his head. "Not a problem."

Daro frowned slightly, then smiled. "Come on then." He led them back down to all the computers on the Star Level. "You stand here," he directed Jason, "and Tommy there. All I need you to do is coordinate. The forces they have are all listed in positions on that map, the numbers of troops are on that list. The commanders need numbers and positions on the combined troops ASAT. So if you could just match, I'll start transmitting."

"ASAT? I think you mean ASAP," Tommy said with a grin. "As Soon As Possible?"

"Ah, yes. Thank you." He began punching in a set of complicated coordinates.

Astor trotted across the walkway. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"A phrase I have yet to understand," Daro muttered. "They volunteered to help me. Or I volunteered them to help, anyway. What are you doing?"

"I just helped Tim finish reconnecting part of Tri-ee's intelligence net. He's on sleep cycle for a while. Any news from Kara and the others?"

"Well, Kara's headed back this way with Harm, turns out they just needed some help clearing up the trash. The three of them managed that and Jet is sticking around to help for a few more days, but the girls are coming home." Daro finished with his code. "How much of the map do you two have set?"

Tommy handed him the chip they'd finished with. "We're in the middle of the second one."

Daro whistled. "Thanks. I like them better than you," he told Astor with a grin. "They don't waste time."

"Neh-nah," she said with a grin. "Got to run, it's almost my sleep cycle too. Wait," she frowned at him. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Different circadian rhythm, pretty one. I can survive with ten hours of sleep every ninety-two. And I just ate so don't even start."

Astor grinned and turned to leave. "You two get bored, tell him so. I don't know if you like to swim or use weights or what, but if you find anything you want to use, go ahead. Check you later." She headed off down the hallway.

It took less than an hour for Tommy and Jason to finish coordinating the reports. "Thanks guys," Daro told them. "Communications is my specialty, but sometimes things build up. I can finish transmitting by myself if you want to go do something."

Jason's head snapped up as they heard a whistling noise. Part of the ceiling retracted and two of the fightercraft swooped in and landed on the upper level. "That's open to space!" he said in surprise.

"Not exactly," Daro replied. "There's a forcefield keeping the atmosphere in. This way we don't have to evacuate the bays whenever someone wants to land."

Tommy wasn't sure about the explanation, but decided to take Daro at his word. "That would be Kara and Harmony returning?"

"Yep. Talk to Harm about T-8, it really is her territory."

Tommy looked at Jason and shrugged. "Let's go."

Jason turned to his best friend as soon as they were out of what he judged Daro's hearing range to be. "Off the deep end sounds about right."

"Yeah."

Harmony was rooting around in her fightercraft when Tommy and Jason walked up. She pulled her head out as soon as they stepped in behind her. She ducked her head in a surprisingly graceful bow. "Can I help you?"

Jason wasn't sure if he was supposed to bow, but he did anyway and so did Tommy. "Daro suggested that we talk to you about one of the holoprograms. T-8?"

"Water demons." Harmony bared her teeth, and it took both boys a second to realize that she was smiling. "I guess I'm better to talk to than Kara."

Kara growled slightly as she passed them. "Whatever she says, it's a lie."

Harmony made her own growling sound, more like a purr, and gestured to them to precede her with one of her foreclaws. Tommy was surprised to see how delicate it looked; despite the four-inch dagger-sharp claws, it was very fine-boned. She apparently caught him looking because she gave her odd grin again. "I don't fight with those claws. My arms would be shattered in a microt." She stepped out onto the dropshaft with the same ease as the others. "So what exactly is your problem with the simulation?"

"They move too fast for us," Jason explained. "By the time we figure out where they are, they're gone again."

"Hmmm. How do you find them?"

"We look," Tommy said with a slight frown.

Harmony dipped her head. "Try listening. I don't know how good your ears are, but listen. Water demons gruggle."

"Gruggle?" Tommy and Jason exchanged glances.

"Gruggle." Harmony demonstrated the sound. "Computer, run holoprogram T-8 for one. Watch, you two."

She splayed her footclaws out to give her a better grip on the watery sand. There was an odd sound, much like the one she'd made for them, and then she swung around. Instead of lashing out with a hand in a block as they would have done, Harmony ducked her head and took the blow across the spikes on her upper back. Then her powerful tail whipped around and smashed the creature in the skull. It sailed backward and landed with a crack. Harmony spun into the second without a backward glance. "Care to try?" she asked when she was done.

Jason nodded. "Please."

The three of them set to work. Harmony stayed with them through program T-10. Tommy discovered quickly that Jet had been right when he said she was shy. Once or twice she had opened her mouth- muzzle?- to say something, only to stop short. After the third time, he decided to ask. "What is it?"

"Well, I was going to go for a swim and I wondered if either of you would care to come along. Most of my friends don't care much for the water. Different reasons, but same outcome."

Jason shrugged. "Sure, I'm ready for a break. Where do we find trunks?"

"Replicator. I'd better check the chemical balance before you two get in though. My scales aren't as sensitive as human skin." She purred again. "I think Kara's skin is the only thing tougher."

"Okay, meet you there." Jason followed Tommy out into the hallway. "I guess we go back up to the dorm to find the replicator."

Over the next several weeks, the two went through the most intense training session of their lives. They both spent a lot of time with Jet, after he got back, and Astor, although Daro often enlisted help and Harmony practiced with them. Tim wasn't around very much, just a quick voice in the corridors or a hello from the holding bay. Kara didn't actively avoid them, but they saw her the least of all. Although Harmony's appearance was the most alien, Kara's scars and general frown put them off.

Jason grinned as Tommy walked into the mess hall. "You look like you just fought a tiger."

"Close enough. Have you actually sparred with Harmony yet? She may not be particularly aggressive, but that tail packs a punch! What have you been up to?"

"Talking to Daro and Astor actually. They think it's time to bring in two more. My vote was for Trini and Billy, although I thought you might say Kim. They also wanted to bring in Aisha rather than Zach. Something about compatible powers."

"Why not bring all four of the others in at once? I know the rooms could get a little crowded, but you and I can move into one of the spares with Billy, and the girls can take the other."

"Sounds good to me. I just tried T-19, but I'm stuck."

"I haven't done that one yet, just finished T-18 yesterday. So when would they come in?"

"As soon as we get to the Reception Room. You know, the deck where we got teleported too?"

"Yeah, I seem to remember it. No one around here wastes time, do they?"

"'Fraid not. Shall we?"

"After you." Tommy gestured to Jason to go first, and they walked together to the dropshaft.

"Up?" Jason suggested. The shaft took them up quite a ways past where they'd been before, back to the strangely metallic level where they'd met Astor. "We're here."

Great. So who's coming?" Astor manipulated the controls on the panel in front of her.

"All of them, if your machines can take it," Tommy told her.

"If our machines can handle it? Be glad Jet and Harmony didn't hear that comment. If you want all four, I'll bring four. Trini Kwan, William Cranston, Aisha Campbell, and Kimberly Harte, correct?"

"I guess," Jason replied. "But why not Zach?"

"We did some background checking on all of you, and he's engaged to be married. We try not to force choices that tough on anyone. Besides, three girls and three guys keeps things even, and your Aisha is more compatible with the powers anyway.

Are you ready?"

Both boys nodded. Trini's form shimmered and appeared in the room. She didn't waste any time, dropping immediately into a defensive crouch. "Who's there?"

"It's us, Trini." Jason stepped out in front of her.

"Jason?" She peered deeper into the shadows. "Tommy? What is going on here?"

Astor stepped foreword. "We're recruiting a ranger team. Those two were first; they've been here for a couple weeks. We're trying to bring in you last four now. Are you willing to be a ranger again?"

Trini considered. Despite everything that had happened since, the best time of her life had been when she was a ranger. "I'm in."

"Great. Here comes number two." Astor punched the control panel.

Billy solidified facing Tommy, Jason, and Trini. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bill," Jason greeted him. "Do you want to be a ranger again?"

"Umm, affirmative. Where am I and what happened?"

"Long story," Tommy told him. "We'll explain after Kim and Aisha get here."

They both came in with basically the same response and questions as the other two. "All right," Astor called. "Follow us and we'll all take turns explaining."

They led the four new rangers down to the holding bay and over to Zordon and Dimitria's tubes. "It is good to see you again, rangers," Zordon greeted them.

"Zordon? We thought you were dead! Andros said- but-" Kim appeared to be at a loss for words.

"I was in no condition to contact anyone; if it hadn't been for the Shadows' quick thinking, I would be dead. Kimberly, Billy, Trini, and Aisha, this is Dimitria, and that is Thelma 2. I believe you know Alpha 5?"

Billy was already deep in conference with Alpha over the control panels and inner workings of the station.

"Wait, back up," Aisha cut in. "Shadows?"

"That's us," Astor said. Somehow the other five Shadows had appeared without anyone noticing. "I'm Astor, these guys are Kara, Tim, Harmony, Jet, and Daro."

"You understand molycircs?" Jet asked Billy as soon as she finished.

"I dealt with some on Aquitar. Why?"

"I don't suppose you're the one who designed the humanoid zords?"

"Mostly. Why?"

"Come with me." Jet caught his arm and tugged, pulling Billy behind him. Billy shrugged at the others and followed.

Harmony dipped her head in a bow. "They'll need me too. Do any of the rest of you have technical training?" At Trini's nod, she opened her mouth in a gape-toothed smile. "You come to then. Perhaps this reconstructing job won't take as long as we feared. Kara, Tim, we'll probably need you too."

They nodded their good-byes and left. "I think I'll go with them and make sure Billy and Trini are okay," Jason said with a grin.

Tommy was left facing Kim and Aisha with Astor and Daro beside him. "Uhh, welcome."

Astor smiled slightly at the two newcomers. "Perhaps Tommy can give you a tour. He knows this place pretty well by now." She nodded politely to them all and turned with Daro to leave.

"She's right, I do," he said with a slight grin. "Want me to show you the rooms first? The way we have it figured right now, Billy will share a room with Jason and I, and you two and Trini have the room across the hall. It really isn't that hard to find your way around."

"Rooms sound good," Aisha agreed. The three of them walked over to the dropshaft.

"This is cool," Tommy told them. "It stills feel really odd to step onto what looks like empty space, but it really cuts down on stair climbing. "Up." He took them across the walkway and down the hallways to their room. "You can pretty much decorate as you like, I think. Get whatever you need from the replicators; no one has mentioned any energy limits."

In the Launch Bay, Harmony and Trini worked on several improved control boards for the Zeo zords while Jet put Billy through an exhaustive interrogation of their programming . Jason had offered to help but had been 'borrowed' by Kara and Tim for some project of theirs.

"How do you do that?" Trini asked, looking at Harmony's claws. "Handle the tool, I mean?" She suddenly realized what she was asking. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Sorry."

Harmony bared her teeth in a semblance of a smile. "It's all right, I understand what you mean. These are specially designed for my hands. Or claws, I suppose. She held out one forearm to show Trini what she meant. "It fits me."

"Yeah, it does. How long have you been doing this?"

"Since I was about five, I guess. Close to fifteen years." She shrugged slightly, an odd gesture that didn't fit her build. "Are you done with that panel?"

"Almost." Trini soldered the last cord into place. "Done; what do we do next?"

"I can show you where your room is, if you like. You and Billy both, if he and Jet are finished. We've sort of thrown you into this without much- well, without any- warning, and you'd probably like a chance to just look around. I'm sure your friends are doing that now."

Trini smiled. "That would be just great. Uhh, where are Billy and your friend?"

"Most likely up in one of their heads. The humanoid zords, I mean."

"Probably. Billy knows those things inside and out; how do you propose to find them?"

"Easy." She reached one foreclaw to the side of her head, right beside her earspot. "They're coming down."

"What was that?"

"Modified subvocalizer. It was originally designed as an almost silent form of communication, reacting with levels of sound below the levels of normal human hearing. Those'll be what yours work like, I think. Some species, Andromedans, Vulcans, and Katorians in particular, can detect it, though. Since Daro is a telepath and blood bonded to the rest of us, we modified a few to pick up on telepathic signals. So we can communicate with no one noticing or tracking us. Sorry, that was a long explanation for a short answer."

"What's up, Harm?" Jet hopped onto her back so he could face the taller humans.

"I was going to give these two a tour, if they wanted it."

In Down Below, Jason helped Kara and Tim set up a series of tunnels, sort of a giant climbing jungle gym. "Umm, if you don't mind my asking, what is this for?"

"Agility training. We have a holodeck program that has a set of tunnels we use too, but this way we can all just get used to the turns and tight spaces. And it isn't like we're running out of room or anything down here. Uhh, pass that plate this way, would you?"

Kara lifted the wall section he asked for and tossed it to him without any effort. "So hum-- Jason--" she corrected herself

quickly, "how are you liking it here?"

"It's a pretty great set-up you have. I was talking to Zordon a few days ago about working on a college degree so whenever I go home I'll be able to get a job."

"You plan on going back to Earth?" Tim asked in amazement. "Why would you do that?"

"You mean you're never going back to your home planet?"

"Why would we?" Kara made a face. "There isn't anything for us anywhere else; we've been here for fifteen years!"

"Where are you from anyway?" Jason soldered the two panels together as Tim held them in place. "I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm prying, but Tommy and I have been wondering about you guys since we got here."

Kara growled slightly, but didn't comment. "I'm from the Andromedan Space Arks," Tim told him in the silence that followed. "I didn't quite fit the mold of the 'normal' Andromedan, so when Zordon brought me here it was the best thing that could have happened. Kara--" he shot her a look "-- is from Qo'nos. That's the Klingon homeworld."

"They don't much care for half-breeds there." Kara didn't look inclined to elaborate, and Jason took the hint and didn't ask either of them any more personal questions.

Again, it was Tim who broke the silence. "You were what, fifteen, when you were chosen as a ranger?"

"Almost sixteen. Kim, Billy, Zach, Trini, and I were in the Juice Bar when everything sort of went to hell. None of us believed Zordon when he brought us to him, at first. When Rita's putties attacked, we didn't have any more objections, though. Zedd came later, then the Machine Empire, and then someone named Divatox, I think. Tommy wrote me about her. And then some nutcase named Astronema tried to take over the planet, but it turned out she was the sister of the red ranger at the time who'd been kidnapped. That was confusing."

"Astronema? I remember her. Little bit of a thing, but she had a good harness on that energy staff. Glad she's not using it anymore."

Kara snorted. "You remember Astronema, huh? Always was a sucker for the bright hair. I remember Divatox and her Pihranatrons better. Fish faces, all of them."

"Ohh, that's right. You teased Harm about her 'cousins' for months."

"She almost got mad enough about it to swat me," Kara agreed.

"You deserved it."

"Probably." Kara shrugged. "Do you have that soldered in place?"

Jason nodded. "I'm set on this side. You two need me for anything else?"

"Naw, nothing we can't handle on our own. Why don't you go find your friends and get caught up. They can probably give you better info on your home planet than we can, after all."

Jason didn't waste time following Tim's suggestion, and as it turned out he ran into Billy and Trini at the end of their tour. "Hey, guys. What do you think of this place?"

"It's amazing," Billy told him simply. "Whoever designed this place was a genius."

"I'll tell Zordon you think so." Jet grinned from his perch on Harmony's back. "Seriously, we've made some small improvements over the years, but there isn't a whole lot to improve on. Mostly we design and build zords and fightercraft for different units. Some for Power Rangers, some for Voltron Force, even some for commissioned armies, although we try and be careful we aren't selling to the wrong side. You know, the bad guys trying to take over the world? We don't like those guys much. Oh, and we fight evil ourselves too." He shrugged. "I guess that's sort of standard for a ranger team. Halt!"

Harmony obligingly stopped. "What is it?"

"This is my stop. Got a workout with Astor." He jumped off her back grinning. "Next time I'll pay cab fair."

"Someday he's going to piss me off," Harmony said with a sigh, flicking her tail in the direction of her departed friend.

"And when that happens the sky will fall, worlds will implode, and Kara will turn vegetarian!" Astor shook her head. "Disadvantage of being the only truly nice person on the team."

"I hope you flatten each other." Harmony arched her neck back towards the three humans. "Can you find your way back to wherever it is you want to go?"

"I can give them a hand," Jason assured her.

"See you later then." She disappeared around one of the many corners without another word.

"She seems nice," Trini commented.

"As far as I know, she is. They all are, really. Except Kara, but she doesn't seem to like anyone other than Tim. It could be just me, I guess."

"It isn't." Tommy grinned at him. "Kim and Zach are starting to set things up in the rooms, so I came to look for you. Anyway, I think Kara's just sort of a stick-to-herself kind of person."

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter. We haven't exactly spent much time getting to know each other."

Kim put several delicate figurines on a shelf beside her bed. She'd taken one of the lower bunks figuring it would be a safer bet than trying to get off the higher ones in the middle of the night. "This is going to be an experience."

"It is at that." Aisha had the bunk above hers and was arranging several stuffed animals. "At least we can arrange our rooms however we want. I wonder where Trini is." While she didn't really know the ranger she'd replaced very well, they'd always been friendly. "It feels strange to think about being on a ranger team without Rocky and Adam," she commented.

"That's right; you never worked with Jase or Trini before. Don't worry, you'll like them."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. It just feels odd."

"Hello?" Trini stuck her head in the door. "I'm in the right room, right?"

"Yeah. Umm, you get to pick top or bottom bunk." Kim pointed at the bunkbed opposite her and Aisha's. "We're just setting things up to make it a little more like home."

"Good idea." Trini looked at the two beds. "Since I'm still not overly fond of heights, I think I'll take the bottom. Plus, I'm less likely to break my leg getting up in the morning."

"Between the two of you..." Aisha shook her head.

"Kimberly, do you think you could find your way back to Dimitria and my corner of the Bay?"

"Uhh, I think so, Zordon." She looked around the room, trying to find the source of the communication. Her eyes finally settled on a speaker by the door. "I'll give it a try. See you two later." She picked her way down the corridors, finding the huge bay with a sigh of relief. After that it was simply a matter of taking the dropshaft down and going to meet him. To her surprise, one of the Shadows was already there. "Uhh, hi."

"Hi," Kara growled in return. "Zordon, what is it?"

"I need the two of you to run a recon mission for me. It's fairly simple, but it involves a lot of climbing around that is better suited to your fighting styles that anyone else's."

"Why not Jet? He's better in tight spaces than I am."

"He and Harmony are going to be pulling double and triple shifts to get the Zeo Zords online."

"Why don't I just go alone then?"

Kim didn't have any trouble reading distaste for the choice of traveling companion in Kara's face. "I really don't have much experience in this sort of thing."

"I'm sorry to do this to you, but with what is coming your entire team is going to get a crash course in survival. This will suit you better than you think, if I've read you correctly. And I've been doing this for a while. One very important fact you both must remember: Whatever happens on this planet, you must not call on your powers. They cannot know that we suspect them."

Kim shrugged. "When do we go?"

"Now." Kara regarded the smaller pink ranger. "Do you have anything else to do?"

"Not really. Do I need to pack?"

"Survival kits are in my fighter." She jerked her head at the upper level. "You want to say goodbye?"

"Umm, yeah. I'll be back in five."

"Five? Five what?" Kara shook her head. "I'll be up there."

"The other rangers were less than thrilled that Kim was being sent off on her first day, and Jason and Tommy had a hard time concealing their uneasiness at Zordon's choice of her partner, but she got off with only a minimum of fuss.

"So where are we going?"

"Tavr 3. Major supply colony. There's been rumors floating around that their passing illegal good through their shipping services."

"We get to find out if they are?"

"Gonna give it a shot." Kara twisted around. "You strapped in secure? Chest harness and everything tight?"

"As tight as it'll get. Why?"

Kara didn't answer her question. "Firing hyperdrive, now. Back soon, Zordon."

Kim found herself smashed flat against the seat as the fightercraft shot foreword. Kara didn't seem to be having any trouble, but Kim felt that the pressure was going to kill her. She didn't realize that she'd screamed aloud until Kara twisted around again.

"Never jumped the bands before?"

"J-jumped the bands?"

"Never mind. It's over now, and we won't be doing it again until the trip back. You can unstrap if you want to."

"N-no thanks. I think I'll just r-rest." She slumped down, feeling her head go light.

"What the-?" Kara growled deep in her throat. "Unconscious? What the hell do I do now? Timmy?" She touched her subvocalizer. "Tim? I got a problem... I'm fine. The human's dead to the world. And no, I didn't hit her. We jumped the bands and she passed out... No, I didn't describe it to her. How do you describe hyperjumps?... So what am I supposed to do now?... Daro? Hello, and how is life for you?... Great. Now what do I do with an unconscious human?... I-... Yes... I've got it... I know... I didn't mean-... But-... Fine, fine, I'll just land and wait. Kara out." She growled in disgust. "Wait until she wakes up? How long is that gonna take?"

Kim woke up to find herself lying on the ground, leaning against Kara's fighter. The other girl wasn't anywhere in sight. "Hello? Kara?" She touched the ship. "Well, I guess she can't leave me here. Can't fly around in space without this."

"Actually I can, but Zordon would be pissed if I left you here. Plus I already got one royal tongue-lashing from Daro for not telling you what was coming, and I don't really want another. He may be quiet, but he lets you know when you do something to upset him. Anyway, I didn't mean to scare you."

Sensing that that was as close to an apology as she was likely to get, Kim smiled. "Not your fault. It just felt like I was being crushed and pulled to pieces all at the same time."

"I guess it does. We've been doing it for so long, and since we were so young, that it isn't anything we think about anymore. Just punch in and survive it."

"So what do we do now?"

"Wait until dark and go in. They're really secretive now, and neither of us is likely to blend in. Avoid the guards, get in, get out."

"You think they're really up to something illegal?"

"Our sources are good." Kara shrugged. "Might as well rest up." She twisted into a ball and put her head on her arms. "Food is in the ship- if it's bleeding or moving it's mine. Other than that you're welcome to it. I think Astor packed some," she made a face, "vegetables. And if you want to wake me up, yell or throw something at me. Don't touch me. All right?"

"Sure." Kim grabbed a sandwich to eat and then watched the other girl sleep. She didn't look nearly as dangerous when she wasn't scowling at everything. There were scars crisscrossing her arms, and several deep ones across her face. He forehead was an odd collection of ridges and creases that made her face look like something of a mismatched puzzle. As it started to get dark, she stood up. "Kara? I think its time to-" The other girl suddenly slammed her to the ground.

"Stay down, human!"

"Huh?" She didn't have time to say anything else before the other girl was launching herself at some shapes in the distance. It didn't take a genius to see that Kara was attacking, so she pushed herself to her feet and ran after her. In the darkness she couldn't see her attackers, and without the advantages her suit would have given her, she was quickly overwhelmed..

Kara spun sideways as the two of them were thrown into a cell, allowing the much frailer human to land against her rather than the hard wall. "Why didn't you stay down?"

"I was trying to help!"

"It would have been a lot more help if you'd stayed somewhere where they wouldn't notice you. I fight much better when I don't have to worry about protecting someone else."

"I never asked for your protection!"

"You'd be dead without it." Kara twisted away from Kim.

"Hold on." Despite her frustration and anger at the other girl's arrogance, she couldn't sit there and do nothing while another ranger was bleeding freely. "Let me see your shoulder."

Kara bared her teeth and growled. "Back off."

"Look, you need someone to bandage it up." Kim walked over to the other girl. "There are some rags in the corner. Don't worry, I've done this before."

Kara growled again. "Don't touch me."

"What is your problem? I get pulled out of my bed and thrown across the freaking universe and I'm doing my best to help! Give me a break!"

"Which bone?"

Kim's eyes narrowed. "Like it or not, we're a team here. Now sit down and let me see your shoulder!"

Kara sat slowly. "Five minutes. Then I break your arm. And don't think I won't do it."

Kim didn't doubt her, but she wasn't going to lose her chance. "All right." She knelt down and scooped up some of the rags, tearing them into strips. "Hold still." Kara was literally stiff as a board when she touched her shoulder lightly. "Relax, I doubt this is going to be as painful as you think."

"What do you know?"

"Obviously more about healing than you do, or you'd know how to close wounds well enough not to leave scars."

It was very much the wrong thing to say, and Kara spun quickly and caught the human girl's shoulder in a vice-like grip. "I suggest you never mention that again. Three minutes."

Kim tried not to cry out when the other girl grabbed her, but it was hard. She could feel fingerprint bruises forming even as the other girl let go. She didn't say anything else and concentrated on wrapping Kara's shoulder as securely as she could. "That should do it. What happens now?"

"We figure a way out of this before..." Her voice trailed off. "Get behind me. And this time stay there."

Kim didn't question Kara this time. There was none of the anger that had been in her voice before, only cold determination. "How many?"

"I smell three." She shifted, assuring herself that she blocked any possible shots at the human. "Damn, I want my bat'leth."

"Come again?"

"Weapon. Coded to come in with my armor. Which I can't call. Should have been smart enough to carry one with me."

As Kara had said, there were three figures on the other side of the door. One hit her with a stun gun, while the other two dragged Kim away. After a relatively short torture session, she was thrown back into the cell. "K-Kara? A-are you h here?""

The door swung open and another body was thrown in. This time Kara couldn't react, she simply hit the floor and laid there.

"Kara?" Kim moved to check her pulse, remembering too late the warning never to touch her to awaken her. A fist caught her across the face throwing her across the room and into the wall. "Ahhh!" She watched Kara's body slump back down.

"K-Kim?"

"Here. Looks like they did more damage to you than to me."

"Naw. Just had the sense to knock me out before trying to transport me." She sat up and frowned at the newly-formed bruise across half of Kim's face. "Smacked you pretty hard, didn't I?"

"No worse than they did. Lets get out of here."

"Out of this cell, sure, but we've got a mission to finish. Although I'd say being tortured is enough proof that something bad is going on here."

"How do you know I didn't tell them who we were?"

"How do you know I didn't? You were right earlier; you're a ranger." Kara's mouth quirked. "Were I you I'd get a tape recorder or something because this is probably the last time you're going to hear me apologize. So..." she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I tried to take your head off earlier, especially when you were trying to help me."

"It's okay. I'm the one who invaded your space. Fair warning; I'm about to do it again."

Kara braced herself as Kim touched her shoulder, checking the deep cut that had been reopened. "How bad?"

"I'd like something to disinfect it with, and some better bandages for your other cuts as well."

"How bad are you hurt?"

"Bruises. I think there's something wrong with my ankle, but I can still walk on it all right."

"All right then. Stay behind me."

"I think I'm going to end up hating that phrase."

"Sorry, it's a habit. If someone on the team is going to get damaged, I'd rather it be me than a friend. But stay behind me anyway, I've got seniority." She moved next to the door, searching for the hinges. "Sloppy craftmanship."

Kim realized what she meant a second later as Kara somehow produced a small blade and popped the hinges off. "So now we go hunting?"

"You've got it."

End

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