Welcome To Angel Grove1 – Q-Team Fanfiction

Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are the property of Disney, and I lay no claim to them. Karla is a character from 'Record of Lodoss War'. John and the Lords of Kobol are from the Original Battlestar Galactica, and has nothing to do with the re-imagining on the Sci-Fi Channel. Cassidy Bridges is from the series 'Nash Bridges, and Samantha Jones is property of the BBC Doctor Who books. Note from Shadow: The events in this story have no relation to any version of Conquest of Evil Welcome to Angel Grove
By: The Q-team Shadow Palace Outside the realms of space and time, separated from events of the universe yet remaining a part of it, lies a place known as the Shadow Palace. Created from the image of a castle on the island of Marmo in another reality, its occupants observed and intervened in affairs of the universe acting on the interests of good, evil and the aspect in the middle Shadow. The efforts of the three occupants were to promote the survival of the universe, and to ensure that no one endangered the quality of life for any species. However, things were changing. Events were reaching a point where the efforts of the three guardians of the grid, light, dark, and Shadow, were reaching an empass. Their help, according to their allies the Lords of Kobol, was no longer considered beneficial or necessary. In fact they said that it was becoming a danger to the fabric of the universe itself. And the Lords decided that they would send an envoy to plead their case, and hopefully get the leader of the triad who resided in the Shadow Palace to curtail their activities. From her vantage point on her palace balcony, Karla continued to stare at the ethereal form of she who was Jessie Belle, now one of the Lords of Kobol. "I wasn't expecting you. " Karla said. "Usually my dealings with the Lords are with John. " "Don't worry. He's nearby. " Jessie said. "He just thought I should try my hand here first. He said that in dealing with other higher powers I should get some practice in. He thought I should start with you. " Karla wondered why. "Due to our past alliance. " Jessie said. "John always said that the representatives of the Shadow Triad of Rassilon were among the most reasonable of the powers. He hoped some of that reason would prevail. " Karla nodded in understanding and then said "You said we needed to talk. What do we need to talk about?" Jessie then stood before her. A stern expression crossing her face, indicating that she was not pleased right now. "John just had a discussion with the other Lords. They are concerned about the activities you have been involved with as of late. " "Activities?" Karla asked unsure. "What activities?" Jessie paused before speaking. "Activities that led to you going off on your own tangents. Activities leading to the involvement of Terry Bogard and his family in the Cylon attack. How you saved Alison Hammond from life in the brothels and brought her to meet Cassidy Bridges so the Bogard's destiny would intertwine with hers and the Rangers. Opening Cassidy's connection to the Shadow Grid. Insuring the Kusanagi destiny and Cassie Chan's place in it. Not to mention Trini Kwan and her role with the Yagami. Need I go on?" Karla was impressed. ~ Apparently the Lords had done a good job keeping track of my activities, especially since I convinced Sussano-Oh to break doctrines himself. ~ Karla however defended herself and the reasons for her interference in the universe's affairs. "I needed a way to prove to the Q that humanity was more than a toy. I am prepared to deal with the consequences of my actions. " "A noble goal but couldn't the Rangers have proven humanity's worth?" Jessie asked. Karla paused not sure about the question. "What do you mean?" she asked. Jessie picked up on the uncertainty and answered the question. "Doesn't what truly matter lie not in the powers, but in the human spirit? What of the aspects that make up the best of humanity? Courage, the drive to succeed, perseverance against overwhelming odds, are these all tossed aside for the sake of power? And when someone does have those powers what will they do once they have them? Will they use them irresponsibly like the Q use theirs?" "But the Rangers do need help. " Karla stated. "There are other evils they can deal with. " "Like Geese Howard?" Jessie asked. "From what I've seen so far. He does not seem all that evil. Manipulative maybe but not evil. " Karla however saw different. "He murdered a man to get control of the Hakkyokusaiken school, and to control their fighting techniques. He also led to the deaths of Lily and the defeat of Krauser. " "Past actions. " Jessie stated. "And the Howards would not have been involved had the Bogards not appeared. Frankly, the addition of new allies to the Rangers has become a bit cumbersome, and confusing. And may in fact overshadow the Rangers if you're not careful. Remember S'Hera is looking to capitalize on any advantage she can find. " "S'Hera is no concern. " Karla said. Jessie believed differently. "Are you sure about that?" Jessie said pushing her point. "You know how unpredictable people can be. We knew this when we were both human. And in some cases, I like to think we still are otherwise you would not have made the decisions you did. " Karla understood Jessie's point and nodded. "I only wanted to help. " Karla said. "Shadow and Mirabilis also aided me in these decisions. " Jessie seemed to understand, but she did not change her position. "While your intentions were for a more benign purpose. In practice you played god with the universe much like the Q had done. You had steered universal events to go a way you wanted. And you made it so that we can't be sure of humanity's worth without some aspect of power being used. " "Don't you do the same?" Karla asked. "Interfere in events? You and the Lords?" "Not to the degree that you have gone. And definitely not to the degree of the Q. We still allow free will and the individual's right of choice. " Jessie replied. She then switched gears and told of another story to prove her point. "Let me tell you a little story I heard. Do you remember the story of Parallax?" Karla paused for a brief second as he seemed to catch on to what Jessie was talking about. Parallax was once a hero from another universe who went by the name 'Green Lantern'. He protected his home of Coast City when he wasn't patrolling outer space. One day however Hal Jordan, Green Lantern's human identity, was not around to protect Coast City, and the city was destroyed. This drove Hal over the edge, and he turned on the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians of the Universe, taking in the power of the Central Battery for himself. Hal Jordan had become Parallax, and his first act was to destroy the universe he was in, and recreate it to his own agenda. He hoped to resurrect his city, and change all of existence so that no tragedies would happen again. He sought to accomplish a benign purpose, but he sought a power that no being should ever possess. The power to change any life to go a certain way, to manipulate events to follow a pattern they chose. The power to control the flow of events. The power to be God. The Q sought that power with their game boards. They did not have that power anymore. Now according to John, the Shadow Triad was seeking that power. Or were giving the appearance of seeking it. "We must work with the universe. Not try to control it. " Karla seemed to understand what Jessie was getting at but wondered what to do about it now. "Are the Lords thinking about turning back time and changing events like the Q had done?" "Heavens no. " Jessie said. "To do that action would only cause more harm that good. The Q had already done that in their game and a backlash took place. To do it again may cause a backlash the universe may not survive. No, that would be nothing better than sweeping a problem under the rug. I think in this case the only direction we can go is straight ahead. " Karla nodded again and wondered what Jessie had in mind. "Watch and learn. " Jessie said as she and Karla looked at the viewing screen. Jessie then turned to Karla and asked sheepishly. "Sorry, may I borrow it?" "No problem. " Karla said with a smile. Jessie was still young when it came to being a demigod, so she still had some manners to learn. Karla hoped she would grow out that phase, or that John would continue teaching her. "So what will we be watching. " "An event in my successor's life. " Jessie said making reference to her successor as the Silver Zeo Ranger. "She's currently going through a crisis in power and wants to determine for herself how far she can go without them. We shall see how she fares. " Karla nodded as she and Jessie both turned to the view screen. They were getting ready to watch the next event in Cassidy Bridges's life.

In the city of Angel Grove a silver car had entered the city limits and was making it's way to the home of one of it's occupants. It was a long drive, but the travelers finally arrived at their destination. Katherine 'Kat' Hillard, Samantha Jones, Alison Bogard, Ashley Hammond and Cassidy Bridges all drove to Kat's house, where Cassidy would be staying as a live in roomate with Kat's parents. On the way to the house the girls took in the sights and saw everything the city had to offer. Downtown Angel Grove was always the site of many monster battles, and had taken its share of punishment over the years, but quickly was being rebuilt as fast as San Francisco was. Cassidy immediately took that as a sign of the persistence and spirit of the people of the town. It reminded her of her home in San Francisco, although the people in Angel Grove didn't seem as colorful as Joe Domiguez's friend Pepe seemed to be. ~ Oh well. This is my first time here. ~ she thought. They also took in Angel Grove Park as they drove by it. It seemed like a pretty festive place where families all got together. It was hard to believe that the park rested on a ley line that drew evil to it like a magnet. Through it all the girls saw two pre teens riding their bikes, a couple sitting under a tree sharing a picnic, a boy playing Frisbee with his dog, even a brother and sister looking to fly a kite. Cassidy couldn't help but let a tear fall down her face. Such festiveness was seen only a little bit in San Francisco's parks. In Angel Grove park there seemed to be enough festiveness in abundance. The park was what lay between downtown Angel Grove and the rural neighborhood area where the Youth Center was close to. A lot of small businesses seemed to be set up and prospering. Video game traders, music stores, pizza parlors, even the local pharmacy had its visitors. And everyone seemed to come out with something. Cassidy seemed to like Angel Grove so far as she and the girls continued to drive. Finally they came across a place that seemed like paradise to the occupants of the vehicle, all except for Samantha. The Angel Grove Mall. "Hello civilization. " Cassidy said with a smile. "You said it. " Ashley said. "That reminds me, I haven't really got anything to really wear. I had worn really the same thing ever since I got to San Francisco. " "Come to think of it. I need some new duds myself. " Alison said almost as if she and Ashley were starting to share the same mind. "Whose up for a stop?" Kat, Alison, Ashley and Cassidy all raised their hands as if saying 'Aye. ' Samantha was the only one who said "Neigh". "Sorry Samantha. The 'Aye's' have it. " Kat said as they pulled into the parking lot of the Angel Grove mall and got out. After a quick stretching of the legs the girls made their way to the mall's main entrance and made ready to begin little shopping spree, hoping to get Cassidy acquainted with the town's social scene. "Girls. Let the shopping begin. " Ashley said as they began to go through every shop in the mall with Samantha bringing up the rear. There were several boutiques they stopped at that were having 'Invasion sales' which had prices cut due to the Cylon attack. Fashion stores, CD and music stores, sporting shops, everywhere seemed to have an invasion sale. Even the shoe store they stopped at to pick up some new shoes was having an invasion sale. As the attendant looked to take the orders of what each one wanted Alison said "I could use some sneakers. " "Some dress shoes myself. " Cassie said. "I could use some sneakers too. " Ashley said reflecting her twin's thought. "I could go for a new set of boots. " Cassidy said. Kat and Samantha waved saying that they were fine. Samantha however couldn't wait to leave. Alison looked around the shoe store and seemed to like it. "You know, it's a good thing Al Bundy doesn't sell shoes here. " Alison said. The girls all giggled. They stopped at a CD store where they picked up some new CD's, and even Samantha saw a book in a book shop she wanted to buy. Kat, Alison, Ashley and Cassidy looked at her strangely. "What? I like to read. " She said. Soon enough, if you count four hours as soon, the spree ended and the girls left the mall. Samantha could have done without the shopping, but Kat, Ashley, Alison and Cassidy all had a pretty good time. They made their way to Cassidy's zord and opened the trunk to put their items in. "You do have the money to pay for all those when the credit card bill comes in don't you?" Samantha asked unintentionally being the shopping spree spoilsport. Kat said it was okay, and so did Ashley who helped Alison and Cassidy with their clothes and stuff. Cassidy didn't get much because silver clothes were hard to find, even silverish clothes. "We really should bring the guys along. " Ashley said. Kat and Samantha both gave slight laughs. "Good luck on that score. " Kat said. "Whenever we mention shopping the boys all wonder when the bus for the next county leaves. " "And I usually join them. " Samantha added. Cassidy however found she had to be realistic as she got into her zord. "All the same, I think I'd better find a job somewhere. " Cassidy said as she put her shopping bags in. "As much as I appreciate you taking me in Kat, I kind of like being the independent girl if you know what I mean. " "No problem. " Kat said. "I think all the girl Rangers are like that. " "Cassidy however takes it to a whole new level though. " Alison said as she sought to start up the rumor mill on her friend. "Did I tell you about the time she posed for a safe sex poster, and her father threw a hissy fit?" The wide-eyed looks from the girls said that they hadn't heard this story, and Cassidy then explained as she tried to make it sound like it wasn't important. "My breasts were taped, and I had a guy holding me. Nothing happened, but dad almost had a heart attack. He had to accept that his little girl was growing up. " Cassidy explained. "But for the record he hasn't. " "Still all I did was a few ballet recitals!" Kat said. "You've done acting haven't you?" "Yeah. A few plays. " Cassidy said. "Are you thinking of an idea?" "Well maybe a pooling of resources. We could probably do it when I get back from Southtown. " Kat said. Samantha asked "When are you leaving?" "A few days. " Kat said. "But until then let's have a bit of a girls' night at the house. " The girls then giggled as they thought of what they would do. Parents out of town, girls having the house to themselves, the possibilities were endless. Cassidy pulled out of the mall driveway and made her way to Kat's house. There was a slumber party to get together.

The drive didn't take long and Kat gave directions to a two story town house which seemed to have an endless assortment of rooms in it. Ashley, Alison, Samantha and Cassidy all looked in awe of Kat's house. "Wow. " Ashley said. "You said it sister. " Alison said in agreement. "I have a room in this place?" Cassidy said. "You bet. Want to see it?" Kat asked. The girls then took Cassidy into the house where Kat had shown off her room. It seemed like any medium sized bedroom, it had a bed and dresser, and silver trim seemed to decorate the white walls. "Nice. " Cassidy said. "Wasn't sure if you had any posters or anything. " Kat said. "My mother doesn't let me hang any unless they're framed. Tape ruins the walls. " "They're a frame station at the mall. " Ashley said. "Anyone want to go back?" "Absolutely not!" Samantha said. One time at the mall for the day was enough. "Besides don't we have a party to get together?" "You're right. " Kat said. Soon all the girls went downstairs to get things together. Movies, popcorn, sodas, then Alison had an idea. "You know, why do we need to keep all this fun for ourselves? Why don't we invite the other girls too?" "That would be so cool. " Ashley said agreeing with her twin. Kat, Samantha and Cassidy also thought that it might be cool to invite the other girls too. With a rush to the phone the girls called everyone on their team. Kat called Kimberly and Tanya. Cassidy called Emily and Aisha. Ashley called Cassie while Alison called Trini. Everyone agreed to come. Including Trini and Cassie.

The girls waited outside for their guests to arrive. Kimberly was first bringing pretzles and games. Tanya brought puzzles and sodas. Emily also brought sodas of her own. Aisha brought movies and chips. Cassie and Trini also brought music. When they arrived they nodded to each other. After the welcomes everyone went inside Kat's house where the impromptu slumber party would begin. Off in the bushes a Quantron was watching the girls go in. When it was finished watching it teleported out and reported to its mistress.

On the Dark Fortress Artemis was sitting on the throne listening to Scrudly growling. Ecliptor stood off to the side keeping vigil over his young charge. "Something troubling you my princess?" "Yes. " Artemis said. "Astronema said that Scrudly didn't have a playmate. But fortunately I have a remedy. " Artemis smiled evilly as she thought of that 'remedy. A remedy that would consist of the Silver Zeo Ranger. The image of her in Zhane's arms still burned in her mind. ~ I'll show that woman what it means to move in on my territory. ~ she thought maliciously. Granted she seemed to take an interest in Leo Corbett, but she also wanted to teach Zhane a lesson about casting her aside. When it came to envy, logic went out the window. Soon the Quantron she sent to spy on Cassidy appeared before her and gave it's report. Through it's garbled communications Artemis understood what it was saying and then smiled. "So Zhane's new girlfriend has arrived at her home. I'd say the time is fast approaching to meet her. " Artemis then sat and prepared her new plan. She would capture the Silver Zeo Ranger, and then decided if Scrudly wanted to play with her. She heard that Scrudley loved to play. But how to go about it? "Contemplating something evil?" Astronema asked off to the side. Artemis looked over at her 'sister' and said what was on her mind. "I'm just wondering how I can get information on the Silver Zeo Ranger. How to get close to her, and find out when to attack without being seen by her. " "There are several minions that would be willing to serve you. " Ecliptor said. "Myself especially. " "No thanks Ecliptor. " Artemis said. "Some things one must do for one's self. " Astronema then thought of an idea. "Perhaps I can help with that. " Astronema said as she moved over to a wall with a panel on it. Astronema went over to a panel in the wall, and after pressing the side the panel opened to reveal an array of artifacts as well as a place to rest both hers and Artemis's Wraith Staffs. "What's all this?" Artemis asked. "Odds and ends I picked up. They have helped me in my conquests. " Artemis took notice of all of Astronema's artefacts and was impressed. One however caught Artemis's eye immediately. "The Talisman of Size? You have this?" "Yes. " Astronema said. "It proved useful once or twice whenever I needed to go somewhere and get information. They could never spot me since I was too small for them. On Aldebarron 3 I was so small that the freedom fighters didn't see me as they relayed all their attack plans unaware that I was listening in. And the spice mines of Korda? You would be surprised at what you can hear when you're squeezed in through a tiny crack. " "I would have thought shrinking would be used only for a punishment. Like Rita had been once. " "That's not always the case. " Astronema retorted. "Shrinking does have its uses. Espionage for one, and infiltration in another. Once I used this to enter someone's body and implant a virus in them without their knowing. The victim was so sick and they had no idea how they got that way. It was a tremendous feeling of power, to strike someone and them not know how you did it. " "You also took the Talisman to a size that was never taken before. " Ecliptor added. "In fact, during that mission you were no bigger than an animal cell. Any further and you could have shrunken yourself out of existence. " Astronema paid Ecliptor's concerns no mind. "But I didn't did I? In fact the gains from this little trinket far outweighed the risks for me. " "I'll bet. " Artemis said as she held the Talisman. "So how does it work?" Astronema looked surprised. "Are you willing to use its power? I thought you didn't want anyone looking down on you?" "Not when I can bring them down to size. " Artemis joked. Astronema then said "All right. First off you need to be in your Karone identity. For some reason it works better when we are not in our evil selves. " Artemis wondered why but she did so and quickly turned into the blonde haired form of Karone. She wore a sleeveless black body suit with boots, and some of her hair tied back in a purple hair band. "All right. What next?" "Next picture yourself becoming smaller. The energy filling you as the world becomes larger around you. " The talisman in Karone's hands then glowed and she quickly felt herself becoming smaller and smaller. She looked up and saw Astronema and Ecliptor become literal giants as she shrunk. Finally the shrinking stopped when she hit a size of about three inches. Karone was small enough to eavesdrop on the party without being seen. Karone then took in how big the whole world looked around her. For a while she seemed overwhelmed by it all, including the giant forms of Astronema and Ecliptor, but she regained her composure and called upon the inner strength she always seemed to possess. She knew she was in power and control, no matter what size she was. Astronema then knelt down and held out her hand to Karone who climbed up and sat down in it. Astronema quickly took in how small her 'twin' was and couldn't help but smirk. She reminded Astronema of the little pixies that were heard of in Earth legends. "I heard the humans on Earth have a theatrical show called 'Little Women', and another called 'How to pick up girls'. I don't think this is what they had in mind. " "Very funny. " Karone said in a tiny voice. "This will change me back when I'm finished right?" making reference to the Talisman she continued to hold. "Of course. " Astronema smiled. "Don't you trust me?" "Ha ha!" Karone said. "Just remember I can get into the sattelaser matrix if I have to. " Astronema nodded and added "Make sure you wait for the Talisman to regain power. It's easier for it to shrink someone rather than grow them. In order to grow power has to build. " "And if used too soon the user may not be able to get back to normal size. I understand. " Karone then shimmered in a tiny shimmer of purple and disappeared from Astronema's hand. She had a party to eavesdrop.

In a small shimmer of purple Karone appeared inside the house standing on a windowsill as she looked around a bedroom of some sort. She then saw a door open as Kat and Cassidy made their way in. As all the guests were getting situated downstairs Kat had decided to give Cassidy the tour of the house. From the living room, to the kitchen, to other bedrooms, to the bathroom. Kat made sure Cassidy was familiar with all aspects of the house. When they appeared in the room Karone was in she hid herself behind a curtain as Kat introduced Cassidy to the room. "And this is your room. " Kat said as she had shown Cassidy her bedroom. "Wow!" Cassidy said as she looked around. It had windows on two sides of the wall looking out at a forest setting with a pretty impressive skyline. The walls seemed to be white with a silver trim. There were also silver colored draperies hanging from the windows. The irony of the drapery color didn't escape the tiny Karone. "Let me guess. You have pink curtains in your room don't you?" Cassidy asked. Karone found herself agreeing with Cassidy's sarcasm. "Guilty as charged. " Kat said with a smile. "My parents actually helped put the room together. " Just then Samantha walked into Cassidy's room with some of her luggage. "Care to give me a hand with this?" Samantha asked carrying at least three suitcases and a carryon bag. Cassidy took the carry on bag and set in on the bed leaving Samantha with the suitcases. "Very funny. " She said with a sarcastic smile. Kat and Cassidy both snickered a little and took the suitcases which were set on the bed. They would get the shopping bags later. "So Samantha, do you live here?" Cassidy asked. "No I live in the Doctor's TARDIS. " Samantha explained. "I never really stay in one place for too long. " "Well you've been here for a while. " Cassidy said. "Haven't you considered staying at one of the girl's houses?" Kat also figured that Samantha could stay and added her two cents. "You know I have another room you can take. " Kat said. "Besides Terry is staying at a penthouse in San Francisco. You should have a place of your own, even if only for a little while. " Samantha had to admit that the offer did seem tempting, but there was still reluctance on her part. "I wouldn't want to impose. " Samantha said. Kat said that she wasn't. "I think it would be great if you stayed. I wouldn't mind another girl around the house when I get back. " Samantha thought for a while and made her decision. "All right. I'll stay. " "WOO HOO!!!" Kat said as she and Cassidy shared a group hug. Alison and Ashley then came up and Alison said "Come on we've got a Jackie Chan Movie all hooked up in the VCR. Have you got your nightgowns ready?" Ashley then added "I also have Breakfast at Tiffany's on standby. " Kat looked at Cassidy and Samantha and said "By the way I forgot to mention my parents have a vast video library. I guess the girls want to have a bit of a movie marathon. " "So we all just pick one and we watch it?" Samantha asked. "You said it. " Kat answered. "GREAT!!!" both girls shouted in unison. Cassidy quickly unpacked her bags and got into her nightgown, and Kat let Samantha borrow a yellow one left behind when Tanya had a sleepover. Cassidy however paused for a second as she had the strange feeling that she wasn't alone. Quietly she walked over to her windowsill, and pulled back the curtain. No one was standing on the windowsill, but she had the strangest feeling that someone was, only a moment ago. "Something wrong?" Kat asked as she appeared in the doorway in her nightgown. "Sorry, I just had this feeling. " Cassidy said. "As if someone was eavesdropping on me. " "And they were hiding behind a curtain?" Samantha added also appearing. Cassidy shook her head not sure what to make of what she thought. She just felt something was off, and that she was being watched. "Maybe you just need to get situated. " Kat said. "A couple movies with friends should fix that up. " cassidy nodded and followed her two friends downstairs. When the three girls walked down into the living room Ashley and Alison had their movies ready while Kat, Samantha and Cassidy chose their own. Kat had chosen 'When Harry Met Sally'. Samantha had chosen 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail. ' Cassidy had chosen 'Days of Thunder'. The other girls downstairs also made their choices. Tanya chose 'Casablanca'. Aisha chose 'Smokey and the Bandit'. Kimberly had chosen 'Terms of Endearment'. Sabrina came late and chose a Martial Arts flick whose name they couldn't understand. Emily picked 'Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man'. Cassie chose 'Mannequin' while Trini chose 'Arthur the King'. There were a lot of movies. Fortunately, there was more than one T. V. set. For that night a slumber party took place. And when the movies ended the girls all turned into their rooms for the night.

The tiny Karone continued to watch as the girls had their party. She teleported herself from Cassidy's room and stood on another windowsill a split second before Cassidy picked up her presence appearing on a windowsill outside the house looking in as the girls watched their movies. She hoped that looking in from the outside would dull the effect of Cassidy's instinct a little. As Karone watched from the windowsill she had to admit, part of her wanted to be in that room with those girls. There were times on the Megaship when she and the other girl Rangers watched holo vids on the Astro Megaship for hours on end. This was one of those times. ~ If for no other reason than to get away from these insects. ~ she thought as she tried to shoo away large gnats and mosquitoes coming at her. Karone's luck didn't improve as she saw a bundle of fur leap down and land on the window sill stalking her. "Whoa. Nice kitty. " Karone said trying to wave the cat back. But the cat looked at her like she was a mouse to be eaten. Ironically she was the same size of one. "Get lost!" Karone said in her tiny voice knowing the girls couldn't hear her. The cat looked at the tiny form of Karone as if getting ready to savor a meal. Karone considered using the talisman to return to normal size when off to the side Samantha said "Kat, do you have a window open?" "Yes, but bugs can't get in. There's a screen protecting it. " Kat said. Samantha however wondered if the window could be closed anyhow. "Interferes with the cooling fan. " Was what she said. Kat did so and saw the cat standing on the windowsill. She gave a slight smile in its direction before shooing it away. "Shoo. " Kat said as she waved the cat away. Karone ducked off to the side staying out of Kat's line of sight. When Kat closed the window Karone then turned her attention to the cat. "You heard the Ranger. Shoo!" Even though Karone was now tiny her magic still had a spark in it, and she used it to hit the cat square in the nose which caused the cat to scurry off and climb up a tree in shock. The cat sat up in the branch staring down at Karone is shock. "And just so you don't get any ideas. " Karone waved her hands again causing her body to glow purple briefly. The mosquitoes and gnats that came to her found themselves shocked by her like when insects hit a bug zapper. The cat looked at Karone and quickly got the message, As the girls slept, Karone decided that she too would take a catnap. Her protection spell would ensure that no one would come for her while she was sleeping. After a few hours Karone saw a light up in Cassidy's room. Realizing that she was now so light that she could fly up, Karone did so and floated herself up to where Cassidy would sleep.

When everyone else fell asleep Cassidy lay awake at night trying to go through everything in her mind. She had been chosen for Silver Zeo powers, she had a connection to the Shadow Grid which made her instincts infallible, and she had moved to a new city without her family. She had changed a lot, and Cassidy wasn't sure if those changes were for the best. She also felt something as she was watching the movies, at first she thought it was that cat Kat had shooed away, but she felt it was something different. Something more substantial. Her train of thought was disrupted as a presence seemed to fill the room. "Trouble sleeping?" a voice said nearby. Cassidy turned and saw Jessie standing nearby. Cassidy looked stunned and asked "What are you doing here?" "Trying to see how you're doing. " Jessie said. "And from what I've seen you still have a lot on your mind. " "If this is about Jessie I've not run across her. " Cassidy said. Jessie shook her head "No this is not about Jessie. She's in North Valley looking for something to pass the time. Right now your destinies haven't come back together yet. No, this time I'm here for you. " "Me?" Cassidy asked. "What about me?" "I notice that you were thinking of your powers. " Jessie said. "Not just your Zeo Powers, but your Shadow Grid instinct. " "Yeah. " Cassidy said. "It seems like ever since I got the crystal, and found out about my grid instinct I'm wondering what really makes me who I am. Me or the powers? Not to mention that something has been setting it off all night. " "Believe me I understand. " Jessie said. "Right now Karla is having to face up to her responsibilities when it came to interfering in the universe. In her quest to empower humanity we're wondering if the necessary aspects of humanity have not been discarded. " "That about sums it up. " Cassidy said. "So what brings you here?" Jessie then gave her sales pitch. "What if you could shut that instinct off for a while?" Jessie asked. "Close your mind to it. Let your own human instincts guide you. " Cassidy wondered if this could be done. "It's possible. " Jessie said. "I could impart a little bit of Kobollian life force to you to close out the darker avenues of your tap into the Shadow Grid, but this would only last for a little bit. Perhaps a day. Long enough for you to get by on your own in a crisis that may just turn up tomorrow. " At the mention of a crisis Cassidy's eyes went wide. "Crisis? What crisis?" "May be better if you're surprised. " Jessie said. "Do you want to do this?" Cassidy thought for a moment, and thought it might be a good idea if her instinct was clouded for a while. She needed to prove to herself if it was the girl or the power that made her the Ranger she was now. "I'm ready. " "Good. " Jessie said as she brought her hand to Cassidy's head. A light emanated from her hand sending soothing energy into Cassidy's mind causing her to relax. Even though Jessie's hand didn't physically touch Cassidy the symbolic gesture was enough to transfer the energy. As Cassidy felt the positive energy enter her mind she felt herself become drowsy and fall asleep. "Sleep now. I will watch, and catch you if you fall. " Jessie said as Cassidy lay in her bed. She would face a great challenge tomorrow and Cassidy would get by on her own merit, not by that dictated by a power. Jessie could do nothing more as she faded away hoping only the best for her successor as Silver Zeo.

From her vantagepoint Karone saw the exchange between Cassidy and. . . something as she teleported again through glass behind Cassidy's curtain again. Karone couldn't see who it was but she could feel the presence of someone speaking to her. As such she opened her mind allowing her thoughts to hear what was being said. What she heard got her mind thinking. The wheels were turning in Karone's mind to a trap for Cassidy. For now however she would sleep, and continue to plot when morning came forth.

It wasn't until late in the morning that the girls woke up. Almost to noon time. Cassidy woke up and felt like she was her old self again. Before she had her powers. After a quick breakfast the girls then made ready to go about their separate ways. Alison said goodbye to her friend. "Gotta go. Andros is shoring up a few details on the Megaship. He needs both of us there. " "Take care. " Cassidy said as she hugged Alison. "I'll still see you around won't I?" "You kidding? We're practically going to the same school. Whose to say we won't have classes together once Kat, Cassie and I get back from Southtown? You going to be at the tournament?" Cassidy said that she wouldn't miss it. "I'll see you there. " Alison said as Ashley joined her sister, and Cassie and Trini said their goodbyes. "This was fun. " Cassie said. "We must do this again. " Trini added. She looked at Cassie and said "You know, for a Kusanagi you're not half bad. " "Thanks I think. " Cassie said. "I guess for a Yagami you're not bad either. Trini also replied with "Thanks I think. " Kimberly then came to her friend's side and said "I think you need to quit while you're ahead. " Trini nodded and then the two girls then left Kat's house. Cassie, Sabrina, Ashley and Alison also decided to leave as they activated their teleporters and made their way back to the Megaship. Emily said she had to get back to work, and Tanya also left to go home. Aisha mentioned a meeting at the Youth Center and left for that. Soon Cassidy, Kat and Samantha were back inside unpacking Cassidy's things, and finding homes for them. The process took several hours. So much so that the girls decided to hold off getting Samantha's things until they had time to rest. And Kat still had to pack her bags. "I didn't think I had this much stuff. " Cassidy said. "Times like this I wonder why I went to the mall. " Samantha decided not to answer that line. Instead she decided to change the subject. "Want to go to the juice bar?" Samantha asked. "Girl, you're speaking my language. " Cassidy smiled as the girls made their way to Ernie's to socialize with others. From her vantage point on the windowsill Karone watched the girls leave. Immediately she had her plan for an ambush ready in her mind. "Now to get back to the Dark Fortress. " Karone said as she shimmered to the other side of the window and flew down from the second floor to the first, and sat on her previous vantage point. "But first. " She then looked up at the cat that decided to make her a meal last night. Apparently it didn't leave the branch the whole night. Karone then shot a tiny burst of power at the cat startling it awake. It then climbed higher in the tree as Karone looked on smirking. She then teleported her tiny self back to the Dark Fortress so she could return to normal size.

Back on the Dark Fortress Astronema sat in the main chamber waiting when Karone teleported back up and stood on a console nearby. Astronema held out her hand and Karone sat on it as she was being brought up to talk. "Enjoy the party?" Astronema asked. Karone responded to Astronema's query by the talisman causing her to grow back to her normal size. As she grew she sat on Astronema's hand which was being squished as Karone got bigger. "Are you putting on weight?" Astronema couldn't help but ask when Karone reached her full size. "Ha ha!" Karone said as she got off her 'sister's' hand and magically changed herself back into Artemis. "If you grew from weighing two pounds to. . . our ideal weight. You'd feel the difference too. " "Nevertheless, did you find out what you needed to know?" Artemis nodded and turned to Ecliptor. "Ready the Quantrons to attack. I want the Silver Zeo Ranger here ready to play with Scrudley. " "At once my princess. " Ecliptor bowed as Artemis plotted how to make Silver Zeo suffer. "The Silver Zeo Ranger has lost her instinct for the day. " Artemis said. "I intend to capitalize on that, and give Scrudley the playmate he's been looking for. " Astronema watched thinking that this could be interesting to see.

The girls decided to walk to the Juice Bar and allow Cassidy some time to take in more of the sights of Angel Grove. The tree lined streets, the people having a good time as they went about their business, even the park where the families had gone about their business. Through it all lay a sense of peace and tranquility. As if no matter what happened there was a sense that everything would be all right. "Wow. I feel like I left home and went to the modern day version of Mayberry RFD. " Cassidy said. "It does have that 'good ol' home town' feel doesn't it?" Samantha had stated. "Far cry from my home too. " "One gets used to it. " Kat said. "Wait till you meet Ernie. " Cassidy wondered what Kat meant when they came to a building that said 'Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar'. All three went inside. Once in Kat, Samantha and Cassidy saw Adam, Rocky, Tanya, Tommy, Skull, Richie and Bulk seated. Emily was on duty. "Hey guys!" Tommy shouted from the table where they had three chairs waiting for them. Quickly Samantha, Kat and Cassidy joined them at the table. "Hey Cassidy. How's it going?" Adam asked. Cassidy seemed laid back about the deal. "Well Kat and Samantha have been showing me around town. And soon I'll be checking out the high school I'll be going to for a while. So I'd say I'm pretty good. " "I'm glad. " Skull said. "And if you need anyone to keep you company in detention Bulk and I are regulars. " Bulk shot a glare at his friend, but knew his friend was kidding. A little. Emily then came forward and had Ernie with her. "Hey guys. My boss wanted to be among the first to meet the new girl. " They all greeted Ernie and then offered his hand to Cassidy. "Hi I'm Ernie. I run the place. " "Cassidy Bridges. " She had said. "I just moved here from San Francisco. " "San Francisco?" Ernie asked. "That city has been in the news a lot lately. What with the Cylons being there and all. " "Yeah well, they're gone now. " Cassidy said. She then cast a look as if silently asking "Does he know?" The others all nodded as if saying that he did. "So I take it you're silver?" Ernie then asked. "Yep that's me. " Cassidy said. Ernie then brought forth a glass and a pitcher and poured in a fruit smoothie for Cassidy. "First one's on the house. As a kind of welcome to Angel Grove present. " Cassidy thanked Ernie and took a sip. She liked the taste of the smoothie. "Oh man that tastes so cool" she had said. "Glad you like it. " Ernie then looked at Emily and said "You want to take a break. Talk with your friends?" Emily said that she would like that, and took another empty seat. Ernie then went back to the bar and got busy. Emily joined in the small talk. "So have you been in touch with Katarina Rocky?" Cassidy then asked. Rocky answered with "We keep in touch. So does Tommy with Lillian. We'll probably visit before long. " "And they'll probably want to go to Aquitar with us too. " Tommy added making reference to the next big Ranger mission. "Billy is already up there with Trini on the Pegasus getting her ready. She's going to be our heavy guns in helping the Aquatians. " "How's Trini been with that Yagami thing?" Bulk asked. "She's holding up. " Tommy said. "She's still not too friendly with her folks though. " Everyone hoped that Trini would get past her feelings. Her parents did love her still, even if they lied to her. "I just hope she's okay. " Richie said. "She's very nice. " Richie and Trini had a brief encounter, but it didn't really go anywhere. Anyway, he still didn't want her hurt. "She'll be ready when it's time to go to Aquitar. " Kat said. Emily then looked at Cassidy and asked "Never been to another planet have you?" Cassidy nodded and said "No. The moon has been it. " Referring to the Cylon attack that led her there. "Well you're in for a treat. " Adam said. "As Rangers we've been to many different worlds. Each one an adventure in itself. " Cassidy smiled a little. "Well I'm told Silver is the color for adventure and justice. I'm looking forward to it. " "Speaking of adventure, I have to get ready to leave myself. " Kat said. "Cassie, Alison and I will be leaving for Southtown the day after tomorrow. I have a month to be ready for. . . Ivy in that KOF tournament. Or Kaat as we've all come to know her. " "Yeah, you're being taught in a ki style aren't you?" Tommy asked. "Yes. Can't really pronounce it now, but I'm told it will help me. " Cassidy wondered if she should say anything about ki usage when she turned to notice six other teens come in. One of them seemed to make eye contact with Tommy then go his own merry way. The other five went with him. "Don't look now guys, but Oscar and the clique are here. " Tommy said. Cassidy seemed confused. "Who are they?" "Another cool group. " Rocky said. "They're not bad guys, but them and us are kind of like oil and water. We tried to make friends, but it didn't pan out. " "Since then we've kind of given them a wide berth. " Kat said. "They're pretty cool with Samantha, but for the most part we leave them alone, they leave us alone. " Cassidy nodded seeming to understand the predicament. There were similar cliques when she was at St. Marin's but all the same she felt something about them. Something that she should get to know. For a moment there she wondered if her instinct had not been turned off like Jessie had said, then she realized that this felt different that her instinct kicking in. This was more like a gut feeling. A strong gut feeling that seemed to be warranted when Emily felt uncomfortable suddenly. "Uhhh guys?" Emily asked. "Why are Scott and Lee staring at us right now?"

When they entered the Juice Bar Oscar Barrett and his friends made their way to the bar itself. Oscar caught notice of Tommy and then kept going. "Oliver and his friends are here. " Oscar said keeping a pretty deadpan expression. Scott Taylor, Lee Jones, Tina Croft, and Sandy Sinclair didn't seem to mind too much about 'the Oliver group' as they came to know them. They were comfortable with giving them a wide berth and just ordered their smoothies. "They have their business, and we have ours. " Daniel said. "Like where do we go next?" The clique had to move around a bit lately. They wondered if with the death of Kennede that Ranitime might be coming after them again, or others. If that was the case then they needed to find other kids that she might try to abduct, and stop those efforts. Even if it meant being recaptured themselves. They still appeared in Angel Grove at times, but they did go to other cities. "We could always go to Cousin Lara's again. " Tina said. Lara Croft had a library that the clique found useful, and Lara had proven that she would go after Ranitime if she tried to pull anything. Since Arcaidia Lara Croft and Ranitime developed a real 'hate/want dead' relationship. Scott also mentioned his own friends that could help. Oscar however wasn't sure about that. "No, I don't want to involve our remaining friends and family unless it can't be avoided. " Oscar said. "It's best if we try to do as much as we can on our own. If we need help at least they'll be there if we need it. " "I suppose so. " Tina said. But if she knew Lara then the Tomb Raider might already be on the lookout for the head of the Ranitime Corporation as they spoke. "What do you think Scott?" Lee asked. "Scott?" Oscar looked over at his friend and saw watched as he looked over at the Rangers' table and just seemed to stare. Lee saw Scott and tried to shake him out of his trance. "Uhh Scott, it's not polite to stare. " "Who's that girl?" Scott said pointing to Cassidy who was sitting with Tommy and his friends. Tina and Sandy looked at Scott wide eyed. "Since when are you interested in the girls at Oliver's table?" "Since I saw her. " Scott then turned to Ernie and asked "Who is she?" "Her name is Cassidy Bridges. " Ernie said. "She just moved here from San Francisco. She's staying over at the Hillard house. " "Whoa! San Francisco? Where those machine things first came from?" Lee asked. "The very same. " Ernie said. "She found that she had to leave home suddenly, and came out here with Tommy and his friends when they went there. " "What were Tommy's group doing out there?" Sandy asked. Ernie wondered what he could say. He couldn't expose the Rangers' identities, but he didn't like to lie either. "They. . . we're trying to find her. When Jessie died they needed to find someone else. They were tipped off to Cassidy and she seemed to fit in. " "I'll say this. It's amazing how Oliver can find new friends. " Oscar said. Scott however had other ideas as he got out of his chair. "Scott what are you doing?" "I'm going to introduce myself. " Scott said. Everyone wondered why. "I thought we didn't associate with Oliver's group, except for Jones. " Tina said. "With her I think we can make an exception. " Scott said making reference to Cassidy. Scott then got up and walked over to the table. Lee also got up and followed. "I'll make sure he stays out of trouble" he said. Oscar nodded as he, Sandy, Tina and Daniel sat at their table keeping tabs on Scott and Lee.

The Rangers continued to talk as Scott approached. When he and Lee both arrived everyone took notice as they stood before them. "Hey Scott, Lee. What brings you here?" Richie asked. "Sorry to interrupt. I just saw you sitting here, and I wanted to get to know you better. " Scott said his peace as he looked at Cassidy. Cassidy had the strangest feeling that she was the one he wanted to talk to. "Uhhh no problem. Guys could you excuse me?" The Rangers all nodded as Cassidy got up and went over to a nearby table to talk. Scott and Lee both took seats and sat across from her as the clique looked on from the bar. "Shouldn't your friends join us?" Cassidy asked. "They will in a minute. I kind of wanted to talk to you before you were introduced to them. " Scott said. Lee then added "I think he likes you. " "Right. " Cassidy said. Lee just looked at them both and said "I just decided to follow along. " "Why? Is he the troublemaker of the group?" Cassidy asked with a slight smile. Lee didn't answer that question and instead said, "Since you are new you haven't become familiar with us yet. I figured a gradual start was in order so you didn't feel crowded. Basically we get to know you, and you get to know us. " "Uhhh thanks. " Cassidy said with a smile as she heard Lee's answer. She also wondered why the clique would want to get to know her. "Do you always try to make friends with new students?" "Sometimes. " Scott said. "We often see a lot of potential in people that they don't always know they have. " Cassidy couldn't resist blushing. "Stop you're embarrassing me. " "Sorry. " Scott said. "Didn't mean to embarrass you. " Lee added, "He is quite the charmer isn't he?" Cassidy couldn't help but agree. "No problem. But I can tell you have quite the way with women already. " Now it was Scott's turn to blush. "So have you asked Ernie about me yet?" "Ernie just told us your name and where you were from. " Lee said. "Not much else after that. Only that Oliver and his group went up to San Francisco to find a friend. Are you that friend?" Cassidy thought about what to say. She thought of saying some wise crack but decided against it. There was something about Scott and Lee that seemed a little. . . off to her, for lack of a better term. She didn't know what it was, but there was a look in their eyes that Cassidy couldn't make out. "Excuse me. " Lee said shaking Cassidy out of her reverie. "Oh sorry. " Cassidy said. "It's just. . . yeah. I'm that friend. " "How did you meet?" Scott asked. Cassidy answered "Through a friend. " The conversation continued as Scott, Lee and Cassidy continued to talk. Both revealing as much as they could without revealing too much. "Tommy and his friends had to come and deliver an inheritance to me. My best friend and I were also caught in the Cylon attacks and we had to survive as best we could. I take it you were aware of people fighting back with Cylon weapons? My parents however were hurt when they came though. " "Your parents are both alive?" Scott asked. "Yeah. Divorced but alive. I did lose my stepmom though. Or should I say ex-stepmom. " Lee and Scott were intrigued by Cassidy's answer and she told the story about how her father was divorced twice. Scott smiled a little bit as he remembered his own father. "He sounds like quite a character. " Scott said. "A lot different than my own father. " "What was he like?" Cassidy asked. Scott went into reflection of his own father, how much of a hero he was to him, as well as best friend until he found the clique. "When my dad died, we kind of became our own family after that. " "It's a long story. Our families deaths. " Lee added. "You familiar with the Arcadia scandal?" Cassidy was wide eyed when she heard that. "You mean?. . . " "It was real. All of it. " Lee said. "And there are some that are still missing too. Daniel has a brother he's trying to find. Sandy also has two brothers she's looking for. It's hard when a member of your family is missing and you don't know what happened to them. " "Sounds like your friends and my dad have something in common. " Scott and Lee looked up as Cassidy explained. "My uncle went down in Vietnam in 1973. He was declared M. I. A. " Scott and Lee both nodded in understanding, already they had something in common. Lost relatives, and at least her father knew what it was like to lose a brother. Cassidy then talked about her father's brother. "Grandpa loved both of his sons, but he always seemed to go on about how great Uncle Bobby was. All star quarterback in high school, good grades, popular, so on and so on. I guess my dad felt like he always had to live up to his brother's example. And when he went missing. . . well. " Scott and Lee both seemed to understand. More often than not the first born child is revered moreso than the second or third born. As the three continued to talk they seemed to sense that Cassidy was comfortable with them and decided to move on to the next step. "Would you mind if my friends joined us?" Cassidy thought for a second then decided "No, no problem. " With that Scott and Lee signaled for Oscar and his friends to come over. Cassidy turned toward the Rangers and gave a thumbs up to the Rangers' table saying that she was all right. The Rangers nodded but had concerns. "Don't worry Tommy. Cassidy's a big girl. She'll be all right. " Skull said. "I hope so. " Tommy said as he looked in the direction of the clique as they took seats at the table where Cassidy was. When the clique was seated they spoke about different odds and ends with Cassidy. Cassidy found it interesting that all the clique mentioned that their parents were dead. "I'm sorry. " "No worries. " Tina said. "We still have other relatives we visit. Not that much though. And we stick together so much we're like a family ourselves. " "Parents come with you?" Sandy asked. Cassidy said "No. I had to leave them behind. " This got wide eyes from everyone. "You left your family behind? Why?" Oscar asked. "Matters beyond my control. " Cassidy said. "I became the target of some sicko witch, and she arranged my family and friends to be ambushed. I lost two, my mom and dad almost died. " "The ones she lost were a close friend and her ex-stepmom. " Scott said. Cassidy smiled a little in Scott's direction thanking him. Lee then asked "Why did this witch attack them?" "She said I had something of hers, and she wanted it back. " Cassidy said this without making reference to the Silver Zeo crystal. She basically explained it as an 'inheritance'. "Old story. " Tina explained. "Attend the reading of a will and there's always this one relative that thinks they should have something that another person got. " "Something like that. " Cassidy said. "Since then however I found out I got more than I bargained for. Especially with regards to a friend. " The clique seemed interested in what Cassidy meant and she tried to explain it, but Daniel said it instead. "You believe your life is out of your control. That others are steering it in directions they want and you are trying to regain control of it. " Cassidy was surprised by Daniel's choice of words, and wondered if there wasn't more to him than he let on. Oscar broke the moment by saying "He's got a great way with words doesn't he?" "Yeah he does. " Cassidy said. "Especially since he hit the nail on the head as to what I was thinking. " Cassidy then explained further. "It just seems like lately the reins of my life are out of my control, and I just want to get them back under control you know?" "Believe us, we can relate. " Oscar said. "We also just want to get our own lives back on track. " Tina then spoke up and said "Don't look now, but I think we just found something in common. " Everyone then chuckled. "So how come you and Tommy don't work together?" Cassidy asked. "It's hard to explain. " Oscar said. "We tried to combine groups but it just. . . didn't seem like a good mix. " "They just seem 'happy all the time' you know?" Tina mentioned. "Like they never had a bad day in their lives, and if they did it would devastate them totally. Well except for Oliver. There's something about that guy. " "He does seem a little dark doesn't he?" Cassidy asked. Oscar nodded and thought Cassidy did have a point. Oscar then added "At any rate we tried to get together once, we just didn't totally gel. " "But you did gel with Tommy?" Cassidy asked. The clique nodded. "And Samantha Jones, and now it seems with you too. " Sandy said. Cassidy smiled at the cliques' apparent acceptance. They seemed like pretty good people to her. "Well it's nice meeting you. I'd better get back before they call out the hounds on me. " Cassidy said as she and the clique got back up. Oscar and his friends all returned the sentiment and then left the Juice Bar while Cassidy went back to the Rangers table. "Hope to see you again sometime. " Tina said. "Maybe I will. " Cassidy said as she returned to the Rangers' table. Everyone wondered how Cassidy fared against the clique. "You know? Those guys aren't half bad. " Cassidy said. "They did say they weren't a total mix with us though. " "Well that's one thing we agree on. " Tommy said. He did respect Oscar, but there was something about him and his friends that set the other Rangers on edge. Except for him, Samantha and now Cassidy. Tommy wondered what it was brought them acceptance from the clique.

The clique continued to walk down the street talking of their meeting with Cassidy. "Well she seems nice. " Sandy said. "I wonder if she's dating anyone. " Scott said with a smile. "Probably better we don't ask. " Oscar said. "She's got her world, and we've got ours. We don't need to drag others into it. " Scott however wasn't sure about that. "There's something about her though. Something a little more than her just being part of Oliver's group. I think it's a good idea if we find out what it is. " "I agree. " Lee said. "I'd probably like to know a little bit about her. " "We can't really spare the time to do that. " Oscar said. "We have other things to worry about. " He then cast a look in Scott and Lee's direction and said "But if we can spare a minute we might check her out a little more. " Scott and Lee both thanked Oscar but Oscar added "IF we can spare a minute. " Scott and Lee nodded as they heard Oscar's words. They promised themselves that they would see what they could do about finding out as much about Cassidy when they could find the time. Right now though they had other places to be, and other matters to attend to. The clique then walked away from the Juice Bar. Two minutes after that a squad of Quantrons appeared.

It had been a full five minutes as the Rangers were talking and enjoying their smoothies when suddenly a scream was heard outside and all ten Rangers got out to see what was happening. What they saw they couldn't believe. Quantrons appeared outside and started terrorizing citizens. People ran away as the silver armored foot soldier with black eyes and grills on their face advanced on them with their bladed weapons in hand. "Aren't those Quantrons?" Richie asked. "And aren't they usually Astronema's foot soldiers?" Bulk added. "We'll worry about the who's and what's later. You guys ready?" Tommy asked his team. They all nodded. "You guys ready?" Skull asked his team. They too nodded. "Let's do this. " Soon everyone picked a target against the Quantrons. Tommy and Adam paired up to deal with some Quantrons in their path. The Martial Arts skill they demonstrated was phenomenal as Quantrons all went down. With their moves practiced to precision Tommy and Adam stood victorious over their opponents. Kat and Samantha seemed to be working in unity and tandem. Both girls seemed to work off each other as Kat delivered sheer grace in her moves while Samantha was unpredictable in her attacks. When the Quantrons went down the girls high fived each other. Bulk really charged his way through the Quantrons much like a monstrous ECW wrestler. Skull dodged his attackers and landed in his strikes to knock them down. Both then had a Quantron on their tail and Bulk and Skull did an end run with then taking out each other's Quantron. Skull with a flying side kick and Bulk with a running football charge. When their Quantrons were down Bulk and Skull stood triumphant. "No one can match our combined brain power. " Bulk had said. No one DARED to even touch that line. Emily and Richie were paired together. Emily seemed to know what she was doing in a fight, and Richie was no slouch either. Both knocked down their opposition. "Self defense pays off again. " Richie said. "Not to mention Jason's lessons. " Emily added. Rocky and Cassidy were paired up together. Rocky was a practiced Martial Artist while Cassidy used what she knew against the Quantrons. However more seemed to come Cassidy's way as they separated her from the other Zeo Rangers with their sheer numbers. The more Cassidy tried to fight her way to the Rangers, the more Quantrons appeared in her path. As the Quantrons gathered around her Tommy then realized that Cassidy was the apparent target. "Not if I can help it!" Tanya said as she tried to fight her way through them, but the Quantrons mounted a heavy offensive using their own bodies to cut off the Rangers from Cassidy. Cassidy however was weakening quickly and couldn't hold out much longer. "CASSIDY!!!" Tanya shouted.

<P>Cassidy tried to fight back but the Quantrons quickly grabbed Cassidy and teleported out

with her. Kat and Samantha tried to reach out to her but only found themselves grabbing empty air. "We've got to get her back!" Kat said. "Agreed. Let's get to the Power Chamber and see if we can track them. " Tommy said. After finding a clearing the nine Rangers teleported back to the Power Chamber hoping to see about rescuing their captured teammate.

On the Dark Fortress Artemis watched as the Quantrons brought in her 'guest'. Cassidy tried to struggle, but the Quantrons kept a firm grip on her arms. "Let go of me!" Cassidy said as she tried to break free. But they held their grip tightly as they brought her before Artemis. Artemis looked over Cassidy with skepticism. "So this is what the Silver Zeo Ranger looks like. " She said as the two took in the sight of the other. "Hmph. Sorry sight. " Not to be outdone Cassidy followed up with her own remark as she looked over Artemis. "You don't look any better. I mean blue hair and black leather? What fashion planet rejected you?" Artemis looked shocked and then grabbed Cassidy by the chin and the two locked eyes. The look Artemis had was nothing short of menacing. "I should kill you right now little girl! But I wonder how much of a threat you are. " Artemis ordered the Quantrons to release Cassidy and the two faced down each other. Artemis took in a fighting stance and said "Fight me!" "Ok. " Cassidy said as she tried to call forth her Zeonizers. However they did not appear on her wrists as they usually did. "Huh?" Artemis gave a sinister laugh as she took in Cassidy's plight. "What's the matter? Can't call forth your powers? A little something from the Machine Empire took care of that. Prince Gasket used it to keep the Zeo Rangers from morphing after they demorphed once. I guess all you have is that infallible instinct of yours. Oh right. You don't have that either!" Cassidy looked at Artemis wide eyed. "How do you know I don't have my instinct?" "I keep my ears open. " Artemis said as she advanced towards Cassidy. "So I guess I'll be facing a little girl with nothing special about her at all won't I?" "Don't sell yourself short. " Cassidy said. "I won't go down easy. " She then took a fighting stance and waited to see what Artemis would do next. If it was one thing self defence taught her was to let her attacker attack first. Artemis did so as she delivered a roundhouse kick which Cassidy dodged. However that was followed by a back kick that struck Cassidy straight in the solar plexus. Not willing to give up the advantage Artemis pressed on her attack with punches, kicks and backhands knocking Cassidy back. "Ecliptor always said to never let your guard down for a second. For that would be all one needs to get in one shot that can lead to an attack. " Artemis sneered as she stood over the downed Cassidy. "It seems like even with Ranger enhanced fighting you are no match for me. " Artemis sneered. Cassidy however wasn't done yet. She then launched into a spear right into Artemis's gut, then with Artemis down Cassidy launched a series of right hands into Artemis's face. "Nice advice. I'd take it if I were you. " Cassidy said. A force of energy however struck Cassidy as it sent her back a few feet, and landing on the floor near the weapons locker hard. Talismans, weapons and magical artifacts fell from the wall and clattered all around her. When Artemis saw where Cassidy landed she was in shock. "Ecliptor! Get her away from there before she recovers!" Cassidy quickly grabbed something from the locker and fumbled it into her pocket. When she looked up she saw Ecliptor standing overhead who grabbed her and hoisted her up. "What did you take? Did you take anything?" Ecliptor asked straight out. Cassidy had a dazed look on her face as if barely coherent. Ecliptor deduced that she couldn't have taken anything. He then turned to face Artemis and asked "Are you all right my princess?" Artemis looked up with a facial expression that clearly said that she was mad as hell "That does it!" Artemis said as she glared at Cassidy. With a snap of her fingers Artemis ordered the Quantrons to pick her up, and hold her. Artemis then looked straight into Cassidy's eyes and sneered as she said. "Just because of that I'm going to have you play with Scrudley. " The Quantrons made noises as if trying to say in their own language "Oh no. Not Scrudley!" "Bring her!" Artemis ordered as the Quantrons followed Artemis's lead. Cassidy found herself being led to a closed door across the main chamber where a monster was growling behind it. Artemis enjoyed the growling and imagined what she thought would happen once Cassidy started 'playing' with Scrudley. "Scrudley loves to play!" Artemis said with a sneer as she listened at the door before opening it. She looked at Cassidy's face and saw the expression of fear on it. "Wondering what game Scrudley will want to play with you? Well you won't have to wait long. " She then turned to her Quantrons ready to give the order. "Throw her in!" Artemis ordered, and Cassidy was thrown into the room known as 'Scrudley's play pen. ' The door closed and Artemis sat and listened to what would come next.

The door closed behind her as Cassidy looked around the room. She heard heavy breathing and snarling as she looked around in some sort of room that glowed an evil red luminescence. Through it all she caught her eyes on some monstrous spiked lizard like thing that had rows upon rows of sharp teeth and claws that definitely were made for swiping. Right away Cassidy knew that this was Scrudley. Cassidy looked through her pockets and pulled out the two things she had grabbed from the weapons locker. Fortunately she was able to look dazed enough that Ecliptor didn't think to check her. "Acting lessons pay off again" she said as she thought of the skill she had been developing ever since she was seven. No matter what happened that skill would never leave her. Turning her focus back to her smuggled items she saw what she had. One of the items she had smuggled in with her was a conventional blaster, which she was glad she had. If it was one thing Cassidy knew how to use it was a gun. Another item she had was some sort of medallion she picked up. She had no idea what it could do, but she figured any port in a storm. And Scrudley was definitely a big storm. If anything she wished she had her instincts right now so she could flawlessly evade Scrudley's attacks. But she still felt like she hadn't earned it. "If I make it through this I will definitely have earned it. " Cassidy then fired her blaster at Scrudley, yet the blaster fire seemed to bounce off what seemed to be an armored hide. Scrudley then did a swipe with his claw and Cassidy was knocked back. She hit the wall hard and dropped the blaster by her side. Scrudley was again on the hunt looking to 'play' with his new playmate. Out of options Cassidy brought forth the artefact she had picked up before. Cassidy looked at the medallion in her hand. "I don't know what you do but I hope it's good. " She said as she held it in front of Scrudley. Energy started to emanate from it and fill Cassidy's being but what happened next wasn't what she was expecting. Cassidy started shrinking. She found herself getting smaller and smaller just as Artemis had done the night before. She looked up and saw Scrudley and the room getting bigger and to her they didn't stop until Cassidy was as small as Artemis when she eavesdropped on the Ranger girls' slumber party. When the talisman stopped Cassidy was about three inches tall. "Well this is just great" she said in sarcasm. Her voice tiny and squeaky, much like Artemis's had been when she used the talisman. The small form of Cassidy Bridges looked up at he monstrous form of Scrudley. If Scrudley was only big before he was gigantic now.

On board the Astro Megaship Cassie was on monitor duty when a transmission came from the Power Chamber. She immediately answered the transmission and saw Zordon's image. "Zordon what's up?" "Cassie. I need to speak to Andros and Dimetria. It is a matter of grave importance. " Cassie nodded and headed to where Andros, and the other Astro Rangers were-the mess hall. "Cassie, what it it?" Andros asked. "It's Zordon. " Cassie said. "He's calling and asking for either you or Dimetria. " Andros and Dimetria made their way to the bridge with T. J. Carlos, Cassie, Ashley, Alison, Sabrina and Zhane following behind. When they got to the bridge Andros asked "Zordon, what's happening?" Tommy then took the screen. "Andros, we've got a problem" he said. "Astronema has taken Cassidy. " "WHAT?!!!" Alison said in shock and concern for her friend. "When?" "A few minutes ago. " Tommy explained. "The Zeo Rangers are going to attempt a rescue. But in order to do that we need some information. " Andros saw no problem with that. "What do you need?" he asked. Tommy answered that question. "We could use all the intel you have on Astronema's fortress. " Andros considered the request and decided to fulfil it. "No problem. D. E. C. A. send the Power Chamber the intel, on a secure frequency. " Andros said. D. E. C. A. sent the information and the Power Chamber decided to upload it. When the transmission was finished D. E. C. A. let Andros know. "Transmission successful. " D. E. C. A. said. "Thanks Andros. This will help. " Tommy said as he signed off. Alison however was in no mood to wait. "Alison what are you doing?" Carlos asked trying to restrain her along with the others. "I have to get down there!" Alison said, but Dimetria stopped her. "No Alison. Do not intervene. " This left Alison even more stunned. "Why not? Cass is my friend!" "And a member of the Zeo team. They are the ones that need to help her. " "But Dimetria! Astronema is our enemy!" Andros added. "And would it do us any good if all of us were captured if we went in all at one time?" Dimetria asked. "No. We let the Zeo Team do what needs to be done. We provided the intel for the Dark Fortress that's as far as we can go. " "Besides. S'Hera would probably see this as an excuse for collusion. " Sabrina added. "Which would do none of us any good. " "I hate to say this Alison. But she's right. We need to sit this one out. " Ashley said. However Ashley made no attempt to hide her frustration. A frustration everyone shared. "If the Zeo team fails. We're here!" T. J. said reassuringly. He then left for the simudeck to bash in some craterites. Alison sighed as she nodded. She hoped Cassidy would be all right. "Politics. " She said under muttered breath.

The tiny Cassidy looked up at the massive form of Scrudley. "Boy I wish I had my powers right now. " She said when she noticed something. Scrudley couldn't see her. He was sniffing the air hoping to catch her scent. A scent he couldn't pick up due to her new small size. This gave Cassidy an idea as she could move around without Scrudley detecting her. She made her way across the chamber where she then jumped up and felt herself flying high in the air. Not only was she small enough, but light enough to avoid Scrudley's massive size. "Cool. " Cassidy said as she was able to set down though not far from a rocky part of Scrudley's chamber, Cassidy then climbed across a set of rocks and pushed them off with her legs. As the rocks fell Scrudley heard the clatter of the rocks as he quickly made his way to where the sound came from. Cassidy left as Scrudley came forth, and she made her way to another corner, and did the same. Again Scrudley followed the sound. "Perfect. " Cassidy thought as Scrudley was looking all over the place wondering where the next sound would be. Finally she was at her last spot. Again she pushed over loose rocks directly in Scrudley's path. Scrudley this time did a running charge hoping to take out the sound. Cassidy ducked out of the way and Scrudley hit the rocky wall full force. The force of the impact was felt all across the Dark Fortress, and Scrudley was quickly disoriented. Cassidy made her way back to where her gun was and held up the Talisman again. As she looked at it a new idea came to her mind. First however she had to get back to normal size. "All right. You can make me small. Let's see if you can make me big again!" Cassidy held the Talisman and pictured herself back at normal size. The amulet glowed and Cassidy felt herself growing again. When she was back at full size she grabbed her pistol and saw Scrudley starting to stir. "Hey Scrudley! Over here!" Cassidy said as Scrudley shook the cobwebs out of his head and turned around. As he took a wiff he caught Cassidy's scent and immediately got a running charge again. Cassidy saw Scrudley charging and immediately activated the Talisman. The Talisman again glowed with energy as it made ready to do its function. Cassidy then threw it at Scrudley hoping it would work it's magic. She then grabbed her gun in case her guess was right.

The Zeos looked all around the Dark Fortress to see where they could enter. A fluctuation in the Dark Fortress as it rotated kept them from getting accurate readings. "This is fun. " Purple Zeo said. "Easy Em, we'll find our way in. " Skull said reassuringly. His words were proven true when the fluctuation cleared they found a way in through the Power Exhaust. However they had to be careful not to get caught in the waste cycle which was every five minutes. Nine Zeos slid down the exhaust port making their way to the main generator. When they reached the end Red and White Zeo helped out their respective teams just as another exhaust burst shot out. "That was close. " Gold Zeo said who was the last to get out. "Well it's nice to know you're getting into that high energy diet. " White Zeo said. Gold shot a look to his friend as if saying 'very funny' which White Zeo picked up on, even from beneath the helmet. Purple came between the two and said "Come on break it up. We have a teammate to save. " Gold and White Zeo rejoined the other Zeo Rangers as they made their way out of the engine room of the Dark Fortress. At the exit however were two Quantron guards standing watch at the entry way. Their backs were turned so they didn't see the Zeos approaching. "Adam, Rocky, do you mind?" "No problem. " Blue Zeo said as he and Green came up from behind them and spun them around. After a few swift kicks the two Quantrons were down for the count. Black Zeo then brought up the schematic map and everyone looked it over. "Main chamber is here. " Red Zeo said pointing to the center of the fortress. "If Andros's information is correct, that is where Astronema will hold Cassidy. " "What does Astronema want with her anyway?" Purple Zeo asked. "I thought she was strictly an Astro Rangers foe. " "Maybe she's branching out. " Yellow Zeo said. "Or trying to get a feel for the competition if she finds she defeats the Space Rangers. " "That's a good point Samantha. " Red Zeo said. "If she winds up beating them we will most likely be on her list next. " "So let's stop her now before she adds us to her list. " Pink Zeo said. Everyone agreed and they all made their way to the central control chamber. Theyy broke up in different directions with Red taking Pink and Yellow with him, Green and Blue going down another corridor, White and Gold going their own way and Purple and Black taking a third corridor. Despite minor Quantron resistance they all made their way to the entrance to the main chamber. "All right. On the count of three. " White Zeo said as they all brought forth their Zeo blasters to bear against the door. "One. . . two. . . " The sound of Quantrons behind them shook them out of their count, and the Zeos found them facing a massive army. "Where did they come from?" "They were a division I held in reserve. " Astronema's image said as she appeared on a monitor. "I figured that you Rangers would come in through the Power Exaust so I made sure to have some surprises in wait for you. " "Some?" Gold Zeo asked. Astronema smiled and said "Yes, some. " Soon they found themselves demorphing and powering down. The Zeo Rangers were back in their civilian identities. "What happened?" Kat asked. "A little something I picked up from the Machine Empire. " Astronema said. "Remember when your own powers were taken when you invaded Mondo's castle? Well I just borrowed their device for a while. Hope you mind. " With that Astronema cut out her image and left the Zeos to face the Quantrons. The only drawback was that the Zeo Rangers' powers were gone. There was no way they could morph.

From the Command Chamber Artemis watched as Astronema addressed the demorphed Zeo Rangers. "Hmmm. So those are the best planetary Rangers in the galaxy. Not much about them is there?" She however saw that while demorphed that they never gave up the fight they were in. They continued to battle on even though more Quantrons were closing in. ~ It doesn't matter. They will be overrun soon enough. ~ she thought. Her attention however was diverted when an explosion from Scrudley's chamber erupted throughout the room. Artemis turned and saw the door blown open and Cassidy walk out, with a blaster in her hand. Artemis was open mouthed with shock. How did she get a blaster? How did she defeat Scrudley? "How?" she asked. Cassidy looked over at Artemis and tossed the Talisman of Size at her. Artemis caught it and wondered how Cassidy could have gotten hold of it. Then she remembered Cassidy being thrown into the weapons locker. ~ She must have palmed it and the blaster, but she was disoriented. ~ Artemis thought trying to comprehend what was happening. "It's amazing what acting lessons do for someone. " Cassidy said. "It's a good thing I took several of them. " Artemis glared at Cassidy and then asked "What did you do to Scrudley?" "Oh yes that, I'm sorry but I had to use that thing that makes people shrink on him. " Cassidy then looked at the bottom of her shoe. "You don't know how to get monster off one's shoe do you?" The impertinence of the girl before her caused Artemis's blood to boil. First Zhane, now Scrudley. She wanted Cassidy to suffer. Whether she had powers or not she would suffer. Artemis then brought forth her Wraith Staff and fired it at Cassidy. She immediately dodged the blast, but Artemis made ready to fire again. Again Cassidy ducked out of the way. "Stand still girl!" Artemis seethed. "Not on your life!" Cassidy said as she stood before the main console. ~ Please let me be right about this. ~ she thought hoping that the console controlled what she thought it controlled. She would find out soon as Artemis made ready to fire again. Again Cassidy dodged and Artemis's magic bolts struck the console. The console then erupted in a mass of sparks and the hum of equipment shutting down was heard. ~ Now to see if I'm right. ~ Cassidy thought. "IT'S MORPHIN TIME!!!" With the twists of her wrists her Zeonizers appeared and Cassidy connected them together. The Zeo energy filled her being transforming her. "ZEO RANGER VII!!! SILVER!!!" Silver Zeo stood before the console. She then brought out her nightstick and connected her chain to it. She then swung her weapon around making ready to strike Artemis with it, as Artemis made ready to dodge. Sure enough she dodged as the chain length stick struck the position she stood at. Artemis waited for the next strike to come even though the chain looked dangerous. Sure enough the chain was launched, but instead of Artemis the target was her Wraith Staff. The chain wrapped around that and hit Artemis in the nose causing her to lose her grip on the staff and Silver Zeo tossed the weapons aside. Silver Zeo got into a fighting stance and said "Want to go hand to hand?" "Gladly. " Artemis said as she got into a fighting stance of her own. It was now Silver Zeo vs. Artemis Princess of Darkness. Neither one was willing to lose.

Back in the corriodor the Zeo Rangers all felt a surge of power in them again as their Zeonizers appeared on their wrists. "Guys I think our powers are back!" Bulk said. "All right!" Skull said. "Okay, everyone morph. " Tommy said that Skull didn't have to tell him twice and the Zeos all transformed. "ZEO RANGER I-PINK!!!" "ZEO RANGER II-YELLOW!!!" "ZEO RANGER III-BLUE!!!" "ZEO RANGER IV-GREEN!!!" "ZEO RANGER V-RED!!!" "ZEO RANGER VI-PURPLE!!!" "ZEO RANGER VIII-BLACK!!!" "ZEO RANGER IX-WHITE!!!" "ZEO RANGER X-GOLD!!!" The Zeo Rangers were back and fighting off the Quantrons with renewed vigor. Green and Blue fought off some along with Red Zeo. Yellow and Pink fought some off with a mix of fighting and grace. White and Gold did an old 'set em up and knock em down' routine with Gold Zeo running the Quantrons down like a runaway train. Purple and Black also did some fighting off, and very efficiently as well.

<P>Soon they all were in and fighting the Quantrons was kept to a minimum as they made their way to the command center.

Artemis and Silver Zeo fought hard. Artemis however seemed to be a superior fighter, mostly due to her being trained as a Ranger since birth. Silver Zeo clearly was being driven back, then with a kick in the stomach and an uppercut to her helmet jaw sent her sprawling to the ground. Silver Zeo looked up and saw the tip of Artemis's Wraith Staff facing her. Reaching behind her head Artemis undid the helmet latches of Silver Zeo's helmet and removed it so she could look in Cassidy's face. "So what are you going to do now? Impale me?" "I should. " Artemis said with malice. "You have caused me pain being with him. Stealing him away. " Cassidy wondered who Artemis was referring to. "Who are you talking about?" "Zhane you bitch!" Artemis shrieked. "You had to be with him. I loveed him, not you!" Cassidy looked at Artemis dead in the eye. She saw a lot of hate there, but she didn't seem insane by any means. Not like Josie. Artemis seemed to be in control of herself. But the bit about her loving Zhane got her wondering. ~ When was she interested in him?~ she wondered. "Look Zhane and I are just friends. " "Maybe you are and maybe you aren't. But you won't love him like I did. " Artemis then made ready to impale Cassidy when dodged the lunge. "Look lady, as I said before Zhane and I are just friends. " ""Good, then you won't be anything else to him. " Artemis sneered as she made ready to fire mystical energy from her Wraith Staff. Cassidy then drew out her Zeo Blaster and fired in Artemis's leg. Artemis was hobbling all around the room dropping her Wraith Staff just as Cassidy got back up. "How?!" Artemis shouted in disbelief. ~ She was just an ordinary girl now. How could she beat a Princess of Darkness?~ she asked herself. Cassidy continued to walk towards her holding the Zeo Blaster. "As good as I am being an actress, I also have pretty good skill with firearms too. I was able to pick a shot off and make sure it hit you where you could be hurt. " "No one is that good a shot!" Artemis continued. Cassidy then looked her dead in the eye. "Let me tell you something 'princess. ' My father took me to the target range when I was old enough to walk. He taught me everything there was to know about firing a gun. And I'll tell you, I am quite the crack shot. Powers or no powers! I proved that when I shot you in the leg didn't I?" The Zeo Rangers walked in then as Quantrons entered the other entrance. With the standoff Cassidy kept her gun leveled against Artemis. Ecliptor made a reference by saying "You seem to be tough with that weapon in your hand. " "Yes I do and Yes I am. " Cassidy admitted freely. Ecliptor thought this was interesting for a Ranger to do, admit their strengths and weaknesses. ~ She must have had a good teacher. ~ he thought as Cassidy continued. "And even though Rangers don't kill if they can help it I can sure make your 'princess' wish she was dead. Lower your weapons now. " To back up her threat Cassidy shot a blaster round into Artemis's leg, which made her shout out in pain. "Don't tempt me again. " Quantrons then appeared to take the injured Artemis to the medical bay. She heard that it would be a few days before the leg would heal, which angered her so much she blasted a nearby Quantron. The Quantrons then backed away and the Zeos all made their way out of the main chamber. Cassidy put her helmet back on and Silver Zeo left with her team. "You'll pay for this Cassidy Bridges. You will pay for every wrong you committed against me!" Artemis vowed as she left the room. "Right now I'm only counting one. " Silver Zeo said. "Don't make me go for two. " She then joined the others as they left the chamber. "Cassidy you okay?" Yellow Zeo asked. She nodded yes. "We'd better get out of here. " Green Zeo said. "You can bet the Quantrons will be coming back. " Everyone nodded and the Zeo Rangers teleported out.

In the med bay the Quantrons immediately began tending to Artemis's wound. Her magic was healing it but she still needed to let some healing nutrients do their work. Since the nutrients were not as effective against magic as they were against non magic she demorphed as Karone to let the nutrients do their work. Cyane then came in to visit. She decided to take off her Astronema garb and come as her other identity to offer her 'sister' some 'reassurance'. It was the first time Karone saw her twin as Cyane. While her face was still a mirror image of Karone's the fiery red hair and choice of clothes, black t-shirt and vest with leather pants and boots reflected her personality well. Cyane seemed to reflect someone who was rough and tumble at heart. Someone who even though was brought up to be evil royalty kept some sort of connection to a hard life close to her heart. Cyane once told Karone that she was a runaway from a colony, and that she had to survive anyway she could. Right now Cyane was concerned for Karone's survival, and Karone appreciated the gesture. "Holding up well?" Cyane asked. "Not bad. " Karone said. "Considering I faced the Rangers and you were in the auxiliary chamber broadcasting our face on all the monitors in safety. " Karone said the last bit with false sarcasm. Cyane picked up on it and knew of the spirit in which it was intended. "Someone had to watch events. " Cyane said with a smile. "We can watch ourselves fight and train ourselves for when we reveal ourselves to the Rangers. When it is time for our 'double act' they will be unable to stand against our combined skill. " Karone nodded thinking that Cyane might be right. "You might be onto something. If any rate I can probably also watch Silver Zeo's fighting style. I fully intend to face her again. Cyane didn't do anything when Karone mentioned Silver Zeo. She was her 'sister's' target. "Anything else?" Cyane said. Karone smirked a little mischievous smirk as she thought of a devilish stunt for her to full. Fingering the object in her pocket Karone brought it out and made ready to toss it to Cyane. "Catch!" Karone said as she threw the Talisman of Size at Cyane. When Cyane caught it she saw the Talisman was glowing and she immediately felt the effects working. Cyane looked down at herself as she felt herself shrinking. When she looked up she saw the whole room become bigger and a wide smile spread across Karone's face as Cyane became victim of her prank. Cyane didn't stop until she was at the same small size that Karone and Cassidy were when they used it. Cyane took in her small size as she saw Karone looking down at her as she smirked. "Who's the little woman now?" Cyane had to admit that she was taken by surprise. "Amusing. " She said in a tiny voice. "But I can get back to being big again you know. " Cyane then held the talisman hoping to use it to make her grow again, but nothing happened. "What?" Cyane said, and even Karone looked surprised. "Don't tell me the magic has been overused!" "It may look that way my princess. " Ecliptor said. "It has been said that the Talisman needs to have it's magic replenished every few hours so it can still function. If it is used too many times during one period the Talisman could very well lose its power. " Karone and the tiny Cyane looked shocked. "How long must one wait after multiple use?" "There was no available data to make the determination. " Ecliptor said. Cyane looked shocked as she figured that she could spend her life forever being a three inch villainess. "Get me to the sattelaser matrix!" Cyane ordered as a Quantron picked her up and carried her away. Karone lay back to rest. She would confront Silver Zeo again someday. She had to admit that she was pretty resourceful, and Karone also got in a lick at Cyane. A lick that would last a while. Cyane however saw Karone's smirk and had a mischievous idea of her own. While the Talisman took a lot of power to make someone big, it still had enough power to do one more shrinking. "Take me to Karone. " Cyane said to the Quantron who carried her over. Karone looked at the tiny form of Cyane and wondered "Anything else?" Cyane answered with "As the humans say 'say cheese!'" Cyane held the Talisman at Karone as she fired the last of it's power at her sister. Karone felt the magic envelope her, and she felt herself shrinking again. Like before the world got bigger around her while Karone got smaller and smaller. Soon Karone was three inches tall like Cyane was now. "Aww geeez. I was hoping to shrink you down so far you go to the subatomic world. " Cyane said. "I guess three inches is big enough. " "You wouldn't do that to your own sister would you?" Karone asked as the two little girls seemed to engage in high pitched witty banter. The war with words ended however when Cyane then looked at the Talisman and saw it dissolve into dust in her hand. Karone then looked up and asked, "Oh great, can things get any worse?" As if on cue Divatox's face appeared on the screen, and she saw the Astro Twins as tiny as mice. She couldn't resist sneering as she said "Oh what cute little girls you are. " Right away both girls would make sure Divatox would have quite the nightmare when they got big again. The only problem was the sattelaser matrix was shut down, and it would take hours to repair. For the little Astro girls, it was going to be a long wait.

Soon at the juice bar the Zeos and Morphin Rangers all toasted Cassidy's return, and their first battle, and victory, over Astronema, or Artemis as the case seemed to be. "So. How was Astronema?" Kimberly asked. "We'll let's just say. If I had to face Scrudley over Astronema again, I'd probably have an easier time with. . . . . Astronema!" Cassidy said. The Rangers all laughed and welcomed Cassidy back home when everyone turned to see someone standing in the doorway. Cassidy looked to see Alison standing in the doorway. Tears in her eyes as she rushed to hug her friend. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you!" Alison said between sobs. "I wanted to!" "I know Alison. I know. " Cassidy said. "Don't worry. We'll fight together again soon. " Alison looked at her friend and wiped the tears away. A slight smile crossed her face as she said "Ahh you're just saying that. " Both girls giggled as they hugged one another again. Soon everyone was partying again.

At the end of the day Cassidy got ready for bed when she felt a rush of something within her. A rush of power filling her mind. Jessie's energy had worn off. Cassidy had her instinct back. "So how was your day?" Jessie asked as she appeared behind Cassidy. Cassidy could only smile as she said "Eventful. " "So I noticed. " Jessie said. "I trust you met Oscar Barrett and his friends?" "Yeah. " Cassidy said. "They seemed like nice guys, especially Scott and Lee. A little distant though. " "Your instinct taps into a power they themselves have a connection with. " Jessie said "They could be great allies in the future, if they wish to be. " "If they wish to be?" Cassidy asked. "What does that mean?" "It means that the next move will be up to them. " Jessie said. "If they wish to contact the Rangers you may just be one of the people they connect with. But they will choose the time and place. " Jessie then faded away leaving Cassidy alone feeling tired, but also like a new woman. She had her friends, she made new acquaintances, she had her Silver Zeo powers, and she also had her instinct back. Only this time she felt that she earned it.

Shadow Palace Back at the Shadow Palace Jessie appeared before Karla and waved her hand to turn the viewer off. She and her mentor John, who also arrived, turned to face Karla. "Do you see now?" John had said to his ally. Karla nodded as if understanding. Cassidy and the Zeos had done all right for themselves. They didn't need any ki ability or special allies. At least not this time. They relied on their own instincts and what they had, and Cassidy had done it without her infallible instinct but with what she already had before she became a Ranger. Traits she had picked up as a normal everyday human. "But surely you must concede that allies may be needed. " "Perhaps. " John said. "But at any rate they are there if they are needed, and they do not appear to need any more. But at any rate, I think it might be best to make your decisions now as to who you want to pursue your own interests so they don't impact on the affairs of others. " Karla nodded and made her selections. "The Bogards, Croft, Pezzini, the Doctor, the Pegasus, and at some point Jack Bauer should do. " John seemed interested in the choices Karla made. "May I ask why Jack Bauer is needed. Isn't he in army training?" "He has a future that will make major impact on events. " Karla said. "Also he has a link with a Power Ranger in the future. His niece will become one. " John seemed intrigued at Karla's prediction then he became serious "As long as their destinies are not manipulated. " "I'm sorry. " Karla said. "I just. . . I just wanted some to have a second chance is all. " "Sometimes those chances aren't ours to give. As the Doctor once said there are certain rules that can't be broken. " Karla then wondered what would happen with all that she had done. "It's part of the flow of the universe now, and it's been stopped so that no further distortion of the universe's flow will occur. " John explained but then he looked at Karla and said sternly. "However this does prove the point that my brethren believed. None of us can be trusted with the affairs of the universe. Not the Q, Not the Triad, Not even us. " "Meaning?" Karla asked knowing what John possibly meant. "Meaning that when we leave Karla, the Triad have to leave as well. None of us can stay. " Jessie explained. "But there is still much to do. " Karla said. "There are still forces. . . " "That we can't all deal with. " Jessie said. "The Rangers need to deal with them when the time comes. That is what truly drives evolution. Facing a situation and getting past it, not an infusion of power or who has the best ability. " "We have reached a point in the universe where our involvement is no longer needed. Nor beneficial. " John added. "We have to leave. All of us. Or we will bring about a massive backlash that the universe will not survive. " Karla had to concede that there was some sense to what John and Jessie was saying. "But my teacher may decide not to leave. " "Rassilon will make his own choice as well. " John had said. "What that decision will be is his to make. " Jessie and John then vanished leaving Karla to her thoughts. That was when Shadow came in. "We're ready to contact the Hakkushu. " Shadow had stated as he mentioned the plan of a replacement guardian for the aftermath of the reckoning. "No" Karla said. "That won't be necessary. " This got a reaction from Mirabilis as well who also entered. "Why not?" Mirabilis asked. Karla looked at her two pupils and said straight out. "We're going to have to abandon our operations here. It seems our work may turn out to be. . . counter productive here. " "Counter productive?" Mirabilis asked. "How so?" "The manipulations that we have been doing to counter the Q's efforts, combined with the Q's efforts themselves, are leading to a backlash. " Karla said. "If we continue to go about interfering with lives and destinies the backlash could destroy anything and everything in the universe. The only way to prevent such an occurrence is for us to take leave when the Q do so. " Shaodw and Mirabilis both nodded in understanding. "When do we leave?" Shadow asked. "When the reckoning comes about. " Karla answered. But her thoughts turned to one question. The Lords were responsible for holding back the Q's game, and now they have put restraints on some of the Triad's plans. Somehow she found herself wondering. Who watches the Watchmen?

"A good question Karla. " Q said as he mused on what Karla was saying. After his meeting with the Lords, he suddenly became aware of what the Lords and Triad were planning, and while he had some reservations about the idea he had to admit that there was some point as to why they were taking the direction they were taking. The game the Q were playing was what started these events, and as John said a backlash was taking effect as a result of how the Q were treating living beings in the cosmos. A lot of the Q didn't care about that. Responsibility was something a lot of the Q thought they were above, but then sometimes they found that was not always the case. The only plus to that philosophy was that no one else was above that philosophy either. And while he knew that the Lords of Kobol knew that, he wondered if the Time Lords did too. The Time Lords were powerful beings, true. They had abilities that put them on the level of higher powers, but barely. It was Rassilon's efforts that brought them to the level of power the Time Lords so enjoy today. If the presence of Rassilon was removed the Time Lords could be more. . . Q pondered briefly for the right word to use in this situation. The best he could come up with was 'malleable'. Q was aware of the Ravolox incident which led to the Doctor's second trial. However he knew that incident was only the first step in a downward spiral that would destroy all that Rassilon built. All his perfection would decay from within. However if Q made any moves against the Time Lords Rassilon would be on him quick, as would the Triad, and possibly the Lords. "Rassilon may have taught you everything you know Karla, but he didn't teach you everything HE knows. " Q said in musing. Already his mind was wondering how to use the Reckoning to his advantage. And how to make sure that when the Higher Powers left, that Rassilon was among them. Provided his three young Q didn't do anything rash to 'get their game back. '

On Eltar one element of the Ravolox incident sat in his quarters making plans of his own. The Valeyard sat in contemplation when his communications system activated. He activated the screen and found that he was receiving a transmission from Biilly. When he opened the channel he got straight to the point. "I take it that if you're calling me that you are telling me that you have something. " the Valeyard said. Biilly indicated that he did. "Confirmation of communication between the Power Chamber and the Astro Megaship. " Biilly said. "Along with identification codes on the subchannels. Basically the information exchanged dealt with the Dark Fortress. The Zeo Rangers just had a mission there. " Valeyard wasted no time. He set his computer to receive the data. "Transmit. . . now. " Biilly did so and Valeyard saw traces of the data that was being sent to him. "Transmission complete. " Biilly then said. "Excellent. This will be very useful. " The Valeyard then broke communication so he could listen to what was on the data. Darkonda and S'Hera were gaining support in the council, but they were unable to get Kinwon replaced on the Pegasus. Sygnus's clout took care of that, it also helped that he had Prime Minister Tirol there to make the appeal as well. But still they were building influence and power. It wouldn't be long before they had it all. And the Rangers would be defeated.

On Earth Biilly was alone thinking on the future. A future where the Rangers were out of the way. He had to admit it was a flattering prospect. Then after the Rangers were beaten he would turn his attention to the wayward Triini, and the child she was carrying. She would pay for humiliating him. But first the Rangers had to be dealt with. And if Biilly could do anything about it they would be.

Back at the Power Chamber Samantha was all packed and ready to go live in Kat's house while Kat was leaving for Southtown. Samantha had three bags with her. "You ready to go?" Kat asked. "All set. " Samantha said. "You?" "Bags all packed at the house. " Kat said. "I leave with Alison and Cassie tomorrow. " Samantha and Kat both embraced in a friendly hug and Samantha said for her to take care. "Don't worry I will. " Kat replied. The two looked off to the side when they noticed Cassidy looking at a platform in the far corner of the TARDIS. "What's this?" "The Doctor said it was a standing version of the Infinity Window. " Samantha explained. "It allows one to look into any point in time on any planet anywhere. All you have to do is stand on the center. " Cassidy looked intrigued. "Why is it off?" "It's never really worked right. " Samantha said. "Some sort of glitch. " Cassidy was curious and she stepped onto the platform and the platform seemed to light up around her. Images started to swirl revealing different places, times. Cassidy looked on in awe. "Wow!" she said as she looked around. "This is so cool. " Kat and Samantha were amazed and couldn't help but step onto the platform themselves. They too saw the images around them. "I don't believe it. " Kat said. "I know. From what the Doctor said this thing never worked right. " Samantha added. Just then the Doctor arrived and saw the three girls on the Infinity Window platform. His eyes were wide in shock. "What are you doing on there? Get off now!" "Doctor what's wrong?" Samantha asked. "Guys we'd better go. " Cassidy said as her instinct suddenly kicked in. The girls then turned around to leave, but then sparks seemed to erupt from the platform cutting them off from the exit. "GET OFF NOW!!!" the Doctor said, but the sparks from the equipment cut off the Doctor from the girls. The equipment started to overload and a flash seemed to erupt from the Infinity Window. "What's happening?" Kat's voice said as it seemed to fade. "I don't know. " Samantha also said as her voice sounded like it was going further away. Suddenly the flash and sparks seemed to fade and the machine seemed to quiet down. When the sparks died down, and the flash ended, the Doctor noticed all three girls were gone.

Cassidy felt herself come to on some grassy surface. The air seemed hot, hotter than California even. "Is everyone all right?" Cassidy asked getting herself back up. "Uhhh sure. " Kat said with Samantha as they got to their feet too. Suddenly they all found themselves in the very jungle Cassidy was looking at in the Infinity window. "Where are we?" Samantha asked. There was no answer as soldiers started to come down a path. When they saw the girls the lead soldier stepped forward and asked "Who are you?" Cassidy looked up at the uniform label of the soldier before her. It read 'BRIDGES', looking up at the face she saw someone she never believed she would ever see in her lifetime. It was the face of someone her own father idolized. It was the face of his own brother Bobby Bridges. Her uncle.