[Ellen Brand]

"I would think so. Pyramidas is safely cloaked on Earth, not far from the Power Chamber. I can live there quite comfortably for a very long time."

.........."It must get boring, cooped up in that pyramid whenever you're not helping us. What I guess I'm trying to say is that you might want to hang out with us when you don't have to be Gold Ranger."

..........Gold Ranger chuckled. "Thanks for the invitation, Rocky, but I don't think I'd fit in."

.........."What are friends for, man? I got a letter from Prince Dex of Edenoi the other day, from where he is on Earth, and he seems to be fitting in well."

.........."You know Dex? Where is he?" Gold Ranger's head snapped up. "We were very good friends, before the attack on Edenoi."

.........."Really?" Blue Ranger was amazed. "How'd that happen?"

..........Gold Ranger never got a chance to reply, because just then ChopShop burst up the steps, searching for them. "Now!" Blue Ranger called. He opened the nozzle on the fire hose he held, just as Gold Ranger spun the valve wide open.

..........The robot was struck with the high pressure stream and pushed back, away from the Rangers and towards the edge. The objects that the two Rangers had placed on the catwalk hemmed ChopShop in, giving the monster only one path to follow. Silently, Blue Ranger gave thanks for the enhanced strength morphing gave him. If he had been an ordinary human, the pressure would have knocked him off his feet. He watched as ChopShop neared the edge of the platform and was pushed off by the force of the water. With a single, despairing cry, ChopShop fell into the molten steel below. Blue Ranger turned his head away from the melting monster. He didn't need to watch it die.

.........."By the Triune Goddess!" Gold Ranger's gasp drew Blue Ranger's attention back to the vat. Incredibly, ChopShop was pulling itself out of the steel. A great deal of it was gone, but its endoskeletal support structure was still intact. Looking up at the two boys, the monster aimed and shot a blade with a cord attached up at them. The two dodged and watched in horror as the robot pulled itself up to the catwalk they stood on.

.........."I think it's pissed," Blue Ranger declared unnecessarily. "We are dead meat."



..........Slowly, Red Ranger rolled his body around the jamb of the door that led into the warehouse. "Keep your eyes open, Kat," he cautioned. "That dinosaur is sneakier than Delmar."

.........."More annoying, too," she muttered, following him in. Gradually, carefully, they began to explore the warehouse, always on the alert for an attack. "David, my nerves are so tight I'm afraid they're going to snap," Pink Ranger commented.

.........."I know, Kat. I don't like this any better than you do." A rustling sound off to Pink Ranger's left alerted him to the presence of something watching them. On a hunch, he threw himself at her, knocking her to the floor as a brown blur brushed past them. As it was, he wasn't quite fast enough. Pink Ranger received a nasty slash to her thigh.

..........Red Ranger examined it, drawing in his breath with a hiss. "Kat, it's deep. Luckily, he didn't hit an artery, so you're in no danger of bleeding to death, but I don't think you should walk on it."

.........."I don't think I can," she replied softly.

.........."Zordon? Zordon, come in!" Cold static answered Red Ranger's calls. "Damn! Communicators are out, teleportation is too. You know more about Rangering than I do. How long do you think it'll take you to heal?"

..........She shrugged. "I don't know. Twenty minutes, maybe, to be functional. An hour to fully recover. That's without treatment."

..........Red Ranger put his hands over his helmet-face. "We don't have that kind of time. All right, here's what we'll do. You're obviously in no shape to play the game by Raptar's rules, so we'll play by ours. C'mon." Abruptly, he scooped her into his arms.

.........."Where are we going?" She could hear the dangerous grin in his voice as he responded.

.........."Just be glad this is a restaurant supply company. We're gonna get Raptar to chill out."

..........

.........."The freezer?" she asked when they arrived at their destination. "David, the latest research shows that dinosaurs were not cold-blooded. They were homeothermic, just like birds."

.........."Ah, but Katharine, anything slows down when it gets cold. Even humans. Our Ranger suits protect us. He doesn't have that advantage. Besides, that's only a side effect. What do we have that he doesn't?"

.........."Opposable thumbs?"

.........."Well, yeah, but we also have boots. Boots with treads. That gives us better traction on ice." With that, he tipped over a vat of chipped ice, sending it skittering over the already damp floor. Then he turned up the cold in the freezer and hid Pink Ranger behind a rack of meat. "Kat, there's something I have to say to you, in case we don't make it out of this."

..........She laid a gloved hand over where his mouth should be. "Don't."

.........."I have to. Kat, I love you. I've loved you ever since I met you in the juice bar that first time. Being a Power Ranger with you has only strengthened my feelings. I know you're with Tommy, and I would never do anything to break that up. I just wanted you to know that I love you. I don't want to die with that unsaid."

.........."Oh, David," she began. However, she was interrupted by a hideous squealing sound and a horrendous crash. Raptar had found them and torn the metal door off its hinges.

.........."Hello, lunch." The saurian monster lunged at Red Ranger, but found the floor a little too slick for it. It fell flat on its snout. "Ouch! Twice in one day! Oh, now you're really gonna pay for that!" Raising itself off the floor, it carefully began to stalk towards Red Ranger.

.........."Come and get me, scale-face," Red Ranger laughed, sounding more confident than he felt. He only had a slight advantage over Raptar, and if he lost that, he was dead.

..........Suddenly, Raptar whirled around, catching Red Ranger at the back of the knees, knocking him off his feet. He hit the floor hard enough to render him breathless and dizzy. Through blurred eyes, he saw Raptar advancing on him slowly. "Adios, amigo," the dinosaur chuckled, raising one powerful, sharp-clawed hind leg.



.........."NO!" Tommy cried, seeing the position his friends were in. "Zordon, isn't there anything we can do?" he wailed, clutching his coin tightly. Before the sage could answer, a low thrumming cut through the Power Chamber.

.........."What's going on?" Jason cried, looking around for some evidence of attack.

.........."Ai yi yi!" Alpha was yelling and running around in panic.

.........."Look!" pointed Lita. The other occupants of the Power Chamber followed her finger and saw the coin in Tommy's hands pulsing with a green light. The thrumming was also coming from the coin.

.........."Tommy, what's happening?" Lita asked cautiously.

.........."It- it wants me to use it! It wants me to use the Green Power."

.........."As the Green Ranger, you could help the Rangers!" Jason told him excitedly.

.........."But- the Green Ranger was evil- I don't- I can't..." Tommy stared at the coin in his hand confused.

.........."DAVID!" Pink Ranger's scream, transmitted through the viewing globe, drew all their attention. Red Ranger had managed to roll away from Raptar's strike at the last minute, but not quite far enough. The claws had slashed his left arm, which lay useless at his side. Still on the ground, losing blood too quickly to stand, Red Ranger groaned.

.........."Kat, I'm sorry. I love you."

..........Pink Ranger was now sobbing. "David, please, don't die on me!"

..........Her obvious agony was the last straw for Tommy. "I can't back down. Whatever it takes, whatever the risk, I have to do this! Dragonzord!"

..........A flare of emerald light filled the Power Chamber, searing the vision of all the occupants. When it cleared, the Green Dragon Ranger was standing before them. "Tommy?" Lita asked hesitantly.

.........."Yes- and no," he responded. "I'll explain when I get back." With that, he teleported out, leaving the four remaining beings confused. Who was in control of the body, Tommy- or the Green Ranger?



..........Red Ranger stared up at the Raptar as it approached. This is it. I'm going to die, he thought. Of all the ways to go out, dino bait was not one I would have anticipated. As the monster reared back, Red Ranger braced himself for the killing blow.

..........Suddenly a green blur plowed into the dinosaur, knocking it away from Red Ranger. Somewhat weak from the blood loss, Red Ranger nevertheless managed to stand. I will never underrate accelerated healing powers again, he noted thankfully. Quickly he crossed to Pink Ranger, offering her his good arm. She let out a small yelp as she stood up, but managed to put some weight on her leg. The two Rangers then turned to get a better look at their rescuer.

..........Green Dragon Ranger had pulled his blade blaster and was aiming for the Raptar's most vulnerable spot- its eyes. The monster was too busy guarding them to attack anybody.

.........."Kat, while it's distracted- aim your Zeo pistol at the monster's torso. Fire on my command. One- two- three!" The two Rangers fired simultaneously on the same spot, causing the monster to disintegrate. Cheering, Red and Pink Rangers turned to their rescuer.

.........."Tommy!" Pink Ranger gasped. Green Dragon Ranger shrugged.

.........."Hi guys."

.........."Tommy! But- but- how?" Red Ranger stammered.

.........."Long story, tell you later. Are you guys up for more fighting?"

..........Gingerly, Red Ranger flexed his arm. "I think so. The muscles seem to have healed."

..........Pink Ranger nodded. "I won't be launching any flying kicks for a couple of hours, but I can fight."

.........."Good. The others are also in bad spots, and they all need our help. Kat, you and I will go help Rocky and Trey. Dave, you go help Adam and Tanya at the planetarium. You should be able to handle Canopus alone. He got the drop on them, but you'll have surprise on your side. Let's go!"

..........As the three Rangers teleported out, David marveled at how quickly and easily Tommy slipped back into the role of leader. His brother was a definite miracle.



.........."Oomph!" Tanya grunted, falling back as a backhanded blow caught her across the cheek, knocking her back into a wall. She was bleeding from several places where Canopus had cut her with its blade-like forearms, and bruised in several more. However, none of her injuries were serious, and she was still fighting gamely to protect Adam, who lay on the floor struggling with his bonds.

.........."Give up, human!" Canopus sneered. "You are severely out-matched!"

.........."Yeah, right," Tanya grinned. "So why am I still kicking your butt?" Her eyes flickered up over Canopus' shoulder and she smiled even wider. "Oh, now you're really in trouble, metal-muncher."

.........."Oh, please! That's the oldest trick in the book!" Whatever else Canopus would have said was cut off as Red Ranger's flying kick plowed into the back of the monster's head.

.........."And that's the second oldest," Red Ranger grinned, pulling his Zeo pistol. "Say goodnight, Gracie." Leveling his pistol at the monster, he pulled the trigger. The beam slammed into the monster, causing it to explode. "Just as I thought. Since he made two monsters, Mondo didn't make either as tough as he usually makes one. Piece of cake."

.........."Thanks, Holmes," Adam replied sarcastically from his position on the floor. "Now, can you help me out of this thing!?"

..........With Tanya's help, Red Ranger managed to untangle Adam. The two unmorphed Rangers quickly scrambled for their Zeonizers.

.........."C'mon, Tanya!" Adam called. "Let's morph and go help the others. It's morphin time!"

.........."Zeo Ranger II, Yellow!"

.........."Zeo Ranger IV, Green!"



..........Blue and Gold Rangers slowly backed away from the half-melted ChopShop, looking for any way to escape. "It keeps going, and going," Blue Ranger muttered. "Hey, maybe we should just take out its batteries!" ChopShop launched a blade at them, narrowly missing their heads. "Or, maybe not."

.........."Rocky, how did the first movie end?" Gold Ranger shouted suddenly.

.........."What?"

.........."You talked about a Terminator 2. That implies there was a first one. How'd they stop it?"

.........."Um,- Trey, that came out in the early 80's!"

.........."Rocky, think!"

.........."All right! Um, she squashed it in a metal press, crushed it's CPU. But I don't see a metal press around here!"

.........."We don't need one! Get him under that vat!"

..........Underneath his helmet, Blue Ranger's eyes lit up. "Got it!" Drawing his Zeo pistol, he drew the robots attention by shooting it. As it followed him, Gold Ranger scrambled up the ladder set into a nearby wall. Sensing his actions, ChopShop turned and shot a blade at him, nicking him in the leg. Gold Ranger cried out in anguish, but kept climbing. Chop Shop fired another blade at Gold Ranger, despite Blue Ranger's attempts to distract it. This one sliced through the big muscle of his arm. With one arm and one leg useless, Gold Ranger was beginning to despair of ever reaching the catwalk above him. Suddenly, the skzrchh! of teleportation made him look up. On the catwalk was Pink Ranger, reaching down to give him a hand. Gratefully, he let her haul him up.

.........."Hmm," she noted. "Looks like I'm not the only one with a leg injury."

.........."It's nothing," he assured her. "Come, we must get to the vat!"

.........."Lean on me," she told him. "Tommy and Rocky will get him into position."

..........Down on the factory floor, Blue Ranger's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw who had come to his rescue. "Tommy!"

..........Green Dragon Ranger gave him a thumbs up. "The one and only. C'mon, Rocko, lets get this creep into position."

..........With the two Rangers working in synch, it was relatively easy to maneuver ChopShop into the correct position. "Just hold that pose, blender-head," Blue Ranger muttered. Raising his voice, he called, "Okay, Trey, let 'er rip!"

..........Gold Ranger and Pink Ranger pulled the pins out of their positions, sending the vat crashing to the floor, squashing ChopShop underneath it.

.........."Well," Green Dragon Ranger said, "that's one guy Mondo's not gonna fix." Green, Yellow, and Red Rangers teleported in, just as Pink Ranger helped Gold Ranger down from the catwalk.

.........."Looks like we missed all the excitement," Green Ranger remarked.

.........."That's all right," Pink Ranger told him. "You can help us clean up." The group laughed. Green Dragon Ranger looked around, thinking of how good it felt to laugh with his friends again. It had been too long.



..........Back at the Power Chamber, the Rangers demorphed, including Tommy. Hands on her hips, Lita glared at them all with unusual venom. "All right, Oliver, you'd better tell me what happened out there, before I show you how I got my black belt in aikido!" she growled.

..........Tommy chuckled. "Well, when I morphed, I wound up sort of face to face with myself, everything that I'd done and been. The only way to the Green power was to accept what I'd been, and my friends needed me. I guess I just accepted the Green Ranger as part of myself, and suddenly I was morphed. The rest you probably saw on the viewing globe."

.........."So Tommy," David asked hesitantly, "are you the Green Ranger for good now?"

..........His brother shook his head. "No, the power's gone for good this time. It had built up a bit of a charge over two hundred years, but I don't feel any power left in it any more."

.........."It is simply a coin now," Zordon informed them. "However, it is a rather unusual coin, made of metals not familiar to this planet. What will you do with the Green Coin now, Tommy?"

..........Tommy looked at his coin for a long moment. "Lita, I want you to have this, to remember this case by," he said, placing the coin in her hand. "After all, this is probably the most exciting one you'll ever have," he grinned.

..........She chuckled in reply. "I'll second that! Listen, you guys, I want you all to know that if you ever need me- if any of you need to talk, my door is always open. Try to make an appointment, though. It'll be more convenient for everybody."

.........."So, Trey," Rocky grinned slyly. "Have you thought about my offer? You'll get pretty bored in that pyramid all the time."

..........Trey grinned back. "I'd love to, Rocky, but somehow I don't think my outfit would go over really well," he replied, gesturing to his tunic.

.........."Oh, that's no problem." Rocky grinned wickedly. "You're about Jason's size; I'm sure he could loan you a couple outfits. Then the girls could take you to the mall." Adam and Tommy groaned in unison, leading to chuckles from the other Rangers.

.........."If it wouldn't be too much trouble," Trey began hesitantly.

.........."Not at all," Kat told him. "We'd love to take you shopping."

.........."Lita," Tommy asked out of the corner of his mouth, "is there any chance that my therapy could run a little longer?"

..........She grinned. "Well, I think you've achieved spontaneous integration, but I do think we should have a few follow-up sessions, just to make sure. Why don't we head back to the cabin and do those? We should be completely done in a few days."

.........."I'll take Trey back to my place and lend him some clothes," Jason volunteered. "Then the girls can take him shopping."

.........."Just don't let them spend too much," Tommy cautioned the Triforian. "Money doesn't grow on trees; at least, not on this planet."

.........."Dr. Kino," Zordon broke in, "I would like you to remain behind for a second. There is something I would like to talk to you about."

..........Lita nodded, then turned to the Power Teens. "Go on; I'll catch up with you later." The seven teleported out to their various destinations, and Lita turned back to Zordon. "All right, what did you want to talk to me about?"

.........."First, I wished to present you with a communicator. I hope that you will help the Power Rangers in the future, and if you do so, you will need one of these. It will allow you to talk to the Rangers and teleport." Alpha brought her a communicator, which she saw was done in green and white stripes. She buckled it onto her wrist and looked back up at Zordon expectantly.

.........."Second, I wish to tell you about the Power coin you now hold. When Rita drained the Green Ranger's powers the first time, what she actually did was break the coin's connection with the morphin grid. Then she drained it's back-up supply. When I recharged Tommy's powers, all I did was fill the back-up supply again. This is also what Zedd and Rita did when they recharged the coin to give it to Tommy's clone. The coin still contained a small shred of energy when Tommy's clone gave up his powers. That little bit multiplied to the point where Tommy could use it today, but now the coin is completely powerless.

.........."I tell you this to explain some of the side effects the coin may have on you. You see, the coin is a transformer, a power focuser. In and of itself, the coin never had any power. The power all came from the morphin grid. Now the coin is powerless, but still functional, like a computer that has not been turned on."

.........."So what you're saying is that if the coin had some other source of power, it would make another Green Ranger?"

.........."Not another Green Ranger, no. That transformation comes from the power of the morphin grid. However, it could transform someone into something else. Into what depends on the source of the power.

.........."Since you are an ordinary human, the coin will only work off your natural human energy. Your speed, strength, and reflexes will be enhanced, and your senses will become more acute. This may be a distinct advantage if you are to defend yourself against the Power Rangers' enemies. I suggest that you keep it with you at all times."

.........."I will, Zordon. Is there anything else that you wanted to say?"

.........."Only thank you, Dr. Kino. The Rangers are very important to me, and it would hurt very much if I were to lose one."

..........She smiled. "You're welcome, Zordon. I was very glad that I could help." With that, she teleported back to the cabin.



..........Several days (and one extremely comprehensive shopping trip) later, Tommy was given a clean bill of mental health and reinstated as the Red Ranger, and the group at the cabin returned to Angel Grove. Ernie, never one to pass up a party, immediately began planning a "Welcome Home" gala to rival any other party ever thrown at the youth center. For the first time, one of Ernie's parties required formal wear, since Ernie was pulling our all the stops. That Saturday night, the Rangers invited a hesitant Trey and Dr. Kino to attend as well. Luckily, the girls were quite willing to guide Trey through the finer points of renting a tuxedo.

..........Looking around at the decorated youth center and all the teenagers dancing, Tommy smiled to himself. He hadn't really been able to enjoy himself like this for a long time, ever since he had first become the Green Ranger. Now, however, the depression hanging over his head had finally dissipated, and he was quite able to enjoy himself. Over in one corner, he spied his sister looking around for likely dance partners. Grinning wickedly, he grabbed Trey by the arm and guided him over to the corner.

.........."You're gonna love my sister, Trey," he told the other boy in a low tone. "She's smart, she's pretty, and she's good at taking care of herself. I think you two will get along great."

.........."Tommy, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't matchmaking resented by most Earthlings? And what am I going to tell her about myself?"

.........."The truth. She already knows about me; she won't even blink when you mention you're an alien prince." Tommy grinned at his friend. "Trust me."

..........Trey grumbled a little, but did not resist as Tommy drew him over to where Chelsea was standing.

.........."Hey Chelse." Tommy tapped his sister on the shoulder to get her attention. When she turned around, he said, "This is Trey Ackerson, a good friend of mine."

.........."Hi, Trey," Chelsea smiled, extending her hand to him. Instead of shaking it like she had expected, he caught her hand and kissed the back.

.........."Charmed, I'm sure." He smiled back at her, holding her gaze with his own. Grinning, Tommy melted back into the crowd, leaving the two alone. He really thought the two would be good for each other. Trey deserved someone he could trust with his secrets, and Chelsea deserved someone that wouldn't be intimidated by the fact that her brother was a six-foot-tall black belt. He chuckled. Maybe his mom was right, and matchmaking ran in the bloodline after all.



..........Leaning against the buffet, Tommy grinned, surveying his work. Out on the dance floor, Chelsea and Trey were swaying to the current slow song, smiling at each other with unconcealed delight. Even better, Trey was one of the few people he knew that wasn't shorter than his sister. They looked good together out on the floor. Even more appropriate was Chelsea's dress, which shimmered golden in the soft light.

..........Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Lita smiling at him. "Hey, Lita. You enjoying the party?"

..........She laughed. "Oh, yes! I should hang out with teenagers more often. I've practically danced my feet off tonight." She looked out at the floor, raising an eyebrow when she saw Chelsea and Trey. "Your doing?"

.........."I can not tell a lie. They seem happy, though. There's Rocky and Katarina, over by the other food table, of course, there's Jason and Emily, dancing like there's no tomorrow, and there's Adam and Tanya talking to Ernie over by the bar."

.........."Hmm," Lita replied, "but I don't see David or Kat. I wonder where they could be?"

..........Just then, the band began to play "In This Life," by Collin Raye. Tommy smiled sadly. This had always been Kim and his song. They'd danced to it a hundred times, sometimes at parties, sometimes just alone in the park.

..........Gasps and whispers drew Tommy out of his reverie, causing him to look up. A cluster of people had formed on the dance floor, watching somebody as they danced. Curious, he made his way over there and pushed his way through the people to see who was drawing so much attention. Dancing in the center of the circle, with eyes only for each other, were David and Kat. Tommy's jaw dropped. He'd heard what David had said to her in the warehouse, but he had had no idea that Kat returned David's feelings. Nauseated, his head spinning, he watched them dance in astonishment.

..........Finally the song stopped and the two dancers parted. Both were flushed and smiling shyly. Almost in unison, they turned back toward the buffet table- and spotted Tommy. Kat raised a hand to her mouth and David took an involuntary step back as his eyes met his brother's. The two boys stared at each other in complete silence for quite a while. No one else in the youth center made a noise either. Even the band had stopped playing, choosing instead to watch the drama going on in front of them.

..........Tension radiated from every part of Tommy's body. His jaw was clenched, and the watchers were unsure of what his reaction would be, whether he would burst into tears or haul off and deck his brother. His hands were fisted tightly at his sides, but whether he was trying to control himself or preparing to start a fight was unclear.

..........In the end, it was Tommy who broke the silence. "Congratulations, David," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "You really have a wonderful lady there." Then he turned to Kat. "Kat-," he began, his voice dying. "Kat, I want you to know that I'm happy for you both. I cared about you a lot, but I didn't- couldn't love you the way you deserve. I guess that part of my heart belongs to Kim, and always will. It wasn't fair to you and I'm glad that you found someone who can give you what you deserve." His speech said, Tommy turned and ran, wanting to get out of the building before somebody saw his tears.