Psycho Returns: Treason

by Shadow Ranger

Triforian Star System

The Triforian System was blessed with a wide variety of animal and plant life. Although some of its citizens resembled humans, the similarities were on the surface. Beneath the skin they were very different.

The system consisted of three central suns around which, five planets orbited. The three primary planets were the same size as Earth and had the same atmosphere and gravity. They were named Triforia, Drallax and Zecht. The two smaller planets of Tralus and Talus were habitable, but had an increased level of gravity.

Triforia itself was the second planet from the suns and home to system's human population. Time had caused them to evolve to a level where they were composed of three entities. Triforia was the system's government and their representative to the Galactic Council. Therefore the Lord of Triforia was the ruler of the entire system.

Drallax was a desert world, dry and warm. Aside from a few speculators who mined the planet for precious metals, the planet considered too primitive to visit. The native Dralls were larger that Triforian humans with large hands. They usually lived underground and their bodies were developed for digging. The few creatures that lived on the surface were either scavengers or bandits. It was also the place where Triforians buried their dead.

The third planet, Zecht, was a world similar to Earth. Instead of the high concentration of Iron in the air, the planet was mostly copper and had resulted in some bizarre life forms. At least six different races lived on the planet each with a separate continent. The blue skinned Chiss were the dominant life form. Next came the green dwarf like Bevins with their four eyes, the orange skinned Ssi-runs, the green skinned Dorrsks and the Quarren. Animal life was abundant and technology ad reached its peak. In fact the only reason Triforia was the capital of the System was because the people on Zecht held little interest in politics.

Talus was in a unique orbit that meant it only benefited from the light of all three suns for one moth of the year. It was cooler than the other worlds that required weather control to maintain a breeze. Its inhabitants were a highly advanced race who had reached the pinnacle of fighting prowess and then destroyed their weapons. Because their world had three suns, they shared the Triforian Humans' ability to split their souls. Instead of Heart, Mind and Courage, they were able to divide into good and evil. They had mostly green skin with enlarged ears and sharp teeth. They served as both defenders ands advisors although it was the advisory role that they preferred.

The final planet in the Triforian System was Tralus. Smaller than the other planets, it was a modern world where nature had taken a back seat to urbanization. Metal cities towered into the sky where floating platforms provided even more residential areas. Real estate was expensive and only the elite could afford to visit let alone live there. The native Morlos had found a way to produce medicines from the planet's crust; something that brought in a vast amount of money.

Perhaps the strangest thing about the Triforian System was the vast space station at its centre. Few people knew where it came from or how it got there, but it had existed since life had begun on the surrounding planets. Now though it served as a vast space mall under the control of the Triforian Government.

It was on this space station that the Golden Power Staff had been forged. A vast chamber filled with precious metal also contained the equipment for the production of Power Weapons. It was rumored but never confirmed that the great Morphin Master known as Saurian had once used the station's vast resources to create Ranger armor.

The forge had been sealed since the time that the Golden Power Staff had been presented to the Lord of Triforia and only a member of the royal family could open the vault. And so it was that one of Trey's own relative had gained access to the most restricted zone in the Triforian Star System and had set himself on the path of treachery.

Public concern about how much time the Gold Ranger was spending on the planet Earth and Terr planned to capitalize on the situation. As the fourth born son of the Triforian Royal Family he had been destined to inherit the power of the Gold Ranger in the future. But Trey had during his time as stand in leader for the king piloted new legislation allowing his sisters the right to rule. That had meant that Terr had to wait for not only his father to die, but also his sisters; a situation he did not like at all.

Earlier that day he had held a meeting with the outlawed Triforian Guardians, a group of warriors selected from the five planets who desired a return to Triforia's past when the system had been the centre of a mighty empire. The Guardians had been the system's enforcers and had held true power over the Lord of Triforia. Dressed in black spandex bodysuits covered by a white and gold body shield, white gloves and white boot tipped with gold, they relied not only on the modern weapons of the Triforian military, but the traditional arts of magic.

After a successful meeting where it was agreed that the Triforian Guardians would support Terr's quest for power in return for control of the Triforian Council. The Guardian's silent backers sought control of the minor planets, but that was something they would negotiate later. With the help of the Guardians the sealed chamber had been opened and those on board the space station had been taken prisoner. In all the fighting that followed one man slipped into the chamber and started the next part of his evil scheme.

The flames licked around the near molten metal, splitting and burning on anything it came into contact with. The heavy hammer connected with the metal flattening the rectangular blob to a six-inch length so he could bend it back on itself to create a crisp fold. Striking it again the forger continued to mould the perfect blade ensuring a small hole was left near the tip of the blade for the special surprise its victim would soon come to appreciate.

Ash flew from the flames striking his hand as he continued to work. It did not matter because soon all the pain would be worth while. He continued hammering until the metal had been folded over a thousand times. Then he set about forging a blade worthy of a king.

Hours passed as he worked diligently, constantly checking to ensure the blade maintain its correct shape. Soon he was holding a four-foot piece of molten metal in his hand and testing the weight and balance of the blade. The burns on his hand would be meaningless if he succeeded. He had seen the future and it was filled with jewels from the Royal Treasury.

His fingers dug into the scar on his face; picking out the pieces of metal still embedded there from the last time he had confronted his mother and father. The wound was caused when their favourite son had taken his role as heir and protector a bit too seriously.

Still it was those fragments that would give the sword that special armour piercing quality. Placing the golden metal into the blade he smiled as it merged with the metal and his blood ensuring a poison fit for a royal family.

A thin layer of clay along the edge of the blade and a thicker layer along the back ensure a mixed of hard and soft metal as he plunged it deep into ice cold water. Taking a handle and cross bar he fitted the sword together, careful to ensure the little surprise embedded in the hilt was full movable.

Like a dancer he moved around testing the blade to ensure it a fully balance. All the time he was careful not to cut himself knowing that the metal would be poisonous to his race especially when mixed with his blood.

With the blade complete he considered his targets arranged in front of him. Mother and Father were easy. After all the senile old fool had never acted to prevent him from searching through the forbidden archives, much to the outrage of the royal advisors. His sisters would put up a fight, but he was more experienced than them and would win. And that left his wonderful brother.

A knock on his workshop door forced him to stop examining his sword and assume the role life had chosen for him.

"Yes?"

"Lord Terr, I was told you wished to see me," Volar said. "I must admit I am perplexed as to why you are here on this station. It is hardly the place for a member of the royal house especially during this uprising.

"There's an uprising?" Terr asked in mock surprise.

Volar was a new advisor on Triforia and had no idea of how Terr liked to operate.

"Yes, Lord Terr," Volar said. "I am surprised you didn't hear the commotion."

"Did you bring the body guards I requested?"

"Yes," came the reply. "Although I think it would be wiser for you to return to the planet."

"Come inside Volar," Terr said. "And bring the body guards with you."

Volar did as he was asked, his eyes widening when he realised exactly where he was. The guards stood at attention, their stun batons ready for action.

"You see Volar, I don't need to worry about being attacked by the Triforian Guardsmen," he watched as Volar's mouth opened at the mention of the group. "I don't need to worry about them because I'm their leader."

Without warning Terr accessed the subspace pocket he had been given when he was a child. As a potential Gold Ranger he had been given a space to put those weapons he felt would serve him best when the time came. Now though he would never be Gold Ranger thanks to Trey, but the pocket remained and the sword was now partially connected to the Golden Power Staff.

Bringing the sword around he sliced into Volar's skin watching the pained look appear on the retainer's face. Volar howled in pain, holding his shoulder to stop the flow of blood.

"Does it hurt?" Terr asked venomously.

Volar's companions had drawn their sticks ready for a fight. Terr laughed, more servants than they were guards, and their weapons were simply for decoration. He parried their blows for a few minutes before increasing the force of his own blows to snap their batons. He stabbed all four of them and watched with pleasure as they collapsed as the poison took affect.

Moving with speed so they would not die until he was ready Terr labeled each of them. Volar was labeled as the king the others as Trey, his mother and two sisters. With a surgical strike he cut across four of the heads laughing as the blood ran over the floor. He then turned to his brother.

I always knew it would be down to you and me Trey," he whispered before chopping of his brother's head. "I can't wait to do this for real."

Taking a space-signaling device from subspace he sent a message to his allies in the station's control room. At his command an Interdiction Field was activated to prevent unwelcome visitors from jumping into the system. But not before the Guardsmen had assembled their vast fleet ready for the attack.

Still swinging the sword he walked away leaving the dead bodies of his servants behind. Their blood washing down the street towards the palace where his targets were waiting. He smiled to himself as he realised how easy his task would be. Still laughing maniacally he managed a final sentence before carrying on his way.

"Long live the King!"

---

Despite official protests to the contrary, normally by one of the King's advisors, Triforia was not solely reliant on the Gold Ranger for its defence. The Golden Power Staff was in fact a double power source. The Staff contained the Gold Zeo Crystal allowing the holder to become the Gold Zeo Ranger. However like the Masked Rider powers the Golden Power Staff was linked to the Morphin Grid through less conventional means.

Inside the Power Staff was a fragment of a Power Coin, which allowed the bearer to call forth the Power using his weapon. If he had been evil or had chosen a non-Ranger form Trey could have been described as a warlock, relying on the powers of the artifacts charged with magic. But on Triforia the Golden Power Staff was the symbol of the Black Ranger. That was why Trey had the ability to become a Gem Coin Ranger.

Another seven weapons had been forged at the same time as the Golden Power Staff and each of those weapons contained a similar piece of coin. By calling on their weapons in times of greatest need they had the ability to transform into Triforia's greatest heroes, the Triforian Power Warriors.

By special agreement with the Morphin Council on Eltar the team were allowed to call themselves Rangers. In return Lord Trey had agreed to aid Zordon of Eltar in time of need. Only Trey, King Trinus and the Morphin Masters knew of the arrangement.

Despite his duty to the Earth, Trey had always been there when needed by Triforia. This time was the exception for even if Trey knew of his home's plight he had no way to get there in time to help.

"It's Morphin Time!" Rohan, Red Ranger and acting leader called. "Golden Power Sword!"

"Golden Power Lance!" Kell, Blue Triforian Ranger called

"Golden Power Bow!" Deidra, White Triforian Ranger cried.

"Golden Power Sais!" Fallana the Yellow Ranger called.

"Golden Power Axe!" Garrett the Pink Ranger called.

"Golden Power Club!" Dai, Purple Triforian Ranger called.

"Golden Power Shield!" Donos, Green Triforian Ranger called.

Unlike the Rangers of Earth, the Triforian Rangers were not colour orientated. That was the reason for the near monochrome appearance of their uniforms. The Unstable Molecular Fabric from which the bodysuits, gloves and boots were constructed was one shade that matched their powers. In addition each wore a golden shield that covered their shoulders, chest and sides with guards on their arms and legs.

"Triforian Ranger Power!"

With the seven weapons in close proximity a link was created between the shattered coin allowing the Rangers to morph. They held their weapons aloft they needed only to call forth their colour.

"Red!"

"White!"

"Blue!"

"Green!"

"Purple!"

"Yellow!"

"Pink!"

Raising his hands above his head, the stranger lifted his arms above his head and summoned his own armour. Shingle like armour covered his body, building a layer of slats each reinforcing the level below. Donos recognised the armour from somewhere, but couldn't place the familiar feeling.

"Now you Rangers will meet your end," the creature breathed.

Rohan got his first look at the creature's sword as it was driven into his side. Sparks flew as his suit compensated for the increased force of the blow. The suit's absorption system drained the force of the blow releasing it as heat and light. What Rohan had recognized as the legendary Sword of Darkness was nothing of the sort. As the stranger's armour formed so the sword changed shape into a blade covered in similar slats.

"Bring it on Rangers," the figure hissed.

Kell was first to attack, driving his powerful body into the stranger. His opponent did not move, simply faded so Kell's own strength carried him forward. When the Blue Ranger was behind him the stranger swung his sword.

The gash although small in comparison to some blows sent a powerful message to the other Rangers. Never had a weapon penetrated the armored parts of their costumes. The remains of Kell's knee guard clattered on the ground already red with blood.

Donos grunted and ran up to his lame comrade, his shield angled to deflect any blows that might come. The figure laughed and pressed forward an attack totally uncaring about the Power Shield. His word struck the shield almost shattering it. Donos responded by using the hardened centre of his shield to strike the stranger on the head.

Garrett and Dai, normally the most reserved Rangers let out a battle cry and charged. With perfect timing they collided with the figure whilst he was off balance and succeeded in knocking him to the ground. Both stood with weapons drawn warning their opponent not to move. He did and they struck.

"Your weapons cannot hurt me," the black clad stranger told Donos as he hit him in the gut. "And your armour cannot protect you from me. You are dead!"

As the words escaped his lip the stranger exploded into action, slicing Fallana across the chest and watching in satisfaction as she dropped her weapons and demorphed. Blood was gushing from the open wound and she was choking. The stranger's eyes glowed brighter as he drove his sword into her chest and absorbed her life force. Soon all that was left was a dry husk.

"Gleechark!" Dai shriek as she vaulted into her enemy determined to avenge Fallana's death. Her foot connected with the stranger's powerful body doing little damage. "Three phase!"

Dai's body split into her three components tripling her potential to hurt her enemy. The stranger simply laughed as he blocked her shots and showed each Dai his sword.

"Funny thing about Triforian physiology: even though you can function as three separate beings, when one dies, so do the other parts." To demonstrate his point he drove his sword into the nearest Dai's throat and watched with glee as the two copies screamed in pain before collapsing. All three corpses disappeared leaving only her weapons.

Still laughing the figure turned to face the five remaining Rangers and attacked, aiming for the already injured Kell. The powerful Ranger fought valiantly

"Combine powers!" Rohan told the remaining Rangers.

Using the powers of their weapons the Rangers attacked. Deidra fired her cross bow, Garrett used his double bladed axe to swipe at the figure's sword, Donos ran forward allowing Kell to limp into position and jab with his lance and Rohan dropped in behind to strike the death blow with his sword.

The result was not all they had hoped for. The stranger's weapon vanished, but was replaced instantly with a set of arm blades. With little thought to how he was going to succeed he cut down Deidra, Kell, Donos and Garrett, leaving only Rohan to defend his home world.

The two faced off, warrior to warrior. They exploded into combat both stretching themselves to the limit, but ultimately Rohan was hit across the leg. A second blow landed into his ribs. Rohan gasped and dropped his sword. He attempted to fight unarmed but was clearly outmatched. A second blow to the ribs punctured his lung.

As unconsciousness threatened to overtake him Rohan knew he had no chance. He looked up at the masked face and noted the red eyes glowing brighter than ever.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am the thing even Lord Trey fears. I am the evil that is immune to the Triforian Rangers. I am the victor of this little confrontation. But most importantly, I am the creature that is going to execute you!"

Now aware he was not going to survive Rohan searched desperately for a way to escape. Making the flattest fist he could imagine he jabbed directly for the creatures throat. He felt what should have been the windpipe give way under the pressure he applied.

With a feral growl the stranger tore his mask away revealing his face. Rohan's eyes went wide as he recognised his attacker.

"It cannot be you," he protested. "You're Trey's brother."

"Yes I am," the Terr said. "And soon I'll be the ruler."

"Trey will throw you through the dimensional doorway when he finds out."

The figure grinned, "Your precious Lord Trey is on Earth and had no idea what is happening. By the time he does I will have solidified my hold on the star system."

"You're part of the Triforian Guardians aren't you?" Rohan asked trying to find his sword. He had finally recognised the armour.

The figure laughed, a cold laughed devoid of any positive emotion. "I like the name Terr better," he said dropping his disguise and revealing his true face. "And soon I will be king." He walked behind the last Triforian Ranger and ignoring the Ranger's power snapped his neck.

---

A few minutes later

"Hurry Father, we must get to the shelter," Terr said his voice filled with concern.

Overhead he could see the battle between the Triforian Guardians and the Royal Guard. The Guardians were winning.

"Father, we must help our people," Trianna protested.

As the oldest sister she had chosen to pursue magic as her future art form. Already she was an accomplished psychic, able to link different parts of the kingdom together with her insight.

"There is no time," Terr replied. He was desperate to get his family to the safety of the Royal Bunker.

Triforia's defence forces had scrambled and were picking off the attackers who attempted to land on the planet. The battle overhead sounded like the attackers were winning.

"Look!" Queen Trania shouted.

In the distance they could see seven of Triforia's Rangers where they had been slaughtered. "We must aid them."

"No Mother," Terr said quickly. "Tradition demands that the King and Queen are guarded from harm and not allowed to fight in Triforia's troubles."

"A stupid rule," the King muttered but he knew Terr was correct. He was bound by traditions set down in the history of their world. "I must remember to set some new traditions."

"Even so father," Terr smiled. "For the time being you have no choice but to obey your defender. Or shall I call back our forces to make you obey."

The King knew Terr had won this round. The Prince had taken a rule created to prevent the loss of a sovereign and used it to gain control of Triforia.

"Cheer up Father," Terr smiled. "It'll be all over very soon."

Something about Terr's tone concerned the King, but he let it go. Soon they were in the shelter designed to act as war room in times of trouble. As the door slammed shut Trania noticed the sword in her son's hand.

"Terr, you know you are not allowed to carry a sword," she said. The ruling had followed a drunken brawl in which Terr had killed a man. As punishment Trey had proclaimed that Terr could never again carry a sword.

"Oh but I am Mother," Terr replied. "The King is allowed to do anything and I am the King!"

As the words escaped his lips Terr drove his sword into the King's heart. Trinus' eyes opened wide but no sound escaped his equally wide lips. The King dropped to the floor as Terr advanced on the now hysterical Queen.

"If you three ladies would care to stand still I can make this very painless for you."

In seconds he had grabbed the Queen and cut her with his sword. It was only a small scrape, but in seconds he knew she would be dead. Trianna blasted her brother with her magical powers, tapping the mystical energies around her and directing them at her parents' killer.

"Please!" Terr droned with a voice that sounded both bored and annoyed. "Don't do that."

Trianna hit him again, but he simply laughed and drove his sword into her.

Now it was Traillia's turn. As the youngest daughter she had been overlooked and allowed to escape from her traditional role. That was something Terr would soon regret. During her lifetime Triallia had studied the teachings of all the Gold Rangers. She had learnt the fighting techniques to the point where she had been expected to replace Dai one day. Now she knew that day would never come, but she intended to put up a fight.

As Terr swung his sword she caught the blade in her hands and careful not to cut herself, she kicked him in the groin. Leaving her foot in place she rolled back throwing him away from her. As he landed on his back she moved her foot towards his stomach and stood upright driving the foot into his abdomen.

Flipping away she looked for something to use as a weapon or better yet an escape. The door was her only hope and it was sealed shut. Picking up a chair she tried to fend her brother off until the Royal Guards appeared. Moments later the door burst open and she was relieved that help had arrived.

"Terr!" Tristan growled.

Tristan was Trey's oldest cousin and was next in line to the throne if should anything happen to Terr. Behind him stood six of the king's finest guards.

"You disappoint me cousin," Terr hissed. "I thought you would have killed those losers by now."

"Always the picky one aren't you Terr?" Tristan asked.

He spun on his heel and blasted the guards. They collapsed to the ground as Trallia realised that her cousin had joined the conspiracy.

"You can't kill her cousin," Tristan said.

"And why not?" Terr asked.

"Because I want to!" Tristan cried as he drove his own blade into Trallia's chest. He laughed as she collapsed to the ground, her blood covering the ground.

"Tell our forces to secure the other planets," Terr ordered. "Triforia is mine."

---

Despite the state of almost martial law and the ban on Interplanetary Communications and travel, things remained calm of Triforia. Terr had followed Tristan's advice and retained the king's advisors as a symbol of the continuity of state. Of course they had no power and were forced to work at gun point, but they were still there. It was now a week since Terr had swept to power and life was returning to normal. The royal guard had been disbanded and replaced by the Triforian Guardians.

Prince Terr's coronation was an event long to be remembered in Triforian history. The nobles had looked for any loophole to remove him from power, but found none. Ferin had even supported the application stating that tradition came first. In truth they realised that any attempt to remove him from power would result in blood shed. They could always proclaim the coronation illegal at a later date.

A long possession had taken place from the palace to the Temple of the Golden Goddess to ask for her blessing. The High Priest had conducted the ceremony flawlessly to the point that several people were waiting for. For Terr it would act to ensure his future commands would not be rejected. For the High Council it was their last chance of salvation.

"Does any person here know of a reason why Prince Terr should not be declared our King and keeper of the Golden Power Staff?"

There was no reply. The positioning of Triforian Guardsmen throughout the crowd had ensured the process was not disrupted.

"Then by the power of the Golden Lady, I pronounce thee King of Triforia," the priest said. "All hail Terr."

"Terr! Terr!" was the shout from the crowd.

"Thank you my people," Terr said. "As the new ruler of this system I have some changes to announce. Firstly this planet will be withdrawing from the Galactic Council. We have no desire to remain part of that corrupt organization. Secondly I wish to announce the return to the policy of conquest. The Triforian Guardians are ready to win more power for our world. We shall be starting with the world known as Earth."

There was a gasp from the crowd.

"I know some of you have asked what happened to Trey. The truth is that he has abandoned you in your time of need. When Earth is conquered, Trey will be put on trial for his crimes against his people."

As the crowd was dispersed Terr smiled. By branding Trey as a traitor he had saved himself the problem of the Gold Ranger. Trey would respond to a warrant by surrendering himself into custody. Terr would then gain control of the Gold Zeo power. One way or another, victory would soon be his.

---

Paris, France

In a deserted warehouse outside the city two figures watched as a third walked into the open.

"Bulky, I'm bored," Skull complained from their hiding place behind some storage cans. "We've been watching this Ryan guy for hours. When are we going to go home?"

"Quiet Skull," Bulk hissed. "You know the boss said this guy is dangerous. Do you want to end up dead."

Bulk and Skull had been in Spy Training ever since coming to France. To start with their training had been mostly physical training with a lot of paperwork. Both had benefited from the training. Skull had developed a sporting physique with good definition, built for speed and strength. Bulk on the other hand had lost most of his weight and replaced it was muscle. He now resembled a football player Angel Grove High would have killed for.

In addition both had been taught to defend themselves and Skull's Swordsmanship training had improved on the previous lessons his uncle had given him.

Both men had matured since being away from Angel Grove. They'd met new friends and colleagues and stopped fooling around. Both now bore a greater responsibility since they were able to carry guns.

Unfortunately patience was one of the things neither boy had learnt yet. Both were still eager to please Inspector Klauseau, so when he had given them their first assignment they had jumped at the chance. A number of disappearances had taken place over the last few months and two names had been constant in each report: Richard Ryan and William Kincaid.

"Hey look!" Skull said.

Looking over towards the man they had been sent to trail they noticed a tall black man standing in front of him. From their position Bulk and Skull could see the two men were trash talking and it looked as though Ryan was winning the war of words.

"Whoa!" Bulk exclaimed as he saw the larger man produce a cutlass and swipe at the youth known as Richard Ryan. "That's Kincaid."

"The other guy's got one too!" Skull added noting that Ryan had drawn a military sabre.

A brief battle ensued, neither opponent afraid to use under handed tactics to win. After what seemed like hours Ryan drove his sword into his opponent's stomach.

"He killed him," Bulk whispered.

Skull didn't reply. For some reason he felt compelled to watch what was happening. Ryan was standing over his opponent sword raised over his head.

"THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!" Ryan cried as he brought the sword down slicing through skin, muscle, blood vessels, bone, arteries, muscles and skin.

Bulk and Skull were speechless having just witnessed their first murder. Sure they had seen monsters in Angel Grove and had live with a winged monkey and living skeleton for a few months, but nothing prepared them for what they had just seen.

A strange mist seemed to float from the decapitated body and enter Ryan's body. The head and body disappeared into the smoke.

"We need to go Bulky," Skull said urgently. Something told him what was about to occur. "Run!"

Lightning struck the building as the left, shattering the windows and exploding light bulbs contained inside. A stray bolt hit the canisters Bulk and Skull had been using for cover igniting the chemicals inside. As the canisters exploded Bulk threw his body in the way to protect his friend.

"Bulk?" Skull asked when the lightning had subsided and Ryan had left.

There was no answer from his larger friend. Pulling himself out from under Bulk's mass Skull checked his friend for injury. He didn't need to look very far; a piece of shrapnel was lodged in the back of Bulk's spine. A quick check and Skull knew there was no need to hurry with an ambulance. Farkus Bulkmier, known to the world as Bulk was dead.

---

Tristan's arrival on Earth had not gone undetected. Nor had his action upon arrival. In Pyramidas, Trey had watched his cousin murder another man and in the Power Chamber, Billy had seen the same thing with Ninjor and Zordon. Why his cousin had come to Earth was a question Trey could not answer. Nor could he explain the lack of communication he had received from Triforia recently. Every time he attempted to reach his people he was told that communication was not possible. Now he started to wonder if perhaps the loss of contact and his cousin's appearance were linked.

"Zeo Ranger X- Gold!"

Trey had witnessed Tristan's new strength and decided to go prepared. He trusted his cousin, but if something was wrong the Gold Ranger could react faster than Trey could when unmorphed. In a gold column of light he teleported to where his cousin was waiting.

"I was starting to wonder where you were cousin," Tristan said as the Gold Ranger arrived.

"Why are you here?" Trey asked coldly.

"Terr has mounted an uprising on Triforia," Tristan said. "Your family have been murdered and he has proclaimed himself as king."

"Why haven't I heard any of this?" Trey demanded.

"Terr placed and Interdiction Field around the Triforian Star System and activated a communications blackout. Nobody can get in or out without permission. It took me six weeks to get here."

"I can see he's thought of everything," Trey said. "What about the Triforian Rangers?"

"He killed them," Tristan said. "He's resurrected the Triforian Guardians to help maintain order."

"I must speak with Zordon," Trey said. "Maybe with the other Rangers we can retake the planet."

"I am afraid that will not be possible Trey," Tristan said. "You see, I am a member of the Triforian Guardians and I am here to deliver a message. Either you surrender to my custody or this world will be destroyed. Lord Terr does not wish to have any opposition. You are to be charged with treachery and executed."

"I could just take you out," Trey warned.

"If you do so, Earth will be destroyed in mere hours." Tristan looked like he was enjoying the sudden power he held over his cousin. "You have two hours to decide and surrender or else."

"I will be back in two hours," Trey said. "Oh and Tristan, should I discover you had anything to do with deaths of family..."

"Anything to do with it," Tristan laughed. "I was the one who slit your little sister's throat. You should have seen it Trey. I got her right on the jugular."

"Power Down!" Trey cried.

Before Tristan could register what was happening, Trey had jumped him. Tristan laughed as he punched Trey in the stomach and sent the Lord of Triforia to his knees.

"Two hours Trey," Tristan said as he teleported away. "And make sure you bring the Gold Power Staff. It belongs to King Terr now."

---

Paris Mortuary,

Six Weeks Ago

"Monsieur Skullovitch, I know this is difficult but I would ask you to look at the body in this room and tell me if it is indeed Farkus Bulkmier," the police official said.

"Oui Monsieur," Skull replied.

He gazed at Bulk's body noting the peaceful look on the boy's face. His heart sank, as he thought of life on his own.

"Au revoir, Bulky," Skull said before allowing the morgue officials to show him out.

As they left the room one of the morgue's attendants placed the corpse into a storage locker and left unaware of the figure watching from the Power Chamber. In a column of green light Samoht Revilo appeared in the morgue and made his way to the locker where Bulk had been placed.

"Zordon, what do I do?" he asked.

"Remove the shrapnel from his back," the Doctor said. "Then stand back and wait."

Samoht did as he was asked still not understanding why Zordon had insisted none of the other Rangers be made aware of his mission.

"What the..."

A small bolt of lightning struck the exposed wound healing it instantly. Another bolt struck and Bulk let out a howl of pain.

"You can bring him back now," the Doctor said.

Samoht obeyed, ignoring the fact he was grave robbing.

---

Year 2000,

In Seacouver Duncan Macleod sensed the approach of someone with a long lifeline and drew his sword ready for action. Even as the new arrival moved into view Duncan was ready to strike.

"Put it down Duncan," a voice said. "You know I'll kick your butt."

Duncan frowned. Only one person spoke to him like that and if he remembered their last meeting the Doctor did not carry a sword.

"You've changed faces again," Macleod said humorlessly.

"And you still insist on carrying that thing," the Doctor replied.

He had tried years before to get Duncan to give up the Game and for a time Duncan had responded. Now though not only was Duncan back in the fight it seemed he was teaching.

"What brings you here?" Duncan asked aware of the fact wherever the Doctor traveled trouble was almost always nearby.

"I need you to train a new student," the Doctor replied.

"I'm not in the Game anymore Doctor. I quit."

"Well I'd appreciate it if you'd consider this one a debt," the Doctor told him.

"A debt?"

"Well your student made him immortal so I thought maybe you could train him."

"Doctor, Richie is dead," Duncan said.

"I know," the Doctor said. "Killed by your own hand. But before he died he was responsible for the Quickening that killed your next pupil."

The Doctor gestured to his side and a large teenager who resembled a football player stepped out.

"Bulk, this is Duncan Macleod of the Clan McCloud."

Farkus Bulkmier held his hand out experiencing a serious headache. Duncan reluctantly shook the boy's hand agreeing to tutor him.

_Good, _ the Doctor thought. _Now we just need to handle Skull. _

---

Angel Grove Airport

Skull stepped through the baggage area and picked up what little luggage he had. As expected nobody was there to meet him. Nobody cared.

"Skull!"

Skull turned to where the voice had come from. He could make out a lone figure waving to him although he had no idea who it was. Deciding to be polite Skull walked towards the green clad teenager trying to place the name to the face.

"Hi Sam," Skull said finally remembering the boy's name.

"Hi Skull," Sam replied. "I- I'm sorry about what you've been through the last six week, but we had to wait before telling you the truth about Bulk."

"Bulk's dead," Skull said simply.

Sam took a quick look around to ensure nobody was looking before grabbing Skull's wrist. "Skull, Bulk is alive and I will take you to him if you come with me."

Skull laughed, the first time in six weeks. Samoht might have been mad, but he had succeeded in cheering the former bully up.

"I'm serious Skull," Sam said. "I retrieved his body after they put it in the morgue. The Watchers never took his body, the Power Rangers did."

"Oh so you're a Power Ranger," Skull said skeptically.

"Green Morphin actually," Sam replied. He had no idea why Zordon wanted Skull or why he had been allowed to reveal his identity, but he trusted Zordon enough to obey without argument.

"Yeah, right!" Skull said not believing a word of it.

Truthfully Skull had always had an idea of who the Rangers might be. In fact part of the reason Bulk and Skull had undertaken to find out their true identities was to help them remain a secret. By constantly putting down those they suspected and allowing the Rangers time to remove any evidence they had been the unsung heroes of the early Ranger days.

"Trust me," Sam said. Casting a spell to prevent anybody from seeing what was going on he pulled out his morpher. "Green Ranger Power!"

Skull's mouth opened but no words came out. After all that time spent wondering he couldn't believe he was so wrong. The Green Ranger removed his helmet and Skull did a double take.

"Tommy?"

It was Sam's turn to look surprised. So far only those who knew his identity were able to see passed the glamour he had placed on himself. For Skull to have done so meant he was open to the Morphin Grid in some way. _Or possibly the Zeo Crystal. _

"Come with me," Green Ranger said. "All will be explained, I hope."

---

Samoht and Skull appeared in the Power Chamber at the same moment the TARDIS containing Bulk and the Doctor showed up. The door opened and the Doctor stepped out followed by a very healthy looking Bulk. For six years the former bully had been training with Duncan Macleod and he now returned a changed man.

Since he was immortal he had no fear of aging. The Doctor's vast wardrobe room had provided Bulk with a new look. He stepped out in a black trench coat with gold trim. Inside the lining of the coat was the military sabre Macleod liked to give all his students.

"Bulky!" Skull cried running over and embracing his oldest friend. For once the two boys were unafraid to let their emotions show. Skull openly wept knowing his pal was okay. "I thought you were dead."

"I am officially," Bulk said. "I'm immortal."

"You mean you'll live forever?" Skull asked.

"That is what the term means young man," the Doctor said.

"So, are you going to introduce everybody?" Skull asked assuming Bulk knew who was who.

"Um, Skull this is the Doctor and that there is Sam," Bulk began.

"And I am Alpha Five," a small android said as he shuffled into view.

"And I am Zordon of Eltar," a deep voice boomed.

The two boys turned to where a giant head was floating in the Plasma Tube.

"Hi," they said together. There wasn't anything else to say.

"I believe you know Billy and Aisha," Zordon added.

"I told you they were Rangers," Skull said to Bulk.

"Indeed," Zordon said. "Your actions to help keep the Rangers' identity secret was appreciated even though they could not tell you. And the generous nature you showed by allowing Rito and Goldar to stay in your garage has allowed me to make you the offer I am about to make."

"And what offer is that?" Skull asked.

"The offer of a chance to join the Power Rangers," a new voice said. "I am Trey of Triforia."

Bulk and Skull had seen the newcomer around, but he had always used an assumed name until now.

"I have been arrested and must return to my home planet," Trey explained. "But before I do so I must pass on the Gold Zeo power."

"In the past the power of the Gold Zeo fragment has had an adverse affect on its avatars," Zordon explained. "Triforians were found to be immune to its energy drain due to their bodies being in constant flux. I believe that, as an immortal Bulk will also be immune to the side effects of the Gold Zeo power. Are you willing to accept the power?"

"Yes," Bulk replied, speechless.

"What about me?" Skull asked.

"Skull, you are intuitive and sensitive. You would make an excellent White Zeo Ranger," Zordon said. "As White Zeo you will be a healer able to help your fellow Rangers in time of need. Do you accept this role?"

"You bet!" Skull cried.

"Skull will have to wait before he can take the White Zeo power," Alpha explained. "We need to find the three other Zeo Rangers first."

"Bulk should take the Gold power now," Zordon said.

In a column of red light Tommy appeared.

"As leader of the Zeo Ranger it is Tommy who must oversee the transfer," Zordon said. "Hold out your hand Red Zeo and receive the Sword of Light."

"Sword of Light!" Tommy called.

The Red Zeo Ranger remembered the last time he had held the powerful weapon and the three new teammates he had gained as a result. He also remembered the pain of losing Jason and to a lesser extent Trini and Zack. Now Trey was going and in his place was Bulk. Tommy was unsure what was happening, but he secretly wondered why Trey was leaving and whether it was his fault.

"Bulk, I grant you the power of the Gold Zeo Ranger. Pyramidas is part of the Golden Power Staff, but Zeo Zord X and Super Zeo Zord X are yours."

The Gold Zeo sub-crystal appeared in Trey's hand and he passed it to Bulk. A flash of golden light passed from the Lord of Triforian to the Sword of Light and back to Bulk.

"What will you do now?" the Doctor asked Trey.

"I will surrender to Tristan," Trey answered. "It is the only way to keep Earth safe."

"You know that he is likely to attack the planet anyway," Skull pointed out.

"Not until after the trial," Trey said. "Earth will be safe for a short time."

"We can't just let you go alone," Tommy said.

"Look Tommy," Trey said seriously. "Tristan has threatened this planet and I have a chance to stop him. If that means sacrificing myself then so be it. Earth is too important to fall because of me."

"But Tristan will invade anyway," Tommy pointed out. "Is there nothing we can do?"

"Perhaps the TARDIS will allow us to follow them," the Doctor said.

"Tristan said there was an Interdiction Field around the Triforian System," Trey told them.

"That won't stop the TARDIS," the Doctor assured him. "And if it does we'll just travel to a time before the Field was put there."

"Couldn't you just turn up early and stop Terr before he could strike?" Skull asked.

"It's not a good idea to fool around with the timeline too much," Samoht said.

"I need to go," Trey said.

"We'll be ready to help when you need us," Tommy assured him.

"Before you go Trey, I have a present for you," Ninjor said. "Come this way."

The Blue Morphin Master guided Trey into the Doctor's TARDIS and following a burst of black energy they emerged.

"Now we'll have no problem finding you," Ninjor said.

"Let us go with you to the meeting," Sam suggested.

Trey shook his head and teleported away leaving the others to watch what happened on the Viewing Screen.

---

Tristan had been waiting patiently for Trey when the Lord of Triforia had appeared in his morphed form. Tristan had no way of telling the difference between the Black Triforian Ranger and Gold Zeo Ranger.

"Power down Trey," Tristan instructed.

"Power Down!" Trey called.

"Now hand over the Golden Power Staff."

Trey did as he was instructed.

"Thank you," Tristan said.

As Tristan teleported them away to a distant planet, Trey noticed that three new figures had joined the conversation. Trey recognised them, but did not display his surprise.

"Valon, Neon and Greta." Trey said. "Why am I not surprised to find out that you three have sided with this traitor?"

"The only traitor here is you Lord Trey," Neon said.

"And it is Lady Greta to you," Greta snapped.

"There is been a change of plan Trey," Tristan said. "We will be taking you back to Triforia, but not for trial."

"Have a care Lord Tristan," Neon said. "Trey is still the Lord of Triforia to many of the people. If we kill him before the trial, Terr will never appease the peasants. The Dralls are already talking of revolution. You must show him the respect his position demands, for now."

"And what crime am I accused of?" Trey asked.

"Failure to carry out the orders of the Triforian Council," Tristan said.

Valon took the opportunity to butt in. "You were instructed when you first came to Earth to prepare the planet to be annexed to Triforia. Your failure to do so has placed the Earth at risk and we all know how important Earth is."

"I have carried out my task," Trey said. "I was required to ensure that Earth remained safe. I have done so."

"How, by joining with these primitives?" Tristan asked. "You know that was not the mission the Council gave you. You were ordered to conquer this planet so the UAE would be unable to."

"Instead I have helped the Rangers of this world defeat their enemies," Trey reasoned. "We do not need to conquer this world. It is already safe."

"For now," Tristan remarked. "But for how long? No cousin, we must make Earth part of the Triforian System. Then we shall know the planet is safe."

"And what of the people of Earth?" Trey asked.

"What about them?" Tristan responded. "They are not members of the Galactic Council. This planet is fair game and its people are ours to do with as we want."

"It is arguments like that, that created the UAE," Trey shot back. "We are not conquerors and I am not a dictator. I came here so that I could help the Rangers. I am a Ranger."

"With all due respect," Lord Neon interrupted. "Whether or not this world has Rangers or not is hardly a concern. Earth would be a valuable asset to the Triforian System. We could certainly use the mineral deposits not to mention the labor force."

"You are talking about slavery," Trey stated.

"Yes, I suppose we are," Lord Valon answered. "This planet must belong to Triforia and you must either convince its people to accept their role or do your duty and force them."

"I would remind you that I am the Lord of Triforia. The Council is there to advise me, not to order me about."

"Things have changed Trey," Tristan said. "The four senior positions held by your family are gone. The Council has given its backing to Terr. You are nothing."

"I became the Gold Zeo Ranger for a reason," Trey said. "So that those weaker than ourselves would never have to face the oppression our race has felt in the past. Now you expect me to become one of the oppressors? I think not. I will speak with my people."

"Our forces are closing," Tristan said. "We can take this planet like we took Triforia if we wish. Save yourself the aggravation and cooperate. Terr is willing to allow you to remain Lord of Triforia."

"With Tristan as your Chief of State of course," Valon added.

"And Terr as your policy advisor," Tristan said.

"No!" Trey shouted. "This is illegal. If I have to I will stand trial. And I assure you I will expose this plot."

"Do what you feel you must, Lord Trey," Neon said. "But we cannot let you disrupt this mission. It was a shame you avoided those Varox we sent after you before. I think that had something to do with these Earth Rangers, didn't it?"

"You sent the Varox?" Trey asked. He had always assumed either the Machine Empire or Lord Zedd had sent the robotic bounty hunters after him. It had never occurred to him that his own people had been trying to destroy him.

"Of course, we couldn't have a Lord of Triforia who questioned the decision of his council," Tristan said. "I personally helped Terr raise the bounty."

"And now it seems we need to try again," Valon said. "Varox, attack!"

"Wait!" Neon cried. "Not yet. We still need him until his replacement is ready."

"My replacement?" Trey asked. "There is only one Trey of Triforia. Our people will check."

"But our agent resembles you down to the last molecule," Greta said. "And he is more than willing to help us. Especially when we offered him your powers."

The screen in the Power Chamber went blank as Trey was placed in shackles and taken away.

---

Triforia

A few weeks later.

The situation on Triforia had destabilized quickly following Trey's arrest. The pockets of resistance that had refused to accept Terr's coronation had been crushed quickly by the Triforian Guardians' elite squadron. The entire system had been brought to its knees in honour of Terr and his new heir Tristan. Males of all species within the system were conscripted into the military as the new King of Triforia plotted the course that would lead him to conquest over the lesser people of the Galaxy.

In a time long before Terr's earliest ancestors had been conceived the Triforia Star System had been the home to a great empire. Under the leadership of the mighty Emperor Javius, the Triforian Guardians had spread throughout the Universe and had steadily conquered world after world. They had even succeeded in briefly wiping out the Morphin Academy based on the pitiful world of Phaedos. The Morphin Masters had been rewarded for not taking action against Javius with death.

Eventually Javius had been defeated by a team of Power Rangers on a planet in the Sol System. Surprisingly that planet had not been Earth. The Rangers had died during that battle but had successfully captured Javius, his forces and his three major henchmen who were referred to as the Dark Triad. Without a replacement Javius' empire crumbled as the forces of good freed the Triforian Star System from his control.

But Javius left his people a powerful weapon that they could use to rebuild his empire. The device was capable of concentrating the power of Triforia's three suns and using them to destroy entire planets. The weapon relied upon the unity of the Triforian System. Five pyramids, one for each planet surrounding Triforia's suns, had been positioned to trap and then direct energy towards the enormous cannon Javius had built in space. The final part of the weapon was a control stick in the form of a golden staff. When used together the parts combined to create a weapon capable of ensuring the Triforian Guardians' continued reign.

Unfortunately for Javius, without suitable leader the gifts he left became corrupted by the purity of the Morphin Masters. Three instruments of fear and destruction were turned into symbols of hope and righteousness.

The mighty space cannon had been turned into the galactic equivalent of a strip mall. The great pyramids were either left to decay or in the case of the Triforia pyramid had been turned into a mere Carrier Zord. And the Control Key that would allow the right leader to control both weapons and to regain the Triforian Empire had been turned into the Golden Power Staff. What had once been the ultimate symbol of evil had been corrupted into a morpher. First the broken Power Coin from one of the Ranger who had imprisoned Javius in his icy tomb and then the Gold Zeo Crystal had disguised its true nature.

But just as Javius had failed to appoint a successor, the arrogant Morphin Masters had failed to neutralize the threat of the Triforian Guardians. They assumed that the removal of the pyramid and the Golden Power Staff would be enough. All had forgotten Javius' influence on Triforia, at least outwardly. But Terr had learnt the legends and had felt the pull just as Javius had before him. He studied everything about the dark emperor and quickly learnt the secrets of the Golden Power Staff, Pyramidas and the monstrous space station that had somehow appeared above Triforia millions of years ago. He had known at that time that he was destined to follow Javius' path.

Taking the Golden Power Staff had been the first obstacle. To start with he had simply dispatch the Varox to kill his brother. But Trey was too stubborn to die and the new friends he made on Earth had protected him and his power. With that failure Terr had tried a different approach. Instead of attacking Trey directly, he had set about reforming the Triforian Guardians. With them serving as a private army, Terr had been able to conquer the entire system and then he had captured Trey.

Trey had surrendered, just as Terr had expected. The Lord of Triforia was overly fond of Earth and when Terr had threatened the pathetic mudball of a world Trey had submitted. The pyramids had been more difficult to restore, but as Terr had predicted, with Pyramidas in its original position the other pyramids had reformed. And with the five pyramids and the control key in place it had been a simple matter of waiting for the huge space laser to power up fully.

Terr was sat inside Pyramidas on the throne that served as a control board for the space weapon. Returning Pyramidas to its rightful place had provided an opportunity to do more than just fire a weapon. The pyramid also served as a temporal doorway that enabled Terr to locate a force he knew would be capable of defeating the Rangers of Earth.

The pyramid also allowed him a chance to look into the future and to target those who would get in his way. The Rangers of Earth appeared, but he had expected that. Two specific Rangers had been highlighted for termination. Samoht Revilo was the first. As a user of magic he was a risk. Nathan Oliver was the second. His appearance from another dimension had shifted the balance of power and his elimination was vital.

With a sigh Terr realised that freeing those who could defeat the Rangers was his only real option. He would have to ensure that when they fulfilled their task they were destroyed. His plan had changed considerably with his recent discovery. He now had a team of ready made warriors and didn't need to spend the time training those he had acquired.

His original plan had involved a limited alliance with the government of the United States of America. Terr had agreed to build the country a force of Ranger-like soldiers in return for permission to carry out his experiments. He had founded Arcadia Academy as a place where future Rangers could be trained and turned to the advantage of the Triforian Order. His discovery had changed all that. Now he had only to use his students as a powersource for his real army. He would leave a few of them intact, but the remainder would be sacrificed.

His discovery was the existence of Minion's army of Ranger replicas. Created by Zordon to cover for his Rangers whilst they were fighting, they had rebelled and joined forces with Minion. They had successfully defeated the Gem Coin Rangers and provided a tough battle for the Morphin Rangers.

With energy the Dark Rangers could be restored to life. And if Tristan could broker a deal on Terr's behalf, they could work for the Triforian Order. After all there was nothing better for destroying Rangers than other Rangers. And no team of evil Rangers had ever had the success of Minion's Dark Rangers.

---

Bristol International Airport, England

Two days following Trey's arrest, 14:00 hrs GMT

"Welcome to the United Kingdom, Mr Revilo," the passport officer said as she stamped his passport.

"Thank you," Samoht smiled.

After all the teleporting he had done since returning to duty as a Power Ranger, Samoht found flying to be a pleasurable experience. This was his vacation and for once it was nice to get away from the Power for a few days. He had decided that he would spend time doing the things that normal people do instead of moping around his house and wondering when the next attack would occur. _Over two centuries of life and I still don't know how to have a good time. _

Samoht knew that part of his trip was business, but he hoped it would only account for a few hours. _I need to see some scenery anyway. _ He had been troubled by a premonition of danger arising from articles left at Stone Henge by Minion. UNIT troops had been all over the grounds and he suspected it would only be a few days before they discovered the swords Minion had placed there.

Minion had, Samoht assumed known the swords' names, but he doubted the villain had known of their original identities. Minion probably had not spent the time to look at the swords in great detail. If he had then he would have become more powerful. A magician named Paragon had created the swords. Each had been infused with the power of Darkness.

Beleth, Morax, Solas, Orias, Flauros, Eligor and Albion were the names given to the seven swords by Paragon. Six of the swords had been placed into a pocket where certain villains could access the powers. Albion had been renamed the Sword of Darkness and had been passed down from villain to villain until Minion had seized the magical blade.

Beleth had become known as the Machine Sword and allowed the Machine Empire to overcome their lack of magical powers. The sword was immune to the effects of Cold Iron. The Machine Empire would have been able to build robots to help build their empire regardless of whether they had the sword or not, the sword simply allowed the robots to become monsters.

Morax was the name given to the Dimension Sword. Morax allowed Grimlord to create forces in Virtual Reality and to send them into the real world. Without the powers of the blade, Grimlord's forces would vanish as soon as they crossed the barrier between the real and virtual worlds.

Solas was the sword that allowed Vexor and Nukus to exist. It also allowed them to summon forces from the comic book world. A feature they had yet to learn about was that together the two villains could call forth any drawing. That allowed them to bring comic book characters into the real world. Samoht was sure that if the two villains ever learnt of such a power they would be more than able to think of a suitable use.

Orias or the Rapier of Rage as the blade had become known, had been crafted to control the emotions of hate, fear, anger, envy among others. Certain villains had become adept at using the energies within such emotions. The blade provided those villains who specialized in mind control to turn friends in enemies.

Eligor controlled the power of the beast. Where it could be used to control animals, it was more adept at summoning the creatures that had haunted the nightmares of the living. Hydras, dragons and Minotaurs fell under that category. The Beast Sword as it had been named boosted the power of the Rapier of Rage.

The sixth sword, Flauros controlled and twisted the forces of nature. It was responsible for plant monsters and famine. When used with the Beast Sword it allowed darkness to control all life within a selected area or even to wipe it out.

Minion had never had the opportunity to summon all seven swords together. If he had, Samoht reckoned that his control over the blades would have ceased as the villain sank further into the depths of insanity. _The blades must never fall into evil hands again. _

But what could he do about the swords? As long as the blades existed, villains would be able to draw on their power, but did he dare to destroy them? Doing so would lead to an imbalance and he could not believe that would be a good thing. Sealing the swords in subspace would prevent them falling into the wrong hands, but their power would corrupt wherever they were kept. _I'll find them first and then ask Zordon what to do. _

This whole trip had another purpose even if Samoht was unwilling to admit it. He wanted to get away from things for a while. The tension between the Rangers, especially the Zeo team was unbearable. Tommy had been ready to attack Triforia immediately after Trey had been taken. Only the efforts of his friends and the new Gold Zeo Ranger - Bulk, had stopped him. Even so it was clear that both teams were anxious to do something and the tension was high.

Those who could had returned to their everyday lives, awaiting the signal that Zordon had agreed to send should Trey make contact. Reluctantly Sam had decided to continue his tour of Europe. He was glad that this small distraction had given him something new to think about.

_Maybe Minion left something I can fight. _

He had no idea how right he was.

"Mr Revilo, your motor cycle is waiting outside."

"Thank you," Samoht said to the porter, his surprise evident.

He went outside to find a Kawasaki Z250 waiting for him. It was painted in the colours used camouflage and had a small note attached.

Dear Sam,

I thought you could use this.

Your friend

?

Samoht recognised the Doctor's handwriting and the way he signed his name. Obviously both Zordon and the Doctor had been aware of the Green Ranger's intentions and had been in touch with UNIT to arrange transport. Since Samoht had deliberately chosen an airport some distance from where he was going they had taken it upon themselves to provide transport.

"Thanks Zordon!" Samoht said as he started the bike and took off. After narrowly avoiding a badly driven moped he was on course for his ultimate destination.

Back at the terminal a member of staff watched him leave before making a quick phone call.

"He's on his way!"

---

Angel Grove, Earth

1 November 1996.

For once Nathan Oliver was glad of the silence that reigned within his secluded home. Power Withdrawal was something Rangers from his dimension had rarely encountered and an irritation that the merger of the Zeo Crystal and Power Ruby was meant to eliminate forever. But then if it had been successful he would have been forced to conclude that he was insane. As it was he felt that the little men in white coats would be after him before long. His current appearance was hardly that of a sane individual.

An uninformed observer might have come to the conclusion that the youth had dyed his hair every colour of the Zeo Crystal. They were half-right. His hair was brightly coloured, but he had not dyed it. Likewise he had not purchased the multicoloured clothing that would have looked more suitable on Zack. Even his clothes and skin were varying shades of green, blue, red, gold, black, white, silver, purple, pink and yellow. Such phenomenon had been encountered on other worlds, but normally only where the avatar was of the Morphin Grid persuasion. Nathan lacked a link to the Morphin apart from his natural link to the Ninjetti totem.

The unconscious mind though was a tricky thing and had in the past caused Rangers to paint their bodies the colour of their link to the Grid. Since becoming one with the Power at the age of a mere infant, Nathan had never experienced any side effects of the Power until recently. Something had happened during his battle with Stella that had changed everything. He refused to believe it was the Green Power Coin because subsequent tests had proved it to be little more than a piece of gold. The possibility that the damage he had sustained to his armor was causing his problems was also unlikely. _Could it be the Techno-Virus? _ He doubted it; the viral agent introduced to his system by Minion had been hardly noticeable for the past few days. In fact he had been free of its constant drain for almost a week.

Nathan didn't need to morph to be an effective fighter. That lack of reliance on his powers meant he could not fall foul of the side effects. More than that, it was the opinion of the former Rangers and Morphin Masters in his dimension that when he was trained to his full potential, the Power would make him an even more powerful warrior. That theory had proved correct so far.

He had trained under Dulcea and Ninjor for almost a decade and had mastered the fighting arts his teachers had prescribed. In fact in his dimension both Ninjor and Dulcea were feared by the forces of good and evil because of their ruthless styles. Ninjor had worked with Nathan constantly for four years. He had worked the boy until the young Ranger was exhausted mentally and physically before allowing his charge to rest. The following day they would repeat the same procedure.

Countless times Nathan had suffered an injury whilst training, but had been forced to continue regardless. Ninjor wasn't heartless and had confessed on many occasions that he wished they could stop. However, the Universe needed Nathan at full potential and that meant the Morphin Master had to push his student to the limit. Not that Nathan was forced to train; it was established early on that should Nathan choose to end his training that nobody would hold it against him. In truth Nathan enjoyed the training and the hard work. That was a sign of good things to come.

By the time Ninjor had finished with him, Nathan was the deadliest five-year-old boy on the planet Earth. His body was fully developed though thanks to the Triforian DNA that had been spliced into his genetic code. His mind had also developed at an accelerated pace and he was intelligent enough to understand what he was learning. All the Rangers that made up his family celebrated the day of his graduation as Ninjor's first official student in countless centuries. He was at that time one of the best fighters in the Universe.

Then he had traveled to Phaedos where Dulcea was waiting. She didn't care about his accomplishments. She only knew that he had a long way to go before she could be satisfied. For weeks she had attacked him on a regular basis, injured him badly and then allowed Kat to tend her son's wounds. Dulcea never spoke to him, refusing to see him as another life form. That ended the day he defeated her in combat.

That day he had finally proved worthy of her attention and he got more than he desired. After she had congratulated him on victory, she attacked. There was nothing subtle or graceful about her assault and by the time he had seen the first strike coming, he was on his back. That was how things continued; Dulcea would attack Nathan and expect him to constantly improve. Only when she was certain that he was worthy did she test his skills.

It had been a warm day when Dulcea decided the time had come. She summoned all of the former Rangers and instructed them to attack. One at a time the former Rangers attacked. Those with powers used them in an attempt to seriously test his skills. At the end of the session everyone was satisfied that Nathan had the skills necessary to quest for his totem animal.

Even though Nathan had been given the Zeo Crystal and Power Ruby soon after his birth, it was felt that he needed to take the quest as a right of passage. He would never use his Ninjetti powers unless absolutely necessary, but it was a way to prove that he was pure of heart. During his quest the former Rangers, his family, had waited nervously. Even Dulcea was unsure which totem he would gain from the Monolith, only that it would represent the integration of all the Morphin personalities. He was by no means perfect, but he was good.

Now at the age of eighteen he was a Ranger irrespective of whether he was morphed or not. He had skills that he could use whilst unmorphed that many Rangers would never gain. He still needed the power of the Zeo Crystal/ Power Ruby to provide his armor. He could still be hurt. But it was his totem of the Salamander that allowed him to maintain his unmorphed skills.

A subspace pocket had been set up for him and filled with the varying weapons the former Rangers had used. These were weapons that had at some stage been used by the Rangers but never linked to their powers. Most of these devices belonged to Billy Cranston or Cestro, but there were a few exceptions. Most notably were the six Power Weapons that had belonged to the original Rangers of Earth. At one point in the battle with Rita Repulsa, a group of Mutant Rangers had used a copy of the Power Blaster to defeat the Rangers. Zordon had responded by creating new versions of their old weapons. The old versions were drained of their powers and placed in storage.

Of course without the Power flowing through them, they were little more than ordinary weapons. Still, they were intended to allow Nathan the chance to operate in situations where he was unable to morph. His favourite weapon was the sword Jason had once used as Red Ranger. Ninjor had altered it slightly so it was a perfectly balanced weapon that could cut through most materials.

To put a fine point on things he was a trained fighter who could defeat the Rangers in his own without his powers who was armed with weapons he could use at any time and could morph into one of the most powerful Rangers in his new dimension. So why was it that he felt so uneasy? It had nothing to do with his sudden colour problem of that he was certain. Here in the home he had built to remain hidden from friend and foe alike he should of felt safe. But he didn't feel safe. Something was wrong and try as he might he was unable determine the problem. He felt as though something was missing, something he needed to survive.

What Nathan failed to understand was that he was not alone and that the feeling he had had for the past few days was his own death. The figure stood in the darkness watching as Nathan paced up and down. His green eyes glowed as he imagined how good it would feel to destroy the boy and then those he loved. In his hand he held a blackened blade suitable for cutting the Ranger's throat.

Whether Nathan heard the intruder's breathing or smelt its foul odor first he would never know. But before his assailant could land a blow, the young Ranger had moved out of range.

Without making a sound Nathan leapt into the air and aimed a kick at the invader's throat. The dark cloaked figure moved almost at the same time, leaving behind a solid black creature with white eyes and no visible mouth. As Nathan's foot was about to connect, the new creature grabbed his foot and swung him away. Nathan landed badly, crushing a table as he did so. Instead of hurrying back to his feet he took the time to study his opponent, just as his Aunt Trini had instructed.

{Look for a weakness before you launch an offensive. If can't find one try to think of a way out.}

While he studied it his mind was drifting back to the time Andros and Zhane had taught him about the monsters and races they had encountered. He hadn't realised it at the time but Dulcea had asked the two senior Rangers to take his mind off his studies for a few hours. Even though she had always maintained the role of a strict teacher, she had noticed the signs of mental exhaustion and had decided to back off. For Nathan it had been one of the most enjoyable afternoons he had spent during his training. His uncles had had a unique style of teaching that often resulted in them fighting over their material.

Despite his uncles' relaxed teaching methods, they had ensured that he learnt everything he was supposed to learn. It was this knowledge that finally allowed him to identify the creature in front of him. It was a Shadow Wraith; a mysterious life form that served as henchman to demons that were too weak to create their own forces. The Shadow Wraith was known for its ability to shape its body into a weapon and for being easy to destroy. The problem was that in order to kill it Nathan had to slice it with a sharp blade, not a problem in itself except he doubted a Shadow Wraith would remain still while he was trying to kill it.

The Shadow Wraith shifted form, its arm transforming into a sharp blade he could use against the human. Its eyes changed from white to green as it attacked. The sword sliced through the furniture that Nathan had acquired during his time on Earth. It didn't need to destroy the boy's home, but Nathan could sense that its master gained a perverse pleasure from having his henchman destroy things.

Deciding it was better to play safe than sorry, Nathan chose to morph. His first priority though was to avoid the fireball that the cloaked figure had unleashed. He vaulted off the walls, throwing himself into a somersault into a safer part of the building. He jumped down the stairwell, hoping to gain some distance between him and his assailant.

The Shadow Wraith didn't seem concerned by Nathan's disappearance. It simply sliced through the floor and entered the room where Nathan was waiting.

"Zeo Phantom Power!" Nathan called.

Nothing happened. For the first time in his life Nathan felt the total absence of the Power. Neither the Zeo Crystal nor Power Ruby responded to his command. Unable to morph, Nathan fell back on the techniques he had learnt from his trainers.

In addition to Ninjor and Dulcea, he had also received instruction from the former Rangers. Karone had taught him how to use magic, Jason had taught him strategy and Andros had taught him how to use telekinesis. It was that skill that Nathan used albeit not very well. Reaching out with his mind he grabbed hold of a broken table leg and pulled it to his hand.

Wielding the leg like a club, Nathan faced down his attacker. If the Shadow Wraith had been capable of amusement it would have found the spectacle hilarious as its bladed arm turned the wooden leg into matchsticks. Its eyes narrowed as it sensed that it was time to make the kill.

Nathan reached into his subspace pocket and retrieved his sword. It was one of the few personal weapons the Nathan had been able to retrieve following his move between dimensions. His subspace pocket had been emptied during the move and it had taken a long time to locate his arsenal. Whereas he had been able to find all of the weapons he used while morphed his unmorphed equipment was reduced to a sword, a hand held scanner and a modified Gem Coin Blaster.

Now it was a more even fight. Even though it lacked the Power it held when in the possession of a morphed Ranger, it was able deflect the Wraith's weapon. The two combatants fought whilst the cloaked figure watched expectantly. If he was surprised by Nathan's victory he didn't show it. Nor had he shown his glee when the Zeo Phantom had been able to morph. To do so would have confirmed what he knew the boy suspected; that he was the cause of the power problem. More important he did not wish for Nathan to learn his identity until it was too late. So he just watched impassively as the boy's sword found its mark and cleaved the henchman from head to toe.

"Gem Coin Blaster!"

Billy had given the Zeo Phantom a copy of his multi purpose weapon after the defeat of the Dragon Master. They had hoped to integrate it into his arsenal, but the Gem Coin Blaster could not be powered without a direct link to either the Grid or a Super Zeo Gem. It wasn't the gun itself that Nathan was interested in though. He remembered that Billy had provided a small sample of each cartridge type and it was one of these power packs that Nathan intended to use. He removed a Flash Cartridge and after removing the safety casing, threw it at the Wraith. When the cartridge exploded the extreme light destroyed its dark body.

"A victory worthy of the son of Oliver and Hilliard," the cloaked figure said. It was the first time he had spoken since he had arrived or been released for that matter. He kept his voice flat to reduce the risk of being recognised and to suppress his powers.

"Who are you?" Nathan inquired.

"Ah, always to the point Zeo Phantom," he replied. "I am but a figment of your mind's eye."

He swept his arm in a wide arc and watched as the damage caused by Nathan's battle with the Shadow Wraith vanished from view. The expression on his face was both unpleasant and hidden by his cloak. If he decided to attack now, he knew that even Nathan's reflexes would be unable to block.

Nathan stood watching the cloaked figure. There was little else he could do. Zordon's rules prevented him from attacking and there was no way he would turn his back on this thing. When his opponent did move, it was like being back on Phaedos again. The cloaked figure was fast and deceptive since his cloak disguised which way he was moving.

Nathan fought back using what he had been taught and allowing the Salamander to guide him. His style relied mainly of spinning high kicks with the occasional punch added for good measure. Unfortunately for him, the cloak figure had seen all the moves before and knew how to block them. He waited for Nathan to make the mistake he knew was forthcoming. As if on cue, Nathan switched from kicks to punches and attempted a running uppercut.

"Yah!"

Crack!

The first sound was the triumphant cry the attacker gave as he saw Nathan make a fatal mistake. The second sound was the noise made by Nathan's jaw as it connected with the cloaked figure's elbow. As Nathan staggered backward, the creature pushed his offensive. He raised his right knee and grabbed the head. He drove the forehead into his knee, a move that knocked Nathan out on his feet. He lifted the unmorphed Zeo Phantom, turned him in the air and slammed his body into a back breaker.

"I know that you can hear me Nathan Oliver," the cloaked figure said. "Know that I am Stryfe, your superior in every way possible. I am the one who prevented you from morphing just as I will be the one to end your life."

"How?" Nathan gasped.

"Stryfe ceased his attack just long enough to pull the hood back and to expose a small ring on his left hand. Nathan stared as he recognised the face. It was as familliar as the face he saw everytime he looked into a mirror. It was his face.

"You're my clone," he said.

Stryfe laughed. "Replica to be exact. But I don't have time to explain this to youy. I'm on a schedule. You wanted to know how I blocked your power? I used this ring. Its energy signature disrupts the Power Ruby. It also allows me to take this form and to have these powers without morphing.

Despite the pain, Nathan could hear every word uttered by his attacker. He couldn't move after the back breaker and his breathing was strained. He struggled to remain conscious, but the pain in his head threatened to claim him at any time.

Then there was a new sensation, pain. His body was thrown into the air by Stryfe's kick. Luckily he could hardly feel anything below his neck. If he had been able to feel the impact he probably would have screamed.

"This is boring," Stryfe complained. "Maybe I should give you a chance to fight back."

The Power returned. All at once Nathan could feel the Zeo Crystal and Power Ruby filling him with their energy. Accelerated healing kicked in and his injuries were miraculously repaired. Damaged pathways were restored as his connection to his powers grew. Soon he would be able to morph again.

"On second thoughts," Stryfe said, "I'll just finish you now."

In a flash of teleportation, Stryfe was gone from Nathan's home. He floated outside the castle like structure and used his powers to cancel Nathan's attempts to hide his home. He raised his hand and watched as the building was pulled from the ground and positioned in the air for all to see. As he squeezed his hand into a fist, the castle started to crumble. Bricks, rock, wood and human flesh were shaken up as Stryfe's power tore through the Zeo Power's lair. He opened his palm and the destruction stopped.

"Come out and play Nathan," he taunted.

He shook the building back and forth until Nathan's battered body dropped into the foundations of his former home.

"I've finished here Nathan," Stryfe said. "So you can have your puny fortress back!"

He fired a ball of energy at the rubble, which was still floating in the air and smiled as it energized the remains of Nathan's home. He lowered his hand to deactivate the levitation spell and watched with delight as the explosive energy and heavy debris landed on top of the near dead Ranger. In his mind he could sense Nathan's life signs growing weaker. Suddenly, they ceased and Stryfe knew that he had won.

He was not foolish enough to allow victory to cloud his judgement. He retrieved the Zeo Phantom's battered body and carried it away to where his employer was waiting.

---

Stone Henge, England, Earth.

Hours Earlier.

A lone figure stood in the centre of the stone circle; eyes closed so he could sense the magical currents that flowed through the Ley Nexus beneath him. Keeping his mind focused he reached into his subspace pocket and retrieved his morpher.

"Green Ranger Power!"

Once morphed Samoht was able to use his helmet to analyze the stone circle. He could sense the words Minion had used before and the method he had used to channel the energy.

"Let the circle be restored!" he called; using the synthesizer in his helmet to imitate Minion's voice. The power of the Green Ranger replaced those of the Dark Side of the Morphin Grid and allowed the Ley Nexus to be rebuilt.

As the large stone appeared the Power told Samoht what he needed to do. "Dragon Blade!" The glowing green sword appeared in his hand and he used it to cleave the stone in half. As he did so the six swords clattered to the ground. Samoht smiled as he realised the blades could never be united again.

"Halt!"

Samoht turned to see a group of warriors dressed in a strange black and gold armor. The leader was armed with a small pistol that he pointed at the Green Ranger. Samoht instinctively raised his sword into a blocking position.

"We want those swords," the armed man said. "Hand them over and you can go."

"Who are you?"

"That is no concern of yours Green Ranger. Just hand over the swords and we can all leave," Tristan said.

In truth the Triforian had no interest in the swords, but thought that claiming them would mask his true intentions. Terr wanted something from Stone Henge, but it had nothing to do with the swords that Samoht sought. The evil emanating from the weapons terrified him.

Samoht had no idea what the new arrival wanted with the swords, but he was determined that nobody would ever unite them again. He couldn't risk teleporting the blades to one place, so he settled for the alternative.

"If you want them," he said, "Go get them!"

Green Ranger used his powers to teleport the blades back into the dimensions where they had been kept since their creation. It meant that he had lost a chance to destroy the dangerous weapons, but he was certain the guys in the black armour couldn't get them.

Samoht was used to living with partial victories. During the years he had spent in the past he had often been forced to move from place to place. Usually it was following a battle where he suffered a fatal would. The people of Earth were just not ready to accept that he could survive things that ordinary people would not have survived.

"That was a foolish thing to do," Tristan said. "Now we'll have to destroy you."

Tristan had every intention of destroying Samoht regardless of whether the Green Ranger cooperated or not. The other guardsmen had taken up flanking position whilst more of their number searched for the entrances to the Prison Sub-dimension.

"You could leave now," Samoht suggested. "There would be no loss of honour if you did so."

"Finnen, destroy him!" Tristan ordered.

The pink gilled solider stepped forward and aimed his weapon at the Green Ranger. He fired a quick succession of shots and maintained his firing until the Green Ranger vanished from view. When he stopped firing he kept his weapon aimed at the spot where he expected the Green Ranger to collapse. The Green Ranger wasn't there.

"Looking for me?"

The soldier turned towards the voice and was rewarded by the Green Ranger's fist. As he fell to the floor Tristan was already ordering the other soldiers to open fire. The whole time his concentration was elsewhere, making sure that the few guards he had sent into the sub-dimension were doing the job he had set for them.

"Don't just stand there," he shouted at the gawking guardsmen who were surprised by Green Ranger's speed. "Shoot!"

Samoht had no idea why he was being attacked. He had guessed that his attackers were neither human nor friendly and since they wanted the swords, he assumed they were part of the UAE. Whoever they were they didn't know much about Green Rangers. The few shots he couldn't catch on his sword were deflected harmlessly by his shield.

"I don't want to harm you," Green Ranger stated.

So far he had attempted not to harm his opponents, but their blasts were getting dangerously close to penetrating his Power Shield. He released the Dragon Sword and allowed it to slip back into storage. His palm now rested on his Blade Blaster as he waited for some sign that his attackers were going to stop. When it became evident that they had no intention of ending the confrontation he drew the small sidearm and fired. His blasts were accurate and low powered, but sufficient to drop anyone that they hit.

"Your move," he said to Tristan.

He hoped that with his companions gone that Tristan would see sense and retreat. Unfortunately Tristan seemed to have other ideas as he pulled a large cannon from his back and fired.

The explosion turned Stone Henge back to how it had been when Samoht arrived with the exception of the unconscious bodies lying inside the circle and the smoldering crater where Green Ranger had been standing. In the centre of the scorched hole the Green Ranger was keeled over clutching at his smoking chest. The Plasma Cannon had overloaded the Power Shield and burnt a hole in his armour. Any other Ranger suit with the possible exception of Brown Ranger would have been shredded. Fortunately protection was central to the Green powers.

"Time to die," Tristan whispered as he noticed his forces leaving the Prison Sub-dimension. He moved so that the Green Ranger was between him and the entrance to the sub-dimension. He pulled the trigger and the Green Ranger was thrown into the entrance. As he struggled to recover he was attacked mercilously by the force that Tristan's guards had released. The confrontation was painfully short as a few minutes later the body of Samoht Revilo was thrown out of the entrance in chains. Behind him walked the Dark Rangers.

"Why have you released us?" Biilly Cranston asked.

Although he resembled the Blue Morphin Ranger he was in fact a replica created by Zordon. Unfortunately the White Morphin Master had not foreseen the replicas' defection to Minion's service. They had been sealed inside the Stone Henge Sub-dimension following Minion's defeat, but now they were free again.

"To offer you a chance," Tristan replied.

Biilly was obviously the leader of the nineteen replicas. There had been only fourteen, but Biilly had been busy during his captivity. As he heard Tristan talk the Blue Psycho Ranger's face twisted into a grin.

"You want us to work for you. Is that your offer, serve you or die?" he asked.

"The chance I spoke of is to destroy the Power Rangers," Tristan said. "Then if you're successful we'll discuss your service to Triforia."

Biilly considered Tristan's offer. Serving anyone was undesirable, but the chance of revenge was too good to miss. Plus once he was free of the Prison Sub-dimension he could always show this Triforian scum just who was in charge.

"Very well," Biilly said. "But my forces lack power."

"Then I have a gift for you," Tristan said. He opened his hand to reveal a set of golden rings. Each ring had a small diamond inserted that swirled with a strange energy. "Courtesy of Arcadia Academy. These rings are made from the life energy of those this world could consider super heroes. Some have held great power in the past. Others were destined to hold the Power in the future. We took them from their parents either willingly or by force. They have no family now; their parents are dead and thanks to the Queen of the Crown, they have been reduced to husks."

"Would be Rangers as well as existing heroes," Biilly stated. "So you have the spirit of that upstart Justin Stewart. I will enjoy using his life force."

"So we have a deal," Tristan said. "You destroy the Rangers and then we'll discuss your place in Lord Terr's army."

Biilly nodded.

"In that case I must ask that you lend us the use of Treey."

"What do you want with him?"

"His face," Tristan smiled.

After explaining the plan and gaining the Gold Psycho Ranger's cooperation, Tristan and his troops left. Before he did so he left Biilly with a clear idea of which Rangers needed to be taken out quickly. Top of his list was Nathan Oliver. In time they would return, but first the Psycho Rangers could destroy the Earth's defenders while Triforia dealt with another problem, the Galactic Council.

NEXT: THE RANGERS ARE ATTACKED BY THEIR REPLICAS

---

Index

This site has been visited: 1676810 times