Disclaimer:

Power Rangers Zeo and all related indicia belong to
Saban. (Raise your hand if you don't know that by now.) No
permission, no profit, no lawyers.  The poem "Nothing Gold 
Can Stay" was written by Robert Frost. 

The general premise of this fanfic was originally
conceived by Michelle Penning in her fanfic "True Brothers." 
(I got her permission to use it.) I liked the idea so much 
that I wanted to try to put a different spin on it, and 
next thing I knew, I had a big chunk of fanfic done. And 
then I put it away. And then I picked it up again. And then 
I put it away. You get the idea. So some of the ideas in 
here were actually conceived quite a while ago. I've had 
the idea for Trillian since I saw "Good as Gold," for example.
However, I did get the explanation for Earth's tactical 
value from Ellen Brand (and I *did* get permission - 
thank you, Ellen!).


Hardest Hue
by Amanda Ohlin


August 24, 1996
San Francisco, California

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

Even in the warmth of an August afternoon, the small
crowd gathered on the pier could not rid themselves of 
the numbing chill that ran through all of them. The 
bright, clear summer sun reflected in the ocean waters 
seemed harsh and painful to eyes hidden behind sunglasses 
and reddened with tears. 

As the pastor finished reading his selection, Sarah
Scott burst into wracking sobs, pressing her head
against her husband's chest as he hugged her tightly,
He let her shed the tears she had held in for days
since the loss of her mother. 

Jason was standing beside his parents, feeling
somewhat awkward as they comforted each other.
Everything seemed unreal; the weather, the sea of dark
clothing, the real sea that lay before them in an
expanse of brilliant blue. And he couldn't see his
grandmother in the small urn before them. Sure, he
remembered her joking that she'd rather be scattered
to the winds than taking up a plot, but still...he
didn't know. He stifled a yawn, rubbing his eyes to
clear his blurring vision. Almost a month since the
loss of the Power, and he was still feeling ill.
Actually, he had the feeling it was getting worse.

He dismissed those thoughts as the last speaker
cleared his throat. The tall man standing at the
water's edge immediately commanded everyone's
attention in that small sound. Andrew Trevelyan was
supposedly pushing eighty, and had somehow managed to
escape the infirmity of age. His close-cropped dark
hair and beard were frosted white, and the lines
around his eyes were deep, but he was as fit as ever
and had never needed glasses. 

"I don't have a speech prepared," Andrew said after a
moment, "but I suppose that there's not much I can say
that hasn't been said already." 

He pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket. "This is
not the most original selection, but it's her favorite
poem." Clearing his throat, he began to read, the
deep, rich tones of his voice carrying on the ocean
breeze.

"Nature's first green is gold,
 Her hardest hue to hold.
 Her early leaf's a flower,
 But only so an hour.
 Then leaf subsides to leaf,
 So Eden sank to grief,
 So dawn goes down to day,
 Nothing gold can stay."

His words trailed off, leaving silence in their wake.
As his grandfather knelt at the edge of the pier,
letting the ashes flow into the water, a chill went
through Jason. He wasn't exactly sure why, but
something about the words bothered him. Sighing, Jason
closed his eyes, trying to shake off the feeling of
vertigo.

A brief flash, and a cascade of images exploded behind
his closed eyelids, like a super-speed slide show. The
vision lasted only a second, and Jason's eyes flew
open. He blinked and put out a hand to steady himself,
glancing around to see if anyone had noticed. But
everyone was focused on the man kneeling by the water.
Even Tommy, Katherine and Adam, who had come for moral
support, were looking away. He shook his head to clear
it, the moment of weakness gone. Part of him was
relieved that they hadn't noticed, but worried at the
same time. He was supposed to be getting better. 

Wasn't he?

"Hey, Jase!" Tommy cuffed him lightly on the shoulder,
startling Jason from his reverie. Glancing around,
Jason noticed with some embarrassment that he was the
last one left standing at the pier; everyone else was
filing onto dry land and heading towards the row of
parked cars beside the road. "You just blanked out
completely, bro."

"Are you all right?" Katherine added, concerned.

Jason looked from Tommy to Kat to Adam for a moment,
trying to clear his head. Then he smiled, shaking his
head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself," Adam joked.

"Very funny." Jason glanced over at the rest of the
mourners climbing into their cars. "Come on, let's go
before we get stranded here."

"He's fine," Katherine concluded, evoking some
laughter as the four friends turned away from the
water, their troubles temporarily forgotten.

Hidden behind sunglasses, the brief flicker of gold
light in Jason's eyes went unnoticed.

******

August 26, 1996
Angel Grove, California

The older man regarded his daughter with veiled
amusement. "A week?"

"Yes, Dad, I said a week." Sarah struggled to lift the
last of the storage crates that had littered the
Scotts' guest room. "I'm not letting you hop a flight
halfway around the world after only three days."

"Cairo is only about a quarter of the way." At her
struggles, he sighed and grabbed the other end of the
box, lifting it easily. "And I can manage. Where do
you want this?"

Sarah sighed in exasperation. "Just at the end of the
hall with the rest of it." As he set it down, she
continued, "I know you can manage, Dad. But you only
just got here, and it just seems so wrong for you to
take off back to the museum so soon. John doesn't
mind, and I know Jason won't have difficulty with it;
you know he and Billy followed you around constantly
the last time you and Ma came down."

"Jason and Billy were ten then, Sarah."

"You know what I mean." She folded her arms, looking
up at him defiantly.

Andrew changed the subject. "Whatever happened to that
boy, anyway? I haven't seen any of Jason's old group
since I got here."

"Trini and Zack stayed in Switzerland, and they're
both applying to schools." Sarah frowned. "The word on
Billy is that he got a job in London for a computer
company, but the way Hank tells it, I get the feeling
it's more than that." She shook her head. "But don't
change the subject. It's ridiculous for you to fly out
here and only stay three days before leaving again--"

"All right."

"--not to mention that I'm not going to leave you
alone about this until you agree--" She stopped. "Say
again?"

Andrew chuckled. "You've talked me into it. Where do I
set up?"

She was only momentarily taken aback. "Well, I guess
we can get your stuff from the hotel and when I finish
repacking all this junk in order, you can set up shop.
There's John's old desk in here somewhere and a
drafting table, although I don't know what you could
do with that, it's plenty of work space." Sarah
sighed, hearing him chuckle. "Okay, what is it?"

"Nothing." He smiled fondly, remembering. "You're so
much like your mother when you do that."

The mirth drained from her face. "Am I really that
much like her?"

Gently, he cupped her chin with his hand, lifting her
chin so that her eyes met his. "When I look at you,
Sarah, I see the best of Eliza in you." A small smile
crossed his lips as he grabbed a strand of her hair.
"Although I doubt she'd have ever gone blonde."

"Dad!" She would have said more if the front door
hadn't opened and the sounds of argument floated up
from downstairs. 

Jason and John stumbled into the living room, each
weighed down by suitcases. "Mission accomplished,"
John grunted as Sarah came down the stairs with Andrew
right behind her.

"Can we put these down now?" Jason added.

Sarah took one of the suitcases from her son. "Right
by the door's fine; I'm still reorganizing." She
handed him a plastic bag in trade. "This you can take
into the kitchen with all the other stuff your father
forgot to recycle." Jason rolled his eyes and headed
for the kitchen.

As John nearly dropped a long, flat metal case, Andrew
caught it with lightning-quick reflexes. "Careful with
that!"

"Dad, you didn't bring your work with you again,"
Sarah groaned.

Andrew was holding the case possessively. "No, but
it's still important. You set me up, didn't you?"

"Well, it's just like you said," Sarah retorted as she
hefted one of the bags and started up the steps. "Like
mother, like daughter."

John and Andrew watched her go, sighing in unison.
"Women."

******

August 30

The suns had set over the horizon, and in the orange
and purplish hues of their wake, Triforia's three
moons were coming into view. But their outlines were
still faint within the fiery glow of sunset as the
reddish light gleamed off the towers of the capital. 

From one of the highest towers, Trey watched the
daylight fade from the streets. Below, he could hear
the hum of the solar generators turning panels to
store the final rays of the day. Part of him wished to
be down in the cool shadows of the streets, not stuck
in the tower. Another part reminded him that he hadn't
been feeling well of late, so he had an excuse. Yet
another part was looking towards the stars, wondering
if the dreams were literal. 

If they were, an old friend needed his help. And it
would explain the way the Power had been feeling...
almost as though it was thinning. There wasn't a
better way to explain it. 

Trey summoned the Golden Power Staff with a thought,
turning it over and over in his hands thoughtfully. He
could feel the energy humming through the staff, could
hear its semi-sentience thrumming in his mind. He had
learned years ago that the Power was almost a living
organism, seemingly with a mind of its own. And right
now, it either had a sense of humor or something was
wrong with one of its wielders. Since all but one of
the prior Gold Rangers had passed away, there was no
doubt as to who it could be.

"What are you trying to tell me?" he murmured, looking
at the staff in his hands. "What should I do?"

"I wouldn't talk to the Staff in public, for a start."

Trey started in surprise, then relaxed as he saw who
his guest was. "Tainer, don't you know how to knock?"

His older brother grinned at that. "I've never
learned, and I never will." Of the Queen's three
children, each born three years apart, Tainer was the
most mild-mannered and thoughtful, the scholar and
mystic of the family. His Wisdom aspect, Trey
privately believed, was definitely his dominant one.
"But I think I have an answer to your question."

"Then tell me."

Tainer crossed over to one of the chairs, gesturing to
Trey to sit down as well. "I won't go into the details
of the research or the scrying; you don't want to hear
them." He rubbed his temples. "But your instinct may
be right. These visions the Staff has been giving you
are legitimate."

"Then Jason Scott is in danger," Trey sighed, looking
down at the Staff.

"That's where the research came in. You did
inadvertently bring back some hair samples. I did a
few scans, and the samples that were tinged with the
Power - Jason's - were not completely human. The Power
was changing him, Trey."

Trey gaped at his brother. "You're sure." As Tainer
nodded, Trey eyed the Staff oddly. "And once we took
the Power back?"

Tainer sighed. "You'll have to ask Trill. She helped
me with the scanning part. I can never get the
calculations right."

Chuckling, Trey dismissed the Staff into thin air and
patted his brother on the back. "I'm sure she lorded
it over you. Where is she?"

"She's doing drills. Again." Tainer rolled his eyes.
"I'd have interrupted her, but I value my life too
much."

Trey sighed. "By the Triune. I'll talk to her." He
stood up. "Have you told Mother?"

"Against my better judgment, no." The corner of
Tainer's mouth quirked in a knowing smile. "If you're
planning what I think you are, brother, I know she
won't approve."

"Thanks, Tain." Trey clasped forearms with his brother
briefly. "You cover for me too often."

Tainer merely smiled as Trey hurried from the room.
"What are brothers for?"

******

Angel Grove, California

Sarah Scott hung up the phone in frustration, slamming
the receiver into its cradle. "Bastard."

"I know you hate telephone ads, but wasn't that a bit
violent?" a mild voice said.

Surprised, Sarah looked up to see Andrew sitting on
the living room couch. She hadn't even heard him come
downstairs, but her father tended to sneak up on
people like that. "Very funny, Dad. That was George."

He nodded, turning on the morning news. "Ah, yes. If
memory serves, your 'jackass of an editor.'"

"Yes, well, he's earned the title today," Sarah
sighed, flopping down in the armchair. "He just
arbitrarily pushed my deadline up to tomorrow morning.
I originally had until Monday, which means that
instead of waiting until tomorrow to go up to Frisco,
I need to drive up there this afternoon and see if my
source will give me a quote. Which means you're
stranded here for most of the afternoon."

She paused, waiting for his reaction. Andrew was
completely fixated on the news footage, however, and
did not reply. "Dad? Are you there?"

Andrew leaned forward, peering at the screen
curiously. The footage being shown was from back in
July, when the Power Rangers were defeating some
monster in the middle of town. "When did this happen?"

"I've told you about the Power Rangers, you know
that."

"I know, I know." He pointed at one of the six figures
on the screen. "Since when were there six? When did
that one show up?"

Sarah looked at what he was pointing at - the dark
figure of the Gold Ranger, fighting alongside the rest
of the team. "That one? Back in May, but he hasn't
been seen since last month. Or so John and Jason tell
me; I've given up trying to follow it all. Why do you
care?"

He shrugged it off, sitting back again. "Oh, Jason
told me there were five of them. I was afraid I was
getting senile in my old age."

"Speaking of Jason, it's after ten," Sarah observed.
"Has he moved yet?"

"He was upright the last time I checked," Andrew
commented, seeing her worried expression. "Relax,
Sarah. It's the end of summer. He's probably enjoying
the ability to sleep in while he still can."

She sighed again and hauled herself up, grabbing her
purse before she headed out the door. "Well, if he's
not up by noon, you have my permission to use
guerrilla tactics."

******

A hand was shaking his shoulder gently. Foggily, Jason
realized that he'd fallen asleep at his desk again,
but even so, sleep was winning out. He twitched and
shifted position, moving his shoulder out of reach.
Someone sighed in exasperation.

The next thing he knew, something very wet and very
cold made contact with the back of his neck. Jason sat
up with a jolt, shocked into partial awareness. "All
right," he groaned, "I'm up."

Andrew chuckled, tossing the icepack into the bathroom
sink and drying his hand off. "Finally."

Jason moaned, putting his head back down on the desk.
"Grandpa, come on. This is the last Friday I'm going
to have off before school starts. Give me a break."

"Tell that to the mob at the front door," Andrew
answered, and Jason sat up again. "Rocky and Tanya
won't give an old man any peace until you're awake and
outside. You'd think it was the end of the world or
something."

Wide awake now, Jason jumped up at that comment,
dashing down the hall. "Why didn't you say so?"

He could hear Andrew laughing as he bolted down the
stairs and through the living room to where Rocky and
Tanya were waiting impatiently. "What took you so
long?" Rocky demanded as Jason opened the door.

Tanya, noticing that Jason hadn't quite gotten the
sleep out of his eyes, elbowed her friend. "Give the
boy a break, Rocky. Not all of us react to caffeine
like you do."

Rocky snorted, defensive. "Hey, I only had half a can
of Jolt."

"That's half a can too much."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jason exclaimed, interrupting them
before they could launch into a squabbling match. "I
hope you guys didn't have Grandpa pull the
ice-cube-wake-up trick on me just to argue about Rocky
and Jolt!"

They suddenly became serious. "Um, no," Rocky said,
tapping his communicator absently. Jason got the hint
and stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door
behind him. When they were sure no one was listening,
Rocky continued in a whisper. "Zordon wanted everyone
in the Command Center right away. He told us to get
you too."

"Me? But I'm not--" Jason caught himself and lowered
his voice. "What's so important?"

Tanya shook her head. "He wouldn't say. It must be
serious."

"Okay." Jason sighed. "I've got to give Grandpa an
excuse and get my keys. Give me five minutes."

******

The young woman closed her eyes for a moment, willing
herself to relax ever so slightly. Her dark hair was
tied into a tight ponytail, and her amber-brown eyes
scanned the room. She fell into a defensive position,
half-crouched and ready to spring at anything that
moved towards her. Several seconds passed as she
remained in that position, in the center of the
training gym's polished gray floor. "Come on," she
whispered, "where are you?"

At that, there was the faintest of whirrs, and she
ducked as the glowing white orb appeared out of thin
air, speeding towards her like a comet. Four more
appeared, swooping towards her like gigantic
fireflies, glowing spheres about the size of
baseballs. She literally spun into action, swinging
and thrusting the lance in her hands, dodging the
beams that occasionally were ejected from the spheres
and striking the spheres in turn. With each hit, the
spheres changed in color; first pale blue, then gold,
then orange, then an angry red. Soon, all five of her
targets were crimson, but moving twice as fast as
before. 

She dropped to the ground, rolled, and sprang up
again, driving the lance into a sphere. With a _fssss_
it winked out of existence.

Leaping over one that darted towards her feet, she
landed, ducked, and swung. Another one down. 

One was right in front of her. Two quick movements,
and she took out both the one before her and the one
about to strike her in the back.

The last one almost hit her in the face, hitting her
ponytail instead. She clubbed it out of existence.
"End simulation," she gasped.

As she stood there, panting, she heard someone
applauding. "Brilliant! You're up to five spheres
already? That was almost perfect!"

"Almost?" She turned and shot her brother a petulant
look. "I got all of them, and not a blow on me!"

"That last one touched you, Trill."

Trillian smirked defiantly, brushing a stray lock out
of her tawny-gold eyes. "It hit my hair. And if you
were anyone else, Trey, I'd clean the floor with you
by now."

It was almost comical, coming from the petite girl who
was barely taller than the lance she held, but Trey
knew better. Trillian could definitely put up a good
fight, thanks to the training she'd had--despite the
objections of their mother's advisers. Considering
which aspect of hers seemed to be dominant, though, it
was the best thing for her.

Generally, it was joked that Tainer, Trey, and
Trillian each embodied the three aspects of a
Triforian's personality: Trillian, energetic, clever,
and quick-tempered, was Courage; Tainer, reserved,
empathic, and introspective, was Wisdom; and Trey,
easy-going, moderate, and compassionate, was Heart.
Whether the joke was true, it had something to do with
why Trey was in line for the throne. Tainer was too
reserved in his judgments while Trillian was too
hot-tempered, but Trey was somewhere between the two
extremes. Besides, neither of his siblings really
wanted the throne, its responsibilities, or its
privileges - although Trillian had pestered him to let
her come to Earth with him a few times.

She relaxed, setting the lance against the wall and
turning off the simulation so he could enter. "You
didn't come to criticize. At least, I hope not."

Trey got to the point, which was the best way of
dealing with her. "Tainer told me you helped him with
the DNA scans on the Jason Scott." At her blank look,
he added, "The Earth Ranger who took the Powers for
me."

"Oh, that." Trillian sighed. "The results aren't
exactly good news."

She didn't continue, a bad sign; she rarely skirted a
subject like that. Concerned, Trey took her hand.
"Come on. Let's talk about this someplace private."

She nodded and allowed him to lead her down the hall
to an empty conference room, where secure discussions
could be held without fear of interruption. Trey
closed and locked the door before speaking.

"Trill, they say his DNA is changing. What does this
mean for the Power?"

Trillian folded her arms. "How technical do you want
me to get?"

Trey sighed, and tried another tactic. ~Stop hedging,
Trillian. Get to the point and tell me what you've
found.~

At his telepathic touch, she started in surprise.
Triforians had psionic abilities to varying degrees;
some had full telepathy and telekinesis, but others
low-psi levels. For that reason, telepathy was
considered rude unless it was an emergency. "The
Golden Power wasn't killing Jason, but changing him."
Trey nodded. "We already know the Power is somewhat
sentient. It sort of knew that Jason was worthy to
hold it, but that his body couldn't stand the stress."

She sat down on the tabletop. "Anyway, to compensate,
the Power apparently started to change Jason's
physiology to match that of a Triforian's." 

Trey literally gaped at her. "You're joking. But when
the Power was taken--"

"I guess the change stopped then, but maybe it's
picking up again," Trill finished. "Look, there are a
number of holes in this theory--how the change was
triggered in such a way, and why Zordon didn't pick up
on it. But I'm guessing that it's starting again."

She frowned down at the table again before finishing.
"Bottom line, brother: without the Power, the stress
from the changes will probably tear Jason apart before
they're even complete. The way the Golden Power is
acting up, who knows what's going to happen if he
dies?"

Trey summoned the Staff again with a thought and stood
there looking at it for a time, watching the light
play off the talisman. "He'll have to accept the Power
again, perhaps for a long period of time. The Council
won't approve at all."

"I don't see why not," Trillian blurted, then checked
herself. "Well, I can see why not, but that's our best
option."

"Mother and some of the advisers might understand,"
Trey continued. "Maybe even the provincial
representatives, but I'd never get it past the
Elders."

"Most new ideas won't get past the Elders," Trillian
snapped, some of her usual stubbornness showing
through.

Trey sat down in one of the chairs. "I can't sit here
and do nothing. Even the most conservative Council
members agreed that Jason saved the Power by agreeing
to take it. Still, they won't agree to this."

A gleam shone in his sister's eyes. "Of course, if
they don't know about it, they can't stop you from
going."

He looked up at her at that, returning the devious
grin. "You've been plotting this since you found out,
haven't you?"

"Me? Of course not." She smirked. "It was at least
thirty seconds before it came to me."

******

"Zordon, we're all here," Rocky announced as he, Jason
and Tanya appeared in the Power Chamber. "What's going
on?"

"Jason, I am glad that you are here," Zordon said. "A
matter of the utmost importance has come to my
attention, and it is imperative that all of you are
present."

The Rangers exchanged worried glances. There was no
doubt it was something serious. "Well, then, what is
it?" Tommy demanded impatiently.

Behind him, the side entrance slid open. "Me."

All six teenagers turned in surprise, their tension
evaporating into excitement as they saw who was
standing there. "Billy!" Katherine cried. 

Stepping into the light, Billy Cranston grinned with
amusement at the shocked looks on their faces. "Well,
at least someone's glad to see me," he joked.

His words broke the floodgates, and immediately Billy
was mobbed by his friends. "Billy, we're all glad to
see you," Tanya laughed, hugging him first. "But we
thought you were staying on Aquitar."

Billy shrugged. "Things didn't turn out as I planned."

Tommy frowned. "You're not--I mean, you're going to be
all right, aren't you?"

"No, no, I'm okay. Physically, I mean. Cestro didn't
have that much trouble reversing the process, so I
don't have to worry about aging excessively." He
sighed. "I just ran out of reasons to stay, I guess.
And I was getting homesick. I was even starting to
miss Rocky."

"Hey!" Rocky exclaimed indignantly, prompting laughter
from his teammates, even a chuckle from Zordon.

Grinning, Jason patted his friend on the back. "Man,
it's good to see you again. You look great."

"Wish I could say the same for you," Billy answered.
"How are you feeling?" At Jason's startled expression,
he added, "Zordon told me about your grandmother." 

"Oh," Jason said, relieved. "We're doing all right.
Grandpa and Dad have been arguing about pointless
things, but not much else."

Rocky was scratching his head. "Zordon, there's no
monster attack or anything like that? Billy was the
big emergency?"

It was Billy's turn to look indignant, and Jason
stifled a laugh. Even Zordon sounded amused. "Yes,
Rocky. Sensors show no hostile activity at present."

"Then what are we doing here anyway?" Rocky demanded
to know. "We ought to celebrate! Let's party!"

Jason punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Only half
a can, huh?"

"Hey, at least it doesn't take me fifteen minutes and
an ice cube to wake up!"

"It was not fifteen minutes," Jason retorted, hoping
he was right.

"It felt like fifty standing out there waiting for you
to get your ass up!" Rocky was grinning
good-naturedly.

"Come on, you two," Katherine sighed, leaving Tommy's
side to push her way in between them. "Rocky's right,
you know. I think it's a perfect excuse to celebrate.
Let's go."

She didn't have to say where.

******

"I thought you were amenable to this," Trey said as he
strode purposefully down the hall, with Trillian and
Tainer flanking him on each side. 

Tainer shrugged. "I am. I'm just advising less haste
and more caution."

"Mother returns from the southern continent tonight,"
Trillian reminded him. "And you know we won't be able
to pull off something like this right under her nose."

"True," Tainer agreed as they approached the door to
the holding bay. As Trey punched in the entry code, he
stepped in his brother's path, turning to face him.
"But how do you intend to get Pyramidas off-planet
unnoticed?"

"Simple," Trey answered as the doors slid open. "I
don't intend to."

Even Trillian was surprised at that, hurrying after
her brother down the ramp as the doors slid shut
behind them. "What? That makes no sense!"

He stopped and turned back to her as Tainer caught up
to them. "There's no way to do this *entirely*
unnoticed. The captain of the perimeter squadron is an
old friend. They'll let me through and just wait a bit
longer than usual to report it to the Council."

"And what's to stop them from sending an escort after
you?" Tainer retorted. As his brother rolled his eyes,
he added, "Trey, this is our best option, and our only
positive one. I just want to make sure you've thought
everything through."

"I have," Trey said. "The two of you will have to
convince the Elders to wait. I doubt that you can
appeal to their sense of honor, but they know the
potential danger to us if Earth falls to the UAE." He
turned and strode off towards Pyramidas.

Tainer sighed, reluctant but satisfied enough with
that answer. But Trillian was another story. After a
few moments of shock, she dashed down the ramp after
her brother. "Wait a second!" she cried, catching his
arm as he was stepping through the main entrance to
the massive ship. "What do you mean, the two of us?
I'm coming with you!"

"I'm sorry, Trill," Trey answered, "but I need you to
stay here and help Tainer convince the Council."

"They won't listen to me! Tainer can pacify the
Elders. And you might need someone to watch out for
you. If Lord Zedd gets wind of this--"

Gently, he pried her fingers from his arm. "I can deal
with Lord Zedd. I need you to make sure I don't have
to deal with the Council."

"Like you dealt with the Varox before?" Her bitter
comment stopped him in his tracks. "Come on, Trey, I'm
the stubborn one in this family, and I'm no diplomat!"

"That's quite true," Tainer muttered with
uncharacteristic candor. His siblings ignored him.

Trey put his hand on a panel of the ship, which glowed
briefly as it read his heat pattern. The larger panel
before him shimmered away to reveal an entry hatch.
"Yes, but you can outwit anyone on the Council if you
put your mind to it. That's what I'm counting on." He
hugged her briefly before stepping through the hatch.
"Hopefully, I'll see you both soon." 

Trillian's eyes narrowed as the panel reformed.
"Sooner than you think." 

******

Billy raised an eyebrow at the four hamburgers in
front of Jason. "Are you trying to give Rocky a run
for his money or something, Jase?"

"Like he could even come close," Rocky bragged. 

Katherine sipped her fruit smoothie. "Only you would
boast of the title of Bottomless Pit, Rocky."

"Hey, I've got a right to be proud of my
achievements," the Blue Ranger shot back. Adam nearly
choked on a french fry.

"Funny," Jason muttered, but he couldn't help smiling.
"Truth is, I've just been really hungry lately. I'm
not tired any more, but I feel like I could eat a
horse."

"Maybe that's a good sign," Adam said, taking a long
drink of water. "You're probably just trying to
replenish everything the Gold Ranger power took out of
you."

Silence followed that comment, and Katherine changed
the subject. "So you're here to stay, then?"

Billy nodded. "Dad already knows. I had Zordon
teleport me home before anything else. I can't recall
the last time my father was so happy to see me."

"He's hovering over your every move, isn't he?" Tanya
guessed.

"No, not really." Billy shifted uncomfortably. "But I
think he might have bruised a couple of my ribs in his
enthusiasm."

"Can you blame him?" Katherine asked as she and Tanya
both hugged Billy at the same time, flanking him on
either side. Billy looked somewhat embarrassed,
prompting laughs from the other guys.

Chuckling, Rocky managed to swallow his food instead
of choking. "Aww, that's so cute! It's a Kodak
moment!"

Billy rolled his eyes.

******

"I've gotta say it, Zeddie," Rita commented as she
surveyed the repaired throne room, "You didn't do a
bad job this time around."

Upon reclaiming the old Moon Palace as their own, the
first order of business for Rita and Zedd was cleaning
up and wiping all traces of the Machine Empire from
their old headquarters. Although the second goal
wasn't quite that feasible, the throne room was almost
restored to its original state. Some of the remnants
of Machina and Mondo's occupation had actually been
put to good use. Amazingly enough, Rito and Goldar
were the ones who had figured out how to use the
compressor to recycle the useless Cogs. While the cold
iron in them wasn't much use to Zedd and Rita's
magics, the resource could be saved up just in case.

Finster was especially helpful in the restoration of
the Palace, something that even Zedd had commented on.
Not only had he been able to upgrade his old lab, he
had salvaged some damaged Quadrafighters and used some
spare parts to fix Rita's Repulsascope, back in its
old place of honor on the balcony.

Finally, they were in decent shape again. Rita smiled.
Most of her old trusted warriors were again at her
side; Scorpina had been persuaded to rejoin them since
she wasn't making much profit from either prize
fighting or mercenary work. Dumb as he was, Rito was a
loyal little brother. Goldar had even put his old
grudge against her to rest, and was treating her with
some respect. Finster, as usual, was hard at work on
new monsters. 

Squatt and Baboo were conspicuously absent, but that
was no coincidence. In return for their lodging and
the gift of that dreadful recreational ship, she had
given them to Master Vile as menial slaves. Her father
knew how dumb they were, and would most likely
restrict them to tasks that they couldn't easily screw
up. And if they did, well, it was no skin off her
nose.

She realized that there was no response to the rare
compliment. "Zedd? ZEDD!"

Lord Zedd was seated on his throne, his eyes closed
beneath his mask. He was gripping his staff tightly in
one hand as it glowed with a faint crimson light. Rita
frowned, sensing something was up. In an actual normal
tone of voice, she repeated, "Zedd? What is it?"

The glow faded from his staff, and he stood up.
"There's been a shifting of power on Earth," Zedd
growled, striding towards the balcony. "I can feel it.
Someone new has upset the old balance."

Rita sniffed scornfully. "Like that former Blue
Ranger, Billy, perhaps? I could tell you that just by
looking through the Repulsascope!"

"Of course not!" Zedd hissed. "This is different. It
almost seems familiar somehow." He paused for a few
moments before adding, "But perhaps we should keep an
extra close eye on the Rangers."

******

"What's really going on?" Jason asked.

Billy blinked, surprised. "What?"

Jason inclined his head to the mats, where Tommy and
Rocky were sparring. Katherine was changing for the
children's ballet class she taught, and Adam and Tanya
were ordering more drinks. Jason was left alone with
one of his oldest friends. "Bill, I've known you long
enough to know when something's up. What really
happened on Aquitar?"

Billy stared at him for a moment, then sighed and set
his drink down on the counter. "Nothing really. I
broke up with Cestria." At the concerned look on
Jason's face, he added hastily, "It wasn't anything
heart-breaking, I suppose. We both mutually decided
that things weren't working out a while ago." He
sighed. "It didn't really hit me until I walked in on
Cestria and Corcus."

Jason winced. "Ouch."

"You're telling me." Billy shrugged. "But then it was
as if I just didn't have a reason to be on Aquitar
anymore. The treatment had worked, and without that
attachment - I just didn't fit in suddenly." 

"Whatever the reason, it's good to have you back,"
Jason assured him, patting his friend on the shoulder.


Billy rubbed the back of his neck absently before
speaking. "Don't take this the wrong way, but how is
Trini?"

Jason chuckled. "She's doing all right. She's still in
New York 'dealing with Zack,' or so she says. You
know, she was going to visit home about a month ago."

"She was?" Billy sat up straight at this news, trying
and failing to hide his excitement. "Why didn't anyone
call me?"

"Chill!" Jason was laughing; he couldn't help it. "She
decided not to come at the last minute. There were a
lot of reasons to keep her away, but one thing
clinched it for her."

"What was that?"

Jason grinned. "When she found out you wouldn't be
here, she decided the trip wasn't worth it."

Billy snorted. "Of course she did." As Jason nodded,
he added suspiciously, "You expect me to believe that
Trini's been carrying the proverbial torch?"

"I can't see Trini carrying the torch for anyone,"
Jason admitted. "But I think if you wanted to get
together again, she'd jump at the chance."

"So would I," Billy muttered absently, starting in
surprise when he realized he'd spoken out loud. "I,
ah--"

"Don't worry about it." Jason glanced over to where
Emily was sitting with her new little group. "I know
how you feel."

Billy saw where he was looking. "Don't tell me you and
Emily--"

"Yep." Jason shrugged. "It was going fine until she
started hanging out with the cheerleaders."

His friend winced in sympathy. "I suppose it could be
worse."

"Yeah, I could still be going out with her," Jason
joked. "I had a few of them stalking me freshman year.
Kim was the exception, but I'd prefer to stay far away
from most of the cheerleaders here." He rubbed at his
temples. "Man, I've got a headache."

Billy frowned. "Are you all--"

"I'm fine." Jason cut him off, getting to his feet. "I
think I've got some Tylenol in the locker room. Might
as well get a shower before I go home and listen to
Dad and Grandpa arguing."

Billy nodded, understanding. "Hope they haven't driven
you crazy yet."

"Nah." Jason grinned as he picked up his towel and
started off towards the locker room. "It'll take more
than them to get me in a padded room."

The locker room was completely empty as Jason found
his locker in the back corner, away from the showers.
Most of the regulars were at the beach, enjoying their
last few days of freedom before the school year
started. Everyone else was still using the equipment. 

As he opened his locker, the dull ache in his head
increased to a steady throb. Wincing, Jason unzipped
his gym bag, searching through the contents to find
the bottle of Tylenol he knew was in there. He finally
managed to fish it out, but before he could even open
the lid, the world around him seemed to explode in a
haze of red.

Jason dropped the bottle as another series of images
cascaded madly through his mind. A wave of nausea
rolled through him, then another. His knees buckled,
and he was barely able to grab onto the lockers for
support to keep himself from crashing to the floor.
Closing his eyes, Jason tried to keep his breathing
steady, hoping it would pass. He was proven wrong as
the images faded and the pain in his head spread to
the rest of him.

Shaking, Jason gritted his teeth, willing it to stop.
_What's happening to me?_

******

"You're never gonna let me win, are you?" Rocky
groaned, rubbing a sore shoulder. 

Tommy chuckled. "Nah, you need the challenge. You
okay? I kind of slipped up on that throw there."

"I'll live," the Blue Ranger sighed. "I've gotten
worse fighting monsters anyway," he added in a lower
tone of voice as they entered the locker room.

"Rocko, I'm sorry about that," Tommy began.

"Don't worry about it," Rocky assured him. "I've gotta
change real quick and go pick up my cousins. They'll
probably do more damage than you ever could."

Tommy laughed at that, but he stopped short when he
spotted Jason half-sprawled against the lockers.
"Jase?" 

There was no response from the crumpled form.
Immediately, Tommy vaulted over the bench, hurrying to
his friend's side. Jason was gripping onto the lockers
for dear life, his face contorted with pain. "Jase?"
Tommy repeated as Rocky knelt down beside them. Are
you all right, bro? What's wrong?"

"Yeah, I..." Jason's breath came out in a ragged gasp.
"I don't know, it just happened..."

"We'd better have Alpha and Zordon check you out,"
Tommy decided, reaching for his communicator. "Rocky,
get the guys and let them know what's going on." 

As he spoke, Rocky was already dashing out of the
locker room. 

*****

Two figures teleported into the Power Chamber's
medical bay in flashes of red and white light. As the
last glimmer of teleportation faded, Jason stumbled
and pitched forward. He was saved from crashing to the
floor by Tommy's strong grip. "Ay-yi-yi!" Alpha cried,
rushing forward. "Jason, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," Jason managed to gasp, his face
contorted in pain. "Everything just hurts..."

"Help me get him onto the bed," Tommy ordered Alpha.
With the little robot's help, Tommy managed to gently
lift Jason onto the diagnostic bed. Once Jason was
secure, Alpha started initial scans immediately.

Tommy stood by helplessly as Jason writhed in agony.
"What's wrong with him?"

"I'm working on that right now, Tommy," Alpha assured
the Red Ranger.

At that moment, there was a flash of light as Billy
teleported in beside him. The former Blue Ranger took
one look at the scene and hurried to Alpha's side.
"What's his status, Alpha?"

"Scans are showing unstable energy fluctuations," the
little robot replied. "It's not clear just what's
happening to him."

Suddenly, Jason cried out sharply, his body stiffening
and his eyes opening wide with pain. Just for a
second, his dark eyes flickered with golden light
before he slumped back down on the bed, unconscious.
"Billy!" Tommy cried out.

"He's all right," Billy reassured him. "Life signs are
stable. But whatever reaction he was having just...
stopped."

"That's good, right?" 

"Yes and no," was the reply. "Yes, because he's not in
pain, and no, because we still don't have concrete
readings as to just what is going on." As Tommy opened
his mouth to ask, Billy answered the unspoken
question. "It's the Gold Ranger powers, Tommy. All
signs seem to indicate that's the source of the
problem. But I don't exactly know what the side effect
itself is."

Tommy looked up at Zordon. "I'm going to try to
contact Trey. Maybe he might know what's going on."

*****

Tainer stood outside his sister's private quarters,
glaring balefully at the door. "Trill? You're going to
have to come out sometime. You're not going to be
helping anyone sulking in there."

No response, vocal or mental, was offered. Tainer
sighed in exasperation. "Trillian, don't do this. Not
now. This is serious. I know you're angry at being
left behind," he added, "but there's nothing you or I
can do about that now. Besides, I do need you here;
someone's going to have to shock the Elders into
actually listening."

Still, she did not answer. "If you don't open the door
- if you don't at least shout at me to go away - I'll
use the override code," Tainer informed the door.
"You'll have to talk to me sooner or later, and it
might as well be now."

To his frustration, Trillian remained silent. "Very
well," Tainer decided, retrieving a security disk from
his pocket and sliding it into a slot. Immediately, a
panel slid away to reveal a keypad. Tainer tapped in a
well-known code, and the door slid open.

The room was empty. 

******

"Jason? Jason? I think he's waking up."

The soft voice plunged through the layers of
unconsciousness like a needle piercing through tissue.
Jason stirred, opening his eyes to a colored blur. He
blinked, willing his eyes to focus properly. Finally,
the blur solidified into five concerned faces. "Guys?"
He sat up a little too abruptly, and the room started
to spin. "Okay, that was a bad idea."

"Take it easy, Jason," Katherine said. 

He didn't resist as hands gently pushed him back down
on the cot. Jason lay there for a few moments until
his surroundings became still again. "What happened?
How long was I out?"

"You passed out about half an hour ago," Tommy
informed him as Kat moved away to help Alpha. "As for
what happened... well, we're still working on that."

As he spoke, the small warp tube built into the wall
of the medical bay shimmered to reveal Zordon's face.
"It is good to see you awake, Jason. How are you
feeling?" 

Everything felt sore, and while the seizure had
passed, Jason still felt lousy. "It's hard to
explain." He turned to Billy. "You remember when we
were seven and playing around with the street hockey
equipment Dad got me for Christmas? And Zack got the
bright idea to use a tomato for a puck?"

"Vividly."

"I think I know how the tomato must have felt."

Billy chuckled, and Tommy and Adam grinned. "Yeah, I
think he's doing better," Adam said.

Tanya looked perplexed. "A tomato?"

"You don't want to know," Jason assured her as Billy
took a datapad from Alpha, staring at the readings.
"So can you tell me something? What just happened?"

"Well, we know it's a side effect of the Gold Ranger
powers," Katherine replied.

Adam flinched. "Me and my big mouth."

Jason didn't look all that surprised. "Yeah, I figured
as much."

The other Rangers exchanged glances. "You knew
something was going on, didn't you?" Tommy demanded. 

"I haven't been feeling that great lately," Jason
admitted. "I spaced out a few times, slept too long -
but nothing like this," he protested at the accusing
looks his friends were giving him.

"You should have let us know if something was wrong,"
Kat scolded him softly, putting a hand on Tommy's
shoulder before the Red Ranger could get into a
tirade.

"Nothing *was* wrong," Jason insisted. "I had a
few headaches, was sleeping a bit more, but nothing
worse than that. Trey told me to expect that sort of
thing."

"Speaking of Trey," Tanya interrupted, "has anyone
gotten through to him yet?"

Tommy shook his head. "I tried. The best I could get
was a Council member who informed me that Trey was
unavailable at this time."

"Bureaucrats," Adam muttered. Tanya smirked, and Jason
started chuckling despite the added discomfort it
caused. "Hey, Rocky's not here, someone had to say
it."

Jason stopped laughing. "Where is Rocky, anyway? I'm
surprised he's not here."

"Chauffeuring his cousins," Kat explained. "We told
him we'd let him know the minute anything changed.
Needless to say, he wasn't happy about it."

The pain was rapidly lessening, and Jason was able to
sit up without any trouble. "About chauffeuring
cousins or not joining the fun here?"

Adam sighed. "Both, actually."

Jason nodded, understanding. He gave Billy a mildly
irritated look as the former Ranger waved a scanner
over him for the third time. "Are you finished yet?"

"Just covering all the bases," Billy replied absently,
his attention focused on the scanner as he fed the
data into the computers. "You seem fine now, but I'm
going to run everything through the database to see if
there isn't a precedent for something like this. Side
effects of power loss, losing the power multiple
times, et cetera." He stopped as something occurred to
him. "Tommy, would you mind if I compared the data
with your files? You've held more Ranger colors than
anyone here; maybe I can find a correlation there."

The Red Zeo Ranger simply nodded.

Jason turned to face Zordon. "Well, if I seem fine
now, do I have to stay here?"

Tanya glanced down at her watch. "Twelve minutes. I
was closest."

"What?" Jason looked around at the smiles on his
friends' faces. 

"We were kind of betting on how long it would take for
you to bring that up," Katherine admitted. 

"Actually, Rocky won," Adam informed his girlfriend.
"He said eleven minutes."

"No, I said ten, he said seven."

"I distinctly heard eleven."

"Knock it off, you two," Katherine scolded them before
turning back to Jason. "Seriously, though, how do you
feel?"

"Okay," Jason lied, flinching at the looks he
received. "All right, not okay. I'm sore all over, but
everything else is fine." 

"We don't know that," Billy pointed out. Seeing the
frustration on Jason's face, he sighed. "Look, why
don't you at least stay here until we hear something
from Trey? Just in case he does know what it is and
how to stop it."

Jason looked around at the worried faces of his
friends before his shoulders sagged in defeat. "All
right."

*****

Pyramidas glided swiftly through space, its cloaking
shield allowing the massive ship to pass through
sectors undetected and undeterred. Without hindrance,
and with a single passenger, the ride was also
shrouded in silence. Trey was growing so accustomed to
the quiet that it was almost hypnotic. 

Which was why the sudden beep from the communications
console caused him to jump slightly in surprise.
Opening a secure link, he was mildly surprised to see
his brother appear on the holographic pad. "Tainer?
What's going on?"

"Captain Dalion informed me that the Rangers of Earth
have been trying to get in touch with you for the past
hour or so," Tainer answered. "Something about an
urgent matter."

"What sort of urgent matter?"

"The Red Ranger wouldn't specify. I'm guessing that
our theory may be correct." Tainer's image fragmented
and fizzled briefly. "Having tr... with the cloak in
place. If I stay on much longer, this may be
intercepted."

"All right. Think you and Trill can handle the
Elders?"

Tainer frowned. "I don't think the Elders will be
much..." The image was starting to break up.  "But
Trill... prob... she's not..."

The rest of his words dissolved into static as the
hologram slowly dissolved. Despite Trey's attempts to
retrieve the signal, the message cut off completely.
The Gold Ranger sat back in his chair with a groan,
contemplating the stars. It would still be a short
while before he came close enough to contact Earth
without dropping the cloak. He hoped he wasn't too
late.

Part of him wondered just what Tainer had been trying
to tell him, but he shrugged it off. Most likely,
Trillian was causing trouble again. 

With his sister, that was to be expected.

*****

"Well, finally *something* interesting is going
on!" Rita exclaimed as she peered through the
Repulsascope.

Zedd was sitting on his throne in deep meditation,
clutching his staff before him with both hands as he
concentrated, searching the streams of magical energy
to pinpoint just what was the source of his unease.
The shrill cry of his wife was enough to break his
concentration, and his eyes flew open beneath his
visor. The dull red glow of his staff died out. "It
had better be!" he snarled, standing up. 

Rita had become accustomed to his temper, and was
unfazed by the outburst. "There's something wrong with
the Gold Ranger Powers!"

"Again?" Zedd stared at her, waiting for the
punchline.

"Well, *something's* hurting that little twerp Jason,"
Rita added. "Besides, the Rangers have been trying to
contact Triforia. I'd bet all my powers that Trey is
probably on his way here now!"

"With the Golden Power Staff in hand, no doubt," Zedd
finished. "Perhaps we should arrange for a welcome
party."

*****

Finster looked around him with a mixture of pride and
distaste. He had originally intended to restore his
lab to its former glory, When he got a good look at
the renovations done by the Machine Empire, however,
it became apparent that recreating his original lab
was impossible. The floor plan had been altered too
much for that.

Instead, he had vastly improved on the original.

Klank's old lab had fallen into disuse, but it was
twice the size of Finster's old one. Some of the
equipment had to be scrapped due to rust and
corrosion, but most of it was salvageable. Finster had
been more than equal to the task. As he looked around
at the clean, restored and functional laboratory, he
could only think of one thing. Sooner or later, this
meant he'd have to make a monster. Rita would come
storming in and screech at him, and he would have to
obey her. Not like he had a choice in the matter; he
never really had. 

For years, he'd played the part of dutiful servant,
having been forced into her service when his planet
was taken over by the United Alliance of Evil. He was
too old and weak to fight back or to oppose her
directly; so he chose to sabotage her from within. It
wasn't just the Rangers' skills that made her monsters
so easy to defeat. Finster had deliberately created
them with weaknesses that the Rangers could usually
take advantage of, but that were not immediately
obvious. Most of the time, stupidity was built into
the creatures that he created at her bequest. 

But that didn't change the fact that he despised what
he was doing; he was still helping his enemy, albeit
incompetently. His hatred for his job had been growing
steadily over the years, and the time that they had
spent with Master Vile had made it even worse. Vile
was even nastier than Rita or Zedd, and not as easy to
fool. Finster didn't think he could take it much
longer.

"FINSTER!!" 

Sighing, the scientist turned to his test tubes,
already thinking of ways he could weaken this monster
without Rita knowing. *Here we go again.*

*****

Tanya leaned back against the wall with a sigh,
watching Jason and Tommy spar in the center of the
small workout room. They had promised to take it easy,
but she had volunteered to keep an eye on them just in
case. Personally, she thought that letting Jason exert
himself was a bad idea, but the former Gold Ranger had
become so restless that Billy had finally relented. At
least he was sparring with Tommy, who knew Jason's
style well enough to hold back. Rocky was still
absent, and Adam was in the infirmary helping Billy
and Katherine with comparison testing.

"Hey, is there room for two?" a voice whispered.

Startled, she looked up to see Adam standing there,
holding two steaming cups. "Always," Tanya whispered
with a smile, scooting over so that he could sit down
beside her on the bench. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Lemon tea," Adam answered, keeping his voice low so
as not to interrupt the sparring match. Neither Tommy
nor Jason had noticed his entrance. "I know you swear
by the stuff."

"Mmm, thank you." She took the steaming cup
gratefully, feeling the heat seep into her palms. "Any
news?" 

"Not much." He took a long drink. Adam watched the two
combatants for a few moments, noticing that Jason was
picking up the pace. "They call that taking it easy?"

Tanya sighed. "I've yelled at them twice. Doesn't seem
to do any good." She smiled as Jason executed a
perfect tornado kick, more for show than anything
else. "Show-offs. And I thought you were bad."

Adam smiled at that. "You're insane," he informed his
two friends loudly. Jason grinned and Tommy smirked,
neither teen pausing in what they were doing. Adam
turned back to Tanya. "Rocky called in. He's still got
two more pick-ups to do; seems Teresa's softball game
is running late."

A sudden howl of pain caused them both to turn.
Clutching his head, Jason doubled over and crumpled to
the mat like a broken doll. Tommy was by his side
instantly, and Adam and Tanya leapt up to help. "So
much for small talk," Tanya murmured worriedly.

*****

Something didn't sound right.

No matter how sophisticated the technology, no matter
how advanced the system, it usually boiled down to the
sound of things. An engineer with enough experience
could listen to the hum of a power cell through a
closed panel and determine the barest shift in
frequency that could indicate the beginnings of a
containment leak. Trey was no engineer, but with
Pyramidas on silent running, it was easy to pick up on
out-of-place sounds. 

Setting Pyramidas on autopilot, he rose from his chair
and moved to the back of the bridge, closer to the
source of the sound. He could hear the soft hum of
power conduits all around him, and under their regular
tone, there was a rustling sound, so faint that it was
almost inaudible. But its irregularity gave it away.
Trey moved along the wall silently, trying to detect
the source of the sound. Had there not been the need
for stealth, he would have morphed; even with the
cloak, the power spike would be picked up by anyone
specifically looking for it.

There. To the left, there was a panel that led into
Pyramidas' system of maintenance tubes, small access
tunnels big enough for a single engineer to crawl
into. The sound was definitely coming from that area.
Trey unholstered his blaster with a faint, but audible
click. The rustling stopped. Trey waited for a second,
then slammed his hand down on a button, training his
blaster on the opening as the panel slid away.

When he saw who it was, Trey suddenly realized just
what Tainer had been trying to tell him. "Trill? What
are you doing here?"

"I told you. I'm coming with you." She eyed the
blaster warily. "Mind pointing that elsewhere?"

Reluctantly, he holstered his blaster and helped her
to her feet. "You are not coming and that's final."

"Oh, please. You can't haul me back home; you'll get
stuck there if you do."

He paused for a moment, then turned and walked around
the bridge, stopping at the navigational controls.
"You're right. I can't take you back home."

She followed him, vaulting over a railing to catch up.
"What are you doing?"

"Setting in a course to Aquitar. Get a bio-suit on;
I'm dropping you off with friends."

"What?!? Trey, there is no way that you are going to
keep me out of this!" As he punched in coordinates,
she tried a different tack, shoving herself in between
him and the console. "You know Aquitar's not exactly
the best place for my health. I may have a higher
humidity tolerance, but not that high."

Rolling his eyes, he tried to pry her off the console,
with little success. "It won't be a problem," he
grunted, "if you go get a bio-suit on."

She planted her feet and glared at him. "No force in
this quadrant is going to move me from this space. Not
you, not Tain, not the entire Triforian fleet--"

The rest of her sentence was cut off as Pyramidas was
suddenly rocked with laser fire. The bridge lurched
violently, and the two siblings went sprawling to the
floor. Trey staggered to his feet, helping Trillian
rise as well. As the floor beneath their feet shook
again, the two siblings turned to face the viewscreen.
When he recognized the Varox ships, Trey uttered a
curse under his breath.

Trillian blinked. "Except maybe that."

*****

Rocky smiled as he pulled up to the curb. Three down,
and one more to go. Teresa's softball game had seemed
to drag on forever, and he'd been relieved to find
that Rosa was ready to go the second he picked her up.
The end was in sight, and he was already feeling
better.

His smile faded when he realized that the
eight-year-old in the passenger seat was not moving.
"Rosa? We're here. You can go now."

She shook her head solemnly. "I don't have my house
key."

"What?" Rocky exclaimed. "Don't tell me you lost it!"

"No. I know where it is."

"Oh, good." He relaxed. "Where?"

His cousin hesitated. "I left it in Miss Bethany's
kitchen." 

Miss Bethany was the only friend of Rosa's mother who
could watch Rosa on Friday afternoons. Rocky had just
come from her house. Unfortunately, Miss Bethany lived
a good forty minutes away.

"Rocky?" Rosa asked a second later. "Why are you
banging your head on the wheel?"

*****

"I think I've got something," Billy said, turning away
from the readouts with a determined look in his eyes.

Adam saw it and flinched. "Uh-oh. I know that look."

"So do I," Jason murmured tiredly. "What is it?"

"I looked over the results of your DNA scans," Billy
continued. "There's some marked differences in the
scans taken when we first became Rangers, the ones I
took earlier today and the ones I took just now.
Whatever the Gold Powers are doing to you, it's
causing alterations in your genetic makeup - or maybe
those alterations are causing this."

Katherine looked alarmed. "How is this good news?"

"It means we might have a way to stop this," Alpha
answered.
 
"What? How?" Tommy was instantly alert.

"It's amazing what scientists can do with RNA
inhibitors," Billy added. "With Alpha's help and with
the DNA samples already on file, I might even be able
to reverse the process. But I'm not certain that it
will work."

Jason sat up slowly, studying the expression on his
longtime friend's face. The mix of eagerness, anxiety,
and uncertainty was unmistakable. Billy was just
itching to try this, to jump on anything that might
help - but at the same time, he didn't want to risk
the chance that he might make things worse. "Billy, go
ahead and try it."

Billy still held back. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am." Jason grinned.

*****

[Okay, major break in the narrative here. Basically,
Zedd hires some apprentice level Varox to go after Trey, 
and the RNA inhibitors seem to work on Jason. For some
half-assed reason, Zordon lets Jason go home to check 
on something.]


*****

Well, there was good news and there was bad news.

The good news, Trey mused, was that the Varox
attacking Pyramidas were not the same caliber of
bounty hunters that had attacked him before. Borax and
his accomplices were Master level bounty hunters,
possessing greater skill and better equipment than the
swarm that were chasing him did. From the looks of
things, the ones that were trying to shoot him down
were Journeyman level at the most. Had they been
Master level, he wouldn't have managed to break free
of them so easily.

As his hands flew across the controls, Trey reviewed
what he knew, trying to determine who or what was
behind this. 

It couldn't be Trigon this time. Shortly after passing
the Golden Power Staff to Jason, Trey had returned to
Triforia to explain his actions to the Council - only
to discover that Tainer and Trillian had discovered
just who had hired Borax. Lord Trigon, one of the
higher Council members, had been orchestrating a
conspiracy to overthrow the Queen of Triforia and get
himself - or a convenient puppet - placed on the
throne. 

Trey had originally traveled to Earth for strictly
tactical purposes: the Machine Empire had been trying
to invade Triforia for years, but had always been
defeated. Not only was Earth a convenient source of
natural resources, the planet itself was situated on a
major ley line nexus. The High Council, including the
Elders, agreed that letting the Machine Empire take
Earth would mean that Triforia would be next. When
Trigon got wind of this, he'd hired Borax well in
advance, taking the time to get together a plan and
plenty of resources. 

But with the evidence his siblings had gathered - some
of it through very unconventional means if Tainer was
to be believed - Trigon was immediately brought before
a tribunal. Queen Taleria had absolutely no patience
for politicians like Trigon, and even less for
traitors. Stripped of his title, his holdings, and his
supporters, Trigon was rotting in prison, powerless.  

Whoever had hired this group had probably done so at
the last minute, and from offplanet. Feeding their
initial trajectory into the computer had produced
several projected flight paths, none of which came
anywhere near Triforia. Journeyman Varox were usually
preferred for last-minute jobs, since they didn't
object to scraping resources together and rushing in
headlong without a plan. 

The bad news was that what these attackers lacked in
skill was made up for by sheer numbers. Trillian was
handling the weapons systems fairly well - she was
taking out fighters left and right - but when she
blasted one away, two more would take its place.

"Shield integrity at 76 percent," the computer
informed Trey as Pyramidas was rocked by another
series of blasts. 

"I know that!" he shouted. ~Trill, how are you holding
up?~

~How do you think? Die, you baklach!~ The demise of
three more Varox ships registered on his display, and
Trey smiled.

~Can you handle yourself alone for a second or two?~

~WHAT? Why?~

~Can you or can't you?~

~Yes!~

~Good.~ Trey set the navigational controls to
automatic and turned towards the communications
console. ~I need to make a call.~

*****

[Trey tries to make the call to the Power Chamber.
He doesn't quite get through, so he tries plan B. 
Zordon tries to raise Jason, but the genius forgot 
his communicator.]

*****

"Shield integrity at 46 percent and dropping," the
computer informed Trey as Pyramidas was rocked by
another series of blasts. 

"I know that!" he shouted at it before staring at the
controls for a moment. It was time for a new plan.
They weren't accomplishing anything by sitting here
and trying to pick off every Varox ship in the
quadrant. Journeyman Varox were a dime a dozen, and
whoever had hired this group knew that. They were just
cannon fodder in the grand scheme of things, a
diversion to keep them away from Earth. Even with
manual control and every evasive maneuver in the book,
trying to fight off the horde was not going to work -
although Trillian seemed to be enjoying it. She was
blasting Varox fighters into space dust with an almost
unholy glee.

Sometimes, he worried about his sister.

"I don't get it," Trillian said. "They could just get
their ships together and ram us. Or just send a ship
on a suicide run and ram our engines if they wanted to
disable us or blow us up. Why don't they?" 

"Because they don't want to risk destroying
Pyramidas," Trey realized. "They're trying to wear out
the shields and eventually board us."

"Well, they're going to succeed unless you've got a
better idea!" she cried.

He struck a few keys on the navigation console and
stood up. "Set weapons back to automatic."

"What?? The computer is not going to be a match for--"

"I'm aware of that, Trill." He was moving towards the
replicator. "I need your help with something else."

"Shield integrity at 43 percent."

Both siblings shot the computer speakers a baleful
glare. "Shut up!"

*****

Trillian hurried back onto the bridge, hastily pulling
on the last of the odd clothing that the replicator
had produced for her. Trey was waiting for her,
kneeling in the center of the room with the Golden
Power Staff in his hand. Reluctantly, Trillian knelt
down as well, turning to face him. 

"Child of my mother, blood of my blood," Trey began,
lifting the Staff. It pulsed faintly as he did so, and
Trillian flinched. 

She stifled her protests and reached out to hold the
Staff as well. "Child of my mother, blood of my
blood," she repeated without enthusiasm.

Hearing her reluctance, he smiled in spite of himself.
"In the name of the Triune, I place this staff under
your protection," he said, and let go of the Staff. It
flared brightly, and Trillian closed her eyes, tensing
for a rush of power she really didn't want.
 
It never came. Trillian opened her eyes to see Trey
watching her with amusement. "You didn't transfer the
powers," she said, relieved.

"No, but I can give you guardianship of the Staff," he
replied. "Will it into its dimensional pocket." 

Skeptical, she furrowed her brow, and the Staff
vanished. "Okay. What's the point?"

"The point is that now only you can will it back
again," Trey informed her. 

"I'd just like to point out - again - that this is a
bad idea," Trillian said, following him to the
transport module. "Trey, if they don't find the Staff,
they'll kill you."

"And lose any chance of getting the Gold Ranger
powers? I doubt it." He pressed a button, and the
panel slid away to reveal a small chamber big enough
for just one person. "Get in."

She glared at him for a second before stepping into
the chamber. "Just be careful, you idiot."

"Same to you, dolt." He kissed her on the forehead
affectionately, smiling at the face she made, before
stepping back and letting the panel slide shut. 

Trey moved over to the console and watched the
readings intently, his fingers poised over the
controls. The timing on this had to be perfect. As
soon as the shields flared, he would initiate the
transport. 

Four seconds. Three. Two. One.

"Good luck, Trillian," he said quietly as the shields
burst outward and his sister vanished in a sparkle of
golden light.

*****

[Zedd sends a monster as a distraction while Scorpina
goes after Jason. Zordon figures out what's going on,
and when it looks like Tommy's been injured, teleports
him out to let him know what's up.]

*****

"What the hell was that for?" Tommy cried as he found
himself back in the Power Chamber. Whipping off his
helmet, he stared at Zordon and Billy in disbelief.
"They needed me out there! You could have just warned
me!"

"I am sorry, Tommy," the Eltarian wizard answered,
"but there is little time. We did not want Rita and
Zedd to realize their true plans have been revealed."

"True plans?" Confused, Tommy turned to Billy.

"Sensors just picked up an evil disturbance in
suburban Angel Grove," Trini explained. "Somewhere
between Oak and Bennett Street." 

As Tommy blinked, trying to get his memory to make the
connection, Billy hastened to explain. "Jason lives on
Bennett. The monster was a distraction."

"What?" Tommy clenched his fists. "I have to call the
others and--"

Billy grabbed his wrist before he could hit his
communicator. "Tommy, we only pulled you out of there
because you went down for a moment. It looked like you
were injured. We don't want Zedd to know that we're on
to him."

Zordon was nodding. "I could not risk letting them
know that we have divined their plans. We do not know
fully what is wrong with Jason, or what Zedd and Rita
want with him."

"I'll go alone, then," Tommy decided, glancing over at
Billy. "I'm guessing that's what you had in mind
anyway."

Billy nodded. "Great minds think alike. Be careful,
all right?" 

"Aren't I always?" Tommy grinned before his expression
turned grim. "Back to action!"

******

Andrew was sitting at the kitchen table, engrossed in
a pile of papers that were spread out before him. He
looked up as Jason opened the kitchen door, pausing in
the threshold. "Grandpa? What are you doing here?"

His grandfather looked him up and down before smiling
pleasantly. "Just looking over some papers I missed at
the conference in Cairo," he answered, beckoning. "Are
you going to come in, or let the mosquitoes take up
residence?"

"Oh, yeah." Jason closed the door behind him, moving
to the fridge. For some reason, he had an insatiable
craving for an orange or something similar. He
retrieved a decent-looking one, closed the fridge, and
washed the fruit in the sink before looking for
something to peel it with. "I, uh, thought you were
going to be out helping Mom." 

"So did I. But Sarah's dolt of an editor pushed the
deadline up, so she had to drive up to San Francisco
today." He studied the paper in his hands thoughtfully
as Jason found a citrus peeler. "Hmm. This Dr. Jackson
seems to have something here. Can't believe they
laughed the man out of the Institute."

Jason nodded, only half listening. It was 3:23 by the
clock above the stove. So far, he'd been stable for
forty-three minutes.  Maybe it would pass; maybe the
treatment Billy had administered would hold off
whatever was happening long enough for Trey to get to
Earth. 

He rubbed his bare wrist, realizing that he'd
forgotten his communicator. Jason sighed. Risky or
not, he couldn't have stayed in the Power Chamber's
infirmary for a minute longer. Especially with his
friends fighting outside, leaving him powerless to do
nothing. The waiting was inevitable, but he'd prefer
waiting at home. 

Suddenly, it occurred to him that his grandfather had
asked him a question. He blinked, startled out of his
reverie. "Huh?"

Andrew frowned thoughtfully, concern in his dark eyes
as he studied Jason. "Something troubling you?"

Jason opened his mouth to deny it, but his grandfather
was already gathering up the mess of papers, clearing
a space on the table. Sighing, Jason sat down across
from him with the half-peeled orange in his hands.
"Yeah, several somethings. It's kind of hard to
explain."

Pretending to be looking over a manuscript, Andrew
raised an eyebrow. "I've been told I'm a good
listener."

"I'm not that good at explaining." There was a
comfortable silence between them as Jason finished
peeling the orange and Andrew continued perusing the
documents before him. "Where'd you get the papers?"

The older man snorted. "Diamant actually came through
for once. Sent them by air mail. Since the museum
needs someone to work in the Middle Eastern research
department, I might as well be updated on recent
finds."

Jason almost choked on a piece of fruit. "You mean
you're - you're not leaving?"

"Back to Giza?" Andrew smiled. "I think not. There's
not much for me there now that Eliza's gone." His
smile became somewhat wistful at that. "Besides, I'm
getting on in years. You wouldn't believe how long
they've been pushing me to retire." At that, he
laughed. "It just gets to these thirty-year-olds that
I'm still plugging away at excavations just as
heartily as the rest of them."

Jason shook his head. "It's been driving Mom crazy
too."

"I know. That's the other reason. You and Sarah and
even John are all I've got left as far as family
goes." He shrugged. "Of course, if John has anything
to say about it, I'll have to go looking for a place
of my own."

Grinning, Jason finished off the orange and scooped up
the peelings, carrying them over to the trash. "Mom
can talk him into it."

Andrew looked surprised. "You wouldn't mind?"

"Hey, I think it's great," Jason answered. "You could
take that second guest room that never gets used. The
one Dad and Mom have been arguing about what to do
with it for months."

"The one that's full of junk?" his grandfather
queried, raising a curious eyebrow. 

Jason opened his mouth to answer, but choked back the
words as a wave of nausea nearly bowled him over. He
staggered back a step, dazed, then pitched forward,
catching himself on the kitchen counter. Shutting his
eyes, he leaned against it, breathing heavily as he
waited for it to pass. Vaguely, he could hear his
grandfather's cry of alarm as Andrew leapt up from his
chair.

Strong hands gripped his shoulders. "Jason, can you
hear me? Are you all right?"

Jason nodded, keeping his eyes closed and trying to
steady his breathing. "I'm okay," he lied, forcing his
eyes open and trying to straighten up. "I--" 

Anything else he wanted to say was cut off as his
vision blurred and swam, swirling like a television
flashback effect. Pain coursed through his skull, and
he fell to his knees, pressing his palms against his
temples.

When the pain eased slightly, he managed to look up
into Andrew's piercing gaze. Jason winced; there
wasn't much one could hide from his grandfather. "All
right," he gasped, "maybe I'm not okay."

"Doesn't take a genius to see that," Andrew said, but
there was no humor in his tone. "Listen, Jason, I'll
be back in a second. I'm calling an ambulance."

Panic overshadowed the pain at that moment, and Jason
grabbed his grandfather's arm. "No!" Andrew whirled,
surprised both at the suddenness of the gesture and
the strength of his grandson's grip. "Please. I can't
go...I just need..." He trailed off, fighting another
wave of nausea, uncertain how to explain it without
betraying the Rangers. But from the little he'd picked
up from Alpha's technobabble, Jason knew that a trip
to the hospital was not an option.

But was it worth letting slip the truth?

The room was bucking and spinning like a ship caught
in a storm, at least from his perspective. "Jason!"
His grandfather's shout seemed to steady him, and he
focused again on Andrew's face. "What do you need?
Jason, you can trust me. Tell me what's going on."

"I can't," Jason gasped breathlessly. "I promised..."
He closed his eyes again, trying to think coherently.
_How am I going to explain this to Zordon? Damn
communicator...I'm getting as bad as Tommy!_ At that,
he heard Andrew's sharp intake of breath. Horrified,
he opened his eyes; had he spoken out loud? 

A harsh, familiar laugh cut through the silence. Jason
looked up to see Scorpina appear in a burst of black
flame in the kitchen. "Did you forget something?" the
warrior jeered, brandishing her sword menacingly.

Somehow, Jason managed to get to his feet, only to
find his grandfather standing between him and the
scorpion woman. "What do you want?" Andrew barked
angrily, a note of harsh command in his voice that
Jason had never heard before. It even managed to make
Scorpina start in surprise before recovering.

"Stand away, old man," she hissed. "My mistress only
wants the boy."

Andrew's fists clenched. "Over my dead body."

Scorpina's pretty features twisted into a cruel smile.
"I can arrange that." With those words, she lunged for
him, expecting an easy kill.

Instead, Andrew dodged the attack, pulling Jason out
of the way with one hand and driving a foot into the
small of Scorpina's back as she passed him. Armor
notwithstanding, the blow knocked Scorpina completely
off balance, and she fell flat on her face with a
clatter of metal against tiling. Her sword skidded
across the tiles, out of her reach. 

She got to her hands and knees, preparing to spring,
but didn't get a chance as Andrew grabbed a chair and
flung it at her, the wood splintering against her
armor and upsetting her balance again. Jason had the
presence of mind to grab her sword and, careful not to
touch the blade, pitched it out the window. The
adrenaline that her entrance had generated was somehow
staving off the pain.

But only partially, and he didn't protest as Andrew
dragged him down the hall and into the study, locking
the door and shoving a chair against it. The older man
dropped to his hands and knees, pulling a long, narrow
box out from beneath the old couch. Leaning against
the desk, Jason recognized the box from when Andrew
had first arrived. What was so important that he would
stop to open it?

He didn't have a chance to ask as a blade splintered
the door, sticking in the wood. "I don't believe
this," Jason moaned as Scorpina hacked her way
through. His vision was blurring, and he swallowed
against the urge to throw up. It would slow her down,
but then she wouldn't be so happy. He gritted his
teeth, trying to steady himself as she advanced,
falling into a defensive position. _Like I'm really
going to defend myself this way!_ 

Suddenly, she froze as a sword sliced the air, its tip
coming to rest inches from her throat. The blade alone
was as long as his arm, yet Andrew was holding the
sword in one hand as easily as if he were pointing a
toothpick at the alien warrior. "I'll put this in
terms you can understand," Andrew growled, his eyes
blazing. "If you want to keep your head attached to
your shoulders, leave my grandson alone and get out
now."

Scorpina merely smiled and pulled her retrieved blade
out from behind her back, lashing out with a blow that
would have broken a normal man's arm. But Andrew
parried it easily, sparks flying from the blades as
they made contact. 

Through a haze of pain, Jason could only stare at the
sight of his grandfather easily holding off Scorpina
with a huge sword. He groaned and shook his head to
clear it of all the Highlander jokes that were coming
to mind. "Now I'm hallucinating," he mumbled as he
slumped against the desk. "Just great."

******

As the red glimmer of teleportation faded, Tommy found
himself in Jason's father's old study, a mess as
usual. Well, this time it was more than the usual
mess; the door was splintered and hacked through, and
one of the chairs was sliced down the middle. Scorpina
was there, as was Jason's grandfather. Jason was
slumped against the desk. What made Tommy stop and
take notice was the sight of Andrew Trevelyan battling
it out with Scorpina. The seventy-ish Egyptologist was
wielding a massive blade as if it weighed nothing,
easily parrying Scorpina's blows. Tommy stared,
amazed, as Andrew gave the alien warrior a real run
for her money.

Shaking it off, Tommy dashed to Jason's side. The two
combatants were so engrossed in the fight that they
didn't notice his presence. "Jase, are you all right?"

Jason shook his head, gritting his teeth against the
pain. "No, it's started again, bro...and it's worse."
He let out a ragged breath. "Grandpa--I don't know
what's going on, but we got to get him out of here,
too."

Tommy glanced up at the fighters, then out the window.
Scorpina was definitely not getting the upper hand,
but that was bound to change. Outside, he could see a
group of Tengas landing in the Scotts' front yard. "We
will," he promised, helping Jason get to his feet. The
former Gold Ranger got a second wind and managed to
right himself, following his friend across the room.

As Scorpina managed to break away from Andrew, Tommy
saw his chance. He interposed himself between the two
combatants, delivering a flying kick to the scorpion
woman's midsection. She went down with a crash. "Go
home, Scorpina."

"A Power Ranger?" Andrew shook his head, chuckling.
"It's about time you got here." He stiffened suddenly
and turned. "Look out!" 

Just as Jason managed to straighten up, there was a
burst of black flame as Goldar appeared and grabbed
the teen from behind. "Surprise!" the alien warrior
snarled as Jason struggled weakly in his grip. "What's
the matter, Gold Ranger? Can't fight back?"

It was Goldar, however, who was surprised. Jason let
out an enraged yell, and his eyes flared gold. With a
burst of inhuman strength, he kicked Goldar in the
shin and wrenched himself free at the same time. But
the brief rush of adrenaline ended as quickly as it
had begun. Goldar released Jason with a howl of pain,
throwing the young man into the wall. Jason slumped to
the floor in a boneless heap, unconscious.

Tommy tried to reach his friend, but Scorpina leapt up
to intercept him as Goldar grabbed Jason by the
collar, easily lifting the unconscious human. "Jason!"
Andrew cried. The old man vaulted over the desk, his
sword already slicing in a downward arc towards
Goldar's unprotected back. But he was a second too
late, and the blade cut through air instead. Goldar
had already teleported out. "No!" Andrew growled,
letting out a stream of enraged curses in a language
that Tommy did not understand.

Scorpina, however, was still there. She broke away
from Tommy, kicking the Red Ranger into a wall. "Now I
get to have some fun," she purred, advancing towards
Andrew with a malevolent gleam in her eyes. Andrew
turned to meet her, with nothing less than murder in
his. 

But then Tommy noticed just why Scorpina was smiling.
Through the window, he could see scores of Tengas
appearing on the Scotts' front lawn. Andrew saw them
as well, and took up a defensive stance. Despite the
beating he'd given Scorpina - whose armor was notably
chipped and scored in several places - Andrew was
starting to tire out. And Tommy didn't think that the
dozen or so Tengas would help things. Zordon wouldn't
be completely thrilled, but there wasn't a lot of
options. Besides, Jason's grandfather deserved an
explanation.

He moved to stand beside the older man. "I think it's
about time we left."

Andrew shifted his sword to his left hand, never
taking his eyes off Scorpina. "I suppose so; I don't
want to have to explain this mess to John." 

It was Scorpina's turn to lunge - and miss - as the
two of them teleported out.

******

[Okay, now here's where it gets screwy. There are two versions 
of the rest of this story - the more sensible one is where 
Scorpina kidnaps Jason, and Tommy takes Andrew to the Power Chamber.
For some reason, I lost that version. Here's the scraps of the 
other one.]

******

"You WHAT?" Zedd roared as Scorpina stood before him,
head bowed and fists clenched at her sides. "A sick,
powerless Ranger and an elderly human defeated a
supposedly skilled warrior?"

Scorpina lifted her head, keeping it high and proud as
she spoke in a low voice. Zedd didn't like excuses,
but he hated sniveling even more. "The old man was
more than he seemed."

"Or the chosen warrior was less than she seemed,"
Goldar sneered from beside Zedd's throne. Scorpina
glared at him as the space monkey merely grinned. 

"Enough," Zedd interrupted before they could launch
into an argument. "Goldar makes a point, Scorpina;
perhaps you were not the one suited for this task." 

Scorpina almost choked on indignation. "But my lord,
he had a blade--"

"ENOUGH!" Zedd bellowed, and Scorpina lapsed into
silence. "You have failed me once already, Scorpina.
It would be wise for you not to make it any harder on
yourself!" When she offered no further comment, he
nodded. "You are dismissed. Get out of my sight!"

*****

[scene snip here]

*****

"How is he?" Andrew asked immediately as Alpha
finished tinkering with the medical console and Billy
turned away from the readouts. The questioning looks
on the other Rangers' faces echoed his words.

Billy put down the datapad he was examining. "Stable,
for now. We gave him a mild sedative so he could
sleep, but only the lowest dosage. Since we're not
entirely sure what's causing this, we couldn't risk
much more than that."

"What exactly is happening to my grandson?" Andrew
asked grimly. 

Alpha answered for once. "His physiology is being
altered at an alarming rate. Metabolism, blood cell
count, even brain chemistry--Jason's body is changing
at the most basic level."

Tanya looked horrified. "Alpha, you don't mean--"

Billy suddenly looked another ten years older. "These
aren't just a few side-effect changes. Jason's DNA is
literally rewriting itself."

Silence blanketed the room for several seconds. Then
Katherine spoke, so low it was almost a whisper. "Into
what?"

"I don't know." Billy threw up his hands in
frustration. "I don't know what to do. The RNA 
inhibitors had no effect. I can't contact Trey to find 
out what's wrong, I've tried that." He sank into a chair. 
"All I know is that the stress of these changes on his 
body will kill him before they're even complete." 

"I don't know what to do," he repeated in a low voice.

Andrew had moved to stand beside Jason's cot, his
movements so soundless no one had noticed him change
position. He looked down at his grandson's pale face
before speaking. "So this happened because of the Gold
Ranger powers?"

******

[Should be more of this scene, but oh well. Anyway, here's
what should have happened: 
1. Pyramidas crashes to Earth, and the Varox attack the 
ship and kidnap Trey - only to find he doesn't have the Staff.
2. The Rangers - sans Rocky, who's still stuck - manage to 
save him, but the Varox take off to find who really does have it.
3. Somehow, Zedd manages to kidnap Jason anyway.
4. Rocky finally finishes his chores and runs into a pretty
girl who introduces herself as Trillian Thompson. Of course, 
their identities become apparent once the Varox find them. 
Rocky and Trill teleport to the Power Chamber, where Trey, 
Andrew, and the rest of the Rangers are. 
5. When Trey and Trillian meet Andrew, Trey's shocked to see
that the man has the Sword of Triforia (or something like that),
which disappeared along with his grandfather, Trevyan, who 
sacrificed himself in a suicide run to lure a rival away from
attacking Triforia. Trey demands to know how he got it, and 
Trillian wants to know how Jason's DNA could react like this
if he's merely human.
6. Andrew replies that it's because Jason's one-fourth Triforian.
He finally explains the truth: he is, actually, Trevyan. Instead of
taking his ship into a black hole, he managed to go through a time 
hole - which spit him out a few centuries later, near Earth's orbit. 
He crashed, met Eliza and her father, and the rest is history. He 
didn't return because he didn't have the resources, didn't
know enough about the Rangers, and didn't know how far ahead he'd 
been bounced. He also thought that the rival had survived.
7. Trillian is livid, but Trey pieces together that Jason's DNA was
adapting - and in short, the only way for him to survive the change 
is to return the Staff to him.

******

Jason came to in a world of pain - a sensation he was
starting to become used to. As he crawled towards
awareness, he realized that he was lying in some sort
of reclining chair, like the one in a dentist's
office. But in a dentist's office, your arms and legs
weren't held down by metal clamps. He tried to cry
out, but realized that he was gagged as well.

"Oh, good. You're awake." Finster was bustling around
nearby, and Jason realized that he was in Finster's
lab. That was a little better than the torture
chamber, but it didn't do much to ease his worries as
the little man approached him. "I'm going to remove
this now that they're gone," Finster told him,
reaching for the gag. "If I take it off, will you
promise you won't start yelling?" 

Jason shrugged and nodded. Who was there to hear him,
anyway? He sighed in relief as Finster untied the gag.
"At least there'll be someone to talk to who doesn't
order me around," Finster explained.

Swallowing against a dry throat, Jason found the
breath to speak. "What are you going to do to me?" His
voice came out ragged and hoarse, and Finster frowned
as he picked up a syringe.

Seeing the look on the teenager's eyes, Finster
sighed. "Relax. I'm just going to take some blood." He
continued talking as he swabbed the area and inserted
the needle into the vein. "Relatively speaking, you're
quite lucky. Rita and Zedd only want you for study
right now. Which means that torture, potions, anything
to alter your condition is off the agenda for now."

"Just great." Jason groaned, shivering as Finster
finished taking the sample and bandaged the teen's
arm. "What are they trying to study?"

Finster rubbed his eyes. "The Gold Ranger powers, what
else? Zedd is obessed with them. And you're the first
non-Triforian who's successfully wielded the powers
for any period of time and survived. Zedd thinks if he
finds out what's happening now, he might figure out
how you managed to wield the powers and how he could
use them."

"I'll save you the trouble," Jason croaked bitterly,
as another wave of pain lanced through him. "I'm not
going to survive. I didn't give up the power in time,
and I'm dying. Now will you let me go?"

The wizened scientist transferred the blood sample to
a test tube. "I only wish it was that simple. I only
wish."

Jason turned his head to actually look at Finster for
the first time. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Unlike the rest of them, I don't serve Rita and Zedd
by choice." Finster sealed the test tube. "I'm forced
to work for them, but I don't have to like it."

Jason closed his eyes and leaned his head back, not
sure what to believe. All he knew was that he still
felt just as terrible as before. 

*****

[Yeah, another fun break. Here's what should have 
happened here: Billy, Trey, and Trevyan decide to launch 
a rescue mission into the Moon Palace, while Trillian 
and the others stay behind to fight off Zedd and Rita's 
monsters. Trillian complains, but agrees - in part because
it'll allow her to stay with Rocky.]

*****

Finster stared at the results from the blood tests,
debating what to do. Contrary to what Zedd and Rita
thought, he had an incredible amount of knowledge
about alien physiology. Before he had been forced into
Rita's employ, he spent years treating and studying
countless races. His home planet had been a stopping
point for all the major interstellar trade routes, and
his medical knowledge had expanded to accommodate any
traveler or important trader who might have an
accident while passing through. 

He'd learned quite a bit about human physiology during
Tommy's brief stint under Rita's control, and right
now he didn't like the readings he was getting from
Jason. The young man's fever was getting worse, and in
human measurements his temperature was one hundred and
ten degrees Fahrenheit - an impossibly high fever for
a human. 

But if Finster's scans were correct, Jason was no
longer entirely human. His physiology was altering
itself to match that of a different species - and
Finster had seen enough to know that the young man's
DNA now more closely resembled that of a Triforian. It
made sense if you stopped and thought about it;
instead of killing Jason, the Gold Ranger powers had
begun to change him, to alter his genetic structure so
that he could hold them safely. Now, without the power
to bolster his lifeforce, Jason would not be able to
survive the stress of the changes that were occurring.


A soft moan startled him out of his thoughts. Jason
had become delirious, drifting in and out of
consciousness as the fever raged through him. But now,
it seemed, he'd broken back into lucidity. "What's
going on?" Jason croaked. 

"You're running a fever," Finster informed him,
deciding not to tell him just how high a fever it was.
"I've been trying to keep it down for the past few
hours." 

He poured a cup of water and brought it to Jason's
lips. "Here." The teen hesitated. "It's water. That's
all." 

After a moment, Jason drank, gratefully draining the
cup when he realized that it was just water. "Thank
you." He opened his mouth to say more, but cried out
instead as he was suddenly racked with pain. "God,"
Jason gasped once the attack had subsided. "What's
happening to me?"

"The Gold Ranger powers," Finster replied. "They were
trying to change your genetic structure, and the
changes must not have stopped when you gave them up."

"What?" Jason stared at Finster, not expecting the
scientist to answer his question. "I know that, but -
I don't know why."

"Probably trying to help you adapt to them," Finster
suggested, washing out the cup. At the confused look
Jason gave him, he added, "Why else would your DNA
resemble that of a Triforian?"

The shock in Jason's eyes made it clear he hadn't
known that detail. Finster wasn't surprised; the
changes had accelerated greatly since Jason's capture,
and the similarity in DNA wasn't that apparent when he
had first been dragged into the lab. "So I guess
you've told Zedd now," Jason muttered, staring at the
ceiling.

Finster removed the sensors from Jason's neck and
forehead. "I'm not sure I should."

Jason blinked in surprise, but he didn't get the
chance to react. Heavy footsteps could be heard
echoing down the corridor, heading in their direction.
"Oh, dear," Finster muttered. "Pretend you're still
delirious. I'll do the talking."

*****

[And that's as far as I got. What I planned to have happen
was this:
1. Goldar comes in to taunt the patient and, against Zedd's
orders, decides to make Jason suffer more.
2. Billy, Trey and Trevyan break into the Moon Palace. Rita is
distracted with the battle on Earth, but they have to get past
Zedd. Trevyan, still carrying the sword, offers to go up against
him, since Zedd won't recognize him and thinks him dead. Out
of practice as he is, he's still a match for Zedd.
3. Finster tries to stop Goldar, but Goldar shoves him into a 
table and advances on Jason. Jason gets a surge of adrenalin, 
breaks through the restraints and tackles Goldar, getting the
better of the henchman before the pain gets the better of him.
4. The Rangers and Trill fight off the Varox. Boring, except for 
Trillian thoroughly enjoying herself and Rocky really starting 
to like Trillian.
5. Billy and Trey get to the lab in time to subdue Goldar and 
convince Jason to take the Gold Power Staff. Jason does, morphs,
and they leave, taking Finster with them.
6. Andrew kicks Zedd's ass, but Zedd calls for reinforcements.
Billy, Trey and Jason show up just in time and the four escape.
7. Tainer gets through to the Council and brings reinforcements 
from Triforia to deal with the Varox. A not-entirely-happy family 
reunion ensues (involving Tainer chasing Trillian all over the 
Power Chamber).
8. How it would have turned out: Since Andrew's been declared dead,
he isn't required to return. Trey and Tainer obviously have to,
but Jason doesn't want to go with them. (Understandably). Tainer 
figures that with Andrew to train him, the Council will
just have to deal. Trillian isn't happy leaving, and Rocky isn't 
happy about her leaving.
9. A few days later, they're at the Beach Club, everyone's happy,
except Rocky. He's sitting alone sulking when a girl approaches him:
it's Trillian. She conned her brothers into letting her return as
a "liaison" to the Council, reporting to them on the tactical
situation and with Jason's progress. They were more than happy to
get rid of her, and Rocky's more than happy to share his two plates
of cheese fries with her.

And that's how it was supposed to end - the problem was writing 
the sucker. --Mandi]