Chapters:

1. First Light

She knew she should get up, but convincing herself to actually do it was another matter. She had spent a good part of yesterday afternoon in one of the Aquitian battle simulations, and despite Aquitar's relatively peaceful history, the training sims were as harsh as anything she'd gone up against on Earth.

Cassie rolled over, squinting in the dim blue glow that emanated from the single window. They weren't far enough under the ocean that sunlight didn't reach them, and the illumination from the transparent citydomes bathed most habitable locations on Aquitar in a constant muted radiance. Gazing out at the steady traffic to and from the command center dome, she tugged her pillow a little closer and snuggled deeper into the blankets on Saryn's bed.

She smiled, remembering Billy's hesitant question that first day. "Will you, uh, be wanting your own accommodations?"

Somewhat overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of this alien planet, she had said yes automatically. And when Saryn had been busy in the command center until later than she could keep her eyes open, she had retreated to the room Billy had shown her to sleep. It had been strange and more than a little lonely, and she had had to remind herself that she had chosen to come here.

The next morning her misgivings had only increased. She had not had the faintest idea where to go, or even how to access the computer system to find out something as simple as what time it was. Luckily, Billy had found her just as she stepped out into the hall, and he had kindly invited her to join him and Cestria for breakfast.

Now she stretched, smiling again and very glad she had stuck those first couple of days out. She knew now that Cestria--and indeed all of the Aquitian Rangers, to varying degrees--was telepathic, and it had been she who sent Billy to find Cassie that morning. Those two had made her feel welcome when Saryn was too busy to really notice her, and they had not only answered her myriad questions but also taken time out of their own schedules to show her around.

And they had mysteriously disappeared that evening when Saryn finally removed himself from the command center long enough to take her aside. The first thing he had done was apologize, which had reassured her somewhat.

And he had proceeded to tell her. He had spent the rest of the evening with her, taking her out in one of the divers when he learned that she had already seen most of the Rangers' base. They had gone to one of the agricultural domes, a place that was, essentially, a very large underwater greenhouse, maintained to grow and supply food for Aquitar's many offworld visitors.

The dome had been deserted at that hour, and he had once more demorphed. They strolled hand in hand through the terrestrial environments, and he had explained as much of his position as she could stand, interrupted by numerous tangential explanations about organizations, League politics, and Ranger influence.

She had fallen asleep in his arms that night, more awed than ever by his offer to leave all this behind and stay with her on Earth.

Now, more than a week later, Cassie still couldn't bring herself to return home. Two more days, she knew, and she would *have* to go--school started on Wednesday, and somehow she didn't think Kaplan would take a little detail like being on another planet as an acceptable excuse for missing classes.

She sighed, reluctantly pushing the blankets away and sitting up. No time for lying around in bed. She would be alone again soon enough, and she wanted them to be together for as much time as he could spare in the meantime.

The floor was warm on her bare feet as she padded over to her duffel bag. She pulled on her jeans and pink t-shirt, untroubled that she'd been wearing them for the past three days. The Aquitian Rangers seemed to wear their uniform tunics as often as her team wore their flight suits, and she doubted anyone would notice her own clothes.

She ran her brush through her hair, slipping a headband on to hold it away from her face. She looked around, a slight smile on her face as she reflected that the room was far less neat than it had been a week ago. She hadn't brought much with her, but she had a habit of not putting anything away…

She shrugged, heading out into the corridor without a backward glance. He said he liked it that way, and she wasn't going to argue. She suspected he was only humoring her, but she would be gone soon enough and he could put the room back however he wanted it.

She sighed again without meaning to. She had no idea how she was going to readjust to Earth in general--and school in particular--after these wonderful days on Aquitar. She understood perfectly why Billy had come back… after all, everything he was living for was here.

The door from the control room to the hall in which the Rangers' quarters were located was locked open this early, so she peered in without having to do an ID check. Saryn was standing in front of the main viewscreen, talking--or arguing, it looked like--with someone she had come to recognize as Tobin, one of his partners in the leadership of the Frontier Defense.

She paused. The main screen had a fairly wide view, taking in most of the control room, and she wasn't sure it would be wise to have someone in civilian clothing wander through in the background.

Aura and Cetaci were there as well, off to one side. Cetaci was conferring with Zordon, but Aura looked up when Cassie appeared in the doorway. Noticing her hesitation, the Red Aquitian Ranger waved her in.

She entered the wide, windowless chamber, and joined Aura just out of range of the screen's video pickup. "What's going on?" Cassie asked quietly, nodding in the direction of the main screen.

She'd never seen an Aquitian roll their eyes, but that was the impression Aura gave nonetheless. "I am not sure I know anymore," the other girl answered, just as quietly. "Ever since the Inner Alliance started to come together, they spend as much time arguing over that as they do about the Defense."

"I thought Zordon was in charge of the Alliance," Cassie said, glancing over at where the interdimensional being was transferring data to Cetaci's console readout.

"He leads it," Aura agreed. "But Zordon, for all his experience, is not and has never been a fighter pilot. He is not a suitable field commander, and I believe today's 'discussion'--" she shot a look in Saryn's general direction, leaving no doubt as to what she meant, "began when they attempted to agree on someone to fill that position."

Cassie watched the two argue, knowing Saryn wasn't as calm as he looked. She could feel his frustration, and was thankful that Cestria had been teaching her how to keep his emotions from overwhelming hers.

"They're two different forces, and they should stay that way," Tobin insisted, and Cassie saw Saryn shift. She could tell from his stance that that had been the last straw.

"I wish to have Linnse's opinion," he said, voice even.

"What!" Tobin stared at him from the screen. "She has enough on her mind right now. You can't ask her to take sides on something this trivial."

Cassie took a deep breath, trying to remember what Cestria had told her. "You are a separate entity--concentrate on your own sensations as far as possible, distancing yourself from his."

"It is not trivial," Saryn ground out. "The Defense will continue to be pushed back until there is no frontier left to defend. If we do not cooperate now, the Inner Alliance will be left to throw Dark Spectre's forces back alone. Tobin, I do not ask that they merge, I only ask that they work together in some way!"

Tobin folded his arms. "The Alliance is weak and disorganized. We can't afford to spend our time training them to work with each other while our homes are destroyed."

"We can't afford *not* to," Saryn shot back. "I call on Linnse to do her duty as third party and settle this dispute."

Tobin looked, if anything, irritated. "Fine. I'll call her from the launch bay."

He reached forward, and the screen greyed out, the words "Transmission paused" flickering across the bottom. Saryn drew in a deep breath, and Cassie found herself echoing him. Aura glanced sideways at her but said nothing.

Saryn turned to her at last, stopping at the comm control panel to put the screen on standby before he joined her and Aura. She knew he was smiling, despite his argument with Tobin, and she smiled back. "Morning," she offered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aura move a discreet distance away.

"Good morning," he replied, and she could indeed hear the smile in his tone. "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded, glancing back toward the main screen. "Yes--which is more than I can say for some, apparently. Trouble with the Inner Alliance?"

He sighed, leaning against the console beside her. "The Inner League fighters are not the problem," he muttered, and under his breath she heard him add, "for once."

She tried not to smile, knowing how annoyed he was with the new Alliance's lack of cohesiveness as a fighting unit. "The problem," he continued, "is finding someone with the experience and skill to organize them."

"You have someone in mind?" she guessed.

He nodded. "There is a wing commander among the Frontier Defense who could undertake such a task. Lesris Tari manages his own squadron incredibly effectively, and has the tact necessary for dealing with such varied cultures as those that have been brought together in this Alliance. Unfortunately, Tobin thinks Defense members are more urgently needed where they are--*all* Defense members, no matter how suited for other tasks they might be."

*Stalemate,* Cassie thought to herself. Saryn was the most stubborn person she knew, and it sounded like Tobin had a little too much in common with him. No wonder Saryn had asked for Linnse--Cassie suspected she had been the tiebreaker in numerous similar confrontations over the years.

"Is Tobin right?" she asked gently.

His head tilted sharply, and she thought he had just given her a startled look. "I--" He stopped. "No," he said at last. "No, he is not right. We cannot continue as we have. The Defense could not stop Eltare's fall, and the frontier is crumbling. If the Alliance is not organized to support the Defense, the rest of the League will follow Eltare."

She smiled a little. "That's what you have to tell Tobin, then. Or Linnse--she's more likely to listen than he is. The Defense isn't enough alone; and if something doesn't change, they're going to have that forcibly proven to them."

He sighed. "That's what worries me. I do not wish to lose another world before they are convinced. But they have already lost their home, and Tobin is reluctant to agree to something that he sees as a division of forces, rather than an augmentation."

"Don't let them guilt you into this," she said softly, only barely keeping herself from saying his name. "They're not the only ones who've lost a home."

He looked away. Linnse and Tobin knew perfectly well who the Phantom Ranger was. Years ago, they had both been Eltaran Rangers, part of the team sent to support Elisia against Dark Spectre. Tobin had led the Rangers that forced Dark Spectre off Saryn's planet, and Linnse had saved the life of the only surviving Elisian Ranger.

"They will not," he answered. "Tobin is too caught up in the frontier to see what is happening to the rest of the League, but I am hoping Linnse will understand how much more than the Defense is at stake here."

She sighed. "No flying this morning, huh?" she assumed, smiling to show she didn't mind.

His head turned toward her again. "If you can forgive me, no," he said apologetically. "I do not know how long this is going to take."

"It's all right," she assured him. She was disappointed, yes--not only were their morning flights the only time she could positively count on seeing him, but they were addictive in and of themselves.

On her third day on Aquitar, he had asked, seemingly out of nowhere, if she would like to try piloting a starfighter again. The offer had surprised her, but, remembering the freedom and smooth control of his small craft, she had agreed eagerly. They had gone out every morning since, leaving Aquitar's atmosphere only when he was satisfied that whatever bizarre instinct she had relied on in sector 439 was now accompanied by some amount of skill.

"The Aquitian fighter wing launches in an hour and a half," Billy commented from somewhere behind her right shoulder. She hadn't even noticed him come in. "They're just doing some training drills, and I was planning to join them--you're welcome to come with us, Cassie."

Her eyes widened. "I can't do that!"

Saryn did not answer, so she turned to Billy. "I mean, I'm flattered that you offered, but I can't fly with a fighter wing."

Billy shrugged, smiling at her. "Why not?"

"Because…" She gestured helplessly. "There's so many other people! I'm lucky when I can get my ship to do what Sa--Phantom's is doing, let alone twenty others…"

"It wouldn't be anything difficult," Billy assured her, not even blinking at her near slip. "Like I said, it's just some training drills. You can slave your ship to mine if it gets too tricky."

She hesitated, glancing at Saryn again. He disapproved. She could feel it. But he still said nothing, and she didn't want to ask him why in front of everyone else. And Billy was going…

"All right," she said, knowing she would always wonder what it would have been like if she didn't go. "Thanks, Billy."

"No problem," he said. "You'll want to eat first, though, if you haven't already. We could be out there for several hours."

She took a deep breath, wondering *what* she was getting into. "I will. Where should I meet you?"

"Actually, I'll join you for breakfast, if you want company," he offered. "*I* haven't had anything to eat--I just came up to see if Delphinius was here."

"Delphinius is in the mess hall," Cetaci said without looking up from her console. "He plans to fly with the fighters this morning as well."

"Thanks, Cetaci," Billy answered. She did not acknowledge his thanks, but he didn't seem to expect her to. Instead, he just cocked his head at Cassie.

"Sure," she said, hoping he would explain what was going on once they were away from the others. She shot one more look in Saryn's direction, and he lifted his head as though he had not expected her to catch him watching.

"Be careful," was all he said.

She nodded, not understanding his reticence. "See you later," she offered, before following Billy out into the hall.

Shaking her head, she reminded herself to corner him about it later. Lengthening her stride to match Billy's, she asked quietly, "What was Cetaci so upset about?" The Aquitians were not as expressive as humans, but she was learning to read them.

Billy glanced over his shoulder as they walked toward the mess hall. "She doesn't like Delphinius flying with the fighters," he told her, his voice low. "Cetaci would rather he stayed in the command center with the other Rangers--she thinks it's safer."

"But you don't," Cassie pointed out.

"Cestria understands," he said with a small smile. There was no time for further conversation as they approached the open doors of the mess hall.

Delphinius was there, of course, calmly finishing his own breakfast. "Greetings," he said politely, as they joined him.

"Greetings to you, my friend," Billy answered, setting a tray down across from the Black Aquitian Ranger. Cassie sat next to him, wondering how long it had taken him to become accustomed to this food.

"You might want to stay away from the control room for a little while," Billy advised, digging into his meal with far too much enthusiasm, in Cassie's opinion. "At least until this afternoon."

Delphinius gave him a flat look that Cassie was starting to interpret as exasperated. "She is upset."

Billy nodded. "She's not talking to anyone except Zordon--although when I asked where you were, she did answer me. Grudgingly."

Delphinius set the utensil in his hand down carefully. "I have not flown with the fighters for weeks. Cetaci has no reason to complain."

Cassie kept her eyes on her tray, certain this was not something she should get involved in. She saw Billy shrug out of the corner of her eye. "She's just worried about you, you know," he said quietly.

The other Rangers' shoulders were tense. "I just--" He stopped abruptly. "I will go talk to her."

Billy reached out and put a hand on his tray to stop him. "Aura and Phantom are the only ones up there now. You know Aura can deal with her, and Phantom won't notice anyway. Maybe you should just let her be for a while."

"No." Delphinius got to his feet, removing Billy's hand from his tray. "This is not necessary. I will meet you at the launch bay."

Billy nodded, and Delphinius stopped only to return his tray before leaving the mess hall, as close to stalking as Cassie had ever seen him. She dared a glance in Billy's direction, and he shrugged at her. "They…" He seemed to consider his wording. "The two of them were involved until Cetaci was chosen to be a Ranger. Lately they've been having--difficulties."

"Because he flies?" Cassie asked, curious but not sure she should pry.

Billy shook his head. "He used to be a regular part of the wing, but he stopped flying so much after he joined the Rangers. And then when she became a Ranger, I think she tried to make him stop altogether. They're--I think it's as much an authority issue as anything else."

"Oh," Cassie said, realizing the problem. Delphinius had been a Ranger first, but Cetaci was the leader. Who obeyed whom…

She was silent for a moment, wondering if her friends would ever have that problem. The Astro team wasn't that structured--frankly, they all disobeyed Andros on a regular basis. His word wasn't the be all and end all of any given situation, and he didn't try to insist that it be that way. She supposed that was the difference that made Andros' and Ashley's relationship work where Delphinius' and Cetaci's was struggling.

Billy paused, glancing over at her. "I know you don't always eat breakfast, but wing drills do take a lot of energy…"

She looked at him nervously. "What did I agree to, exactly?"

"Nothing you can't change your mind about," he assured her. "But I honestly don't think it will be that hard for you. I monitored two of the flights you and Phantom took, and unless your ship was slaved to his, you can handle a fighter well enough to do this."

"It wasn't," she said, taking a deep breath and looking at her tray. "And maybe I can… but what if I *can't*? What if I throw the rest of the wing off?"

He smiled. "First, you shouldn't be able to throw them off. If one of our own can do that, how effective do you think they'd be against Dark Spectre?

"Second, you *can*. Phantom must have taught you well, because it took me weeks to learn to fly the way you do. You don't have anything to worry about."

She nodded once, spearing a small, unidentifiable object on her tray. His words reassured her to some degree--and she really did want to fly. Actually, what she really wanted to do was fly with Saryn, but failing that, there was no question that this would take her mind off of him…

Billy seemed to sense her distraction, and he let her eat in silence until she spoke again. She asked how he had started flying with the wing, and he was quite willing to tell her while she finished her breakfast.

At last, pushing her tray away from her, she asked, "So isn't it going to seem a little strange for an Earth Ranger to just show up and ask to fly with an Aquitian fighter wing?"

Looking up, she caught his slightly amused glance, and she blushed. "Well--but you're different. And you're an Aquitian Ranger, besides."

He smiled. "It won't be so strange. Any Aquitian pilot can be called on to join the fighter wing during an attack, so almost everyone here who can fly flies with the wing from time to time, just to stay in practice. The regular wing is used to having other pilots join them--especially during training drills."

She shook her head, looking over at him. "I'm still glad you're going to be there," she told him honestly. "I don't think I'd dare, if you weren't."

Billy gave her a sympathetic look. "I know what it's like, believe me. All this can seem overwhelming at first."

She nodded emphatically. About to speak, she paused when she saw him tilt his head to the side and frown. "Aura says I'm needed in the control room," he remarked, obviously puzzled. "Excuse me for a minute?"

She must have looked worried, for he put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "I'll meet you outside the launch bay. I promise."

"Right," Cassie said, taking a deep breath. "See you there."

He nodded, picking up his tray and heading for the door. He dropped it off before he left, and she followed suit more slowly. What if there was some crisis, something that kept him from joining the wing? Would she have the courage to walk into the launch bay and ask to fly?

She supposed she wouldn't know until and unless it came to that. Touching her morpher, she teleported out of the command center dome. The world that rematerialized around her was one she had visited frequently with Saryn--but this was the first time she'd been to the launch bay alone.

Glancing around uncomfortably, she leaned up against the wall and waited for Billy to reappear. It seemed an interminable amount of time, but finally a blue water molecule shape teleported into the hall beside her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Billy looked like he couldn't decide whether to be annoyed or amused. "I couldn't help noticing that Zordon was mysteriously absent just now," he said wryly. "Otherwise, I seriously doubt even Phantom would have done that."

Cassie frowned. "Done what?"

"He had Aura ask me to come to the control room. Aura and Cestria can broadcast to anyone, telepathic or not, and they usually coordinate team movements. But they're not really allowed into our heads unless it directly relates to Ranger business…"

"But what did--Phantom want?" Cassie asked, more confused than before. It was getting harder and harder to think of him as "Phantom", and she caught herself just in time.

Billy gave her a wry look. "He just wanted to express his displeasure in my suggestion that you fly with the fighter wing. He also mentioned something along the lines of, 'if anything happens to her, do not bother coming back.'"

Cassie stared at him in astonishment. Not knowing what to respond to first, she found herself speechless.

Billy just shook his head at her expression. "If you ever had any doubt about his feelings for you," he said, more quietly but still with a hint of amusement in his expression, "Don't."

"But--" That was all she could manage, before Billy gestured her toward the launch bay.

"We should go. Darian is the wing commander, and he doesn't appreciate tardiness."

From there on, the morning was a blur. Billy introduced her to the wing commander as a visiting Ranger from his home planet, thereby avoiding the discomfort involved in originally explaining her presence to the Aquitian Rangers. Darian let her take the same fighter she had been flying with Saryn, and the fact that she and Billy could morph instead of donning flight suits gave them the few extra minutes they needed for him to explain slaving to her.

Confident she could link her ship's computer to his if she had to, Cassie started the preflight with the rest of the wing. The routine Saryn had taught her got her through it, and soon the bay doors were opening to let the starfighters stream out. The tense seconds while she waited for her turn were the last moments she had to think until the fighters returned to the bay.

(flight of anger)

She stared down at the console in front of her, not registering the datastream that had been displayed there for some time now. She suspected Zordon had restarted it before he left, no doubt realizing that she hadn't been paying attention the first time through, but it hadn't done any good. She wasn't absorbing any more of it now than she had before.

With a fierce scowl that the datastream didn't deserve, she slapped the console with her palm and turned away. Intending to join Aura on the other side of the control room, she was brought up short by someone standing directly in her way.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," she growled, irritated that he had managed to startle her. It was a horribly annoying habit of his, that of sneaking up behind people and trying to get them to walk into him. "Get out of my way."

"Go around," he countered. "What I do in my off hours is no concern of yours, Cetaci."

"You came all the way up here to tell me that?" She glared at him. "You'll be late for your precious fighter training."

"What does it matter to you?" he demanded. "The fighters have never been anything but a second rate defense force in your eyes. I would be better off spending my time in the dome, indulging in your ridiculous drills."

"At least then you'd be doing your job," she retorted. "Instead you go thrill-seeking in a craft you will never fly in battle. It is a waste of time."

"My flight experience is no waste," he told her, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Zaal is quite pleased with my competence. I am told the same can not be said of all the zord pilots."

"The Power imparts the necessary skills as soon as one morphs," she said stiffly. "As you have so often found in hand-to-hand combat sims."

"If you flew as often as I participated in combat sims, I would not worry half so much." His tone was as cold as hers. "Power-enhanced abilities are no substitute for practical experience."

"Which you don't gain in a fighter wing!" she insisted stubbornly.

"How would you know?" he inquired, the calm tone belied by his dark expression. He took every insult to the fighters personally. "As your own experience is sorely lacking, I see no reason for you to judge the validity of mine. When you learn to control Mireth I will give more weight to your words."

"Excuse me." Aura's voice intruded before she could retaliate. The Red Ranger had her back to them, but she had lifted her head from the console in front of her to stare at the wall instead. "I do not wish to intrude, but we are not the only ones attempting to work in the control room."

She glanced over to see the Phantom Ranger watching them wordlessly, his expression inscrutable behind his visor. The grey of a paused transmission still hung ominously on the main screen, and she frowned to cover her embarrassment. "Go play hero with your wingmates," she muttered, turning away from Delphinius to glower at the console again.

His voice slammed into her mind the moment she looked away. *Not until you listen!*

Her eyes widened at the sudden intrusion. There had been a time when she welcomed his voice in her mind, but now she couldn't believe his audacity. She whirled on him, seething. "Do not speak to me in that fashion! That is no longer your prerogative!"

His expression froze, and they stared at each other without another word for a long moment. He wasn't going to leave. She wasn't sure why not, but finally she gave a curt nod toward the door.

He spoke as soon as the door closed behind them, isolating them in the relative privacy of the hallway. "I apologize for my action." His spoken voice was suddenly strange to her ears. "I did not realize we had grown so far apart that my thoughts were abhorrent to you."

She stared at him, trying to read anything into his impassively formal apology. "Are you surprised? You called me inept in front of the entire control room!"

"You have done no less to me!"

"You cannot deny that I was provoked," she snapped.

His neutral expression gone, he looked nothing short of incredulous. "I could say the same! I didn't start this!"

"You sought me out," she shot back. "Did you come here for the sole purpose of mocking me, or do you have a better reason for delaying the launch of the entire fighter wing?"

"I fail to comprehend how you can blame me for this argument!" he exclaimed. "I only came here to tell you to stop making everyone else miserable on my account!"

"There were no complaints until you arrived," she informed him. "Go back to your ridiculously dangerous pastime and leave me to do our job."

"I am *not* on duty this morning," he ground out. "Stop implying that I am shirking my responsibility!"

"As long as you stay alive, you are not," she agreed darkly.

He stared at her so long that she wondered what he could possibly be holding back, then turned on his heel without another word and strode for the door. Just before it would have opened, though, he paused and muttered, "I never thought you were inept."

He disappeared into the control room before she could reply. She was left to stare after him, fingers clenching tighter and tighter until she couldn't stand it anymore. With a low growl, she slammed her fist into the wall.

The stinging numbness in her hand was a welcome relief from the angry, swirling thoughts in her head. At least the pain was something she could definitively feel, something that needed no more explanation than what she already had. She shook her hand out and stalked out of the hallway in his wake.

"Lesris Tari will command the Inner League fighters," Linnse announced reluctantly. "If that is his wish," she added, glancing at Saryn.

Saryn closed his eyes, knowing they couldn't see the gesture. He should feel relief, he knew, but it was all he could do to keep his mind off of the fighter wing in orbit far above the citydomes. "If that is his wish," he agreed.

"I will speak with him before tomorrow," Tobin said. The time for arguing was over, and he knew it. They had decided, and now it was up to him to carry out the plan.

A console on the far side of the control room chimed quietly, and he tried to ignore it. Cassie would kill him if she found out he was tracking her whereabouts. Aura had disappeared at least an hour prior, but Cetaci did not look up at the noise.

"I leave it to you, then," he told them, his voice as even as he could make it. "Thank you Linnse, Tobin."

They each nodded to him, even as he reached out to break the comm link. He knew it was an abrupt end to their conversation, but he had no doubt that he would be speaking to them again very soon, and they all needed time to calm down.

Besides which, he needed to know where Cassie was.

The readout tracing the Pink Astro Ranger would not have escaped Zordon's notice--if he had been in the control room. Fortunately, he had left for one of the research domes several hours ago, and showed no sign of returning before the end of the day.

The fighter wing had returned to the launch bay. He had to stop himself from breathing a sigh of relief. He had had the worst premonition as soon as Billy mentioned the wing, as though something awful and irreversible would happen to her as soon as she was out of his sight.

He had known it was ridiculous--aside from the Rangers, there was probably no other group of people who would keep her safer than those that made up Aquitar's fighting wing--and he had not voiced his concern. But he had been unable to shake the feeling, and it had stayed with him all morning.

The sense of dread finally abated at the knowledge that the starfighters had returned to the planet's surface, and he busied himself at the comm console. Today's complaints from the Inner League fighters were as trivial and numerous as always, and as usual, he was behind in responding to them.

He remained aware of the time, however, and he could feel concern creeping back into his mind the longer the control room stayed empty of all but himself and Cetaci. He had expected to see Cassie, full of enthusiasm as always after a flight, burst into the control room shortly after her return.

As the minutes ticked by, he couldn't help wondering if anyone would have thought to tell him if something had gone wrong. Billy would probably not have introduced her in any way that related to him--but Billy would have contacted him. Wouldn't he?

Glancing over his shoulder, he noted Cetaci scanning the patrol readouts from the outer solar system. Bypassing the voice command, he entered a request for Cassie's location directly into the computer system--and was relieved, if a little surprised, to find her in their room.

He hesitated, but as had happened so often in the past few days, he failed to convince himself that the Inner Alliance was more important than she was. Saving the messages he'd been going through, he turned away from the comm console and headed out into the hallway where the Rangers' quarters were located.

He knocked softly on his own door before entering. Cassie was seated on the floor inside, stretching. She had her headphones on, but she looked up as the door opened, and he let his armor fade away. She smiled, pulling her headphones off and murmuring, "Hey."

She was all right… He couldn't help staring, feeling a smile curve his lips as he looked at her. What had he ever done to deserve someone like her? And *why* had she waited for him?

"Are you all right?" Cassie asked, pushing her walkman aside and moving to stand up. She winced, though, and he motioned to her to stay where she was.

"I am well--what's wrong?" he wanted to know, sitting down beside her.

She grimaced. "I am *so* sore. After that battle simulation yesterday, I probably shouldn't have spent all morning sitting in a cockpit…" She rubbed her legs for emphasis, and he couldn't resist.

Gently pushing her hands away, he started to massage her calf muscles. She closed her eyes, sighing, and he asked, "Did you enjoy flying with the wing?"

She nodded, not opening her eyes. "Yeah. It was cool--not as hard as I expected."

"The training drills are only meant to keep pilots acquainted with their craft's abilities," he felt compelled to tell her. "The battle simulations are much harder, as are the scrimmages."

"Oh, thanks," she said wryly. "Your faith in me is amazing."

"That is not what I meant," he assured her, easing her sandals off and rubbing her feet. She inhaled sharply, opening her eyes to smile at him. He spoke quickly to distract himself from the warmth of her skin and the look on her face. "I only thought you might want to know… I could not keep myself from worrying about you this morning."

He had not meant to say that. He knew his fear for her was unjustified, even as he knew his jealousy of every man she spent time with was ridiculous. But she was everything to him. Without her, he would have no reason to go on.

"Why?" she asked, leaning forward to touch his face. "I wanted to ask you earlier--you didn't want me to go with the wing. Why?"

He shook his head, looking down. "I… It just did not feel right. I do not know why."

"How?" Cassie insisted. "Like you just didn't like it, or like there was really something wrong?"

He tried not to sigh in frustration. Pressing his fingers against her feet, he shook his head again. "I do not know."

She reached out and covered his hands with hers. "Saryn, that feels really good, but you have to stop if we're going to talk," she said with a small smile. "I can't concentrate."

He looked up, catching his breath at how close her face was and sorry he had said anything. *I will *not* kiss her,* he thought firmly. Her bare feet brushed against his hands as she pulled them closer, sitting cross-legged in front of him.

"It's just… you have good instincts," she said softly, glancing down. "But you're a little overprotective--I was wondering which this was."

"If I am overprotective," he murmured, stroking her hair away from her face, "it is only because I could never live without you."

"Is it just that?" she asked, studying him. "Because if you really don't want me to fly with them…"

"Just that?" he repeated gently, a chuckle escaping. He knew there was no way he could tell her not to fly with the fighter wing. He had no right to ask her to give up something she had obviously enjoyed, just because it worried him. "Just the fact that your life is more important to me than my own?"

Her expression had softened. "I love to hear you laugh," she whispered, reaching up to capture the hand that was still playing with her hair.

He couldn't stand it anymore. Her tender look stole the last of his resolve, and he leaned forward to kiss her. She closed her eyes, tilting her head toward him, and his heart was racing as their lips touched. It was all he could do to let the kiss end naturally, instead of pulling her close and kissing her until neither of them had any breath left.

She didn't seem to think that would be such a bad idea, though, and he was only too willing to let her draw him into a warm embrace. How could he have gone all morning without her touch, he wondered, even as her kiss erased the question from his mind.

So the League was finally rallying. The League worlds were coming together to form a fighting alliance without precedent in an organization where every planet took care of itself. Rangers, yes, planetary fighter wings, yes, but an intergalactic alliance of fighters? It had never been done.

*And it will never last,* the girl thought, gazing out her window at the blue-green world below. The League was based on compromise, where the forces of evil answered to absolute authority. Negotiation could never build an empire to rival Dark Spectre's.

Besides which, worlds like Earth would always be vulnerable. The League's policy of non-interference with technologically disadvantaged worlds left hundreds of planets with inferior protection. The fact that Earth itself refused to fall was an anomaly, a result of its irregular contact with stronger worlds--and Zordon's own intervention.

She grimaced at the thought of Zordon. That meddling Eltaran had turned an easy target into a source of constant irritation for the side of evil. Once off Earth, he had been surprisingly easy to capture, but the team he had broken all League rules to create had come for him, and the interdimensional being was once again free.

She lifted her gaze away from the unconquerable planet, staring out of this galaxy and into the next. Rumor had it that Zordon was now on Aquitar. Aquitar--another weak world, despite its technology. The water planet avoided fighting with as much determination as evil avoided love, and it had managed to duck out of more disputes than she cared to count.

That, too, would not last. Where Zordon went, evil would follow, until that ancient power became Dark Spectre's prisoner once more. Aquitar, so deep inside League territory, had been allowed to escape the full force of evil's wrath for many hundreds of years. The planet did not remember what war truly was, and there was no way they would survive a direct attack.

At least, they would not now. Given enough time, Zordon might be able to strengthen that planet's defenses the same way he had Earth's. Evil had to strike before he had the chance--and yet Dark Spectre ordered her to remain in Earth orbit, tormenting the Earth Rangers but making no appreciable dent in their forces.

She clenched her fingers around her staff. The Monarch of evil was punishing her for Zordon's escape. And it was costing his armies a valuable opening. The chance to attack Aquitar before it was prepared to defend itself was one they could not afford to let pass.

With Eltare under Dark Spectre's control, it was only a matter of time before the League found a new planet from which to focus their counterattack--and if Zordon was where rumor said he was, that planet could very well be the Aquitian homeworld. It needed to be subdued before it could mount any substantial resistance.

A flicker of violet played around her fingers as she turned. If she was the only one who could see that, then so be it. Dark Spectre was not the omniscient, all-powerful being Ecliptor made him out to be. He had failings, just like everyone else, and this blind spot with regard to Aquitar was one of them. She would see that his mistake was remedied.

And if she happened to make a name for herself in the process, so much the better. Dark Spectre had threatened her one too many times. Fear was fine for keeping the lower forms of life in line--if quantrons could even be considered alive, which she doubted--but it was unacceptable for one such as her. Though she had shared it with no one, not even Ecliptor, she was determined to prove herself, at the very least, Dark Spectre's equal.

*I refuse to hear "I will crush the Dark Fortress while you sleep" one more time,* she vowed. One way or another, she would free herself from his tyranny.

She stalked away from the observation window, knowing Ecliptor would be in the engine room. The Dark Fortress would leave Earth orbit, bound for Aquitar, very soon--but there was something she *would* finish first.

Her locket. If those Aquitians had turned it over to the Earth Rangers, she would get it back before she left this planet.

"Ecliptor!" She strode into the engine room, her eye falling on the dark shadow of her bodyguard.

He looked up the instant she called. "Yes, my princess?"

The girl tossed her azure locks over her shoulder with a twist of her head. "We need to find a monster."

2. My Name Is

"Astronema's been pretty quiet the last few days," Zhane was telling him. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Andros himself was very close to fidgeting. Truth to tell, he wouldn't mind if Astronema *did* choose tonight to attack. Ashley had invited him to some party with her high school class, and somehow he didn't think he was going to fit in very well. Not to mention the fact that he still wasn't used to crowds…

His best friend put a hand on his shoulder. "Andros--" Suddenly, something behind Andros caught Zhane's attention, and the Silver Ranger whistled.

"Shut up, Zhane," Ashley's voice said cheerfully. "Ready to go, Andros?"

He turned, and the words caught in his throat. She had changed her clothes since he saw her earlier--now Ashley wore short jean shorts and a yellow top that crossed her chest twice but did nothing to hide her tanned midriff. With her hair braided into two pigtails, she looked more casual than her normal style of dress appeared, but no less breathtaking.

"Should I have changed?" he asked hesitantly, but she shook her head.

"No, you look great," she assured him, coming onto the Bridge. With a warm smile, she added, "As always. Besides, guys just have to look presentable. It's the girls who try to outdo each other--but you're not supposed to look like you're trying."

Holding her arms out to her sides, she twirled around. "Did I succeed?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhane nod appreciatively, but Ashley was waiting for his reaction. "You look beautiful," Andros managed. "As always," he added quickly, and he tried not to swallow as she took his arm.

He hadn't seen her wear something this revealing since they'd last gone swimming, and he'd had a hard enough time keeping his eyes off of her when he had the others to distract him. He had no idea how he was going to do it tonight, when she was his date and there would only be two other people he knew there.

"Thank you," she said happily, tugging him toward the Bridge doors. "Have a good night, Zhane!"

"You too," he answered, with a knowing grin for Andros. "Enjoy yourselves."

The warm night breeze whispered across her bare skin, and the stars twinkled down from an almost cloudless cobalt sky. With Andros' arm linked through hers and the way he had looked at her on the Bridge, they couldn't walk slowly enough for Ashley.

She was almost sorry when they found themselves outside the Surf Spot, its doors open, spilling music and light out onto the pavement. Her senior class--it was still odd to think of herself as a senior--had planned an end of the summer get-together practically since school had let out. Over the months of vacation, the gathering had somehow turned into a dance party that they had conned Adelle into letting them use the Surf Spot for, and normally she would be looking forward to such a thing.

But she knew it wasn't really Andros' style, and her suspicions were confirmed when he paused on the sidewalk outside. "Ash…"

"Yeah?" she answered immediately, searching his expression. If he didn't want to go, they could just as easily--

"I just wanted to tell you how nice you look," he said, interrupting her thought and making her blink in surprise. "You're not--" He smiled a little to show he was teasing. "You're not trying to impress anyone, are you?"

She smiled in return. "Just you," she said lightly, giving him a quick kiss.

"It's working," he replied softly. Then he glanced over his shoulder at the doors to the Surf Spot, and she could feel him take a deep breath. "So, are we going in?"

A little concerned, Ashley told him, "You know, we don't have to go if you don't want to. I know crowds aren't your thing…"

Andros hesitated. "I'll let you know," he said at last, and she nodded. That was probably as close to an admission as he would give, and she promised herself that she would keep an eye on him. The moment he looked like he would rather be somewhere else, they'd leave, no matter what he said.

"All right," she agreed, squeezing his arm. He smiled at her, and they strolled into Adelle's establishment together.

"We're not taking your car."

Carlos looked at her in surprise. "Why not?"

He could have sworn Karen smirked at him. "Because my car has a better stereo system. And besides, I'm driving, and if I crash, I don't want to do it in your car."

"Are you planning to crash?" Carlos demanded, and she swatted him.

"Of course not. But we're still taking my car."

He felt his lips quirk, and he tried not to smile, wondering if there was some way she could get her way without it looking like he was backing down. "Only if I get to choose the music."

She hesitated. "You don't like rap, do you?"

He gave her a smug look of his own. "That would be telling."

"Darn right it would," she shot back. "And I'm not listening to rap all the way to the Surf Spot."

"The whole five minutes?" he teased, and he thought she was hard-pressed to keep a straight face. Karen folded her arms, and he relented. "No, I don't."

She breathed a mock-sigh of relief. "I'm so glad to hear that." Opening the passenger side door for him, she grinned and added, "It's a deal."

TJ stood outside the imposing brick building that was an AGU dorm, trying to figure out how to work the call box. He had tried simply punching in Tessa's number, but nothing had happened. Finally, he decided to go for the obvious, hitting the button labeled "call".

To his surprise, he got a dial tone, and this time when he punched in her number, there was a ringing sound. "Hello?" a slightly distorted voice asked, and he smiled.

"Hey, Tessa, it's TJ," he said, speaking carefully into the microphone.

"Oh, hi TJ," she answered. "I'll be right down."

"Okay…" He heard the phone click, and less than a minute later, the main door opened and Tessa gestured him inside.

"I'm not quite ready," she said apologetically. "Do you mind waiting for a few minutes?"

"Not at all," he assured her.

She led him up one flight of stairs and down the second floor hallway, pausing outside a door he'd gotten to know very well when he helped her move in two days ago. "Oh, I forgot to tell you--you don't have to speak right into the call box. It picks up your voice fine when you're just standing next to it."

"You could tell, huh?" TJ asked sheepishly. "Was it really loud?"

She smiled. "A little--but don't worry. I did it to my roommate last night; that's how I know."

She opened her door before he could apologize, and a girl he'd never seen before looked up from the far side of the room. "TJ, this is my roommate, Marie," Tessa said, gesturing between the two of them. "Marie, this is TJ."

"Nice to meet you," TJ said, just as Marie echoed him. He grinned, and Marie smiled a little. Standing up, she paced across the room and held out her hand. He took it, feeling a little awkward and suddenly much younger than the two of them.

"Tessa's told me a lot about you," Marie said, releasing his hand, and TJ shot a look in Tessa's direction.

"Mostly good things, I hope," he said, and Marie laughed.

"All good things. You two have a good time tonight," she said, and Tessa smiled in her direction.

"Thanks," she told her roommate, snapping a hair elastic around her wrist as she grabbed for her hairbrush. "You too."

Marie nodded and sat back down at her desk, turning her attention back to her computer. Tessa tugged the brush through her hair impatiently, pulling it into a high ponytail and wrapping the blue elastic around her blond hair. She tossed the brush into a bureau drawer and slipped something into her pocket before turning to TJ. "I'm all set," she told him with a smile.

He pulled the door open for her, bowing slightly, and her smile widened. "Thanks," she said, and he followed her out into the hall.

"Wow," he said quietly, as the door closed. "That room's a lot smaller for two people than it was for one."

She shook her head. "Tell me about it… But Marie and I get along all right. And the upperclassmen didn't arrive till today, so we had time to get used to each other before everyone else got here."

TJ held the stairwell door for her, too, and she thanked him again. "I thought there were a lot more people around than there were a few days ago. Man, it's weird to be the youngest one around again."

"*You* think it's weird," she said with a laugh, pushing the main door open before he could and waiting for him to step through. "*I* have to live here!"

"Thanks," he said, as the door closed behind him. "Yeah, but you're a college girl now. You're one of them," he teased, poking her playfully. "Practically an old-timer."

"I'm still younger than everyone, though," she protested, tugging the door of his uncle's truck open before he could do it for her. "Not that I'm going to tell them. I haven't even told my roommate I graduated early, and I don't plan to. On top of being a freshman, the last thing I need is to be a *young* freshman."

TJ paused, one hand on her door. "You graduated early?"

"Shh," she whispered dramatically, giggling. She sobered when she realized he was serious. "Yeah. Didn't Karen tell you?"

He shook his head. *No wonder she's in college…* She *was* his age--and the same person he had met weeks ago in another dimension.

"That's why you said you hadn't been to any of *your* class's senior activities," he realized suddenly. That had been what she told him when he said she probably wouldn't want to come to a high school party.

"Yeah," she said, smiling at him. "I thought Karen would have told you--you really didn't know?"

"Oh, well, you know who often things like that come up in conversation," he said wryly. "So when's your birthday?"

"I'll be eighteen next month," she said, and he gave her a look.

"Come on, you have to tell me what day…"

She sighed, but she was still smiling. "October 21^st."

"Great," he said, closing her door and grinning at her through the open window. "I'll remember that."

"Karen, this is Ashley," Carlos shouted, trying to make himself heard over the music.

She nodded, smiling as she reached out to shake Ashley's hand. "I've seen you around school. Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, too!" Ashley shouted back, and Karen withdrew her hand to cover both ears.

Glaring around the room, she said loudly, "If I don't go deaf from this noise, it will be a miracle."

Andros looked at Ashley, and saw her glancing at him. *I know, I know,* he heard in his mind. *"You told me so." I admitted it was loud, didn't I?*

"And this is Andros," Carlos continued. "Andros, Karen."

He shook her hand, repeating as Ashley had, "Nice to meet you."

Karen disappeared moments later, saying something about getting drinks, and Andros knew he was in trouble when Ashley turned to Carlos. "Carlos," she demanded of her friend, "you have to convince Andros to dance."

"What?" The Black Ranger stared at her. "I'm not going to dance. Why should he?"

Andros couldn't help but feel grateful. He was not as uninhibited as the teens on Adelle's impromptu dance floor, and Ashley knew it--but for some reason, she kept trying to drag him out there.

Ashley gave her friend an evil look. "Oh, yes you're going to dance. If Andros can dance, so can you."

"Andros isn't dancing," Carlos pointed out.

They might have won, if Karen hadn't picked that moment to return. Ashley caught her even as she set two paper cups down on the table. "Karen, do you plan to let Carlos sit there all evening?"

Karen looked up. "What?" she asked, and Andros couldn't tell if she really hadn't heard or if she just didn't understand.

"Are you going to make Carlos dance?" Ashley asked, louder.

Karen gave Carlos a surprised look. "You don't want to dance?"

"Well…" He struggled for a moment, giving Ashley a glare when Karen looked away.

The music was fading, and for the one brief moment when they *could* talk and be understood without shouting, no one said a word. As the strains of a softer song filled the transformed Surf Spot, Andros saw a determined look cross Ashley's face.

"Come on, Andros," she insisted, taking his hand. "Anyone can dance to a slow song."

He gave her a skeptical look. *I'm serious,* she thought at him. *You don't have to do anything--look at them.*

Andros glanced in the direction of the crush of teens on the Surf Spot's lower level. None of the pairs were doing anything more than holding onto each other and swaying back and forth. *Well…*

"Good," she said firmly, and he let her pull him to his feet. "Let's go." *If you don't like it, all you have to do is say so. But will you try it, before you decide?*

The more he watched the couples on the dance floor, the more he wondered why he was protesting. *I'm turning down a chance to hold Ashley?* he wondered to himself. *What is *wrong* with me?*

Trying not to shake his head, he smiled a little at her. *Sure. I'll try it.*

As she led him onto the dance floor, he glanced over his shoulder once. Karen was pulling a reluctant-looking Carlos to his feet, and this time Andros did shake his head. *Why do girls always win? And why don't we care?*

As Ashley turned to him, a smile on her face as she draped her arms around him, he knew the answer to both questions. "How you've changed my world you'll never know," the singer crooned, and Ashley sidled closer as he rested his hands against her back. "I'm different now; you've helped me grow…"

He made a token effort at following the shuffle of her feet, but before long he was hopelessly lost in her eyes. "I look at you, looking at me," the song continued, but he barely heard it. He pulled Ashley a little closer, and she leaned willingly against him, her head on his shoulder. "Now I know why they say the best things are free…"

Andros closed his eyes for a moment, amazed all over again by the strange twist of fate that had brought the two of them together. By all the logic of the universe, they should never have met--but here they were, somehow, in each other's arms, and he couldn't imagine how he had lived without her for so long.

"When I first saw you, I already knew, there was something inside of you--" He found himself paying no attention to the crowd around them, for once completely unselfconscious as he held her tightly and swayed with her to the gentle sound of the music. Somehow, she was all he needed. "Something I thought I'd never find, angel of mine…"

He heard the song growing quieter, but Ashley didn't move until the harsh tempo of another song started to wash over them and the couples around them started to pull apart. He didn't let her go, and she tilted her head to smile at him. *This isn't a slow song, Andros.*

His lips quirked as he stared back at her, and he was almost surprised to realize, *I don't care.*

She giggled, obviously overhearing the thought, and made no attempt to pull away. He thought they might have stayed that way, had a boy dressed in a strange combination of black and purple not gotten a little too close to Ashley. Andros frowned at him, and Ashley twisted around to see what he was looking at.

"Hey, Ashley," the boy said, putting a hand on her shoulder and leaning toward her. Andros pulled away from the intrusive presence instinctively, and Ashley followed his example. "Come on and dance with me."

"No thanks," she told him, smiling politely. "I'm with Andros."

The boy appeared only then to notice Andros' presence. His look was the closest thing to a sneer that Andros had seen on anyone from Earth yet. "Nice hair," he remarked, in a tone Andros assumed was not complimentary.

"Nice shoes," Andros replied, and the boy looked down automatically. The instant he released his grip on Ashley's shoulder, Andros pulled her away, for once grateful there was a crowd to lose themselves in.

They wound their way toward the other side of the Surf Spot's lower level, on the fringes of the "dance floor". *Sorry,* Ashley thought at him with a sigh. *That was Chad, but he's not someone you really want to be introduced to.*

*I could see that,* Andros thought, trying not to let his irritation show. *Are you all right?*

She nodded. *I'm fine. But I'm glad you were there.* She paused. *What was wrong with his shoes?*

Andros gave her an odd look. *What's wrong with my hair?*

She giggled, leaning against him again. *Absolutely nothing. I think it's beautiful.* He put his arms around her, hugging her, and she added, *but you know he's going to be wondering about his shoes for the rest of the night…*

Andros smiled, a little smugly. He was learning something about Earth culture after all. *That was the idea.*

It was late, and Zhane had almost decided to go to bed when DECA's calm warning drew his attention. "Astronema's teleportation signature has been detected on Earth."

Zhane's eyes widened. DECA couldn't detect something as subtle as a teleportation signature unless she was already scanning the area in which it occurred. And in this case, she had either gotten *really* lucky--or the teleportation had occurred near one of the Rangers, whom she would be keeping tabs on as a matter of course.

Calling up the results of her scan, Zhane found his suspicion confirmed. Astronema had teleported in the vicinity of the Surf Spot. But whether she had been coming or going was as open to question as it had been the last time this had happened, and he knew he would have to investigate.

He went instinctively to contact Andros, but he remembered just in time. Reaching for his digimorpher instead, he stopped himself there, too. *She can't have any quantrons with her,* he reasoned, knowing DECA's alarm would have sounded if such a concentration of evil energy had occurred. *Shouldn't be anything I can't handle unmorphed.*

The thought would have earned him an Andros look, had his friend overheard it. Andros liked to complain that the Silver Ranger was too cocky--while conveniently forgetting his own tendency to tackle even the most dangerous threats alone.

He touched a few controls on DECA's console, teleporting in streak of silver to the planet below. It was late enough that the streets were almost deserted, and no one noticed him emerging from the Rangers' alley behind the Surf Spot. He looked around the area quickly, but could see no sign of anything dangerous.

Pacing toward the front of the popular hangout, Zhane couldn't help peering inside. He knew Andros would have called him if there was trouble within the building, but as the intensity of the music hit him, he couldn't help but wonder if anyone in there would *notice* if something were wrong.

Something made him glance across the street, but the sidewalk was deserted, aside from a solitary figure making its way from streetlight to streetlight. He walked in that general direction, scanning the parking lot by eye and beginning to think that Astronema must have been teleporting out rather than in.

*But what was she doing here?* he couldn't help wondering. *The last quantron attack--*

His thought cut off as he the figure across the street from him entered another pool of light. The artificial illumination glinted on blond hair, and there was something about the way she walked…

*It couldn't be.* "Astrea?" he called, and wasn't surprised when the figure halted, head turning sharply in his direction.

He waved to her, and she lifted her hand a little in return. It was weird how often he'd seen her in the last few days. They seemed to bump into each other with alarming frequency, considering how large a city Angel Grove was.

Jogging across the street, Zhane smiled as he caught up to her. "Hey," he said, a little out of breath. "You like walking alone after dark, don't you?"

She just shrugged. "Things are… calmer, at night."

"They are," he agreed. *In more ways than one,* he added silently, thinking of Astronema's propensity for attacking during the daytime. "I happen to like the night better myself."

Astrea gave him an odd look. "But you're--such a person of light."

Her tone changed on the last word, and he frowned at her a little. "What do you mean?"

"Well--" She gestured at him, but did not elaborate.

He looked down. Dressed in stonewashed jeans and a white t-shirt beneath his silver vest, he supposed he wasn't exactly a picture of darkness. "Even the darkest night has moonlight and stars," he told her, flashing his most charming smile. "You're not so dark yourself."

She looked down at herself, even as he had. "I do not usually--look like this," she said finally.

Zhane shrugged. "What does it matter what we look like?" Seeing her troubled expression, he added gently, "We're all light on the inside, you know."

"How do you know?" she asked suddenly, looking up at him with a searching look.

He couldn't imagine what was bothering her, but she seemed to want a serious answer. "It's just the way life is," he said finally. "Everything living has to have both good and bad in it to exist. Just like the night," he added with a smile. "There's no night without stars, remember?"

"No day without shadows," she murmured.

"No," Zhane admitted. "You can't have one without the other. You just have to have faith that the good will win when it really matters."

She continued to regard him. "Do you have--faith?" she asked at last.

Leaning against the lightpole, he nodded quietly. "Yeah, I do, Astrea. I have faith in the good in everyone."

Resting her hand on Carlos' shoulder, Ashley leaned in between him and TJ in order to be heard. "Do either of you know where Andros went?"

TJ gave her a puzzled look. "I thought he went to find you."

In other words, no. She smiled at them, straightening up again. *Andros?* she asked silently, then made a face. She didn't have to know where he was every second…

*I'm outside,* he answered immediately. "Over by the side door.*

She patted Carlos' shoulder absently and headed toward the Surf Spot's second exit. Like the main doors, it had been propped open in a vain attempt to let some of the lingering heat of an August night escape, and she found Andros leaning against the wall outside. He was just out of line of sight from the interior, staring off toward the trees while he played with the locket that hung around his neck.

She couldn't help smiling as she stepped out to stand next to him. *Hey,* she thought gently, the mental words easier than ever after hours of using them to talk beneath the volume of the music. *You said you'd tell me if all these people started to bother you.*

He shook his head. *I'll be fine,* he promised. *I just wanted to be alone for a few minutes.*

*Do you want me to--*

"No, not you," he said suddenly and out loud. "That's not what I meant."

She smiled again, leaning up against the wall beside him. He shot a sideways glance in her direction, then, apparently satisfied that she understood, turned his gaze back toward the trees. They stood there in silence for a while, letting the peace of the night seep into them.

It was funny, Ashley thought, but suddenly the party inside Adelle's building seemed much farther away than just a few steps. They could hear the music and see the lights, but the two of them were separate somehow. Alone--yet not, for as long as they had each other.

She glanced over at Andros, still fiddling with his necklace. Tugging gently on the gold circle, he was sliding it up and down its chain--she wasn't sure he even realized he was doing it.

Reaching into her pocket, Ashley closed her fingers around the mirror image of his locket and pulled it out. He looked down in surprise as she held it out. "I never gave this back to you," she said quietly.

"You--have it with you?" he asked, meeting her gaze.

She nodded. "You never take yours off, and it didn't seem right to leave your sister's lying around somewhere. I've had it with me ever since you got it back from the Aquitians."

He regarded her for a moment, a look of wonder on his face. " I haven't worried about it since I gave it to you, Ash. It means a lot to me that you took care of it like that."

She smiled. "It's important to you, and that's enough for me."

He reached out to take it from her, but his hand stopped midgesture as he looked over his shoulder. "What's Zhane doing down here?" he asked, puzzlement in his voice, and she followed his gaze.

A white-clad figure across the parking lot and on the other side of the street raised its hand in their direction, and this time she felt the quick brush of another presence in her mind that must have tipped Andros off a moment ago.

*Yeah,* she heard Andros answer faintly. *But what are you doing here?*

"Astronema," Andros whispered a moment later, glancing around as though he would see their enemy leap out at them any second. "DECA says Astronema teleported somewhere around here a few minutes ago."

"What, is she stalking us?" Ashley muttered, unable to resist the temptation to do as he had done and survey the area.

He gave her a wry look, and she realized that that was as good a term as any. "Zhane came down to see if he could find out what was going on."

Zhane was crossing the parking lot, now, bringing someone with him. Ashley tilted her head to the side, amused as they got close enough for her to make out a pretty blond girl at his side. Leave it to Zhane to pick up a girl at any time of day or night, no matter what he was doing.

"Hi, guys," Zhane said cheerfully, obviously not concerned about the possibility of an encounter with Astronema. "This is--"

"Thief," the girl with him hissed suddenly, her gaze locking with Ashley's. "That is *not* yours."

Eyes wide, Ashley took an involuntary step backward, and found her back hard against the wall. Andros tensed at her side, glaring at this sudden threat. "Ashley's no thief," he said, no room for argument in his tone.

Without warning, the girl lunged forward, and Andros was suddenly there, blocking her path. She plowed into him, reaching for Ashley, and he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back.

Zhane jumped in to help, holding her other shoulder and staring from her to Ashley in complete shock. "Astrea, what are you--"

"That's *my* necklace," she spat, struggling against the both of them and still glaring at Ashley.

Ashley glanced automatically at the locket in her hand, hearing Andros say angrily, "That's my *sister's* locket. Ashley offered to keep it safe for me!"

"It's *mine*," the girl insisted, with a venomous glare for Ashley.

Ashley stared back at her, eyes narrowed as she tried to picture that face surrounded by blue hair instead of blond… "Astronema?"

"What?" Zhane exclaimed, staring at Ashley as though she'd gone completely insane. But Andros was staring at the girl, a look of utter surprise on his face.

*Zhane, look at her--really look at her.* Ashley felt the flicker that she assumed was Zhane, but the Silver Ranger did not look at the girl until she closed her eyes and shook her head, a look of distress warring with anger on her face.

*Ash, you're okay, right?* Andros asked, and she could see him watching the girl carefully, as though she might lash out at them at any moment. Which, Ashley supposed, if she really was Astronema, she might.

*STOP!* The girl stumbled a little, tossing her head violently. *Get out of my head!*

Ashley stared at her in shock, and from the look of absolute astonishment Andros and Zhane exchanged, they had heard the words as well. The girl took advantage of their distraction, jerking away from them and snatching the locket out of Ashley's grasp. Ashley cried out, and Andros leapt after the girl, but a purple outline flared briefly around her form and she vanished into a violet glow.

"Astronema," Zhane gasped, as though he had not even considered the possibility until now.

Andros was standing with his eyes closed, fingers pressed against his temples. "Andros, are you all right?" Ashley asked, concerned. She went to his side, gently touching his right hand, and his eyes fluttered open.

He was staring at the spot where the girl had vanished. "Kerone?" Andros whispered.

It couldn't be. Kerone? The sister he had spent so many years looking for, and his greatest rival--the same person? But he had *heard* her voice in his head, twice now. And he himself had told Ashley, "Kerone and Zhane were the only ones I could ever hear in my head, before you."

And there was no doubt Kerone's locket meant something to her. She had taken on both him and Zhane to get it back, not to mention risking Ashley's rather formidable fighting skills. But *Astronema*…

"Hey," Ashley said quietly. "It's going to be all right."

He nodded a little, pulling her into a hug. His mind was still racing, but it was nice to have someone to lean on for once. Her strength caught him up, reminding him of who he was in the face of his sudden uncertainty.

She squirmed a little, reaching her hand out to Zhane, and he loosened his grip on her to let her pull his friend closer. "Zhane, where did you meet her?" Ashley asked. There was no reproach in her voice, just genuine curiosity.

Zhane shrugged helplessly, still looking a little lost. "I've been seeing her all around town ever since we got here. I guess the first time was that night in the park…"

He trailed off, and Ashley turned her head to regard him again. "No," he said, as though he didn't want to believe. "That night in the park--when DECA picked up Astronema's teleportation signal. Just like tonight. I came down to warn you… and I found her."

"Astronema," Ashley supplied, but Zhane shook his head.

"*Astrea*," he said. "I know what Astronema looks like--that's not her."

Andros watched his friend trying to deny it. He didn't understand why Zhane would care so much. If Astronema's identity was in question, it was as Kerone, not this "Astrea"--obviously an assumed persona.

"What about Kerone?" Ashley asked quietly, voicing the thoughts Andros couldn't find the words for. "If you can't accept that she's Astronema… do you think she could be Kerone?"

She *was* Astronema. Her sudden and characteristic teleportation had erased any doubt from his mind. She must have some way to appear human--or was that her true form?

He was struck by the sudden thought. His sister was no longer eight years old. She would have grown up, even as he had. He wasn't looking for a little girl anymore; he was looking for someone nearly the same age as he was. *Has Kerone been right in front of me, all this time?*

"I--I don't know," Zhane said finally, reflecting Andros' own confusion. "Maybe."

"That would at least explain how she could talk in my head like that," Ashley said her gaze back to Andros. "Right?"

He started to agree, but stopped before he could say anything. "You heard her?" Andros demanded instead. When she nodded, he looked over at Zhane.

"Me too," the Silver Ranger agreed. "'Stop' and 'get out of my head'."

"That's what I heard," Ashley agreed. "She must have been hearing you talking to us, Andros."

"Wait--you can hear me, too?" Zhane asked, staring at her.

Ashley shook her head, hair brushing Andros' shoulder. "No, just Andros. And--her. But I can hear Andros even when he's talking to you; that's how I knew."

Zhane shot Andros a look. "You could have told me," he muttered.

Andros just shrugged a little, grateful for the distraction. "You didn't ask," he said. He watched with some small amount of amusement as his friend tried to remember all of their recent conversations, and what Ashley might have overheard.

"What about her?" Ashley asked suddenly. "If I can't hear Zhane, I *really* shouldn't be able to hear her."

"That was *loud*," Zhane said quickly, apparently willing to move on. "How could anyone *not* have heard it?*

"She has to be Kerovan," Andros murmured. "She has to be *Kerone*--as hard as it is to believe."

"She did want that necklace back," Ashley said quietly.

Zhane just shook his head. "This is really *weird*, you guys."

Ashley giggled as Zhane's vehement and somewhat irreverent comment lightened the tension a little. "So what do we do now?" she asked, looking at Andros. "If she's Kerone--she can't really be evil, can she?"

"No," Zhane interrupted firmly. "She's not. I've talked to her, not as Astronema, and she isn't evil. She's just--confused."

"I would be, too," Ashley offered quietly. "She's lived as much of her life with evil as she has with good. How does she know what's right?"

"She knows," Andros murmured. "She *has* to. She's just… forgotten, maybe."

"Then she'll remember," Ashley declared, tightening her arm around him for a second. He saw her squeeze Zhane's hand, too, and he smiled inadvertently, recognizing her determination to cheer them up. "When it counts, she'll be on the right side."

"I told her something like that earlier," Zhane admitted, with a small smile of his own.

"See?" Ashley seemed to take that as evidence in and of itself. "That's because it's true. Let's go back inside--we'll have plenty of time for brooding later.

"You too, Zhane," she added, as Andros reflected that he could not imagine Ashley brooding. "No one should be alone tonight."

"Hey, how come you always win?" Zhane demanded suspiciously, and Ashley couldn't help laughing. Next to her, Tessa was trying not to giggle, and Ashley felt Andros squeeze her shoulder in amusement.

Glancing up at him, she smiled, and he grinned back at her. TJ was trying to teach Zhane to arm-wrestle, of all things, and the Silver Ranger wasn't very good at it.

"Hey, Lindsay!" TJ yelled suddenly, gesturing toward someone Ashley didn't recognize. Somehow, even over the pounding music, she must have heard him, for the dark-haired girl looked up and started in his direction.

"Here, have a seat," TJ invited. "You can watch me beat Zhane again."

"Hey!" Zhane exclaimed. Intent on the girl now joining them, Ashley might not have noticed the flash in her mind if she hadn't been listening for Andros.

Feeling Andros shift, she looked back at him to see him stifling laughter. She tilted her head at him, and he told her, *He said, ''stupid Earth game.''*

Ashley giggled. Zhane must have heard her, because he glanced in her direction before glaring at Andros. "Come on," TJ said. "You have to get better at this, Zhane."

*He couldn't get any worse,* Andros remarked silently, and Ashley giggled again. Tessa gave her an amused look, and Ashley tried to calm down, knowing she must look a little bit odd to the others.

Zhane shot Andros another glare before turning back to TJ. As he offered his hand resignedly, Lindsay took it before TJ could. "It's no wonder he's beating you," she interjected, loudly enough for most of them to here. "Hold your arm like this."

She crouched down beside him to demonstrate, and Zhane looked at her in surprise. "I'm Lindsay, by the way," she said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry," TJ said, a little sheepishly. "Everyone, this is Lindsay. Lindsay, this is Zhane, Ashley, and Andros."

"Pleasure to meet you," she said, glancing over at them. "Hi, Tessa."

Tessa smiled and returned the greeting, but Lindsay had already turned back to Zhane. "So you should be bracing your elbow on the table better--there. Try that."

She let go of his hand, and TJ gave her a confident look. "Not going to help," he opined. But this time, Zhane managed to hold his own for several seconds later, and TJ was suddenly concentrating much harder.

Lindsay just smiled smugly as Zhane started to inch TJ's hand toward the table. "Hah!" the Silver Ranger exclaimed triumphantly, as TJ's fingers touched the tabletop.

"How did you *do* that?" TJ demanded, looking over at Lindsay.

She shrugged. "You have to know the game."

"I *do* know the game," he exclaimed indignantly. "Hey, Zhane--"

"Enough," Tessa said, grinning as she reached out to take TJ's hand. "Accept defeat, and let's go dance."

TJ gave her a dark look that was somewhat spoiled by their clasped hands as he stood up. "I never accept defeat. He's just postponing my eventual victory," he said, pointing at Zhane with his free hand.

Tessa laughed, dragging him toward the dance floor, and Zhane turned to Lindsay. "Hey, thanks," he said, his former cockiness restored. "So what's a pretty girl like you doing here by herself?"

Ashley rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming. But Lindsay looked calmly back at him and replied, "My girlfriend couldn't make it."

Ashley blinked, but Zhane only smiled and got to his feet. "Neither could mine," he said cheerfully. "Want to dance?"

Lindsay stared at him for a moment, and then an answering smile spread across her face. "You're on," she said, offering her arm. He took it, and they sauntered away.

Ashley smiled up at Andros. *I guess that just leaves us. Shall we join them?*

He looked skeptical, obviously no less reluctant to engage in the wild movements they were all referring to as "dancing". *This isn't a slow song.*

*I don't care,* she said, echoing his earlier words. *That's not stopping Carlos and Karen--why should it stop us?*

He smiled a little and let her lead him onto the dance floor.

3. Last Day

As soon as Ashley woke up, she knew something was wrong. The dance at the Surf Spot hadn't ended until midnight, and the place hadn't cleared out for another half an hour. She'd been up way too late to be waking up before DECA's alarm.

Her first thought was TJ. He must have turned off the computer's voice again--but then she remembered him saying that he was going to stay at his uncle's last night. Who did that leave?

*Carlos.* It had to be. He and Karen had stayed out for some time after the dance ended, and she had been asleep before he returned. He would have had plenty of time to turn the computer's voice off without any of them knowing. *Motive and opportunity,* she thought with a wry smile.

And if Carlos had been out later than her, that meant she was probably the first one awake. Andros had a bad habit of sleeping through DECA's alarm even when it did go off, and he had said himself that Zhane was a late sleeper.

Her smile turned into a grin at the thought of Andros, and she sat up. It was a little bit mean, but worth it. And he hadn't gotten mad the last time she'd gone into his room uninvited…

She climbed out of bed, residual sleepiness fleeing in the face of her anticipation. She gave her hair a quick brushing but didn't bother changing out of her night clothes. Poking her head out into the hallway, she crossed her fingers that she wasn't wrong and everyone else really was still asleep.

The hallway was deserted, and she went quickly over to Andros' door. The others' opinions of their sleeping arrangements would not be improved if someone other than Andros caught her. There was no answer when she knocked, but she hadn't really expected one. Glancing over her shoulder, she keyed the door open and ducked into his room.

Andros was sprawled across his bunk, eyes closed and one arm buried under his pillow. His blanket was crumpled at the end of his bed, and she wondered if he'd been having nightmares again. He had told her about his dreams of Kerone and the day she'd been kidnapped, and she suspected that the confrontation with "Astrea" the night before had only brought those memories to the fore.

He looked peaceful enough now, though, and she smiled involuntarily as she watched him sleep. She didn't know how he could be so relaxed while he slept, to the point where she never seemed to wake him up no matter how much noise she made, and yet so alert the rest of the time.

*Not that I mind,* she thought, her smile turning smug. She'd woken up with him enough--under perfectly innocent circumstances, despite what the rest of the team thought--to know that he didn't come awake quickly. There were always a few seconds where he wasn't really asleep *or* awake, and a few days ago she'd found out just how interesting those seconds could be.

He'd slept through DECA's alarm, and she'd come to wake him up. She would suspect that DECA's alarm didn't sound in his room at all, except that she'd heard it once. Shaking his shoulder gently, he had blinked up at her and sleepily asked for a kiss. Literally, "Can I have a kiss, Ashley?"

She'd looked at him in surprise, unable to keep herself from asking if he was awake yet. He'd looked around, puzzled, and she could see him waking up the rest of the way. She'd regretted her missed opportunity, and she'd kissed him before he could say anything else. But she'd wondered ever since what would have happened if she'd kissed him when he asked…

And she planned to find out. Even if it did mean ambushing him in his own room. In his own bed. She hesitated for just a moment, wondering if she was taking something she meant as a joke a little too far.

*But I won't really do anything,* she told herself. *I'm just going to wake him up…*

And he really did look irresistible. She could stand there for hours, just staring at him, but she thought he'd be a little startled if he woke up and found her watching him. *As opposed to this?* Ashley wondered, bending down to kiss him.

"Andros," she whispered, touching his lips gently with her own. He stirred a little in his sleep, but his eyes didn't open. She ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing it against his pillow and saying his name again, a little louder this time.

This time, his eyelids flickered, and she felt something spark in her mind. Just as he opened his eyes, she brushed her other hand across his face and kissed him again. "Morning, sleepyhead," she said playfully.

He did move, then, and she thought he was stretching until she felt his hand slide through her hair to rest against the back of her head. Pulling her down again, he kissed her in return, catching her hand with his and tugging until she tumbled onto the bed beside him.

Surprised, Ashley stared into his hazel eyes and saw him smile. "Morning," he murmured back, kissing her again before she could answer. He didn't pull away, his kiss gentle as always but insistent enough that she suddenly wondered who had ambushed whom.

*You were awake!* she accused, silently but not as coherently as she would have liked. He had propped himself up on one elbow, his hair falling across his shoulders and his kisses warm on her face. His hand slid down her neck to rest on her bare shoulder, and she shivered, closing her eyes.

"No," he whispered, amusement in his voice. "Not until you kissed me."

She couldn't answer, not wanting to ruin the moment and not sure she could trust her voice anyway. But she didn't want him to think she was upset, and she tried to think, past his soft and sometimes elusive touch, of some response.

*You never wake up that fast,* she thought at last, eyes opening as he kissed her mouth again. Sliding her arm around him, she could barely think past the thought that she wanted him closer.

He broke away long enough to murmur, "You never kiss me awake, either."

How could he be so calm? His voice, as quiet as it was, was perfectly steady, while she knew that anything she tried to say out loud would be questionable at best. She raised her free hand to pull his head down again, kissing him as lightly as she could.

He leaned closer until her skin tingled at the not-quite contact, and she couldn't stand it anymore. Pushing him onto his back, she rolled on top of him and kissed him hard, feeling his arms go around her and his hands run gently across her back. So tentative…

She let her body relax against his, burying her fingers in his hair. He was breathing faster than she'd thought, and she realized he wasn't as calm as his words made him sound. Pressing closer, she felt him returning her kiss eagerly.

*He makes it so easy,* she thought distantly, barely able to focus on the thought with his mouth on hers and their bodies pressed close together. She almost never meant things to get as serious as they did, but he always gave her just enough encouragement that she couldn't seem to help it.

His arms tightened around her, and she realized suddenly how easy it would be to just stay here, in his arms… in his bed.

*No,* she thought firmly, the word fading in her mind even as she kissed him again. His hand slid lower across her back, and she wondered what she would do if--

Andros turned his head, pulling away from her abruptly and sitting up. "Ash," he said, his voice low and a bit hoarse. "We have to talk."

She drew in a careful breath, trying not to let the tremor show. "Yeah," she agreed in a whisper.

Her mind was racing, almost as fast as the pounding of her heart. She couldn't help but remember earlier conversations, when they'd agreed not to sleep together--yet. How soon was yet? How long did those words apply before they had to decide again?

"I'm not--" He looked down, his back to her. "I love you, Ash. I really do, and…"

"I know," she said softly, sitting up herself but careful not to touch him. "I love you, too. But that doesn't mean we have to--I mean… I don't want to pressure you into anything."

He scrubbed at his face with one hand, sighing. Finally, he turned to look at her, his gaze meeting hers steadily. "Do you--do you want us to sleep together?"

She swallowed, knowing how hard it had been for him to ask something like that straight out. She opened her mouth to say no, but he had asked for a reason. He really wanted to know how she felt, and she couldn't just tell him what she thought he wanted to hear.

"I… don't know," she admitted quietly. "I mean, no--when I think about it." She paused, trying to sort her feelings into some kind of sense. Giving him a quick smile to reassure him, she murmured, "Just give me a second."

He nodded wordlessly.

"Okay," she said after a minute. "We've known each other for months. But we've only been going out for a couple of weeks. And we've been through some wild stuff together, but… that's still really soon. *Really* soon," she repeated fervently, and saw him nod again.

"So I guess I think that, no, we shouldn't sleep together." She couldn't help sighing. "It's just that--sometimes, when I'm with you, it's really hard to remember to think."

He smiled a little at that, and she thought he looked relieved. "Sometimes?" he echoed. "I can't think at *all* around you… and the scary thing is that I don't care."

She had to smile. "I know what you mean."

"Really," he insisted. "It's like… being in a fight, when you're totally on instinct because there's no time for anything else. Only there is time, but I'm acting on instinct anyway, because I don't remember how to do anything else…"

She let her breath out in amusement. "Yeah," she murmured. "All the things that seem so reasonable when we're not together don't seem to matter anymore when--" She hesitated, then shot a nervous glance at him and continued anyway. "Whenever you kiss me."

He looked at her for a moment, hazel eyes serious and unreadable. She waited patiently, wondering what he was thinking. Then he reached out, brushing her hair away from her face and letting his fingers linger on her skin longer than he had to.

"Maybe--we need some rules," he said after a minute.

She felt her lips quirk, but she nodded. "Like what?"

His own lips curved in answer. "Like, no kissing me when I'm just waking up. That was completely unfair."

Ashley gave him an indignant look. "All I did was kiss you. *You're* the one who pulled me into bed!"

He flushed, but he was still smiling. "That's what I mean--I wouldn't have done that if I'd been awake."

"Oh, really," she said, giving him what she hoped was an unreadable look of her own.

"Well, look," he said quickly. "Let's just say, no kissing when one of us is in bed. Okay?"

She couldn't help it. She tried to stifle a giggle and couldn't quite manage it. "No kissing when one of us is in bed," she repeated, the words interrupted by her giggles.

A sullen look warred briefly with his smile and lost. "Well…" He eyed her. "If we were living on Earth or something, you wouldn't have done that… would you?"

The thought of her parents only made her laugh harder. "No *way*," she managed to get out. "Even if you were somewhere where I *could* get into your room without anyone knowing--I don't think I would have dared."

He gave her a suddenly suspicious look. "You did knock first, didn't you?"

"Of course," she answered, miffed. "I wouldn't just walk in. But you know the way *you* sleep," she added with a grin. "I could have banged the door down before you noticed anything was going on."

"Yeah, but you didn't," he said wryly. "You snuck in and kissed me."

"You didn't seem to mind at the time," she retorted.

He looked down for a moment, and her smile faded. "Andros, I was just kidding--"

"No, you're right," he interrupted. "You're right," he repeated, meeting her gaze again. "I didn't mind," he said softly. "And the truth is, I wouldn't mind you doing it again. It's… it's where it starts going, after that, that--"

He sighed suddenly. "I wish I could explain better."

She shook her head, just stopping herself from reaching out to him. "You're doing fine," she promised.

He gave her a searching look. "I guess…" He stopped again, obviously frustrated, and she heard in her mind, *I guess I just can't let go that far. I mean, I can kiss you, and really like it, but something…*

He trailed off again, and she knew what he was thinking even before she heard he words. *I'm scared, Ash. I trust you, and I love you, but I just can't go any further than we are right now. Not yet.*

This time she did reach out, grasping his hand and wishing she could hug him. *I'm not asking you to. I'm not sure I could either. And there's *no* reason we *should*. Andros…*

She just stared at him for a moment. *The only thing I know for sure is that I love you,* she said finally. *And that means more than sleeping together. That means there's something between us that no one can take away, and it has nothing to do with sex.*

He smiled tentatively at her. *Do you really think that?*

She nodded vehemently. "Yeah, I really do. And I think that if we have to question it, we definitely shouldn't do it."

He smile became a little more sure of itself. "I think you're right. And--I'm really glad… that we can talk like this."

She smiled back at him, resisting the urge to throw her arms around him with an effort. "Andros?"

He tilted his head at her, and she continued, "Would it be breaking any rules if I hugged you?"

She thought he almost laughed. He did exhale suddenly, relief on his face as his smile widened. "The only rule is that you can't kiss me while I'm in bed, remember?"

That said, he leaned forward and hugged her himself. "I love you, Ash," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too," she murmured happily, resting her head against his. It was unbelievable to think that tomorrow she'd be going back to school. Suddenly, she heard herself ask, "Andros? Let's leave."

He pulled away to look at her oddly. "What?"

"Let's leave, right now," she said impulsively. "We could go down to Earth, and just have a day without any Rangering at all."

She knew he wouldn't agree, but she had to suggest it. It was the last day before she started school again, and she wanted nothing more than to spend it with Andros. But he had things to do, and she couldn't see him cutting himself off from the Megaship for a whole day.

"But… what would we do?" he asked, obviously at a loss when it came to planning an extended period of free time.

"Drive along the beach," Ashley said immediately. She had wanted to do that with Andros for the longest time. "We could get something to eat, and go swimming, and--"

She stopped, seeing his expression. "I know, you have too much to do," she said, trying to smile. "It was just a thought."

"Just us?" he asked slowly, and she nodded. The corner of his mouth quirked, and he said quietly, "I'd like that."

She just stared at him for a moment, waiting for the "but" that she was sure would follow. When it didn't, she breathed, "Really?"

He nodded. "Let's go."

"Oh, Andros!" She threw her arms around him happily, and she heard him chuckle.

"If it makes you this happy, it must be fun," he said, and she thought he was teasing.

*It's spending time with you that's fun,* she answered seriously, and he hugged her in return.

"Are we going to tell the others where we're going?" he asked after a moment, and she shook her head as she pulled away.

"They'll figure it out. Meet me in the Glider bay?"

He was waiting when she raced in, car keys in hand and a grin on her face. "Carlos almost caught me," she said, a giggle escaping as she dropped a note on the table in the middle of the room. "I heard his door open just I got into the lift."

Andros couldn't help smiling at her enthusiasm. "How do you know it was Carlos?"

"Do you really think Zhane's awake yet?" she countered, and he had to admit that his friend was probably still sleeping. "Come on!"

She reached out and flipped his morpher open, doing the same with hers. "My driveway?"

He nodded, wondering what he had agreed to. Ashley was full of energy this morning, while he felt like he was still trying to wake up. There was no way he could have gone back to sleep after she'd kissed him like that, but he wasn't sure he was ready to face a whole day of Earth, either.

But she was already disappearing into gold sparkles at his side, and he followed quickly. Soon he was blinking in the bright sunlight of midmorning, and he smiled involuntarily as he saw Ashley lifting her arms over her head and raising her eyes to the sky.

"It's a beautiful day," she said with a sigh, and he found himself agreeing--but not for the same reasons that she had said it.

Before he could stop himself, he had said, "You make it a beautiful day."

Ashley turned her bright smile on him, and he knew why he had come. Sometimes he felt like he was being swept along by a hurricane, but it was worth every minute when she smiled. He could spend his whole life chasing a hurricane like that, trying to catch and hold, for one fleeting moment, the life and vigor that was Ashley Hammond.

Carlos wandered into the Glider holding bay, still blinking sleep from his eyes. It was funny, but as he had left his room, he had thought he heard someone else moving around in the hallway.

The note on the table didn't catch his eyes until he returned from the Synthetron and sat down. Andros and I went down to Earth for the day, it read. We'll be back this evening--have a good day! Ashley's name was scrawled across the bottom, and Carlos smiled.

Andros had relaxed a lot in the last few weeks. They'd all noticed it--his relationship with Ashley was changing him. He laughed now, and smiled more, and he would offer his opinion on non-Ranger matters without being asked. And now, apparently… he was learning to take time off.

*Good for them,* Carlos thought, lifting his glass in a silent salute. *Enjoy your last day of summer, guys.*

"Are you sure it's supposed to look like this?" Andros asked doubtfully.

Ashley swatted him playfully. "It's a sand castle; it can look like whatever you want."

"That's what you said," he agreed, still looking skeptical. "But it doesn't look like anything at all."

"Hey!" Ashley mock-glared at him, and when she saw his lips twitch, she knew she'd been had. "You," she growled, pushing him harder and seeing him struggle to maintain his crouching position. "You have the best poker face of anyone I know!"

"Poker face?" he asked innocently, and she opened her mouth to explain--and then she saw the twinkle in his eye.

"Andros!"

"If you push me again, I'm taking you with me when I fall," he warned, a smile creeping onto his face.

That was too good an offer to turn down, and she deliberately reached out and gave his shoulder a shove. Before she even realized he was moving he had grabbed her hand and tugged hard enough to completely upset her balance and send her sprawling across his lap.

"If that was a punishment, I think you're going to have to come up with something more convincing," she said with a grin, twisting to look up at him.

He just smiled. "Who said it was a punishment? That was my reward for putting up with you."

"Putting up with me?" she repeated indignantly, trying not to think about how sweet he looked when he smiled like that. Lifting her hand to push her hair out of her face, he must have misinterpreted her gesture.

"Yes," he said firmly, grabbing her hand. "You've been pushing me around all morning!"

She closed her fingers around his hand involuntarily, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She struggled into a sitting position, still holding his hand but staring down at the sand. "Yeah…"

She hadn't meant to say anything, but the word was out before she could stop it. He shifted so he was facing her again, suddenly serious. "Ash? What's going on?"

She shrugged a little, tracing a pattern in the sand. "It's just--I keep going to touch you, or hug you or something, and then I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable…"

"So you hit me?" he asked wryly, and she glanced up. For once, he was joking when she was being serious--she couldn't help but notice the strangeness of their sudden role reversal.

"I'm sorry," he said, sobering when he saw her expression. "Ash--that's not what I meant, this morning."

"I know," she sighed, staring into his eyes. "I mean…" She knew he didn't mind their usual touching, but she didn't know where to draw the line between that and what had happened in his room. The difference hadn't been so much in the actions as in the mood…

"The last thing I want is for us to be uncomfortable around each other," he said quietly. "I just--" He stopped, then, in a rush, "It felt so good to hold you this morning; I don't think you know how close I came to not stopping."

She looked at him, startled. "But you said…"

"I *know*," he replied, obviously frustrated. "But that was what I was thinking… not what I was feeling."

"What were you feeling?" she asked softly, reaching out to touch his face.

"Ash…" There was a pleading look on his face that she hadn't seen in a long time, but he continued without prompting. "I was feeling like I wanted to keep kissing you. For as long as you'd let me."

She was almost holding her breath, looking at him. "Even if it meant…"

He nodded, no longer meeting her gaze. "That's why I said we should have rules… Just so things don't get out of control. I never meant for us to not touch at all."

"So all we need is another rule," she said gently. "Just *tell* me when something makes you feel that way. Like you did this morning--just stop, and say something."

He gave her a look she couldn't interpret. "If I promise to do that--will you stop hitting me?"

She just stared at him, until she realized he'd done it again. She was going to learn to see through that poker face if it took her another three months…

But for now, she could only giggle and put her arms around him. "Promise," she whispered, feeling him return the hug.

The sound of sandaled feet on the control room floor made him look up, and he smiled at the pink-clad figure that stepped lightly across the room. The room was deserted but for the two of them, and although he knew one of the Aquitian Rangers could happen by at any moment, he felt his armor vanish as she approached.

The delighted look on Cassie's face was enough to erase any doubts, and he caught her up in a hug as soon as she was close enough. "Good morning," he whispered, breathing in the soft smell of her hair.

"'Did you sleep well?'" she echoed, even as he asked the same. She giggled. "You always ask the same thing."

"I always want to know," he answered, stroking her long dark hair and smiling.

"Yes, I did," she said, squeezing her arms tighter around him. "And you?"

He nodded wordlessly, knowing she could feel his head move as they leaned against each other. It was so nice to be able to hold her like this--lately, he had been more and more frustrated by the armor that had hidden his identity for so long. The need to maintain it in any company but hers grated on him whenever she was near and he could not reach out to touch her warm skin.

And the knowledge that she would be leaving today made it even worse. He felt as though they could never really be close enough, except for these few brief moments they managed to steal alone. And tomorrow, even that would be gone, and he would once more be incomplete--no "Saryn" anymore, just "the Phantom Ranger".

"What's wrong?" she whispered, sensing his mood. He still had no idea why she was so much quicker to pick up on his feelings than he was with hers.

"I'm going to miss your being here," he answered quietly. "I wish you did not have to go back."

He winced, knowing she couldn't see it. He shouldn't have said that. The last thing he needed was to make her feel trapped here, or to sound like he didn't respect her life outside of the Rangers. But for him, there *was* no other life… and he would desperately miss her constant presence.

"I'm going to miss it, too." She sighed a little. Then, after a moment, she added, "Well, except for the food." There was a smile in her tone as she said, "I'll be glad to eat real food again."

He tried to smile, too, remembering her repeated complaints about the Aquitians' idea of nutrition. "Nothing will be the same without you."

*Why* did he have to keep bringing it up? She offered a perfectly acceptable distraction, and all he did was bring them back to the original topic. *Am I trying to torture myself?* he wondered. She would go; they both knew that. She had stayed far longer than she had originally planned, and now she had to return to her own life.

But he would *miss* her, as much as the air he breathed…

"I'll miss you too," she said softly. "But we've been apart before. It won't be that different."

"Please, do not say that," he begged, drawing back to regard her anxiously. "It *will* be different. This is not like those times, Cassie."

"I know," she whispered. "That's not what I meant. I just--"

He silenced her with one finger across her lips. "I love you, Cassie. Never doubt that, no matter how far apart we are."

She smiled at him, taking his hand and leaning forward to kiss him. "I know," she murmured, touching his lips with hers. "I love you, too, you know."

He kissed her in return, closing his eyes and feeling her words breathe across his skin. She was running her fingers through his hair--she still hadn't realized that he refused to cut it because he liked feeling her play with it--and she opened her mouth to his willingly.

He was distracted enough that he didn't hear the scuff of a footstep in the doorway, but a moment later, a tuneless whistle caught his attention, echoing from down the hallway. He pulled away from Cassie, the disappointment on her face cutting through his heart.

"I'm sorry," he whispered breathlessly, stroking her cheek and silently pleading with her to understand. How he wished it didn't have to be this way…

"I love you," she murmured, as he took a step back.

"And I you," he promised, wishing the words did not have to be enough. Reaching reluctantly for the crystal that hung around his neck, he kept his eyes on her until the flash of dark red obscured his vision.

The armor surrounded him once more, isolating him from the world again--from her. He saw her square her shoulders determinedly, and his hand twitched toward her before he caught himself, wanting to take away some of her tension. He barely tore his gaze away as Billy wandered in, still whistling.

The Blue Ranger glanced around the control room somewhat warily as he entered, a slight smile on his face as he caught sight of them. "Gr--good morning," he said, switching from the usual Aquitian greeting to a more Earthly phrase.

The Phantom Ranger gave him a quick nod, moving back to the console he had been working at when Cassie entered. He heard Cassie return the greeting, and he listened only to hear the sound of her voice.

Then Billy's words sank in. "The fighter wing launches in an hour or so," he offered. "Want to join us?"

Phantom felt himself stiffen. *No!* his mind cried, insisting that she not go. The dread hit him, even harder than yesterday, and it was all he could do not to turn around and intervene.

He took a carefully controlled breath. This was ridiculous--perhaps not quite as ridiculous as the jealously he had finally managed to stamp out whenever he saw her with Billy, but close. *The wing is safe,* he reminded himself firmly. *Aquitar has not been seriously attacked in years, and the wing would protect her even if it was.*

With that thought in the fore of his mind, he managed to turn around when she said, "Phantom? You're too busy to fly?" and he nodded calmly.

"I am sorry," he apologized, working to keep his voice steady. *Go with her!* his mind insisted. *Just say you'll fly with her!*

But he could not do that. He did not have the time, and she would only wait patiently while he promised that there was just one more thing to be done, until the opportunity was gone. But it took an incredible effort to keep from asking her to stay anyway.

She nodded, smiling to show she understood, and turned back to Billy. "Sure," she told him. "Thanks, Billy."

The words seemed to come from a distance, and he almost spoke. But he clenched his jaw and let her go, nodding to her as she looked over her shoulder and waved on her way out of the control room. "Please be safe," he whispered, as they disappeared into the hallway.

The next hour was worse, knowing that she was still safe in the command center and that he could call out to her and stop her from going at any time. Finally, even the Inner Alliance's infighting wasn't enough to distract him, and he turned the system scanners to full gain and started to monitor the input from the far reaches of the Aquitians' solar system while he worked.

He couldn't explain the nebulous feeling of fear that had filled him yesterday when she went out with the fighters, but today the feeling had only grown stronger. If nothing else, he would make sure the system was safe while she was out there without him.

Cetaci entered the control room a few minutes before the wing launched, and she only nodded mutely to him. He returned the gesture, knowing why she was here. As he was, she was concerned for the one she loved, and being here no doubt made her feel as though she was making a difference.

They busied themselves with other tasks, no communication necessary between them--until the recalibrated scanner web blipped. No alarm sounded, but Phantom caught the sudden fluctuation in the readings out of the corner of his eye.

Glancing across the room, he saw Cetaci look in his direction as well. They both headed for the scanner readouts, studying them for a brief second before the White Ranger pointed to the upper right hand corner. One of the scanner buoys had stopped transmitting.

He frowned. "Malfunction?" he asked, and she gave him a measured look.

"Those buoys do not simply 'malfunction'," she reproved. He knew that as well as she. He had been referring to the possibility of a random event causing the problem, as opposed to an intended one--a meteoroid hitting the scanner, rather than, say, a laser beam.

"Halt the fighter wing's launch," he said finally.

She touched the appropriate comm buttons, then shook her head. "They've already left." Cetaci hesitated, looking as indecisive as he'd ever seen her. Finally, she turned to him. "Do I recall them?"

It was a split-second decision, and he had only the smallest idea how it would haunt him later. "No," he said, turning back to the scanners. "Wait until we know--"

"Phantom!" The computerized alert sounded half a second before Cetaci slammed her palm down on the Ranger-activated alarm system.

He could only stare in horror at the readout as the energy readings that had made the web fluctuate that first time suddenly became clear. Raising his eyes to the viewscreen, tied into the orbital scanner platforms as soon as the alarm sounded, the visual only confirmed what the more precise instruments had already told him.

Astronema's Dark Fortress wavered into view above the water-covered planet, cloak falling away as its weapons powered up.

Miles down the coast from Angel Grove, Andros felt an eerie sense of déjà vu. That and a rather strong sense of disorientation, but the latter was to be expected on waking up. What he had not expected was to feel Ashley's gentle kiss as he struggled back toward consciousness.

He couldn't help himself, but as soon as he started to return her kiss, she pulled away. "What have I told you," he mumbled sleepily, blinking his eyes open, "about kissing me when I'm waking up?"

She was crouching beside him on the blanket, a slightly sheepish expression on her face. As he came more fully awake, he realized she had shed her t-shirt and was now wearing only her shorts and bikini top. He resisted the temptation to just close his eyes again--*how* was he supposed to form coherent sentences with her dressed like that?

The last thing he remembered was lying with her on the blanket, watching the clouds roll in from the ocean. Now the sky was completely overcast, and he had obviously been dozing for some time. *So how,* he wondered idly, pushing himself into a sitting position, *can she be wearing *less* now than she was when it was sunny?*

"Rule number one," Ashley was reciting, not seeming to notice his distraction. "No kissing while one of us is in bed." She paused briefly, then added, "You weren't," as though he might not have noticed.

"Yeah, I see that," he murmured, looking around him, down at the sand, anywhere but at Ashley.

"Sorry," she said contritely, settling down beside him again. "I didn't mean to wake you. You must have been tired."

"You didn't mean to wake me up?" he asked suddenly, glancing at her in surprise. That proved to be a mistake, as it was all he could to keep his eyes focused on hers. "Then why did you kiss me?"

She squirmed a little, and he couldn't help glancing down as her arm brushed his. "I'm sorry," she said in a small voice, a tentative smile on her face as she looked at him from under her eyelashes. "You just looked so sweet…"

He barely even heard her words, getting lost in that expression. He suspected, in the back of his mind, that she had given him that look on purpose, but the part of his mind that was completely overwhelmed by it didn't care. He found himself leaning forward, and she closed her eyes as he kissed her gently.

He almost put his arms around her before he remembered what she was wearing--or not wearing--and what it would mean if they were any closer than this. So he drew away, reluctantly, and reached a hand out to her as he stood up. "Walk with me?" he offered, not wanting the day to end.

She smiled up at him and grasped his hand unquestioningly. Andros pulled her to her feet, almost forgetting to step back as she stood. She linked her arm through his, making his hesitation seem intentional somehow, and they headed down toward the water.

This stretch of beach had cleared out as the clouds came in, and they found themselves finally free of the crowds that had thronged California's sandy coastline earlier that day. They were still people out here, riding the waves and lying on the still-warm beach, but their numbers were far fewer. A lone kite flew overhead, its fiery orange tails whipping through the air behind it.

Ashley was on the side closer to the water, and she steered their joint course until they were both splashing through a few centimeters of surf. Andros had to smile as the warm waves lapped across their feet, amused that she insisted on walking *through* the water rather than simply beside it.

"Stop," she said suddenly, and he paused.

She wiggled her feet in the wet sand, grabbing his shoulder when she almost lost her balance. He reached out to lend support, although he couldn't believe she really needed it. A cheerleader with martial arts skills on top of that needed him to help her stand?

But she grinned at him when he caught her arm, and he found himself smiling back. "What are you doing?" he wanted to know.

"Going to China," she said seriously, then giggled at his expression. "It's a joke--'cause China's on the other side of the world, and see," she pointed to their feet, already half-buried in the wet sand that shifted every time a wave crept past. "We're on our way."

He looked at her doubtfully. "We're going to the other side of your world by sinking through it?"

"No, of course--" She glared at him as she saw him trying not to laugh. "What's that," she demanded, "the third time you've gotten me today?"

"Fourth," he said, adding hastily, "not that I was counting."

"You'd better not be," she muttered, but he saw her smile as she looked down at the ground. She moved abruptly, pulling one foot and then the other out of the sand. "I like California better anyway."

"I like wherever you are," he said quietly, lifting his feet to follow her example.

She gave him a brilliant smile, and he reached out to catch a few strands of her hair and tuck them behind her ear. The incoming sea breeze immediately freed them again, but she caught his hand and drew it to her mouth for a kiss. "I don't want to be anywhere but with you," Ashley murmured.

Taking a step closer, he freed his hand and cupped it underneath her chin. Tilting her head a little, he leaned in to kiss her mouth. When she put her hands on his shoulders, it was only natural to slip his arms around her, and as their kiss deepened her bare skin was a more and more welcome sensation.

He did give silent thanks, though, that he was wearing *his* shirt, no matter what she said about swim trunks. With the heat of her body already threatening to make him mildly crazy, he didn't think he would be able to stand anything more without forgetting everything he had ever known or thought.

Andros' communicator started to beep, but he didn't hear it. A moment later, Ashley's went off as well, but the sound no more reached their ears than that of his had. Across the beach, the two morphers lay forgotten, buried in a corner of the blanket Ashley had brought with them.

4. Irreversible

"Incoming transmission from Aquitar," DECA announced, and Carlos looked up in surprise.

"Open a video link," he said automatically. It was early for Cassie to be calling--she usually didn't contact them till evening.

He blinked as Cestria's face appeared on the screen. "Cestria," he greeted her, puzzled. "How are--"

"Aquitar is under attack," she interrupted. "The Dark Fortress has entered orbit, and the Phantom Ranger wished you to know that Cassie has engaged the enemy with the rest of our fighter wing."

Carlos just stared at her, a thousand things flickering through his mind. Foremost among them was the thought that a teammate was in danger, and Earth was not. "We'll be there as soon as we can," he said, already working out the time it would take to reach the besieged planet.

She merely nodded, and the transmission cut off. It was an uncharacteristically abrupt gesture from an Aquitian, as much as her interruption of his greeting earlier. But she certainly had reason, and he put the thought out of his mind as he snapped his communicator open.

He punched in Andros' code, but there was no response. Impatient, Carlos signaled Ashley's morpher instead. *This is no time to be cute, guys,* he thought, annoyed when she didn't answer hers either.

But he knew they wouldn't pull a prank like that. The sound of their communicator was one that every Ranger learned to take seriously very quickly, and he could not imagine either of his friends ignoring it.

When TJ's voice answered his hail, he couldn't help sighing in relief. "At least someone's around," he muttered out of frustration.

"Carlos?" TJ inquired curiously. "What's going on?"

"You'd better get back here," Carlos told him, already trying to decide where Ashley and Andros could be. They had conveniently forgotten to inform anyone of their plans, so they could be just about anywhere.

A moment later, a shower of blue sparkles appeared on the Megaship's Bridge, and TJ lowered his hand from his morpher. "What's up?" he repeated, sounding worried this time.

"Astronema's attacking Aquitar," he said. "It sounds like Cassie's right in the middle of it."

Under his breath, TJ said something that sounded suspiciously like, "Leave it to Cassie…" He didn't question that they would go; he just went to the nav station and started the preflight. "Where are the others?"

"I wish I knew," Carlos answered, glancing at the viewscreen as though he could see all the way to Aquitar. "Andros and Ashley aren't answering their communicators, and I haven't tried Zhane yet."

"I'll get Zhane," TJ said, reaching for his communicator. "You go find the two lovebirds."

Carlos' lips quirked, and he punched DECA's linkup code into his morpher. "DECA, lock on to the Red and Yellow astromorphers and teleport me to their location."

"Astromorphers located," DECA replied, and his world turned to shimmering night.

The bright sunlight made him blink as he rematerialized in the middle of the beach, next to an abandoned blanket. Giving it a dismissive glance, he did a double take as he caught sight of a muted red wristband sticking out from underneath one corner.

Carlos reached down and pulled Andros' morpher from its hiding place, finding Ashley's beside it. *What the--* Neither of them would just abandon their morphers, unless…

His gaze tracked toward the shoreline. *Of course.* Andros' bright red shirt leapt out at him from the water's edge, where he and Ashley were sharing what looked like a rather passionate embrace.

Carlos sighed. *They had to pick today to relax…* Ashley would never forgive him for interrupting them, but some things were just more important.

He jogged across the beach toward them, thankful it was nearly deserted. He hadn't been thinking when he told DECA to teleport him blind, but he had been lucky. No one appeared to notice his sudden arrival--except for Ashley, who pulled away from Andros as he approached.

She looked about to say something, but his concern must have shown on his face for she let him speak first. "Astronema's attacking Aquitar," he told them, breathing harder than usual. "Cassie's fighting with the others."

It was a condensed version, but they both seemed to understand. "Let's go," Andros said immediately, taking Ashley's hand and pulling her across the sand with him. They took off, with Carlos following, and skidded to a halt by the blanket.

Andros snatched their morphers up, passing Ashley hers, and she threw the blanket over her shoulder before flipping the catch open. Carlos glanced over his shoulder, and when he caught their gazes again, the three of them exchanged nods and teleported out simultaneously.

"Aq-one, incoming velocifighters!"

"I see them," a tinny voice answered, as the intership chatter over the fighters' comm links underlaid the normal hum of the control room.

Cetaci had opened a comm channel between the fighters and the command center as soon as the Dark Fortress appeared, warning the wing of its presence. The wing commander had acknowledged, and the Rangers' leader had left a one-way link open ever since, a muted but ever-present reminder of those risking their lives with no Power to protect them.

Phantom was glad of the link, more for the reassurance it provided than anything else. As long as he could hear what was going on, he felt somehow closer to it--to them. Cetaci and Aura had joined the fighters above Aquitar, their zords leading the defense that kept Astronema from getting any closer to their homeworld, while he was forced to watch from the command center.

Cetaci's Second, Cestria, was there as well, rerouting atmospheric traffic and grounding anyone still on the surface. She had said nothing about the open comm link that echoed in the background. He even saw her cock her head toward it from time to time, and it was only then that he realized that she was listening for Billy the same way he was straining to hear Cassie's voice among the overlapping comm signals.

"Phantom, what's the velocifighter distribution?" Cetaci's tense voice demanded, and he called up the appropriate schematic, uploading it to both zord terminals. Coordinating surface to air information flow would normally be Cestria's job, but the attack had been so unexpected that she was kept busy making sure the civilians were safe.

"Aq-22, behind you!"

His head jerked up at the sound of Cassie's voice, unmistakable even with the low volume of the comm transmission. He found himself looking in Cestria's direction, and saw her glance back. "Aq-22" was Billy's fighter.

"I see it, Aq-24." Their conversation was swallowed up by a flurry of position checks from the wing's leading edge, and he had to force his attention back to the incoming attack data.

"It gets easier," Cestria said softly, and he looked around again to find her bent over her own console once more. She shot a quick smile in his direction when he turned. "You just have to trust them to be as careful as you would be, in their place."

He froze for a moment, hoping Cassie would be more careful than that. But he knew the Yellow Ranger was right--Cassie's judgment was as good as his, and he nodded to show he understood.

A fourth comm signal vied for their attention, and Phantom found the Earth Rangers' request to enter the system flashing across the comm console as the Megaship streaked through the sensor web and on into the inner solar system. He sent an acknowledgment anyway, glad they hadn't waited for it.

"The Astro Megaship is entering Aquitian orbit," he told Cetaci, sending the signal to Aura's zord as well and overriding the fighters' comm channels momentarily to let them know.

"Confirm," Cetaci replied shortly, and he saw Cestria look up. He knew the Aquitians had not been particularly happy about calling for reinforcements, but he had argued that the Earth Rangers deserved to know when one of their own was fighting against the forces of evil.

Some of Cetaci's irritation probably came from the fact that they could use the Megaship's help. The unfortunate timing of Astronema's arrival had caught two of the planet's Rangers in starfighters--unable to transfer to their zords without the possibility of their unmanned fighters burning up in the atmosphere behind them.

The Aquitians were, frankly, outnumbered. The fighter wing was keeping the velocifighters occupied, but the two zords were only barely holding the Dark Fortress back. It was a stalemate, and all Astronema had to do was wait, for she could keep this up longer than they could.

The Megaship, though, came in from deep space with weapons blazing, and it was obvious the advantage had shifted. With the Aquitian zords backing it up--Cetaci might be proud, but she wasn't foolish--the Earth Rangers' battleship was managing to inflict some damage on the flagship of Dark Spectre.

Astronema could see what was happening as well as they could, and he frowned as a second wave of velocifighters launched from the Dark Fortress. The first wave had been decimated by the fighter wing, but there were enough left still that the next round would not be so easy to defeat.

Then one of the new velocifighters fired. "Cestria!" he heard Aura yelp, even as his gaze swept across the readouts, wondering if the laser blast's discoloration had been his imagination.

It hadn't. The blast's energy was skewed compared to normal curves, but what the readings meant, he had no idea. "The blast was less electrically disruptive than previous velocifighter fire, but its advantage is undetermined," he told Aura and Cetaci, knowing they could tell that much for themselves.

"It could be anything," Aura muttered, her zord diving under the Megaship and heading for the velocifighters.

"Yes," Phantom agreed reluctantly. He could tell them nothing else until they actually saw the effects of the beam on a ship--which all of them would rather avoid.

The new round of velocifighters had engaged the fighter wing, and the oddly colored laser blasts came more frequently as they dove between the Aquitian ships. But there were plenty of ordinary blasts to avoid as well, and the fighters were pushed to their limit just keeping each other out of the line of fire.

"Someone tell me what those lasers do!" Darian's voice demanded, no longer routed only through the intership comm channel that was still being picked up in the control room.

Cestria finally joined Phantom, and he assumed the rest of the planet was as secure as it could be. "We can't tell you because we don't know, Aq-one," she informed him calmly. "You will know as soon as we have any information."

"They're not coming from all the velocifighters," one of the other pilots observed, voice small and distorted over the intership channel.

"Isolate and target the anomalous fighters first," Darian commanded, his words still coming over two different comm frequencies.

Aura's zord was already in the middle of the fray, and Cetaci's broke off to engage the velocifighters as well. The Megaship was left alone to drive the Dark Fortress back, but it did seem to be having an effect. Phantom turned his attention back to the fighter wing.

The Aquitian fighters were rallying around the zords, obviously used to working with them, and the velocifighters were disappearing off the tactical map one by one. Billy's voice came over the comm channel again, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Cestria look up. Obviously, though it might get "easier", it was never truly "easy".

"Aq-17, close up," he was exclaiming, over top of another fighter's call for assistance. Aura's zord spiraled after the distressed fighter, while Billy and his partner went after another velocifighter.

Scanning the tactical readouts once more, Phantom saw the Dark Fortress in retreat. The Megaship was harrying it away, out past the orbit of Aquitar's only moon, and there were less than a dozen velocifighters left--

"Aq-24, break off!" Darian's voice boomed across the room. He hadn't cut off his double comm link, and Phantom felt his heart clench as he saw "Aq-24" riding dangerously close to one of the remaining velocifighters.

"I've got it, Aq-one!" a voice answered confidently, a voice he knew all too well.

"Cassie, no," he whispered, watching her streak closer--and then time started to slow as he saw the velocifighter flip end over end, dumping speed at a rate impossible for a living pilot. He knew what would happen then, but, powerless to stop it, he could only stand frozen in place as "Aq-24" tumbled past her target and wound up directly in front of the ship she had been chasing.

For one heart-wrenching second, nothing happened. Then, one of the bizarrely colored rays crept from the velocifighter's laser array, reaching for and catching the fighter that had tried to destroy it. The little fighter seemed to twist in the beam's grasp, the moment stretching into an infinite expanse of time as the laser burned through Cassie's shields.

The resulting brilliant explosion snapped time back to normal, and he heard his mind screaming out her name, over and over again until he no longer knew or cared whether anyone could hear him.

He didn't even comprehend what was happening as he saw an Aquitian fighter sail through the debris, heard Darian's urgent voice repeating, "Aq-24, respond. Aq-24, can you hear me? Please respond."

The bright red of a wounded ship showed on the tactical screen, surrounding a fighter tagged "Aq-24", and there was one less velocifighter on the grid, but it took a moment that felt like an eternity for those details to penetrate the icy numbness that had clamped onto his mind.

"Cassie," he whispered again, hesitant but wanting more than anything to believe that it was her, that her ship had not been the one to burst into a final, fiery light.

"I have her." Aura's calm voice overrode Darian's transmission as her zord closed in on the unresponsive fighter. "Teleporting now."

Phantom clenched his hands on the console in front of him, ignoring the returning Megaship's request to know what was happening. The battleship picked the few velocifighters that remained out of the Aquitian sky, and the fighter wing started to regroup, surrounding Cassie's damaged and now empty fighter before it could spiral out of control into the atmosphere.

"She's here," Aura announced a moment later. "Unconscious--I'm sending her straight to the Medical bay."

Darian's voice was still audible underneath it all, directing the wing in the retrieval of the unmanned fighter while the zords returned to their base, and the Megaship was signaling the command center again, but Phantom ignored it all as he headed for the control room door. Cestria's voice stopped him short.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice saying she knew very well, but it was stern enough that he turned instinctively.

"To the medical bay," he answered, his mind not even focused enough to notice how pale she looked all of a sudden.

"No, you're not," she said. Straightening, he saw her grip the console firmly. "You have duties, and the healers can take better care of her without you getting in their way."

He could only stare at her in surprise. Cestria had never spoken to him like that. She was the Aquitian team's heart and soul, the compassionate one who always understood. But now she was glaring at him as forcefully as Cetaci might have.

She sighed, seeing he was not convinced. "Phantom, you nearly deafened me just now. I had no idea you were that strong, but you can *not* go down there now and do that to the healers the moment you see her."

He shook his head, not understanding and only concerned with going to see Cassie to convince himself that she was really still alive. "I do not--"

The glow of teleportation briefly illuminated the control room, and Andros' voice asked, "Is everyone all right?" There was a note of distinct impatience in his tone, and it was probably only with the greatest strength of will that he kept from demanding answers straight out.

Cetaci and Aura arrived at that moment, however, and the White Ranger had no such compunction. "What happened?" she asked without preamble, focusing immediately on Cestria.

"That's what we want to know!" Carlos exclaimed. "No one would answer our comm transmissions!"

Cetaci shot him an annoyed glance, and went to Cestria's side. Grasping the girl's elbow gently, she led her over to a chair and pushed her down. "What happened?" she repeated, more calmly. "Are you all right, Cestria?"

Cestria nodded, putting a hand to her temple. "I will be," she said. "It was--"

Cestria had never been anything but friendly to him, but all he could think about was Cassie. About to use the distraction to slip away, he paused as the command center's alert started to blare away. Everyone looked up, and a sudden brilliant flash of pink light appeared in the middle of the control room.

She stood there, glancing about the room as though she'd never seen it before, and he closed his eyes in mute relief. There were no words for it, but he knew that his reason for living had just been restored. "Cassie," he murmured, joy in the very sound even as it was almost buried underneath the shrieking of the alert.

"No," the figure in pink replied, calmly lifting her astroblaster. Siting down the barrel, she pulled the trigger and silenced the alert system with a single shot. She didn't even bother to brace her firing arm, making the act of random destruction seem almost casual. "But you can call me that if it makes you feel better."

There was only one question on TJ's mind anymore: *What in the name of everything good is going *on* in this room?!*

From the moment one of the Aquitian fighters had been hit and the command center had stopped responding to the Megaship's comm signals, things had only gotten more insane. First Cetaci treated them like intruders instead of fellow Rangers--Rangers who had just helped save Aquitar, at that--and then she seemed to forget they existed.

As if things weren't confusing enough, that blasted alert had had to start screeching at them, and then someone who looked just like Cassie appeared and started shooting control panels, unhindered by the Aquitians.

TJ had come to the conclusion that this was all an incredibly bizarre dream, and at any moment he would wake up and wonder what he could possibly have eaten that would cause such a hallucination. And then he would swear off of whatever it was forever.

"Cassie, what are you--" Phantom was the first to break into the suddenly stunned silence, cutting off as the person who looked like their teammate swung her blaster in his direction.

That was when TJ decided that there must be something seriously wrong with his mind if he could dream something like this up. "I'm ready to wake up now," he muttered under his breath, to no one in particular.

The person in pink laughed, sounding enough not like Cassie to be strange, and just enough *like* Cassie to be frightening. "Oh, but it's not a dream," she assured them, blaster not wavering from its first Ranger target as she stared Phantom down. "Is it, *Saryn* of Elisia."

TJ heard Carlos gasp, and he thought Ashley did too. He was too caught up in his own shock to be sure--and if this was a figment of his twisted imagination, he wanted out *now*.

He glanced around the control room, seeing his teammates grouped, with him, off to one side, while Aura was closer to the main screen. Cetaci was at her side, standing protectively in front of Cestria, while Phantom was clear across the room. The armored Ranger stood stiff in the doorway, visor turned toward Cassie's face.

*Cassie?* TJ repeated incredulously to himself. *What the *hell*…*

"No, not a dream," she reiterated, walking slowly toward Phantom. "A nightmare, maybe--but not one you'll ever wake up from."

She was about three steps away from him when the only thing that could have happened to make the situation more confusing did. Two more teleportation beams lit the control room, a blue and a black water molecule shape appearing in front of the main screen.

Cassie spun, weapon still raised, turning her back on Phantom for just a split second. It was a brief moment, one that let him spring forward--but not quite long enough. She turned back in time to catch him in the chest with the muzzle of her astroblaster, and even as he reached for it they could all hear the distinctive hum of the weapon powering up.

Phantom sagged a little, raising his hands to the side in defeat. "Nice try, *Saryn*," she sneered. "But I'm faster than you and you know it."

"Cassie," TJ said, stepping forward. This was completely insane. "I don't know what you think--"

"Don't move," she hissed over her shoulder, turning so she could see them all but not letting her blaster leave Phantom's chest. Reaching out suddenly, she pushed Phantom backward, and all of a sudden his armor started to blur.

*She didn't push him,* TJ thought in shock. *She took his ruby…*

Indeed, Cassie clutched something in her hand, and Phantom's morph failed completely as she stepped back. He was Saryn once more, as he had been for those few days on the Megaship, and Cassie's blaster was now resting firmly against his unmorphed chest.

The look on Phantom's face was no less than one of anguish, and he stared at Cassie as though she had just betrayed everything he had ever believed in. *And she has,* TJ thought, unable to believe what he had just seen. He could not even begin to fathom what had made her do that--obviously, she was under some sort of outside influence, but to reveal Phantom like that would take more spite than he had thought she could ever express, possessed or no.

And possessed was a good word for it, he thought, watching her expression twist as she glared at them again. "Don't move," she repeated. "Or I *will* fire."

The Aquitians hadn't said a word in all this time, and TJ risked a glance back at them. Billy stood behind Cestria now, hands on her shoulders as he stared at the tableau before them. Aura looked perfectly calm, standing between Cetaci and Delphinius, but he couldn't help remembering what Cassie had told them about the Aquitians' telepathy.

*How much are they really communicating?* he wondered, wishing again that he had that talent that Andros and Zhane seemed to share.

"You won't," Phantom said suddenly, his words choked but understandable. Only at the sound of his voice did TJ realize how much this was really hurting him.

It still wasn't real to TJ--he was waiting for the explanation that would make all this another one of Astronema's tricks--but obviously, to Phantom, it was *very* real. Cassie was really standing there, before him, threatening to kill him with a Power-enabled weapon.

TJ wished he could reassure him, remind him that this couldn't really be their Cassie… but a thought flickered through his mind before he could stop it: what if it *was*?

"And what makes you so sure?" she demanded. In a move too quick to follow she lifted the blaster and fired over his shoulder, smirking in satisfaction when he flinched. "It's as easy as that, *Saryn*."

He shook his head. "No, *Cassie*, it isn't." His words were a little clearer this time, and he put the same emphasis on her name that she used on his, managing to sound almost defiant despite the pain in his eyes. "You are, somehow, still my Cassie. And we are linked--you can no more kill me than you could kill yourself."

TJ had no idea whether that was true even for the real Cassie, let alone for this--person. But as he did the only thing he could do--wait--he heard Andros shift quietly behind him. He didn't dare glance over his shoulder, but he chanced a look in the Aquitians' direction. They were as calm and motionless as before… except that Cestria was now staring directly at Ashley.

Andros shifted again, but Cassie did not look at him. She was instead glaring at Phantom, her face a study in frustration as she locked gazes with him. The entire room was deadly silent, and Andros' slight movement was unmistakable. Cassie started to turn toward him--

Another alarm went off, this one higher pitched and wailing over a much greater range. Phantom took advantage of Cassie's momentary lapse to knock her blaster out of her hand, just as a wall-mounted mechanism hummed and swiveled in her direction.

The purple discharge caught her full in the back, and for a moment, her startled expression made her look just like the teammate they had always known.

Then Billy's calm voice spoke. "Command center intruder protocols deactivate," he announced, and the mechanism settled a little in its wall brace.

Cassie's eyes slid closed, and Phantom caught her as she fell.

For a moment, no one moved. Ashley was torn between a sigh of relief and the exclamation of shock that she hadn't had time for when Cassie first drew her astroblaster. She could only stare at Saryn, eyes closed with some private pain as he held her friend's limp body close to him, while her mind tried desperately to put the events of the last few minutes into some kind of logical context.

Then she felt Andros fumbling for her hand, and her focus latched onto something she could at least understand. "Took you long enough," she murmured, squeezing his hand.

"Easy for you to say," he replied, his indignation muted in the quiet room. "Telekinesis is hard enough when you can't *see* what you're doing. I didn't even *know* what I was doing."

"So that *was* you?" TJ asked, turning toward them. "What happened?"

"The intruder alert system won't fire on Rangers," Billy spoke up. "But that's a failsafe that can be bypassed--if you know what switch to hit."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Carlos demanded, but Billy shook his head.

"It's really hard to do. The controls are inside the firing mechanism, so you can't get to them unless you know how to disable the intruder protocols. And no one does except the Rangers themselves."

"It was Billy's idea to see if Andros could do it," Cestria interjected. "Telekinetically."

TJ nodded his understanding. "You told Andros, and he changed the protocols to recognize…"

He glanced in Cassie's direction and trailed off, and Ashley shifted uncomfortably. "No," Cestria said, sounding slightly puzzled, and Ashley knew her secret was about to be out. "Andros blocks anyone he doesn't know. I told Ashley, and *she* told him."

Carlos choked. "What?"

There was a muted flash as someone morphed, and they all turned to see the Phantom Ranger lift Cassie as though she weighed nothing at all and cradle her in his arms. "I'm taking her to the Medical bay," he said quietly, and the two of them vanished in a dark glow.

"We should go too," Cestria said, standing, and Ashley nodded emphatically. She wasn't going to wait around for Phantom to tell them what had happened--they might *never* know, at that rate.

"The Medical bay is two floors down," Cestria told the Astro Rangers. "The lift is this way."

"Are you sure you are all right?" Cetaci asked again, as Billy took Cestria's hand and led the way across the control room.

"I'm fine," she said, but Ashley missed the rest of her answer as Carlos caught up with her.

"*You* told Andros?" he demanded quietly, but loudly enough for TJ, Andros and Zhane to overhear.

She nodded, seeing Andros give her an odd look as they all piled into the lift. The doors slid shut, adorned with the same simple design that climbed across the control room walls. "You didn't tell them?" he asked, and she this time she shook her head.

"Medical bay," Billy said, as Ashley tried to explain.

"I've been able to talk to Andros--the way Zhane does--for a while now." She shrugged uncomfortably. "I guess it just never came up."

TJ just rolled his eyes, but he gave the impression of throwing his hands up in exasperation. "That does it. You were right, Carlos; this whole team *is* psychic."

"Is that bad?" Cestria asked innocently, and Ashley couldn't help smiling a little.

"No, that's not what I meant," TJ said hastily, glancing at the Aquitians. He was saved by the opening of the lift doors onto a corridor directly across from the Medical bay.

"That is not possible," Phantom was telling someone tonelessly. "Lasers are electronic in origin."

The Aquitian to whom he was speaking gave the impression of exasperation as they all filed into the room. "I am not saying the beam was magically generated. I am saying it had a magical component, and it is that component which has altered her brain waves."

"What?" TJ demanded, even as Ashley felt Andros' hand slip out of hers. She glanced over her shoulder, and he shook his head at her as he hung back.

She frowned a little, and then she heard, *I'll just be a minute.* Looking around covertly, she realized that Zhane hadn't followed them into the Medical bay either. She nodded slightly, wondering what was up.

"What do you mean, her brain waves were altered?" Carlos was asking, apparently oblivious to their teammates' absence.

"The lasers," Aura murmured, and Ashley shot a sharp look in her direction.

"Lasers?" she prompted, and Aura glanced in Cetaci's direction.

The White Ranger did not give any sign that Ashley could see, but Aura continued, "Her fighter was hit by one of the second-round velocifighters. Some of the second round had--strange weapons."

"What does 'strange' mean?" TJ asked impatiently.

"We don't know," Cestria said, before Aura could answer. "Phantom and I were in the control room, but all we could tell for sure was that they were different. Less disruptive than the normal lasers--but that was all we knew."

"They did not *have* to be physically or electrically disruptive," the as-yet unnamed Aquitian told her. Ashley could only assume he was a doctor of some kind. "They were built with a sorcerer's influence. The beam disrupts a pilot's brain waves, turning them against their own wing. Hit someone with one of those, and they'll cause as much destruction as any velocifighter."

"More," Delphinius interrupted, quiet shock in his voice. "Because no one would be expecting it from a fellow fighter."

"But Cassie was unconscious," Aura said suddenly, breaking into the sudden silence. "What is the use of her altered state if she is not capable of operating her ship?"

Ashley shifted, staring at the prone form on the medical bed and not sure she liked the Red Aquitian Ranger's single-mindedness. Cassie was their friend, not just some anonymous fighter in someone else's battle plan.

"It was intended for use against Aquitians," the unidentified person replied. "It is not surprising that it would affect humans differently."

"Not differently enough," Billy said, his eyes on Cassie as well. "She threatened Phantom's life in the control room."

The unnamed Aquitian nodded. "She was most aggressive toward me when she regained consciousness here. I can only conclude that the weapon did, ultimately, have the effect it was designed for--it merely took longer than it would have on one of us."

Stepping into the room with Zhane at his side, Andros surmised, "She's evil."

Andros had known something was wrong when Zhane hesitated outside the lift, back in the control room. One glance at the crowded lift had told Andros what the problem was, but his friend had joined them without complaint.

Zhane had stood perfectly still through the ride down to the Medical bay, but Andros had seen the tension in his stance. Everyone else had been too concerned with Cassie to notice that, although he was the first one out of the lift when they reached their destination, he was the only one who didn't immediately enter the Medical bay.

Letting go of Ashley's hand, Andros stopped in the doorway to look at his friend. Ashley looked back, but he just shook his head and promised silently to join them in a minute. She must have understood, because she turned back to the argument without further comment.

"Are you all right?" Andros asked quietly, noting the paleness of Zhane's skin even in the oddly lit Aquitian hallways.

Zhane took a deep breath, leaning against the wall. He nodded mutely, and Andros just waited with him for a minute, listening to the conversation within the Medical bay.

"Man, those lifts will drive me over the edge someday," Zhane said suddenly, a ghost of his usual smile on his face.

"Not that you have far to go," Andros kidded gently, and Zhane made a face at him.

"Look who's talking," he retorted, his normal cockiness back in his tone. Then the façade faded again, and he added quietly, "It doesn't help that we're underwater."

Andros frowned a little. "You don't have that problem in space…"

"Yeah, but space can't crush you. Water can."

Andros just nodded, knowing his friend didn't need logical explanations about either the dangers of space or the safety of these Aquitian cities. Claustrophobia wasn't logical, and Zhane wasn't proud of it. But he had no control over it, either, and Andros refused to upset him by trying to explain again what the other already knew.

In the Medical bay, he could hear Billy telling the Aquitian healer about Cassie's actions in the control room. He looked over at Zhane, and found his friend listening as well. Zhane's gaze flickered to his, and his friend nodded. The two of them stepped unobtrusively into the doorway as the healer nodded in agreement.

They all seemed to be coming to the same conclusion. But to Andros, there had only ever been one explanation for his teammate's aberrant behavior. "She's evil," he said, voicing the thought that had to be on everyone's mind.

"No," Phantom said, speaking for the first time since they had arrived. But he was looking at Cassie, and the word did not seem directed at anyone in particular. It was only his way of trying to deny facts that none of them could ignore.

"What can we do?" Ashley asked finally, glancing from Phantom to the Aquitian healer.

The healer cocked his head. "This is not a medical condition. This is an alteration of her mental processes, and its cause is not scientific in origin. There is nothing I can do."

"There are other sorcerers," Phantom said suddenly, not looking up.

The healer seemed troubled by that comment, although his face was expressionless. "Any sorcerers willing to help a Ranger would not be the sort to have experience with the magic of evil."

"Isn't there some way to change her brain waves back?" Andros wanted to know. "Even if it was done magically, isn't there some way to undo it *without* magic?"

The healer looked at him. "Even if I were capable of altering brain waves, I would have no template to work from, nothing to try to change them back *to*. Her original brain wave patterns are gone, overwritten by whatever changes the laser beam made, and there is no way to retrieve them."

He hesitated, then shook his head. "I am sorry, but even if she could be returned to the side of good, she would not be the friend you knew."

Phantom finally looked up, his visor turning to face the healer. "What are you saying?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

Billy stepped forward, putting himself in Phantom's line of sight--and conveniently in front of the healer. "Phantom, you know what he's saying," the Blue Aquitian Ranger said softly.

Andros closed his eyes for a moment, wanting nothing more than to deny it himself. Nothing--except the possibility of having the teammate he had come to love and respect back. *This can't be happening,* he thought, feeling Ashley step closer to him.

Glancing over at her, he could see tears shining in her eyes. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he let her lean against him, taking some comfort in her presence. He couldn't ignore the feeling that this was all somehow his fault--Cassie was a member of his team, after all, and he should have found a way to keep her safe.

"I know that Cassie is not as she was," Phantom answered Billy, his voice low. "I do *not* accept that she never will be again."

"There is nothing--" The healer cut off as Billy glared at him.

Andros saw Cetaci step forward and touch Cestria's shoulder, nodding toward the patient bed. The girl's eyes flicked toward her leader, then back to the shadow that still had not left Cassie's bedside.

"Phantom," Cestria said gently. "Maybe we can find a way to help Cassie--but… in the meantime, she's going to have to be moved to someplace more secure than this."

Ashley's fingers clenched on his arm, and he knew what she was thinking. A containment cell. Something in him rebelled at the thought of imprisoning their friend, but he couldn't help remembering the deadly seriousness on her face as she armed the blaster she had pointed at Saryn.

Cestria was right--Cassie needed to be someplace where she couldn't hurt anyone. But he didn't have to like it.

Unfortunately, Saryn didn't like it either, and he was far less willing to see the necessity of the situation. "No," he said simply, stubbornly.

"Phantom," Cestria tried again, but he only turned his back on them.

"I wish to be alone," he said, voice strained but somehow even.

The healer spoke again, his tone more subdued this time. "She could wake at any time," he reminded them.

"I can--restrain her," Phantom said, voice breaking as his control slipped.

"Can you?" Billy asked quietly.

Phantom turned his head a little, not quite looking over his shoulder at them. "Yes," he whispered. "Please, leave."

Andros looked at Ashley, who had her hand over her mouth and was staring fixedly down at the floor. He tightened his arm around her--she didn't look up, but she let him pull her toward the door without protest. He could feel Zhane shadowing them, and there was too much stir behind them for the three of them to be the only ones moving.

They filed out of the room silently, leaving Phantom to mourn alone.

5. Matter of Honor

"Those Astro Rangers are *everywhere*," the girl muttered, pacing back and forth across the metal decking of the Dark Fortress. Her mind was racing, and she couldn't help speaking aloud to herself. "Don't they know how to mind their own business?"

"Interfering *is* a Power Ranger's business," Ecliptor deep voice rumbled from behind her, and she whirled. "The Astro Rangers are no doubt here to repay the Aquitians for their protection of Earth."

*But I don't *want* them to be here!* she cried silently. She frowned sternly at the being that had cared for her ever since her family had been killed. "They're getting in the *way*," she complained, as though it were somehow his fault.

Ecliptor only nodded, and she spun away to resume her pacing. No matter how quickly she walked, though, she couldn't force the thought of Andros' locket out of her mind. *How could he possibly have that?* she wondered, the gold disc shimmering in her memory.

Her hand went involuntarily to her own necklace, the locket that hung on it a mirror image of the Red Ranger's. Only one other person in the universe should have a pendant like that, and he had been killed when she was too young to understand. Or so she had always believed…

She heard the metallic whisper of quantron speech, and as she reached the wall and turned back, Ecliptor signaled to her. "My princess, main propulsion is back online."

"And the velocifighters?" she demanded. While the shields on the Dark Fortress were nearly impenetrable, their offensive capabilities depended heavily on the small fighter ships.

"Another wing is prepared for launch, with a second standing by," Ecliptor informed her, and she nodded.

"Excellent." This was something she at least understood. Whoever Andros really was, she decided, he had gotten in her way one too many times. "Begin the second attack."

Carlos was the last one out of the Medical bay. He hesitated in the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder. He wasn't surprised to see Phantom demorph suddenly, head bowed over Cassie's still form as he reached for her hand.

Joining the others in the hall, Carlos wondered again how this could have happened. Cassie was a Ranger--Rangers always came back from battles. Somewhat worse for wear, sometimes, but never with anything that couldn't be healed or cured by a few nights sleep.

*Except for Phantom's team,* his mind reminded him. *None of them came back at all.*

"Everyone thought the entire Elisian Ranger team had died," Zhane had told them, and Carlos sighed. *Phantom's not going to be able to handle this, not on top of everything he's already lost…*

Somehow, it was easier to feel sympathy for Phantom than it was to think about Cassie. *She isn't really gone,* he thought automatically, and even though he knew it wasn't true, he couldn't seem to get his mind around the concept.

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. The Dark Fortress was still out there, and if it had attacked Aquitar once, it would attack again. He tried to concentrate on that thought, rather than the image of Cassie prone on a patient bed.

"Someone will have to remain here," Cestria was saying quietly, tilting her head to one side. "Whatever block he had is obviously gone, or he simply does not care anymore--someone has to keep him from projecting to the entire citydome."

"I will stay," Aura offered, her voice equally soft. Then she cocked her head at the healer. "Unless you can--"

But the unnamed Aquitian shook his head. "I can barely tell he's projecting at all, let alone do anything about it."

Cestria nodded, and Carlos glanced around the hallway. Ashley was leaning against Andros, eyes closed and apparently paying no attention to the conversation. Zhane stood beside them, gaze downcast, and tenser than Carlos had ever seen him.

Annoyance flared suddenly within Carlos. Zhane had known Cassie less time than any of them--what right did *he* have to be upset?

But the thought was quickly suppressed as his mind once more rejected the possibility that their teammate was gone from them forever, and he sought out TJ with his eyes. The Blue Ranger glanced in his direction at the same moment, a frown on his face, seemingly as confused as Carlos by the whispered conversation.

"What do you mean, 'projecting'?" Carlos asked finally, careful to keep his voice as quiet as theirs had been. "Telepathically?"

Cestria looked in his direction, and he got the distinct impression of surprise, as though the Aquitians had forgotten anyone else was there with them. "Phantom is an empath," she corrected, but before she could say anything else, an imperative beep cut into the quiet.

Cetaci touched the gold band on her wrist, silencing the noise. A flat voice--Carlos honestly couldn't tell if it was computerized or Aquitian--spoke into the hallway. "The Drani seaport is requesting permission to resume scheduled launches."

"No," Cetaci said sharply. "The threat has not passed." Glancing up, she gestured to Cestria. Without another word, the two Aquitian Rangers disappeared into white and yellow water molecule shapes, presumably on their way back to the control room.

"Uh…" Carlos looked around, not certain this was the time to bring it up. "What does being an empath have to do with it?"

Aura looked over at him, and he blinked at her close regard. "An empath senses emotions, not thoughts. I had never thought Phantom particularly strong, but today…"

She trailed off, glancing toward the open door of the Medical bay. "He is projecting on a level almost equivalent to Cestria, which is unusual even among Aquitians."

"We should go," Billy interrupted gently. Delphinius was practically fidgeting at his side. "Cestria and Cetaci may need help, and we need to find out how badly damaged the Dark Fortress was."

"Not badly enough," Andros interjected, looking over at him. "We'll come with you, and give you as much information as we have."

"I--" Billy stopped, exchanging glances with Delphinius. "All right," he said abruptly. "Thank you."

"What?" TJ asked, catching Carlos' eye before cocking his head at Billy. "Is there a problem?"

Billy hesitated. "No," he said finally.

"Cetaci is somewhat proud," Delphinius said, not looking at them. "She has, to some degree, instilled that feeling in the rest of the team."

"Please don't take offense," Billy added. "We appreciate any help you can offer, and we're grateful for your assistance earlier."

He led them into the lift, but Carlos still didn't understand. "You helped us, on Earth--how is this different?"

"The Astro Rangers are not specific to one world," Delphinius said, glancing at Billy. "You defend Earth, but there are reports of you battling evil across the galaxy."

"So?" TJ asked, reaching out to catch the door before it could close. He gestured to Zhane, still standing in the hallway.

"It is reasonable to expect your team to cooperate with others," Billy explained. "But we defend Aquitar. That's our job, and Cetaci feels that we should be able to do it without any outside intervention."

Zhane finally stepped into the lift, and the doors slid shut behind him as the lift hummed to life. "There's no shame in accepting help," Andros said, glancing first at his friend and then around at the rest of the Astro Rangers. "This team has taught me that."

"It is a lesson Cetaci would do well to learn," Delphinius muttered, and Billy shot a warning look in his direction.

Carlos couldn't help looking over at TJ again. There was obviously some friction between the Black Aquitian Ranger and their leader, and the look TJ gave him said he hadn't missed it. They rode the rest of the way in silence.

He managed to hold himself together for the ride up to the control room, fighting the dizziness and the memories, but Zhane couldn't restrain a shudder as he stepped quickly out of the lift. He didn't care what it took--he was *not* getting in one of those things again.

He felt Andros' hand on his shoulder as the others followed him out of the lift more slowly, but he couldn't look up. He concentrated on breathing, reminding himself that there was plenty of room up here and trying to pretend there was no water beyond these walls.

*Will you be all right?* Andros asked silently, and he finally lifted his head. The Aquitians had joined their teammates across the room, but Ashley was at Andros' side, and Carlos and TJ were staring at him.

"Headache," he managed, echoing the excuse Cassie had given at breakfast once. "I--I think I'll go back to the Megaship."

Andros nodded, ignoring the others. "We'll call you if we need you."

With shaking hands, Zhane flipped his digimorpher open and escaped into a comforting stream of silver. The familiar lights of the Bridge faded into view, and he glanced automatically toward the viewscreen. It showed Aquitar spinning peacefully below the Megaship, and he went over to the auxiliary scanner station to adjust its field of view.

The stars of deep space filled the screen, lightening the close darkness at the edges of his perception. He walked around the front row of stations to stand directly in front of the image, letting the open freedom of space seep into his soul and soothe the fear that lingered there.

"*All* seaports," Cetaci repeated firmly, giving the comm console a glare. "Atmospheric transport is grounded until further notice. There are no exceptions."

"The Dark Fortress was hit here, here, and here," Andros was telling Delphinius, indicating several regions on a tactical grid. "From what we've seen--"

"Several zords usually fly with the fighters," Aura informed Carlos, walking in front of Ashley to check a readout on the other side of the control room. "We were simply unprepared this time, due to the training simulation taking place within the fighter wing."

"Why do your Rangers fly starfighters at all?" TJ asked, tagging along as Carlos followed her.

Billy looked up as Aura joined him, glancing back at TJ and Carlos. "It keeps us sharp," he said lightly.

"That is not a good enough reason," Cetaci opined, turning away from the comm system. "Neither of you should have been with the wing when Astronema attacked. We can not afford to be caught without two of our Rangers again."

Cestria turned a little, deliberately putting her back to the conversation as she spoke quietly to the smaller comm screen. Cetaci did not appear to notice, but she did step away from the comm equipment to join the small group gathered off to one side.

Ashley only watched, the words washing over her but making no impression. She didn't understand what was going on, but neither did she particularly care. There was one face missing from this crowd, and that was the face of her best friend.

Cassie wasn't dead. But she was gone beyond all hope of recovery, and somehow that was worse. She would never sit down beside Ashley at breakfast, or sleep over in her room, or gossip with her again. She wouldn't giggle about the guys, or confess her dreams for the future the way the two of them used to…

Ashley couldn't imagine life without her. She couldn't accept that Cassie was gone, and she couldn't believe her friend wouldn't appear at any moment to chide them for holding a strategy session without her. But at the same time, reality kept trying to beat her over the head with the fact that things were irrevocably different now, and all she could do was sit and stare while her mind tried to work things out.

Andros glanced at her from time to time, but he didn't try to say anything. Not anymore, anyway. She was sure he had tried to talk to her when they first arrived in the control room, but she hadn't been able to answer. One of the Aquitians had said something about shock, and she had wanted to shout at them.

What did *they* know about shock? Cassie hadn't been *their* teammate. But a little voice said that Cassie had been living with them for the last week and a half, and perhaps they did understand something of what she was feeling.

She hadn't protested when Andros pushed her into a chair and told her to stay there.

"The fighter wing does as much good for Aquitar as the Rangers," Delphinius interrupted, turning away from his conversation with Andros.

"In its own way," Cetaci allowed. "But there are plenty of fighter pilots. There are only five Rangers."

TJ couldn't read the Aquitians' more subtle expressions as easily as he could another human's, but there was no mistaking the angry glare Delphinius gave Cetaci. "There are *not* plenty of fighter pilots. People willing to risk their lives in battle with no Power to protect them are not so common as you seem to think!"

"If the people who *do* have the Power to protect them would do their job, the fighters would not need to risk their lives," Cetaci retorted.

"Please," Cestria interrupted, turning from the comm screen. Her voice was gentle, but it made everyone stop and listen. "I am trying to tell the Citydome Coordinator that everything is under control, and having two of our Rangers fighting in the background is not reassuring him."

Cetaci stiffened, but she accepted the reproof without comment. Delphinius turned his back on them, telling Andros flatly, "Please, continue."

That was a long-standing grudge if TJ had ever seen one. He glanced over at Carlos, but the Black Ranger was staring down at the console Aura was entering data into. She had managed to ignore the disagreement completely, from the time Cetaci turned away from the comm system on.

"Next time, the Rangers will be prepared," Billy said calmly, as though nothing had happened.

"'Next time' may be sooner than you think," Carlos said, peering over Aura's shoulder. "At least, if I'm reading this right?"

Aura turned. "The Dark Fortress has moved into position behind our moon," she informed the control room. "Power levels indicate that it contains at least one launch-ready squadron of velocifighters."

Everyone heard Aura's announcement. Andros looked up, and saw Cestria cutting off the comm link she had been using. His gaze tracked across the room, worriedly regarding the only person who didn't seem fazed by the Red Aquitian Ranger's words.

Ashley was still staring off into space, apparently oblivious to her surroundings. He wanted to reach out to her, to say something, but he recognized the look of numbness on her face. She was unresponsive in a way he had been himself at certain times in his life, and he knew there were no words to magically return her to normal. She would have to work through this on her own.

"Alert the fighter wing," Cetaci told Cestria. Turning to her male teammates, she added, "I assume your zords have not fallen into disrepair during your fighter scrimmages?"

Her words might have been directed at both of them, but she was gazing pointedly at Delphinius. He glared back, refusing to answer, and it was Billy who broke the silence. "The Zaal and Sirethian zords are ready for launch at any time," he informed her, then added neutrally, "as you know."

Her gaze flickered in his direction, and Andros spoke up quickly. "The Megaship will help as well," he said. "You can count on us."

"No," Cetaci said, turning toward him. "We will defend this world ourselves, Astro Rangers."

"Cetaci," Billy began, but a glance from Cestria stopped him.

Stepping to her leader's side, Cestria said quietly, "We helped them on Earth. They are only returning the favor, Cetaci."

"It is unnecessary," Cetaci insisted. "At full strength, we are capable of defeating the Dark Fortress."

Andros opened his mouth to object. Even the Megaship couldn't defeat the Dark Fortress on anything more than a temporary basis. With their combined forces, they would at least have a chance.

"You are not," a voice said from the doorway, cutting Andros off before he could say a word. "The Dark Fortress is stronger than all the Aquitian zords combined."

Every last Ranger turned to gaze at Phantom as he entered the room. Even Ashley looked up, and the silence that descended on the control room was almost a tangible thing.

He walked up to the tactical grid displayed on the main screen, and Andros stepped out of the way. Phantom just stared at the schematic of the Dark Fortress for a moment, then turned to address them again. "The Megaship barely holds its own against the Dark Fortress," he told them matter-of-factly. "Five individual zords will not be sufficient to drive it back."

"You underestimate us," Cetaci said, lifting her head. "This team has never been defeated."

"This team has never *fought*," Phantom snapped. "The last real threat this planet faced was the Hydro Contaminators, and not *one* of you was a part of the team that defeated them."

"They weren't defeated," Billy said quietly. "A compromise was reached, and a peace treaty negotiated."

"That is irrelevant," Phantom answered coldly. "The fact remains that Aquitar can not stand alone against Astronema."

"The Astro Rangers are not more experienced than we," Cetaci said indignantly--completely missing the point, Andros thought.

Phantom didn't bother with tact. "Yes, they are," he told her. "But what I am trying to tell you is that no one team can defeat Astronema. You must stand together, or not at all."

"Aquitar has never needed any defenders but its own Ranger team," Cetaci countered.

"This is not *about* Aquitar anymore!" Phantom almost shouted. "How can you not see that!"

Andros tried not to flinch. He had never heard Phantom shout before, and the armored Ranger was an imposing figure when angry. Cetaci did not reply.

Phantom took what was clearly meant as a calming breath. "The Inner Alliance is being run from Aquitar. The Frontier Defense is in part coordinated from here. Zordon himself is *here*. On *Aquitar*. This is no longer a single planet; it is becoming the focus for the League's defense. The Aquitian Rangers can not take responsibility for something so large."

"The Eltaran Rangers protected their planet from the time the League was formed," Cetaci said, her voice not quite as firm as it had been before. "It is a matter of honor."

"The Eltaran Rangers failed," Phantom replied harshly. "They alone did not protect Eltare; they were joined by forces from across the League. And in the end, it was not enough. Eltare *fell*. If you wish to prevent Aquitar from sharing that fate, I suggest you learn to cooperate. Honor will do you no good if you are dead."

The sound of the attack alarm prevented Cetaci from responding, and Aura announced calmly, "The Dark Fortress is approaching Aquitar."

Cetaci gathered her teammates up with a glance, and their battle cry could be heard easily above the sound of the alarm. "Rangers of Aquitar, we need full power!"

Andros looked around at his own teammates, and found all of them, even Ashley, watching him and waiting. "You will stay," Cetaci ordered him, before he could say anything.

Cestria touched a control on the comm console and nodded to her leader. "The fighter wing has launched," she said.

Suddenly, Phantom was at Andros' side. "Morph," he said, in a voice that left no room for argument, and Andros nodded.

Cetaci did not miss the exchange. "My planet," she said, stepping in front of Phantom and speaking loudly enough that they could all hear her over the sound of the alarm. "My team. And my decision."

"Your team," he agreed. "*My* decision. I am the senior Ranger here, Cetaci. The Astro team will join yours in defense of Aquitar."

Cetaci tried to stare him down for a moment, than shook her head. "I don't have time to argue with you," she muttered. "Mireth zord," she shouted, with a last glare for Phantom, "Power up!"

The other Aquitian Rangers echoed her cry, disappearing into teleportation beams even as Andros nodded to his teammates. "Let's Rocket!"

Andros' mental call had alerted Zhane, but even so he had barely enough time to turn before the rest of the team teleported onto the Bridge. They arrived morphed, and he blinked as each one removed their helmet and hurried to their station. *Andros?*

*Matter of honor,* was all Andros said, and Zhane shrugged.

The Aquitian zords rose out of the atmosphere only seconds before the Megaship's shields went up, coming up from behind the fighter wing and overtaking it in a heartbeat. The Dark Fortress's velocifighters were next, the leading edge blown to pieces by the powerful zords before they could even reach the fighter wing.

"Zhane," Andros snapped, and Zhane looked up to see Andros indicating the empty place beside him.

"Right," he said, after a brief hesitation. Sliding into Cassie's seat, he ran his hands across the controls. "Megalasers online," he announced, just as Carlos spoke.

"Thrusters at maximum capacity," the Black Ranger told Andros, and TJ leaned forward.

"Let's show Astronema what Power Rangers are about," he said grimly.

"We're receiving a transmission from the surface," Ashley said, her neutral tone betraying no sign of anxiety or distress. No sign of anything at all, really.

She didn't wait for Andros' nod to put the audio portion of the message on DECA's speakers. "Rangers, leave this comm link open," Phantom's voice told them. "If you are to work as part of a team, you must be in communication with your allies at all times."

Zhane gave Andros a surprised look. "What's he talking about?"

*The Aquitians aren't very happy about us helping them out,* Andros answered, manuevering the Megaship into position between the Dark Fortress and Aquitar. *Phantom's trying to make Cetaci accept us.*

It wasn't working, Zhane decided, watching a white-tinged zord streak past them on the tactical map. Speeding underneath the Megaship with no acknowledgement whatsoever, Cetaci's voice was clearly audible over Phantom's open comm channel. "Canthris, Sirethian, with me. Zaal and Lissan, reinforce the fighter wing. I don't want anymore casualties today."

Three acknowledgements sounded on the Megaship's Bridge; and Zhane wondered who had not responded. Then the velocifighters were in range, targeting the Megaship and not sparing any laser fire, and there was no more time to wonder.

"Zhane, ignore the velocifighters," Andros ordered, as he demolished one of the little ships. "The Dark Fortress is our primary target."

"I can't fire on the Dark Fortress," Zhane answered, frustrated. "Those zords keep getting in the way!"

"Mireth," Phantom's voice growled. "Back off. You are hindering the Megaship's attack."

"Stay out of this, Phantom," Cetaci's voice warned.

"Mireth, fight *with* the Megaship or stand down!" Phantom snarled, clearly not about to let her dictate the battle plan.

Cetaci complied, her zord spiraling out of the Megaship's line of fire and immediately flanked by Aura and Billy. Zhane opened fire, hearing Andros order the three zords into backup positions. For once, Cetaci did not argue, and the four ships managed, by some miracle, to coordinate their attack.

A small explosion on the Fortress's port side made Zhane wince, and he tried not to think about who was on that ship. He didn't even *know* who was on that ship, when it came right down to it, but it was someone he didn't think he wanted to see hurt.

In battle, however, there was no halfway. There was "us" and "them", and for now at least, she was "them". The Megalasers continued to fire.

"Megaship, fall back," Cetaci demanded suddenly. Zhane didn't lift his eyes from the tactical map, but he heard Andros asking for the reason.

"Fall *back*," her voice repeated sharply, and suddenly Zhane saw what she was counting on. The fighter wing was coming up on their starboard side, led by the other two zords, and at the angle they were coming in, Astronema would never see them until they were right on top of the Dark Fortress.

*Andros, move,* Zhane told him. *Thirty degrees to starboard, now.*

Andros didn't question him, and the Megaship dove out of the way--revealing the entire wing of Aquitian fighters converging on the Dark Fortress. The Megaship dropped back, keeping the remaining velocifighters from ambushing the Aquitians, and the Dark Fortress was suddenly alone.

Until another wave of velocifighters launched.

Carlos kept his attention fixed on the nav readout, making sure Andros' impulsive course changes didn't send them careening into another ship. But he heard enough of the Aquitians' broadcasts--and the conspicuous silences in the chatter--to realize that they were communicating telepathically almost as much as they were via the comm system.

*No wonder Cetaci knew what the fighter wing was doing,* he thought, coordinating yet another impossible maneuver. *One of them must have let her know--or let Cestria know, and she told Cetaci?* Carlos shook his head. He didn't know who could talk to whom anymore, and he didn't have time to figure it out.

Those zord names weren't helping matters any, either. He couldn't match code name to Aquitian to save his life--all he was certain of was that "Mireth" was Cetaci. And he thought "Sirethian" was Billy… but he couldn't spare enough attention to be sure.

"Zhane!" TJ exclaimed, as the Megaship took another hit from behind.

"TJ!" Zhane mimicked, then amended, "Or should I say, 'Andros!' If you'd stop throwing us around like an abused telekinesis ball, maybe I could actually aim here."

"Wouldn't do you any good," Andros muttered, but the Megaship's erratic course smoothed out a little. "You couldn't hit Aquitar if you were standing on the surface."

"Oh, and I suppose you'd like to try," Zhane retorted, hunching over the firing controls again.

The ship spun again, and Andros answered a moment later. "No. What would be the point of hitting Aquitar?"

Carlos chuckled, inputting another series of commands into the nav console. "Hang on," he warned suddenly, overriding Andros' control and sending the Megaship into a steep climb.

"Canthris, join the fighter wing," Cetaci's voice ordered. "Sirethian, with me."

This time, Carlos was listening for and heard the acknowledgements of both Aura and Billy. Billy and Cetaci's zords followed the Megaship "up", and Andros glanced over at Zhane's tactical readout. "Carlos?"

"We need to get behind the Dark Fortress," Carlos explained, glad Cetaci had seen what he was doing without needing an explanation.

"Right," Andros interrupted, obviously seeing the setup on Zhane's display. "If we can get some of the velocifighters to follow us--"

"--We split their forces," TJ finished for him. "Draw them away from the fighter wing; good plan, Carlos."

As soon as the second round of velocifighters had launched, Cestria's voice had warned the Megaship that they were firing the same weapons that had caught Cassie earlier. Ever since, the unspoken agreement between the Aquitian zords and the Megaship had been that they would draw as much fire from the fighter wing as possible.

No one knew what effect that laser fire would have on a Power-enhanced ship, but they had had a graphic demonstration of what it did to an ordinary ship. And that was not a demonstration anyone wanted to repeat.

"Aquitian zords have returned to their launch bays," the control room's computer announced, and Phantom tried to unclench his fingers from the console in front of him.

Astronema had been driven back. The Astro Rangers and the Aquitians were safe, and no more fighters had fallen to the discolored ray that had claimed one of their number earlier that day.

But that one fighter that *had* fallen still haunted his mind. He should have been there, should have been at her side when the Dark Fortress appeared, should have protected her in a battle she was too inexperienced to fight. What had he been *thinking* when he let her go out in a starfighter by herself?

He had thought the fighter wing safe. It had never occurred to him to tell the wing commander that she had no experience in a starfighter battle, for he had not truly believed Aquitar would be attacked. Now he could only curse his own blindness, and wish desperately that he could somehow turn back time and listen to the feeling that had urged him so strongly *not* to let her go with them.

"Phantom," Cetaci's voice said, but he did not look up.

He heard her pace across the control room, soft boots quiet on the coral floor. "You were right--" She hesitated for only a moment. "About the Astro Rangers. They were worthy allies in battle, and… their assistance was valued."

The last she said more quickly, but still he did not look up. So Cetaci was finally learning to see more than her own narrow worldview. That wider vision was one she should have developed long ago, as soon as she became a Ranger, and he had no patience with her insecurity now.

"The Astro Rangers have remained on their Megaship," she said suddenly, "but we are eating in the mess hall, if you wish to join us."

This time he did raise his head, regarding her with an expression she could not see behind his visor. He never ate with the Aquitian Rangers--partly because he could go longer without eating in his morphed state, and partly because to eat would *require* him to demorph. And Cetaci knew that perfectly well.

She lowered her eyes for just a moment, then met his gaze squarely. "I want you to know," she said quietly, "that all of us who were in the control room this afternoon have taken a vow of silence. Even the Astro Rangers, although they say they already knew. No one will learn of your identity from us."

He looked away, knowing he should feel relieved. He had worked hard to build a new identity for himself--a faceless identity, one without ties or any kind of past. That identity, first as the Shadow Ranger and then the Phantom, had been his refuge for more than three years, and he had never wanted to give it up.

Until last year. Until the one person who had made him long to demorph and to feel another's touch for the first time in a long while. Until she had smiled at him, and not cared what his name was, and told him that the past he had been hiding from didn't matter. Until the person who had touched his soul and warmed his heart, making him wish suddenly that he had not given all semblance of a normal life up to become the Shadow Ranger.

The same person who had betrayed him today. The one who had forcibly revealed his true identity to the Rangers he had worked with for months--not content in merely uttering his name, she had taken his crystal and smirked as he demorphed before their eyes.

*Cassie,* he cried, in the privacy of his own mind. *You can't leave me, Cassie; you can't do this…*

But Cetaci was still standing there, waiting for a response, and he tried to collect himself enough to give one. He should be relieved. But all he could think of was that horrible look on Cassie's face, and the awful feeling that she was slipping farther and farther from him with every word…

"Thank you," he managed to say dully. "I appreciate your effort."

Cetaci nodded and turned away without further comment, seeming to sense his wish to be alone. But she hesitated in the doorway again, looking over her shoulder. "Phantom? Maybe you should try to sleep."

He just looked at her. "So I will not bother anyone? I am not projecting anymore; ask Aura yourself. It stopped a few minutes after you left the Medical bay, and no, I can not explain it."

She blinked at the onslaught. "I meant for yourself, Phantom. If you--"

"I will," he said abruptly, impatient for her to leave. "I will sleep. Now go; join your teammates."

She nodded once and disappeared. Not caring about the myriad messages Tobin had left for him over the course of the day, he turned toward the back exit from the control room. The door opened on the hallway that contained the Rangers' living quarters, and he found himself standing, by habit, in front of the room he and Cassie had been sharing.

The door slid open, and his heart jumped into his throat as he caught sight of her slight form lying amid the tangled sheets of the bed.

As his eyes adjusted to the shadows, though, he realized it was only the pillows; a trick of the light and the room's disorganized state. She had left the bed in disarray, as always, and her duffel bag was lying open on the floor by the windows. The clothes she had been wearing yesterday were the only unchaotic thing in the room, folded neatly on the chair where he'd left them when he got up this morning.

He found himself stumbling backwards, moving blindly away from the open doorway and trying to put as much distance between himself and the omnipresent reminders of her as possible. He walked quickly through the control room, and felt the lift hum to life as he stepped inside. He wasn't really surprised when it opened on the prisoner containment facilities four floors down.

*Don't go in, don't go in,* his mind chanted over and over again. *You're trying to forget her, not torture yourself with an evil twin lookalike…*

But he couldn't help it. She wasn't just a lookalike--as he had told her in the control room, she was in some way still Cassie. And they were still linked--he could feel the faint tug on his mind that had always drawn him back to her before. A tug he could no more ignore now than he had been able to then.

He stepped through the first forcefield without any problem, the scanners detecting his Power source and automatically letting him in. The second set of scanners blipped as he stepped forward, though, and the next forcefield crackled warningly. He stopped, and glanced at the readout next to the door in surprise.

Of course. The system was programmed to recognize anything anomalous and deny entry--and two morphers registering on a single person was definitely anomalous. He reached slowly for Cassie's morpher, wondering if he could really leave it out here.

Staring down at it, he let his fingers slide across the pink wristband. He didn't want to let it out of his sight. But in the back of his mind, he knew there was a very slight possibility that she could convince him to do something foolish, and he couldn't let her get her morpher back. However dangerous she might be now, she would be infinitely more so when morphed.

He set the astromorpher down on the console by the door, and the forcefield let him through without further complaint.

She was pacing back and forth across the three-walled room, in front of the transparent forcefield that made up the fourth side. For a moment, she looked no more than frustrated, as though she was focusing all her attention on some puzzle that eluded her.

As the last soundproof forcefield wavered to let him through, though, she glanced up and the illusion was lost. Cassie's expression twisted into one of amused disdain, regarding him with the same look of distaste he had once seen her give Divatox.

"What are *you* doing here?" she demanded, turning toward the forcefield and folding her arms across her chest.

"I came to see you," he said, his voice softer than he had wanted and more than a little hoarse. Gods, it hurt to see her this way. Cassie, devoid of all the compassion and spark that had made her who she was, stared out at him with uncaring contempt on her face.

"You just don't get it, do you," she sneered, stepping closer to the forcefield. "I'm not your girlfriend anymore, *Saryn*. I'm the *enemy*, and there's nothing you can do to change that."

He stared at her, frozen, torn between the urge to shake her violently and the desire to get as far away as he could from this warped copy of the woman he loved. "I can't accept that," he whispered finally.

Deliberately, she reached out and laid her hand against the forcefield. The field crackled around her fingers, and he saw her grit her teeth against the discomfort. He took an involuntary step forward, knowing the unpleasant sensation would only get worse the longer she held her hand there and let the charge build, but she stopped him with a glance.

He tried not to gasp as she raised her head to stare at him. Her eyes flashed, glowing a momentary light green, and she growled, "I am *not* the person you knew. Do you understand?"

He shook his head, trying to deny what he was seeing, and he saw her fingers whiten as she pushed harder against the forcefield. It responded to the increased pressure with a higher charge, and he saw her wince. Then the faintest echo of her pain reached him through the link that had never been as strong for him as it had for her, and he cried out.

"Cassie, stop!" He found himself in front of the forcefield, and he brought his fist down on it in despair. She could seriously hurt herself if she did not back down, and he couldn't bear to see that happen.

Letting his morph fade, he flinched as the shock of the field ran through him all at once. But it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart, and he ignored it, locking gazes with Cassie in a silent struggle for control.

Through the link, he could feel her discomfort escalating beyond anything she should have been able to tolerate--but it wasn't until he pressed harder against the field and felt the pain shoot through his own body that she cried out. Drawing her hand back as though scalded, she gasped, "Stop…"

He yanked his hand away, tears forming in his eyes. That had *hurt*, and it was even harder to see her hurting because of it. It was almost impossible to hold himself still, to keep himself from reaching for the forcefield controls. All he wanted was to wrap her in his arms and drive away both her pain and his own, and he almost didn't care if she glared spitefully at him for it afterwards. Not as long as he could touch her now.

Luckily, she backed away from the forcefield before he could give in to his impulse. Giving him a last wrathful glance, she resumed her pacing, ignoring his presence as best she could.

He closed his eyes, making himself take a step back, and then another, until he felt the opposite wall at his back. Sliding down to the floor, he rested his head on his hands and listened to the sound of her sandals slapping angrily against the hard floor as she walked.

6. Last Chance

He tried to ignore the noise, burying his head in the pillow and hoping it would go away. But the more he tried to go back to sleep, the louder the noise got, and finally he rolled over, squinting in the darkness.

"Who is it?" Zhane mumbled, not quite loud enough to be heard by whomever was on the other side of the door.

"Who *is* it?" he repeated, louder, and this time he heard Andros' voice answer.

"It's me, Zhane." Then the briefest mindtouch added, *I need your help.*

"Come in," Zhane said automatically, pushing himself up and running a hand through his hair. "DECA, lights," he said, standing as the door slid open.

The lights brightened as Andros stepped into the room, looking over his shoulder as he did so. Zhane frowned as the door closed behind him. "What's going on?"

Andros sighed. "I'm really sorry to wake you up for this--"

"Andros, it's all right," Zhane interrupted, stifling a yawn. His friend was obviously concerned about something, and Zhane tried to force his mind to clear. "What time is it, anyway?"

Andros looked a little guilty. "It's almost midnight on Earth. Evening, here, but you've only been asleep for an hour or so."

Zhane blinked, giving his head a shake. "Well, at least it's not morning already, with me feeling this tired. I still have a whole night. So what's up?"

Andros looked, if anything, guiltier. "Actually, that's what I wanted to ask you."

Confused, Zhane wondered if he was really awake yet. "What do you mean? How would I know what's going on?"

A small smile crossed Andros' face. "No--I was going to ask if you'd mind staying up for a while."

Zhane scrubbed at his face, wishing his brain would realize he was trying to carry on a coherent conversation here. "Oh," he said, rather blankly. "Sure. Why?"

Andros sighed. "Ashley's not doing so well," he admitted. "She's pretty upset about Cassie--we all are--but she won't talk about it. Carlos and TJ have been keeping her company, but they really need to get some sleep if they're going to go to school tomorrow."

"What about Ashley?" Zhane asked, then could have kicked himself. If she was that bad, she wouldn't be going to school.

"I don't think she's going to make it to school," Andros said quietly, confirming his assumption. "I'm not even sure she's going to sleep. If she does, great, but if not, I don't really want her to be alone."

Something stirred in Zhane's mind, some thought half-buried by sleep--something he was supposed to remember about Cassie. But he couldn't for the life of him think what it could be, and it was overwhelmed by sudden curiosity as he realized what Andros was saying. "What about you?" he demanded. "Where are you going?"

"The Kalenay system," Andros answered. "Zordon says they're the only major world that isn't represented in the Inner Alliance yet, and they have this superstition about video transmissions. The invitation has to be delivered in person."

Zhane rolled his eyes. "How can people build technology they're afraid to use…"

Andros sighed again. "They're not afraid of it. They just believe that all treaties have to be confirmed in the physical presence of a representative from both sides. Too easy to fake video links, they say."

Zhane's mind finally caught up to him, and he gave Andros an odd look. "Why you?"

His friend shrugged. "Cetaci's needed here and Saryn's--not really available, so I volunteered. The Alliance isn't official until everyone's been offered a place in it, and Zordon can't order them into anything until it *is* official. The Kalenay are the last ones."

At least, he had *thought* his mind had caught up. He tried to remember anything that would give him a clue as to why this was suddenly so important, but he couldn't do it, and he finally gave up. "Why the sudden rush?"

He got one of the patented "Andros looks" for that question. "Because Aquitar needs the Alliance's protection. The Dark Fortress isn't going to be the last threat--it's probably just the beginning. But Zordon can't ask the Alliance to defend one world over another unless *all* the League worlds have a place in it."

Zhane tried to make that make sense, but finally he wrote it off as "politics" and ignored it. "So how long is this going to take?"

"A few hours," Andros admitted. "I'm going to take the Delta Megaship. I should be back before Earth morning, but…"

"You're worried about Ashley," Zhane finished for him. "Yeah, I'll stay up with her. It's no problem."

"Thanks, Zhane," Andros said, looking distinctly relieved. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Zhane repeated, offering his arm. Andros mimicked the gesture and clasped his hand.

That was when he remembered. "Andros," he said quickly, just as his friend was turning away. "I was thinking about Cassie, earlier."

It might have been his imagination, but he thought his friend stiffened. Andros was probably blaming himself for what had happened to their teammate…

"Yeah?" Andros looked back at him.

"The healer said that a sorcerer who knew anything about evil wouldn't help Cassie," Zhane said, watching the other carefully. He hadn't had much time to think this out before he'd fallen asleep, but it seemed too important to keep to himself. "What about Astrea?"

"Astronema?" Andros seemed surprised by the suggestion--but not quite surprised enough.

"You thought of that, too," Zhane said. It wasn't a question.

Andros nodded once, looking troubled. "Sort of. I mean, I thought of it, but I didn't want to say anything." He gave Zhane an uncertain look. "Do you--do you really think she'd help us?"

"You said yourself that she knows what's right," Zhane offered, not really sure himself but not willing to dismiss the idea.

"*Kerone* knows what's right," Andros said, fingers twitching toward his locket. "I'm not so sure about Astronema. She's the one who did this to Cassie in the first place."

"You don't know that," Zhane insisted. "It could have been anyone with magical ability that designed those lasers. And she didn't know it was Cassie… I know it's not a good thought, Andros, but it is easier to shoot at faceless people."

"She's seen *all* our faces," Andros muttered. "It's never stopped her from firing before."

"But it didn't stop us, either," Zhane pointed out quietly. "We knew she was on the Dark Fortress. We know--we think--it's Kerone over there, and we fight anyway. Because we have to. But if it were *her* needing *our* help, you know we'd help her."

Andros looked down, then lifted his gaze to some undefined point just beyond Zhane. "I want to believe that she'd do that for us," he murmured. "I really do. But then I keep wondering if I'm letting my own feelings get in the way. She's my *sister*, Zhane, and I can't make myself comprehend all the evil she's done."

Zhane just watched his friend not look at him for a moment, not sure how to answer. Finally, he just agreed quietly. "I know," Zhane said, and Andros caught his eye again.

"Andros," he said, suddenly remembering Astrea's questions the night of the dance. "I think she wants to change. I really think she might help us if we asked--I think maybe all she needs is a *chance* to be good again.

"It's awfully hard to turn your back on everything you've lived with for years and years without knowing what else there is," he added. "But if she knew there were people here for her, who would help her build a new life for herself, then maybe…"

There was a knock on the door, and they both started. Glancing automatically at the door, he caught Andros' eye again and shrugged. "Come in," Zhane called.

The door slid open to reveal Ashley, her face flushed, and flanked on either side by Carlos and TJ. "You guys," she said, sounding a little breathless. "Cassie--what about Astronema?"

The room was absolutely silent. Zhane just stared at her, and he suspected Andros was doing the same thing. Behind her, Carlos and TJ glanced warily at each other, and then looked back at Zhane and Andros.

Andros spoke first. "Ash, are you okay?" he asked, crossing the room to stand next to her. Zhane suspected his friend just barely kept himself from reaching out to her, but even the question made Ashley glare at him.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" she demanded. "Of course I'm okay; I just want to know if Astronema can help Cassie, and no one will listen to me!"

This time Andros did reach out to her, and Zhane winced a little. But instead of exploding, Ashley leaned into his embrace and started to cry softly. "Andros," he heard her whisper almost inaudibly, "Why is this happening…"

"Shh…" Andros closed his eyes, hugging her tighter. "It's going to be okay, Ash; I promise."

Zhane shifted uncomfortably, and Andros opened his eyes to glance in his direction. "Zhane thinks Astronema might be able to help, too," he murmured after a moment, and Ashley looked up, rubbing her eyes and blinking at him.

"Really?" she whispered. She looked over at Zhane too, and Zhane tried to smile.

"Yeah, really," he said. "I talked to her, remember, on Earth. I didn't know she was Astronema then, but I still think she might help us."

"Wait," TJ interrupted from the hallway. "So Astronema really was in Angel Grove?"

"I told you," Ashley murmured, sniffing a little as she took a deep breath. "Zhane talked to her."

Andros patted her back comfortingly as she drew back, taking a step away from him to glare at TJ and Carlos defiantly. He kept an arm around her waist, and she moved a little to lean against his side. "They didn't believe me," she said, sounding a little more like her old self as her voice took on a slightly indignant tone.

"Can you blame us?" Carlos asked wryly. "Astronema, wandering around the streets of Angel Grove disguised as an ordinary human?"

"Yeah," TJ agreed. "Sorry, Ash--but you have to admit that sounds a little wild."

"It's true," Zhane said, stepping forward to join the conversation. "I met her that first night we were back on Earth. She said her name was Astrea, and I've been seeing her around Angel Grove ever since. I didn't know she was Astronema until last night."

Carlos and TJ exchanged glances again. "And you didn't think this was important enough to *tell* us?" TJ demanded.

"We didn't really have time," Andros murmured. "I mean, everyone went their own ways after the dance, and then…"

"You guys weren't exactly around much today," Carlos admitted. "But Zhane?" Carlos gave him a look. "Couldn't you have mentioned at some point that Astronema was on Earth?"

Zhane shrugged uncomfortably. "I didn't think of it."

"Anything else we should know, while we're at it?" TJ asked, looking a little amused. "Ashley said something about…"

He trailed off, and Andros looked up. "We think Astronema is Kerone."

Carlos threw up his hands. "That does it. Next time, there's going to be a phone tree. As soon as anyone finds out that a major villain is either Zhane's friend or Andros' sister, and especially if she happens to be *both*, I want to know about it."

TJ was grinning, but he nodded. "Me, too," he agreed. "Andros, you call Carlos, and Carlos, you let me know. Got it?"

Zhane frowned, catching Andros' eye. *What are they talking about?*

*I don't have the faintest idea,* Andros answered. "What's a phone tree?" he asked aloud, and Carlos snickered.

"Never mind," the Black Ranger said. "Just try to let us know when things happen around here, all right?"

"Ashley told you," Andros pointed out, glancing over at his girlfriend. She actually had a small smile on her face, and Zhane assumed that whatever humor he and Andros had missed had done her some good.

"Yeah, but…" TJ looked over at Carlos, then shrugged apologetically. "Sorry for doubting you, Ash."

Ashley shook her head, her smile fading. "It's okay," she said, and her voice trembled a little before she got it back under control. "I know I've been acting kind of weird."

Zhane couldn't blame her for that, and he knew Andros wouldn't either--Andros had been through this before. "It's all right," his friend whispered, squeezing her shoulders, and TJ nodded.

"Yeah, you're entitled, Ash. Man, we all have reason to act a little crazy right now, but…" He hesitated, glancing at Carlos. "I really haven't stopped to think about it. In my mind, Cassie's just hurt, you know? I still think of her as needing to get better, not…"

"Not gone," Carlos finished, and TJ nodded mutely.

Zhane knew he shouldn't get their hopes up, but he couldn't really believe that Astrea *wouldn't* help them. "She's not," he said, and Andros shot him a warning glance.

Zhane sighed. "Look, I know it's a long shot. But it's a chance, isn't it? If *anyone* could undo this, it would be her."

"Yeah, since she's the one who did it in the first place," Carlos muttered, sounding more bitter than Zhane had expected.

"You guys, she isn't all bad," Zhane insisted. "I know Astronema's done some terrible things, but that's not who she really is."

"Zhane, if you can't judge someone by their actions, how *can* you judge them?" TJ asked quietly. "I want to help Cassie more than anything, but I'm having trouble believing that Astronema has any good in her at all. Even if she *is* Andros' sister," he added, glancing at the Red Ranger.

Zhane had fully expected Andros to defend her, but his friend just tightened his grip on Ashley and said nothing.

"Judge them by who they want to be, then," Zhane said at last. "She wants to change. I'm sure of it. We just have to give her a chance."

"Look," Andros said, finally speaking up. "Zhane's talked to her. He knows better than any of us what she's really like. And if he thinks he can convince her to help us, I think we should let him try."

Zhane swallowed. *When did this become *my* job?* he wondered.

"I want my sister back, you guys," Andros said quietly. "And if there's any chance that we can get Cassie back, too, then I want to take it."

*Oh, this is not good,* Zhane thought, trying not to panic. The full implications of what he was proposing hadn't really hit him until now. But all of a sudden, both Kerone and Cassie had become his responsibility--and he didn't even know where to start. Astrea had always found *him*, not the other way around, and after last night, he wasn't sure he could even count on seeing her again.

But Carlos was nodding, and Ashley gave him a small smile. "You're right, Andros," TJ agreed at last. "I can't believe we're seriously thinking about asking Astronema for help… but we have to take any chance we can get."

"I think so too," Carlos said, adding his support, and Ashley nodded.

"We'll be back on Earth tomorrow anyway," Andros said. "I'll set the course as soon as I get back tonight."

Wondering what in the universe he'd gotten himself into, Zhane almost missed the flash of panic on Ashley's face. "Where are you going?" she asked anxiously, turning to look at Andros.

"Irini," he answered. "In the Kalenay system--only for a couple hours, Ash. I'll be back before you know it."

"But why?" she wanted to know, and Zhane hoped his friend could see the fear on her face. Ashley obviously didn't want to let any of the team out of her sight, least of all Andros, and after what had happened to Cassie, Zhane couldn't blame her.

"Just some protocol stuff," he said gently, running his hand through her hair and completely ignoring the surprise on TJ and Carlos' faces. He had clearly not broken the news to them yet, either.

"Once someone's gone to Irini, the Alliance that Zordon's running can come in and protect Aquitar," he added. "The Aquitian Rangers can't keep doing it alone, not if Dark Spectre sends more than just the Dark Fortress, and we can't stay here forever."

"Does it have to be you?" Ashley asked reluctantly, as though she already knew the answer.

"No," Andros admitted. "But I volunteered. Cetaci's needed here--"

"So are you," Ashley murmured.

He smiled, but it didn't stop him from continuing. "And Saryn's not exactly at his best right now. After hearing him yell at Cetaci today, I'm not sure I'd *want* him to go on a diplomatic mission. I'll be back when you wake up, I promise."

"I'm not sleeping," Ashley said, lifting her chin. "I'm staying up 'till you come back."

"Ash, he'll be okay," Carlos cut in. "You heard him--it's just a diplomatic mission. No shooting involved."

Zhane didn't miss the look Carlos shot in Andros' direction, and Andros nodded quickly. "That's right; it isn't dangerous. You don't have to worry."

"I don't care," Ashley said stubbornly. "I'm worrying anyway, so you'd better come back quick."

She sounded like nothing so much as a recalcitrant child, but Zhane could tell his friend found it endearing. He felt a flash of envy as Andros leaned in and kissed her, and he couldn't help wishing he had someone who cared that much about him.

As Andros drew back and Ashley smiled at him, TJ cleared his throat. "Uh, Andros? I can't help bringing up that phone tree thing again. Next time, maybe you could *tell* us these things in advance…"

"*What* is a phone tree?" Andros demanded again, clearly exasperated.

Carlos actually chuckled, and although Zhane didn't know either, he couldn't help smiling at his friend's annoyance. "It's a way for a group of people to get information without any one person having to do much work," the Black Ranger explained.

"You set it up ahead of time," TJ offered, when Andros didn't look any more enlightened. "So the first person to find out information calls a certain person, and then that person calls a certain other person, and so on."

"But we don't have to do that," Andros said, his expression turning to one of puzzlement. "Our morphers can contact everyone on the team at once."

TJ just threw up his hands and turned to Carlos. "I give up," he said, and Zhane heard Ashley giggle a little.

"I think that's the point, Andros," she said, a real smile on her face. "It would be really easy to tell everyone what's going on, but you don't…"

"*I* don't?" he exclaimed. "Zhane could have told them! And you were the one who dragged me off to the beach--"

From where he was standing, Zhane could see the look in Ashley's eyes before Andros did. His friend was too busy expressing his indignation to notice her lean closer, but he cut off abruptly as she placed her fingers over his lips.

"We're just kidding," Ashley whispered, letting her hand fall and pressing her lips to his.

Andros closed his eyes, and Zhane looked away as the two of them held onto each other, apparently oblivious to everyone else in the room. Carlos looked away from TJ and caught his gaze, rolling his eyes, and Zhane couldn't help smiling. Carlos' look said as clearly as words, *We should be used to these demonstrations by now…*

"I have to go," Andros murmured at last, pulling away from Ashley with obvious reluctance.

Ashley sighed. "I know. Be careful, okay?"

He nodded solemnly. "I'll see you soon," Andros promised.

Glancing around the room, he nodded to Carlos and TJ, then locked gazes with Zhane. Zhane smiled, and Andros returned the expression before squeezing Ashley's shoulder one last time and stepping back. "See you guys in the morning," he said, reaching for the Battlelizer that appeared on his wrist.

Ashley lifted her hand in a half-wave as he teleported out. The room was illuminated by a flash of brilliant crimson as the glowing sparkles streaked away, and then he was gone.

Zhane turned to Ashley, realizing that if Andros hadn't even told TJ and Carlos he was leaving, he probably hadn't mentioned that he was planning to hand over custody of Ashley to Zhane. "Ash, I'm going to head up to the Bridge and run some scanner sweeps. Want to keep me company?"

He saw the other two Rangers give him a startled look, but Ashley just nodded, still staring at the spot where Andros had vanished. "Sure," she said distantly.

Zhane glanced at TJ and Carlos. Carlos looked worried, but Zhane waved at them in a "don't worry" gesture. Putting a tentative hand on Ashley's shoulder, he was relieved when she let him steer her toward the door.

TJ and Carlos looked at each other again, and he thought he saw TJ shrug. "If you two don't need any help, I think I'll go try and get some sleep," TJ said, following them out of Zhane's room.

"No, we can manage," Zhane said, hoping Ashley wasn't going to slide back into depression with Andros gone. "You guys get some rest."

"Right," Carlos said, clapping him on the shoulder. When Zhane glanced at him, Carlos mouthed, "Thanks," and Zhane nodded. "We'll see you in the morning, then."

"Pleasant dreams," TJ added, and he and Carlos headed for their respective rooms.

Zhane tried to stifle a yawn. *"Pleasant dreams"?* he thought wryly. *Very funny, TJ.* The Blue Ranger had to know neither of them would be sleeping for at least another few hours.

Ashley continued to let him lead her until they stepped into the lift. Then she looked up as the doors slid shut and caught his eye. "I know what you're doing," she said calmly.

Zhane punched in the lift's destination and gave her his most innocent look. "What do you mean?"

"Andros probably asked you to keep an eye on me," she said. "The same way he made Carlos and TJ stay with me while he went down to Aquitar a little while ago."

"Of course not," Zhane lied. "He woke me up to say he was going, and I figured if you were going to stay up anyway we might as well keep each other company."

"Right," Ashley said, no expression on her face. "You lie about as well as they do."

Zhane sighed, letting the act drop. "Look, he's just worried about you, Ashley. I think he blames himself for what happened to Cassie, and he's probably going crazy thinking it could have been you."

"It's not that I don't appreciate it," Ashley whispered, and he was startled to see tears in her eyes. "It's just--I feel so guilty having everyone fuss over me like this."

"We're your friends, Ashley," he said, amused. "We're supposed to act like this."

The lift doors opened onto the Bridge, and he was relieved to see Ashley smile a little through her tears. "I know," she said quietly. "And you guys are great. It's just… it's not like I'm the only one who's upset. Everyone's hurting, and I guess I feel selfish, having you all looking out for me like this."

Zhane thought about that as he walked out onto the Bridge. "You know," he said suddenly, "I think it makes us feel better to take care of someone. I mean, I can't speak for Carlos or TJ, but--it's kind of easier to worry about you than it is to feel sorry for myself. I guess maybe we're using you, in a way, to forget about our own problems… does that sound really bad?"

Ashley sniffed, but when he looked back at her she was still smiling. "Yes," she said. "But it makes me feel a little better. I think."

Zhane grinned at her. "Good. Now get out here and give me a hand."

"You're actually going to run some scans?" Ashley said, looking surprised. "I thought that was just a way to let TJ and Carlos off the hook."

"Well, that too," he admitted unrepentantly. "But I thought I'd check up on Astronema, and maybe--" He gave her a quick look, not sure he should admit to this one. "Track the Delta Megaship," he muttered in a rush.

Ashley tilted her head, stepping out of the lift and looking at him curiously. "Track the Delta Megaship?"

He was trying to figure out what to say when he saw the corner of her mouth quirk. "You must have read my mind," Ashley said, and he grinned in relief.

"I bet you've done this before," he said, going over to the scanner console.

"Oh, and you haven't," she retorted, following him.

"Well, not exactly," he said, and she gave him a knowing look. He tried to keep a straight face. "After all, we didn't have the Delta Megaship two years ago."

He flinched away, his grin showing through again as she aimed a half-hearted slap at his shoulder. "You know what I mean," Ashley said, setting the scanners to run briefly across the Dark Fortress and then follow the Delta Megaship until it was out of range.

"Yeah," he admitted. "It was worst before I got my powers. His team had given theirs up, and I had to watch him go off alone all the time."

"How *did* you get your powers?" she asked suddenly, glancing sideways at him. "If you don't mind me asking…"

He blinked. "I figured Andros told you."

She shook her head. "He never volunteered, and I never asked."

Zhane shook his head wryly. "If that's what you two are usually like with each other, I'm amazed you ever got together."

Instead of trying to hit him again, Ashley got a far-off look in her eyes. "If it had been up to him, we might not have," she admitted. "I sort of forced the issue."

Zhane raised an eyebrow. That sounded like a story he wanted to hear. "If I tell you how I got my powers, will you tell me how you and Andros started going out?"

She looked at him, startled, until she saw what he suspected was a rather devilish look on his face. Folding her arms across her chest, she smirked at him. "All right. But you have to go first."

Relieved that she was showing interest in something at last, he nodded in agreement. "Deal."

Spinning a chair around, he flopped down in it and put his feet up on the console. Ashley gave him a wry look, but said nothing. Pulling up her own chair, she sat down carefully and waited for him to speak.

"Well," Zhane began, then stopped. "Now that I've said I'll tell you, I've just realized that most of it won't make any sense." He looked at her more closely. "You're sure Andros didn't tell you anything?"

She shook her head wordlessly.

"Well," Zhane tried again, "Andros was the only Kerovan Ranger for a few weeks. We were… eleven, I think, when KO-35 was evacuated that first time, and his team had never been trained for the kind of attack that Dark Spectre threw at us. His team was kept out of the fighting, and his teammates gave up their powers when we settled on Rayven."

He paused. "You know this much, right?"

"Sort of," Ashley said. "He's told me about KO-35, and Rayven, and even some about you--but nothing about your powers."

Zhane shrugged. "Maybe because he doesn't understand them. No one really does, I guess. I said I wanted to fight with him--actually, I think my exact words were, 'If you don't let me come with you, I'm stowing away.'"

Ashley giggled a little at that, and he smiled sheepishly. "As you can imagine, no one was very impressed. Except Andros. And he was the one who had the morphers…"

Ashley's eyes widened. "He said you were offered an astromorpher--he didn't say it was his idea."

Zhane felt his smile widen at the memory. "Yeah, well, no one was very impressed with him either, when they found that out. There was actually some talk of disbanding the Kerovan Rangers altogether--all one of them--because of "lack of necessity'', they said, but the real reason was that the colony's leaders thought we were too young to know what we were doing."

Ashley tilted her head. "Before we came into space, the Turbo team had a Ranger almost that young--and he was the most experienced one of all of us."

It took him a moment to place "Turbo team", but finally he got it. Andros had said the old Earth Rangers were called "Turbo". "I don't doubt it," he said, "but--they were probably right about us. We *didn't* know what we were doing. But we were friends, and we weren't going to let some Power difference come between us."

"But you didn't take the astromorpher," Ashley said, when he paused.

Zhane shook his head. "I couldn't. I didn't earn it, and I didn't feel right taking a morpher that had been meant for someone else."

He saw Ashley glance involuntarily at her wrist. "Oh, you're different," he said quickly. "You earned the right to be a Ranger--I just made a nuisance of myself until my best friend gave in.

"So I went on my own--quest, I guess you could call it," he continued quickly, before she could say respond to that. "That's the part I can't really explain. I had heard about this Power…"

He remembered vividly the message that had come at exactly the right time, and then Andros' offer… "Andros took the Megaship and we went together--but in the end, I had to go seeking alone."

He sighed, realizing how unhelpful his explanation was. "Sorry," Zhane apologized. "I know it doesn't make any sense--"

"No, Ashley interrupted. "Actually, I've been hearing some wild stories about Power quests lately…"

She shook her head at his confused expression. "Just talking to some of the old Rangers. Sorry; go on."

Zhane shrugged again. "That's pretty much all I can tell you. Andros never said anything about my uniform, but I didn't choose it consciously--it just appeared that way."

"With the black bars instead of the colored ones?" Ashley asked, and he nodded. "I guess it makes sense, if there wasn't really a team then…"

"There was me and Andros," Zhane said quietly. "That was all we needed."

Then he added quickly, "But I really like you guys. I didn't mean that to sound so…"

"Exclusive?" Ashley suggested, smiling a little. "That's okay; I knew what you meant."

"So what about you and Andros?" he asked, hoping to change the subject. "You were going to tell me how you got him to come to his senses."

She looked down for a minute, but he couldn't believe she was embarrassed. "Oh, come on," he teased. "A smart, pretty girl like you, interested in *him*, and he didn't ask you out the second you met? What was he thinking?"

Ashley looked up again, a grin creeping across her face. "Well, we didn't exactly get along right away."

He stared at her. "You've got to be kidding me. I can't picture you and Andros fighting!"

"That's not quite what I mean," she said, and Zhane could have sworn she blushed a little. "I sort of… had a crush on him. Instantly. Like, the second I saw him."

Zhane grinned, and she sighed. "Stop it! It was really embarrassing…"

He had to laugh at her expression, and she sighed again. But Ashley was smiling, and he couldn't resist the opportunity to tease her some more. "Andros always had girl appeal. But they usually gave up when he completely ignored them…"

Ashley looked a little sheepish. "He tried. But I was a little too determined for that. And every time I *was* about to give up, he'd say something, or do something, that made me think maybe I had a chance after all."

"Like?" Zhane wanted to know, curious as to how his friend's heart had been stolen so quickly.

"Well…" Ashley squirmed. "I don't know. Just the way he'd look at me, sometimes, and how he always sat next to me when we had lunch on Earth." She shrugged ruefully. "Little things that didn't have to mean anything, but I kept hoping."

"And you "forced the issue"?" Zhane asked, amused.

The distant look was back in her eyes, for just a moment. "I kind of kissed him," she admitted.

Zhane blinked. "Just like that?"

"Pretty much… He'd stalked out on us again, and that time I went after him. I found him in his room, and he didn't look upset at all, just… lonely. We talked for a couple minutes, and--I kissed him."

"Man, I bet that was a shock," Zhane said, grinning. He was dying to ask what Andros had done, but he figured he was already pushing the limits of courtesy.

"Yeah," Ashley agreed, a dreamy look on her face. "I left, and when he confronted me about it later, I apologized, and then… he kissed *me*."

Zhane felt his grin fading as he looked at her. He couldn't doubt that she loved his friend, and he remembered Andros voicing his own feelings for her on Rayven. "You guys are really lucky," he observed quietly.

Her focus gradually returned to him, and she smiled. "I know," Ashley agreed.

The scanners blipped, and Zhane glanced over at them. "The Delta Megaship is out of range," he commented idly. "He must be almost there."

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, and Zhane was about to suggest another topic of conversation when Ashley stiffened. "Andros?" she whispered, and he could see her gaze unfocus once more.

Zhane swung his feet off the console and sat up. "What's going on?" he demanded, alerted by her sudden change in demeanor.

"Andros is in trouble," she whispered. "Darkonda… attacked the Delta Megaship…"

He could see her trying to divide her attention between him and Andros and failing miserably. He tried to keep himself from reaching out to Andros, knowing another distraction was probably the last thing his friend needed--but the need to know overcame logic, and he called urgently, *Andros?*

*Zhane.* Andros' voice sounded farther away than it ever had. *I'm sorry--take care of Ashley.* There was a sharp sensation, almost painful, and his mind was ominously silent.

"Andros!" Ashley cried, leaping to her feet. "No! You can't…" She choked over the words, and Zhane slammed his hand down on the console, a sense of terrible dread filling him.

"DECA, take us out of Aquitian orbit," he snapped, adjusting the scanners to feed directly into the nav computer. "Follow the Delta Megaship, hyperrush nine."

"Hyperrush nine," DECA repeated, and Aquitar receded into darkness behind them as the viewscreen filled with simulated starlines.

"Andros, don't do this to us," Zhane muttered, cold fear gripping his heart. *Don't do this to her,* he thought, glancing over at Ashley's frozen figure, staring blindly ahead of her at something he couldn't see.

*Don't do this to *me*,* he added silently, selfishly. *I don't want to know what you went through those two years I was in hypersleep…*

"DECA, any sign of the Delta Megaship?" Zhane asked impatiently. Andros had passed out of range only moments before his telepathic call reached Ashley--the scanners should already be able to detect the other ship.

"The Delta Megaship is not registering on the scanners," DECA said, her voice somewhat subdued.

"Andros," Ashley whispered brokenly, a tear slipping down her cheek.

He had always been lucky. He'd never thought about it that way before, but there it was. His sister had been kidnapped from a park one day long ago, but she had not been killed. She was alive, and he had somehow found her again, against all odds.

His home planet had been attacked, but so many of its inhabitants had survived to be transplanted to a safer place. They had thrived there, and the team he had lost in the process had been replaced by the best friend he had ever had, and the only teammate he had needed for four years.

Those four years had come to an abrupt end when his homeworld was attacked again and his only teammate had been killed. Or almost killed--somehow, he had survived in hypersleep and recovered from his near-fatal injuries to join his best friend again.

And in the meantime, he had found four other people to share his ship and his life. They had made him smile for the first time in a long while, and she had filled the lonely ache in his heart. She had overcome the walls he'd built around himself, and taught him how to love again.

For everything that had gone wrong in his life, something more than right enough to make up for it had come along. He was luckier than he had ever realized… until that luck had run out.

As one of Darkonda's fighters made what was clearly going to be a kamikaze run straight for the Delta Megaship's engine core, Andros reached out instinctively. *Ashley…*

She knew something was wrong even before he told her what had happened. He managed to jettison the ship's automatic log before the core exploded, and he felt Zhane call out to him. *Zhane--*

There was no more time, and he wished he could wrap these two people he loved most in the world up in his arms. *I'm sorry. Take care of Ashley for me.*

He knew, as the ship burst into flame around him, that this time there was no more luck to pull him through. Even the Power could not protect him from this.

7. Downswing

*Andros…* She kept calling, desperately seeking some sort of response, but there was no response. The silence in her mind was worse than any pronouncement DECA could make.

He had always been there--she hadn't realized how constant his subtle presence was until she listened for him and heard nothing. She didn't know when that soft glow in her mind had started, but she knew now that it had never been extinguished.

Until a couple of minutes ago. He had been there, so close she could hear his thoughts and *see* what he was telling her, hear what he was feeling in his voice and know with a sinking certainty that he didn't expect to ever see her again--and then he was gone.

Gone, like he had never been there. No fading, no shifting focus, just a sudden snap that left her floundering for a moment before her own thoughts took over again. Aware of the Megaship once more, Ashley had felt the tears on her face and seen the look of utter despair on Zhane's, and she had known he felt it too.

"I am detecting the Delta Megaship's log beacon," DECA said, and Ashley closed her eyes, displacing another round of tears and trying not to whimper. There was only one reason the log beacon would be floating free in space.

"Establish a datalink with the beacon," Zhane said, his voice barely above a whisper. "And DECA--call TJ and Carlos."

"Zhane," she tried to say, but her throat was too tight with tears to get the word out. She tried to rub her face dry, but more tears just kept falling. "Zhane?"

This time he heard her, and his hands stilled on the console as he turned to her. He was crying, she realized, and she couldn't help thinking how strange it was to see tears in his normally cheerful blue eyes. "Is… is Andros…"

She knew, but she had to ask. Yet when she tried, she couldn't get past his name, and Zhane just reached out to touch her shoulder tentatively. She saw him nod, swallowing hard and making no attempt to brush away his own tears.

Trying to contain her own did no good, and she threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder. Zhane wrapped her up in a desperate hug, holding her so tightly she thought she might snap. But she was squeezing him just as hard, and they clung to each other as though they could somehow will Andros back to them.

Ashley didn't know or care how long they stood like that, but DECA didn't say anything, not even to tell them the datalink had been established. She heard the lift door slid open, and TJ's voice muttered, "I swear, if this is another one of DECA's practical jokes…"

He trailed off, and Ashley heard footsteps on the metal deck as he and Carlos left the lift. "Ashley?" Carlos asked. "Zhane? What's going on?"

Ashley felt a fresh flood of tears threatening to overwhelm her, and she clutched Zhane harder as he tried, haltingly, to answer Carlos. "Andros…" He cleared his throat, but his voice was rough as he continued. "The Delta Megaship was--shot down, on its way to Irini."

There was a stunned silence from behind them. "Andros?" TJ asked softly.

Zhane didn't answer, and Ashley couldn't.

"DECA, what's our course?" Carlos asked finally.

"We are currently following the vector taken by the Delta Megaship," DECA answered. "There is no sign of the ship at its last known location, or anywhere along its projected flight path."

There was another long pause, and then Ashley heard the beep of an accessed datafile. The viewscreen staticked, and she heard KERI's calm monotone take over the Bridge, reciting the vital stats as they had been downloaded to the log beacon.

"Access link two-three-eight point four," the Delta Megaship's computer announced. "ETA to Irini, six minutes. Enemy fighters detected by scanners; full battleship appearing from apparent EM cloak forty-two degrees to starboard. Laser bombardment underway. Heavy damage to aft shielding; overload imminent in main coolant lines. Engine core--"

"Stop," Ashley choked. "Stop it!"

She jerked away from Zhane, stumbling toward the lift. She heard Carlos call her name, but all she wanted was to get away from that terrible narration of damage to the Delta Megaship. She knew how it would end; she had been there with Andros when the ship had exploded, and she didn't want to live it again.

KERI's voice pursued her into the lift. "Engine core at critical. Enemy fighter--"

The door closed, agonizingly slowly, but finally it cut off the sound of the Delta Megaship's automated log. "Deck five," she mumbled miserably, sinking to the floor and pulling her knees up to her chest.

"He was ambushed," TJ muttered, staring at the viewscreen as the log played out its last few seconds. It had been jettisoned only seconds after a suicide run by one of the fighters had ruptured the engine core, and it wasn't hard to extrapolate what had happened from there.

Zhane didn't have to extrapolate. He had heard his friend's final words as the ship blew itself apart, and he didn't want to see it play out on the monitor. But he had watched in horrified fascination until the screen went black, and TJ and Carlos had started trying to trace the vapor trail of the ships that had attacked the Delta Megaship.

Zhane turned away abruptly. He wanted to know when they found something--but only so he could tear the entire fleet to shreds. Right now, he *had* to get away from here. And he knew where he had to go.

"Zhane." Carlos' voice stopped him before he had taken more than two steps. "We could use some help here."

The Black Ranger's voice was tense with anger and worry, but Zhane resumed his course for the lift without looking back. "I can't."

"Zhane…" TJ too sounded upset, but he didn't have a chance to say anything else before Zhane cut him off.

"Look." Zhane whirled, glaring at the both of them. "I know you think you understand, but you don't. You knew him for a few months. I knew him all my life. I was *talking* to him when--"

He broke off, trying to hold onto his anger so they wouldn't see the tears that were threatening to fall again. He couldn't do it, though, and he turned away, muttering, "I'm going to find Ashley."

He could practically hear their doubt, and he knew it wasn't the wisest thing to do. Ashley had run away, and Zhane wasn't sure himself that she wanted company. But he needed it more than anything, and she was the only one he could count on…

*Sometimes people run away to be alone,* he remembered Andros' mother telling him once, back when Kerone had been kidnapped and Andros had withdrawn from everyone around him. *But sometimes they run away to see if you care enough to follow them.*

"DECA, where's Ashley right now?" he asked, once the door had shut out the Megaship's Bridge.

"Ashley is on deck five, in Andros' room," DECA answered, her words sounding slower than usual.

He touched the control panel by the door, and the lift slipped up a level to deck five. He walked down the hall, hesitating in front of his friend's door. *I have as much right to be here as her,* he thought finally, and he keyed the door open.

Ashley was crumpled on the floor by Andros' bed, her shoulders shaking and her face buried in his pillow. Zhane drew in a trembling breath and walked over to her. Kneeling awkwardly on the floor beside her, he put a hand on her shoulder.

Ashley whimpered something incomprehensible into the pillow, and he tightened his fingers on her shoulder unintentionally. "What?" he whispered, surprised to hear his own voice shaking.

Ashley lifted her head and regarded him, her eyes bright with tears. "He said he'd be careful," she mumbled, her voice just barely audible.

Zhane looked down, remembering Andros' words vividly. "It isn't dangerous; you don't have to worry… I'll see you guys in the morning."

"He didn't--" Zhane swallowed. "He didn't mean for this to happen, Ash."

He put his other hand on her shoulder, and she leaned into him wordlessly. Wrapping his arms around her as he had on the Bridge, he stopped trying to hold back his tears. Ashley sniffed, hugging him as hard as he was holding her, and they both cried for the friend and love they had lost.

"It is six o'clock. Time to get up, TJ."

TJ groaned, rolling over and staring at the bunk above him. Then he winced, and groaned again as memory came crashing back. "Andros…"

Everything hit him all at once. Andros wasn't coming back. The Delta Megaship had been destroyed. Cassie was evil. Aquitar could be hit at any moment by more forces than its Rangers could conceivably handle alone.

And today was the first day of TJ's senior year of high school.

"Oh, *hell*," he swore fervently. It didn't make him feel any better, but it had to be said. There was just no possible way that things could get any worse.

"Time to get up, TJ," DECA reminded him, and he glared at the camera.

"Shut *up*, DECA!"

The camera's light blinked at him, and he sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just… man, I don't even know anymore. Never mind."

DECA did not answer, and he closed his eyes. They were in orbit around Earth now, having searched the better part of an hour for any possible trace of either the Delta Megaship or the ships that had attacked it, and finally given up. It had been one of the hardest decisions TJ had ever made, but in the end Carlos had agreed with him that they were searching for ghosts.

"The Astro Rangers continue," DECA said abruptly, and his eyes snapped open in surprise. "You are still that which you have always been. One goal, one team--known as the Power Rangers."

She was echoing what Alpha had told them, TJ realized, startled. Back when they had lost the Turbo powers, and it had looked like Andros wasn't going to accept them, Alpha had used those same words to encourage them.

They had lost one of their team then, too. But Justin had only been left behind, not…

TJ sighed, wondering if it was even worth it to get out of bed. "Thanks, DECA," he said half-heartedly.

"Andros!" She jerked awake, eyes wide as she stared into the dimness. Holding absolutely still, Ashley listened as hard as she could, and the faintest whisper of thought came again.

*I've always loved you…*

*Andros?!* She concentrated all her focus on him, remembering what he had told her about thought patterns and thinking *at* him instead of *of* him. She tried to remember as much of her dream as possible, and called his name again.

Then Zhane was shaking her shoulder, pulling her attention back to the darkened room in which they'd fallen asleep. "Ash," he whispered. "Ashley, it's all right. It's just a dream."

"No," she insisted, shrugging his hand away and trying to recapture that fleeting feeling. *Andros?*

But the spark was gone, and what she had thought she had heard had faded to nothing when Zhane shook her. *Just like a dream,* she thought miserably, wondering if that had truly been all it was.

"Ashley?" Zhane whispered again, as she slumped back against Andros' bed. "Are you okay?"

"No," she replied, knowing he knew that and it wasn't what he had meant. But she could feel the peace of sleep slipping away, and the tears were threatening again. "I was dreaming about Andros and I woke up, and now he's not here and he won't ever be again…"

She bit her lip, blinking hard. She really *didn't* want to start crying again this early.

Zhane looked about the way she felt, and she tried to smile a little for his benefit. "Sorry," she murmured, then she shook her head hopelessly. "Zhane… what are we going to do?"

He hugged her suddenly, hard, and she felt the tears sliding down her cheeks no matter how much she had promised herself they wouldn't. "You're making me cry again," she whispered, trying to make it a joke and not quite succeeding.

"Sorry," he whispered back, but he didn't let go.

Then she felt it again, the briefest flicker of a dream image, and she stiffened. "Did you hear that?" she demanded quietly.

*Andros,* she called again, reaching for the presence that had never abandoned her until the Delta Megaship had vanished from DECA's scanners the day before…

Zhane loosened his grip on her, regarding her with a worried expression, but she didn't notice. "Hear what?" he asked.

"Andros," she murmured, once more trying to call her dream to mind. The beach, lying on the blanket with him, some of it memory and some purely dream--she could almost feel the way she had felt when she woke up, and she closed her eyes, concentrating harder.

*Andros?* She called again, and again, sure had almost reached him this time--

Zhane was shaking her again, and she blinked her eyes open, shooting him an irritated look. "Stop it," she said, batting at his hands childishly. "I'm trying to talk to Andros."

There was no mistaking the concern on Zhane's face this time. "Ash… Andros--isn't there." He swallowed hard, but he met her gaze without flinching. "You remember last night, right? The Delta Megaship--got ambushed?"

She nodded impatiently, trying once more to reach out for Andros. But Zhane kept trying to get her attention, trying to make her focus on the here and now, and she scowled at him. "Leave me alone, Zhane," she snapped, more harshly than she'd meant to.

Seeing his expression, she sighed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean that… Of course I remember last night." She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, the memory of KERI's voice invading her thoughts before she could stop it. "Engine core at critical…"

She tried to take a deep breath, and found herself shivering. Zhane tugged Andros' blanket off the bunk and wrapped it around her, hugging her close to him once more. "But what if he's not dead, Zhane?" she murmured, leaning her head against his chest. "What if he survived, and he's trying to call us?"

Zhane was stroking her hair, the same way Andros always did, and she felt her eyes slid shut. Maybe, just maybe, if she could get back to sleep, she could see Andros again. Yes… he would wait for her there. He wasn't really gone at all…

Enveloped in Andros' blanket, she could almost make herself believe that he was the one holding her now. Sinking farther into Zhane's arms, she waited patiently for sleep to claim her again.

He felt Ashley relaxing, heard her breathing even out, and he waited a few more minutes just to be sure. Then he twitched his arm a little, seeing if it would disturb her, but she didn't move. Pushing her away gently, he wondered if he dared try to lift her onto Andros' bunk.

He decided against it, taking Andros' pillow instead and propping it up in the corner where he had been sitting. Ashley accepted the transition with only a faint murmur, sliding down to curl up on the floor. He felt a little guilty for leaving her there, but he doubted he could move her without waking her up, and he knew *he* wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

"What if he survived, and he's trying to call us?" That thought had haunted Zhane, too, but he knew how impossible it was. The Delta Megaship, as far as the scanners could tell, had been blown into pieces too small to keep an environment *anywhere*, let alone in the one place Andros would have been at the time.

Ashley's repeated insistence that Andros was trying to contact them bothered him, though, and he resolved to study the results of DECA's scans more thoroughly. He was afraid, though, that it was nothing more than a product of her sleep-fogged mind. She would probably apologize for it later, when she was truly awake--and he almost pitied her that awakening.

He too had had a moment, just as he woke up, when he had thought that Andros might really be all right. Almost like a lingering mindtouch, someone reaching out to him while he slept--but the feeling had faded as he opened his eyes, and he knew it was wishful thinking. There was nothing he wanted more than to believe his friend was alive, but the cold reality of it kept intruding.

With a heavy sigh, Zhane managed to pull himself to his feet. His body was stiff from sleeping on the floor, and his heart felt distant and uncaring. Without Andros, what *did* matter anymore?

But he told himself that that was depression setting in, and he made himself stop in the Glider holding bay on his way to the Bridge. To his surprise, TJ and Carlos were there, eating in total silence, as though afraid of what conversation might bring up.

Zhane joined them, getting something from the Synthetron only because he knew he had to eat. They each nodded to him, but no one said anything. Finally, Zhane broke the silence, his words sounding unnaturally loud to his ears in the quiet room.

"You're going to school, then?" he asked.

They glanced at each other. "Yeah," TJ said finally. "You know if there was anything we could do for--anything we could do, we'd skip in a heartbeat. But there really isn't…"

Zhane shook his head. "No, there isn't. At least you'll have something to keep you busy," he added, a little enviously. He didn't think he could face anyone other than the Rangers right now, but he also wasn't sure he wanted to be alone.

TJ looked more sympathetic than he had expected. "How are you doing?" he asked quietly. "And Ashley?"

Zhane blanked for a moment, then shook his head. "I… I don't know." He tried to smile a little. "I'll get back to you later."

He hesitated, then added, "Ash is a little… out of it. I'm hoping it's just because she was sleepy when I talked to her." He paused. "I guess I'll get back to you about her, too."

TJ nodded, and Carlos waited a moment before saying, "I hate to even bring this up, but someone has to tell the Aquitians…"

The Aquitians had probably expected Andros back hours ago, and Zhane flinched at the thought of breaking the news to them. "I'll do it," he said, knowing there was no other choice.

Carlos was watching him. "If you want--"

Zhane shook his head. "No," he said, more roughly than he'd intended. "My teammate; my responsibility."

"Andros was everyone's teammate, Zhane," TJ said, his voice cold.

Zhane swallowed. "I--I know. I'm sorry; I didn't mean that." His throat closed up, and he couldn't continue.

It was Carlos who nodded, and they ate the rest of their meal in silence.

The words echoed in her mind, and she tossed restlessly. Her shoulder hit something solid and she started awake, eyes open and unseeing in the still dim room.

*Andros?* she thought, holding her breath.

*Don't let go, Ash…*

*It's not a dream; please don't let it be a dream,* she begged, her fingers clenching on the blanket she wasn't even aware she was holding. *Andros!*

There was no answer, and she started to panic. The Delta Megaship was really gone… *Andros,* she thought desperately. *Please be there. Please don't be a dream.*

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes again, and she turned her head to bury her face in the pillow. She was lying on the floor, she realized distantly--how had she fallen asleep on the floor?

*Andros' room…* She remembered, now, running here after the scanners downloaded the Delta Megaship's log into DECA's databanks. She remembered Zhane finding her, and the two of them crying themselves to sleep. And she remembered waking up once before, with the same eerie echo of Andros in her mind…

Zhane hadn't believed her. But Zhane wasn't here now, and she closed her eyes, reaching for Andros again. She tried to recapture the fragments of dream that slipped and drifted away as she chased them, teasing her like leaves on a breeze--

*Leaves.* The forest snapped back into focus in startling detail, and she remembered the soft sound of the wind through the trees as she waited for Andros. He had come from behind her, running up and hugging her hard…

She tried to remember exactly what they had said, knowing that, if he was able, he would be doing the same thing in an attempt to get back that fleeting mindtouch… If he wasn't dead, gone beyond all hope, lost to her for--

She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to forcibly erase those thoughts. Andros had said for her not to leave him, not to let go, and she'd held on as though she could keep him from fading just by keeping her arms around him.

*Don't let go…*

Ashley caught her breath, holding onto the memory of his embrace as firmly as she could. *I won't,* she promised, wondering if those words had only been a product of her memory--or imagination.

*I need your help, Ashley,* Andros' voice repeated, and she let her breath out in a gasp.

*Pleasetellmeyou'renotadream!* She pulled his blanket to her chest, clutching it with whitened knuckles and waiting breathlessly for the reply.

*I'm not if you're not,* Andros' voice said after a moment, and she felt tears stinging her eyes. It was something she might say, and she felt that nagging doubt again. Was she just imagining this because she needed to hear it?

*Ash, don't leave me,* he repeated, sounding suddenly panicked. She blinked, realizing her focus had been slipping.

*Andros?*

*I'm on one of Irini's moons,* he said quickly. *I can't call for help and I'm too far from the settlements to walk to any of them.*

His words were getting quieter the more he spoke, and she strained to hear him. *I need your help, Ashley…*

She hadn't even noticed when she opened her eyes, but now she shut them, trying to keep him there with her. *Don't go!*

There was no answer.

She was staring out the window, trying to explain the sudden ache in her soul, when Elgar's strident voice interrupted her. "Astronema, we're, uh, receiving a transmission!"

His tone was startled, as though he hadn't expected Dark Spectre to contact the Dark Fortress within hours of the attack on Aquitar. Frankly, she was surprised it had taken him this long.

*Of course,* she thought disgustedly, *Elgar has a perpetually startled tone. He could look out a window and say, as though it were the first time he'd ever noticed, "Hey, there are *stars* out there!"*

The thought brought a slight smile to her lips, but she banished it before turning away from the view of Aquitar's moon. "Well, let's hear it," she snapped impatiently.

"Uh--right!"

Ecliptor came to stand in the doorway of the tactical area, gazing toward the viewscreen with no expression in his stance. None, that is, until the viewscreen remained dark and a jumbled transmission emanated from the speakers.

She frowned. "Elgar, clear that up," she ordered, but he shook his head.

"That's how it arrived, boss! I dunno; maybe it's supposed to sound like that?"

She was about to give him a piece of her mind when a distorted voice started to speak over the background static. She froze, her eyes widening as she listened.

"Astrea," the garbled voice said. "I need to see you."

Then the static took over again, and Elgar scratched his head as the speakers went silent. "That's it; that's all there is. Whoa, can't even pronounce your name right…"

For once, she ignored Elgar. The sender's voice had been unrecognizable, but there were only three people who knew her by that name. Two of them were Rangers, and she was almost positive they wouldn't pull a stunt like this. Which left that boy she'd met on Earth…

But how had he gotten access to comm equipment? Earth could barely broadcast to its own moon, let alone one in the next galaxy over. And how had he been able to find her? And why could he possibly want to see her?

"My princess?" Ecliptor asked quietly, and she looked up in surprise. She hadn't even noticed him join her. "Does this message mean something to you?"

"Perhaps," she said evasively. "Can we track the signal, and find out where it originated?"

"Yeah, no problem," Elgar interrupted loudly. "I already did. It came from the Megaship; maybe those Rangers are prank calling us or something--"

"Quiet!" she snapped, irritated with his incessant commentary.

"Right, got it." Elgar saluted. "As quiet as those ninjas, that's me! You don't have to worry--"

"QUIET!" she shouted, and he shut up.

Turning her attention back to Ecliptor, she frowned a little. Playing with the beads in her hair, she repeated thoughtfully, "From the Megaship…"

Zhane looked up as Ashley burst onto the Bridge, hair tousled and uniform rumpled. She had obviously not changed since waking up, and the wild look in her eyes said she hadn't been awake long enough to even think of it.

"Zhane!" she exclaimed breathlessly, darting over to him. "We have to go back! We have to go to Irini!"

Zhane grabbed her shoulders, a sinking sensation in his stomach. Ashley wasn't any better for the extra sleep--if anything, she seemed worse now, and he had no idea what to do. "Ash, calm down," he said, trying to follow his own advice.

"I can't," she gasped. "It's Andros…"

He gave her a wary look. "What's Andros?"

"I had another dream," she told him seriously. "I heard him again--Zhane he's not dead; he's still out there!"

Zhane felt a brief flicker of hope, and he hated it because he knew it was ridiculous. Ashley was obviously unstable, but he *wanted* to believe her so much that he found himself listening.

"He says he on one of Irini's moons," she added. "We have to go back and pick him up!"

Zhane sighed, gripping her shoulders more tightly. "Ash, think about what you're saying. Andros told you, in a dream, that he was on a moon?"

"It wasn't a dream," she insisted, shaking her head vehemently. "I heard Andros, Zhane! I know how this sounds, but it's true!"

"Then why didn't Andros call me, too?" he asked, trying to reason with her. "He should be able to talk to me just as easily, right? How come I haven't heard him?"

"I couldn't either, not at first," she told him earnestly. "I kept waking up, thinking he was talking to me--but finally I heard him! I just had to concentrate really hard on the dream I was having!"

Zhane had to sigh again. "Ash, the Delta Megaship exploded," he told her. He managed to keep his voice from shaking as he said the words, and he saw her lip tremble. "How could Andros have survived? And why would he be on one of Irini's moons?"

"Maybe he crash-landed," Ashley said, her tone a little more subdued. He hated to do this to her, but she couldn't keep thinking Andros was alive and waiting for them somewhere. "Maybe all of the ship didn't explode, and part of it crashed on the moon…"

There was some doubt in her voice, now, and he pressed his advantage. "That's not what happens when the core explodes, and you know it," he said gently. "Even if some part of the ship did survive, and it somehow made it to a place with an atmosphere, there wouldn't be any way to control the reentry angle. It would burn up before it ever reached the surface…"

He felt terrible for the tears he saw in her eyes. "Ash, I'm sorry," he whispered, looking down. "I want him to be alive, too; I really do. I just don't want to keep denying the truth…"

"The truth sucks," Ashley muttered, her voice choked. "I hate the truth, Zhane."

"I know," he agreed softly, reaching out to hug her. "I hate the truth, too."

They held each other for several minutes, neither wanting to face the grim reality that confronted them every time they turned around. Finally, though, the comm system beeped and Zhane pulled away, thinking Carlos or TJ was calling.

*No,* he thought, trying to pull his thoughts together. *They would have used their morphers.* Walking over to the comm console, he figured, *Aquitar, then…*

But the comm system was indicating receipt of an automated transmission, not a live video link. Zhane frowned, calling up the transmission and blinking as static came over the speakers. It was audio only, and his eyes widened as a very familiar voice overlaid the static.

Not even slightly distorted, Astrea's voice told him, "Meet me in the park on Earth, at sunset." The static lingered a moment longer, and then the transmission ended.

Zhane looked automatically for Ashley, and found her staring at him in shock. "Was that--Astronema?" she breathed, and he nodded, a little dazed himself. He hadn't known whether to expect an answer at all, let alone one so prompt and affirmative.

"I contacted her right after I called Aquitar," he said after a moment. "I--didn't think she'd reply so fast."

"I didn't think she'd answer at all," Ashley murmured. "Or I wouldn't have, if I'd known… Zhane--how well do you *know* her?"

He shook his head, half a negative and half an attempt to clear his mind. "I don't, not really. I've just talked to her a few times. That's all."

"I guess that's enough," Ashley said softly, looking bewildered.

"I guess," Zhane said, feeling pretty much the way she looked. *Sunset…* "We're going to have to get Cassie; bring her back to Earth."

"But you don't even know if she'll help us!" Ashley whispered, looking at him with a look of childlike confusion.

"Better to be ready if she will," Zhane said firmly, glad to have something to focus on other than the events of the night before. "DECA, set a course for Aquitar."

"Course set," DECA confirmed a moment later, and Zhane walked around the second row of consoles.

"Hyperrush nine," he said, and DECA acknowledged. Shifting the engine controls back, he pushed them forward with a determined shove and watched the screen turn to myriad lines of light.

"Should we tell Carlos and TJ?" Ashley asked uncertainly, looking as though she couldn't even decide whether to stand or sit, let alone whether to alert their fellow Rangers.

"We'll be back in a little while," he promised. "They won't even know we're gone." Then he winced, hearing the similarity to the words Andros had uttered the night before. "After all, they're on Earth," he said, trying to make up for his slip. "What trouble can they get into?"

"Oh, don't ask that," Ashley murmured softly, apparently making a decision and dropping into Cassie's seat. "If things can get worse, I really don't want to know."

Zhane nodded mutely, moving back to the comm console. *That* was certainly a sentiment he could empathize with…

Pushing the ever-present thoughts of Andros from his mind, he set the comm system to signal Aquitar. The Aquitian swirl logo appeared on the screen almost immediately, fading into view over the starlines. Someone must have been in the control room, because the logo was there only a few seconds before Cetaci's face replaced it.

"Astro Rangers," she greeted them, in the toneless way of all Aquitians. "How can we be of assistance?"

"We're coming back for Cassie," Zhane told her, saving Astrea's transmission for future reference. "We may have found a way to help her."

Cetaci hesitated, and he wondered if that was surprise he saw on her face. "She is your teammate, of course," the White Aquitian Ranger said. "We will release her to your custody--but I would personally advise that she be kept in a secure facility until and unless she can be cured, through whatever method you have found."

*We were there,* Zhane thought impatiently. *We know what she's like.* "That's probably smart," he said out loud. "Thank you; we'll do that."

Cetaci nodded, and turned to someone just out of range of the narrow comm pickup. "Contact Phantom," she told them, and Zhane tried not to sigh. Of course *he* would have to know…

There was a pause, and he tried not to fidget. Glancing over at Ashley, he saw her staring blankly at Andros' chair. He suddenly realized that she was inside the view being projected to Cetaci, and the Aquitian Ranger had not said a word. He wondered whether it was more appropriate to be grateful for Cetaci's silence, or annoyed by her lack of concern.

"Bring up a visual of the containment area," Cetaci said, her voice muted as she continued to speak to someone offscreen.

Zhane leaned forward a little, puzzled by the delay. "What's going on?"

Cetaci glanced in the direction of the comm again, appearing to look back at him. "Phantom is not responding to our attempts to contact him," she said, her tone neutral. "Please wait one moment."

*In other words, "mind your own business and let us mind ours",* he thought wryly. What could possibly make Saryn ignore their calls? *Asleep,* Zhane decided. The armored Ranger had to sleep sometime, after all.

"Are you certain?" Cetaci demanded, and Zhane tried not to smile. She was starting to show signs of annoyance. *Maybe Saryn's yelling at her again…*

Cetaci turned back to the viewscreen, and this time her irked expression was unmistakable. "Cassie has escaped from containment. We are unable to locate her anywhere inside the command center dome."

8. Twisted

*Damn blue eyes.* She could feel them watching her every move. She was starting to hate those eyes, as much as she hated the forcefield that held her captive in this tiny room.

At least, she was trying to hate them. He was a Ranger, after all, the essence of everything good and honorable--everything she was not. She wanted nothing to do with him. But every time she tried to glance scathingly in his direction, that pretty sapphire gaze would pull her in, and she would have to jerk her own eyes away.

*Stupid Ranger,* she thought disgustedly. What was he thinking to demorph like that, anyway? He could have just let the forcefield knock her unconscious, but instead he had let it hurt *him* in an effort to get her to stop.

He still loved her. She could feel it as clearly as her own scorn, and she was careful to keep the feelings separate. She knew everything he felt through this link of theirs, and as ridiculous as it was, he still cared about her. *That* was what had made him demorph and let the forcefield shock him, and it was what kept him just outside her cell now, watching her.

She frowned to herself. He should have been the easiest one of all of them to destroy, for she knew he wouldn't defend himself against her. But to her dismay, he had been right when he told her that she couldn't do it. She *couldn't* fire on him, any more than he had been able to watch her hurt herself.

She stopped pacing abruptly, turning a glare on the dark Ranger who sat slumped against the wall on the other side of the forcefield. This time she wouldn't be distracted--she was going to stare at him until she figured out what this link was, and how to stop it.

He looked up as her footsteps ceased, and she saw him blink once. Surprised and forgetting to glare, she peered more closely at him. Had he actually been--sleeping?

Only a fool would sleep in a prisoner cellblock. A fool or a prisoner, of course. But if he had been asleep, he had awoken as soon as she stopped moving, and now she couldn't tell. His eyes were as alert as always, but she couldn't help noticing the shadows that dimmed their usual brilliance--

*Damn blue eyes,* she thought again, yanking her gaze away furiously. No matter how hard she tried to hate them, she couldn't ignore the effect they had on her. All it took was one look and she found herself suppressing memories that she didn't want.

She dropped to the floor, putting her chin on her fist and staring hard at the opposite wall. There had to be some way around the obstacle that was *him*. Even assuming she could get out of here, there was no way she would be able to get past him, and she had already had it proven to her that she couldn't hurt him.

He didn't seem inclined to leave anytime soon, either. So she was stuck with a Ranger who wouldn't take his eyes off her, and a forcefield she couldn't disable from inside--

*But *he* could.* The thought caught her unaware, and she lowered her head so he wouldn't see the expression of smug delight on her face. She was going about this all wrong. Why fight him when he could help her?

Stifling a yawn, she glanced covertly in his direction. This time she caught him with his eyes closed, and she tried to make as little noise as possible as she settled back against the wall and closed her own eyes.

She would allow him to sleep thinking that she despised him. But when morning came, it would be time for a change of tactics.

He started awake, shaking violently as the dream images crystallized instead of fading from his conscious mind. The nightmare wrapped cold fingers around his heart, and it was with added dismay that he recognized his surroundings.

That was far from the first memory-turned-nightmare he had had of his old team, but it was the first in several weeks. The first since Cassie had told him she loved him… But Cassie had been in the dream herself, this time--the second love he had not been able to give enough of himself to, and the second love he had ultimately failed.

As with Jenna, he had let his responsibilities put barriers between the two of them. He had let his duty separate them, and though Jenna had finally beaten some sense into him, he had forgotten what she taught him and had repeated his mistakes with Cassie. *And now it's too late,* he thought miserably, staring through the forcefield at the sleeping form on the other side.

"You never knew how much you meant to me," he whispered, wishing those dream words hadn't burned themselves into his mind. "You failed us, Saryn…"

He had never told her how difficult she made it for him to stay morphed all the time, or how hard it was to leave her every morning before she woke. She hadn't known how close he had come, sometimes, to demorphing just to kiss her when she wandered through the control room at odd intervals.

"Cassie," he murmured hopelessly, remembering how happy it had made her that one time he *did* demorph when she came in. She had felt so good in his arms, and it had been harder than he had ever imagined to morph again after that.

The girl in the cell twitched a little in her sleep, muttering something he couldn't hear, and he closed his eyes. If only he *hadn't* morphed then… He couldn't help thinking things might have been different. She might not have left, might not have gone with Billy to join the fighter wing--and she might be with him now, heart and soul still those of the woman he had fallen in love with.

Another sound caught his attention, and he realized he had been dozing off again as his eyes snapped open. Cassie turned in her sleep, and he frowned as he saw her shiver. The Aquitian climate always felt a little cool to him, but she had never complained.

*She's sleeping,* his mind reasoned. *Not generating enough heat anymore…*

His mind knew that this wasn't Cassie, that for all intents and purposes it was someone else's personality inhabiting her body. But his heart still refused to believe it, and he found himself climbing slowly to his feet and walking over to the forcefield controls.

His hand hesitated over the control panel, but she was obviously asleep. He deactivated the forcefield and knelt down at her side, pulling off the overshirt he had been wearing on top of his tunic. With trembling hands, he laid it over her upper body, trying not to disturb her.

She moved a little, and his eyes went wide as she murmured his name. "Cassie?" he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

His hand froze as he realized what he was doing, and he squeezed his eyes shut. *It isn't Cassie!* his mind shouted at him. He *knew* that--and yet, as long as he could see her, she would never be truly dead to him. And worse, he knew he would never stop caring about this person who *wasn't* her anymore…

He tried to force his hand away from her, but his eyes opened involuntarily as she shifted yet again. She couldn't seem to stay still--but this time, her movement dislodged her loose hair enough that his gaze caught on a tiny metal disc just beneath her right ear.

He leaned forward, touching the metal dot gingerly, and he felt her jerk awake. Rolling away, she came up in a sitting position and glared at him suspiciously. Cassie never came awake that quickly, and he thought suddenly that she might not have been as asleep as she had seemed a moment ago.

Her hand went to the miniature disc on her neck, and her eyes narrowed at him. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," he said softly, wishing the anger and suspicion in her expression didn't hurt so much. *It isn't Cassie,* his mind reminded him again, and he was torn between belief and denial. It *wasn't* Cassie, but to admit that to himself would be to admit that she was gone forever…

"Then what's this?" she demanded.

He shook his head. "I don't--I don't know. I think…" He hesitated, remembering something the healer had said about monitoring her brain waves. "I think the Aquitians put it there."

She reached up to touch it, and he saw her wince. "Stupid thing shocked me," she muttered under her breath. She reached up again, and this time he heard the tiny zap of electricity. She yelped, glaring at him as though it was his fault. But when she reached for it a third time, obviously determined to get rid of it no matter how much it hurt, he made an involuntary movement forward.

"No," he said urgently, then stopped, knowing she had no reason to listen to him.

She just looked at him, her glare gone. "I want it off," she said matter-of-factly. "I don't particularly care what it takes."

He swallowed, not wanting to know how far she would go. "Then--" His voice dropped to a near-whisper as he said, "Let me."

She showed no sign of surprise, only continued to look at him a moment longer. Finally, she gave a short nod and turned sideways, pulling her hair away from her neck.

Moving closer, he stared at the minuscule device, trying to find any kind of deactivation sequence. But it seemed to have none, and the longer he looked at it, the more he saw only the gentle curve of her neck. His fingers trembled as he lifted his hand, and he hoped fervently that she wouldn't recognize his hesitation--or its cause.

It didn't shock him when he tugged at it, and it came off with little resistance. She turned her head, trying to see the device he held in his hand, and he froze, knowing he should pull away but unable to make his body respond.

Her eyes flickered to his, and with their faces only centimeters apart he could see exactly when she realized what was on his mind. She didn't move, and he fought the overwhelming urge to lean just a little forward and kiss her, just once…

He wondered if she was closer than she had been a second before, and then her lips were sweet against his and nothing else in the universe mattered. For one blissful moment, Cassie was his again, and he would have done absolutely anything to keep her.

Then that nagging voice was back. *It isn't Cassie!* the voice insisted belligerently, as it had been doing ever since he woke up. He tried to ignore it, but it was too late--he found himself scrambling back, unable to meet her eyes and trying desperately to make his heart stop pounding so hard.

He saw her withdraw as well, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Stupid memories," he heard her whisper.

"But they're not," he pleaded quietly, feeling a flicker of hope. "They're who you *are*, Cassie; they're not stupid. Please… can't you listen to those memories?"

"I'm trying not to," she muttered.

"Why *not*?" he whispered. "I need you, Cassie…"

"No," she said through clenched teeth. "You need *her*."

He could feel the faintest whisper of sorrow through their link, and he leaned a little forward. "You *are* her--you can be. Remember who you are, Cassie, please…"

"I--" She stopped, glancing up at him from underneath her eyelashes. "It isn't that simple," she said at last. He thought he saw a pale green glow flare in her eyes, but it was gone too quickly for him to be sure.

"Even if I could, somehow, be her…" She stared down at the ground. After a moment, she murmured, "I'll never know. They'll kill me, you know."

His heart clenched, and he stared at her in shock. "The Aquitians?" he choked. "No…" Aquitar had not executed anyone in more than a century. They wouldn't start with a Ranger.

"Them, or your friends," she said softly. "I'm evil. They have to get rid of me somehow. Do you think they're going to keep me here forever?"

He shook his head wordlessly. Of course she couldn't stay here--but to actually… kill her? He could barely even think the word. She couldn't die. She just couldn't--he didn't care who she was now, she had once been Cassie. And he couldn't let anything happen to her.

He got to his feet slowly, his mind racing. He looked around the room, realizing only then that the forcefield had been down this whole time. She had done nothing to try to escape. And she had all of Cassie's memories…

He reached for the ruby that hung around his neck, and the flash of fear on her face tore at his heart. "It's all right," he murmured, as his armor faded into place around him.

Not looking at her, he drew his blaster and stared down at it for a moment. If he did this, he was turning his back on everything he had ever believed. But if he didn't… the price would surely haunt him for the rest of his life.

He lifted his weapon and blasted the security camera in her cell to pieces. From where he stood, he couldn't quite get the one by the entry chamber, and he stepped forward, turning and firing in one smooth motion.

Behind him, Cassie was still crouched on the floor, her eyes wide as she gazed at him. "Come on," he said roughly, holding out his hand.

She took it immediately and scrambled to her feet, still staring at him. "Demorph," she ordered suddenly, and he frowned warily.

"Why--"

She didn't let him finish the sentence. He saw her move, knew what she was going for, and with anyone else he would have been prepared. But his reflexes didn't function properly when it came to her, and she grabbed his ruby before he could think.

As the datafeed from his visor was replaced by his own vision once more, he felt her press her body close and crush her lips against his. He couldn't think, he couldn't question; all he knew was the pounding of his heart and the irresistible feel of *Cassie*.

Then she pulled away, whispering "Thank you," and placed the crimson stone back in his hand. He curled his fingers around it automatically, but what he really wanted to do was to reach for her again and never let her go.

"Let's go," she murmured impatiently, and he was once more hit with the realization that this was not the person he wanted so much to believe it was. But he remembered her hesitation earlier, and he knew that if there was the slightest chance she might ever be that person again, he had to help her.

Slipping the gold chain back over his head, he morphed again. This time he was grateful for the armor, for it distanced him from her touch enough that he could concentrate. Letting the door scanners verify his own Power source, he reprogrammed them to allow her to pass, and he nodded to her when he was done.

She stepped through hesitantly, looking a little surprised when the forcefield didn't protest. He followed, taking her morpher from the table and gesturing her toward the next forcefield. He "reprogrammed" that one as well, glad he had had time to learn his way around Aquitian computer systems--but he grabbed her arm before she could step through.

"There are more cameras in the hallway," he said quietly.

"So blast them," she whispered back.

"That will only give anyone who is looking a trail to follow," he pointed out, trying to overlook the callous tone of her voice.

"You have a better idea?" she asked skeptically.

Through his visor's datafeed, he saw her eyes widen as his cloak powered up. "But I can't--"

He held out his hand, knowing she would be aware of the gesture whether she could see it or not. Sure enough, her hand found his without effort, and she gasped as light started to bend around her. Jerking her hand back, she whispered indignantly, "I can't see that way!"

"That's the way it works," he replied. "You are invisible--you neither reflect nor absorb visible light. As a consequence, your eyes perceive nothing."

"But *you* can see," she said, looking a little suspicious.

"My visor can pick up light in different parts of the spectrum," he told her, still holding out his hand. "You--" He gazed steadily at her. "You will have to trust me."

She stared at him for a moment. "Give me my morpher, then," she said at last. "Trust for trust."

He hesitated. But he had no intention of letting her out of his sight, and he thought he could stop her if she seemed about to try something foolish. Without a word, he passed the Pink astromorpher to her, and she fastened it around her wrist.

She nodded to him and took his hand once again. He saw her square her shoulders as visible light started to ignore her once more, and he felt an involuntary flash of admiration for her courage. He suppressed it as best he could and stepped forward, tugging gently on her hand to make her follow.

She hated this. She hated it; hated having to trust him, and worse, she hated the fact that she *did* trust him. No matter how much her mind told her not to, her instincts kept remembering all those dozens of times she had counted on him and had not been let down. Even when she could suppress the memories, the feelings were still there, and it was getting harder to separate them from his.

Especially in this absolute darkness. There was no light, nothing to *see*, only the impression of movement as she followed him blindly through the Aquitian command center. They were surrounded by an eerie silence, as though her hearing had stopped working along with her vision, and all she had for company was his hand wrapped around hers and the feeling of him in her mind.

*Damn blue eyes,* she thought half-heartedly, knowing it wasn't his eyes that had talked her into this. She had agreed of her own accord--because she had nothing to lose. Wherever he was leading her, it had to be better than that cell, and as soon as she could see again she would be able to assess the situation for herself.

The comforting weight of her morpher rested on her left wrist, and she smiled a little. He had no idea what a mistake that had been. "Trust for trust" she had told him, but he had obviously not stopped to think. She *had* to trust him; there was no choice involved. It was that or imprisonment. But he had willingly relinquished the one device that would guarantee her escape…

She twisted her arm a little, satisfying herself that it was still there. No matter what happened, she would not be going back to the cellblock. She could teleport now at any time, take a starfighter and be gone before anyone could catch her.

Instead she waited, more secure with the knowledge that she would not be a prisoner again, to see where this Ranger would take her. On her own, she would have to evade Aquitians in both the launch bay and in the atmosphere above their planet, and she knew unconsciously that she would have a better chance with him there to run interference for her.

She felt his pace slow, and he tugged her a little to the side. She thought at first that they were getting out of the way of passersby in the hallway, but then the world faded back into view around her.

They were just around a corner from what must be the hallway they had been traversing moments before, and he was standing between her and the main corridor. As she blinked, readjusting to her vision again, he stepped back, his visor turning toward her. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, puzzled as to why he'd stopped. "Where are we going?"

"The launch bay," he answered. "Teleporting will trigger an alert in the control room."

She tried not to roll her eyes. Why was he trying to be so subtle? "So?" she demanded.

"The longer it takes them to realize you are gone--" He broke off abruptly, stiffening. She tensed too, glancing toward the empty hallway.

"Cestria is signaling me," he murmured. She watched him warily, ready to reach for her morpher if she needed to. Instead, he shook his head and grabbed her hand, his cloak sliding into place around the two of them. "She wants you--come on."

She tried to wrench her hand away, but his grip was too strong. "No!" she protested, bracing herself to fight if she had to. "Saryn--"

The darkness disappeared, and she saw his head whip around. She stumbled a little as he let go of her, falling back against the wall and feeling his shock slip through her mind. She tried frantically to push it away, to concentrate only on escape, but he was in every thought she had and she couldn't get him out of her mind--

"Cassie?" His whisper barely reached her ears, but the sound of her name on his lips brought the walls crumbling down, and she saw a flicker of light as he demorphed. She almost threw herself at him, wanting his kiss more than anything in the world.

*NO!* She struggled violently against the tide of emotions that threatened to tear her mind apart. That was *his* surprise at the sound of *his* name, *his* longing for her that was burying all her other thoughts.

*He is a *Ranger*,* she thought viciously, reminding herself of everything she hated about him. *He is *nothing* but a lovesick fool, who can't see past his own feelings!* "Get out of my head," she hissed, trying to hold onto her disgust.

He flinched back, and she did her best to ignore his hurt. His presence was fading a little, back to more manageable levels, and she resolved to think about what she was calling him next time. As she calmed down, she knew she had to fix this somehow.

"I… I can't think," she whispered, putting her hands against her temples and trying to sound as confused as possible. She pouted a little, and she saw his expression soften. "Is it--you feeling this, or--or me?"

"Maybe it's both," he replied softly, and it was all she could do to keep a smug smile off her face. He was unbelievable. He was falling for it as readily as he had before--she could tell him the world had turned upside-down and he might believe it.

Then he winced, reaching for his ruby again. "Cestria again," he muttered. "We have to go."

This time she understood. He wasn't taking her *to* the Aquitians, he was trying to avoid them. She put her hand in his without question and let him lead her into the darkness.

Twin streaks of silver and yellow appeared in the control room, and Zhane strode over to where Cetaci stood by the comm console. "What do you mean, she escaped?" he demanded. "How do you escape from a containment cell?"

"With help," Billy interrupted, pointing at something on the console in front of him.

Cetaci glanced at Zhane, and he backed up enough to let her join Billy. "The cameras in the containment area were destroyed," Billy said. "But they're set up to feed all of their data into a secondary storage system as they record, so that in the event they *are* destroyed we can still retrieve the information."

Zhane peered over his shoulder, and Billy stepped slightly to one side to let him see. A video readout had been called up on the small monitor built into the console, and it clearly showed Saryn firing on the camera a split-second before it went black.

"He… broke her out?" Ashley murmured from behind them, and Zhane turned instinctively. His heart went out to her at the lost look on her face and he found himself torn between sympathy for her confusion, and anger at Saryn for making everything more complicated than it had already been.

Cetaci cocked her head at the colloquialism, but Billy nodded. "It looks that way," he agreed.

"And there's no way of tracking them?" Zhane couldn't believe they could just vanish like that.

"Cassie was wearing a medical tag," Billy offered. "But according to the medical bay, it's still in the containment area."

"And the command center scanners detect no life forms there," Cetaci said, as though they needed to have the obvious reiterated. "Clearly, Phantom removed it and left it there."

"Wait," Ashley said quietly, her tone bewildered. "Isn't anyone surprised? Why would--Phantom do that?"

Billy glanced at Cetaci, then motioned Ashley over to the monitor he had been using. He rewound the camera's video output, then let it play without a word. Zhane watched too, and saw Saryn lower the forcefield and kneel at Cassie's side. The images blurred briefly as Billy sped through what was probably only a couple of minutes, and suddenly Cassie was kissing Saryn. He wasn't doing anything to stop her, and when the readout skipped forward once more, he got to his feet and drew his blaster, aiming at the camera.

"We should have known he could not be trusted," Cetaci muttered under her breath.

Zhane was inclined to agree, but Billy did not look convinced. "It's not entirely his fault," he argued, punching a sequence of commands into the console. "They *are* empathically bound--she's influencing him to some degree, probably without him knowing it."

A gasp from behind them stole Zhane's attention again, and he turned to see Ashley looking suddenly pale. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Are you *sure* you can't hear that?" she whispered, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Andros?" he murmured, reaching out to take her elbow. She nodded wordlessly as he guided her over to a chair. "No," he answered quietly, troubled. "I'm sorry, Ash; I can't."

"Of course!" he heard Billy exclaim. "Where else would they go?"

At the same time, Cetaci said, "They *are* still in the command center dome."

"What's going on?" Zhane demanded.

"I'm tracking Phantom's ruby," Billy answered. "Anything that gives off that much Power is bound to be traceable, same as our morphers. It's three levels up, moving toward the diver launch bays."

"I am bringing up a visual of the location now," Cetaci said, fingers flying across the console.

Zhane looked automatically toward the monitor, where an image did appear--of a completely deserted hallway. "Invisible," Billy muttered. "Cestria?"

Off to one side, the Yellow Aquitian Ranger was seated by an auxiliary console, watching them work with a far-off look in her eyes. "I've *been* trying," she answered softly. "He won't acknowledge anything I say."

"Can Cassie be with him, if he is invisible?" Cetaci asked, glancing from one to the other.

Billy shrugged, and Cestria shook her head. "I do not know," she admitted. "But he is hiding *something*."

"We will have to go after him," Cetaci said, straightening up from her console. "Billy, with me. Cestria, notify the other Rangers of the situation."

"I'm coming with you," Zhane said, putting a hand on Ashley's shoulder. "Wait here, all right?" he asked gently.

She nodded mutely, and he joined Cetaci and Billy. Before he could ask for the coordinates, Billy reached out to tap the console, and the world flared silver as the glow of computer-guided teleportation enveloped him.

The reappeared in an apparently empty corridor, and Cetaci stepped forward. "Phantom," she called urgently, but there was no answer.

She glanced at Billy, and he nodded. "Intruder protocol level three, initiate," he ordered, and Zhane saw a forcefield snap into place at the end of the hallway. Glancing over his shoulder, he could just make out the shimmering outline of a similar field behind them.

For a moment, nothing happened, and he wondered if Phantom had moved faster than they had anticipated. The seconds stretched out as he strained his eyes for some hint of motion from the other end of the corridor.

Then Cassie was there, Phantom's weapon in her hand as she sited down the barrel toward them. "Down!" Cetaci shouted, pushing Billy out of the way as she dove for the floor. Zhane threw himself in the other direction, seeing Phantom fade into existence at Cassie's side out of the corner of his eye.

The armored Ranger grabbed for her arm and the shot went wide, hitting the forcefield at the other end of the hall and dissipating harmlessly into the power grid. "White Aquitar Ranger power!" Cetaci yelled from the floor, and a brilliant light flashed around her form.

Zhane fumbled for his digimorpher, realizing with dismay that it was still in Andros' room on the Megaship. In his distress he had left it there this morning, and it had never occurred to him since to go back for it

"Zhane!" Billy gestured to him from the other side of the hall, even as Cetaci rolled to her feet and drew her own weapon. He scrambled across the hall, ducking instinctively as a shot hit the ceiling nearly overhead.

"Disable the safety on that before Cetaci uses her blaster," Billy ordered, tossing an Aquitian stunner in his direction.

Zhane did as he was told, not asking what Billy was doing to the wall. "Cetaci!" Billy shouted, seeing Zhane hold up the stunner. "Catch!"

Zhane tossed it in her direction, and the White Ranger turned enough to snatch it out of the air. She turned back toward the struggle taking place at the other end of the hall, lifting the stunner and firing just as Phantom jerked the blaster out of Cassie's grasp, making her stumble backward a step.

"No!" Cassie yelled, as Cetaci fired. Zhane wasn't quite sure what happened next--whether Cassie tripped, or went for Phantom out of revenge--but he knew that Cetaci's shot would have hit the wrong target if Cassie hadn't lunged back into the line of fire.

Phantom's arms went around her as she slumped against him, and he lifted his head to stare down the hall at them. His gaze seemed somehow accusatory as the ripples of his invisibility cloak started to surround the two of them once more, and as their forms became transparent Zhane thought he saw Phantom lift Cassie and start to turn away.

Then they were gone, and Cetaci stepped involuntarily forward before catching herself. "Billy?" she asked, shooting a glance in his direction.

A soft sigh was the only sign of frustration from the Blue Ranger. "I've got it now, but he had plenty of time to teleport out. I couldn't get the locks into place quickly enough."

Cetaci hesitated, then said, "Cestria has sealed the launch bays. But if they teleported out of the command center dome entirely…"

"We should be able to find them from the control room," Billy said, climbing to his feet and offering Zhane a hand.

Cetaci nodded. "Let's go."

As she disappeared into white light, Billy teleported both of them back to the control room. Delphinius had joined Cestria, but Aura was nowhere to be seen. Glancing around, Zhane frowned suddenly. "Where's Ashley?" he wanted to know.

"She returned to the Astro Megaship," Cestria said over her shoulder. "She seemed quite distressed, and I thought it wiser to let her go."

"Yeah," Zhane said, worried. "Thanks, Cestria."

"Orbital Station two reports an unscheduled launch," Delphinius said suddenly, and Cetaci was suddenly at his side.

Peering over his shoulder, she ordered, "Open a comm link with that ship."

Delphinius nodded, his fingers playing across the comm console, but a moment later he reported, "There is no response."

"Wait," Zhane said suddenly, feeling rather foolish for not thinking of this before. What, after all, was the one thing that would get Phantom to turn around? "Cestria, can you make Phantom hear you?"

She hesitated. "Yes," she said at last, glancing at Cetaci. "But--"

Zhane didn't wait for her to finish. "Then tell him we can help Cassie. Tell him we can make her good again without losing the person she was."

Cestria's eyes widened, as though something so simple as telling him *why* they wanted Cassie had never occurred to her. Her gaze lost its focus, and within seconds Delphinius announced, "Incoming transmission."

Without being told--at least not that Zhane could hear--the Black Ranger opened a link and switched the transmission over to the main screen. Phantom stared out at them as Zhane turned, his voice expressionless as he said, "Cestria tells me you can help Cassie."

Zhane nodded, feeling Cetaci move forward to stand at his side. It was up to him to explain, though, and he knew it. He knew, too, that Phantom might not entirely approve of this plan, and he tried to come up with some way to word what he had in mind.

"Not all sorcerers who know evil magic would be unwilling to help a Ranger," he said finally. "One who had reformed, for example…"

Phantom tilted his head, looking at something out of range of the visual pickup. "And you know of someone like this."

Zhane nodded, knowing he was stretching the truth but equally aware that Phantom was perfectly capable of vanishing from all scanners with Cassie, never to be seen again, if he wasn't stopped. "Yes."

For a moment, Phantom did not respond, apparently considering that. Then at last, he seemed to look directly at the screen behind his visor. "If you are lying," he said calmly, his voice quiet, "I will make certain you regret it."

Zhane's eyes widened, but the comm link cut off before he could retort. **I'll* regret it?* he fumed. *I'm not the one who let someone so obviously evil out of her cell just because she kissed me!*

"He is not himself," Cestria observed quietly, but Zhane couldn't tell if the comment was directed at him or just at the room in general.

"Oh, I don't know," he couldn't help muttering. "Sounded like himself to me."

The control room was silent until Delphinius announced, "Orbital Station two is accepting the ship's return."

Zhane reached for the old Earth communicator on his wrist, trying not to remember the time Andros had given it to him. "DECA, one to teleport."

He realized as the Megaship's Bridge reappeared around him that he had not even said goodbye, but he couldn't very well change that now. They were Rangers--they would understand.

A dark crimson flash announced Phantom's arrival, cradling Cassie in his arms, and Zhane put the Aquitians out of his mind as he headed for the pilot's station. He ignored the other Ranger deliberately, setting the course without a word. He spared a thought for Ashley, probably down in Andros' room again, but there was nothing she could do here that he couldn't do himself.

*She needs the time to herself,* he thought, hearing Phantom moving about behind him. *I certainly wasn't helping her. Maybe she can figure some of this out on her own…* He hoped fervently that if she did, she would tell him how.

Shoving the engine controls forward, he tried to keep his focus on Earth--the person they were to meet there, and the teammate she would hopefully help. But he couldn't help thinking that the rain of stars streaking across the screen looked a little too much like tears for comfort.

9. Irresistible

The heavens were crying. He knew the starlines on the main screen were part of a computer-generated image, for the EM scanners didn't work at hyperrush velocity. Even if they did, stars were simply too far apart to look like what he saw on the screen, no matter how fast the Megaship was going--but the image haunted him nonetheless.

If the stars themselves were tears, it still wouldn't be enough for what he was feeling. With Cassie unconscious, his mind was slowly starting to clear, and he couldn't even fathom what he had done. He had been ready to fire on Aquitian fighters, even the other Rangers, if necessary, all for the sake of someone he didn't even know.

The person he had freed from her containment cell wasn't Cassie. She was changed beyond recognition, twisted into the essence of an evil he had spent his life fighting. And he had almost given up that fight, sided with her over everything he knew to be right.

*Almost?* he thought bitterly. He *had* sided with her. He could blame it on their link all he wanted, but the truth was that he couldn't live without her. Evil or not, he had to be with her, had to be able to pretend Cassie was still alive somehow.

*Without her, I die.* She had been his reason for living even before he met her, ever since Jenna had forced him back from death to wait for her. But he had not truly realized how much he depended on her until today, when someone who wasn't even Cassie had been able to turn him against everyone around him for nothing more than the promise of her kiss.

He knew that when she woke, things would start to blur again. Now he could see what she had been doing, how she had been manipulating him, but one look from her and he would start to question again. The difference between good and evil would become less distinct--and less important in the face of the possibility that he might never see her again.

He had chosen her over the side of good once today, and he knew instinctively that she could make him do it again. He needed her, needed to believe that some spark of Cassie still lingered within her, no matter her actions to the contrary. The day he gave up on her would be the day he had nothing left worth living for.

He wished it wasn't that way, that he was stronger, but Cassie had always been the strong one. She had been the one who could go on with her life not even knowing if he was still alive, while he had had been tormented by constant dreams of her and the ever-present fear for her safety while they were apart.

*Without her, I die.* The truth behind those words had brought him back to her over and over again, and it had kept him at her side from the moment he learned that she wanted him there. And all it would take was her saying that she *still* wanted him there, and he could not deny that he would stay with her--evil or not.

He was dangerous, and he knew it. He had seen what she could make him do. As soon as she woke, she would make right seem wrong again, and all he had to cling to was the thought that somehow she *could* be the woman he loved again.

If Zhane had lied…

He glanced away from Cassie's still form for the first time since teleporting onto the Megaship. The Silver Ranger stood by the pilot's station now, hands braced on the console and head bowed. The other seemed strangely subdued, and he managed to pull his thoughts away from Cassie long enough to wonder about it.

"Zhane," he said finally, and saw the other start. But he didn't know what to ask, couldn't make himself concentrate enough to form a question.

Zhane did not look at him. "We're going to Earth," he muttered. "We'll meet--the sorceress there."

He straightened, flinching as he felt his fingers stroke Cassie's hair unconsciously. If Zhane was lying, or somehow wrong about this "sorceress", he knew he would be lost. Even now he couldn't stay away from her…

Turning his back on Cassie with an effort, he joined Zhane at the forward row of stations. "That is not what I was asking," he said. "You--are troubled."

"It's none of your business," Zhane said in a low voice. "DECA," he said, still not looking up. "Where's Ashley?"

There was no immediate reply. Lifting his head at last, Zhane's eyes were a little too bright. "DECA?" he asked again.

"Ashley did not want you to know where she had gone," DECA answered at last.

Zhane looked momentarily bewildered. "DECA, just tell me," he said, sounding tired.

There was a brief pause. "Ashley left the Megaship for Irini in the Astro Megazord shuttle approximately half an hour ago," DECA said.

Rather than seeming surprised, Zhane just dropped into Andros' chair and stared at the console in front of him. "I should have known," he muttered under his breath.

"Zhane--" Now he was sure there was something more going on than Cassie's altered state. "What has happened?"

"Why do you care?" Zhane asked, his voice flat. "You can't see anything but *her*."

He didn't appreciate Zhane's accusation, but he knew it was true. He forced himself to stay calm as he said, "I have no reason to if you do not tell me what has occurred."

Zhane shrugged, as though it didn't really matter to him. "I thought the Aquitians would have told you. The Delta Megaship was destroyed by Darkonda last night."

"I am sorry," he said automatically, but he still didn't understand why it warranted this kind of distress from the Silver Ranger. "This--is a great loss?"

Zhane glared up at him, unshed tears shining in his eyes. "*Andros* was onboard."

Shocked, he could only stare--until a tremor ran through the ship and DECA announced simultaneously, "Hyperrush is offline." The starlines faded from the screen, replaced by realtime images as the EM scanners took over the monitor again.

"What--" Zhane was on his feet in an instant, almost glad for the distraction. He didn't want to fall apart in front of anyone, least of all a Ranger who hadn't even cried over the loss of his entire team.

*Cassie cried,* his mind reminded him, but he shook his head. *It isn't the same,* he thought, calling up a tactical map on the screen to the left of Andros' station. *You can't cry *for* someone…*

"Cassie's gone," Saryn said suddenly, and he thought the other had somehow read his mind until he glanced over his shoulder. There was no one on the Bridge but the two of them.

"I thought you were watching her," Zhane snapped.

"She was unconscious," the other Ranger replied defensively, and Zhane saw his visor tilt slightly. "Zhane--"

Zhane heard the high-pitched whine at almost the same moment, and he knew what it meant where the other did not. He leaped backward a half-second before the panel in front of him sparked violently, a good third of its lights dimming to complete darkness.

*Feedback,* he thought, spinning toward the lift. "She has to be in the engine room."

Saryn was right behind him, and Zhane's mind raced throughout the brief ride. If Cassie had sabotaged the engines, they had better hope she hadn't done anything permanent. Stuck between star systems, they had nowhere to land, and at anything less than hyperrush it would be weeks to *anywhere*, let alone Earth.

The doors slid open, and somehow Saryn made it out of the lift before him, running down the hall toward the engine room. Zhane followed, and saw him draw his weapon just before he entered. Once more, Zhane found himself regretting the absence of his digimorpher.

"Cassie, step away from the console," Saryn was saying as Zhane came to a halt behind him.

Cassie didn't even look up from what she was doing. "We've already been through this," she said, her voice sounding almost amused. "You won't fire."

Zhane held himself still for a mere second, seeing Saryn's arm tremble and knowing Cassie was right. Stepping forward, he held out his hand wordlessly. It was asking a lot, he knew, but he couldn't summon his own blaster without his morpher, and they couldn't let Cassie continue.

Saryn's visor turned toward him, and he stared back intently. *Come on, Saryn,* he willed. *You can't do it, and *someone* has to.*

The other looked down abruptly. "Please don't hurt her," he whispered, so softly Zhane could barely hear, and put his blaster in Zhane's outstretched hand.

The weapon was unfamiliar, but the Power was universal, and instinctive knowledge of how to work the blaster flooded Zhane's mind. "He won't fire," Zhane said, raising the weapon and letting it power up. "But I will, I promise you. Step back."

He saw Cassie hesitate, and he was about to fire a warning shot in her direction when she lifted her hands out to her sides and stepped away from the console. The smile on her face worried him, though--and a mere second later the console she had been working on exploded outward in a shower of sparks.

He flinched instinctively, and he saw her wince as the sparks stung her skin. Saryn took an involuntary step forward, and Zhane shot a warning glance in his direction. "Keep moving," he ordered Cassie. She took another step, and in one quick movement he let the weapon's power setting fall to a mild stun charge and pulled the trigger.

Saryn's hands clenched at his sides as he watched her crumple to the floor. "Light stun," Zhane said quickly, not really wanting to know what the other would do to him if it had been anything more.

Saryn nodded once, his gaze still fixed on Cassie. Zhane hesitated, but the other didn't seem inclined to say anything, and they needed to find out what she had done.

He walked over to the console, fanning the light haze of smoke away and inspecting the damage. This was considerably worse than the power overload she had sent through the console on the Bridge, and there was no way to tell if she had actually damaged the engines or just the equipment that controlled them.

"We will have to replace this entire console," Saryn said, suddenly standing at his shoulder, and he tried not to jump.

*No wonder they called him "Phantom",* he thought inadvertently. *Couldn't he make *some* noise?* "Yeah," he agreed. "We won't know if she did anything to the engines until that's done. I think the one on the Bridge can be repaired, though."

Saryn nodded. "I can--" He paused suddenly. "It is your ship, now," he said at last. "What do you wish me to do?"

Zhane blinked. He supposed, once, the ship would have been his had anything happened to Andros. But now… "It's the team's ship," he said quietly. "The Megaship belongs to the Astro team."

The other Ranger accepted the correction with a single nod. "If you can replace this," Zhane said with a sigh, gesturing to the burned-out console, "I'll try to fix the Bridge controls."

"I can." Saryn glanced at the console, and then over at Cassie.

Zhane followed his gaze. "We're going to have to confine her--"

"No!" Zhane just looked at him, and Saryn took a deep breath. "She won't hurt me," he said softly. "I will watch her."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Zhane said warily. The last time Saryn had set himself to "watch" her, he had ended up breaking her out of her cell and taking off in a stolen Aquitian ship.

Saryn didn't answer right away. "Then keep my blaster," he said at last, and Zhane glanced down automatically at the weapon he still held in his hand. "DECA can monitor the engine room," the other continued. "Have her do a visual check every few minutes, to make sure--" He swallowed. "To make sure we are both still here."

Zhane considered that. Maybe that would be enough. He didn't know, but Saryn seemed adamant about not confining Cassie. And how much trouble could they get into if DECA was watching them? "All right," he said at last. "I'll check back with you in a little while."

Saryn nodded once. Zhane clipped the other's blaster to his belt and turned to leave, pausing when Saryn said his name. Glancing over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you," Saryn said quietly. "For--what you did a few minutes ago."

Surprised, Zhane had stop and think. *For threatening Cassie,* he realized suddenly. *When he couldn't.* "You're welcome," he said neutrally.

Walking out of the engine room, he headed for the lift, hoping he had not made a huge mistake by leaving Cassie alone with Saryn, unconscious or not.

He dragged the new console top over to the damaged section of paneling, but did not slide it into place. There was too much to do underneath to block out the only source of light, so he propped it up against the unaffected panels and paused for a moment.

He told himself not to look, but he couldn't help it. Twisting, he glanced over at Cassie's motionless form, still sprawled on the floor where she had fallen. He had been sorely tempted to go to her the moment Zhane left, but he had managed to restrain himself.

Tearing his gaze away from her, he stared hard at the console in front of him until his mind reluctantly started to focus again. He let his morph fade, knowing he would need every bit of space to complete these repairs. He reached for the welder he had left on a nearby console--and froze as he heard movement behind him.

*No, please don't let her be awake,* he thought involuntarily. Why hadn't he let Zhane confine her?

"Ow," he heard a familiar voice mutter, and he couldn't keep himself from turning around.

Cassie was struggling to sit up, clutching her right arm and wincing a little as she tried to move it. "Are--are you all right?" he asked, wishing he didn't have to know.

She nodded, biting her lip. "I'm fine."

A glance at her arm betrayed her, though, and he was at her side in a moment. "What happened? Let me see."

"No, it's nothing," she insisted, pulling her arm closer to her chest. "I just got burned a little when the panel…"

She trailed off as he reached for her arm, tugging gently on her hand to make her let go. She let him inspect it, wincing when he ran his fingers across the angry red marks on her skin. "This should be treated," he told her, getting to his feet again. "Wait here."

"No, it's fine, really," she protested, but he didn't listen. Crossing the room he retrieved one of the emergency aid kits and brought it back to where she was sitting.

"Hold still," he ordered, trying not to meet her gaze. She inhaled sharply as the cool gel touched her skin, though, and he looked up at her face automatically. She was staring at her arm, and he looked away again quickly.

Smoothing the gel across her skin, he tried to be careful, but he saw her wince again. "I'm sorry," he offered quietly, hesitating, but she just shook her head.

"Just do it," she said, through clenched teeth. He did, covering each of the smaller burns with gel and trying not to think about the intimacy of the situation. If DECA told Zhane about this…

Pulling out a light bandage, he wrapped it around her upper arm and tied it carefully. She breathed a sigh of relief as he finished, and he couldn't help looking up again. "Are you all right?"

She sighed again. "I said I was all right last time you asked, and look what it got me."

He looked away. Reaching for the emergency kit, he snapped it shut and stood up to put it away. "Thank you," he heard her whisper, and he looked back in surprise.

She looked strangely vulnerable, sitting on the floor with her bandaged arm cradled against her chest. Her dark eyes followed his every movement, and for a brief moment he thought he saw real gratitude in her expression.

*She's using you,* he told himself harshly, but he couldn't ignore the look in her eyes. And it had been his idea, after all, not hers, to treat her burns. "You're welcome," he answered quietly, staring back at her until she looked away.

Then he shook himself, turning away and striding across the room to replace the emergency kit. *Don't let her do this,* he reminded himself. But when he tried to think about it, he couldn't come up with anything that she *had* done--it had all been him.

This time, as he returned to the console he had been working on, he avoided looking at her. He grabbed the welder off the workstation to the left of the repair area and crouched down in front of the skeletal outline of the new console. Twisting to maneuver underneath it, he shot a covert glance in her direction and found her still watching him.

He almost dropped the welder at the intensity of her gaze, but he managed to continue as though he hadn't noticed. He flipped on the flashlight he had left on the floor and propped it up beside him--the welder itself was one of Andros' tools, and would generate only heat, rather than the combination of heat and light that he was used to working with.

"You can't possibly see with that," Cassie's voice said suddenly, and he heard her footsteps on the metal deck.

"It is enough," he answered, a little wary as he turned the tool on and applied it carefully to the junction between new workstation and old. Unfortunately, she was right--he *couldn't* see as well as he would like, but such were the hazards of working alone.

"Let me," she said, dropping down beside him and picking up the flashlight. "Is that better?"

"Y-yes," he stammered, startled. He waited for some mocking comment, but none was forthcoming. Why was she being so… cooperative? Even helpful?

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. He had to concentrate on what he was doing. He shifted the welder a little, and from where she was sitting on the floor outside she tilted the flashlight to follow.

As Zhane stepped onto the Bridge, he told the onboard computer, "DECA, let me know when Cassie wakes up."

"I am monitoring her now," DECA answered.

"Thanks," he said, looking at the forward stations. He was not looking forward to this. Repair work invariably involved small spaces, of which he was not particularly fond. He was downright scared of them, when he admitted it to himself, but he hoped the fact that he would not actually have to be *inside* anything would help.

*There's plenty of room up here,* he told himself, and indeed, as he worked, the words seemed to help. The words, and the view of deep space that he left displayed on the forward monitor. He found himself remembering the time he had told Andros his trick for falling asleep on the Megaship, and his eyes started to blur.

"Cassie is conscious," DECA interrupted suddenly, and he blinked, trying to clear his eyes.

"Thanks, DECA," he murmured, trying to think of something else. But the memory refused to be banished. "The stars are there, whether you can see them or not," he had told his friend. "Pretend you *are* space--the darkness is you, and all the stars are inside you…"

His hands shook, and he let go of wire junction before he broke it. It had been a child's fancy, but he and Andros had been taken with the idea. They used to pretend that they were moving the stars, rearranging them to make any patterns that occurred to their imaginations--a silly game, he thought now, but one that had entertained them for hours while they were in hyperrush.

Grasping the edge of the console overhead, he pulled himself out from under it abruptly. He took a deep breath, trying determinedly to hold onto his calmness. He let out his breath, then drew another, and just concentrated on breathing for a minute.

The minute stretched into two, and then three, and finally he stood up, sitting in Andros' chair and staring out at the stars. *Andros,* he thought bleakly. *Why did you have to leave me?*

He wondered where Ashley was by now. Andros had said the shuttle had been outfitted for deep space voyages, in case they ever needed to use it as an escape pod, and Ashley would have had to be crazy to take off for Irini in anything without hyperrush capability. Although lately, he wasn't entirely sure of her ability to reason…

He sighed. *Could she really have heard Andros?* he wondered for the fiftieth time. He wanted to think she had, wanted to believe her more than anything else. But his own logic said there was no way Andros could have survived--and more than that, he had been talking telepathically to Andros since they were children. How could she possibly hear him when Zhane could not?

*Andros…* He tried, as he had more times than he could count since the Delta Megaship had exploded, to reach out to his friend. He didn't really expect an answer, but he kept trying, in case that slimmest of all possibilities turned out to somehow be real.

There was only the echo of his own mind, reverberating with his cry. He pushed a hand through his hair, leaning his elbow on the dim console in front of him and resting his forehead against his palm. *If I don't finish this, it won't get done,* he reminded himself half-heartedly.

That wasn't necessarily true, of course. Saryn might finish it. If he didn't run off with Cassie first. The way things were going, Zhane wouldn't be surprised.

"DECA, are Cassie and Saryn still in the engine room?"

"Cassie is helping the Phantom Ranger with repairs to the engine room," DECA confirmed, and he wondered why the computer would never just say "yes" or "no".

Then the import of her words hit him, and he lifted his head. "What?" he asked, puzzled and wondering if he had not been listening carefully enough. "Did you say--Cassie's *helping* him?"

The main viewscreen flickered, the stars replaced by an image of the engine room. Saryn--unmorphed, Zhane noted--was half-buried under the console Cassie had blown apart. And sure enough, there was Cassie, seated at his side and calmly holding a flashlight for him.

*They have the weirdest relationship,* he thought, unbidden. *She threatens to shoot him, and he breaks her out of a cell he put her in. He threatens to shoot her, and she helps him repair a workstation she blew up. Very strange.*

On the other hand, they seemed to be coexisting peacefully, and no matter how it was happening the hyperrush controls *were* getting repaired. Saryn was working, and Cassie wasn't destroying anything, and he supposed that was the most he could hope for right now.

With a sigh, Zhane decided to follow their example. "DECA, put the stars back up on the main screen, please."

The screen faded to black, speckled with glimmering points of far-off light, and he stared out at them for a moment more before getting back to work himself.

She wondered if he was cold. His overshirt was still in her cell back on Aquitar, and she couldn't help remembering his tendency to dislike cool temperatures. He almost always wore long sleeves--

She shook her head abruptly. Why should *she* care? *Besides,* she thought, *he never complained about the Megaship's temperature, just Aquitar's.*

She frowned. Seeing him move a little, she tilted her head down to get a better view of what he was doing. Adjusting the flashlight accordingly, she couldn't help but be struck by the bizarreness of the situation.

*What am I *doing*?* she wondered. *I don't want him to fix this--I don't want to go to Earth, and whatever "sorceress" his friend wants to show me to.* She had overheard their conversation earlier, and she had sabotaged the engines as a way of buying time.

She didn't know what had changed his mind about helping her escape, but she could guess. This "sorceress" was going to change her back, make her good again. *That* she most emphatically did not want. "Good" was synonymous with "weak", and she didn't want to give up the power she had found.

There was a freedom in being evil, one she knew from the memories in her head that she had not had before. Why give it up? Why help him *make* her give it up?

Because she cared if he was cold. Because she had offered to hold a flashlight for him just so he could see better while he worked. Because no matter how much she had told herself that she was using him, she had stayed with him even after he had given her the means to escape on her own. And she had done it for a reason.

She didn't want to think about it. But she couldn't avoid the fact that he drew her to him, no matter how she tried to hate him. She couldn't tell if it was all these memories she had of him, or if it was something about the link between them, but she wanted to be where he was. And--she wanted him to be well.

It wasn't just that she couldn't destroy him. She flinched now just thinking about that earlier thought. She couldn't… she didn't want to see him upset, either.

*That's impossible, of course,* she thought, twisting the flashlight a little to follow his hands. *He'll always be upset while I'm like this, and I'm not changing.* But… she had to admit, if only to herself, that she wouldn't mind seeing his pretty eyes smile at her somewhere other than in her memories.

Obviously, his happiness had to be secondary to her own. But she wondered suddenly about something he had said earlier: "You are her--you can be," and she knew that he wanted nothing more than to believe that. Could she, maybe, be that person for him?

*Just for him,* she thought firmly. *None of this playing good for anyone else.* But… maybe for him, if it would keep him with her. He had been willing to run away with her before, after all--why would this time be different?

The station frame was firmly in place now, and he had managed to replace most of the optic bundles that had been melted or otherwise destroyed. He linked the last one to the datafeed it would express on the console top, seeing the narrow beam of light follow his every action.

He had no idea how she was doing that. Every once in a while, he would see her lean down and glance underneath the console at him, but most of the time she seemed to trace his movements with the flashlight by sheer instinct.

He couldn't help but remember the last time they had done this. Crammed inside the Megaship's damaged port thruster, she had admitted of her own accord that she was too busy staring at him to pay attention to where she was shining her flashlight. And though she was considerably more helpful this time, he would have given anything to switch this time for that one.

That had been no more than two weeks ago now, and yet it felt like an eternity. For that matter, it had only been two nights since they had fallen asleep in each other's arms, and *that* felt like another lifetime.

*Gods, I *miss* you, Cassie,* he thought, remembering the morning before. He had told her he would miss her when she went back to school… If only he had known how much worse it would be than just seeing her leave for Earth.

He was reaching for miniscan assembly when he felt her hand brush against his knee. He froze, hearing her shift her position and then feeling her hand come to rest on his knee again.

He closed his eyes, reminding himself to breathe. *It's all right,* he told himself. *She's just getting comfortable. She'll move again in a minute.*

But she did not, and he did his best to ignore her. He tugged the miniscanner into place, watching the light play across it and pushing against it to make sure it would stay. He almost lost his grip when her hand started, almost absently, to rub his leg.

"Cassie," he whispered. "Please stop."

He wasn't sure she would hear him, but her hand jerked away abruptly, and he heard her mutter, "Sorry. I didn't even realize…"

He caught his breath at the sincere apology in her voice, and he grabbed hold of the edge of the console to drag himself out. She wasn't looking at him, and he sat up, reaching out tentatively to touch her shoulder. "Cassie?" he breathed.

She looked up, no trace of malice in her expression. "Yes?"

He stared at her, wondering if he dared-- "You're not evil." He said it half because he wanted it to be true, and half because he was starting to doubt again--but was it her influencing him, or the other way around?

"Yes I am," she said, but the words sounded half-hearted at best.

"No," he said, lifting his hand to her face. "You are not…"

She tilted her head the slightest bit, leaning into his touch, and he wondered suddenly if it was unfaithful to Cassie to want to kiss--well, Cassie. As she gazed back at him, dark eyes revealing nothing, he thought it couldn't possibly be.

Leaning slowly forward, he saw her close her eyes, and he told himself that it was only one kiss. *Just one kiss,* he promised. *Then I'll be able to think again…*

Her lips touched his, and he couldn't do anything but feel. Feel her mouth on his, her hand snaking around behind his head, her hair falling soft against his face. He kissed her harder, opening his mouth against hers and feeling her imitate him eagerly.

Her other hand rested on his shoulder, and as she tugged him closer, he suddenly realized what was happening. He had expected her to turn away, to resist somehow, and when she didn't it was up to him to draw back--before the "one kiss" he had so desperately needed turned into something he couldn't stop.

He managed to draw away, the look of frustration on her face not even registering as he tried to calm his heart. "I--I have to finish this," he mumbled, meaning the console repair. So much for clearing his head. It felt twice as cloudy as it had before, and the need to touch her had suddenly become an ache he couldn't ignore.

*It will only get worse if you kiss her again,* he tried to tell himself. His body disagreed, telling him that all it really needed was one more kiss--but he had listened to it before, and it had been wrong.

"No kidding you do," Cassie muttered under her breath. In a more normal tone, she added, "Saryn?"

In the process of turning toward the control top, he stopped in his tracks. To hear her say his name, without the disdain she had been putting into it at first and so nearly like the way Cassie had always said it, continued to startle him. "Yes?"

"Tell me what I can do."

*You can be her!* his mind cried, unbidden. Then he closed his eyes, knowing that wasn't what she meant. If Zhane was wrong about this "sorceress", he knew he would spend the rest of his life trying to convince himself that this person was Cassie.

"Take the other side of this panel," he said at last. "It slides into place along these grooves." Pointing to them with one hand, he gripped the left side of the console top with his other.

She took the right side without question, and together, they lifted it into position. He stepped sideways, giving it a shove down the middle to make sure it was in the right place, and she moved to help him.

"No, it's--all…" He trailed off, feeling her press against him as she leaned forward to give it a push.

"Why do you push it at all?" she asked, not seeming to notice the fact that he suddenly couldn't talk.

He swallowed. "In case the--the clamps haven't…"

She put a hand on his shoulder and rested her chin on it, for all the world as though she was considering his words. But the gesture was far too familiar, and he fought with a vengeance to keep from turning in her direction. "Cassie," he whispered. "I know what you are doing."

"Distracting you?" she answered, lifting her head off his shoulder to look at him. He stared down at the console, feeling her breath warm on his face and her whole body sending chills through his. He knew what she was like--he couldn't *not* react to her.

"Very much so," he admitted, trying to speak above a whisper and failing miserably. "Please… step away."

"You didn't seem to mind kissing me a minute ago," she said quietly, keeping a hand on his shoulder as she slipped around in front of him. Somehow, she squeezed into the space between him and the console, and to step back himself would be admitting defeat.

"That--was different," he managed. He was about to back up anyway when she wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned into him.

"What, because you started it?" she murmured, kissing him hard enough to make him shiver. She didn't let up, kissing him again and again until he couldn't stand it anymore.

With a groan, he pushed his body against hers and let her drive him crazy. Slipping his arms around her to hold her close, he gave himself up to her savage kiss and searching hands, wanting only the ineffable feel of *Cassie* on his skin.

Distantly, he heard someone call his name, and over the pounding in his ears he thought he caught the distinctive hum of a weapon powering up. Cassie stiffened in his arms, and Zhane's voice said, "Cassie, I swear, if you don't step away from him right now, I will shoot you *both*."

He bit his lip, trying not to cry out in protest as she did as she was told. Trembling, he braced his hands against the console and held as still as he could. He heard Zhane bullying her out of the room, did not ask where they were going. He stared with unseeing eyes as the darkened panel in front of him, and all he could think was, *Without her, I die…*

Leaving Cassie both sedated and restrained in the Medical Bay, Zhane headed back to the engine room--and Saryn, who was still in exactly the same position he had been when Zhane left. Hunched over the workstation, he did not even look up when Zhane stomped into the room.

"Does the word 'evil' mean nothing to you?" Zhane demanded. "What were you thinking! She can't be your assassin *and* your lover, you know!"

"She is not my assassin," Saryn muttered, his voice hoarse.

"Oh, but she is your lover!" Zhane threw his hands up in the air. "Great! That's just great! So when you're lying in bed, does she tell you all her plans for universal domination?"

"Don't say that," Saryn said, his shoulders stiff and his voice a little stronger that it had been before.

"What, that your lover is evil?" Zhane glared at the other Ranger's back. "For every time she smiles at you, Saryn, she's shot at one of us!"

Saryn whirled, his face a mask of anger. "You dishonor Cassie's memory by speaking of her that way," he said through clenched teeth.

"You dishonor her memory by sleeping with her!" Zhane shot back.

"I am not sleeping with her!" Saryn shouted.

"You could've fooled me!"

Saryn's hands were fists at his sides, and his eyes were dark underneath his furious expression. "Don't you think I know she's evil? Don't you think I *understand* that? I can't stop the way I feel about her, Zhane!"

"You mean you can't stop wanting her in bed with you," Zhane snapped.

Some of the fight seemed to drain out of Saryn at that, and he closed his eyes. "No," he said, his voice tight. "I can not. You are right."

Zhane paused, somewhat startled. "What?"

"You are right," Saryn repeated, louder. "But you can not imagine what it is like to love someone with all your heart and soul, and then have them suddenly ripped away from you."

Zhane's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I can," he said bitterly. "If you would open your eyes and look around you, Saryn, you'd see you're not the only one who's hurting."

Saryn just stared at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "Are you--"

"I don't want to talk about it," Zhane interrupted flatly. "All I want is to know what you're going to do about Cassie."

"Cassie is evil," Saryn answered roughly. "What *can* I do?"

"Accept it," Zhane shot back. "The way the rest of us have to."

"I *know* it," Saryn said with a glare. "I *know* she is evil, and it terrifies me that I do not care!"

Zhane just stared at him for a moment, wondering if there was a veiled insult in there somewhere. "What do you mean?" he asked at last, warily.

Saryn looked away abruptly. "I mean that I need her," he said quietly. "I have to be with her, whether she is good or not. I have to hear her say she loves me, even if it's the most transparent lie I ever hear her speak. I need *Cassie*, Zhane, or I have no more reason to live. And if she is evil forever…" His voice trailed off to almost nothing, and he whispered, "Then so will I be."

Zhane said nothing, not sure words existed to respond to a declaration like that. Finally, with the silence weighing heavily on him, he muttered, "Then she'd better not be evil forever."

Turning to look past Saryn, he asked, "How close are you to being done?"

He ignored Saryn as the other Ranger tried to steady himself, process the question and come up with a reasonable answer. "Very," he said at last. "If you reconnect the power flows, I will test the optic expression."

Zhane stared at the dark hole underneath the console top and sighed. This was exactly what he didn't need right now. "No," he said simply. "If you want to switch jobs, I'll help, but otherwise, no."

Saryn looked at him, an easily readable expression of annoyance on his face. Zhane just shook his head, too tired to fight anymore. "Look," he said. "I'm not being difficult. I'm just not climbing under that panel, and that's all there is to it."

"You are afraid," Saryn said, watching him carefully.

Zhane sighed again. "Yes, I'm afraid. I was trapped under a very large building when I was eleven; are you happy? Now, do you want help or not?"

Saryn actually seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding. "Yes," he said at last. Then, more quietly he added, "Thank you."

He turned away before Zhane could answer, and Zhane just stared after him for a moment. Finally, he followed the other Ranger to the newly replaced control panel and waited beside it to call out light numbers as they appeared. As Saryn climbed underneath again, Zhane muttered quickly, "You're welcome."

He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Saryn's lips quirk just before his head disappeared into darkness. His hand groped for the flashlight Cassie had been using earlier, and Zhane grabbed it off the console and passed it to him.

The other said nothing, but lights started to flicker on the console, and Zhane read them off as they appeared. As the last one glowed to life, Saryn's hand grasped the panel and hauled the rest of him out from underneath the workstation. Getting to his feet, he looked over Zhane's shoulder as the station ran an automatic engine check.

Zhane breathed a small sigh of relief at the results, glancing instinctively toward the engines. "They're all right," he said grateful for whatever small amount of luck had been watching out for them.

He caught Saryn's eye again and added, "ETA to Earth is fifteen minutes."

10. Don't Let Go

Zhane was going to be upset. She shouldn't have taken the shuttle. She knew she had left the Megaship at a disadvantage if it had to fight in anything other than a space battle. At it was already disadvantaged enough, with two--three of its Rangers, now, missing.

On top of that, she had stuck Zhane with the job of getting Cassie to Earth. He not only been left to convince Saryn that his plan had a chance of working, but to eventually convince Astronema that it was the right thing to do as well.

She sighed, not envying him that task. She was sorry he had been left with it, for she knew he was hurting over Andros just as much as she was. But if she had tried to tell him what she was going to do, he would have found a way to stop her.

*He wouldn't even have to do anything,* she thought, staring without seeing at the control panel in front of her. *He could just tell me what we both know--that Andros couldn't have survived, and it's all in my mind--and I'd have to listen to him.*

It was true, after all. She knew it as well as Zhane did. But what she felt was an entirely different matter--she *felt* that Andros was alive, somewhere, and when she ignored facts, the feeling grew strong enough that she couldn't go on without knowing.

*Facts suck,* she thought, not for the first time. She didn't want anything that told her Andros was dead, and she was determined to put them aside. She was going to follow this feeling, which told her something she was much more willing to listen to, until it faded or she found what she was looking for--whichever came first.

She had always imagined what it would be like to fall in love. To *really* fall in love, to be utterly and uncontrollably head over heels for someone else. She had even thought she had experienced it a couple of times, but the initial intensity had always faded, leaving her restless and dissatisfied.

The moment she had seen the Red Astro Ranger, she had felt a strange fascination, a desire to know about the person he was. But until he demorphed, it had only been the curiosity of someone who had never been off her own planet wondering about an alien ship and its unearthly occupant.

She had never expected to see someone human when his Ranger uniform vanished into crimson sparkles, revealing a teenage boy standing before them. But when she did…

Ashley couldn't help a tiny smile. The eerie not-light of hyperspace gave the shuttle's cockpit a washed-out tint as she traced the outline of the pilot's console. When she *did* see Andros, she couldn't deny the purely physical attraction she'd felt.

Andros wasn't the type she'd always gone for, back on Earth. She'd always been drawn to the tall, dark ones, same as Cassie--though she liked less mystery and more openness. Friendliness and easy smile had been a plus, and she had been firmly against the rebel look. No punk hair or spiked jackets for her.

Andros' hair was certainly--different, and he wasn't much taller than her, even when he stopped slouching. He had been neither friendly nor open, and he hadn't smiled at them once that first day. But her first reaction had been a sudden and uncharacteristic stare that had continued for several seconds before she realized what she was doing.

Her next had been dismay. Just what she needed, a crush on a Ranger who clearly wanted nothing to do with them and whom they would probably never see again, if he had his way. But identifying the feeling as a crush had not made it go away, and she had wanted nothing more than to melt that stoic façade and see what lay behind it.

The first time he had smiled, she had caught her breath and committed herself to making that expression appear on his face again, preferably as often as possible. And then she had caught him showing off for her--she had been the first one to find out about his telekinesis, not because it was a secret, but because he didn't bother to use it around anyone but her.

Her smile faded as she remembered all those times he had tried to teach her. He had been right when she said she wasn't concentrating hard enough--how could she, with him so close by and wearing a look of endearing focus whenever he used his own talent? But he had never lost patience with her, and it had been during one of those practice sessions that she had suddenly realized what she was feeling wasn't just a crush anymore.

He had told her to stop trying so hard, and she had just made a face at him. "Easy for you to say," she remembered telling him. "You can do it!"

*He never did,* she thought now, watching the hyperrush readout as the auto navigation systems carried her toward Andros' last known location. He never said anything, never did anything that *had* to mean something any more or less than a team friendship. And finally she had had to know.

She hadn't planned it, but she had been thinking about confronting him for some time. She'd even considered asking him out, just to see what he would say, but in the end it had been simpler than that. She had kissed him, and he had had to choose--just friends, or something more.

She had never been happier than that fleeting moment on the Bridge, later that day, when he had leaned forward and tentatively kissed *her*.

That had been her first real indication that he felt something for her, and she had pursued it eagerly. Despite his self-consciousness, he had finally started to let her into his life, even his heart, and she had suddenly found herself where she'd tried to be so many times before… completely and unashamedly in love.

The nav comp that had been installed on the modified shuttle chimed, and she reached slowly for the controls to bring the vessel out of hyperrush. She almost didn't want to see the emptiness that would greet her, though she knew the place where the Delta Megaship had exploded would look no different from any other area of space.

As the bizarre glow of hyperspace faded, the blackness of deep space became visible through the shuttle's forward window. An irrational cold gripped her heart as she stared out at the vast nothingness. Andros had been all alone out here when…

She frowned, fiercely determined *not* to finish that thought. She set the shuttle's rather limited scanners to search for any sign of anomalous reading, but she didn't expect to find anything. If DECA hadn't picked anything up when the Megaship had come this way, the shuttle certainly wouldn't. But she had to check before she went on, just to make sure.

The scanner readout chimed, and her heart leaped. They had found *something*--but as she skimmed the readout her excitement turned to dread as quickly as it had come. The Megaship had never fought this "Darkonda", at least not while she was on board, but DECA had identified his battleship and KERI had sent all the data the Delta Megaship had collected before it was destroyed.

The readings in front of her now matched those KERI had detected just after the Delta Megaship disappeared from their scanners.

The shuttle couldn't fight, but it could run, and that was exactly what Ashley did. The coordinates of Irini's only habitable moon were already programmed into the nav comp, and she threw the little vessel into hyperspace without a second thought. Thinking would only slow her reaction time, and she couldn't afford that right now.

Hyperspace wrapped the shuttle up in its protective embrace, but she did not relax. After all, Andros had been in hyperspace. Darkonda must have some way to knock ships back into realspace--she could only hope the shuttle was too small to make an easy target.

Someone must have been looking out for her, because seconds later the auto nav system yanked her back into realspace of its own accord, dumping speed as fast as the shuttle could do it and screaming toward Irini's largest moon. She turned the limited scanner array toward the surface, searching for any sign of a recent crash-landing.

With the scanners turned on the moon she had no warning when Darkonda came out of hyperrush behind her, but considering the shuttle's limited defenses, it wouldn't have helped anyway. She *saw* the lasers streak past her before she knew the battleship had arrived, and the shuttle was just swinging into orbit when one of the energy blasts clipped its starboard thruster.

She felt the pilot's controls start to lag, and she knew she was in trouble. She almost missed the scanners' chime as the impact of a second laser caught the shuttle's rear shields and overloaded them with a single shot. *Damn…*

Distantly, she knew the shuttle was going down. But her gaze leaped across the panels to the scanner readout, showing a large concentration of metal in an impact crater about thirty degrees off her current trajectory. Pushing the port thruster as far as it would go, she managed to skew the shuttle's degenerative orbit in the appropriate direction, and the sudden change kept the next few laser blasts from reaching her.

Then the shuttle's heat shield began to glow as the atmosphere flared up around her, and she knew that landing in one piece had just become her primary goal. She doubted Darkonda's battleship could maneuver in an atmosphere, and the shuttle's course was probably too erratic to follow by now anyway. He might even break off his attack entirely, assuming she wouldn't survive the impact.

*Now there's a cheery thought,* she thought, working feverishly to keep the shuttle at such an angle that it was braking hard--but not so hard the heat shield overloaded and fried the craft before it ever reached the ground.

She kept the nose up as high as possible, but it wasn't working. She knew she was still going far too fast to survive the landing, and she hesitated only a half-second before firing the modified port thruster again. The action would wreak havoc on the local atmosphere, but it was that or vaporize on impact, and she knew which one she would choose.

As the thruster fired in reverse, the shuttle spun out of her control, the one side slowing while the starboard side tried to keep accelerating. Ashley gave up on the nav controls and reached for her morpher, praying it would be enough.

"Let's Rocket!" she yelled, knowing she had only seconds before she found out. As her Ranger uniform sparkled into place around her, she felt the shuttle's wing graze something and the forward window filled with trees.

Then she was slammed against the console, the breath knocked out of her as the shuttle fell below the treeline. Her last thought before darkness claimed her was that if the trees were slowing her down this quickly, she couldn't have been going as fast as she thought…

The silence was louder than the roar of re-entry had been, and Ashley flinched as consciousness yanked her back into the waking world. Still morphed, the Power was urging her to get up, to assess the situation and be ready to fight if she had to. But as she tried to pull herself up, off the console and out of her chair, her foot caught on something hard.

She winced, tugging harder, but the forward end of the cockpit had crushed the front of the pilot's station and she couldn't see through the tangle of metal that had trapped her ankle. Frustrated, she gave up and drew her astroblaster, vaporizing the metal with a single shot.

Her foot came free abruptly, the intense heat of the weapon's blast barely registering through her uniform. Letting the uniform disappear in flicker of light, she flexed her foot, testing it. Her ankle moved without complaint, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Standing, her eyes went immediately to the scanners. By some miracle, the atmosphere was clear for as far as the scanners could reach--either *none* of Darkonda's ships were equipped for atmospheric maneuvering, or he was searching too far away for the scanners to detect. Or, if she was really lucky, he had written her off as killed in the crash, but she wasn't going to count on that.

She reached for the comm controls, but the crackle of static and the lack of a carrier signal told her that it was a lost cause. *Andros?* she thought desperately, searching for some sign that she wasn't alone here.

There was no answer, and she called up the location of the metallic concentration she'd detected from orbit. Three kilometers due west--she'd overshot, but she was far closer than she'd been able to hope when she'd felt the shuttle spiraling out of control.

*Andros,* she called again, trying hard not to think. She didn't want to consider what that metal blip on the scanners could be. She knew what she wanted to find, and she knew she was going to look. But if she let any kind of rational thought enter her mind, she wouldn't be able to hang onto the hope that would make her do it.

*At least I'll know,* she reminded herself. If that *was* some remnant of the Delta Megaship that the shuttle's scanners were detecting, she would most likely find it burned beyond recognition--but she had to see for herself. She had to *know*.

She forced herself to stop thinking, gathering up what emergency supplies the shuttle had been equipped with and shoving them into one of the backpacks stowed in the rear living compartment. She was here, in the one place Andros had told her to look for him, and she was not only stranded but completely cut off from the rest of the universe. She had no reason *not* to head for the source of the anomalous readings, nowhere to go but toward the one thing that could possibly offer her peace of mind.

Slinging the pack over her shoulder, she downloaded the shuttle's scans of the planet's surface into a handheld scanner and turned away from the console. The shuttle would be the first place Darkonda looked, *if* he looked, and assuming he could locate it. She had somewhere else to be, and she stepped out of the airlock and into the humid jungle air without a backward glance.

The metal hulk was visible through the trees from several hundred meters away, and she paused in her headlong rush through the undergrowth to stare. She could catch glimpses of the characteristic black coating that had covered the Delta Megaship, and it might have been her imagination, but she thought she saw the yellow and red markings that had adorned the ship's top side.

*Please let it be--* She firmly stamped out that thought, reminding herself not to think, not to feel. It might be the Delta Megaship. It might not be. She continued to push her way through the vegetation until she broke through the last barriers between her and the metallic concentration her handheld scanner had led her to.

The distorted wreckage poked out of the ground at an odd angle, buried in an impact crater several meters deep. The Astro Rangers' colored logo was clearly visible along the leading edge, pitted and scraped but unmistakable nonetheless.

Ashley stared at it, feeling nothing but the glimmer of recognition. This twisted metal giant had once been a part of the Delta Megaship's forward hull, but how it had survived to crash here, she had no idea.

One thing was clear, though: the landing had not been easy. The impact crater extended backwards a good hundred meters, and a huge swath had been cut through the surrounding vegetation. Even if someone had been onboard, had survived the core breach and the re-entry, she didn't see how they could have lived through the crash.

She found herself walking forward anyway, scrambling up the incline of rubble that lined the leading edge of the crater. The metal hull loomed over her, and she reached out slowly, laying her hand against the hard surface. *Andros' tomb.*

The words came out of nowhere, intruding on her mind and beating against the numbness she was trying so hard to hold onto. She felt a single tear slide down her cheek, and she wiped it away impatiently. She had to get inside.

Stepping back a little, she surveyed the imposing edifice in front of her. The Astro Rangers' logo was at least a meter above her head, and although it appeared to be overlaid across the same dark, shadowy finish that had covered the rest of the ship, the hull below it was a distinctly paler grey.

The more she looked, the more convinced she was that the odd shape of the hulk in front of her was not due only to battle scarring or distortion caused by impact with the moon's surface. It was almost as though this part of the ship had actually broken away from the rest, somehow released to find its way here.

And if it had been intended to do that… She started walking along the edge of the metal wreckage, knowing that any escape was incomplete without a way *out* of the escape pod. And where someone could get out, she could get in.

She found what she was looking for just beyond and below the black Astro bar. A sealed airlock, with a metal plate beside it that she pulled open without hesitation. There was a keypad underneath, and she just stared at it for a moment, wondering how she was supposed to know what sequence to enter.

Then she saw the tiny embedded scanner at the top, and she pulled her morpher off and held it up to the mechanism. A violet light emerged, flickering green as it scanned her morpher. The airlock started to cycle, and she stepped inside as soon as it rolled open.

It occurred to her as the door slid shut behind her that if the next one failed to open, she would be effectively trapped. But it didn't seem to matter that much, and she felt no relief when the second door opened for her.

Stepping out, she blinked in the almost non-existent lighting. It was the Bridge, she realized suddenly, glancing around as she tried to orient herself. The airlock she had come through was near the point where the forward hull met the port side of the ship, an exit she had never thought much about but had assumed led to an escape pod.

*The whole Bridge was an escape pod,* she realized distantly, staring around her. Somehow it must have detached--

Her mind froze. She couldn't think, suddenly forgot even to breathe as the shadow slumped over the pilot's console leaped into the foreground of her vision. "No," she whispered. "No, please…"

But her legs carried her forward, and she could see Andros' blond-streaked brown hair falling across his arms as they pillowed his head on the console. From where she stood he looked for all the world as though he had simply fallen asleep, but as she got closer, she could see the unnatural paleness of his skin even in the dim lighting.

She tried to stop herself, knowing she should remember him the way she had always known him. She didn't want to see what injuries he had sustained, didn't want to know how hurt he had been before--

But she couldn't help it. Some trick of the shadows, or maybe only a figment of her imagination, made her think she could actually see him breathing shallowly in the darkened room, and she was drawn inevitably closer. She felt her own breath come faster, and she reached out tentatively to touch him.

She jerked her hand back almost instantly, wondering if her imagination could truly make her think his skin had felt warm to the touch. She extended her hand again, seeing it shaking but unable to do anything about it, and laid her fingers gently against his cheek.

His skin was warm. She fumbled frantically for his hand, wrapping her fingers around his wrist and holding her breath. "Andros?" she whispered, disbelieving.

The beat that pulsed beneath her fingers failed to convince her, and she laid her hand over his chest. "Andros," she whispered again, feeling another tear roll down her cheek. "Andros, tell me I'm not dreaming; I'm not. Please, Andros…"

She saw his head move a little then, tilting to the side, and she brushed his hair away from his face. "Andros?" she asked, voice trembling.

His breath escaped in a sigh, and she could see him struggling to push himself away from the console. Swallowing hard, she grasped his shoulders gently and helped him sit up, resting against the back of his chair with his eyes still closed. "Ash?" he murmured.

Her throat was too tight to let her speak any more, and she could only lay her hand against his face once more, praying she had not found him only to watch him leave her again. *He *can't* die,* she thought fiercely, leaving her other hand over his heart as though she could keep him with her by not turning away.

*Andros,* she thought carefully, trying to think clearly enough to communicate in the only way she still could. *Tell me what's wrong.*

She saw him try to open his eyes, then wince, letting them slide shut again. "My…" His breathing was still too shallow, and she could see him struggling to get the words out. "My head--hurts…"

*Where?* If there was any visible sign, the lighting was too dim for her to make it out, and she ran her fingers across his scalp gently, trying to find out where he'd been hit.

As her fingers caressed his forehead, he flinched away, and she paused. With the lightest touch she could manage, she traced what had to be a nasty bruise over his right eye, and he moaned.

"Stay here," she whispered, blinking tears out of her eyes. He muttered something she couldn't make out as she turned away, trying desperately to remember where she'd seen the emergency aid kits the last time she'd been onboard.

Shrugging out of her backpack, she dropped it on the floor without a second thought. She found one of the emergency kits at the rear of the Bridge, buried behind a panel that would have been clearly labeled had she had more light to see by. There was a flashlight with it, and she flipped it on immediately, the sudden illumination stinging her eyes in the pervasive darkness.

She sniffled, annoyed to realize she was crying. She couldn't cry. She didn't have time to cry; Andros needed her. Andros was alive…

She stifled a sob, clutching the flashlight harder as she stumbled back to his side. Fumbling with the catch that held the kit shut, she tried to make her hands stop shaking. She knew what she was doing, but if she didn't calm down it wouldn't matter.

Glancing over at Andros, sudden fear stabbed at her heart as she realized he must have fallen back asleep. His expression was still pained, but he looked too relaxed, and he didn't react when the flashlight's beam played across his face.

"Andros," she whispered, trying not to choke over his name. Reaching out to grab his shoulder, she shook him gently. "Andros--wake up."

His head rolled to the side, but he mumbled something and she leaned closer to hear. "Ash," he whispered again, and she bit her lip.

"Yeah," she murmured, laying her hand against his cheek. "I'm here, Andros. It's--" She swallowed. "It's going to be okay."

"Ash… don't leave me," he muttered, and she caught her breath. She had never expected to hear him say those dream words out loud, in person.

"I won't," she promised, as she had then. "Come on, Andros, try and stay awake. You're going to be okay."

"If--if you're here," she heard him whisper, and those stupid tears just kept sliding down her face. Scrubbing at her cheeks with the sleeve of her uniform, she pulled her other hand away from his face and reached for the emergency kit.

Even with the flashlight, it was harder than it should have been to locate the concussion patches. She managed, finally, and couldn't help remembering the time he had gotten them all together and shown them how to use everything in these kits. She remembered trying not to be jealous when he demonstrated everything on Cassie, not even looking at Ashley unless she asked him a direct question.

"Andros," she murmured, trying to keep him awake as much as anything. "Remember last month--when you showed us how to use the emergency kits?"

Pulling the sterile wrapper off of the patch, she brushed his hair away from his forehead as carefully as she could. His eyes were still closed, but he flinched when she turned the flashlight full on his face for a moment. "Sorry," she whispered, tilting it away. "Hold still…"

"Yeah," he muttered, as she positioned the concussion patch over his skin. He cried out as she pressed it down, as gently as she could, and she winced. Before she could apologize again, though, he added with some difficulty, "I--I remember."

Dropping the wrapper back in the kit, she snapped the cover shut. "Used Cassie," he whispered. "As--an example."

"Yeah," she said, a little relieved. If he could remember that much, he was far more coherent than she'd thought. If she could just keep him awake now, it would keep the swelling caused by the concussion from getting any worse, and the patch she'd applied should reduce whatever had already occurred.

"Had to," he said, still struggling to speak. "Couldn't--" He tried to open his eyes once more, wincing in the flashlight-brightened dimness, but he managed to keep them open this time. "Couldn't get that… close to you."

She paused, automatically wiping her cheeks again. "What?"

"I--" He was trying to sit up, she realized, and she jumped forward to either stop or help him, whichever he seemed more likely to accept. "Might--have… kissed you."

"Andros?" she murmured worriedly, not sure how lucid he was after all. What if he had sustained more injuries than just a concussion?

He let her help him sit a little straighter, and met her gaze with surprisingly clear eyes. "Don't cry," he whispered, staring at her tearstained face. "Please… don't."

She shook her head, impatient with her own tears. "You said…" She hesitated, sniffling a little. "You said you didn't know what kissing meant, on Earth."

His hand jerked, trembling as it fumbled for hers, and she grabbed for it desperately, entwining his fingers with her own as though there was nothing more to life. "Didn't matter," he said softly. "I--" His fingers tightened on hers abruptly. "Wanted to… anyway."

She leaned forward slowly, and it occurred to her suddenly that if this was a dream, now would be when she woke up. But her lips brushed his, and she saw him close his eyes. *I love you,* she told him silently, thanking anyone who might be listening for keeping him alive until she could find him.

An urgent beeping broke into the moment, and she pulled away quickly. She reached for the scanner she'd brought with her, realizing as she did so that Andros' fingers were still tangled through hers and he wasn't letting go.

Glancing over at him, she could see him squinting in her direction and his hand squeezed hers. "Don't let go…"

She nodded mutely, looking back at the scanner. Although the atmosphere read as clear now, the device had picked up an unknown ship at the limits of its range and had alerted her accordingly.

"Man," she muttered under her breath. "He doesn't give up, does he."

"Who?" Andros wanted to know, as she tried to open her backpack with one hand. Succeeding, she dropped the emergency kit inside and fastened the top quickly.

"We have to get out of here," she said, adrenaline kicking in once more. She didn't want to move Andros this soon, but it looked like they didn't have a choice. If her scanner was detecting ships, it wouldn't be long before the ships were detecting the remains of the Delta Megaship. And if anyone came to investigate… Andros wasn't in any condition to fight, and she couldn't hold them off alone.

She lifted her backpack, slipping the straps over both shoulders, and glanced around the Bridge. The shortest way back to the airlock would be--

"Ash?" Andros was definitely frowning now. "What… what's happening?"

"Can you walk?" she asked gently, taking their clasped hands and switching his grip to her other hand as she wrapped her arm around him.

"I--" He seemed to sense the urgency, letting her tug him out of the chair. "Maybe…"

She draped his other arm over her shoulders, hoping he was more capable than he seemed to think. "Just try," she whispered. "We don't have to go far."

That was blatantly untrue, but she hoped they would be able to take cover in the surrounding jungle and let him recover a little longer before they had to decide on a course of action. His fingers clenched on her shoulder, and his first steps were stumbling, but she caught his other arm too and kept him from falling.

As he clung to her, she let go briefly to reach for the flashlight. It illuminated a narrow path across the debris-littered floor, and she managed to steer Andros around most of it--he couldn't seem to focus enough to watch where he was going. *Or maybe,* she thought with dismay, remembering her own experience with a concussion, albeit far less serious than his, *he just can't see, period…*

They made it to the airlock without either of them falling, though, and she had the chance to find out without asking. Her morpher was around the arm supporting him, and she shot a covert look in his direction. "Andros, hold your morpher up to the keypad, please?"

He frowned, squinting first at the airlock and then, helplessly, at her. His one-word question confirmed her fears. "Where?"

She winced, reaching for his hand. "Give me your hand," she said quietly. He held it out, groping for hers in the darkness, and she caught it, holding his wrist up in front of the keypad's scanner. He didn't protest, and when the airlock cycled open, she helped him inside.

"Airlock?" he asked, and she gave him a worried look he probably couldn't see.

"Yeah," she told him, tugging gently to get him to pick up his feet and move through the second door. "We're outside now--can you tell?"

He started to nod, then inhaled sharply and she felt his fingers tighten on her arm. His free hand went to the side of his head, and she heard him stifle a moan.

"*Don't* move your head," she told him sternly. "I'll get you a pain reliever--can you hang on for just a few more minutes?"

"Yes," he breathed, his eyes shut tight.

She hesitated, but the muffled beep from her scanner convinced her. "All right--hang on to me, okay? We're going downhill, on loose dirt, and I don't want you to slip."

"Right," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

She didn't know how she got him away from the crash site, let alone through enough of the jungle undergrowth that she felt reasonably certain of their safety should Darkonda come for the Delta Megaship. If he could detect Power signatures, of course, no amount of distance would ensure their safety, but that was an ability usually limited to Rangers. The two of them were, at the very least, out of line-of-sight from the crash, and at best, far enough that their life signs would blend into those of the jungle around them.

"Andros?" she asked tentatively, seeing his eyes close again. "Sit down…"

He seemed to think that was a good idea, and she was hard-pressed to support him as he almost collapsed to the ground. But his back was straight as he leaned forward over his knees, pressing his hands to either side of his head, and she thought he hadn't so much fallen as dropped quickly on purpose.

"My head *hurts*," he muttered, not even trying to look up at her.

She dropped her backpack, fumbling with the emergency kit as she tugged it out. She was annoyed to realize her hands were trembling again, and she tried to still them as she sifted through the contents of the kit.

*Control yourself,* she thought, trying not to feel. Andros didn't need her breaking down on him; they had enough problems already. He took the pain reliever she passed him without question, and she watched him wince as swallowing prompted another wave of dizziness.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, while he waited for the pain to fade a little and she just stared. She couldn't take her eyes off of him--he had finally let go of her when they arrived in this tiny clearing, but now she found herself wishing he hadn't. His touch would give her *some* reassurance that he was real, that this wasn't just some bizarre dream.

But she couldn't move. If it *was* a dream, she didn't want to know--she would stay in this dream forever, if she could, just to think that Andros was alive.

*Even if Darkonda doesn't give up?* she wondered suddenly. But she knew the answer. She didn't want to live without Andros, and if it meant they had to keep running from evil, maybe never seeing the Megaship again, she would do it. She would choose a life with him, no matter how hard, over anything she had had when she thought he was dead.

"Ash?" Andros asked suddenly, and she blinked as she realized he was now staring back at her. Some of the pain was gone from his expression, but out here in the light she thought she could see the unfocused look of his eyes.

"Yeah?" she answered, moving a little closer to him. "Did that pain reliever help at all?"

She saw him almost nod, and then abort the gesture as it began. "At least--I can think now. Ash… the others aren't here with you, are they."

She bit her lip, then shook her head slowly. "We--we thought you were dead." Her voice broke on the last word, and she berated herself for the tears she felt threatening to escape once more.

"Ash…" He reached out, hand wavering as he couldn't quite find her, and she reached up to grasp his hand. He pulled, quite hard for someone she had thought dead up until a half an hour before, and she found herself wrapped in his tight embrace.

"It's okay," he whispered in her ear. "I'm not dead, and you're here, and we're together. That's all that really matters."

"But--" She tried desperately to hang onto the calm shell that had protected her since she started this crazy journey to find Andros. "But the shuttle crashed, and Darkonda's after us, and--"

She felt him stiffen. "Darkonda?"

"He shot at me," she said, hearing her voice tremble. "When I came to look for you…"

"Is he why the shuttle crashed?" Andros asked softly. She could hear the anger in his voice, quiet though it was, and she hugged him tighter instinctively.

"Yes," she admitted. "I couldn't control it after--"

"Shh," he interrupted, and she broke off abruptly as his hand started to stroke her hair. Tears started to well up in her eyes at the familiar gesture, and there was nothing she could do to stop them.

Andros held her while she cried, saying nothing, just rocking her back and forth. She cried for the loneliness that had descended on her the instant she had felt his mindtouch disappear the night before, and she cried for the despair that had settled over her when she tried to envision the rest of her life without him. She cried for the pain that had found its way into her soul at the sight of him, lying unmoving across the pilot's console of the ruined Delta Megaship.

"We're going to be all right, Ash," he murmured finally. "We're together now…"

She swallowed hard, trying to blink away the rest of her tears. "Don't leave me again," she whispered suddenly, fiercely, lifting one hand over his shoulder to rub her eyes. "Ever again, Andros, *ever*."

It was a promise she knew, logically, that he couldn't make, but her heart demanded she ask it of him anyway. She wasn't sure she could endure that heart-wrenching separation again, and she knew she never wanted to find out.

"I won't leave you," he said softly. "I promise."

She nodded a little, drawing back to look at him, remind herself that he was really there. "Never," she insisted, and he smiled a little.

"Never," he agreed, his voice quiet.

"Good," she sighed, oddly reassured. Looking around them, she took a deep breath. She was about to say something more practical when she felt him tense again. "What--"

He cut her off with a look. Tilting his head a little, he gestured upward. "Do you hear that?" he whispered, and she strained her ears to hear what he had noticed.

"Atmospheric fighters," he said after a moment, when she didn't answer. "They're gone now, but for a minute…"

"We'd better get moving," she said, letting go of him reluctantly. "We can't stay here forever anyway."

"The nearest settlement," he began, and she grabbed her scanner out of her backpack.

"Twenty kilometers," she interjected, and he gave her a startled look. "But it's only two to the nearest water source," she continued, feeling a little smug. "And that's a river, which eventually feeds into the settlement we're aiming for--I say go for that and follow it as far as we can."

He was just staring at her, one hand still in hers and their clasped hands in her lap. "You're not the only one who can have a plan, you know," she added, a little disconcerted by his gaze.

"My plan…" He hesitated, then gave her a rueful smile. "My plan pretty much consisted of--kissing you, and then asking you what the plan was."

Surprised, she looked at him for a moment, his words somehow transforming themselves from suggestion to undeniable urge in her mind. She found herself leaning forward, and his lips met hers as her eyes fluttered closed.

"I like--" She felt him kiss her again, gently. "Your plan better," she finished with a sigh.

"But see…" His fingers ran across her face. "Without your plan, it's incomplete." Softly, he added, "Like me without you," and she felt his mouth on hers once more.

This time, even she heard the hum of the fighters, and as he pulled away he breathed, "Time for--"

"My plan," she finished, grabbing her backpack and closing it quickly. Shrugging into it, she clipped the scanner to her belt and scrambled to her feet, reaching for Andros' other hand as she did so.

Somehow, he managed to grasp her fingers and she hauled him to his feet, stepping closer to him as he stumbled. Obviously, his vision was not improving, and she suspected he was still dizzy. What he really needed was rest and to not have to move around, but that wasn't an option.

Wrapping one arm firmly around him, she thought she could have enjoyed the closeness if the situation weren't so urgent. He took a deep breath and one step forward, and she followed suit. He seemed almost surprised when his feet found the ground without incident, and she squeezed the hand he had over her shoulders encouragingly.

He smiled a little, and they started, at a painstakingly slow walk, toward the river.

11. Sunset

"Sit," Ashley told him, in a tone that left no room for argument.

He sighed, and decided to try anyway. "It's really nothing, Ash--"

"Sit down!" She was clearly upset. He probably should have told her, but the pain in his head had overwhelmed everything else. And then, in the hurry to get away from the Delta Megaship, it hadn't seemed so important.

Reaching out, his hand found the trunk of a tree and he lowered himself slowly to the ground. She dropped down beside him, tugging impatiently at his uniform jacket as he started to shrug out of it. He honestly couldn't feel anything, but she insisted there was blood on the back of his jacket.

As she pulled it away, he heard her gasp. He winced, having a vague memory of being hit from behind as the ship's inertial damping failed to compensate completely for the stress it had been under. He knew the tank top he wore under his jacket had torn, but the pain reliever she had given him prevented him from knowing how bad the injury was.

"Dammit, Andros!" That couldn't be a good sign. Ashley never swore, much less at him. "Would you *tell* me when you're hurt!"

"I wasn't--" he started, intending to say he hadn't meant to hide it from her. But even as he spoke, he knew that wasn't entirely true, and he was a little relieved when she interrupted him.

"Take off your shirt," she demanded. "Right now, or I'm going to do it for you."

He tried hard not to smile. He would have dearly loved to say something to that, but he doubted it would help her mood any. Without a word, he tugged his tank top loose and pulled it off over his head, a little surprised at the lack of dizziness accompanying the motion.

He felt her touch his back tentatively, and he inhaled sharply. It didn't hurt, but it *felt* like it should hurt. "God, Andros," she said, her voice choked, and he heard her rummaging through her backpack.

"Ash, it's okay," he said, a little alarmed. "It doesn't hurt..."

"Of course it doesn't hurt," she snapped, pulling out the emergency kit she'd brought with her. "That pain reliever didn't just work on your head, you know."

"Ash," he said again, twisting a little. He knew instinctively that it wasn't that bad--she was upset about something else. "What's wrong?"

"You're hurt!" she exclaimed, glaring at him. "Isn't that enough?"

Carefully, he shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "Not for you to be like this."

"Well, excuse me for worrying about my boyfriend!"

"Ashley..." He said her name again, as though he could somehow get through to her with just that word. He wondered, suddenly, if this was how she had felt all those times, trying to get *him* to talk. How had she done it?

He reached out, fumbling for her hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said finally, when she didn't say anything. "I--I just didn't want you to worry."

"Oh, and bleeding through your *jacket* was supposed to reassure me?" she retorted, but her indignation sounded half-hearted.

"I'm sorry," he offered again, meaning it. The last thing he had wanted to do was to upset her.

Her fingers tightened on his, and she sniffed a little. Even through his blurred sight, he could see her fighting not to cry again. "Ash," he murmured, pulling her closer and feeling relief when she let him draw her into his embrace.

"I didn't mean to yell at you," she whispered, and he hugged her tighter. "Andros... I love you."

"I love you, too," he murmured, grateful beyond words for her presence. "Always."

"Always have, always will," she said softly, repeating the words he had told her once. "I'm sorry I was so terrible--I just--" Her voice wavered. "I'm so scared, Andros," she whispered. "I can't lose you, I *can't*. And when I think how close I came to giving up on you..."

"But you didn't," he told her, closing his eyes and letting the feeling of warm comfort she offered envelop him. "You're here, and I'm fine, and I love you. No one's going to lose *anyone*."

She let him hold her for another minute, seeming to take comfort in those words. It seemed, in that fleeting moment, that he had never needed anyone or anything but her. He marveled at his own feeling of contentment, but he didn't question it.

She pulled away far too soon, and he sighed without meaning to. He tried not to blush, looking away as she gave him a surprised smile. Her fingers brushed his cheek lightly, and she got to her feet.

"I'm going to clean up that scrape on your back," she said, not sounding nearly as upset as she had before. Grabbing a cloth from the emergency kit and a canteen from her bag, she added, "Be right back."

He nodded wordlessly, turning a little to watch her make her way down to the river's edge. He blinked automatically, trying to clear his eyes, but it did no more good than it had the dozen other times he had tried it.

Then he could see her returning, and a moment later she dropped to the ground behind him. He heard water slosh as she covered the mouth of the canteen with the cloth and turned it upside down briefly. "This might sting," she warned. "I'm not really sure how thorough that pain reliever is..."

"S'okay," he said, shaking his head. "I'll live."

She was silent for a moment, and he winced as he realized that that probably wasn't the best thing he could have said. "You'd better," Ashley said quietly. Her tone was fond enough to reassure him, though, and he smiled a little.

"How could I not--" He caught his breath as the cloth, cold from its dowsing with river water, touched his back. "When I have you to live for?" he finished more softly.

"Good," she whispered. "Just remember that." He felt her hair brush his arm and suddenly her lips were warm on his skin as she kissed his shoulder.

Surprised, he twisted around to look at her. "Oh, no you don't," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder and firmly turning him back around. "Hold still."

She didn't remove her hand as she started to clean the scrape on his back again, and he was suddenly very conscious of his half-dressed state. TJ had told him--and he had observed for himself--that it wasn't uncommon for the males of Earth to go shirtless, especially on the beach. But he had never been able to bring himself to do it.

Now, with Ashley so nearby, he found it didn't bother him as much as he had expected it to. He couldn't help feeling a little vulnerable, but around her it was almost a pleasant sensation. Now if only she would slide her hands forward and wrap him in the kind of possessive hug he knew she could do so well...

"And by the way," she was saying, her words flowing into his daydream but not interrupting it. "How did you manage to tear your shirt and not your jacket?"

The gentle sound of her voice in his ears was as welcome a feeling as her hands on skin. Several times after the crash he had imagined he heard her, had almost thought she was talking to him. But the sound had always faded back into the darkness, leaving him even more alone than he had been before.

"Andros?"

He started, reacting instinctively to the sound of his name. "Huh?"

"I just asked why your jacket isn't torn," she said, sounding amused. "What were you thinking about?"

"I--" He wondered if she would let him get away without answering the second question. "I wasn't wearing it. The Delta Megaship's environmental controls reset, and it was such a short trip that I didn't bother trying to fix them."

"They reset?" She sounded as though she was frowning.

He shrugged. Her hand left his shoulder briefly, and he heard her tip the canteen over once more. The sudden coldness startled him again, and he shivered involuntarily.

Then her fingers were back on his skin, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. "Sorry," she offered. "Almost done."

"No, it's okay," he assured her, a little disappointed. He knew it was selfish, but he found--he liked having her take care of him. It was a strange thought, after being so long alone and convinced he needed no one, but meeting her had changed his life irrevocably. And he wouldn't wish it any different.

"The environmental controls?" she prompted, and he thought ruefully that he probably ought to be grateful she was almost done. At least once she had moved farther away he would be able to think coherently again, and about something other than her.

"Yeah. Saryn must have set the default settings higher than Earth normal, because it was pretty warm." He shrugged again, trying to ignore the fact that she had put the cloth down and was now running her fingers lightly over his injury, as if she could somehow make it disappear faster that way.

"The Power will probably heal that pretty quickly," she said suddenly, pulling her hands away. "Um--" It could have been his imagination, but he thought she sounded a little flustered. "I'm just going to cover it up so it doesn't get infected or anything in the meantime."

He nodded, wishing he could turn around and see her expression. "Thanks," he said simply, not trusting his voice to say anything more.

"You're welcome," she said, her tone soft. Then she cleared her throat, and he heard her tearing open the covering on one of the sterile adhesive bandages. "So," she said conversationally, as she laid the bandage gently across his back. "You didn't tell me what you were thinking about a few minutes ago."

He sighed a little, amused. "You never forget anything, do you."

"Not when it comes to you," she said, and this time the urge to turn and look at her face was harder to resist.

He tried to remember, but her fingers were running across his back again, pressing the adhesive part of the bandage down. He almost thought he could feel her breath on his skin as she leaned closer to inspect her work, and he tried not to shift restlessly. If he didn't get to wrap his arms around her after this, he thought he might go crazy.

"So?" she asked again, and he blinked.

"I don't remember," he said truthfully, and she gave him a gentle shove. "Really," he insisted. "But it was probably about you..." The words sprang unbidden to his lips, but even as he said them, he knew they were true.

Her hands met between his shoulder blades, finishing the bandage's seal, but she didn't pull away. Instead her hands slid over his shoulders and across his chest as she leaned closer, resting her head against his. He leaned back without thinking, letting her embrace draw him in.

"Did I mention that I missed you?" Ashley whispered, and he smiled a little.

"I think so, yes," he murmured, putting his hands over hers. He turned his head a little, felt her kiss his cheek, and wondered if maybe he wasn't the only one to want more.

He shifted so he could actually see her, reaching tentatively to touch her face. It troubled him that he still couldn't see her clearly, even this close, but his hand found her cheek by instinct, and his fingers caressed her soft skin.

One arm still draped over his shoulders, she lifted her other hand to catch his and hold it while she kissed his fingers. "Andros..."

"Yeah?" he whispered, slipping his free arm around her and edging closer. He wanted her lips on his with a sudden intense longing that he couldn't explain, only obey.

"Nothing," she breathed, leaning forward and fulfilling his unspoken wish. Her kiss was light, but her hand dropped to his chest and he leaned into her touch, returning that gentle kiss again and again.

She let him kiss her, eyes closed and seemingly not half as affected by their nearness as he had found himself. But she wasn't pulling away, and that was all that mattered--until her hand started to slide across his bare chest, his skin tingling in the wake of her trailing fingers.

The sensation overwhelmed the last of his defenses, and he kissed her harder than he had intended. He felt the fingers of her other hand tighten on his shoulder, and suddenly she was returning his kiss with the same hunger that had both frightened and excited him the morning before.

He didn't try to stop her. They had nothing else to worry about, nothing to care about except each other. And it was only kissing, he thought, a little dazed as she pressed closer and he tightened his arms around her. What harm could that do?

The ground shook, and he almost didn't notice. Lost in the feel of her kiss and her body against his, gravity itself could have shifted without making him blink. But then came an attenuated high-pitched screech, followed by a distant rumble, and they both froze where they were.

"Andros?" Ashley whispered, her tone strangely alert for someone who had been kissing him breathless only seconds before.

"I think--" He struggled to focus, the adrenaline coursing through him not completely negating the effects of having Ashley almost in his lap. "Darkonda must be destroying what's left of the Delta Megaship. He--he probably searched it first, but he wouldn't want to take any chances."

He felt her shiver, and he hugged her closer instinctively. "We'd better get moving," she muttered, and he drew back to look at her in concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked, worried by her tone of voice.

She didn't say anything for a moment, and he couldn't quite make out her expression when she lifted her face toward his. But her words made the cause of her distress clear. "That came so close to being you," she said quietly. Her voice shook as she added, "Another few hours, and..."

"It's okay," he said, pulling her back into a tight hug and wishing he could kiss her again. But the farther they got from the crash site, the better they would feel, and that wasn't going to happen if he gave into his impulse again. "Let's just think about now, all right?"

He felt her nod, and then she was drawing back, scrambling to get her backpack together and climb to her feet. He thought he saw her stumble as she stood, and he frowned up at her. "Ash," he said, accepting her hand gratefully when she offered. "You would tell me if *you* were hurt, wouldn't you?"

She managed to pull him to his feet, and he thought the world had started to spin again as he felt her pressed against his side. But then she straightened, and he realized that she had been the one to need support, not him. "It's nothing," she said, stuffing his jacket into the still-open top of her pack.

"Ash." He let himself sigh, and he saw her hesitate.

"Well, it's dumb, anyway," she amended, grabbing his shirt off the ground. "I caught my ankle underneath the console when the shuttle crashed, and I had to blast it free. I didn't think I twisted it, but it feels like it's swelling a little."

"Hey," he interrupted, as she started to put his shirt in her backpack as well. "I'm wearing that; don't put it away. And we should bandage your ankle."

She shook her head. "Can't. I wouldn't be able to get my boot back on over it. I think it'll be all right, honest. It's just a little clumsy right now. It'll be better once we've walked a little way."

"Maybe better, maybe worse," he countered, but he suspected she was right. Her boot would keep the swelling down by itself, and if she hadn't actually sprained it, the Power would probably heal her ankle in a matter of hours. Assuming she didn't aggravate the injury by walking on it nonstop, of course. "And give me my shirt, Ash."

She eyed his tank top distastefully. "But it has blood on it."

"So does my back," he said, reaching for it. "I'll wash it next time we stop."

She relinquished his shirt with reluctance, and he had to admit that the idea of putting it back on didn't appeal to him either. But he pulled it on anyway and he felt one of her hands take his, her other arm slipping around his waist. "Ready?" she asked.

Andros nodded once. "But your ankle..."

"It'll be okay," she assured him. "I'll tell you if it gets worse." He must have given her a skeptical look at that, for she added, "Promise."

He supposed that was the best they could do right now anyway, and he resolved to question her again the next time they stopped. And at least didn't have to support him anymore. She was just guiding him, to make sure he didn't trip over anything, and if she needed to, she could lean on *him*.

"All right," he agreed finally, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Let's go."

The muted rumble that filled the halls of Angel Grove High as school let out for the afternoon sounded hollow to Carlos. The laughter and the occasional shouts made no impression on him as he fought his way through the crowds to his locker.

He twisted the combination lock and yanked the flimsy metal door open, a little annoyed by the normalcy of the activity. With one friend lost in an act of random violence and another who might as well have been, he had barely made it through the day without lashing out at someone. He had trouble tolerating the grumbling and complaints of other students when his own life had taken such a drastic turn for the worse the day before.

He debated just shoving his entire bag in his locker and forgetting about it, but responsibility too deeply ingrained to ignore made him sort through his books and pull out those in which he had been assigned homework. Stuffing them into his bag, he slammed his locker shut and slung his backpack over his shoulder as he turned away.

"Hey," Karen said, appearing abruptly from out of the crowd before he could take a single step. "I've been looking for you all day--wow, you look upset. Are you all right?"

"No," he said, more sharply than he'd intended. "I'm not; and if one more person asks me that, I'm going to explode!"

She blinked, looking a little taken aback but not particularly offended. "Sorry... With that kind of expression, I guess you've been hearing that question all day. Um--should I ask what's wrong?"

He sighed, reminding himself not to take it out on her. She didn't deserve it, especially when she was only concerned for him. "I don't care," he muttered. "I really don't care anymore."

She bit her lip, frowning a little. "Carlos--do you want to talk, or should I leave you alone?"

He couldn't make decisions right now, let alone second guess her motives or her sympathy. "What I really want is to sleep," he said, glaring at someone as they shoved by him. "I feel like I've been awake forever."

She hesitated, shrugging her backpack a little farther over her shoulder. "Do you want to crash at my place? My dad's away right now, and at least you wouldn't have to deal with anyone asking you questions."

For a moment, he was seriously tempted. She seemed willing enough to let him keep to himself, and it would mean not having to face any of the others on the Megaship. But at last, he shook his head. "Thanks, but I can't. I don't want to get in your way."

She gave him a half-smile, and he looked down in surprise as she took his arm. "You won't get in my way. Come on; let's go."

"But--"

She didn't listen as he tried to protest, and he followed reluctantly as she led him down the hall and out into the open sunshine. *It *would* be a beautiful day,* he thought, irritated all over again by the way the world was going on as though nothing had changed.

"Here," she said, unlocking the passenger door of her car and giving him a gentle push. "Get in. I'll drive you back this evening so you can pick up your car."

He let her bully him into the car, strangely comforted to have someone else making decisions for him. She got in on the other side and stuck the key in the ignition. Pulling her seatbelt over her shoulder, Karen gave him a pointed look and waited until he did the same.

The little car shook itself awake as she turned the key, and he stared out the window as they took off across the parking lot. She said nothing on the brief ride to her house, and he was grateful for her silence. He didn't know what to tell her, how to explain his sudden depression without giving away more than she could know.

He supposed, watching the trees fly by the window, that he and TJ would have to come up with some sort of cover story for the whole mess. Andros hadn't gone to Angel Grove High, of course, but a fair number of the students had known him. He had hung out at the Surf Spot and the beach with everyone else, and he had even accompanied them into the high school from time to time.

Carlos blinked, trying not to think. But he couldn't help it--as soon as he managed to get Andros out of his mind, he would think of Cassie. Friends had asked about her and Ashley all day...

"Here we are," Karen announced quietly, her voice a welcome diversion from his thoughts. "You know that if you want to talk, I'll listen."

He nodded wordlessly. She waited a moment more, then pushed her door open and climbed out. He followed her into the house, shaking his head when she asked if he wanted anything to eat, and she pointed him toward the couch.

"Karen," he said, pausing in the doorway to the living room.

She looked up. "Yeah?"

He took a deep breath, then found himself fighting to keep it from turning into a sigh. Depressed people weren't exactly fun to be around, and no matter what she said, he knew she was going out of her way to be here for him right now. "Thanks," he said, wishing he could say more but not sure how.

The smile on her face made him feel a little better, and she nodded. "Anytime."

As he lay on the couch, he found himself staring toward the open window. A delicate wooden bird was suspended in front of it, its wings waving gently in the breeze, and he stared at it as though it could erase the images in his mind.

To some extent, he found that it did. Watching the bird bob slowly up and down gave him something to focus on other than his own thoughts, and the peaceful motion lulled him toward the sleep that had eluded him the night before.

He thought he heard an inquisitive "Merow?" come from the floor nearby, and he realized his eyes had drifted shut. It was too much work to open them again, but he smiled a little as he felt Karen's cat leap up onto the couch beside him. Its warm fur pressed against his arm, and he was drowsily aware of Karen entering the room.

He thought she sat quietly down on the floor by the other end of the couch, and there was the rustle of paper. He didn't know how long he drifted in the haze between waking and dreaming, but the calm comfort of the room seemed to keep his nightmares away, and for that he was grateful.

Then, what he could have sworn was only a few minutes later, he felt her hand on his ankle. "Carlos," she whispered, shaking him gently.

He pried his eyes open, surprised to see that the cat was gone and shadows were coming through the window where sun had shone not so long ago. "What?" he mumbled, wondering why his voice wouldn't cooperate.

"Sorry to wake you," she said quietly. "But your watch alarm's going off--I wasn't sure if it was important or not."

*Watch?* He glanced down automatically, just as the black and gold band around his wrist chimed again. *Not good...*

He pushed himself up, lifting one hand to rub his eyes. "Man--Karen, I'm sorry, but I have to go."

He tried to come up with some kind of excuse, but he must have been asleep longer than he'd thought. His mind was too muddled to come up with anything coherent, so he just stumbled to his feet and hoped she would understand.

"It's all right," she assured him. "Just give me a call later to let me know how you're doing, okay?"

He hesitated, but it was the least he could do. "Sure," he said, crouching down beside her to give her a quick kiss. "Thanks, Karen," he said again. "I really appreciate it."

She smiled up at him. "No problem. Here, let me give you a ride back to school--"

"No," he hurried to assure her. "That's all right. I'm just going down the road; I'll pick up my car later. I have to get going--thanks again."

He backed up as he spoke, and he ducked out of the living room and let himself out the front door before she could object. He felt badly about not being able to accept her offer, and especially about not offering a better explanation. But his communicator had already gone off twice now, and he didn't want whoever it was trying to call him again in her presence.

"This is Carlos," he said, lifting his wrist as he made his way down the front steps.

"Carlos!" TJ's voice was concerned. "Are you all right?"

His jaw clenched as he struggled not to snap at his friend. "I'm okay," he answered as calmly as he could. "What's going on?"

"It's Astronema," TJ said, and Carlos tensed. "She's going to meet us in the park at sunset. Can you get back to the Megaship?"

Carlos blinked, glancing over his shoulder as he stood on the sidewalk in front of Karen's house. *That's right--Zhane thought she might... help us.* He shook his head. If the world went any more insane, he was going to do something drastic. He didn't know what yet, but *something*.

"Yeah," he said finally. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Right."

Carlos' communicator hissed faintly as TJ cut the transmission off, and Carlos lowered his wrist, letting the APD turn the little device off by itself. He started down the street, hunting for a place he could teleport from without being seen.

A car cruised past, leaving the street nearly deserted in its wake. He stepped behind one of the wide tree trunks that lined the road, counting on it to hide him from casual observers inside the houses. A curtain of sparkling black enveloped him as he tapped his communicator, and when it lifted he found himself on the Megaship again.

There was no one in the Glider holding bay, but he could hear voices coming from the Bridge. Striding out of the bay, he recognized first Zhane's voice and then Phantom's, and he could see TJ through the open doors.

The Blue Ranger was leaning against one of the auxiliary consoles, arms crossed and no expression on his face as he watched the argument taking place in front of him. He did glance over at the door as Carlos stepped through, and Carlos frowned, giving his friend a questioning look.

TJ just shook his head and turned back to the two Rangers standing in front of the main viewscreen. Phantom was demorphed, his calm expression at odds with the tension in his stance. Zhane, too, seemed tenser than usual, but he looked more annoyed than anything else.

"How do you expect me to entrust Cassie to someone you will not tell me anything about?" Phantom was asking as Carlos joined TJ beside the auxiliary console bank.

"I've *told* you, I don't *know* that much about her," Zhane told him. "She was evil, she's not now, she might help us. What else matters?"

"How do you know her?" Phantom insisted, and Zhane glared at him.

"I know her from KO-35," he said, and Carlos raised his eyebrow. Zhane obviously hadn't told Phantom whose help it was they were trying to enlist. With a wry look that said he knew the answer to this question, Zhane asked, "Don't you trust me, Saryn?"

"I trust what I know," Phantom shot back. "I do not trust those I do not know, and I certainly do not trust someone who used to be evil!"

Zhane pounced. "Why not? Cassie's evil, and you trust her!"

Phantom visibly flinched. "I love Cassie," he answered quietly. "I do not trust her, not as she is now. There is a difference."

"Well, it certainly doesn't show," Zhane snapped.

"Stop it," TJ interrupted at last, stepping forward. "Look, both of you--"

"You do not understand," Phantom told Zhane coldly, ignoring TJ. "You are nothing but a child who does not know what it is to love."

"Phantom!" TJ sounded as shocked as Carlos felt.

Zhane paid no more attention to TJ than Phantom had. "Just because you can't keep your hands off of her doesn't mean that you do, either!"

Carlos glanced at TJ, wondering if the Blue Ranger wanted help. He was as irritated with their squabbling as TJ was, and two weeks apart seemed to have made the situation worse rather than better.

"You can *not*--"

"Shut up!" TJ yelled, effectively cutting Phantom off. "Both of you, stop it right now! This is no time to be at each other's throats!"

Carlos blinked, straightening up. Although TJ had hidden it better, he had been under as much stress as the rest of them. It was a wonder that any of them had kept their tempers as long as they had, when it came to that.

*At least he picked a good target,* Carlos couldn't help thinking, feeling some small amount of satisfaction at the twin expressions of surprise on Zhane and Phantom's faces.

TJ took advantage of the momentary silence to press his point. "We're all angry and upset, but Cassie still needs us. We have a chance to help her, and we need to take that chance, not stand around insulting each other!"

"That 'chance' is based on someone that Zhane will not tell us anything about," Phantom objected. "Someone who may or may not help us, and whom he admits was once evil herself!"

Carlos stepped forward, seeing TJ's shoulders rise and fall as he sighed. His friend gave him an appreciative glance, silently thanking him for his support, and Carlos nodded once. All they had was each other, now, and he couldn't stand to see Zhane and Phantom tear that apart.

"Look, Phantom," TJ said quietly. "I'm sorry, but we've already decided. This is a chance the team has talked about and agreed to take. All of us, before Andros left, before Ashley took off--"

"What?" Carlos gave him a sharp look. "Where's Ashley?"

TJ just barely took his eyes off of Phantom, as though he didn't trust the other to behave for the few seconds it would take him to explain. "She took the shuttle to go looking for Andros," he said with a sigh. "Zhane didn't know about it until after she was gone."

"She thinks she can hear Andros," Zhane interjected in a low voice. Carlos looked over at him and found the Silver Ranger staring toward the viewscreen, where a realtime image of the stars was currently being displayed.

"Can she?" Phantom asked suddenly, and they all looked at him in surprise.

"Yes," Carlos said, realizing that Phantom didn't know of Ashley's newfound ability.

At the same time, Zhane said, "No." They exchanged glances, and Zhane added, "She used to, yes. Since the Delta Megaship exploded--" He blinked, looking away again. "Neither of us can hear him anymore."

"How do you know?" Phantom asked, an odd expression on his face. "If she says she does--do you not trust her?"

Zhane's head jerked up, and hid eyes shone with unshed tears as he glared at Phantom. "You know how I know? I know because I've felt Andros in my mind since I was four years old. He has *never* disappeared the way he did last night, and I have never in my life been as alone as I am now!

"I am *tired* of you telling me I don't understand, Saryn!" A tear spilled down Zhane's cheek, and he brushed it away angrily. "I've loved Andros for as long as I can remember--longer than Ashley has, and certainly longer than you've loved Cassie! Just because I can't drop everything and take off across the galaxy looking for him doesn't mean I don't care!"

The flood of words stopped abruptly, but Zhane swallowed hard and kept right on glaring at Phantom. The expression on the other's face had gone from odd to almost... malicious. But as he stared back at Zhane, it started to fade a little and suddenly he looked away.

"I--" Phantom stopped, and quiet though his tone was it was obvious that he was forcing the words out. "I'm sorry; I did not mean to say that. Cassie--" He hesitated, and this time his voice was no more than a whisper. "Cassie is waking up again."

Carlos shot a quick glance at TJ, frowning when he caught the other's eye. He had no idea what that had to do with anything, but it seemed to mean something to Zhane, for he nodded once. At least Phantom had apologized...

"We'll have to sedate her again before we go down to Earth," TJ said calmly, as though nothing had happened.

Phantom drew in a breath to object, than glanced at Zhane and said nothing. Oddly enough, it was Zhane who spoke up. "No," the Silver Ranger said, his voice almost steady again.

Carlos transferred his frown to Zhane. "What?"

Zhane straightened, turning toward Carlos and TJ for the first time. "First, Astrea might want Cassie to be conscious. The sedative won't wear off completely for a little while--maybe we should just leave her in the Medical bay until Astrea tells us one way or the other.

"Second--" Zhane took a deep breath, as though he knew they weren't going to like this. "I don't think it's such a good idea for all of us to go down to Earth. At least not right away. I was the one who sent the message to her, and I'm the only one she's expecting. I don't think we should startle her by having most of the team appear."

No one said anything for a moment. "You're right," TJ agreed at last. "I don't like it, but you're right."

He glanced at Carlos, who hesitated. He didn't like Zhane going down there alone either, but it wasn't exactly a first time occurrence. If Zhane was to be believed, he had been seeing this "Astrea" for several weeks now, and she hadn't tried to kill him yet.

Carlos nodded reluctantly. "I agree. But--DECA should monitor you, just in case we have to teleport you out of there quickly."

Zhane was already reaching for his digimorpher. "Right," he said, catching each of their gazes in succession. "Thanks, guys."

The park was quiet as the last glimmer of the sun's spectacular presence began to fade from the sky. The fading glow spread itself across the western horizon, silhouetting the trees against a multitude of darkening hues. The calm beauty was almost eerie as the city lingered on the terminator line between light and dark.

*And in the end,* the girl thought, gazing through the lengthening shadows toward the vanishing sun, *night always wins.*

"There's no night without stars," Zhane had told her, with a look of something like affection in his eyes.

Was that why she was here? Because someone saw more than "Astronema, princess of darkness" when he looked at her? Because he had been the first in years to look at her without fear or hate, and he had thought it worth his time to reintroduce her to a way of life without violence and destruction?

*Not anymore,* she thought to herself, tossing her head to shake away the twinge of sadness. The Rangers he had been with that night at the dance would undoubtedly have informed him of her identity, and she had assumed he would want nothing more to do with her.

Then had come his audio message. *That* was what had brought her here--curiosity, surprise, and maybe the smallest amount of hope. She had enjoyed spending time with him, when she admitted it to herself, and if nothing had changed she would have continued to seek him out.

A noise she knew all too well made her whirl, and her eyes widened as a silver streak teleported into the clearing behind her. She summoned her staff without thinking, bracing herself and ready to fight even as the rain of sparkles cleared to reveal--

*Zhane?!* Years of caution kept her from saying the name aloud, but suddenly things clicked in her mind. The sudden appearance of a sixth Astro Ranger, combined with his tendency to always be in close proximity to the Rangers...

"*You're* the Silver Ranger," she said flatly.

He gave her a startled look. "Yeah--I thought you knew."

She glared at him for a moment, her instinctive hatred for Power Rangers warring with the kinship she felt for him. It was the same inner battle she'd been waging ever since the Red Ranger had insisted her necklace belonged to his sister.

She had almost believed him, for she had seen the locket's duplicate hanging on a chain around his neck. But every time she started to wonder if there was some crazy, remote chance that *he* was her brother, she would remember Ecliptor's tales of the destruction of her homeworld and family. Destruction caused by Power Rangers.

For the past couple days, as that internal debate continued, her hatred for the people who had taken her old life from her had always won. But now, she started to wonder all over again. She found it almost impossible to hate this person who had never questioned her and always welcomed her presence. And--she found she didn't *want* to hate him.

"No," she said finally, swinging her staff upright again and letting it rest on the ground. "I didn't know."

He regarded her for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. "I'm sorry," he said at last. "I would have told you, if you had asked."

Her lips quirked a little. "I wouldn't have told *you* who *I* was," she said wryly. "You had to find out from your Ranger friends."

She must have put more sarcasm into her voice than she thought, for he frowned. "They're not just my friends, Astrea. They're my team, and I'm not ashamed of them."

"I'm not ashamed of who I am, either," she said defiantly, stabbing the ground with her staff for emphasis. "I'm evil, and I like it."

That might not be entirely true anymore, not now that he had shown her how much more there could be to life than fighting, but she certainly wasn't going to admit it to him. As it was, he gave her another inscrutable look and said, "I'm not here to argue with you. I asked if you would meet me because I need your help."

She drew her staff back a little, looking at him suspiciously. "What could you possibly want *my* help for?"

"It's Cassie," he said bluntly, watching for her reaction. "She was in one of the ships your velocifighters shot down over Aquitar. The next thing we know, she's blowing things up and threatening to kill people."

"The evilyzer ray." She looked away, remembering Ecliptor's words. "'Not honorable, but effective.'"

"No, not honorable," Zhane agreed. "If we're going to fight, we should be able to do it because we believe in something, not because it was programmed into us."

She frowned. Ecliptor had expressed doubts about the ray as well, but Dark Spectre had insisted. "What do you want *me* to do?" she asked, suspecting she already knew.

"Change her back," he said. "She's our friend, Astrea. She doesn't deserve to have her life torn away from her, any more than you deserved it when you were kidnapped from our home years ago."

She looked at him, shocked, and the words tumbled out before she could stop them. "You're from KO-35?" she demanded.

He looked as startled as she felt. "You know *you're* from KO-35?"

"No! I--" She looked down, annoyed that she had spoken before she had thought. "Where's your friend?"

He only hesitated a moment before answering, "On the Megaship. But we can bring her down here--"

She shook her head. "This is too public. The kind of magic you're asking for won't be very inconspicuous."

He frowned. "Well, we can't go to the Dark Fortress."

She twisted her staff a little, hoping he wasn't about to suggest what she thought he was. "You can't expect me to teleport onto *your* ship."

The sheepish look he gave her said that he had indeed been thinking of that. "What if..." He paused for a moment, then looked at her consideringly. "What if I gave you my morpher?" he asked, his voice as even as though he weren't suggesting anything out of the ordinary.

"That way, the computer will register you as a Ranger," he continued when she didn't answer. "We won't be able to stop you from leaving whenever you want."

She wondered if she looked as incredulous as she felt. "You wouldn't give me your morpher!"

For answer, he pulled the Silver Ranger's digimorpher out of his pocket and held it out to her wordlessly.

She just stared at it, her mind racing. She had asked about his friend only as a way to distract him from her slip, but here he was, ready to hand over his entire Power just to save his fellow Ranger. Could he actually trust her, or was it only desperation?

"Why?" she asked finally, looking up at him.

He looked a little taken aback. "Because she deserves a chance. Just like you. And because I believe in the good in everyone."

She had thought that a naïve thing to say, the first time he had told her that. She had thought it only a statement from one ignorant of the true evil that existed in the universe. But he was a Ranger--he *knew* that kind of evil, and yet he could still say something like that.

"Because she deserves a chance. Just like you." She had never had the chance to fight back when she was young. She had spent the last couple of years making up for it, attacking Rangers wherever she could in a desperate attempt to make up for everything that had been stolen from her.

But was it really Rangers she should be fighting? Or was it anyone who could ruin a life as thoroughly as hers had been, without even a trace of remorse? "She doesn't deserve to have her life torn away from her, anymore than you did."

Before she could change her mind, she reached out and snatched the morpher from his hand. Letting her staff vanish, she gave him a sharp nod. "Let's go."

12. Fade to Black

He had been wrong. She wasn't awake after all. His anger with Zhane had been his own, and he had no one to blame but himself for the inexcusable attitude he had taken with the other Ranger.

With Cassie unconscious, he had no qualms about freeing her from her restraints. It let him take her hand, wrap it in his and hold it close against his chest. "Cassie," he whispered, staring down at her peaceful expression. "I'm so sorry."

*Sorry for her, or for yourself?* his mind asked, and he closed his eyes. What had made him lash out at Zhane like that? Could she influence him even when she was not awake, or had the stress of the past couple days simply taken its toll?

He knew, instinctively, that that wasn't it. He had been through worse without losing his temper. And he hadn't just lost his temper--he had deliberately tried to hurt Zhane. He had wanted to see his enemy weakened by his own actions.

*Not my enemy,* he thought, a little uncertainly. Not Zhane, a fellow Ranger. Zhane was a friend, not an enemy. A friend whose careless attitude had endangered others time and again, one that had competed with him from the beginning and tried to steal Cassie's affection on more than one occasion.

His eyes snapped open, and he held Cassie's hand a little tighter. He had reason to dislike Zhane. The other had cheated death when his homeworld fell and had returned to the living to steal a girl who was another's entire world.

It was no wonder he had wanted to hurt the Silver Ranger. What was so wrong with it, really? Cassie didn't want Zhane. He was only protecting her by reminding the other of his place.

Her gentle voice breathed his name, and he looked down to see her struggling to open her eyes.

"I'm here," he whispered, brushing her hair away from her face. "Are you all right?"

"Can't… move," she murmured, frowning prettily.

"That's the effects of the sedative," he said, keeping his voice soft. "It will wear off in a few minutes."

The comm panel next to the door chimed, and he reached over to activate it. Her hand still in his, he raised a finger to his lips and gave her a warning look. Cassie managed to nod incrementally, and he turned their clasped hands to kiss her fingers.

"Phantom," TJ's voice said. "Zhane's on his way back with--Astrea. They're going to teleport directly into the Medical bay. Is Cassie still sedated?"

"Yes," he answered, glancing over at her again. "I was wrong; she is not yet conscious."

"Good. We'll be right down."

He frowned as the comm light blinked out. There was something about Astrea, something he was supposed to remember. He and Zhane had been fighting over whether to let her do something to Cassie, and Zhane had won. Zhane had--

Cassie's fingers tightened on his, and those thoughts flew out of his mind. "How do you feel?" he asked, leaning closer.

"Okay," she murmured, shifting a little. "She's going to hurt me…"

"No," he said quickly. "Do not worry."

He saw her eyes cloud over as he morphed. No sooner had his armor appeared around him than a silvery purple light filled the Medical bay, and Zhane teleported in with a young woman about his own age. Her stance was wary as the luminescence faded from them, but her eyes widened as she caught sight of him and she drew back instantly.

A staff appeared in her hand, one that he knew very well. "Astronema," he growled, reaching for his blaster. But it wasn't where it belonged; Zhane had never given it back after this morning.

He felt Cassie scrambling into a sitting position at his side, and he was relieved that the sedative had worn off so quickly. Whatever Zhane had planned, there was no way he was letting Astronema near Cassie.

"Satellite Stunner," Cassie snapped, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the weapon materialize in her hand. Her morpher was on his belt, but he didn't stop to question.

Astronema lifted her staff and fired before Cassie could and he lunged forward, staggering a little as the bolt dissipated across his armor. Zhane was shouting something, and he saw the Silver Ranger go for Astronema's staff even as a blast from Cassie's stunner streaked past.

He turned in time to see her catch herself against the patient bed--she wasn't steady on her feet yet, and that stumble had cost her her aim when she turned her weapon on Astronema. "Cassie!" he called, and she glanced up automatically.

He stretched out his hand, ready to teleport them both out of here, and she nodded her understanding. She took a step forward, her fingers brushing his as a blue-tinged bolt from the door caught her in the back. He felt the same electric fire he had shielded her from before hit him again, far stronger and strangely numbing this time as it crept underneath his armor and wrapped darkness around his eyes and mind.

He had been wrong to trust any of them, these Rangers that would take her from him. The deck slammed against his side and he knew nothing more.

"Zhane," TJ snapped, tossing his blaster to Carlos and hurrying across the room. He crouched at Cassie's side, checking to make sure she was only stunned before he glared at the Silver Ranger. "What happened?"

"Saryn lost it, that's what happened," Zhane answered. Turning to the girl beside him, he asked her, "Are you all right?"

As she lifted her chin, TJ realized with a shock that *this* was Astronema. The staff in her hand and the defiant expression on her face convinced him. This blond-haired, fragile looking young woman was the same villain who had ordered so much destruction in Dark Spectre's name.

"It was my fault," she said, ignoring Zhane. "I was not expecting to see the *Phantom*." She put the same emphasis on his name that Divatox always had, and TJ would have been amused if the situation weren't so serious.

"Yeah, well, he probably wasn't expecting to see you, either," Carlos put in. "Zhane, why didn't you tell him she's Astronema?"

"Because I didn't think he'd agree to it if he knew," Zhane retorted. "I didn't see you volunteering any information."

TJ shot another look at the girl standing beside Zhane. He knew suddenly why Zhane insisted on calling her Astrea--he found he couldn't think of her as Astronema, no matter how much her face or mannerisms were the same. She stood silent now, watching them with no expression as he and Carlos lifted Cassie back onto the patient bed.

They did the same for Phantom, placing him on a second patient bed that extended from the wall. TJ had to wonder about a blast powerful enough to render a morphed Ranger unconscious on the first try, but Phantom was still breathing and he decided it might be better not to know.

Turning back to Astrea, he saw her head bowed and her knuckles white as her fingers tightened on her staff. Then a light from the corner of his eyes made him glance at Cassie, now enveloped by a bright violet glow. "That's the magic that's making her--different," Astrea said, opening her eyes.

She frowned suddenly at something past TJ's shoulder, and he backed up a little to stand beside Carlos. From their vantage point by the door, they could see the entire Medical bay--including the faint purple haze that surrounded Phantom. "Why is *he* affected?" she demanded. "You didn't tell me I'd have to change two of them!"

Zhane held his hands out to his sides. "I didn't know," he protested, gazing unflinchingly back at her as she glared at him.

"You didn't *notice* one of your precious Rangers could no longer be trusted?" she asked, clearly incredulous.

"He really hasn't been acting that strangely," TJ offered, in their defense. "Not until now."

Zhane cleared his throat. "Well…" He shrugged uncomfortably. "He has been a little--aggressive, lately. But he and I never really got along, so I just figured he was upset with me about something."

Astrea shook her head. "He's under the same spell. Why?"

The look she gave them said she expected an answer. TJ and Carlos exchanged glances, and she let her breath out in an impatient huff. "I can't fix it if I don't know how it happened," she warned.

"They have some kind of empathic bond," Zhane muttered at last. "They each--feel what the other feels, I guess. I don't really understand it."

"That's not possible," Astrea said flatly. "If that was true, he would be completely under the spell, the same as her. He is not."

Her head turned suddenly, and she stared at him as though seeing something the rest of them had missed. Purple sparkles shimmered into existence around her fingers, swirling around her hand for a moment before shooting up and down the length of her staff. The haze around Phantom dimmed a little; streamers of the stuff reaching for the staff and dissipating as the sparkles engulfed them.

"He's awake," she said, just as the last of the glow faded.

Indeed, Phantom turned his head at her comment, and TJ wondered how she had known. Levering himself into a sitting position, he said, "You are the sorceress that Zhane thought might help Cassie."

She just looked at him, not speaking and no discernible expression on her face.

"Next time, try not to shoot at people who are here to help," Zhane said wryly.

Phantom drew in a breath, but did not answer right away. At last he said quietly, "In the future, I will endeavor to trust you more."

Zhane looked nothing less than startled at that, but Phantom continued, apparently speaking to Astrea now, "I apologize for my reaction."

She only shrugged. "I'm used to it."

TJ frowned, wondering if she sounded a little resigned or if it was just his imagination. She continued before anyone could speak, though, tilting her head to give Phantom a hard stare. "You are Elisian."

Phantom stiffened, but did not reply.

"Zhane said that you have bonded to Cassie," she said. "Elisians are the only people I know of who do such a thing. You love her, then. And yet, despite this bond, you remain good while she is evil."

Phantom did not move. When he spoke again his voice was strangely calm for someone whose soul had just been laid open to and analyzed by a stranger. "She has always been more sensitive to the bond than I."

Impressed by his composure, TJ glanced over at Carlos. This was the Ranger they had always known. How could they have thought his behavior since Cassie had been made evil was normal? How could they not have seen how he had changed?

"But she *shouldn't* be," Astrea said, obviously frustrated. "I took away the evil from you--but I didn't change the spell. The spell is still affecting *her*, and it should still be affecting *you*."

The sparkle of purple around her left hand was the only warning TJ had before the whole room expanded. Everything quadrupled, as though he were seeing the Medical bay through a kaleidoscope, and he saw details he hadn't even noticed before--he saw *himself*, and he blinked, trying to clear his head.

He was shocked to realize that closing his eyes didn't help. He could still see the Medical bay and everyone in it, as clearly as he had before--until someone cried out, and the multiple vision ceased as abruptly as it had begun.

"You're blocking," Astrea said calmly, as though nothing had happened.

Phantom was on his feet, his entire stance tense. "Do not do that without asking permission," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Ever."

She tilted her head, an expression of familiar smugness on her face until Zhane agreed, "You *could* have asked." He pressed his fingers to his temples for a moment, and she glanced at him, the smug look gone.

"What *happened*?" Carlos demanded. "That was really weird."

"We were mentally linked for a moment," Astrea muttered. "Just a moment, and not deep enough to actually know anything."

"*You* did that?" TJ looked at her. "Why?"

"To see if *he* would let me." The look she shot in Phantom's direction left no doubt as to whom she meant.

That didn't sound like a particularly good reason to TJ, but it made Phantom look away. "You should not have done that," he repeated, his voice barely audible.

"What--" Zhane looked from Phantom to the girl at his side. "What's going on? So you couldn't link with him. So what?"

She tossed her head, the gesture of someone used to having longer hair. "I can link with *anyone*," she said, giving him an unreadable look. "If he blocked *me*, then he's definitely blocking *her*."

"No," Phantom said suddenly. "I would not do that to Cassie. I trust her."

Unspoken was the implication that he did *not* trust "Astrea", but the girl chose to ignore that. "You *are* doing it," she insisted. "It's the only way to explain why you're not affected by the spell to the same extent she is."

"I'm not," he denied, oddly sullen. "I'm not blocking her."

Astrea somehow managed to fold her arms without letting go of her staff. Phantom shook his head once, and the slight violet haze that had accumulated around him was noticeable only in its sudden absence.

"Then how did you do that?" Astrea demanded.

He took a deep breath, hesitating a moment. "You are right," he admitted, lifting his head and sounding once more as he always had before all of this had started.

The girl at Zhane's side blinked, glancing uncertainly at Zhane. He just shrugged, and she looked back at Phantom. "Then stop," she ordered, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You can change her back yourself."

Phantom's visor jerked toward her. "What?"

"Probably," she amended.

"Probably?" TJ repeated, not sure he liked the sound of that.

She shrugged a little. "Either he'll make her good, or she'll make him evil. One or the other."

"Oh, well, I'm glad the options are so good," Carlos muttered sarcastically.

"I will try," Phantom said quietly. "For Cassie, I will try."

TJ almost said something, but a warning nudge from Carlos made him close his mouth. They watched without speaking as Phantom walked across the room to stand beside Cassie. He took her hand, bowed his head, and the room suddenly became even quieter.

After a few seconds of holding his breath, TJ glanced over at Carlos. The Black Ranger was watching them with the same intensity TJ had been, but he turned his head when TJ did and caught his eye. Carlos shrugged, and TJ just shook his head once.

*Sometimes, I wish I knew what was going on,* he couldn't help thinking. *The rest of the time, I think that would take the fun out of it.*

Zhane was staring too, but TJ couldn't tell if he actually knew what Phantom was doing or if he was watching for lack of anything better to look at. Astrea, too, was watching, but her eyes darted back and forth between the two figures as though she was waiting for something.

Carlos elbowed him again, just hard enough to get his attention, and TJ saw the purple haze starting to surround Phantom once more. Giving Astrea a furtive glance, TJ saw sparkles gather quietly around her fingers as she closed her eyes. The haze dissipated, as it had the first time, and Phantom's shoulders rose and fell in a silent sigh.

TJ's eyes widened, and he looked at Carlos quickly to see if he was imagining it. But Carlos looked just as startled, and when TJ's gaze shifted back the swirling of the violet illumination around Cassie was obvious. Slowly, in an ever-widening circle, the violet glow was retreating from their clasped hands.

"He's doing it," Carlos whispered.

*Doing *what*?* TJ thought wryly, unable to tear his eyes away.

Astrea took a single step forward, sparkles still dancing around her hand but not going anywhere. After what seemed an interminable amount of time, the glow retreated from Cassie without her help. Phantom slumped, bracing his arm against the patient bed and not protesting when Carlos moved forward to help him.

"Zhane." TJ looked up at the sound of Astrea's voice, saw her backing away from them. As soon as she had Zhane's attention, she pulled his morpher from--somewhere--and tossed it to him.

Even as the digimorpher tumbled through the air, the girl's fingers tightened on her staff and a purple outline appeared around her body. As Zhane's hand closed around his morpher, she vanished into the glow of her signature teleportation.

Her fingers made narrow V's in the water as it tumbled past, and Ashley looked up through the trees as she realized there were more shadows than light falling across the water now. "Hey, Andros," she called, twisting to look over her shoulder. "The sun's going down--think we should stay here for the night?"

He nodded without hesitation, grabbing her canteen from her backpack and standing up. "Yeah. I was just thinking about that. It's getting darker already, and we'd probably be better off not trying to move around until morning."

She watched him walk the few steps to where she sat on the bank of the river. He moved carefully, sliding his feet a little, and she couldn't help but agree. Andros was having enough trouble with his vision without adding darkness on top of it.

She shifted, making room for him on the rock she was perched on, careful not to disturb her ankle. Immersed in the cold water as it was, she couldn't even feel her foot anymore, but at least it didn't seem to be swelling.

"How's your ankle?" Andros asked, lowering himself to the ground beside her.

"Fine," she said automatically. "I think," she added, as an afterthought. "It's hard to tell when you can't feel it."

He smiled. "Believe me, I know what you mean."

She opened her mouth to reply, watching him lean forward over the water to dunk the wide-mouthed canteen below the surface. His hair clung to his face, damp with sweat that wouldn't evaporate in this humidity, and droplets trickled down his bare back when he straightened up.

He took a gulp of the water, his hands dirty on the canteen from bushwhacking all afternoon. With smudged dust across his cheeks and a weary expression on his face, he made quite a sight. But she was struck by the sudden thought that he was the most beautiful person she had ever seen, and when he offered the canteen to her she realized she was still staring at him.

With a shake of her head she tore her gaze away, accepting the canteen with murmured thanks. She didn't bother to turn the canteen before drinking from it, not caring, even liking the idea that her lips would touch the same place his had.

"Who knows what's in the water," he said with a rueful smile, "but it's the best we can do."

"I'm not sure I even care, as long as it tastes this good," she admitted, closing her eyes and savoring the feel of the cool liquid sliding down her throat.

When her eyelids flickered open, she found him watching her with the same intent gaze she had turned on him a moment ago. "You know you're pretty," he said softly, the words somewhere between a question and a declaration.

"Not like this," she said, looking down self-consciously. "I've never been so hot and tired in my life."

"Yeah," he insisted. "Like this. You're--" He smiled a little, as though he realized suddenly how strange it sounded. "You're really beautiful."

She passed the canteen back to him, feeling a smile spreading across her own face. "Thanks," she whispered. No matter *how* hot and tired she was, she was unequivocally grateful to have him here, alive and with her once more.

His kiss surprised her, and she couldn't help giggling as he pulled away. "I love you," she said, too happy not to laugh.

"I love you, too," he answered, his smile widening. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, and he gave her his patented Look. It was milder than it had been at first, and it melted her heart to see the affection on his face, but there was no mistaking that expression.

She giggled again. "Do you know you're doing that?"

"Doing what?" he said, looking puzzled.

"The Look," she said, amused. "The one you give people whenever you're exasperated with them…"

He didn't look any more enlightened, and she tried to imitate it for him. "You know, like this."

His lips quirked, and she insisted, "I'm serious! You do it all the time--do you really not notice?"

He shook his head, his smile visible through the encroaching shadows. Only then did she realize how dark it was getting, and she looked away reluctantly. "We're going to have to find someplace to sleep around here, you know."

"And I'm hungry," he added, glancing over his shoulder.

She made a face. "For ration bars?"

"Of course not," he said, getting to his feet. "But since they're all we have, they're good enough. I'll be right back."

She bit her tongue to keep from saying, "Be careful." He was only going a few steps, but she worried that he would trip over something in the dimness and hurt himself further.

*He doesn't need you to mother him,* she reminded herself firmly, but she breathed a sigh of relief when he returned to her side. Crouching down beside her on the rock, he tore open one of the ration bars and handed it to her before opening his own.

"Thanks," she said, giving it a skeptical look. "Are you sure these are nutritious?"

He nodded, mid-bite, and she watched him fondly. "How can you eat like that? They taste awful!"

This time he swallowed and shook his head. "They're not that bad."

Wondering if they had somehow changed since they had stopped for a break earlier, she took a tentative bite. The reminder only served to convince her that she had not been mistaken. "Andros, they taste like cardboard."

He settled more comfortably on the rock, drawing one knee up to his chest and turning his head toward her. "Have you ever eaten cardboard?"

She drew her right foot out of the water gingerly, turning a little so she was facing him. Letting her numb ankle rest on the rock, she mimicked his position. "You just won't admit that these--" she gestured with her ration bar, "are the most disgusting things you've ever had."

She tried not to grin as he stopped chewing to look at her. She was deliberately trying to provoke him, but she wasn't sure quite why. For whatever reason, it wasn't working. "It isn't," he said calmly.

"Oh?" Ashley leaned forward. "Then what is?"

He seemed to think about it for a moment, and she was just about to declare victory when he told her, "Zhane's hot chocolate."

She blinked, staring at him in surprise. The answer wasn't at all what she had expected, and his deadpan expression was just a little too good--she didn't catch on until he chuckled.

"You!" She swung at his shoulder, but he was too quick. He caught her arm before she could hit him, sliding his fingers over her wrist to hold her hand. "You said you'd never even had hot chocolate till you met us," she said, his gentle touch muting her indignation some.

She saw him shrug. "Yeah, but anything Zhane tries to make is terrible."

"Worse than this, huh?" Ashley tried to imagine the Silver Ranger cooking and found that she couldn't do it.

"Try dipping it in water," Andros suggested, picking up the canteen and tipping it in her direction. "They're not as bad when they're soft."

She reached out for the canteen, then paused. "Hey! You just admitted they were bad!"

"I didn't say they weren't bad," he said, amusement in his voice. "I just said they could be worse."

Dipping her ration bar in the canteen he held out, she shook her head. "Remind me not to eat anything Zhane cooks…"

"I don't think you'll have to be reminded," Andros said wryly, watching as she took another bite of the bar. "Any better?"

She made a face. "Now it tastes like wet cardboard."

He laughed. "Sorry. There's only so much I can do."

Touched, she dunked her ration bar in the canteen again and took another bite. "It is better this way, actually," she admitted. "Thanks."

"Anytime," he said, dipping his own ration bar into the water.

She scooted closer to him so she wouldn't have to reach so far, and he shifted so they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. The next time she reached for the canteen, her hand brushed his arm, and she leaned against him contentedly as she finished her ration bar.

His was gone before hers, and he switched the canteen to the other hand, putting his right arm around her. She smiled, reluctant to move even after she finished eating, and they sat quietly watching the river until it was too dark to see much of anything.

Finally, Andros sighed and squeezed her shoulders. "We should sleep," he said quietly.

She nodded reluctantly, her head heavier than she expected. She blinked, trying to clear her mind and realizing she'd been closer to dozing off than she'd thought. "Yeah," she said, struggling to sit up straight.

She felt him fumbling around for something, then he whispered, "Close your eyes. I'm going to turn the flashlight on."

She shut her eyes obediently. A click and a flood of red across her eyelids told her when he turned the light on, and she cracked her eyes open just a little. The light swung across the bank, and he asked softly, "Could you hand me my shirt?"

Still squinting, she reached over to the nearby rock where he'd left it to dry in the sun after washing it. She caught it in her fingers and passed it over to him, unable to keep herself from watching as he pulled it on. "Thanks," he said quietly, moving to stand up.

"I hope the bugs didn't bother you," she said, trying to follow and wincing as her ankle refused to take the weight. Andros caught her as she stumbled, and she sighed.

"No," he said, letting her get her balance again. "They don't seem too bad by the water--the breeze must keep them away. Maybe if we sleep here we can avoid being eating overnight."

"There's a pleasant thought," she said wryly, testing her ankle again. She bit her lip as it complained, but she said nothing. "Anything to avoid that fate."

"Your ankle's hurting?" Andros must have seen her expression.

She sighed again. "I couldn't feel it at all at first. Why is it hurting now?"

"You were moving around before," he pointed out. "Now your muscles are stiffening from sitting still. Sit back down; I'll go get our stuff."

"No--" She tried to protest, but he interrupted.

"Ash, sit down." Andros' tone was gentle, not at all commanding, but she found herself doing as he said without thinking about it. "I'll be right back."

From her perch on the banking, she watched the pool of light bob slowly but evenly over to her pack. She could see him reach down to grab the backpack--and then he stopped. The light swung away, but he didn't move.

"Andros?" she called softly, concerned.

"I'm okay." The whisper floated back to her on the darkness, and she frowned. He didn't *sound* okay…

"Just a headache," he said, and she saw the shadow that was him straighten. The light headed back in her direction, and he dropped the pack to the ground beside her.

"That pain reliever's probably wearing off by now," she offered. "You should take another one before you try to sleep."

He just shook his head, crouching down next to her. "Can't," he said, propping the light up between them as he pulled something out of her backpack. "I can't think to you this way, remember? If I'm going to reach Zhane, I'll have to wait until this wears off all the way."

She sighed. "I know," she admitted. "I just don't want to see you hurting."

"I could sleep on the other side of the clearing," he teased gently, and she smiled.

"Somehow I don't think that would help… Tell me if it gets too bad, though, okay?"

"I will," Andros promised. "Can I test on you every so often? If you can hear me, Zhane will probably be able to, too."

She nodded, not sure he could see the gesture. "Of course; whenever you want."

He was quiet for a moment, then passed her something over the flashlight. She reached out to take her jacket, balling it up in her hands and wondering if he had just done what she thought he had. "You just tried to talk to me, didn't you."

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "It's weird to not hear you at all."

He pulled out his own jacket, and she reached out to touch his arm. "It'll come back," she promised. He knew that, but sometimes it helped to have someone else tell you. "Give it a little while. That pain reliever probably isn't all the way gone yet."

"Oh, I'm sure it's not," he said, closing her pack again and pushing it aside. His tone was wry. "I'll probably feel a lot worse before it fades all the way."

She patted his hand, sliding down off her rock in search of someplace to curl up. "Take another one as soon as you talk to Zhane," she murmured, sensing his nod more than seeing it.

She moved just enough to avoid a tree root and laid her coat down on the ground, picking a place and leaving it to him to decide how close he would sleep. She saw him hesitate, watching her lie down and supposedly close her eyes.

She kept them open just enough to see him fidget with the flashlight for a moment before turning it off and tossing his jacket down next to hers. He turned, stretching out in the opposite direction so their faces were close but they were lying some distance apart. She couldn't manage to be disappointed, not when she had thought him dead only the night before, but she had wished him closer than that…

*Ashley,* she scolded herself, as her thoughts turned inadvertently more intimate. She managed to keep from sighing, but she thought she was blushing and she was thankful for the darkness.

"Andros?" she whispered suddenly, just loud enough to be heard of the murmur of the river.

"Yeah?" he answered immediately, and she heard him move a little.

Ashley smiled into the night. "I love you."

His voice came back, soft and reassuring. "I love you, too."

The sky was deep cobalt overhead, wispy clouds blocking out most of the stars. The dock lights would have drowned out the starlight anyway, blazing away over the edge of the bay and the almost deserted marina in an attempt to imitate the close-up fire of the sun.

Zhane watched the lights' reflections dancing on the incoming tide, wondering idly why there was no one around. On Rayven, night sailing was a popular activity due to the glowing trails left by any sea vessels that ventured out after dark, a beautiful sight that became almost addictive.

Maybe Earth's oceans *had* no natural phosphoresence, he thought. Or maybe it was just the wrong season…

He sighed. He didn't care about the air of eerie loneliness that surrounded the dock. There was only one person whose absence bothered him, and the longer he sat here alone the more worried he became.

He didn't blame her for leaving so abruptly that evening. After all, she was surrounded by people she must still consider enemies, and as far as she was concerned they had no more use for her. To run would probably have been his first reaction, too.

But he had hoped she would stay. Or at least, not vanish quite so quickly. He had thought her concession to help them had been an encouraging sign, and he had hoped she would let them try to talk to her.

He had hoped she would let *him* talk to her.

*She's not supposed to be Astronema!* his mind cried, and he rested his chin on his fist sadly. If she really was Andros' little sister, he owed it to his friend to try and make her remember her old life. And no matter who she was, he owed it to *her* to try and help her resolve her identity crisis.

She had been there for him when he was trying to figure out who *he* was, after all. Waking up from a two-year coma had left him confused and a little lonely, even with Andros around, and her unpredictable appearances had always come at just the right time to cheer him up.

Ever since the night of the dance, though, he had felt their roles should be reversed--and then she had disappeared. He hadn't yet had the chance to return the favor. He had hoped, by teleporting down here tonight, that she would understand that he was offering to listen if she wanted to talk.

But she remained absent, and he was beginning to think that she didn't *want* his company any more. Maybe he had asked too much when he asked her to help Cassie, or maybe she had just grown tired of the simplicity of the time the two of them spent on Earth. Being a princess of evil had to be a pretty exciting life, after all…

He was just about to give up and climb to his feet when a slight crackle behind him made him turn.

Astrea stood there, blond hair shining in the lamplight as the faint violet glow of teleportation faded from her. Her arms were folded across her chest and her stance was wary, as though she didn't quite know what kind of reception to expect.

"Hi," he said, not taking his eyes off of her. "I'm glad you came… I wanted to thank you."

She drew back, surprise in her eyes. "Thank me? What for?"

"For changing Cassie," he said simply.

She shook her head. "I didn't do that."

"But you told Sa--" It took a conscious effort to stop himself and use the Earth Rangers' name for him. "You told Phantom how to do it. And I saw you help him, there at the beginning."

Astrea lifted her chin but didn't answer.

"Cassie was influencing him again, wasn't she," Zhane said, getting tired of looking up at her but not wanting to spook her by moving. "You said she could make him evil--and she would have, if you hadn't helped him."

She shrugged. "He would not have fought for the side of evil, I think. He would have been loyal only to her. That made him a threat to all of us, not only to you."

Zhane shook his head. "You didn't have to help; and you did. That's enough for me."

She looked away, staring out across the water. He held still, wondering if she would vanish again. But after a moment she took a single step forward and dropped gracefully down beside him. "Thank you for trusting me," she said suddenly, glancing sideways at him.

He shrugged nonchalantly, but inside he was pleased. "Thanks for helping S--Phantom."

She looked down, laying her hand against the wood surface of the dock. "I did him no favors," she said quietly. "He will feel everything she feels, now. It will be a serious disadvantage in battle."

Zhane watched her fingers trace out imaginary designs on the dock. "You did *me* a favor," he reminded her. "Thanks, Astrea."

He saw her sneak a look at him again, and she hesitated over the words. "You're--welcome."

They sat in silence for another few minutes, listening to the lapping of the waves on the dock. "Not everything in life is about battle," he said suddenly, wincing as his voice broke into the peace.

She didn't jump, though, and she even turned her head toward him.

"You said making him overcome his block would be a disadvantage in battle," he explained. "But there are things other than battles…"

He couldn't help but remember Saryn's focus, the look on his face as he chased the evil away from Cassie with little more than the determination to restore the woman he loved. "And I think, maybe, that that was what he wanted all along. To feel what she feels."

She tilted her head, and the frown on her face was unmistakable. "Why?"

Zhane tried to come up with an answer for that, but finally he just shrugged. "Because--he loves her."

Her curious expression did not abate. "Is that what it means to love someone? To want to share what they feel?"

He was quiet a moment, stumped once more. This time, though, he shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "I've never been in love, not like that."

"But you have loved?"

He was surprised by the openness of her expression, and he found that as long as she seemed genuinely interested in the answer, he couldn't be annoyed by her questions. "There are people I love, yes," Zhane told her, wondering if he was about to make a mistake. "Your brother, Andros--I'm not *in* love with him, but I do love him."

She completely ignored the brother comment. "What's the difference?" she asked, a charming look of confusion on her face.

"Well…" He had to think about that one. "You can love your parents, or your--" he glanced at her, deciding not to edit his comment-- "your siblings, or your friends, without being *in* love with them. Someone you're in love with might be… well, sometimes someone you would want to marry."

"Marry?" she repeated, apparently not understanding.

He tried hard not to smile. "That would be--" He stopped, suddenly realizing he had no idea if the custom was even the same here on Earth. But she was from KO-35, so maybe it didn't matter.

He did his best to explain, stumbling through explanation after explanation as every answer brought up another question. He was surprised and more than a little pleased to find her so inquisitive about something so opposite to her current way of life, and he told her as much as he could. She waited patiently while he searched for words, and the water rose slowly beneath the dock as the bay reflected the dance of the ocean tides.

13. Promises

"No!" she cried, and the sound of her own anguished voice brought her awake with a start.

She stared around wildly, not even recognizing her surroundings. Everything was too dark, the shadows hiding things she didn't want to think about, and she twisted her head to the side as she realized her hand was still restrained.

She drew in a sharp breath as she caught sight of the same figure that had haunted her dreams, his blue eyes wide with concern as he stared back at her. "Cassie?" he whispered, his tone laced with unguarded hope.

This was real. *It was a dream,* she thought, *only a dream.* But she knew it had not been, not all of it--she remembered everything, and it had been all too real, and there was no way to change any of it.

But he was here. He was real, and there was no hatred in his eyes. There was only the most open expression she'd ever seen on his face, one of desperate and unashamed hope that whatever the sorceress had done had been successful.

She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around him and feeling him crush her against him so hard it hurt. It was the sweetest pain she'd ever felt.

Confusion, fear, and an overriding sense of guilt assaulted him, her emotions battering against his mind, and he held her tighter. *Cassie,* he thought, again and again, incapable of anything more coherent.

"Saryn?" he heard her whisper, and he had to remind himself to do more than just feel.

"Yes?" he managed to answer at last. It had been years since anyone's feelings had overwhelmed him this way, and he struggled to remember how to deal with it.

"Saryn, I'm so sorry," she murmured, her tone miserable and her feelings even worse as they intruded on his mind to a degree he hadn't known since Lyris.

"It's all right," he whispered, trying not to forget himself. *I am Saryn,* he thought, the exercises Lyris had taught him reasserting themselves automatically. *I am one, not many. I am Sa--*

The thought dissolved as Cassie's distress overrode all ability to reason. "It's not," she muttered, her embrace tightening. "It's not all right--Saryn, how could I have *done* all the things I remember doing?"

"It--" He tried to clear his mind, found he couldn't. The old exercises were too vague, the old skills rusty from disuse. "It wasn't you." He only just got the words out, hoping it was the right thing to say.

"But it *was*," she insisted, still not letting him go. "It *was* me, and I didn't care. Everything that matters now just didn't matter then…"

Now she did loosen her arms and he let her draw back just enough to turn her head and look at him. "Except you," she said softly, her eyes seeming to plead with him. "I'm so sorry…"

She wanted forgiveness, he thought distantly, staring into her eyes. Or he wanted *her* forgiveness--it was so hard to tell. He had forgotten how all-encompassing true empathy was.

Either way, he thought there was one thing he had to say, more important than anything else, that couldn't wait any longer. "Cassie--" And it *was* Cassie. He could spend the rest of the night staring into her eyes, just reassuring himself of that. "I love you."

He could feel her relief invading his soul, peace washing over him like a wave on the shore. Whatever she might have feared, the thought that he might not be able to see past the last two days was obviously the worst. There was only one more thing she needed now--or was it him?

He didn't care. He closed the minute distance between them, kissing her lips gently. She relaxed the rest of the way, her body melting against his the way it had not when she--wasn't herself. He couldn't even bring himself to think of her as evil, even now that it was over.

*Over forever,* he thought firmly, sliding his hands over her back and leaning into her return kiss with a passion he had meant to control. Never again would he have to deny himself her sweet touch, and never did he want to.

The pent-up feelings of the last two days came crashing back, and he kissed her harder as they demanded release. He remembered every look, every touch they'd shared, every time he had lost his own private battle and ended up letting her kiss him, or kissing her himself. And every time he had been about to give himself up to her, no matter the consequences, something would interrupt.

*No more,* his mind insisted, his body feverish where it pressed against hers. She seemed as eager as he was, and her hands, still so innocent of their effect on him, were devastating to his self-control.

He wanted his shirt off, wanted to feel her skin on his, but he couldn't pull his mouth away from hers long enough to do anything about it. She didn't protest when he pushed her backwards, gravity and their unbreakable embrace pulling him with her onto the bed. Her fingers slid through his hair, and it was all he could do to suppress a moan. It had been days since she had done that, and he longed to return the favor.

"Saryn," she gasped, as he started to push her shirt up. He was so lost in the feeling of *her* that her next word barely even registered. "Wait…"

Her words said one thing, but her body said another, and he was in no mood to listen to her words. "Why?" he murmured, kissing her neck as she turned her face away from him.

"I--I didn't--"

He loved her voice. He reached out and tilted her head back toward him so he could kiss her lips, a futile attempt to capture the sound that brought so much joy. She shifted, and with her movement his kiss deepened, grew harder and more wild.

For the briefest second, she responded, and coherent thought fled. He wanted Cassie, and she wanted him--

And then she tore herself away, muttering, "I didn't--take my pill this morning."

"I don't care," he whispered, kissing her bare skin as far as the neckline of her t-shirt would allow. He felt a tremor take her body as he deliberately played on her weaknesses, needing her to want him, needing *her* more than anything in the universe.

"I do," she sighed. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders, and it was with a feeling close to despair that he understood what she was saying.

"*I* care," she repeated, more loudly. Dismay turned to horror as he realized he wasn't listening. He knew beyond a doubt that she meant it; the feeling of needing to stop before things got out of control could only be hers. But he could feel her desire, too, her yearning for him, and it was as intoxicating as his own feelings for her.

"Saryn…" She tried to push him away, and he felt a flicker of fear echo through their link when he wouldn't let go.

The fear was hers, and it hit him like a slap in the face. *What am I *doing*?* He jerked away, scrambling to sit up and keep himself from even looking at her. Lyris's training picked that moment to reassert itself, and his feelings started to reluctantly separate from hers.

*He* had been the one to start this. She had just wanted him to hold her; he knew that now, and he had read more into it only because he wanted to. And even if she had not protested at the time, he had no right to ignore her when she *did* object.

Gods, she was still so new to this--she still didn't understand the power she had over him. He knew that was no excuse, anymore than he could blame his actions on the empathy that suddenly seemed to magnify every feeling beyond his ability to contain it. After all, she had always had this sensitivity to him, and she had never let it overwhelm her.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, still not able to look at her. He was the one with empathic training, and though it was easy to forget, she *was* the younger of them. And yet it was always he who was getting out of control. "I hate that you have to--" He closed his eyes. "You should not need to tell me twice."

"You--you hate what?" she asked tentatively, and he knew she had misunderstood the sentence he hadn't finished. She thought he was upset with *her*.

He heard her move behind him, and he couldn't help glancing over his shoulder at her. She had turned on her side, propping herself up on her elbow with her hair falling over her shoulder. Her wide dark eyes begged him to keep talking, and it was an entreaty he couldn't ignore.

"No," he assured her hastily, "you are right to stop me--I hate only that it is so hard. When you do not want me so close, I hate that I hesitate before respecting your wishes. I wish--" He realized abruptly that his hand was drifting toward her again, and he placed it determinedly on the bed. "I wish you did not have to worry that I will do as you say."

"You--" He saw her blush, looking down at the bed and tracing a star pattern with her finger. "You're not my slave, Saryn."

He could only stare at her. She had no idea how far from the truth that simple statement was. *I want nothing more than your happiness,* he thought, wondering how she could not know.

"But I am," he breathed, and saw her head come up.

He swallowed, realizing how that sounded and not wanting to scare her. "In this, at least," he said in a more normal voice, "I ought to be. If it is not something we both want, it should not happen."

"But it is--I didn't *want* to tell you no," she said quietly. "It's just--I missed one of my pills. I can't take that chance."

"Nor would I want you to," he promised, unable to stop himself from reaching out to her this time. He caught her fingers, stilling them. "You should not have had to remind me--I am sorry."

She blinked, and he noticed the tears in her eyes for the first time. "It's my fault, anyway," she whispered. "I know how I acted today. Every time you turned around, I…" She blushed again, looking away. "I was all over you," she admitted, her voice barely audible.

Her fingers twitched in his, and he gladly took the excuse to lower his gaze to their joined hands. "I did not resist to any significant degree," he admitted ruefully.

"I had this stupid idea that I could control you that way," she muttered miserably. "I thought somehow you still loved me, even though you hated who I was, and that if I made you choose you'd choose me."

He lifted his eyes, staring at her in surprise. "You *wanted* me to choose you? You--wanted me with you?"

She glanced in his direction, her gaze catching his. "Well, yeah," she said, as though it was obvious. "In a greedy, selfish sort of way. I knew you hated what I was doing, and I thought maybe if I could get you to leave, with me, we could find a place where you wouldn't hate me so much."

"I *never* hated you," he said, startled. "I didn't stop loving you just because you were--different. I tried--I did try. But I couldn't…"

She looked so lost, but he could feel her wanting to believe. He *had* to touch her then, and he tried to think of some way to do it without making her think he was pressuring her into something else. Finally he just lifted their clasped hands and kissed her fingers.

He could see her remembering the time, hours ago now, when he had done exactly the same thing, and it seemed to reassure her in a way his words did not. "I did choose you," he whispered, not sure she wanted to know. He could only hope that telling her was the right thing to do. "You said you were trying to make me choose--you, or what I knew was right.

"I chose you." He kissed her fingers again, wishing he could trust himself to lean closer and kiss her lips.

She looked at him, wide-eyed, and he couldn't help smiling a little. "You must have known," he told her, lifting his other hand to uncurl her fingers from his.

She straightened her fingers herself when she realized what he was doing, and he laid his cheek against her palm. "I helped you escape twice," he said softly, staring into her eyes. "Do you think I could justify that to myself as something that was right? I did it because I loved you, because I couldn't live without you."

"But it wasn't really me," she said wonderingly, her eyes soft as she gazed back at him.

"Believe me, I knew that." He closed his eyes for a moment, but he found that he couldn't stand not being able to see her. As his eyes snapped open again, he caught an expression of sorrow on her face. "But being with you--with her--let me pretend that you were still here somehow, still loving me…"

She pulled her hand away from his face, putting her hands behind her to push herself into a sitting position. He reached out automatically to help her, his hand lingering on her waist even as she pulled one leg closer to her and twisted to face him.

"I *did* still love you," she murmured, smiling tentatively at him. "I didn't care about anyone--but somehow, I cared about you. I didn't want to lose you…"

"I thought you were just manipulating me," he admitted, searching her expression.

"And you still helped me?"

He nodded, not taking his eyes off of her. "I had to," he whispered, seeing her hand reach for his. He surrendered it willingly, fighting the urge to lean closer. "I love you."

"I love you too," she breathed, squeezing his hand. "But to give up everything, just to--be with me?"

He smiled, teasing her to distract himself from the look of tender amazement in her eyes. "Are you saying you would not do the same for me?"

"I came to Aquitar," she reminded him softly.

His smile faded. "Was it that hard for you? I am sorry; I should not have asked you to come--"

"If you hadn't," she interrupted, "I probably would have gone crazy. I had to be with you somehow…" She trailed off, maybe realizing that she was echoing his words.

"I would have stayed, Cassie," he murmured, putting his free hand over hers. "I would have stayed with you on Earth."

She swallowed. "I know," she said softly. "I had no idea that would only be the first time you'd be willing to give up--your whole life, practically, for me."

"I have always been willing to do that," he told her honestly, squeezing her hands. "When will you believe that I love you, and would do anything for you?"

"I know you love me," she said, looking away. "I love you too, more than anything."

There was something she wasn't saying. She had always known when he wasn't telling the truth, and now he remembered for himself how easy it was to know when someone was hiding something.

"But?" he prompted, troubled that she had doubted for this long and never said anything.

"Nothing," she said, turning wide eyes on him. She looked for all the world as though she had no idea what he was talking about. Her guileless expression might even have convinced him, if his awareness of her emotions had not been so strong that Lyris's mantra had been running through his mind for the last few minutes in an attempt to keep her from overwhelming him.

"It is not nothing," he insisted, gazing intently at her. "There is something you wish me to do… and you will not ask?"

She flinched, and he knew that was it. He lifted her hands, then let them fall again, helpless. "Cassie--you know I would do anything for you."

She looked down. "That's why I can't ask," she murmured, and he remembered, with startling clarity, the last time she had said that.

"You wanted me to stay," he said suddenly. "The last time you said you couldn't ask me to do something, that was it, was it not? You wanted me to stay with you, but you would not ask."

She nodded wordlessly.

He reached out to tap her chin with one finger. "I offered to stay anyway," he reminded her gently.

She swallowed. "Without me asking," she pointed out, not looking up. "You've never offered to do this on your own."

He was so focused on her that he couldn't tell if the growing sense of dismay belonged to him or her. *Maybe both…* "Cassie," he pleaded. "Please tell me--perhaps it simply never occurred to me."

He winced, realizing as he said it that if this was so important to her, suggesting he had not even thought of it might not be the most comforting thing to say. She just shook her head. "I'm sure it hasn't," she agreed quietly.

"Cassie…" He didn't know what else to say.

She squeezed his hands again and looked up. "It's nothing," she said, with a determined smile. "It really isn't half as important as you're making it out to be--how did we get into this conversation, anyway?"

He wasn't going to let it go this easily. "We 'got into it' because you are hiding something from me."

"I'm not," she said, with a slight frown.

"You are," he insisted. He didn't want to upset her, but he couldn't bear the thought that there was something she wanted from him that he was not doing. "Please, Cassie--I do not know how to convince you, but I can not stand not knowing."

He couldn't interpret the look she gave him, and the only feeling he knew for certain was hers was--guilt. He didn't understand, until she admitted, "It's selfish. I can't tell you… especially now."

He felt as though she had hit him. "Especially now?" he repeated. She was retreating from him, and he had no idea how to follow.

Cassie must have seen his dismay, for she pulled her hands from his and wrapped her arms around him without a thought for what had happened the last time. He felt even worse, then--not only was she picking up on his needs while he was so miserably failing with hers, but she was offering comfort and all he could think of was how good it would feel to kiss her.

"You're so *not* selfish," she whispered, still holding him. "You keep saying you'll do anything, and I know you would, but I could never ask for anything more than to just have you."

"I told you once," he murmured, amazed that she could think him unselfish, "that there was only one thing I wanted more than you."

"Did you?" she asked, pulling away to regard him worriedly. "What?"

"Your happiness," he reminded her softly. "Making you happy makes *me* happy, and in that way, it is the most selfish thing I will ever do."

She sighed, but he saw a smile tugging at her lips. "Once," she confessed, "I would have laughed at a guy who said something like that. But--" She placed her hand lightly over his heart, and he struggled to keep his breathing even, to not let her know what her nearness was doing to him. "I believe you when you say it. And it's all I want for you, too--happiness."

"Then *tell* me what you would not ask," he whispered. "Without knowing, how can I be content?"

He saw her hesitate, and he caught the hand that still rested on his chest. "Please, Cassie--it will drive me crazy if I do not know."

"I just--" She took a deep breath, then burst out, "I want us to be normal!"

He stared, forgetting to breathe. That was one thing he would never be able to offer her, and he wondered if that was why she hadn't wanted to tell him. He was not of her world, and there was no changing that.

"I am sorry I am not the person you wanted to love," he managed to say, drawing in an unsteady breath. "I--this bond--it is not a decision, it simply happens." It hurt to say, but he had done it before and he would do it again, for her. "If I could--I would end it, that you might be free to choose."

She was staring back at him, easily readable shock on her face. Before he could wonder why, she leaned forward and hugged him hard. "No, Saryn, no," she murmured, her arms warm and welcome as she continued to hold him.

Slowly, he let his own arms slip around her, letting his head rest gently against hers. "No," she repeated, and he smiled involuntarily at the sound of her quiet voice so close to his ear. "Saryn, that's not what I meant at *all*. I would never in a million years give you up, ever. I've *never* wished that I loved someone else--how could you even think that?"

She rushed on, not giving him a chance to answer. "Maybe sometimes I've wished things were different, that you didn't have to be 'the Phantom Ranger' to the rest of the world, the rest of the universe, but I don't want anyone but you.

"I love you--I love Saryn, and I love the Phantom Ranger. They're the same person to me… I've wished sometimes that they didn't have to be so separate, but I have never, ever wished that I didn't love either of them."

Her vehemence was as endearing as it was reassuring, and his smile did not fade. "Thank you," he whispered, unable to tell her how much that meant to him. She didn't always say what was on her mind, and he had wondered, once or twice, if there were times she just went along with what he wanted because it was easier than not.

"Thank *you*," she answered, sounding a little surprised but not loosening her embrace. "You're all I've ever dreamed of, you know."

"No," he managed to answer. "I did not know that." He might not be able to find the words, but he had to *try* to tell her how happy it made him to hear that. "I am--relieved, that I can be for you some small part of what you are to me. I will never stop loving you, Cassie."

"I won't stop loving you, either; I *can't*," she told him, hugging him harder. "And I don't want to. Ever."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "I am convinced," he assured her softly, though privately he thought he could let her go on like that for the rest of the night. "And… what you said…"

"I didn't mean it," she said quickly. "I like you just the way you are. I don't care if you're only Saryn when we're alone; I wouldn't have even said anything if you hadn't made me."

"That is precisely what bothers me," he said, drawing away enough for her to see his expression. He wanted her to know he was serious about this. "If I could have one wish, it would be for you to tell me what you want. Do not keep everything inside, Cassie--it is not good for you, and it hurts me to think that you do not believe your feelings are worthwhile."

She swallowed, looking down, but he caught her chin and tipped her face up again. "Do not look away," he said firmly. "Everything about you is worth knowing, and I want to know it. Tell me how I can be both 'Saryn' and 'the Phantom Ranger' to you."

"You *are* both," she said quietly. "To me."

"You wish me to be both to everyone else?" He kept his voice neutral, not disapproving or judgmental. All he wanted was for her to talk to him, as he had always felt comfortable talking to her.

"No," she said reluctantly. "Unless you want to be, I mean. I'm not trying to tell you what to do…"

"Cassie," he interrupted. "I will not take it as such. Tell me what you have been *thinking*, what you would like, and I will decide whether to do it or not. Is that acceptable?"

She nodded slowly, and he realized she was looking away from him again. It took an effort not to force her to look up, but he tightened his fingers on her shoulders and did not move. "Talk to me?" he asked quietly.

She took a deep breath. "I guess… sometimes I wish you didn't have to be 'the Phantom Ranger' *all* the time. On Aquitar, you demorphed when we were alone, but most of the day you'd just be 'Phantom'. I couldn't even touch you…"

"The way you could when we were on the Megaship," he finished softly. He had hated that too, not being able to even *see* her except through his visor when they weren't alone.

She nodded. "But even on the Megaship, we couldn't do that. None of them know about us, except for Ashley…"

The way she said her friend's name made him pause. And something in the feelings that surrounded him made him wonder, "Are you--jealous of Ashley?"

She was startled into meeting his gaze. "What?"

"She and Andros are very close," he said, watching her expression closely. "And they are not afraid to demonstrate their affection."

"And we can't," she said, obviously frustrated. "You're almost always morphed, and even when you're not, when we're on the Megaship, I'm afraid of what the others will think!"

He was quiet for a minute. "What to do about the rest of your team is of course your decision," he said finally. "Although I do not believe they would disapprove, you know them better and I will continue to support whatever you decide.

"As for always being morphed--" He hesitated only a moment. "I can change that. If that is what you think of as the difference between 'Saryn' and 'the Phantom Ranger', it is easy enough to correct. I will reveal my identity to anyone who might know me as Phantom, and there will be no more reason for me to stay morphed all the time."

"No!" Cassie exclaimed. "You can't!"

He had almost expected her objection and he had freed an arm from her embrace even before she spoke. Pressing two fingers against her lips, he shook his head. "I can, and I will. There is no need for me to continue to hide my identity."

*Especially when it threatens our relationship,* he thought fervently, but he did not say the words. He knew she would not like him doing it for her, but if he could convince her that there was no reason for him *not* to do it, she might agree.

"There *is* need," she insisted, pulling his hand away and twining her fingers through his. "Phantom is practically a legend in some places; even I know that. You've taught me enough that I can see that's an advantage to you in some kinds of politics, and to reveal yourself would diminish that.

"Not to mention bring up questions about Saryn," she added when he did not interrupt. "Remember how curious Zhane was? A lot of people will want to know exactly what happened on Elisia, and you've said yourself that the League doesn't have time to be distracted by political intrigue right now. You telling everyone who you are would be like 'political intrigue' times ten."

His lips twitched, and he tried not to smile. He had not realized she had been paying so much attention when he explained the details of the League to her.

"You can laugh," she warned. "But you know I'm right. You have to keep being Phantom--just Phantom, not Phantom-who-used-to-be-Elisia's-Ranger-team-leader."

Now he did smile, a little surprised that the mention of his old team brought with it no twinge of pain or guilt. But considering that was not as important as this discussion with Cassie, and he didn't give it another thought.

"What about the Aquitians, then?" he asked. "The Aquitian Rangers all know, now--"

She looked away, and he winced. He wished he could have found a better way to remind her of that, but he had not taken time to think about it. "I'm sorry," she said softly, self-reproach evident even in her quiet tone. "I don't know what I was *thinking*--"

"You were not thinking, not as you are now," he said firmly. "You were different; your perceptions, your very personality was altered. You can not be held accountable for your actions."

Her fingers tightened on his, and he couldn't help himself. He leaned closer and kissed her temple, very gently, and pulled away before it could turn into anything more. She glanced up at him, and to his relief she smiled a little.

"Cetaci came to speak to me afterwards," he told her quietly. It occurred to him all of a sudden that there was a lot Cassie simply didn't know, and he would have to fill her in--later. "She told me that the entire Aquitian team has sworn to protect my identity--and your own team, as well, although I think they might have remained silent of their own accord."

She nodded quickly. "None of us would tell--would have told," she amended. "Except maybe Zhane… but you said he promised too?"

"Yes. Everyone in the control room, or so Cetaci said." It hadn't surprised him at the time; he had been too emotionally numb to feel anything. Now, however, the gesture both startled and pleased him. He would have expected them to be upset with such a deception, but instead they had simply accepted it, not questioning his wishes or his motives.

"That was nice of them," Cassie murmured. "It makes me think--I never promised, did I?"

He didn't let her complete that train of thought. Pulling her into a fierce hug, he told her softly, "I would not take such a promise from you. I have never doubted your judgement, and the information is yours to do with as you please."

"I won't tell," she whispered anyway. "I don't have to swear--I just won't tell."

"I know," he whispered back, letting his hand smooth her soft hair against her back. He wanted to bring up the Aquitians again, but if he said anything now, he was afraid it would sound like an accusation.

Instead, he just held her, feeling her heartbeat against his chest. This was all he had wished for since he had seen a ship he had thought was hers explode into fragments of metal and atmosphere. He savored the moment, wishing for just a second that it could last forever.

Then she moved a little, her hair sliding across his hand and her breath warming his neck as she sighed. He pulled away with an effort, reminding himself not to tempt fate by kissing her now.

She smiled at him, brushing his hair away from his face with her fingers, and he swallowed. "The Aquitians," he said hastily, wishing he could pull his gaze away from hers somehow. "They do know, now, and they have given their word that they will not say anything.

"We are there on Aquitar most of the time, when we are not on the Megaship--I am there," he corrected, remembering with a pang that she had school to attend now. "There is no reason not to demorph around *them*."

She nodded slowly. "You're right, I guess," she said, her eyes not leaving his. "If--if you feel comfortable with it, if you want to--"

"Cassie, I would not have offered if I was not willing to do it," he said, a little impatient. "When we are together on Aquitar, as on the Megaship, I will demorph."

"Only when it's just the Aquitian Rangers who are around," she added, and he tried not to smile at her care in establishing conditions. Either she had some political inclination of her own, or he had been boring her for far too long with League and Defense talk.

"I will demorph whenever there are none present but those who already know of my identity," he said, watching for her reaction.

She appeared to seriously consider it before nodding. "That sounds good," she said, her expression solemn.

"To me, too," he agreed in a whisper. He found himself staring into her eyes, no longer able to ignore their closeness. He wanted badly to kiss her, but instead he disentangled himself from her arms and moved a little distance away. "You did us a favor by revealing me to the Aquitians, it seems."

Her hand settled on his shoulder. "I never meant to hurt you," she said guiltily. "I'm so sorry--"

"I am not," he interrupted. "Not if it means I will be able touch you when they are around."

He glanced at her when her fingers clenched on his shoulder, and he saw an odd look flash across her face. "I forgot to tell you--Billy saw us, that morning in the control room."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Yesterday morning--" She looked bemused. "Or the day before, I'm not sure anymore. When I came in, and you were alone, and you demorphed. We kissed--and Billy came into the control room a few minutes later."

He nodded. "I remember. But Billy did not enter until after we had separated."

She cleared her throat. "Well, that's sort of true. He didn't *enter* until then… but he stuck his head into the room and saw us together first. He disappeared before I could say anything, and a few seconds later I heard him whistling from the other end of the hallway."

He shook his head, amused. "He was trying to respect our privacy by warning us that he was there before we noticed him. It is an Aquitian practice, not to intrude on--private moments. I have noticed it is not so common among humans."

A smile spread across her face. "That's certainly true," she agreed. "We're a pretty uncivilized bunch."

"That is not what I meant," he said quickly, but she didn't look upset.

"I know," she whispered, leaning toward him. "But I don't think I'd do this if I were Aquitian."

She kissed him hard, strangely careful not to touch him. Only their mouths melded together. He braced his arms on the edge of the bed and leaned into the kiss, feeling sensation ignite all over his body despite her physical distance. He knew instinctively that she would pull away if he tried to touch her anywhere but on the lips, but her kiss sorely tested his restraint.

"No," he agreed breathlessly, wishing he could stop her from pulling away. "And I am glad you are not."

"Me too," she said, glancing down at her hands as though she had no idea how much he was holding back. It was as though she couldn't tell how hard it was to concentrate with her so close by, as though she didn't know what her constant teasing had done to him through the course of the day.

"I'm glad to be *me* again," she added, looking up and smiling at him. "But--" She frowned uncertainly. "Was that--*Astronema* who teleported in here, a little while ago?"

He drank in the sight of her, trying to convince himself that it was enough. He didn't even realize she was expecting an answer until the silence went on a little too long. His memory managed to come up with the last words she had uttered, and he nodded quickly.

"That was Astronema," he agreed. "She was 'the sorceress' that Zhane kept referring to."

Cassie's eyes were wide. "But how did he convince her to help us? To help me?"

He had been wondering that himself. "I do not know," he admitted. "He implied that he had known her for some time, even said that she had some connection to KO-35. But I know none of the details."

"Zhane knows Astronema," Cassie repeated wonderingly. "I wonder why he never told us. And what could he have meant about KO-35?"

He only shook his head, watching and feeling her growing curiosity. *I am one,* he reminded himself, the fragment of Lyris's mantra running through his mind. But the attempt was half-hearted, for he did not feel like expending the effort necessary to keep their feelings separate.

It was pleasant, in some ways, to have her emotions mingle with his. And when he could not hold her, this was the next best thing…

"Ashley could tell us," Cassie was saying. "She always knows what's going on. Where is she, anyway?"

As she looked around as though she expected her friend to materialize from the walls at any moment, he took a deep breath. His mind suddenly and unexpectedly cooperated, focusing on the small amount of information he had on what had occurred and wondering just what to tell her. He didn't want her to have to deal with recent events so soon after her recovery, but at the same time, there was no other way to answer her question.

"She is not on the Megaship," he said finally, seeing Cassie turn a sharp look in his direction. "Andros--disappeared in the Delta Megaship last night, and as I understand it, Ashley took the shuttle to go looking for him."

"What?!" Cassie stared at him. "Wait. Start at the beginning. Andros disappeared?"

He sighed. "I am sorry. I wish I could tell you more, but I was somewhat--distracted at the time. All I know of what has happened I have learned from Zhane, and the two of us do not communicate as well as we could."

"That's the understatement of the year," she said with some asperity. She swung her legs over the edge of the patient bed and straightened her back.

"Where are you going?" he asked, recognizing her intent.

"To find Zhane," she said firmly. "I want to know what's going on."

"Are you certain that is a good idea?" He reached for her arm, meaning to support her if she needed it. "It's late--he is probably trying to sleep."

She looked at him in surprise. "Is there something you don't want me to know, or did you just show concern for Zhane?"

"It has been a long day for him as well," he muttered, avoiding both questions. He couldn't answer the first, and he would hardly admit to the second.

The look she gave him said she knew perfectly well what he was thinking. "Maybe," she agreed. "All right; I'll talk to him in the morning. But I'm not giving up that easily."

He knew he was in trouble when she glanced up at the camera mounted on the wall near the door. "DECA?" she demanded. "Where are Andros and Ashley?"

14. Close As You

Irini was already on the downward arch of its journey across the sky. The blue-green planet's nearly full face could be seen sweeping toward the horizon over the river's west bank, glowing with a luminescence sufficient to obscure all but the brightest stars.

Despite the lateness of the hour, however, Andros found himself staring up at the cobalt sky, eyes wide open and as far from sleep as he was when the sun had been up. He knew he had dozed since lying down to sleep, but he knew too that he had not closed his eyes for more than a few hours at a time.

He was simply too miserable to dream for long. His head ached with an overwhelming pain, and now his back was beginning to hurt as well. Lying down was incredibly uncomfortable, but he had tried sitting up, and that was even worse.

So he lay by the river, staring up at the sky and listening to the sounds of nocturnal life on Irini's largest moon. The soft chirps and squeaks might have been comforting, and he knew the sound of running water ought to soothe him. But neither offered any solace from the pounding of his head.

*Ashley?* he thought, knowing she would not thank him if he woke her up but unable to keep himself from trying. He refused to take another pain reliever until his head was clear enough to exchange thoughts, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand this.

To his immense relief, he heard her stir. "Andros?" she murmured sleepily.

*Can you hear me?* he asked, holding his breath.

"Yeah," she said, still sounding drowsy. "What's wrong?"

His head throbbed, and he let his breath out in a sigh. At least, it was supposed to be a sigh--as pain stabbed through his brain, it turned into a whimper.

The quiet sound must have brought Ashley the rest of the way awake, for she was at his side in an instant. "Andros," she whispered, her fingers curling around his hand. "Are you all right?"

He didn't even try to nod. "I'm okay," he managed to whisper. "I'm trying to reach Zhane."

She fell silent. Her hand tightened on his, but she said nothing more while he concentrated as hard as he could on his best friend. It was hard to think properly through the pain, but *she* had heard him, for the first time since he had taken that pain reliever. Zhane should be even easier to reach.

*Zhane,* he thought desperately, reaching for his friend's steady presence. They had been able to hear each other for almost as long as he could remember, and he knew he was trying harder than he should have to.

Despite his effort, silence was his only answer.

*Zhane,* he tried again. He could sense his friend--the feeling was faint and almost intermittent, but it should have been enough. It would be night on the Megaship as well, but sleep had never been enough to separate them before.

*Even Ashley woke up when I called her,* he thought, not giving up on Zhane yet. *Both times…*

He had awoken her once by accident, and then again, just now. And he and Zhane had roused each other from sleep countless times over the years, sometimes legitimately, sometimes not. But never had an attempt by one of them to reach the other failed.

"Andros?" Ashley whispered, her tone worried.

He felt her fingers brush his cheek, and only then did he realize that tears had gathered in his eyes. He blinked them away furiously, frustrated that something so simple as a headache could provoke such a reaction.

As though to emphasize that point, the pain he had been able to ignore for a few brief seconds intensified. He must have cried out, for Ashley leaned instinctively closer. "Andros," she whispered urgently.

"I--" He struggled to sit up, knowing it wouldn't help but wanting *any* kind of change at this point. The pain was wearing him down, and he would do almost anything to stop it. "I can't reach him," he confessed, pressing his hands to his temples.

"Hold still," Ashley said, reaching across him to grab the flashlight. He squeezed his eyes shut before she could flip it on, and then he felt her leave, probably going across the clearing for her pack.

He doubted anything short of Darkonda would have made him move in this condition, so her warning was unnecessary. He just sat where she had left him, trying and failing to think of anything to keep his mind occupied. All he could concentrate on was the pain.

He didn't even notice Ashley's return, until he felt her lift his hand and press two tablets into it. "Take these," she instructed. "Right now, Andros; I mean it. You can't reach Zhane; there's no point in torturing yourself any longer."

She didn't have to convince *him*. He would try to talk to Zhane again in the morning. He swallowed the tablets, bracing himself for the intensified pounding that would inevitably follow the simple gesture.

Then he felt Ashley's fingers on his temples, heard her murmur, "Tell me if this hurts." Her fingers traced small circles in the gentlest and most focused massage he'd ever received. And to his amazement, it seemed to help.

He remained tense, waiting for the sharp, shooting pain that would signal the headache's redoubled efforts, but Ashley's soft touch seemed to hold it at bay. Her fingers continued to rub his scalp, her hands burying themselves in his hair as she managed to hit just enough of the pressure points to keep his headache from overwhelming him again.

He let himself start to relax, feeling his breath come and go and not daring to think about anything else in case the pain should suddenly return. He almost didn't even thank her, afraid that if he said anything, she would stop. But politeness eventually won out, and he whispered, "That feels really good; thanks, Ash."

"Does it help at all?" she asked, not even pausing.

"It helps a *lot*," he said fervently. He wasn't sure how he would have gotten through the few minutes before the pain reliever took effect without it.

"Good," she murmured. She kept it up for a little while longer, before her hands slowed to a stop. "Any better?"

He hesitated, waiting to see if the headache would return. Experimentally, he nodded just a little, and couldn't help a sigh of relief when he felt nothing more than a slight twinge. "I think the pain reliever is finally taking effect, yes. Thanks," he said again, wanti