| abstract | - Tommy Oliver and Jason Lee Scott were veterans of the matt, winning trophies both as a team and as individuals. They had been selected to represent Angel Grove in the final of the California State Finals. Zack and Billy looked on as the two went through their routines. A worried frown crossed the face of the black ranger. "Have you seen the competition?" Billy nodded. "Both are talented fighters. They don't look as strong as Jason and Tommy, but they seem to be quicker on the mat." He turned to see Max enter the bar area of the youth centre. The new green ranger had kept himself distant from the team. Tommy was the one who could relate to him, but the white ranger wasn't the most objective when it came to the dragon powers. Billy approached the bar and ordered a drink. "Max." Max Walker looked up. "Hey, Billy." he shrugged, "So...how's the competition going?" he asked, trying to feign interest. "Good. Zack's kicking them into shape. How're you doing? We haven't seen much of you around." "I've been busy." he stated. his tone indicating that he didn't want to talk anymore. Billy returned to mat-side. Zack looked up at Max, then back down at Billy. "Well?" "He's not very talkative." He looked over as Tommy miscued a spinkick, landing flat on his back. "As if we haven't got enough on our minds." Less than five twenty metres away, another two young warriors were training, coached by a young African American girl. "Up an over, Rocky!" The sandy haired teenager leaped up and over the balck haired man's attack, flipping in mid air and catching him on the way down. He extended a hand to his friend. "Not bad, Adam." Adam accepted his hand an pulled himself up. "Yeah, looks like we have a tough time ahead of us." They looked over at their opponents, two teens dressed in red and white. Zedd knew that two of the rangers were due to take part in some kind of competition. He hadn't expected their opponents to be so impressive though. "I want those three on board." Goldar scanned where his master was looking. "Those three?" "Yes, Goldar. I want them tested." Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park and Aishia Campbell had been invited to the Angel Grove and Stone Canyon invitational tournament. Every year, three students were chosen, two competitors and one coach. Rocky and Adam had been friends since grade school. They had been sparring together since the age of ten. If anyone could win the competition for Stone Canyon for the first time in two years, it was them. But they would have to defeat the defending champions, Jason Lee Scott and Tommy Oliver. "I was just wondering..." Adam started. "Maybe Scott and Oliver have the power rangers helping them." Rocky slapped his old friend on the back of the head. "Well, we'll just bring them down too. We're better than them." They stopped at a nearby burger van before continuing on their walk back to their hotel. "Maybe they are rangers." Aishia joked. Rocky noded with a lopsided grin. "Well, we can still take them." "Well, see if you can take me first!" They turned to see a gold armoured alien begind them, with white armoured figures surrounding him. "Take it these are the guys we've heard so much about!?" Adam asked. The answer to his question was a swipe of the alien's sword. "Lord Zedd wants you to join his regime." Adam ducked under the sword and leaped Goldar's attempt to trip him. "Not a chance." Rocky turned to Aishia. "Get help, now!!" She nodded and made a run for the main street Max Walker was on his way to view yet another apartment. Life had been strange to say the least since leaving the army. He didn't see the young woman running toward him until it was too late. "Hey, whats the deal!?" he yelled, making an attempt to pick up his papers. "Pleaseyougottahelpmemyfriendareintrouble......" "Woah," he said, "Slow down. Who's in trouble?" She swallowed. "My friends were attacked?" "Mugger?" he asked "Alien," she explained, "Gold armour." Max's eyes went cold. Goldar. He turned back to the girl. "Make sure they are okay, but stay hidden." Rocky decked another of the white soldiers with a flying kick. "These guys just keep on coming!" They fought them off in vain as the greater number crowded around them. "GOLDAR!!" The voice from above halted the street lecel battle. Goldar looked up to the top of the building. Green Ranger. "Picking on kids now? What have you become?" "You made me what I am, Green Ranger. You unleashed my bloodlust!" "And now I'm gonna bottle it up...." he said as he drew his dragon dagger, "By finishing you! Heyaaaah!!" He leapt from the building, landing inbetween the teens and the Zedd patrollers. "Nice entrance!" Adam smirked. "Well, I try." Aishia pulled Adam back as the Green Ranger leapt in amongst the patrollers, scattering them. "Is everyone alright?" "Yeah," Rocky replied, "Thanks." The ranger tore into the putties, destroying them and forcing them back. But it seemed the lines were never ending. "You can't do this alone!" Adam called. "Let us help you!"Aishia cried. Green Ranger reluctantly nodded and instructed the teens on how to destroy the patrollers. He and the three teens saw off the footsoldiers. He turned to Goldar, the Dragon Dagger in hand to emphasise his point. "Tell your boss, if he wants me, to come directly for me. These people, my town, off limits." Goldar growled, foaming at the mouth. "Watch your back, ranger. I'll get you yet." He was gone as the last word left his lips. Green Ranger turned to the teenagers. "I think you three better get inside." "Wait." Aishia said, "How did you know?" Underneath his helmet, Max smirked. "If I told you, it just wouldn't be magic." He touched his belt buckle and vanished in a column of green light. "Wow." they breathed. They heard footsteps approach from behind. Aishia smiled as she recognised the man she had knocked down earlier. "Thank you." she said. "How did you send the green ranger?" Adam asked. Max smirked. "Power Rangers, the fourth emergency service." He scanned the faces of the teenagers. "Welcome to Angel Grove." He dropped the teens off at their hotel. He waited until they were inside before activating his communicator. "Zordon, this is Green Ranger." Zordon had the viewing globe pin-point Max. "Go ahead, Max." "I just had a run in with Goldar. He seemed to be after three teenagers from Stone Canyon. Have you got any idea what Zedd and Co are up to?" "No, but we will monitor the situation." "It might be a good idea to brief the Power Rangers, just in case." "Acknowledged. Command Centre out." They watched as Jason returned to the table, a stern look on the Red Ranger's face. "Green Ranger reported an incident with Goldar. Apparantly he was after our opponents." Tommy swallowed. "That can't be good." "Agreed." The red ranger continued, "At least we'll be able to keep an eye on them." Zedd slammed his fist down on the balcony. "Damn that Green Ranger! I want him obliterated!" Finster approached him, monster in hand. "Sir, may I recommend an idea? The Ice Dragon may have the power to nulify the dragonzord. He raised his staff. "Ice Dragon, arise!" Max stopped by the hotel to make sure the three teenagers he rescues were alright. He walked with them for a short distance. "Why do you think Goldar was after you?" Adam was the first to answer. "I don't know, Max. We're just in town for a few days for a martial arts competition." "You're the guys fighting Jason Scott and Tommy Oliver?" Rocky nodded. "You know them?" "I've had a few run ins with Tommy. But that's not the point." He stopped as their paths were about to split. "Look, just watch your backs. I'll look into whats going on." Rocky nodded again. "Goldar might decide to come after you too." "Don't worry about me. Catch you later." The teens had no sooner left the vicinity when the lightning crackled around him and a monster appeared, towering over him. "Oh, great." Max groaned, "Time for the big fight scene!" He pulled out his power morpher, only for the monster to stomp down. The ground shook, forcing the morpher out of his hands. Reluctantly, he lifted his communicator to his lips. "Zordon, I need help out here." Billy was first to answer the call. "Zordon?" "Green Ranger is in trouble. You, Trini and Zack must go and form the Thunder Dragon Megazord. Kimberley can inform Tommy and Jason. There is no need to disturb them from their competition." Kim nodded and took a step back. Billy stepped forward. "It's Morphin Time!" "Mastadon!" "Triceratops!" "Sabre Tooth Tiger!" The three rangers dropped as the Ice Dragon was once again about to stomp on the still morpherless Green Ranger. "You alright?" Yellow Ranger asked. Max nodded. "I'm fine. You have an impeccable sense of timing." "All part of the service." Black Ranger smirked, handing the Dragon morpher over. "Suit up." Max raised the morpher. "Dragonzord!!" The four rangers saw the zedd patrollers closing onto the scene. "I'll take the Ice Dragon, you handle them." He drew the Dragon Dagger from the holster on his left hip and played the tune to summon the beast to battle. The Dragonzord was no match for the power that the Ice Dragon possesed. More than once, it beat the beast back. "Rangers, let's put them together." Black, Blue and Yellow rangers finished off the patrollers and raised their hands to the sky. "We need Thunderzord power, Now!!" Max looked up to see the three thunderzords approaching. "That should even up the score a little." He teleported to the cockpit. "Activate Megazord combination!" The Dragon Megazord came together, swirling it's tail drill Zedd nodded, his plan was working. With four of the rangers battling his monster and the other three occupied, now was the time to strike. He turned to Goldar. "Go, now!!" Rocky,Adam and Aishia had taken a hiding place as they watched the Dragon Battlezord take on the Ice Dragon. They cheered as the zord overpowered the monster with ease. "Enjoying the view?" They turned to see Goldar behind them. They struck up defensive postures. "You can't match me, humans!!" Zack caught sight of something from the Battlezord cockpit. "We got trouble on the ground!!" Max stood up from the centre seat. "Goldar." he turned to Zack. "Can you and Billy handle things?" Zack and Billy nodded. Goldar swung his sword at the three teens as the Green and Yellow rangers landed. "Let them go, Goldar!" Yellow Ranger cried. He looked over at the three teens, lying in an unconscious heap on the ground. "Not a chance." "Power Daggers!" "Dragon Dagger!" Goldar parried the blows from the two rangers and knocked them down. He moved to stand over the fallen teenagers. "I'll tell your friends how you failed them in the end." He stabbed his own sword into the ground, transporting himself and the three teens away. The Battlezord jabbed the tail drill forward as Ice Dragon vanished. Zack and Billy leapt down to join their colleagues on the ground. "Goldar got them." Trini reported. "He's gonna pay." Green Ranger growled. Zack placed a comforting hand on Green Ranger's shoulder. "We have to get the whole team together on this." Max nodded. "Lead the way." The four rangers materialised in the command centre. Trini and Zack brought Zordon up to speed on what had happened. "Alpha, contact Jason, Kimberley and Tommy." The robot opened a channel to the White Ranger. "Tommy isn't answering." "Try Kim." Trini advised. "Command Centre to Kimberley, do you read?" There was a few seconds silence. "This is Kimberley." Zack intercepted the channel on his wrist com. "We need you, Jason and Tommy at the Command Centre now." Kim looked back out at the mat. "We'll be there in a minute." She approached the mat. "We've got problems." The two rangers nodded and they retreated toward their teleportation spot. They arrived in the command centre to find their colleagues morphed minus their helmets. Tommy visibly shuddered as he looked at Max wearing the green ranger suit. "What's going on?" Jason asked. No longer leader in title, the rangers still respected him in that regard, even the current leader. "Goldar took the kids from Stone Canyon." Zack reported. "Max and Trini tried to stop him while we fought the Ice Dragon." Tommy looked up at Zordon. "Ice Dragon?" Alpha signalled to the rangers to turn to the viewing globe. "Zedd designed this monster specifically with the dragonzord in mind. It can absorb all the attacks the Dragonzord can dish out." "Nullifying the Battlezord." Zordon nodded at Green Rangers statement. "Rangers, we will work on a way to get around this." "What about the kids?" Max asked. Billy placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll have to wait until Zedd makes his move. They could be anywhere." "And possibly not in our reality." Kim added. Max sighed. "I promised I'd protect them." Jason stepped up to face the newest ranger. "Get some rest. If we need your help, we'll call." Max nodded and teleported out. Tommy moved into the spot Max had been in a moment before. "Chances are Zedd has them somewhere close by, so let's get scanning." Rocky awoke to find his hands restrained and his feet fastened together by a set of clamps. He couldn't see through the fog. "Ah, he's awake." A cold metallic voice cut through. No doubt he was suffering from concussion. How had he ended up here? The last thing he remembered was talking to Max. Did he have something to do with this? Why had he turned on them? Then he remembered Adam and Aishia. He couldn't see them but he could sense their presence. A form made it's way through the fog, coming toward him. "You'll fit nicely into my plans. You and your pathetic friends." Rocky strained, trying to make out who was talking to him. "Who....who....are....?" He passed out again before he could finish his sentence. Zedd looked down at the human who had just lost consciousness. "You say he is a warrior?" Goldar looked down at the tied up trio. "Yes, my lord. They put up a valiant fight. We would have had them sooner if it wasn't for Green Ranger." Zedd examined them closer. "He appears to be suffering from some kind of head trauma. He will need time to recover." He pulled his camper over to the side of the road and stopped. Suddenly, apartment hunting didn't seem so important anymore. Why had Zedd taken them? Then again, when did evil need a reason? So many innocents had perished in this war. There would be no more. A beam struck across the night sky above Angel Grove. "What the...?" If his memory served him correctly, it looked as if it was coming down on the outskirts of town. No doubt the Command Centre would have picked it up as well. If it was indeed Zedd, he would pick up his teleportation signal. He would have to do it the old fashioned way. Max turned the ignition and his old van spluttered into life. He made off for the outskirts of town. He found a place to watch which was hidden from view. The rage flashed through him as he saw Goldar, the murderer. . "Hang on, guys, I'm coming." He was almost at the old workman's hut. He could see them through the windows. "Blrrreeb." He froze, recognising the sound behind him. Zedd Patrollers. It was fight or die. He smirked as he remembered a scene he had once seen in a movie. He turned, a smirk across his face. "Hi, I was looking for a tyre for a seventy-seven chevvy." The patrollers didn't have time to move as Max grabbed a wheel and threw it into the crowd. "Yeah!" And with that, he tore into the group of patrollers, scattering them. He managed to destroy more than his fare share of them before he was tripped. The patrollers hauled him back to his feet. "I'm curious. Have any of you claybrains heard the expression fair fight?" His laugh was cut short as Goldar stepped infront of him. "You know, Goldar, if I had a face like your's I'd try to make up for it by having some sort of personality." Then, he came, stepping inbetween his head henchman and the intruder. Max gulped. "Zedd." Alpha turned as the teleportation beams materialised near the viewing globe. "Have we got something?" Tommy asked, stepping forward. It was obvious that the late night call had woken them from whatever sleep they had managed to get. "We've detected an energy pulse landing near the old junkyard on the outskirts of the city." Alpha reported. "We better get Max in on this one." Kin stated. Both Jason and Tommy raised their communicators to their lips. The red ranger backed down. "Command Centre to Max, come in." He tried again and again. The viewing globe flashed into life. "RANGERS!!" They all froze at their stations at the sound of the cold, metallic voice. Zack glanced at Billy before they slowly turned to confirm their worst fear. Zedd was on the globe. "How'd he get in there?" Trini asked. Billy shrugged. "What do you want?" "I believe I have something that belongs to you." The screen changed to show Green Ranger chained up. "He tried to save those three humans alone. If you want to attempt to save him, be at the Angel Grove junkyard at dawn." "How do we know you'll keep your word? That he'll be alive? Zedd eyed up the red ranger. "I said you could try to save him. Being alive was never part of the deal." Jason looked at Billy. "How long until dawn?" Billy checked the Command Centre's clock. "Fifteen minutes." "We have to move." Tommy nodded."Agreed." He looked at his team. "It's Morphin' Time!" They summoned the morphers and raised them to the sky. "White Tiger!" "Mastodon!" "Pteradactyal!" "Triceratops!" "Sabre Tooth Tiger!" "Tyrannosaurus." Red Ranger led the way into the junkyard. "Typical of Zedd to want to meet in a place like this." White Ranger agreed. "I know." He looked around. "Looks like the graveyard for old zords." Black Ranger scanned the entrance. "I don't like this. It's quiet." White Ranger nodded. "Yeah, a little too quiet." Blue Ranger consulted his scanner. "Max is this way." He led the way into the darkness. They had to double back as they were almost spotted by Zedd patrollers near the work hut. Blue Ranger handed the scanner over to Yellow Ranger. "This one's mine." He drew his joined power lance and fell into step behind one of them. "Knock, knock!" The two patrollers turned and ran at him. He ducked the blows and allowed them to punch the other's Z plate. "Well, that was easy." "Yeah, a little too easy." Jason was the first one to spot him. "It's Max!" "Yeah," Black ranger smirked, "A little too Max." Trini slapped the back of his helmet. "Knock it off, Zack. I don't like this." From his position, he could see six forms moving through the darkness towards him. He tried to shout a warning, but the tape over his mouth muffled his cries. He saw the figures take up positions for an ambush. Jason waited for Tommy's signal, pouncing with blade blaster in hand as the White Ranger dropped his hand. Nothing. "I don't get it."Blue Ranger began to explain his theory. "Judging by the layout of this junkyard and the proximity of certain structures..." "Yeah." Pink Ranger said, awaiting impatiently for his explanation. "If they were going to spring a trap, they'd probably do it right about...." he paused as he glanced at his wrist. "Now." He barely got the last word past his lips as a rope net lifted them from the ground. "Great leadership, Tommy." Jason growled as he wrestled with the net, "Walk right into a trap." "Could our weapons get us out of this?" Kim asked. "No," Billy answered, "These nets were built to withstand such a force!" Goldar worked the controls of the forklift, guiding the net toward a set of very vicious looking spikes. Max again tried to shout. Zedd turned to him. "Patience. First them, then you." Zedd didn't see the flying blade until it cut through the rope, releasing the net. White Ranger stood up first, dropping the net. "That's right, Zedd. You forgot, we carry insurance." "Yeah," Black Ranger growled, "Courtesy of Saba!" "GET THEM!!!!" Zedd yelled as his patrollers charged. Max tried to knock some of them over, but his restraints were effective. Black ranger got closest first, taking the tape off his mouth. "SHEESH!!!!" Max yelled as the tape was ripped from his mouth, "Why don't you just rip my lips off. If you ever do that again I'll....mmmppph" Zack put the tape back over his mouth and wrestled with the chains. "Let me get these first." He drew his blade blaster in sword mode and cut through the chains. "We have to stop meeting like this." he said as he picked up the Dragon morpher. Max stepped forward away from the post. "IT'S MORPHIN TIME! "Dragonzord!" Black Ranger picked up the Dragon Dagger. "I believe this is yours." he held it out to Green Ranger. Max took it from his hands and proceeded to slash the oncoming patrollers. "DARK RANGERS!!!!" The loading bay door crashed down and three warriors stepped into the illuminated junkyard. The seven rangers turned at the sound of the crash to see the warriors in armoured suits of red, yellow and black. Each had a powerful looking sword strapped to their backs. "Adam? Rocky?" Green Ranger quivered. Zedd looked down at the face off. His three warriors, brainwashed into destroying everything, versus the guardians of all that was good. They regrouped. "Options?" They huddled round Jason. "I think it's safe to say that reasoning isnt working." Billy sighed. "Well, at least they don't have zords." All eyes turned to Zack at what he had just said. The three dark rangers rushed them, dismissing their attacks with little effort. "We can't hurt them." Blue Ranger called, "They're still human!" Black Ranger took a swift kick to the midsection. "Yeah, but that doesn't stop them from hurting us." Ice Dragon had entered the scene, noticed by Red Ranger. "We can still take him down! Max, Tommy, keep them busy." He drew his power sword from the sub space pocket. "Let's put them together!" The green and white rangers engaged the dark rangers in battle. Jason descended with the power blaster. "Let's melt us a dragon!" he growled as he tok aim, watching Ice Dragon step back cautiously. "FIRE!!!" The beam burst through Ice Dragon's torso. Max and Tommy stepped back as energy rippled through the Dark Ranger's suits. "What was that?" White Ranger asked. "They must be linked to Ice Dragon somehow. We should retreat!" Zedd watched the rangers teleport out. "Not even the seven of them could defeat my three rangers." Finster ran a scan over Ice Dragon. "He's taken a rough blast, but I think we can patch him up for another round." Zedd nodded. "We have to disconnect their power source from that of the ice dragon." "Can't we link it to the Dragonzord?" Zedd nodded. It was certainly possible. He still had the Dragonzord's operating frequency from the last time when Pirantis head had taken control of it. He was no sourcerer though. That had been Rita's speciality. "Find a way." With one zord down, their chances would be greater. He turned to Goldar. "Prepare to bring the Zedd Zords on line." They arrived back at the Command Centre within moments. "That was rough." Billy nodded at Zack's statement. "Toughest battle I can recall since...." he paused, looking at Tommy, remembering how close they had come to defeat against Green Ranger. "Not even your Thunderzords may be able to defeat the Ice Dragon." Zordon explained, "Rangers, we cannot risk any harm coming to the citizens of Earth. You must stop Zedd's Dark Rangers at any cost." "That goes against everything you've taught us, Zordon." Jason argued. "I know Jason, but we have never faced such a threat. If these Rangers defeat you, milions will die." "The needs of the many, Jason." Max interrupted. "Screw the needs of the many," Jason countered, getting right in Green Ranger's face. "We are going to save them and we will bring them home. Even if I don't." The alarm whirred into life and the viewing globe came on. They watched as a Black Megazord formed and the three Dark Rangers leapt to the cockpits. As one, all rangers touched their belt buckles. "BACK TO ACTION!" "We need Thunderzord power!!" "Tigerzord, power up!" Max drew the Draggon Dagger. "Time for Dragonzord power!" He played the tune. Again and again. Dragonzord wasn't coming. "Guys," he called into his communicator, "Dragonzord won't respond!" "We're reading Goldar and Patrollers closing on your position. Can you...?" "Already on it, Jason. Alpha, check out the problem with the Dragonzord!" Alpha set to work. "Ai Ai Ai, Zordon?" "What have you found, Alpha?" "The Ice Dragon and the Zedd Megazord are drawing their power directly from the Dragonzord." Max had left his comm channel open as he took down the patrollers. "So how do we fix it?" "A complete shutdown of the Dragonzord's systems and then re-boot might just do it." Green Ranger finished off the last of the patrollers. "Do what you have to do, Alpha. I trust you." The Thunder Megazord and White Tigerzord were being beaten back by the Zedd Zords. Blue Ranger checked the system scanners. "Dragonzord is out of commission. We need an edge." White Ranger listened to what his old friend was saying. "I call on the power of the Thunder Ultrazord, now!!" Ice Dragon wathced as as the tortoise carier zord appeared on scene, enclosing the White Tiger inside it. The Thunder Megazord sled mode landed on top. "Take us up, Jase!" The Red Dragon raised it's staff, twirling it like a helicopter rotor, lifting the Ultrazord into the air. The Ice Dragon and the Zedd Zords vanished before the Ultrazord completed it's firing sequence. "Damn." Green Ranger managed to overpower Goldar. He approached the fallen alien, aiming the Dragon Dagger straight at his throat. "Go ahead, kill me." He could feel the tension building in his arm. It would be so easy, it would feel so good. But it would be wrong. "You're not worth it." Goldar got up and readied his sword, ready to take the Green Ranger's head off. Only to be driven back from a blast. A blast which could have onle come from a blade blaster. "Back off, Goldar." Yellow ranger growled, her smoking gun in her hands. Green Ranger looked back at Goldar as he vanished. The blast had taken the top off of his shield over his left shoulder. "Nice shot." Beneath her helmet, Trini smirked. "Well, I try." Zedd watched as his warriors returned to their power chargers. Their fight with the rangers had been a partial success. The Thunderzords had been damaged and forced to retreat. He knew he could build his zords quicker and repair them faster too. "Our victory will come soon, my young warriors. The Power Rangers of Earth will fall by my hand. "And their replacements are ripe and ready." They retreated to the Command Centre. The Thunderzords had taken a real beating in the fight with the Dark Zords. Billy and Alpha were working constantly, trying to shave a few seconds off of the recharge time. A few seconds which could be vital. "So what's the plan if their zords come back?" Kim asked. There was no time to answer the question as the alarm went off.. Max turned to them. "You get your zords, I'll take on the Dark Rangers." "No way." Tommy argued. "Listen, if they see my face, they might just remember." "And Dragonzord is still out of commission" Billy interrupted. Trini nodded. "It's worth a try, Tommy." White Ranger agreed. "Alright. "Back to action." Green Ranger stepped up to the three Dark Rangers. "Rocky, Adam, Aishia?" The three warriors spun to face him. "Well," the red warrior spoke, "Come back for another defeat?" It was Rocky's voice. "I'm not your enemy, Rocky." "You fight against Lord Zedd. You are his enemy, therefore you are our enemy." He turned to the blue warrior. "No, Adam. I tried to save you from Goldar. I'm only sorry that I couldn't." "You," the yellow warrior growled, "are a power ranger. You try to deceive us." Green Ranger raised his hands to his helmet latches, revealing his face. "Look at me, Aishia. Look at me!" He could now see their hesitency. "Believe me when I say I am not your enemy." "THEY CAN'T HEAR YOU RANGER!!" Goldar dropped down between him and the dark rangers. "He is the one who sent you here." "NO!" Max yelled, "Him and his patrollers brought you here, from the alley. The Ice Dragon, the Megazord? Remember.......remember?" They were slowing their advance. "SO.....confused....." the red ranger started. Dark Blue looked straight at the helmetless Green Ranger. "M........Max?" "Come back to us, guys. We don't want to fight you." Goldar charged his flame sword." NOOOO!!!" He swung the flame at the three Dark Rangers. Green Ranger threw himself between Goldar and his targets, taking the full force of the blast. He approaced the helmetless ranger. "So, Ranger. You had your chance to finish me and you didn't. I will not make that mistake." He raised his sword, only to have it taken out of his hands mid-swing. He looked up to see Dark Red holding the blade. "Didn't anyone tell you, Goldar, not to play with knives?" Dark Blue helped Green Ranger to his feet. "I think you might need this." he said, handing his his Dragon helmet. He nodded in a thank you gesture. "Back to action!!" he yelled and placed his helmet on. Dark Blue and Yellow leapt in with flying kicks, followed by Dark Red with a scissors kick. Green Ranger finished the air assualt, slashing Goldar with the Dragon Dagger. They landed and circled Goldar. "I told you before, Goldar." Dragon Ranger growled, "These people, my town, off limits." He didn't manage to finish his sentence before Goldar was gone. They turned their attention to the battle going on above them. Ice Dragon was overpowering the six thunderzords. "What do you say we join them?" Dark Red, Blue and Yellow nodded. "We need Zedd Zord power, now!" Max didn't know if Alpha had finished the re-boot on the Dragonzord systems. He raised the dagger and activated the summoning tune. He played it again and again. And he heard the roar. The Tigerzord and the Thunder Megazord went down again. Ice Dragon was closing in on the fallen Tigerzord when the flames drove him back. Tommy looked up to see an almost black dragon, followed by a blue lion and a yellow firebird. "Z-Knight Megazord!!" Rocky called as the three dark zords combined. "Jason, Rocky, Max, don't forget this is the Ice Dragon." Tommy called, "Maybe he can only be defeated by the dragon zords." "Heat." Rocky smirked. "Dark Red Dragon, Dragon mode!" "Red Dragon Thunderzord, dragon mode!" Jason called as his zord converted. Green Ranger played the tune to push Dragonzord into it's most agressive state. "Heat Horn Attack!!" "FLAME ATTACKS!!" Red Ranger and Dark Red called. The combined heat blast from the three dragonzords slowly began to melt the Ice Dragon. "Dragonzord, Tail drill!!" Max cried and played the battle tone. The spinning drill added to the hole in the Ice Dragon's torso. All zords pulled back as the Ice Dragon collapsed, melting into a puddle of water on the ground. Zedd slammed his fist down on his balcony. "Activate power surge. No body turns on me and lives!!" They were celebrating their victory when it happened. The power suits of the former dark rangers exploded, electrical charges surging through them. When it ended, three teenage bodies were left lying on the ground. Trini and Kim checked Rocky and Aishia for pulses. Both shook their heads. "Adam's alive!!" They ran to where the Blue Ranger was crouched over the body of the former Dark Blue Ranger. "Let's get him to a hospital!" Tommy and Jason scooped up the bodies of the other two. One week later. The rangers stood staring at the headstones of the warriors who had fought against them, then briefly alongside them. "Two soldiers down." Jason stated. The others nodded. They had seen the power that had soured through these warrior's veins and how they had used it when they had been given the choice. Without a doubt, they had been rangers to the core. Jason, Tommy, Zack, Billy and Kimberley had chosen to pay their respects. The communicator around the wrist of White Ranger beeped. "This is Tommy." "Tommy," came Trini's voice, "I think you had better get to the hospital quickly." They arrived to find Trini watching over Adam. She and Max had taken turns. She had tried to call Green Ranger but as yet, he had not answered. She had been forced to leave a message on his answerphone. Green Ranger hadn't been around much since Rocky and Aishia had died. "Trini?" She didn't even answer when Kim spoke her name. They followed her line of vision to see Adam sitting up in his bed. Tommy approached him cautiously. "Adam?" he asked, waving his hand. Adam stared straight through him. Tommy turned, followed by the rangers to see Max standing in the entrance to the hospital ward. He had obviously got Trini's message. "It's your fault!" Adam shouted. "It's your fault they're dead." "I tried to save you all, Adam. I tried....I...." "Failed. You killed them." Max lowered his head, tears welling up behind his eyes. He looked up, facing the former Blue Dark Ranger. "You're right, Adam. "I killed them. He paused, letting the words sink into the others. "I killed your friends."
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