Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 0
2021
Edaward Lamb worked well into the late evening sun. His job as an archeologist was demanding, but fulfilling work. He had always had a drive to study the past, to figure out why and how things had happened. He supposed that was because, as he thought back to his past, his memories had just stopped. It was as if he had no life before a certain point.

The first memory he had was standing in the middle of a rocky field. He didn’t even know if Ed was his real name, it just rang in his head over and over, screaming at him. Ed lamented his blank memories deeply, before something snapped him from his drifting thoughts. A strange glow entered the periphery of his vision, prompting him to turn around. He found himself staring into a dark cavern that had recently been excavated.

Lamb stepped toward the mouth of the cavern, seeing a small, red beacon piercing the darkness. With only slight trepidation, Ed slid down a small hill of dirt, skidding to a stop at the bottom of the dip. He turned on his flashlight, but the beam did little to repel the shadows. Slowly, he stepped into the cavern, guided forward by the constant red point. Eventually, he neared a small rock formation emerging from the ground.

The red light grew more intense as Ed approached. When he got close enough, he could see that the light was emanating from a fragment of metal embedded in the rockface. Before he was even aware of his actions, he was reaching his hand out toward the exposed metal. He stared into the center, looking intently, sure that he’d see something. It was something he needed to do.

He looked past the red light, seeing nothing but a black void. He stared for what felt like an eternity. He was ready to give up and head back out, when he saw it. Red skin, the gleaming of metal, and that dark, crimson visor staring back at him, piercing his very soul. A shudder went up his spine and, before he could step back, the red light overtook him.

At first, he was afraid, seeing that red-skinned demon. But then he wasn’t, the fear left him, like a breath of air leaving his body. And it all came rushing back; the memories, his history. And he finally understood; the man staring back at him was no demon, it was him, from another time. He had just forgotten.

He felt it; felt the darkness returning in a wave, felt his body twist and change. And, when at last the light had faded, there stood a figure of red and silver; Ed Lamb no more. No, he remembered; he was Lord Zedd. With a crash, Zedd struck the rock face, before pulling free the object trapped within; he pulled free his Z-Staff, feeling its awesome power flow through his body. His body discharged red bolts of energy, causing the cave to rumble and collapse. Nearby archaeologists gathered, to watch in horror as the cave entrance collapsed.

“Was Ed in there?” One of the archeologists asked, before they saw a figure begin to emerge from the cloud of dust. But their relief was cut short when they saw the man standing before them. “Ed no more! I am Lord Zedd! Emperor of all I see!” He declared, as he raised his staff. Then, with a maniacal cackle, he shot a surge of crimson energy toward the group of humans, instantly incinerating them where they stood. Listening to their screams and watching the flames of their bodies dance off his visor, Zedd let out one final sigh of satisfaction, before disappearing in a burst of red lightning.

***
1000 BCE
Over one Thousand years ago, Lord Zedd sat atop his throne, gazing with all his hatred at the human he would one day become. “So much time lost to that miserable wizard! Not this time… I have some planning to do…” Zedd uttered with contempt in his voice. Even watching his future self reclaim his powers wasn’t enough to appease the Dark Lord. No, he wouldn’t lose like that, live in utter humiliation. He had time yet, to prevent this eventuality…

***
1998
Nearly one thousand years later, on board Astronema’s Dark Fortress, Astronema lays defeated, Ecliptor kneeling over her prone form. Zordon instructed the Red Space Ranger Andros to destroy his containment chamber, in order to defeat the forces of evil. Andros raised his Spiral Saber and prepared to swing at the cylindrical case, when he froze in his tracks. In a burst of red lightning, the visage of Lord Zedd appeared standing between Andros and Ecliptor. Even Ecliptor looked taken aback by this turn of events.

“Y-you’re…?” Andros utters in shock. “Yes, I am Lord Zedd! But you can call me your executioner!” Zedd growled. In an act of desperation, Andros once more swung his Saber at Zordon, but the blow was caught by Lord Zedd’s Z-Staff. Zedd knocked the Saber from Andros’ grasp, before blasting him with a sphere of crimson energy. Andros flew backwards, impacting the far wall, before landing on the ground with a thud.

“Andros!” Zordon calls out with worry. Zedd stepped up to Zordon’s containment chamber, looking the disembodied wizard in the eyes. “Ah, Zordon, so we meet again. The eons haven’t been kind.” Zedd uttered, holding his hand up for emphasis. “Lord Zedd, you won’t get away with this. The Power Rangers will persevere.” Zordon declared with confidence. “Zordon, you foo-” Zedd’s words were cut short when he saw something swing at him from the periphery of his vision and raised his staff just in time to block Ecliptor’s sword.

“Ecliptor, you fool.” Zedd spat. “This galaxy belongs to my mistress.” Came Ecliptor’s response. Ecliptor once more raised his sword and swung it at Zedd, who again blocked, this time returning the strike with one of his own, his staff charging with red lightning. Despite having gotten the first blow, Zedd forced Ecliptor backwards, placing him on the defensive. Ecliptor successfully defended against a number of Zedd’s strikes, before leaping backward and taking a ready stance.

Zedd looked past Ecliptor, at Astronema, still unconscious on the ground. “Oh, I see, how amusing! You’re still protecting that little wretch! The frightened child playing villain. Well, let me give you both a taste of what it truly means to be evil!” Zedd declared, aiming his staff outward toward Ecliptor. The staff flowed with red energy, gathering at the ‘Z’ at its tip, before letting loose a torrent of red lightning. Ecliptor did his best to block the lightning with his sword, but he was quickly overcome. The lightning passed through his body, causing him to let out a wail of agony.

As Ecliptor fell to his knees, he looked over and saw Zedd’s energy strike Astronema as well, seeing her shake and convulse on the ground. Suddenly something struck Zedd in the back, causing him to stagger and the lightning to cease. He turned around to see Andros, once more standing, Astro Blaster in hand. “How’d you like that, ugly?” He shouted at Zedd, who only growled in response. The circuitry on Ecliptor and Astronema, the augmentations amplifying their evil intent, began to spark, before shorting out.

Zedd raised his staff again, as Andros raised his blaster. But instead of firing at Zedd, Andros fired at Zordon’s containment chamber. The glass of the chamber shattered and a massive wave of energy shot outward, beginning to cover every corner of space it could reach, including the planets below. In an instant, the combating evil forces were reduced to ash, with some simply having the evil purged from their hearts. But when the beam neared Zedd, he stuck his staff into the ground, his body becoming surrounded in a red, electrified field.

The wave hit Zedd’s field and Zedd grunted against the force of Zordon’s Z-Wave. Ecliptor still knelt, placing his body between the wave and Astronema. Being positioned behind Zedd, Ecliptor managed to hold off a considerable degree of the energy, using his sword for protection. Soon, the wave died down, and there they stood, a shattered and empty case. He only hoped it had worked.

Andros was snapped back to attention by the maniacal laughter of Lord Zedd. “Hahaha! I’m still alive Ranger! Which is more than I can say for you in a matter of moments!” He declared, raising his staff in his hand. Suddenly a sword swung at him, forcing Zedd to block with his Z-Staff. He saw Ecliptor standing to his side. “You again?! You should have just stayed down!” “You should have just died!” The two villains exchanged.

Ecliptor backed off when Zedd’s staff began charging with energy, but Andros fired at him once more with his Astro Blaster. Zedd blocked the bolts with a field created by his staff, before firing a blast back at Andros. Andros rolled out of the way of the blast and looked up, as Ecliptor stepped back toward Zedd, the two of them exchanging blows with their metallic weapons. Holstering his blaster, Andros again conjured his Spiral Saber. Running in, Andros swung at Zedd, who ducked out of the way, holding his staff horizontally before him.

Andros and Ecliptor stood side by side, raising their blades. “Oh, how cute. The guardian and the brother, playing nice together!” Zedd said with all the venom he could muster. Both Andros and Ecliptor exchanged cursory glances, before running in toward Zedd. The two swung their blades, each countered by a flourish of Zedd’s staff. Zedd struck Andros, then Ecliptor, causing both to go flying back in a flurry of sparks.

They struggled to their knees, Andros scanning the room, only to see his Spiral Saber across the room. Zedd stepped toward him, pointing his staff down at Andros. “Goodbye, Red Ranger. Say hello to Zordon for me!” He said mockingly. But before he could blast Andros, a blast of purple energy struck Zedd in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Zedd quickly got to his feet, just as the others did, seeing Astronema, now awake and gripping her Wrath Staff.

Zedd sneered at the trio, before standing up straight and planting his staff into the ground. “You know what they say: Three’s company, four’s a crowd!” Zedd uttered, before vanishing in a display of surging, red electricity. Only mere moments after Zedd had left, Andros turned toward Astronema and Ecliptor, who made no move to raise their weapons against him. “Consider us even, Andros. Don’t come looking for me.” Astronema said, before the two vanished before his eyes. “Karone!” Andros shouted; but it was too late, his sister was gone once again…

CHAPTER 1
2018
The nearly desolate street rang out with a thunderous roar, as the Pink and Black Space Rangers, Cassie Chan and Carlos Vallerte respectively, were tossed against a nearby wall. Their impact was enough to crack the brickwork, before their bodies tumbled to the ground with a thud. A tall lanky man stood in the street, sneering in satisfaction at the downed Power Rangers. Under his widespread grin were a series of eight small tendrils along the length of his jaw. His skin was a gray peach in color and he possessed a large skull, with a series of three protruding bulbs down each side of his head.

The man, Demok Drin, wasn’t native to this planet. In fact, the Space Rangers had been tracking him for weeks, following a series of thefts across this sector of space. Demok turned his head to gaze behind him, just as the Blue and Yellow Space Rangers, T.J. Johnson and Ashley Hammond, took up positions behind him. His emerald green eyes shimmered faintly, as he raised his hand to waist level. “You should have minded your own business, Rangers. Now you’ll pay the price.” Yeah, like we haven’t heard that one before.” Ashley said with all the bravado she could muster.

The two Rangers withdrew their Astro Blasters, taking aim. But Drin raised his hand at that same moment and pulled his fingers back. In an instant, T.J. and Ashley’s weapons were stripped from their hands, pulled away by an unseen force. Next, Drin thrust his arm out and the Rangers were thrown hard against the parked vehicle behind them, enough to twist the metal frame. During this time, Cassie and Carlos were just beginning to recover and get to their feet, when they saw two other Rangers take up positions on either side of Drin, Red and Silver, Andros and Zhane.

“Silverizer!” “Spiral Saber!” Zhane and Andros declared in unison, as each materialized their signature bladed weapons. Running in toward Drin, swinging their weapons as hard and as fast as they could. But just moments before their weapons connected, their movements were halted. A shimmering field of psionic energy appeared encompassing Drin. And thrusting one hand all the way out to each side, he tossed the Red and Silver Rangers away from each other, and away from him.

The Rangers struggled to their feet, ready to regroup and continue their fight, Drin looking no less ready to continue their skirmish, when they noticed a man standing in the middle of the street, arms folded behind his back. “What are you doing, get out of here!” Andros tried to warn the man away emphatically, but the man didn’t move a muscle. “Relax, relax. I’m with Time Force.” “Time Force? So, another Ranger is it?” Drin declared, but the stranger continued on as if he wasn’t even there. “Wait, do we die in this fight?!” Carlos asks, worry creeping into his voice. “Ha, against THIS guy? Not a chance. I was actually just gonna to ask for YOUR help. But let’s take care of this first. “He explained in a slight Southern drawl, pointing dismissively at Drin with his thumb at the words ‘THIS guy’, earning an angry sneer from Drin himself.

“How dare you! I will not be ignored! One more Ranger or a hundred, it won’t change anything!” This earned a smirk from the Time Force Ranger, who looked at Andros. “Cocky SOB, ain’t he? Time for Time Force!” The man said as he held out his Chrono Morpher and was immediately enveloped in energy. When the energy finally began to retreat, the man was no longer clad in civilian clothes. No, now he was in a Silver Ranger uniform, the Silver Time Force Ranger.

“Chrono Blaster!” Time Force Silver called and drew his firearm, before taking aim and firing at Drin. Drin drew his arm inward and another car flew toward him, its underside blocking the blaster fire. He then sent a shockwave of psionic energy out, staggering the other Rangers nearby and sending the car flying at the Time Force Ranger. Silver, however, immediately materialized his bladed weapon and, in a single downward slice, cleaved the car in half. Each half continued past the Ranger, skidding to a stop behind him, while his feet remained planted.

With a skilled flourish of his blade, almost showing off as to intimidate his opponent, he aimed the tip toward Drin. “Chrono Saber!” The other Rangers now stood, each of them drawing and training their Astro Blasters at the criminal. “Give it up Drin! We have you surrounded.” Andros declared. Drin’s eyes shimmered, then faded, as he held his hand to his head. His psionic abilities were at their limit, Drin thought to himself, as his vision began to blur.

With one last burst of psionic energy, Drin cracked the ground, sending dust and debris into the air. Time Force Silver shot into the cloud, but only hit the wall behind where Drin was standing. When the dust began to clear, they saw that he had fled the battlefield. “He ducked down the alley!” The nearest Ranger, Cassie declared, pointing toward the alleyway near where Drin had once stood. “Cut him off, I’ll follow!” Time Force Silver said, as he immediately ran forward, heading down the alley toward Drin.

Cassie, Zhane and Carlos had run in one direction, while Andros, Ashley and T.J. ran in the opposite direction, hoping to catch him off guard. Drin had a head start, but the Time Force Ranger was determined. And, within seconds of entering pursuit, Drin once more came into Silver’s sights. The two of them neared the other end of the alley and, just a moment after Drin emerged on the other side, he turned around and two vehicles flew toward the mouth of the alley, before erupting in a violent explosion. Drin stared confidently at the inferno, ready to turn and flee, before his face suddenly dropped.

The Silver Time Force Ranger leapt through the flames, landing before Drin, his blaster and blade both drawn. “Give it up, it’s over Drin.” “So, I see the Space Rangers need help taking me down!” Drin commented snidely. “Need help? Please, I chose this moment because you’re so unimportant, I don’t risk altering events of any real significance. You’re a footnote, Drin!” Silver retorted and Drin let out an angry shout, before raising his hands. In response, Silver let loose a series of blaster fire, forcing Drin to erect his psychic shield once again, deflecting the blaster bolts. Silver ran toward Drin while firing, quickly closing the gap.

Once Silver was in range, he slashed at Drin’s shield with his saber, striking at it repeatedly, until it began to flicker and weaken. Drin dropped his shield and thrust a hand out, trying to toss the Silver Ranger backwards, but Silver stuck his saber into the ground, only sliding a few inches. Silver then made an upward arcing slash and Drin erected his forcefield, but it immediately faded upon impact, causing Drin to stagger. Silver raised his blaster once again and fired, hitting Drin in the shoulder and causing him to fall to the ground, on his back.

Silver slowly walked up the downed Drin, who sneered up at him with contempt, gripping his shoulder. “Go ahead, take me in! They’ll never be able to hold me!” Silver demorphed, his saber vanishing with his suit. But in his hand, he still held his blaster, which he aimed at Drin’s head. “Sorry, that’s not how your story ends.” Silver uttered with a cold indifference, causing Drin’s eyes to widen in surprise and realization. And then he fired, burning a hole through Demok Drin’s skull, watching calmly as the criminal’s body went limp, and the light faded from his eyes.

***
The Silver Time Force Ranger was standing, unmorphed, when the Space Rangers arrived. Looking down, they spotted Drin, dead on the ground. The turmoil over, they demorphed back into their civilian clothes. “Is there somewhere we can talk more privately?” The Time Force Ranger asked, the sounds of local emergency services heard in the distance. After a moment of hesitation, Andros nodded in agreement.

The group of Rangers headed back to the Astro Megaship, save for Carlos, who remained behind to speak with the local authorities. “Thanks again for the help.” Ashley said. “It’s no problem. But, like I said before, it’s I who needs your help. My apologies, let me introduce myself. I’m Ben Mitchell. And it’s an honor to meet you all.” He said, offering his hand. He first shook Ashley’s hand, then moved to each of the others, acquainting himself with the team. When Carlos returned to the ship, Ben greeted the Black Ranger as well.

Once Carlos had returned, Andros took the ship out of the planet’s atmosphere, establishing a stable orbit above Planet Ebos. With that done, the Rangers, including newcomer Ben, gathered in a room designated as the ship’s meeting area. Taking a seat at a large, metallic table, Ben faced the other Rangers. “So, what do you need us for?” Andros asked succinctly. “I need you to help me find a morpher.” Came Ben’s response.

“What kind of morpher?” T.J. asked curiously. “We called it the Tempus Morpher. It was an attempt to create a more versatile connection to the morphing grid. Unfortunately, it was lost during an experiment and sent back in time.” Ben explained. “Where do we even begin to look?” Zhane asked. “Oh, we know where it is. Unfortunately, it attracts some… undue attention. In the new timeline we’ve created, several teams of Power Rangers attempt to retrieve it. But ultimately, it falls into the hands of the forces of evil.” Ben adds, with a somber edge to his voice. The Space Rangers look somewhat despondent at news that they ultimately fail in their mission, but quickly shake it off.

“So where is it?” Cassie asked. “Earth.” Ben responded succinctly. “Wait… if it’s on Earth, surely there are closer Ranger teams. Why us?” Ashley asked. “Because, at this point in time, your team is the one momentarily free of any mission which, left unattended, would threaten to alter the timeline. We have to go in and grab it before any other Rangers are distracted.” His answer seemed to satisfy them. “Okay. Earth then.” Andros nodded in agreement.

“Do you know WHERE on Earth it might be?” Carlos asked. “I know the general area. Before the morpher was lost, our systems detected an unusually high concentration of morphing grid energy. We believe this is what destabilized our systems. But using our last readout, we’ve triangulated the area down to several square kilometers.” Carlos nodded. “Okay then. Just get us close and we’ll find it.” He said confidently. Ben just nodded at him, as he stood up, walking over to Andros. When he approached, Andros stood as well.

“I have a very serious question to ask…” Ben said, in almost a whisper. “What is it?” Andros looked concerned. “Where does a guy get a bite to eat on this ship?” Ben suddenly said more loudly. Most of the Rangers groaned or rolled their eyes, but Ashley and Zhane chuckled at the joke. Andros shot him a bemused smile, as he waved for Ben to follow him. “C’mon, I’ll show you where our Cynthitrons are located.”

Chapter Text

“Get ready, we’re almost there.” Andros said, as he approached a table in the mess hall. “Already? That was fast.” Ben uttered in surprise. “It might not look like much compared to future tech. But it’s never let us down before.” Andros responded. “We’ll be there in ten minutes.” He added and Ben dropped his fork, wiping his mouth before standing. “Well, alright then.” He said, with a pleased smile.

***
A large ship passed through the vacuum of space, heading on a slow and steady trajectory, before the vessel suddenly changed direction. Within one of the ship’s interrogation rooms, a woman with cropped, red hair stood before a large, humanoid insect, suspended from the ceiling by chains. The woman shoved a large, metal pole with twin prongs at the tip into the insect’s abdomen, causing them to let out a gargled scream, as electricity coursed through their body. “Oh, Waspicable… Did you really think you could defect from my empire and not suffer the consequences?” The woman roared in anger. Suddenly, the door to the cell slid open, to reveal a large black and green skinned figure standing in the doorway.

“What is it, Ecliptor?” She said, her anger subsiding. “Astronema, my Empress, our ship has detected the Astro Megaship. It’s on a direct course for Earth.” He informed her. “Earth? Set a pursuit course.” She commanded. “I have already given the order, Empress. Forgive me for my presumption, I had figured you’d wish to investigate.” Ecliptor informed her, bending his right arm up toward his left shoulder and bowing slightly. “You always know how to cheer me up, Ecliptor. I’m heading to the bridge. Take over for me, will you?” “As you command.” They exchanged, before she stepped into the hall, letting the door slide closed, and leaving Ecliptor alone with the prisoner.

***
The Astro Megaship dropped out of hyperdrive just above Earth’s atmosphere. Once they established a stable orbit, the Rangers made their way to the docking bay and boarded the Astro Megashuttle. Within minutes, the shuttle landed on the surface of Earth, at the coordinates provided by Ben. As they exited the ship, Ben turned to face the Space Rangers. “Okay, gang, the morpher’s around here somewhere. Let’s get looking!” He said, with a chipper, confident attitude.

“You hear him, let’s fan out.” Andros agreed with a nod and, before long, the seven Rangers spread out to search the area. The location at which they’d arrived was an isolated, rocky area just outside of a bordering town. The task before them seemed daunting. But the Rangers were sure they’d succeed. They had to.

***
“Empress, we are nearing Earth. We have detected the Astro Megaship in orbit. What are your orders?” Ecliptor asked, as he stepped onto the bridge of Astronema’s ship, the Nezi Cruiser. “Prepare a strike force. Ready the shuttles.” Astronema declared from her throne. “Right away.” Came Ecliptor’s response. The order was given and Astronema’s forces, the Quantrons, were scrambled. “Have the prisoner taken back to his cell. Then join the ground forces.” “Yes, mistress.” Astronema and Ecliptor exchanged.

A pair of Quantrons looked on at the lifeless form of Waspicable, with a cold indifference, their communication coming in a series of incomprehensible beeps. One of the Quantrons raised its bladed weapon to try and prod the insectoid prisoner once more. In an instant, and with a burst of strength he didn’t even know he had left in him, Waspicable broke the chain around one of his hands, bringing it down to knock the cybernetic footsoldier to the ground. Before the second soldier had a chance to react, Waspicable broke the second chain and landed on the ground, barely staying on his feet. The still standing Quantron attempted to attack Waspicable, but the insectoid blasted it to pieces with a sudden discharge of energy from his eyes.

Once the soldiers were dispatched, Waspicable fled the room and down the hall, heading straight for one of the ship’s hangar bays. Transforming into a small insect, Waspicable was able to move about unnoticed until he was already onboard a shuttle. And, during troop deployment, it didn’t take much effort to flee the ship with minimal resistance. When Ecliptor arrived at the interrogation room, he found two destroyed Quantrons and no prisoner in sight. Immediately, he contacted Astronema via her direct comm link.

“Empress, the prisoner has escaped.” “Damn it!” The pair exchanged, Astronema’s anger momentarily overcoming her. “I shall pursue him, empress.” Said Ecliptor. “No. Head to Earth with the Quantrons. Locate and capture the Power Rangers. I’ll have someone else deal with the traitor.” Astronema immediately chimed in. At her word, Ecliptor departed to Earth onboard one of the shuttles. Standing amidst a battalion of cybernetic soldiers, he was ready for battle.

Astronema turned her comm link to another frequency, as she spoke. “Are you there, Silver? I have a job for you.” A man looking to be in his thirties, with chiseled, gruff features, immediately halted his activities, turning into an unoccupied hallway, to speak with Astronema. “Empress, I had thought you wanted me to remain undercover with these lowly humans.” “Something more important has come up. You’re to intercept an escaped prisoner and bring him back to me. I’m sending reinforcements. The Power Rangers are nearby. But the prisoner is your priority.” She explained. “Understood.” Came the man’s curt response. Dropping a duffel bag, the man exited the gym and proceeded quickly down the street.

***
Cassie and Carlos opted to continue searching the outskirts, while the other Rangers headed into town to covertly search for the Tempus Morpher through the bustling city streets; each group doing their best to cover as much ground as possible. They searched for hours upon hours, to no avail, Cassie and Carlos almost ready to call it quits and regroup with the others, when a strange buzzing caught their attention. Carlos swatted away a bee, which flew several feet away from them, before morphing back into the large visage of Waspicable. He was bloody and beaten, and he looked weary. “Cassie! Carlos! Astronema is on the way! I had to warn you…” He said, as he collapsed to a knee.

“Waspicable!” Cassie uttered in concern, helping Waspicable back to his feet, placing one of his arms over her shoulder to support him. “Astronema? That’s the last thing we need right now.” Carlos uttered wearily. Just as the words left Carlos’ lips, they were confronted by a gruff looking man, glaring at them with piercing, green eyes. “Hey, is everything okay?” Carlos asked, hoping the man didn’t freak out at the sight of Waspicable. “Hand over the bug and I’ll let you live.” Came the man’s curt response.

“Not a chance.” Cassie said, as she and Carlos placed themselves between Waspicable and the stranger. “Very well.” The man uttered, holding out his arm and turning it to the side, as a blaster materialized in his hand, possessing a silver fin over the top and a blade at its front. Wait, that weapon-” Was all Carlos could utter, before the man opened fire at them. Cassie shoved Waspicable to the ground and Carlos rolled out of the way, barely dodging the blaster fire. Just as Carlos, Cassie and Waspicable began rising back to their feet, the man was already raising his weapon toward Cassie and Waspicable.

The man opened fire on the pair, but Waspicable pushed Cassie away, taking the brunt of the blasts to his gut. Waspicable was knocked from his feet and sent smashing through the rockface behind him. “No, Wasp!” Cassie cried out. Carlos went for his morpher, but the man was already aiming at him. “I don’t think so, Ranger.” He uttered with derision. But just as he was preparing to open fire, a hand reached out and grabbed his arm, twisting it so that his blaster was aimed upward.

The man turned to his side and saw another man smile confidently back at him. He had short, black hair and light stubble on his face, with deep, brown eyes. The new arrival reared up his leg and kicked the man, causing him to stumble and drop his weapon. Their eyes met and a spark of intense hostility could be felt in the air. “Thought you guys could use some help.” The stranger said.

“Thanks, I owe ya one. Who are you, anyway?” Carlos asked. “Zack, Zack Taylor. Let’s just say I used to do what you do.” Zack responded. “A pleasure, my name’s Carlos.” Carlos introduced himself. Zack looked over and saw the worry on Cassie’s face. “Find your friend. We’ll handle this guy.” The man scowled at Zack’s words, before smiling with a sadistic grin. “You will try.”

***
Andros and Ashley searched one portion of the city, while Ben, Zhane and TJ searched another area, in order to cover more ground. “Do you have any way to narrow it down?” TJ asked in frustration. “It shouldn’t be too hard. The device reacts strongly to morphing grid energy. Even more volatilely before it’s registered a user.” Came Ben’s response. “Still feels like a needle in a haystack.” TJ uttered in frustration. Before any of them could lament on their lack of success, they were confronted by a man with jet black skin, accompanied by several mechanical humanoids.

“Allow me to cut your search short, Rangers.” Ecliptor declared. “Ecliptor…” Zhane said in a mix of concern and surprise. Civilians began to flee around them, but the Rangers stood their ground. “Time for Time Force!” Ben uttered and, at the same moment as he hit a button on his chrono morpher, Zhane and TJ did the same on their Astro Morphers. Within seconds, the trio morphed into the Silver Time Force, Silver Space and Blue Space Rangers respectively.

Andros and Ashley were startled from their search by the sound of commotion from several streets away. “What’s that?” Ashley asked. “Sounds like trouble. Let’s go!” Andros declared and he and Ashley morphed into the Red and Yellow Rangers. But before they could take a single step, they were surrounded by several dozen Quantrons. “Big trouble…” Ashley added, as they took up a fighting stance.

In the blink of an eye, the streets erupted into a field of battle. Andros and Ashley fought back to back, against the waves of robotic Quantrons. While Zhane, TJ and Ben stared down Ecliptor and his battalion. “Ecliptor drew his sword and pointed it toward the Power Rangers. “Destroy them!” He uttered, as the Quantrons rushed them.

***
Astronema watched the scene unfold from orbit with her ship’s sensors, taking particular note of Andros and Ashley. Pressing a button on the side of her throne, she opened a private comm channel. “Report to the bridge, I have need of you.” She ordered. In a flash of electricity, six figures stood to Astronema’s side. Their costumes were reminiscent of the Rangers’, but with a more sinister edge to them.

“The Red and Yellow Rangers are in the city, but alone, and cut off from the others. I want you to keep it that way. And, if possible, capture Andros, the Red Ranger. And bring him to me.” Astronema instructed the figures. “Silver is already taking care of the escapee. You have been given your targets, my Psycho Rangers. Now go.” She added. “Yes, Mistress.” A red armored Psycho Ranger uttered with a bow, before he and his team vanished from the ship in another burst of energy. Astronema stared intently at her ship’s viewscreen, watching Andros and Ashley fighting against her mechanized soldiers. “Oh, brother… it’s time we had a little talk…” She said to no one.

***
Cassie and Carlos began to shift aside sections of rock and debris that had fallen upon Waspicable’s impact. It took several minutes, but they finally uncovered one of his limbs, and then another. “Wasp!” Cassie said, as she and Carlos hastened their digging, until they were able to help Waspicable to a sitting position and, finally, to his feet. “Are you okay, buddy?” Carlos asked. “I- I am. Thank you both.” Came Wasp’s response, before he curiously eyed a small, orange jewel that had become embedded into the hard shell of his lower arm.

Zack and his opponent exchanged a series of punches, as they fought; neither one wanting to yield to the other. Zack sent a spinning kick to the man’s face, knocking him to the ground. The man landed right beside his weapon, grabbing it by the handle. As he looked up, he again saw Waspicable standing with the two Rangers and opened fire on the insectoid from the ground. Waspicable shifted into the form of a small bee and flew off, dodging the blaster fire.

The man got to his feet with a scowl on his face, as he held his wrist to his mouth. “Mistress. The prisoner has fled toward the city. I’m engaged with several Rangers.” He said and, with a wave of his blaster, transformed into a silver and black suit similar in many ways to the Rangers’ own uniforms. “What?! Astronema has a new Psycho Ranger?!” Cassie asked in shock. “Yes, I am my Mistress’ latest and greatest creation! Call me Psycho Silver!” Psycho Silver declared proudly. Psycho Silver approached the Rangers, but Zach interrupted, throwing another punch; but his punch was easily caught by the Psycho Ranger, who sent him flying with a simple backhand.

With the moment of distraction Zack had afforded them, Cassie and Carlos morphed into the Pink and Black Space Rangers. Cassie and Carlos conjured their weapons, the Satellite Stunner and Lunar Lance, before rushing toward Psycho Silver. Carlos swung his lance, which was blocked when Psycho Silver raised the blade of his Psycho Silverizer. Cassie aimed her Stunner at Silver and fired a burst of energy at the Psycho Ranger, causing him to stagger and stumble backwards. Silver raised his dual blade-blaster weapon and fired at the Rangers again, knocking both Carlos and Cassie to the ground.

***
Andros and Ashley had finished dispatching of the Quantrons and were getting ready to rejoin their friends, when six figures appeared before them. Andros and Ashley froze, as they eyed their new challengers. “Psycho Rangers…” Andros said with a disgusted voice. “The one and only! And you may have defeated our predecessors; but we know everything they did. We’ll not make their mistakes.” Psycho Red uttered confidently. As he spoke, Psycho Blue turned his gaze on Ashley, sending a shiver up her spine.

Andros looked over the Psycho Rangers and spotted among the Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink and Black Psycho Rangers, there was also a Green Ranger. “New buddy?” Andros asked snarkily. “Let’s just say I’ve got a lot to prove.” Shot Psycho Green cryptically. Before he could elaborate, the Psycho Rangers rushed the duo and began their assault. They did their best, Ashley and Andros using both their weapons, the Star Slinger and Spiral Saber, as well as their Astro Blasters; but they were in a losing position.

The pair of Rangers fought hard, but the strikes from the Psycho Rangers came from every direction. Ashley ended up in a one on one face-off against Psycho Blue. She thought he had her dead to rights when he suddenly halted his attack. “Hello Ashley. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment…” Psycho Blue uttered, hatred radiating in his voice. The tone of familiarity sent a shiver up Ashley’s spine.

“What, you don’t still have it out for TJ?” Ashley questioned, but Psycho Blue remained silent. He stared at her through the black lenses of his mask; to him, the rest of the world seemed to cease existing. Andros put his hand up and spoke into his communicator. “Guys, we have Psychos here! Need some backup…” The Psycho Rangers seemed in no rush to stop him calling in for reinforcements. In fact, they seemed eager.

***
Zhane and TJ easily dispatched of the Quantrons using their weapons, the Silverizer and Astro Axe; while Ben used his Chrono Saber to match Ecliptor blade for blade. Zhane and TJ were ready to assist Ben against Ecliptor when Andros’ call came over their comms. “Psychos?! We’re on our way.” TJ said. Both he and Zhane looked over at Ben, who nodded in understanding. “Go. I’ve got this guy.” He declared.

Ecliptor took a step back toward Ben, before he got his own communication from Astronema. “What is it, Empress?” He asked. “The prisoner is headed in your direction. Keep on the lookout.” The voice on the other end ordered. “Understood.” Came Ecliptor’s response, as he ended the communication and once more stood to face off against the Silver Time Force Ranger. TJ and Zhane gave one last nod, before teleporting from the battlefield.

***
Cassie and Carlos stood facing Psycho Silver, who brandished his Psycho Silverizer. “I’m sorry Rangers, I’d like nothing more than to kill you right here and now; but I have other matters to attend to.” Psycho Silver declared. Cassie and Carlos aimed their weapons at him and he did the same. Psycho Silver fired; but the shots flew past the rangers and impacted Zack in the gut, sending him sprawling to the ground in an instant. “No!” Carlos shouted and ran toward his motionless body, while Cassie fired back with her Satellite Stunner.

Carlos checked to see if Zack was still breathing, when something caught his eye; a strange device had appeared on Zack’s wrist. Zach struggled to raise his head, looking down at his wrist. “Is that-?” Carlos began. “The Tempus Morpher…” Zack said weakly. Zack reached over and pressed a button on the control panel.

Suddenly, Zack’s wound began to heal and his body was suffused in a brilliant light. When the light faded, Zack was clad in a Power Ranger uniform, looking not unlike Ben in his Time Force Silver suit. But Zack’s color was a more gray color and came with a small cloak around the shoulders, as well as a longsword on his back. “Another Ranger?!” Psycho Silver uttered angrily. “You know it. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger! You can call me the Chrono Ranger!” Zack declared.

With one last growl, Psycho Silver teleported away. “He’s headed for the city!” Cassie declared. “Then let’s go.” Zack said and, in a flash of light, the trio of Rangers teleported from the scene, headed into the city after the Psycho Ranger.

***
Andros and Ashley stared down the six Psycho Rangers, hoping that someone had heard their message. Their prayers were answered when TJ and Zhane appeared behind the band of Psychos. “Miss us?” TJ asked in a sarcastic tone. “Right on time.” Andros declared with relief. “Indeed. Hello TJ.” Psycho Blue said, turning his head to face the Blue Ranger.

“Still have it out for me, huh?” TJ asked Psycho Blue. “Oh, you have no idea. Take Silver and Red, they don’t interest me. Leave Ashley and TJ to me.” Psycho Blue demanded. “Who do you think you are?! I’m the one who gives the orders here!” Psycho Red declared angrily. “Sounds good to me!” Andros said as he and Zhane pulled their blasters, capitalizing on the distraction and opening fire on the Psycho Rangers. Psycho Red was knocked from his feet and the other Psycho Rangers stumbled from the blaster fire.

Taking advantage of the opening, Zhane and Andros ran in and engaged the Psycho Rangers. It was still five to two; but now at least they had a chance. TJ and Ashley moved in toward Psycho from either side and swung at him. He easily blocked their strikes and delivered a series of blows to their chest and face. He knocked TJ to the ground and flipped Ashley, before slamming her down next to him.

“He… he doesn’t fight like a Psycho Ranger…” TJ lamented. “Don’t I?” Psycho Blue said coldly. “Who are you…?” Ashley uttered in a hushed tone. In an instant, Psycho Blue’s mask vanished, slowly pulling back to reveal the face underneath. “Ashley, TJ. It’s so nice to see you again.” He said with a wicked smirk.

The two Rangers stared at him in disbelief. “It can’t be… Justin?” Ashley asked in disbelief. “Try again.” The Psycho Ranger ordered. “You’re the Android.” TJ said simply. “There ya go.” Psycho Blue said condescendingly. “Why…?” Ashley asked.

“Because I wasn’t just an android. I was the control in your little experiment. I was made to believe I was the real Justin. I had memories of my family and friends, I thought it was real! And with HIM already filling the role of Blue Turbo Ranger, I was left on Eltar. That is, until I grew homesick. And began asking to see my family. Or, rather, HIS family. There wasn’t enough room for the two of us, so Justin asked that I be decommissioned. They didn’t expect that I’d overhear their plan. So I faked my destruction during a routine outing. It wasn’t long before I found someone who was willing to give me what I needed to have my revenge!” Psycho Blue ranted, twisting his clawed hand into a fist before him.

“You were a Ranger!” TJ declared. “YOU betrayed ME! I was a fake and you tossed me out!!! Now I’ll make you pay for having given me life. His false memories showed me what I can never have. So now I’ll take from you what you tried to take from me. Purpose.” Psycho Blue responded, before conjuring his Psycho Axe and moving toward Ashley and TJ.

Ashley and TJ countered with their Star Slinger and Astro Axe. Ashley fired rapid bursts of energy at Psycho Blue, who dodged, before rushing toward TJ. TJ and Psycho Blue’s weapons collided for a moment, before the Psycho Ranger slammed his fist into TJ’s face, then backhanded him. TJ fell to the ground with a groan. Ashly continued firing at Psycho Blue, causing him to put up his hands in a crossguard, as he was hit by the blasts.

Andros and Zhane were barely holding their own against the onslaught of five other Psycho Rangers, slowly having their defenses worn down by the band of twisted Rangers. “What’s the matter Andros, not having fun?!” Psycho Red mocked the Red Space Ranger. “Not exactly what I’d call it.” Andros said through his panting. “Hey, what’s the plan here?” Zhane asked, looking over at Andros, only for Andros to look back at him silently. “That bad, huh?” Zhane said, defeat evident in his voice.

***
Ben and Ecliptor clashed strike for strike, each failing to yield to the other. A small bee flew through the city streets, immediately catching Ecliptor’s attention. Ecliptor’s eyes glowed red and he fired a pair of eye beams at the small insect. The bee dodged the blasts, before reverting to his large form as Waspicable. Both Ecliptor and Ben looked at the injured Wasp, momentarily distracted from their battle.

Moments after Waspicable touched down, Psycho Silver appeared, followed by Cassie and Carlos. “There’s nowhere to go prisoner. Just surrender yourself to Astronema. No need to drag this out.” Psycho Silver ordered. “Let me help you with that.” Ben suddenly declared, pulling his Chrono Blaster and firing at Waspicable. “Nooo!!!” Cassie shouted and dove at Wasp, knocking him out of the way. Psycho Silver saw the blaster fire incoming and moved in front of it, putting his arms up to block the blasts.

“Not sure why you’d jump into my line of fire but, hey, I’m not complaining.” Ben said cockily toward Silver, who had dropped to his knees, body visibly smoking. Carlos looked visibly stunned and confused as to the recent turn of events, looking from Psycho Silver, back to Ben. “Why would you do that?!” Cassie shouted angrily, as she got to a knee. “What? He’s just an abomination. It’s not like he’s human. He’s as bad as a mutant.” Ben said with a cold indifference in his voice. “You’re the monster here…” Cassie responded.

Carlos and Zack looked past Psycho Silver, seeing two small children cowering inside a partially destroyed building behind him. Ben saw this as well, but his attention was immediately caught by the sight of Zack Taylor, clad in the new Chrono Ranger suit. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! Who’s this that has my morpher?!” Ben asked. “I’m Zack Taylor, former Black Ranger. Now, the Chrono Ranger! You don’t deserve to call yourself a Power Ranger!” Zack declared. “Oh, and you do?” Ben retorted.

“I deserve that morpher. It was mine. I was meant to recover it. They never had the vision of the future that I do. Free of abominations like this!” Ben uttered, with pure venom dripping in his voice. After a moment that felt like an eternity between them, Carlos stepped forward. “You caused the malfunction, didn’t you?” He asked with a sudden realization. “I had to. And now I’m afraid Mr. Taylor here has to die. Then I can reprogram the morpher and bring true peace to my future.” Ben declared, holding both hands out for emphasis. “That’s not gonna happen!” Zack said confidently.

Before anyone could react, Ecliptor had moved from his position and Blasted Cassie away with his eye beams, before swinging his blade down at Waspicable. “Ugh… no…” Cassie groaned, as Carlos rushed to help her up. They glanced over to see that Waspicable had caught Ecliptor’s hand, holding the sword at bay, as they struggled in place. Waspicable was beginning to falter, when the jewel affixed to his arm began to glow a vibrant orange. Ecliptor backed up, as Waspicable was enveloped in a brilliant aura.

Before their eyes, the extraterrestrial insectoid transformed into an orange costumed Power Ranger. “Whoa…” Wasp said in astonishment. “What the Hell is that?” Ben said mostly to himself. “Not possible… one of the lost Constellation Morphers…” Ecliptor uttered in astonishment. "I’m… a Power Ranger?” Wasp asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and wonder.

Chapter Text

“Go, help the others!” Cassie called out to Waspicable, who nodded, before teleporting away in an orange flash.

Psycho Silver watched his target flee the city, but remained in place, struggling to his feet. He took a single step forward, before brandishing his Silverizer.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding. For the kids? They have no relevance on the timeline. You want your bug? Go, have at it.” Ben said snarkily.

“Not a chance. I’ve got a few minutes to kill a Power Ranger.” Psycho Silver retorted.

“Uh, is he on our side now?” Carlos asked.

“Don’t get any funny ideas, Ranger. The moment I finish off this poor excuse of a Ranger, you’re next!” Psycho Silver declared.

Ecliptor stepped forward, holding his sword at his side, as he touched his hand to his ear.

“Psychos, the target is headed your way. He has a morpher. He is to be taken alive, the morpher undamaged if possible.” Ecliptor ordered.

“We’ll take Ecliptor.” Cassie said and Zack nodded in agreement.

While Cassie and Zack approached Ecliptor, Ben approached Carlos and Psycho Silver.

“I guess that just leaves me and you. Last chance, Psycho, walk away.” Ben said, but Psycho Silver said nothing, standing his ground.

“Uh... you heard the man, we’re not going anywhere.” Carlos said snarkily.

“Your funeral.” Ben said coldly.

In an instant, Ben rushed toward the pair, firing his Chrono blaster at the duo.

***
“Understood.” Psycho Red uttered, as he received Ecliptor’s transmission. “We’re about to have company.” Psycho Red told his comrades.

As if on cue, the Orange Ranger appeared before them in a flash.

“Who’s this?” Andros asked in confusion.

“Don’t worry, I’m here to help!” Wasp told the Space Rangers.

“Waspicable?!” Ashley said in astonishment.

“You’re a Power Ranger?” TJ added his own shock to the mix.

Psycho Blue rushed forward, swinging his Psycho Axe. Wasp instinctively conjured a long, bladed spear, swinging it to block the axe.

“Constellation spear!” He declared.

The two Rangers began exchanging blows, clashing blade for blade. Andros had begun to fight against Psychos Red and Black, clashing his Spiral Saber against their Psycho Sword and Rod respectively. While Zhane struggled against Psychos Pink, Yellow and Green. Cassie ran in and kicked Psycho Black in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

“You’re fighting ME now.” Cassie declared.

“So be it, Ranger. It makes no difference.” Psycho Black uttered, as he got to his feet.

Zhane was doing his best against the three Psycho Rangers. But, while he fought in hand to hand against Psycho Green, matching his Silverizer against Green’s Psycho Dagger, Psychos Yellow and Pink fired at him from afar with their Psycho Sling and Bow. TJ leapt forward and slashed his Astro axe down across Psycho Pink’s chest, before getting in between Zhane and Psycho Yellow.

“Got your back, just focus on Greenie over there.” TJ told Zhane, who nodded in relief and gratitude.

***
Zach brought down his Tempus Saber, which was countered by a strike from Ecliptor’s Onyx blade. Ecliptor raised his foot and delivered a powerful kick to Zach’s chest, knocking the Ranger off his feet. Cassie fired her Satellite Stunner; but Ecliptor blocked the energy wave with a swing of his sword, before firing twin red eye blasts at Cassie. His blasts hit dead on, throwing her back and to the ground with a thud. Ecliptor flourished his weapon, before walking toward the downed Rangers.

Ben fired his Chrono Blaster at Psycho Silver, who put up his Psycho Silverizer and a guard formation. The blasts impacted the Silverizer, causing Psycho Silver to skid backwards in place. Carlos moved toward Ben and swung his Lunar Lance at the Time Force Ranger. Ben barely got his Chrono Saber up in time to block the lance. He moved his blaster over, taking aim at Carlos, who flipped out of the way and delivered a kick to Ben’s face.

While Ben and Carlos fought, Psycho Silver helped to evacuate the civilians still trapped in the area. Ben slowly got to his feet and shot a glare at Carlos from behind his helmet’s visor.

“You’re really taking help from a pair of monsters, Carlos?” Ben shot at him.

“You’re the monster here, Ben. These people haven’t done anything.” Carlos uttered.

“They don’t matter. Their mark on history is negligible. Once I get my morpher, I’ll make a better world.” Ben declared with an outstretched arm and palm aimed upward, for emphasis.

“You really have lost it...” Carlos said in utter shock.

“Well, that may be true. But, from my point of view, it’s the world that’s sick. And it’s our duty as Power Rangers to cleanse it. You can still join me.” Ben said.

Carlos spun his Lunar Lance and took a fighting stance.

“So be it. Don’t say I didn’t offer.” Ben told Carlos, as he holstered his blaster and held his Chrono Saber in front of himself.

At once, the Black Space Ranger and Silver Time Force Ranger ran toward one another.

***
Ashley, Andros, Zhane, TJ and the new Orange Ranger Waspicable fought valiantly against the Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Pink and Black Psycho Rangers; five against six. Andros versus Red, Zhane versus Yellow and Black, TJ, versus Green, Waspicable against Pink, and Ashley against Blue. Unlike the other Psycho Rangers, Psycho Blue’s strikes were more brutal and aggressive. Ashley fired at Psycho Blue with her Star Slinger, each blast blocked by a swing of Blue’s Psycho Axe. When Blue got close enough, he raked his axe across Ashley’s chest with a downward swing, sending her falling to her back, her weapon sliding out of her grasp.

“J-Justin... don’t do this...” Ashley pleaded, as she reached for her blaster.

“Don’t call me that!” Psycho Blue barked angrily, raising his axe high over his head, ready to bring it down on the Yellow Ranger.

At the last moment, Ashley’s fingers wrapped around the handle of her weapon and she raised it up to fire at Blue’s chest. Psycho Blue let out a pained roar and flew backwards off his feet. Ashley rolled to her side with a groan of pain, before staggering to her feet.

***
Zach and Ecliptor exchanged blow for blow with their blades, neither one willing to submit.

“Go, help the others!” Zach told Cassie, who nodded before moving toward Ben and her friends, who were amidst their own struggle.

Ecliptpor and Zach stared each other down with a calm fury between them.

“You have fought with honor, Ranger. But my mistress has asked me to retrieve your morpher. And that’s what I’m going to do.” Ecliptor uttered.

“So be it. You want it so bad, let’s get this over with!” Zach declared.

“Astro Blaster!” Carlos called out and fired a series of volleys at Ben, who returned fire at the Black Ranger.

Carlos ran and slid over the hood of a nearby car, ducking behind the vehicle to avoid the blaster fire. Before Ben could unleash another volley, he was struck by blasts from Cassie’s Satellite Stunner and Astro Blaster, each held in one hand by the Pink Ranger, who dual wielded her weapons. Ben drew his Chrono Saber and rushed toward Cassie, slashing down at her. Cassie ducked to the side and raised her Astro Blaster to fire; but Ben knocked her arm away, causing her shots to miss.

Ben reared back and kicked Cassie in the gut, causing her to stumble backwards. Before Ben could move toward her, he saw that she combined her two blasters, to form the Satellite Stunner Booster Mode, taking aim at Ben. Ben tried to stand upright, but winced in pain, realizing that the fight had taken a lot more out of him than he’d first thought. Ben looked over to see Psycho Silver, once more approaching him now that he was satisfied that the area was clear of civilians. He also saw Carlos emerging from his cover, ready to engage in battle once more.

The moment Psycho Silver neared Carlos’ location, Ben charged his Chrono Blaster to full power and fired at the pair. The blast struck the car near them, causing all the fuel inside to instantly ignite, resulting in a massive explosion. The force of the eruption shattered the wall of the nearby building, causing rubble to rain down on the wreckage.

“NOOOOO!” Cassie shouted out, too shaken to fire at Ben, who smirked at his fellow Ranger wickedly behind his mask.

“See ya around, Space Rangers.” Ben said, before vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

***
In the depths of space, Astronema maintained communication with her loyal soldier, Ecliptor, as he waged battle with the Power Rangers. But she was snapped from her focus on the battle of Earth when the Nezi Cruiser’s proximity alarm blared.

“Noo...” Astronema uttered in fear, as she looked out of her ship’s viewport to a sight that made her blood run cold.

Approaching her location was the flagship of Lord Zedd. Even with all of her power and the loyalty of a grand army, she dared not risk an all out battle with a being as fearsome as Zedd.

Zack and Cassie looked on with sadness at the burning wreckage where their comrade once stood. Ecliptor, not fazed in the slightest by the display of brutality, was about to resume his assault; when his comm device blared.

“Ecliptor, return to the cruiser. We have a problem.” Was all Astronema said to Ecliptor.

“Another day, Ranger.” Ecliptor said, before teleporting away.

The moment he vanished, Cassie ran over to the wreckage and began to dig; joined shortly by Zack.

***
Amidst their battle, the Psycho Rangers halted their assault. Psycho Red held his hand to his ear, as a communication came through.

“Return to the cruiser. We have company.” Astronema’s voice ordered.

“Right away Mistress.” Psycho Red uttered obediently.

“Not a chance. Thanks for everything, but I have a few... errands to run.” Psycho Blue said in defiance.

“You dare disobey Mistress?!” Psycho Red barked.

“I dare. You go, play lapdog. I’ll see you around. It’s been fun.” In the blink of an eye, Psycho Blue vanished as well.

Psycho Red let out an angry growl, before following suit; he and the other Psychos, sans Blue, returning to the Nezi Cruiser. The moment they were gone, the Rangers looked at each other in bewilderment.

“Guys, come quickly, Carlos got hit! We... we can’t find him!” Cassie said over her comm device, voice in utter panic.

***
Visions flooded through Carlos’ haze addled mind. Blaster fire impacting the car beside him, the metal twisting and buckling under the plasma fire, the resulting explosion burning his skin. Then, a force knocking him to the ground; but it wasn’t the explosion that had thrown him from his feet. No, someone had tackled him, pushed him down just as the inferno roared to life around them both. As the memories faded and the world swam back into focus, Carlos looked around, struggling to take stock of his surroundings.

Carlos blinked away the tears of his restless and tumultuous slumber, as his eyes roamed around the room in which he currently found himself. The room looked to be a cabin of sorts; very rustic, with much of the interior and furnishings made of wood and looking to be hand crafted. Carlos lay on a couch, light brown in color, covered up by a somewhat darker colored, brown blanket. Carlos threw the blanket off of himself and shifted into a sitting position. He tried to stand up, but immediately winced in pain and fell back to the couch.

Carlos looked down to his left leg, from where the pain had emanated. And he saw that the leg was bandaged tightly, with a makeshift splint, consisting of several pieces of wood, keeping his leg straight.

“Hey, relax, you fractured your leg.” A voice rang out and Carlos turned his head to see Psycho Silver or, more accurately, his human guise.

“You?!” Carlos declared in panic and tried to get up again, only to wince in pain.

“Relax, you’re not going anywhere. And if I wanted you dead, we wouldn’t be talking now.” Psycho Silver informed him.

“So... why did you save me?” Carlos finally asked.

“You got me. Why don’t we start with why YOUR friend there turned on YOU.” Psycho Silver shot back.

“That’s... a good question actually.” Carlos finally uttered. A long moment of silence passed between them, before Psycho Silver placed a tray on a table in front of Carlos, containing a sandwich and a glass of water.

“Eat. I want you out of my house as soon as possible.” Psycho Silver demanded.

Carlos picked up the sandwich and eyed Psycho Silver suspiciously, before taking a bite.

“You saved those people. Why?” Carlos asked.

“They were civilians. I’m a soldier. I’d rather not have needless casualties on my hands. Even if that means disobeying my Empress.” Psycho Silver responded.

“So, uh... you got a name? Or do you want me to just keep calling you Psycho Silver?” Carlos asked.

“...Jason. Call me Jason Hanniger. It’s the name I’ve been using while on Earth.” Jason informed Carlos.

“You know you just gave me your secret identity right?” Carlos said snarkily.

“You know I could still kill you, right?” Jason shot back with a smirk, causing Carlos to go quiet.

After a brief moment of silence, Jason chuckled, which made Carlos relax somewhat. But it was a drop in the bucket compared to the apprehension Carlos felt in his current situation. Not just his own position, but the concern he had for his friends; he hoped they were okay.

Chapter Text

"What do we do now? We can't find Carlos, the Psycho Rangers are still out there, including TWO new guys, plus one of them went rogue." TJ uttered.

"AND he's one of ours." Ashley added.

"I'm sorry, I wish there was something I could do." Waspicable uttered in a defeated tone.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. You did good out there. Not bad for a new Ranger." Zack said, patting him on the back in an attempt at reassurance.

"Thanks... I hope your friend is okay." Wasp told them.

Andros and Zhane walked into the Astro Megaship's main rec area and looked over at the other Rangers, who had looks of worry and defeat on their faces.

"Any luck?" Cassie asked.

"None. How is everyone?" Andros asked.

"Been better, but we've definitely been worse. The only thing seriously hurt is our spirits, I think." TJ answered honestly.

"It's weird, neither of those new Psychos seemed keen on following orders." Zhane said.

"From what you told us, it seems like this fake Justin was angry. But the Silver guy, we saw him save people. I don't think he's as bad as the people he's taking orders from. But if he was caught in the same blast as Carlos..." Zach said, not wanting to finish his sentence.

"...I have an idea. I need you guys to trust me." Andros finally said.

"You know we do. What do you need from us?" Came Ashley's response.

***
A shuttle left Earth's atmosphere, Andros at the helm. The Red Ranger piloted the ship, until another vessel appeared on his sensors. He knew that it was now too late to change his mind. If his shuttle could pick up Astronema's Nezi Cruiser, their sensors could locate him as well. What made Andros' blood run cold was what he saw hovering right beside Astronema's ship; it was Serpentera, the flagship of Lord Zedd.

At over sixteen hundred feet, the serpentine zord was more than four times the length of Astronema's ship. Before he could react, a tractor beam from the Nezi Cruiser locked onto Andros' shuttle and he began pulling him toward it. The shuttle's engines were insufficient to prevent this and, in a matter of minutes, Andros found himself being pulled into the Cruiser's shuttle bay.

***
The device on Jason's wrist began to beep and both he and Carlos looked at it with apprehension. Jason looked at Carlos with a critical gaze, before hitting a button on the device and raising it to his mouth.

"Psycho Silver, reporting." He said.

"Silver, return to the Nezi Cruiser now. We've captured a Power Ranger. And Lord Zedd has arrived." A voice that Carlos instantly recognized as Astronema answered back.

"Understood." Psycho Silver answered, before cutting the transmission.

"They captured Andros... I have to go..." Carlos said.

"And do what? Even if it was just Astronema, you'd stand no chance." Psycho Silver told him.

"Then help me." Carlos suggested, as he slowly got to his feet.

"Help you oppose my mistress? You must have brain damage." Jason scoffed.

"He's her brother. Help me do what I know she'd want. Help me keep her brother from being killed by Lord Zedd..." Carlos pleaded.

"...fine... I can't believe I'm doing this... you will do EVERYTHING I say. Understood?" Jason asked sternly.

"Gotcha." Carlos said with a smile.

***
Psycho Blue clenched his fist and slammed it against Andros' mask in a vicious punch. The impact shattered the Red Ranger's visor and caused him to swing helplessly from the ceiling by his shackles.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this. There's nothing that gives me quite the same rush as hurting a Power Ranger!" Psycho Blue hissed, before grabbing and ripping off Andros' helmet.

In a shimmer of blue energy, Psycho Blue's mask also vanished and he stared into Andros' eyes, studying his bloodied face.

"Tell me, Red Ranger, how does it feel knowing everyone you've ever loved will soon be dead?" Psycho Blue asked.

Before Andros could speak a word, the door to the prison cell opened and Astronema stepped in, followed closely by Ecliptor.

"Out. I wish to question the prisoner." Astronema ordered.

Psycho Blue hesitated for a moment, before bowing to Astronema.

"Yes, your majesty." He uttered with a hint of contempt in his voice, before turning and exiting the cell.

As Psycho Blue walked down the hallway, he passed Psycho Green, leaning up against a wall.The two stared wordlessly at each other, before Blue continued on.

Astronema and Ecliptor both entered Andros' holding cell, as the door closed behind them. Astronema approached the shackled Ranger and looked at his cuts and bruises.

"You were a fool to come here." She said coldly.

Andros stared at her, before speaking. "Karone, please, let me go. It's not too late."

"It is. For you." Astronema told him, her cold visage evaporating for just a moment.

"Please, I need to get out of here..." Andros continued to plead.

Before either he or Astronema could utter another word, Andros' eyes grew wide as he stared past Astronema. The door slid open automatically, to reveal the terrifying visage of Lord Zedd.

"I'm afraid there will be no escape for you, Red Ranger!" Lord Zedd declared, as he stepped calmly into the room.

Astronema hesitated, before stepping to the side to allow Zedd to pass. Lord Zedd approached Andros and raised his face with a firm grip on the Ranger's chin. Andros met his gaze unflinching, in spite of his vulnerable position.

"Now tell me, Ranger, where are your friends?" Zedd asked coldly, staring at Andros through his crimson visor.

"What makes you think I'd tell you if I knew?" Andros spat back.

"I was hoping you'd say that! When we're done, you'll give me not only their location, but the access codes to your morphers and your ship!" Zedd declared, taking a step back to hold his arms out for emphasis.

"I'll never tell you anything!" Andros remained defiant.

"Keep defying me, Red Ranger! Soon, you'll be grovelling at my feet!" Zed said, before raising his staff.

Suddenly, red lightning arced from the cold metal of the 'Z' on the end of his staff and arced through Andros' body.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!" Andros cried out as the lightning coursed through every fiber of his being.

His eyes and mouth lit up, his skin felt like it was on fire. In an instant, his morpher failed entirely and his Ranger suit vanished from his body. And yet Zedd continued his assault.

"Stop!" Astronema suddenly called out, prompting Zedd to cease his assault, turning to glare at her. "You won't get anything from him if he's dead." She quickly added.

"Having sympathy for your dear brother, are we?" Zedd asked.

"Compassion is for the weak." Astronema uttered.

She wasn't sure if Zedd believed her words. She wasn't even sure she believed herself.

"Then leave us. Andros and I have much to discuss!" Zedd commanded in a deep growl.

Astronema took one last look at her helpless brother, before turning and walking out of the room. Following close behind was Ecliptor, who looked at not Andros, by LorrdZedd himself, before finally departing. After the pair left, the door closed behind them.

"Ah, now we are finally alone... shall we continue...?" Zedd asked Andros, even when Andros knew Zedd had no intention of showing him mercy; only pain.

***
Psycho Silver, now fully morphed, waited as the shuttle landed in the docking bay and its doors opened. Marching from the vessel were numerous robotic Quantrons. He waited until they had all departed; all except for one, that was. Standing beside him was a lone Quantron. The Quantron took a step forward, before stumbling and nearly falling to the ground; caught only by Psycho Silver.

"If you want to help your friend, you'll need to walk straight." Silver snapped.

"I'm trying. How do these things even walk? This suit feels so clunky..." Carlos asked.

"It's not a suit. I cleared out most of the mechanical parts as best I could. It'll have to do." Came Silver's words.

Carlos gave the best nod that he could. Psycho Silver walked down the ramp of the shuttle, followed closely by Carlos. Carlos stumbled once more coming off the ramp, but they were both relieved when nobody paid them any mind. The majority of figures in the loading dock were other Quantrons after all, and they weren't programmed to be terribly observant. Psycho Silver and Carlos walked out of the loading bay and down a narrow corridor. They walked past a number of other Quantrons and workers, none of which paid the pair more than a cursory glance.

Suddenly, a violent quake rocked the corridor, causing both Psycho Silver and Carlos to stumble, before catching themselves.

***
Andros shook back and forth in his shackles as the quake rocked the hull of the ship. Zedd hardly moved a muscle.

"If this is a foolish attempt at a rescue by your friends, it will fail!" Lord Zedd snarled angrily.

At that, Zedd turned and walked out of the cell. He marched with purpose down the hallway, toward the ship's bridge. Psycho Silver and Carlos watched until he was out of sight before turning the corner and walking into Andros' cell.

"What's going on? What are you doing?" Andros asked, glaring weakly at Psycho Silver.

He flinched as Silver reached up toward one of Andros' arms.

"Hey, it's okay. He's here to help." Carlos said.

"C-Carlos?" Andros asked, recognizing his friend's voice coming from the voice modulator at the front of the Quantron mask.

"Uh, oh yeah." Carlos said and removed his helmet, before dropping it to the ground.

Psycho Silver snapped the chain around Andros' wrist effortlessly, before moving to and breaking the shackle around his other wrist. Now with nothing holding him up, Andros collapsed, his knees buckling. Psycho Silver caught him, placing Andros' hand over his shoulder to support his weight.

"Let's go!" Psycho Silver said and Carlos nodded, before the three of them walked out of the cell.

***
Astronema and Lord Zedd walked onto the bridge of the Nezi Cruiser, followed closely by Ecliptor.

"What's happening?!" Astronema shouted.

"Mistress, there's been an explosion in one of our weapons depots. The fire has been suppressed and the engineering team is working to locate the cause." One of the minions at a console informed her.

"If this is some ploy by you, I will make you suffer!" Lord Zedd snapped at Astronema, his staff arcing with red electricity.

"Why would I destroy a portion of my own ship?" Astronema asked.

Before another word could be said between the two, one of the minions on the bridge gestured toward a viewscreen. "Um..."

The screen showed a section of the ship. Through the displayed corridor, Psycho Silver and Carlos moved, holding a still injured Andros between them.

"One of yours, is it not? Another of your precious Psycho Rangers? A ploy to save your brother." Zedd spoke, his voice becoming eerily calm.

Zedd took a step forward and Ecliptor took a step in between him and Astronema. Before any of them could make another move, Psycho Green appeared on the bridge in a flash of emerald energy.

"More treachery!" Zedd growled.

"What are you doing here?! I ordered you to remain on standby with the other Psycho Rangers!" Astronema declared.

"Sorry, Mistress. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity." Psycho Green said.

"You caused the explosion!" Astronema said angrily.

"Of course. I needed to separate Lord Zedd here from his trusted general. It's time I get my revenge." Psycho Green told him with a chuckle.

Zedd turned to face the Psycho Ranger, all but forgetting Astronema for the moment.

"You left me for dead! I'm here to repay the favor." Psycho Green added.

"You..." Zedd said in sudden recognition.

"Yes, me. I was Zordon's first Green Ranger! You and Rita took my power coin and left me adrift in the vacuum of space. But the small amount of Morphin Grid energy still inside me sustained me. That and my desire for vengeance! Now, I have my chance!" Psycho Green declared, summoning his Psycho Dagger into his hand.

Lord Zedd aimed his staff and fired a bolt of electricity at Psycho Green. But Green dodged the blast, which struck a control panel, causing it to explode and killing a nearby minion. Psycho Green leapt forward and delivered a kick to Zedd's gut, knocking him back against the far wall.

In the chaos, Ecliptor and Astronema had vanished from sight.

Chapter Text

Jason and Carlos set Andros down in a seat of the shuttle and strapped him in. As they stood to move toward the front of the shuttle, the sight of movement caused them to quickly turn around. Standing before them was a small group of gray skinned humanoid entities with skin made of what appeared to be stone; they were the Putties, some of Lord Zedd's footsoldiers.

"What the-?!" Carlos let out in shock.

Jason formed his Psycho Silverizer and aimed it at the Putties. But he froze when another figure stepped between the Putties. He had blue skin, golden armor and a pair of wings coming from his back.

"Goldar..." Jason said in recognition.

"Ah, I see my reputation has preceded me!" Goldar let out in a deep growl. "It's time for you to face the wrath of Lord Zedd!"

Goldar held up a golden sword and took a step onto the shuttle. But, before he could take another step, a volley of blaster fire shattered the Putties into small stone fragments one by one. Goldar turned around in shock just in time to see Ecliptor, who grabbed him and pulled him from his feet, tossing him across the shuttle bay. Goldar quickly got back to his feet, brandishing his sword. But he was met by Ecliptor, who held his own sword up, standing between Goldar and the shuttle.

The person who had blasted the Putties, Astronema, looked from a still weakened Andros, up to Jason and Carlos.

"Go. Quickly." She told them.

"Thank you..." Andros said weakly.

Astronema looked as if she was about to speak again. But, instead, she just turned and walked away. Without wanting to waste another moment, Jason and Carlos took two seats at the front of the shuttle. Jason hit a series of buttons on the control console and the doors to the docking bay began to slide open. The shuttle lifted into the air and moved forward at great speed.

In a flash, the shuttle passed safely through the docking bay's forcefield and into the vacuum of space. Back in the docking bay, sword clashed against sword. Ecliptor and Goldar exchanged slash after slash, blow after blow.

"You and Astronema have betrayed Lord Zedd! You will pay for your defiance!" Goldar growled.

"Lord Zedd's reign is at an end. From this point on, Astronema will be Empress of this galaxy!" Ecliptor shot back, before the pair ran toward each other once again.

***
Lord Zedd swung his Z-Staff toward Psycho Green, who rolled out of the way. Green got back to his feet and conjured his Psycho Dagger into his hand. With a swift strike of his dagger, Psycho Green attacked Zedd, aiming for his torso. Zedd blocked the dagger's edge with his staff. But Psycho Green didn't let up, as their fight moved from the cargo bay down a corridor of the Nexi Cruiser.

Psycho Green levied slash after slash toward Lord Zedd. Zedd blocked the blows with skilled flourishes of his staff. Psycho Green's dagger and Lord Zedd's staff became engulfed in green and red electricity respectively. Zedd thrust out his staff and shot out a blast of red lightning toward the Psycho Ranger. Psycho Green ducked out of the way, hitting a nearby wall, as the blast left a large hole in the opposite wall. In retaliation, Psycho Green thrust out his dagger and shot a blast of green energy toward Zedd.

Zedd put up his staff, blocking the blast, as the green sparks cut into and charred the surrounding metallic walls of the ship. As Zedd and Psycho Green's battle waged on, they came close to the end of the corridor they were in. The pair soon found themselves in an intersection of pathways. As they fought, waves of figures poured into the chamber. They were groups of Putties and Quantrons.

The Putties and Quantrons began attacking those they viewed as their enemy, Psycho Green and Lord Zedd respectively. But they proved little more than a minor annoyance as Zedd and Green's battle quickly reduced the footsoldiers to gravel and scrap metal, not letting up their assault on one another for a moment. They were singularly minded.

"Do you honestly think you can defeat me?! You were pathetic then and you're even more so now, Green Ranger!" Lord Zedd mocked.

"I will make you pay!" Psycho Green uttered in fury, his body flowing with green electricity.

Without hesitation, Psycho Green ran at Lord Zedd and grabbed his Z-Staff. Zedd sent red lightning arcing through Green's body. But Psycho Green was unfazed. With a great shove, Green slammed Zedd into one of the ship's walls, causing the metal to buckle and bend. Then another slam and another, until the bent metal ripped open and the pair were blown into the vacuum of space. The Nezi Cruiser activated emergency shields to seal the rift in the hull, but it was too late; both warriors were already drifting through the empty abyss.

***
Goldar walked through the interior of the massive Zord ship Serpentera. Behind him walked Ecliptor, hands in shackles and arms being held by a pair of Putties, one on either side. They stopped along a hallway and a door slid open. With a harsh shove, Goldar pushed Ecliptor into the small and dingy cell.

"Did you really think you could defeat me?! Now you will await questioning by Lord Zedd!" Goldar taunted as the door to the cell slid closed.

Goldar continued from corridor to corridor until he arrived at the cockpit, manned by a pair of humanoid aliens.

"Scan the planet's surface for Lord Zedd's life signature! And prepare to transport me to his location!" Goldar ordered.

"Yes, sir." One of the aliens answered with a nod, as they began to press buttons on the console in front of them.

***
The door of the shuttle opened and a ramp lowered to the rocky Earth terrain beneath them. From the ship walked Jason, Carlos and Andros. They were greeted by Zhane, Cassie, TJ, Ashley, Zack Taylor and Waspicable.

"Andros..." Zhane said with concern in his voice as he viewed Andros' wounds; a concern expressed on the faces of the other Rangers as well.

"I'll be okay. We need to-" Andros' words were cut short when they heard a sonic boom and looked up into the sky to see an object hurtling quickly to the earth, looking to be coated in a mix of red and green energy.

"Son of a bitch!" Jason uttered.

"What is that?" Cassie asked.

As if to answer her question, the object neared closer and closer, until it was clear that it wasn't one but two figures; Zedd and Psycho Green. Before they hit the ground, Zedd shot out a blast of red lightning, slowing their impact. The pair hit the earth with a ground shaking crash. When the dust and debris cleared, both Lord Zedd and Psycho Green were lying in a large crater before them. Zedd and Green both slowly got back to their feet, staring each other down, before they turned to see the other Rangers around them.

"It's time to die, Power Rangers! And I'll start with the failed experiment!" Zedd declared, gesturing at Psycho Green.

In a flash, Goldar appeared at Zedd's side and, behind them, a small army of Putty foot soldiers. Zedd raised his staff and shot a burst of energy into Goldar. Suddenly, Goldar transformed. His armor was transformed into a more regal and spiked state and several extra protrusions grew from Goldar's body.

"Now I am Goldar Maximus!" Goldar declared.

"Sure, pal. Let's go!" TJ said and, all at once, the Rangers morphed into the six Space Rangers, with the addition of the Orange constellation and Chrono Rangers.

Both the Red and Silver Space Rangers were met in the battlefield by the newly enhanced Goldar. They summoned their Spiral Saber and Super Silverizer to take him on in a battle of blades. Goldar swung his arm out, knocking Zhane from his feet, before slashing at Andros with his blade. Andros was struck on the chest and fell to the ground on his back. A still injured Andros didn't recover as quickly as Zhane, who staggered to his feet.

"Andros! Stay back! I've got this!" Zhane called out.

"That's not your call, Ranger! Your friend Andros will die to my sword!" Goldar declared.

In response, Zhane switched his Silverizer to blaster mode and fired on Goldar, forcing the villain to back away and put his hands up against the blaster fire.

Lord Zedd walked calmly through the ongoing battle, until he stood over Andros. He raised his staff triumphantly.

"Goodbye... Red Ranger!" Zedd declared and brought his staff down, going for the kill.

But his staff was blocked by the staff of another. It was Astronema, gripping her Wrath Staff,

"You dare defy me?! You will pay for this, Astronema! Your pathetic fleet will face the full wrath of my armada!" Zedd threatened.

"Bring it!" Astronema shot back, turning her staff toward Zedd before launching an energy blast that knocked Zedd from his feet.

"If you're helping us, where's your friend Ecliptor? We could use all the help we can get." Zhane asked.

"He's where he needs to be for the moment." Was all Astronema would say.

Around them, on the battlefield, the other Rangers engaged with the unending onslaught of Putties. That was, save for two of them. Carlos and Psycho Silver faced off against Psycho Green. Despite their combined efforts, Psycho Green had the upper hand. With his Psycho Dagger, he blocked Carlos, the Black Ranger's, Lunar Lance.

Psycho Green then delivered a heavy blow to Carlos' gut and sent him to his knees. Psycho Silver switched his Psycho Silverizer into blaster mode and fired on Psycho Green. The blaster fire impacted his helmet, shattering it. When the smoke from the blast cleared, the face underneath was one many on the battlefield recognized.

"Tommy? Tommy Oliver?" Carlos uttered in shock.

But the figure didn't speak. He just glared at them, anger and hatred burning in his eyes.

Chapter Text

"How is this possible? Tommy?" Ashley asked in shock.

"Such simple minds. I'm not Tommy Oliver. I was a copy, a clone created by Rita Repulsa; I was once called Tom. Once I was free of her control, I was left two hundred years in the past, where I was content to live out my days. That is until Ninjor and Zordon's creation of the power coins. The Dragon Power Coin connected with the Morphin Grid energy still within me and, due to the recent time vortex, reopened the rift and pulled me even further back in time. There, I became Zordon's first Green Ranger, alongside his first generation of other Power Rangers. But we were outclassed and the team fell to Lord Zedd and Rita's forces. Rita pried the coin from my body and Zedd sent me adrift in deep space. Where I remained for over ten thousand years! Sustained only by my tenuous connection to the Grid. Until Astronema found me and offered me a second chance at life, and at revenge!" Tom declared, as his Psycho mask reformed from green energy.

"We have the same goals. We can stop Lord Zedd together." TJ offered.

"Stop him?! I'm going to kill him! Then every Ranger in this galaxy!" Psycho Green declared, before drawing his Psycho Dagger and aiming it at TJ.

Psycho Silver stepped in the way, holding his Psycho Silverizer at the ready.

"You dare to get in my way?! You're a failed experiment! An overly sentimental fool!" Psycho Green shouted, before charging at Psycho Silver, blades clashing between them.

***
Lord Zedd rose to his feet and stared at Astronema, calm and unmoving.

"So, you think you can challenge ME for the galaxy? You think you're fit to lead? You've been compromised by foolish attachments to your blood. Spill it. Kill Andros and you may yet be worthy of defeating me." Zedd exclaimed.

"I-I don't take orders. Not anymore." Astronema stood her ground.

"Then you will join his fate!" Zedd shouted and held up his Z-Staff, shooting a blast of red lightning at her.

"Karone!" In a flash, Zhane jumped forward and knocked Astronema out of the way of the blast, the pair tumbling to the ground.

As they got to their feet, Astronema looked as if she were about to speak, to assert her control over the situation or insist he not use that name. But when Zedd stepped forward, any words died on her lips. Zhane and Astronema took a ready stance as Lord Zedd moved toward them.

***
As the battle raged on, Zack looked to his side as a rift opened amidst the turmoil. From the rift emerged Ben, the Silver Time Force Ranger.

"Chrono Saber!" Ben declared, as a blade formed in his hand and he approached Zack.

"Tempus Saber!" Zack countered, unsheathing and bringing down his own sword, the two blades clashing.

The blades struck over and over as Ben showed no hesitation or mercy. Zack remained mostly on the defensive, countering or parrying Ben's strikes just barely.

"I'm going to have that morpher one way or another. History can mourn the loss of Zack Taylor. I'll make a better future." Ben declared.

Ben drew his Chrono blaster and, in response, Zack called on his own blaster. At once, both Rangers began firing on each other. They ducked from side to side, dodging each other's blasts until they neared each other's positions. Ben aimed his gun, firing at Zack's face. Zack knocked his hand out of the way, causing the shot to miss.

Zack raised his sword and brought it down at Ben; but Ben blocked the blade with his own sword. Zack raised his foot, kicking Ben and causing him to tumble to the ground. Ben ended up on his knees.

"Give it up." Zack told him; but Ben was already rising back to his feet.

"Not a chance." Ben shot back.

***
Goldar rushed ahead with a combination of skill and fury. Standing against him was Cassie and Waspicable; Pink and Orange. Waspicable formed his 'Celestial Spear' and used it to block Goldar's sword and return with slashes of his own. While Cassie fired blasts of her Satellite Stunner. Cassie's Stunner hit Goldar dead on, causing him to stagger; but he remained standing.

Goldar slashed his sword out, causing an energy wave that struck Cassie and Wasp, causing them to fly off their feet.

"You can't hope to defeat me in my new form! Your end is inevitable!" Goldar gloated.

Cassie and Wasp got back to their feet. Cassie aimed her weapon and Wasp held his own close to it, both aimed at Goldar. The two weapons let forth a blast of mixed orange and pink energy, which hit Goldar dead on and caused a massive explosion, knocking the villain from his feet.

***
Psycho Silver raised his Silverizer in blaster mode and fired, prompting Psycho Green to put up his arms in a crossguard before being bombarded by blaster fire. When the dust settled, Psycho Green had dropped to a knee.

"Stop. We don't have to do this." Psycho Silver said as Psycho Green rose back to his feet.

"I will. First I'll kill Zedd, then the Rangers, and THEN I'll stop!" Psycho Green announced.

Psycho Green's body suddenly underwent a transformation, his suit shifting into what looked like green skin coated in emerald energy that surged forth like lightning. His face became monstrous and his hands claws.

"But I'll settle for thrashing you, first!" Psycho Green said.

"So be it." Psycho Silver responded.

In an instant, Psycho Silver's body shifted and grew; until he stood as a hulking, monstrous form. His skin was the same silver color as his costume had been, but the sides of his head were now adorned with twin wing-like horns, one on each side, and his eyes were large and unblinking.

"Whoa... is he still on your side?" TJ asked regarding Psycho Silver, before blasting apart several Putties with his Astro Blaster.

As if answering his question, Psycho Silver moved toward Psycho Green. Psycho Green in turn rushed toward Psycho Silver. The two clashed with each other in a struggle of power versus power, causing the ground to crack under their feet. Psycho Silver pulled back his hand and threw a heavy punch. In response, Psycho Green rolled out of the way, before rushing back in toward Psycho Silver.

***
"It's over! You have no chance of winning. Without the Tempus morpher, the other Time Force Rangers are likely already on the way to take you in. Just give up." Zack pleaded.

"No, I won't go out like this!" Ben uttered, before pushing a button on his morpher.

In an instant, a large rift appeared in the sky. Through the rift moved a massive space ship, as large as the Astro Megaship.

"Silver Sentinel Megaship! Zord mode!" Ben called and, within a few moments' time, the ship transformed from its vehicle formation to that of a massive humanoid shape. "Behold, the Silver Sentinel Megazord!"

"No..." Zack said in shock.

"YES!!!" The Rangers looked over as Psycho Green uttered gleefully.

Suddenly, Psycho Green's entire body was converted into a mass of green electricity. Without warning, the electricity shot into the air and moved toward the Megazord. Once it was near, it entered the Megazord, causing the Zord to briefly surge forth with green lightning. After a moment of silence, a voice emerged from the Zord's sound system.

"Now, I am in control!" Psycho Green declared from his stolen Zord body.

The eyes of the megazord charged up with green energy, before firing down at the ground. His target was that of Lord Zedd, Zhane and Astronema; who were still locked in their own heated battle. The three combatants narrowly dodged the blast, flying from their feet from the impact of the explosion. Lord Zedd got back to his feet and held his Z-Staff into the sky. With a roar of anger, he let loose a torrent of red electricity, aimed at the megazord.

The blast caused the zord to stagger. But it remained unscathed.

"Sorry, Zedd! I'm far beyond your power now!" Psycho Green gloated as he charged up his eye lasers for another blast.

Chapter Text

The battle seemed to drop to a lull as the corrupted zord charged up its attack. The moment before the Megazord fired its blast, twin laser cannons fired on the zord, rocking it to its foundation.

"WHAT?!" Psycho Green uttered in shock.

From overhead flew the Astro Megaship. On the ground, Andros stood, controlling the ship remotely via his morpher.

"Guys, continue fighting! I'll take Psycho Green!" Andros declared.

In a flash, Andros leapt upward into the ship, as it began changing shape. Before long, the ship had transformed into the Astro Megazord, a megazord of near equal proportions to the Silver Sentinel. Once Andros was in the zord's cockpit, he initialized the controls.

"Astro Megazord at the ready!" Andros said.

"Time to die, Power Ranger!" Psycho Green declared, before unleashing a blast of green energy at the Astro Megazord.

Out of thin air, the Astro Megazord conjured a large shield, narrowly blocking the energy blast. In its other hand, a large blaster appeared and the Astro zord returned fire with a spray of plasma bolts. The Sentinel put up its arms to defend itself. The possessed Silver Sentinel was staggered by the blast. When the dust settled, the Sentinel launched a combination of its own energy cannon and Psycho Green's energy.

The Sentinel's dual blast hit the Astro Megazord, causing it to stumble backwards. The resulting blast caused the zord to shake and drop its massive shield, which demanifested.

"Agh!" Andros uttered as he was shaken within the cockpit.

***
Astronema looked up from the ground, a mix of emotions spreading across her face, as she witnessed the attack on the Astro Megazord. Before she could return her gaze to the battlefield, Astronema was struck by a blast of red lightning, causing her to drop to a knee in pain.

"You have such human sympathies for your brother! That is why you are weak!" Lord Zedd mocked as he approached Astronema.

Before he could take another step, Zhane opened fire with his Silverizer, causing Zedd to stagger backwards, blocking most of the blasts with an energy field.

"Compassion isn't a weakness, Zedd. It's the reason you'll never win!" Zhane announced.

Astronema got to her feet and looked at Zhane, before the two of them turned to face Zedd once more.

***
"You can't win, Red Ranger! I will be victorious!" Psycho Green announced.

"That's where you're wrong! I haven't lost until I've taken my final breath! Astro Megazord Blaster!" Andros called and hit a button combination on his console, causing a massive blaster to appear in his Megazord's free hand.

The Megazord lunged forward, impaling the Sentinel with the sword. Then, after pulling the sword free, it blasted into the wound at the Silver Sentinel's chest. The blaster fire focused at the damage caused the zord to overload, blowing apart in a massive explosion, before falling to the ground. In a surge of green energy, Psych Silver demerged from the zord and fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Thank you Rangers! For doing my work for me! Now it's time to face your end!" Zedd announced, before turning around and shooting a bolt of red lightning at the Rangers who were busy fighting Zedd's forces.

The blast missed the Rangers, instead hitting Goldar. But, rather than injure the alien warrior, it caused Goldar to grow to the size of a megazord,

"Now, Goldar Maximus, destroy the Space Rangers' megazord!" Zedd ordered.

"Yes, my Lord!" Goldar answered obediently.

The megazord raised its blaster; but a much swifter Goldar grabbed the barrel and pulled it from the zord's grasp. Then, with a swipe of his golden sword, he landed a direct blow to the megazord. The cockpit filled with sparks and fire as the zord stumbled backwards, taking heavy damage.

***
"Just give up!" Zack pleaded with Ben.

"Not a chance!" Ben uttered, before firing on Zack.

Zack rolled out of the way, returning fire with his own blaster. Ben put up his arms in anticipation of impact. But the blaster bolts narrowly missed him, hitting the ground at either side of Ben. The impact of the blaster fire on the ground caused dust and debris to fly into the air. The moment Ben looked back up, he saw Zack running toward him.

Zack leapt into the air, delivering a double kick to Ben's chest. Ben flew from his feet and hit the ground hard on his back, immediately demorphing.

"It's over." Zack said simply, aiming his blaster down at Ben.

"It'll never be over." Ben shot back.

Around the pair of Rangers appeared four other figures. They were Lucas Kendall, Katie Walker, Trip Regis and their leader Jen Scotts; the Time Force Blue, Yellow, Green and Pink Rangers respectively.

"Benjamin Mitchell, you are under arrest by the authority of Time Force." Jen told the villainous Ranger as Lucas and Katie pulled him from his feet and Trip removed his morpher.

"Thanks. I was wondering when you guys would show up." Zack declared in a grateful tone.

"More Power Rangers?!" Zedd uttered in shock at the appearance of Time Force, halting his battle with Zhane and Astronema.

"Lord Zedd?! What's he doing on Earth right now?!" Lucas asked in confusion.

"It must be due to changes caused by Ben." Jenn reasoned.

"It won't matter in a moment! Charge up Serpentera's weapons! Bombard the surface of the planet!" Zedd called up to his massive zord.

The Power Rangers looked nervous, as the seconds ticked by. But nothing happened.

"Attack, now! That's an order!" Zedd growled; but still no response.

"Problem Lord Zedd?" Astronema asked with a wry smirk.

"What did you do...?" Zedd asked, glaring at her.

"That's what I wanna know." Zhane said, partly to himself.

***
Onboard the zord Serpentera, many of Zedd's loyal soldiers and minions lay dead on the ground. On the bridge, the weapons console sparked and burned in flames from an overload caused by damage from a bladed weapon. Standing amidst the carnage was a now freed Ecliptor.

"No, please..." One of the pilots begged.

But, not heeding his pleas, Ecliptor raised his sword and plunged it down into the being's chest, killing him instantly. Then with a cold, uncaring chuckle, Ecliptor vanished from the ship.

***
"THIS ISN'T OVER POWER RANGERS!" Zedd shouted in abject fury, before vanishing from sight.

Along with him, Goldar also disappeared. The battle was over. Or so it seemed.

Chapter Text

In the span of a single instant, the massive zord Serpentera sped away from the Earth at a velocity exceeding the speed of light. When it had blinked out of sight, all that was left in the planet's atmosphere was Astronema's Nezi Cruiser. On the surface of the planet, Lord Zedd's invading forces lay decimated. The Time Force Rangers stood with their traitorous member, Ben, in custody. The Space Rangers gathered to greet their future-born allies.

"Thanks for the help. Now, it's time for us to get this guy back to our time to answer for his crimes." Jenn said.

"What about...?" Katie asked, words dying on her lips as she looked over at both Astronema and Psycho Silver.

Before anyone else could speak, Andros emerged from the Astro Megazord and appeared on the ground from a burst of red energy.

"Karone..." Andros uttered, gripping his side in pain.

Astronema looked lost in thought for a long moment, before finally speaking. "Until we meet again. Power Rangers. Psycho Silver, come."

"No. I'm sorry, mistress. But I must walk my own path." Psycho Silver told her.

With a look of anger on her face, Astronema thrust her staff into the ground and vanished in a burst of light. Just moments after she had disappeared, a bright light appeared in the sky, before blinking away just as quickly; telling the Power Rangers that Astronema's Nezi Cruiser had left Earth's orbit.

"Karone!" Andros cried out in anguish.

"We'll find her, we'll get through to her..." Ashley said, placing a hand reassuringly on Andros' back.

Psycho Silver walked toward the Power Rangers, causing them to tense up; all except for Carlos. In a burst of silver energy, Psycho Silver transformed back from his monster form and into his human guise of Jason Hanniger.

"You can come with us, you know? We could always use the help." Carlos told Jason.

"Thank you." Jason said, gripping Carlos by the hand in a gesture of camaraderie. "But, like I told Astronema, this is my path to walk. We'll meet again." And, at that, Jason vanished in a flash of silver light.

"I suppose you'll be wanting your morpher back now." zack asked the Time Force Rangers.

"I don't know what you're talking about. We have no record of such a morpher." Jenn said, a knowing tone in her voice. "We'll see you around, Space Rangers." She told them, as the Time Force Rangers vanished through a rift in time-space.

"I guess things'll be getting back to normal now. Mostly." Cassie said, looking over at both Zack and Wasp in their morphed Ranger forms.

"If the offer extends to me, I'd like to accompany you offworld. If there are other Constellation morphers out there, I'd like to find them. And help put them in the hands of worthy Rangers." Wasp told them.

"The more the merrier." Cassie exclaimed.

"Then until next time." Zack said, as the group demorphed back to their civilian attire.

Zack Taylor went his own way, back to his life. While the Space Rangers and the Orange Constellation Ranger, Wasp took the Astro Megaship out of Earth's orbit to new destinations.

***
"I've declared war on Lord Zedd. He and his armada are no joking matter. But neither am I. Together, we will take this galaxy for our own!" Astronema announced from the bridge of the Nezi Cruiser, Ecliptor standing at her side.

Lined up before her were the Psycho Rangers: Red, Pink, Yellow and Black. At the sight of movement, Astronema turned to see Psycho Green approaching her. She waited with baited breath, anticipating what he would do. Her eyes widened in barely perceptible shock as Psycho Green kneeled before her.

"You have helped me rise from the ashes as something far greater than I had been before. And once Lord Zedd is dead at our feet, I will help you take the galaxy. Empress." Psycho Green uttered, causing Astronema's face to break into a wicked smile.

After the meeting she had with her own loyal team of Power Rangers, Astronema and Ecliptor walked down a long corridor of the Nezi Cruiser.

"I must admit, I was surprised Green had returned. His loyalty has exceeded my expectations." Ecliptor said.

"Mine as well. The same can't be said of another Psycho Ranger. But, you know what they say? If at first you don't succeed..." Astronema uttered as she and Ecliptor stopped in front of a stasis chamber.

Through the glass, in a state of suspended animation, was another Psycho Ranger, clad in purple armor.

***
In a garage, a tablet beeped to life with an incoming message. A young man got out from under his vehicle and walked over to the tablet, answering the call. The tablet lit up with the image of a slightly older man.

"What's up, Tommy?" The man in the garage asked.

"Justin, we have a problem?" Tommy Oliver informed his comrade, Justin Stewart.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Justin asked, worry spreading across his face.

"It's the other Turbo Rangers; they've been destroyed. You're the last of the Turbo Rangers. The Robo Rangers are no more..." Tommy said in a forlorn voice.

"Who could have done this?" Justin asked.

"Look out behind-!" Tommy's warning was silenced.

As if in response to Justin's question, a blast of blue energy shattered the tablet. Justin spun around, coming face to face with the Blue Psycho Ranger.

"Who are you?! What do you want?" Justin asked.

"Don't you recognize me?" Psycho Blue asked mockingly as his helmet evaporated in a mist of blue energy.

Suddenly, Justin was staring at his own face.

"You... you're the copy... but why?" Justin asked in horror.

"Because I'm not just content being a copy. I want to rip from you the life I never had!" Psycho Blue explained.

"Shift into Turbo!" Justin said, hitting his morpher as he began morphing into the Blue Turbo Ranger.

But Psycho Blue struck him in the gut with a heavy fist, causing Justin to crash hard into the far wall, before hitting the ground; halting the morphing sequence.

"Oh don't die so easily, Justin. We're just getting started!" Psycho Blue uttered in sadistic glee.

***
3018
Several weeks after the betrayal and capture of Time Force Silver
Alex Drake, the original Red Time Force Ranger, picked up a new morpher from a pedestal and placed it on his wrist. Immediately, the morpher beeped as it synched with his DNA. Suddenly, Alex placed his hand over his mouth as he entered into a coughing fit. When he withdrew his hand, he saw that his palm was colored red with blood. With a look of defeat and acceptance, Alex cleaned his hand off with a rag.

Alex was shaken from his contemplation by the sound of an alarm blaring through Time Force Headquarters. Without wasting another moment, Alex grabbed a tablet and ran from the room, toward where the tablet told him the alarm had been triggered. In just a matter of minutes, Alex arrived at an open prison cell, one that had belonged to Ben Mitchell.

Alex took a step toward the cell and observed the control panel. He saw burn marks on the console, telling him that the break out occurred from the outside. Ben had help in his escape. Before the implications of this could sink in, other figures stormed into the area behind him.

"Alex Drake, you are under arrest for the unlawful liberation of prisoner Benjamin Mitchell. By the authority of the Helix Security Force, do not resist." One of the armed security personnel ordered.

Alex Drake raised his hands into the air. One of the Helix agents procured a pair of cuffs and approached Alex. In response, Alex hit his morpher with his other hand, causing an energy field to activate. The light was blinding and filled the room. When it finally dissipated, Alex Drake was gone.

"Where did he go?" One of the agents asked in confusion.

"The past." Another answered. "He's traveled to the past."