Six Spandex clad superheros became collums of light, and some of them lifted off for the sky. But a solitary pink collumn solidified back into the Pink Power Ranger, and she removed her helmet, staring up after the other collumns. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "But I'm not ready for you to know yet."

* * *

The Rangers landed in the Power Chamber, and removed their helmets, then looked around. But to their dismay, the mysterious new Pink Ranger wasn't with them. "Zordon?" Jason asked. "Where's the Pink Ranger?"

"I do not know, Jason," Zordon said. "We lost track of her somewhere in transport."

"Were you able to pick up ANYTHING during the battle?" Billy asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Zordon said. "Shortly after you teleported into the park, a shield blocked all scanning of that area, so we were not able to gain any information on the Pink Ranger."

The rangers sighed in frustration. Who was the new Pink Ranger? They needed to know. With Dejanna having four of the Gemborns, under her control, three of them former rangers, they didn't need any more unknowns entering the fight to confuse them.

* * *

Awareness. Longing. Separation. Seeking, finding a block that wouldn't allow past. Must be free. Must find the other, the living half. Power flared, battering the block.

Tyler sat up with a gasp. She had been granted a private chamber after handing over Kimberley to Dejanna, and had fallen asleep on the simple bed that had been furnished. "What a dream," she muttered, and then got up.

She picked up a hand mirror that she had created, and she motioned over it. Within, instead of her reflection, she saw inside Dejanna's workroom. Her brow creased as she saw Kim lying unconscious on the alter, but it passed as the view shifted to the Rainbow Gems. Dejanna entered the workroom, and Tyler quickly banished the image. She didn't want to be caught spying.

Tyler looked into the hand mirror again, and summoned an image of the Green Gemborn. :Adam,: she thought, then banished the image, put the mirror back on the stand, and curled up to go back to sleep. She'd think about it in the morning. Right now, she was just so tired.

* * *

:Tyler, where are you?: Adam wondered in his mind. The Green Gemborn was lying on the floor of the circle, supposedly trying to sleep, but unable to for all his worrying about Tyler. He sighed and turned onto his back. "Adam?" a voice asked.

"Yeah, Tommy?" Adam asked.

"Can't sleep either?" Tommy asked. The Red Gemborn turned to face Adam, as the Green Gemborn turned onto his side.

"No," came the sighed admission. "I'm worried about Tyler, and Kim, and what's going to happen next, and so many other things, I CAN'T sleep."

"What I know of Tyler, tells me she'll be okay," Tommy said confidently.

"Yeah, but once the shock of finding out that her brothers were killed passes, Tyler's going to feel guilty even more than she already does," Adam said.

"I know," Tommy said softly. He turned onto his back, and stared up at the source of light that held back whatever was out in the darkness, and he said, "I hope Kim's all right."

"Dejanna wants her as a Gemborn," Adam said. "She won't hurt Kim."

"I wonder who the others will pick for the new Pink Ranger," Tommy said.

"Well, I can't see Trini in pink," Adam said, with a lopsided grin.

"When I was the green ranger, I couldn't see myself in anything but green, and then I became the White Ranger, and it became white. Now it'll probably turn into red," Tommy replied.

Adam laughed as a thought came to him, and he said, "You know, you've changed colors three times now."

"I know," Tommy replied. "Maybe I'll finally stay with this one."

A white flash, and then clattering and a female groan had both boys sitting up. Between them was a Blue Gemborn, and Tommy reached Kim's side first. "Kim!" he said, concerned, scooping the newcomer up into his arms.

"Tommy?" she asked softly, before collapsing into unconsciousness.

"Kim!" Tommy said.

Adam put his hand on Tommy's arm, and said, "Don't worry, she'll be all right. She just needs to sleep. It happened to me and you, so I assume it's normal."

Tommy eased the former Pink Ranger to the ground, and sighed. "I hope you're right," he said. He didn't hear Adam mutter, "So am I."

* * *

"Mmmm, Kim," Tommy sighed, slowly emerging from sleep. He had been having such a dream about the Pink Ranger and he didn't want to come away from it just yet. A warmth settled next to him as he tried to get back to sleep, and an unwanted voice made him wake up.

"Not bad, lover," Dejanna purred. Tommy's eyes snapped open and he sat up. The first thing he noticed was that he and Deanna were naked. The second was that he wasn't in the circle.

Dejanna eased herself onto her side, propping her head in her hand. Only the thin, black sheet that covered the bed covered her, and it didn't cover her ample endowments. "What's wrong? Disappointed that I'm not your girlfriend?" The sorceress smiled coldly, and Tommy swung his legs over to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Oh, God, what have I done?" Tommy moaned into his hands. "Kim'll hate me!"

Dejanna crawled over and wrapped her arms around the Red Gemborn. "She doesn't have to know." She pressed her body against the Gemborn's back, and whispered, "Not if you be my lover." She ground her body against Tommy, and the teen jumped out of bed, away from the evil sorceress’ embrace. But even as he did that, he knew that he couldn't go back to Kim.

"You can't run away from what happened here." Dejanna said, amused. Tommy didn't reply, and Dejanna said, "Get your pretty little butt back here, or Kimberly's going to find out you slept with another woman and had a DAMN good time. She'll dump you like yesterday's garbage!" Dejanna waved, and a black circle appeared before the Red Gemborn. Images appeared in the center of the circle, and expanded to fill it. Tommy was faced with the images of Dejanna and him together in bed.

"Who do you think that she'll believe?" Dejanna asked, climbing out of the bed and walking up behind the Gemborn. "Me, who would have no reason to lie? Or you? The one that betrayed her?"

Tommy glared at the sorceress, and said, "Me."

Dejanna smirked as she moved before him, and then said, "Why would I have reason to lie? And what about YOU? Can you really face your little Kimmie after sleeping with me? Wouldn't your ranger code of honor prevent you from lying?" She met the Red Gemborn's eyes, and saw that her words had hit their mark. He HAD be thinking along those lines.

The sorceress held back a smirk. :These rangers,: she scoffed. :So predictable.:

Tommy closed his eyes, and Dejanna knew that she had won. :Forgive me, Kim,: Tommy thought in his mind, and let the sorceress kiss him. Dejanna smiled around the kiss, pushing the Gemborn back to the bed. She never broke the liplock as her hands began exploring his body.

* * *

Tyler entered the throne room and bowed to her lady. "You look well rested, my lady," Tyler commented.

Dejanna smiled at her Gemborn from the throne, and said, "Well, I had a... restful night. What about you, my Gemborn?"

Tyler shrugged. "It was a night, my lady. I slept. You wanted to see me?"

Dejanna's smile grew, and she stood up. "Right now I have Finster and Corbeth working on a special weapon for you. It's designed to destroy the Power Coins. Once they finish it, I want you to take it down to Earth, and use it on those Power Rangers.

"Of course, my lady," Tyler said, bowing. "Is there anything else?"

"No," Dejanna said, moving towards the balcony. "That's all for now."

Tyler bowed one last time, and then backed out of the Throne Room. As the doors closed behind her, Tyler felt a pulling, and, curious, she followed it. She entered Dejanna's library, and the tugging stopped as the library door closed behind her.

A book laid on top of a table, to a point somewhere near the middle, and Tyler read it as her right hand absently went to turn the page. The Rainbow Gems is a set of eight Gems containing unbelievable powers that can only be accessed by one person a generation. The Gem's colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, and white. No one knows how you can tell a Gemborn from any other person in the galaxy, but-

The page ended, and as Tyler was turning the page, a voice behind her made her jump. "What are you doing here?" Goldar demanded. Tyler whirled, closing the book behind her.

"I don't have to answer to you," Tyler snarled. "I only answer to Dejanna. And as for what I was doing here, it's none of your business!" With that, she stormed past the winged avian, and out of the library.

Goldar searched the table for the book Tyler was reading, it was gone. Suspicious, he turned to follow the Gemborn, but when he entered the hall, she was already out of sight. He snarled and then went to find Lady Dejanna.

* * *

Tyler leaned back against a wall as she watched Corbeth and Finster finish the weapon. "What's so special about it?" Tyler asked. "It looks just like my old Power Star."

"But you see, we built a specially designed electrical generator that's activated by pushing a certain button," Finster said. "The energy field that is then generated is at the exact frequency required to destroy the Power Coins. No matter where you hit a ranger, or even if you just graze him, the field around the ranger that's created when the ranger morphs will short circuit, causing the ranger to instantly lose power."

Corbeth finished a few last connections, and then closed the star. He put up the tools as Finster picked up the star, and then handed it to Tyler. She took it and extended the blades, and the Purple Gemborn asked, "So, I just hit a ranger after pushing the button, and then they become Powerless Rangers?"

"Exactly," Corbeth warbled. "The button is here. We put a cover over the button so that you don't accidentally activate the generator." He slid the cover back to show the button, and Tyler asked, "What about Gemborns? If I hit one of the others with it, would it short circuit them out?"

"Oh, no," Finster said. "The only reason you short circuit the Power Coins out is because they're so relatively fragile compared to a Rainbow Gem. All anyone else would get is a powerful electric shock."

"I see," Tyler said, studying the star, and then retracted the arms. "It's time for me to go pick a fight," she said.

* * *

Everyone's head in the Command Center snapped up when the alarm went off. "What now?" Rocky asked.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi! Tyler has appeared in the park," Alpha said.

"Is she doing anything?" Jason asked.

"Not a thing. She's just leaning against a tree," Alpha said, confused.

Jason looked at the others, confused. "Then why did the alarms go off, then?"

"I-" Alpha was cut off by the View Globe turning on.

"Hello, rangers," Dejanna said. "By now, you've probably picked up the fact that my Gemborn is in your park. You have three minutes to get down there, or else."

"Or else what?" Jason demanded.

"Do you really want to know?" Dejanna asked, smiling evilly. The View Globe shut off, and Aisha asked, "What are we going to do?"

"Get down there," Jason said. "We don't have a choice." He looked at the others, and asked, "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"

* * *

Tyler stood up from the tree she was leaning against as the Power Rangers, minus the Pink Ranger, showed up before her. She called her armor and dropped into a fighting stance. "Shall we do this?" the Purple Gemborn asked.

"Tyler, you have to fight Dejanna," Jason said.

"Bullshit!" Tyler snapped. "Last time I fought her, it cost my brothers their lives!"

She motioned behind her back, and she felt the familiar weight of the star settling into her palm. Her fingers closed around it, pressing the button, and she threw it at the White Ranger. He flipped back, avoiding her star, but it clipped Rocky in the arm. The Red Ranger exclaimed, and gripped his shoulder as he demorphed so that the blade of the star could sink into him.

Tyler narrowed her eyes as she caught her star, and then made a snap decision. She jumped into the air and landed behind the now powerless Red Ranger, and wrapped one hand around his throat, pulling him up against her body. "Here's a present from Dejanna," Tyler said, and then hurled her star with all of her strength.

It flew around to all of the rangers, striking all of them somewhere, always JUST nicking said ranger. As each powered down, they stared at their hands and arms in disbelief. The star finished it's route through the air, and planted itself firmly in the trunk of a tree before disappearing in a flash of violet light.

When the rangers looked at Tyler, she was gone with Rocky. "What's going on?" Aisha asked the group in general.

* * *

Dejanna smiled as the memories from last night played in her mind. The only thing that would have made the restful night with Tommy even better was if her lover had been aware the first time. :But the second hadn't been so bad,: she told herself. She turned to face Tyler as the Gemborn appeared behind her in the throne room and the sorceress asked, "What's this?" as she took in the scene before her.

Tyler threw the former Red Ranger to the ground, and said, "I destroyed the Rangers' Power Coins as you requested, and I sensed that this one is the Blue Gemborn, so I brought him to you, my lady."

Dejanna smiled cruelly, and motioned. Two Mecca Knights picked up the teen, and Dejanna said, "Why, how thoughtful, my warrior. Now, go rest, while I connect this one to his gem."

Tyler bowed, and turned to go, and then paused. She turned back, and asked, "My lady..., may I... spend some time with Adam?"

Dejanna thought about what Tyler said, then grinned suggestively and shrugged. "Why not? If I had Thomas last night, then you should be allowed to spend some time with your cutie." She grinned, and motioned. "Do as you please with him." Tyler bowed, and then left the throne room.

The Purple Gemborn reached her room, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the book she had borrowed from Dejanna' library. The chapter that she was on was discussing the history of the color of different rangers, and Tyler found it fascinating.

The myth behind the Gemborns is that they are the reborn essences of the original group of eight that journeyed to the center of All Creation and focused what eventually became the Morphin' Grid. And that when the original team died, their power became concentrated into a Gem who's color matched the personality of that person. Thus, the colors for the different personalities of the different Rangers, and different Powers.

Different Power sources that filter the Grid, like the legendary Zeo crystal, use different colors for different aspects of personalities. As such, one that is red in the Morphin' Grid wouldn't hold the same color for Zeo, or even Astro powers. And, one that wears green under Zeo could be acceptable to Black or even Blue Morphin color.

Tyler blinked after reading that passage. Something about the word "Zeo" was bothering her. "Zeo...., Zeo....," she muttered to herself. She flipped back to a previous chapter, and nodded. The Zeo crystal is a single crystal broken into ten shards, the standard red, blue, green, yellow, and pink, plus white, black, purple, gold and silver. The only shard that is in known use is the gold shard, turned into the Golden Power Staff used by the Gold Ranger on Triforia.

Tyler closed the book, and sighed. :If only the rangers had the Zeo crystal,: Tyler thought to herself. :Then we wouldn't have to serve Dejanna.: She sighed, and her eyes turned longingly to her bed. Keeping her emotions in check was hard, even for her, and the dreams that she had while asleep hadn't been much help. They weren't REAL images, just feelings, mainly of longing and searching,

But she still had one more thing to do. She concentrated, and found herself back in the circle. Adam and Kim turned to see Tyler, and Adam visible relaxed. "Tyler!" Kim exclaimed, and then hugged the other girl. Tyler returned the hug half-heartedly.

"Have you seen Tommy?" the Blue Gemborn asked. The now former Pink Ranger had discovered the ability to change her armor into clothes, and Tyler admired the light blue of Kim's clothes.

"That blue's really you," Tyler said, trying to change the subject.

"Tyler?" Adam asked.

Tyler sighed, and asked, "Kim, can I talk to Adam privately?" The Purple Gemborn lead the Green Gemborn away from Kim, and after making sure that Kim wasn't nearby, she said, "Tommy's... with Dejanna. The comment that she made makes it sound like they were.... together," Tyler explained awkwardly.

"You mean... he and she...?" Adam asked. Tyler nodded. "Oh, god, Kim."

"I don't want to be the one that explains it to her," Tyler said. "I never really got the chance to know Kim that well. But.... I don't exactly think that Kim needs to know that Tommy didn't have a spell on him, all right? I doubt that he went comepletely willingly."

Adam nodded, and asked, "That's not all?"

Tyler said, "I..." Tyler shook her head, and said, "I have to go." Tyler turned, and disappeared.

Adam's mind briefly wondered what Tyler had been about to say, and then shrugged it off. How was he going to break the news about Tommy to Kim? he wondered.

* * *

Tyler landed in her bedroom, and dropped onto the bed. It had been hard not telling Adam more the necessary, but Tyler wouldn't have been able to handle to look on his face if she had told him about what she had done. It was hard enough to face herself in the mirror, but if he hated her....

Tyler closed her eyes, and before she knew it, was asleep.

Purple light all around. Acceptance, soothing, calm acceptance, wrapped around her. She felt as if someone was trying to talk to her, but they were separated from her by a thick wall. The voice would carry over, but not the words. Tyler found herself searching the wall for cracks, anything that would bring down the wall. Just as she found a crack, black light flared, and then the crack disappeared.

It happened again and again, until Tyler understood that something kept sealing the cracks in the wall. She screamed, and then pounded her fist against the wall, her fist flaring with a clear, purple light. There was the sound of brick and mortar crumbling, and Tyler smiled grimly against the pain that flared in her fist. But at least where she hit, the black light didn't repair the damage. Tyler realized that the purple light from her hand had prevented the black light from repairing the wall, and then Tyler began pounding the wall again and again, each time her hand flaring with the same purple light. The pain grew, and grew, and grew.

Tyler's eyes snapped open, and she realized that she was in Dejanna's workroom. What had been pain from smashing her fist against the wall in her dream became pain from pressing against the force field surrounding the Rainbow Gems. Tyler concentrated past the pain, and then the force field collapsed. Her hand fell through to close around her Gem, and when she lifted her hand away from the pedestal, she stared in shock at the Gem in her hand. Her breath sped up, and her mouth dropped slightly open in shock. :How the he-: Tyler's head snapped up as she heard Dejanna approaching, and Tyler faded back into the shadows of the workroom.

Dejanna's eyes scanned the room as she entered, and then her eyes fell on the pedestal. "What!?" Dejanna snarled, and then whirled to face Goldar and Rito behind her. "Find me Tyler," she snapped. "NOW!"

Tyler thanked whatever power that told her not to use magic to teleport out, and then slipped out of Dejanna's workroom. Now that Tyler had her Gem, Dejanna didn't have any power over her anymore, the Purple Gemborn realized. As soon as she realized that, Tyler made a decision. :I'm outta here!:

A Tenga squawked at the end of the hall, and Tyler called her armor around her. "Come on, Tweety," Tyler snarled, "Let's rumble." The Tenga turned and ran away. Tyler knew that she'd have a few minutes leeway, and ran for her bedroom.

Tyler rolled as she sensed something coming for her, and barely avoided being decapitated. She turned to face Goldar, who said, "I'm going to enjoy this! You betrayed Lady Dejanna!"

"Yeah, and I enjoyed it, too," Tyler said. "I don't have time for this!" She saw something over Goldar's shoulder, and said, "Goldie, look out behind you." Goldar snarled and stepped for the Purple Gemborn, and then promptly collapsed as Tommy hit him over the head with a statuette he swung like a bat.

"Go!" Tommy told her, and then retreated back into the shadows that had hidden him before.

Tyler reached her bedroom, and then scooped up her book. She turned as the door slammed open, and waved to Dejanna as she let purple light swallow her up. "Later!"

Tyler landed in the park, and then collapsed to the ground as her knees gave out. Her entire body was shaking, and she bit back body-wracking sobs, but she was slowly losing the battle and breaking down. The tension in her body forced itself into expression of tears as the sobs wrenched themselves free. She never noticed when she was teleported out.

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Dejanna raged. "She betrayed me! And you were asleep!?" she ranted at Goldar, who held an icepack to his head.

"Well, it didn't help that someone hit me from behind," Goldar said. Dejanna glared at him, stalked towards him.

In a dangerously low voice, she asked, "What did you say?"

Goldar scrunched down in his armor, and said, "I was hit from behind, my lady. I don't know who did it."

Dejanna's eyes narrowed, and she said, "It was probably Thomas. That's it. I'm not leaving anything more to chance." She grabbed the black gem hanging around her neck, and the four Gemborn appeared before her. Rocky was still unconscious from the effects of the bonding.

"Since Tyler decided to betray me," she said, "and Thomas helped her escape," she glared at the Red Gemborn at that point, "I'm going to insure your loyalty." She focused, and the Gem in her hand flared.

Black lightning bolts struck the four teens before they could react, brightening to blinding intensity. When the light died, the teens' were curled on the ground in pain before the sorceress. Dejanna smirked, and said, "The spell I just placed on you is a control spell, and when I get Tyler back, I'll do the same to her. You're still yourself, but I control your body!" She motioned, and the teens were forced by an unseen force to kneel before her. She snarled, "You're mine, Gemborns! You have been, and always will be!"

Deep in Adam, hope sprung to life. :Tyler's free,: he thought with a tiny smile. :Thank you, God.:

* * *

Tyler felt gentle arms wrap around her, and jerked back. "Shh," a girl said. "Cry yourself out." Tyler reacted to something in the gentle voice, and threw her arms around the girl, crying even harder.

When the tears eased, Tyler backed away from the girl, and saw that she had been held by Tanya. "Tanya? Wh- where am I?" she asked, wiping away her tears.

"You're in the Power Ranger's headquarters, the Command Center," Tanya explained. "The others agreed to let me talk to you first. What happened?"

"I- I got my gem," Tyler said, showing the stone still clutched tightly in her hand. "I- I should have grabbed the others’ Gems, but all I did was stare stupidly at my gem. I- I left the others behind, to Dejanna. Tommy helped me leave, and I couldn't help him!" Tyler wailed before breaking down again.

"Shh, shh, it's all right," Tanya said. "It's all right. We'll free them, Tyler, I promise." Tyler just kept on crying.

* * *

Tanya walked back into the main part of the Command Center, and Jason asked, "Well?"

"She stopped crying long enough to say that she got her Gem back, and that she had been helped by Tommy in her escape," Tanya said. "She had to leave the others behind, and she's blaming herself because when she was at the Rainbow Gems, all she did was stare at her gem. Then Tyler broke down again. She's asleep right now."

Jason nodded, and then turned to Billy. "What about the book Tyler had with her?"

"I'm working on it," Billy said. "But it looks to be mainly about the Rainbow Gems."

"Meaning?" Jason asked.

"We know more about their theoretical powers, and might be able to rig up a defense against them," Billy replied.

"But that's no good without powers," Aisha said. "And thanks to Tyler, we don't have any."

Any response to Aisha's comment was cut off by a pained scream of "NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" The rangers whirled towards the room Tanya had left Tyler in.

* * *

Tyler's eyes opened, and for a brief, confusing second, she wondered where she was. It wasn't on the moon, that was for sure. The moon had always had a slight chill that nothing could remove. Tyler was warm for the first time in a long time.

And it definitely wasn't her bedroom. It looked more like a medical bay on some spaceship. Tyler started to laugh at that possibility, but stopped when she remembered. She was in the Command Center.

She stretched her hearing as far as she could, and her ears caught, "-ook Tyler had with her?" It sounded as if the speaker, Jason, the replacement White Ranger, she identified, was walking away.

Then Billy spoke, slight further away from Tyler. "I'm working on it. But it seems to be mainly about the Rainbow Gems."

"Meaning?" Jason asked.

"That we know more about their theoretical powers, and might be able to rig up a defense against them," Billy replied.

"Yeah, but that's no good without powers. And thanks to Tyler, we don't have any." Aisha, Tyler identified.

Tyler's eyes squeezed shut at the accusatory tone she heard in the Yellow Ranger's voice. "No," she whispered as the pain grew. "NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Tyler screamed as the pain became unbearable. "No, no, no, no!" She curled up sobbing as she heard the door to the room open, and a hand touched her shoulder.

"Tyler?" This was Tanya. "What's wrong?"

"Leave me alone!" Tyler sobbed. "It's all my fault. It's all my fault!"

Her pen pal merely held on to the sobbing girl, wrapping her arms around the crying Gemborn, and rocked Tyler slowly. "Tyler, it's not your fault," Tanya soothed. "Dejanna was controlling your actions. No one blames you."

"Aisha does, and she's right," Tyler said around her tears. "I could have chosen to refuse, to let her kill me. But instead, I chose to follow her orders!" Tyler broke down again, and didn't notice when another hand touched her shoulder.

Aisha spoke up. "Tyler, I wasn't blaming you."

"Yes you were," Tyler sobbed. "I deserve it. It's my fault."

"No, Tyler, no."

* * *

Tyler reoriented herself as she landed on the beach, and relaxed. For all that the rangers had tried to make her comfortable and welcome at their headquarters after calming the Gemborn down, her guilt refused to leave her. Why should it, when she had caused them to lose their powers? Finally, it had gotten to the point where she had to sneak away.

Tyler stared out over the water as she approached the water's edge. For some reason she had felt comfortable at the same beach that she had visited after Mike and John's death, the same one she had visited with her family when she had been younger.

Tyler glanced down at her hand as she summoned her gem. THIS was the source of all her trouble, she realized. The urge to throw the jewel into the ocean came suddenly and overwhelmingly, and Tyler reached back to toss it away from her. But as her arm reached up and back, light glinted off a facet, and a soft voice spoke to her. Gemborn, no.

Tyler froze, and stuttered, "Wh-wh-what?"

Don't throw me into the ocean, my Gemborn. Please. I need you, as you need me.

Tyler's knees gave out, and she dropped onto the wet sand. Somehow, she KNEW that it was the stone speaking to her. "What do you mean, I need you? You're the cause of all my troubles." Then Tyler rolled her eyes, and said, "Oh, God, now I'm crazy, too. I'm talking to a stone. And I'm expecting it to answer."

If you throw me into the ocean, then Dejanna will send someone to recover me, and then you'll be forced back into her service.

Tyler swallowed at that thought. "Then what do YOU suggest?"

Let me show you something, the Rainbow Gem, and purple light surged up around the Gemborn.

* * *

Laughter. Pure, clear laughter. That was the first thing that Tyler's mind registered.

Then came the warmth of sunshine on her face. Her whole face, except those parts under a blindfold tied over her eyes, was bathed in it, as if she had tilted her face towards the sky.

Then a playful tugging on her arm started, and Aisha said, "This way, Ty."

Words came to Tyler's lips. "Are you SURE you can't give me the tiniest hint, Ashia?"

"I'm SURE. Now come on!" The tugging became more insistent, and Tyler followed.

After a few moments, Aisha, or Ashia, or who ever, stopped Tyler and said, "Hold still. Tomias tied this thing too tightly." The other girl reached up to the back of Tyler's head, and Tyler felt the blindfold come away.

The sudden light made Tyler blink as it dazzled her, but as she became adjusted to the sunshine, she realized that she was now standing in the middle of a large garden, and it was decorated for a party. Kim, Tommy, Rocky, Aisha, Adam, and an Oriental girl were all there, and wearing broad smiles. They were dressed in similar uniforms of a slightly military cut, that were mainly black with different colored accents and silver trim. Kim, Rocky, Tommy, and Adam's colored accents matched their Gem, while Ashia wore orange and the other girl wore yellow. From what Tyler could see of herself, she was in a similar uniform, and her accents were purple.

Tyler smiled, and exclaimed, "You remembered! I was beginning to think that you had forgotten."

"Like Kimra would let us forget?" Rocky asked, and everyone laughed.

"Hey, I'll remember that when your birthday comes around, Raden," Kim said, and everyone laughed.

"Is Jalna going to make it?" Tyler asked, her arms snaking up and around Adam before kissing him.

:She'll be slightly late. She forgot something in her room,: Adam sent, since his lips were occupied. Somehow Tyler knew that he was sending it to everyone.

"Isn't that Tomias' job?" Tyler asked teasingly. Everyone laughed, and she said, "Thank you, all of you. I was beginning to think that you all had forgotten."

"Well, I hope we're welcome to this party," the replacement White Ranger said, and Tyler turned to see him, Billy, the replacement Black Ranger, Tanya and a tall blonde girl that Tyler didn't know. The blonde girl seemed familiar somehow. Each of them wore a uniform similar to the first group's, but their main color was a light gray. The White Ranger was wearing red, Billy was wearing green, the black ranger was wearing blue, Tanya was wearing yellow, and the blonde was wearing pink.

Tyler smiled broadly, and said, "For you, cousin, anytime." She hurried over and threw her arms around Jason. When the boy in red put her back on the ground, she turned to the stranger, and said, "I don't believe I know this one. Introduce us!" Tyler commanded.

"Tyseria, this is Katriana, the latest addition to our flight. Katriana, this is my cousin Tyseria."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Katriana said, smiling. "Is this your birthday party?"

"Yes, and you're welcome to join us," Tyler said with a smile. She closed her eyes as she turned her face to the sun, and when she opened them, she had to reorient herself. She was back on the beach, and it was several hours later. She could tell because of the position of the sun, and the fact that the water's edge was father away from her. WHile she had been dreaming, tide went out.

That was how it all began, the Gem sent. It's enough for now. NOW do you see why I need you? You were one of the originals.

"I'm not Tyseria!" Tyler protested. "I'm me. Tyler Noble. Orphan. Not Tyseria No'bel." Tyler froze. How had she known the girl's last name? It hadn't been in the dream, and she doubted that she had read it some where. "Where the hell did that come from?" Tyler demanded.

The Gem didn't reply, and Tyler had the feeling that if it had been a person, it would have been wearing a smug look on its face. Instead of putting up with the smug Gem, Tyler climbed to her feet, and started beating the sand off her armor.

Tyler froze, and stared at herself. She hadn't CONSCIOUSLY morphed. What the hell was going on? Plus, the armor had changed. Instead of the plastic look it had had before, her armor now looked crystalline. Tyler stared at her new armor, and then summoned her Gem. The armor disappeared in a purple light which then coalesced into the gem. Somehow, during the course of the dream, a new bond between jewel and girl had formed, this one much stronger than the one before. This time, instead of just sensing the power of the Gem, it flowed through her, singing a tune of its own in her body.

"what did you do?" Tyler whispered.

I did nothing, the Gem said softly. The bond forged itself.

"Why, good morning, traitor!"

Tyler stiffened, and whirled, to have her arms grabbed. Before her stood Dejanna and Rocky, and Tommy and Adam were holding her arms. "Where's your Gem?" Dejanna demanded, and Tyler banished it to where ever it went when she didn't have it. She made a mental note to ask Billy about that later.

"I don't have it," Tyler said. Dejanna nodded, and Tyler grunted as a fist from Rocky connected with her midsection. She would have dropped to her knees if Tommy and Adam hadn't been holding her up. "I don't have it," Tyler repeated. "I don't know where it is."

Dejanna nodded, and another blow landed to her midsection. Tyler gagged, and wheezed, "That wasn't necessary."

"No, but it was fun," Dejanna said, amused.

"Bitch," Tyler said to the sorceress. Rocky's foot caught Tyler's face this time, and Dejanna snarled, "That's MS. Bitch to you, Tyler. You're mine!"

"What, you mean you didn't get enough from Tommy?" Tyler taunted. "Don't tell me you're the type of slut who'll jump in bed with ANYTHING. God, if you do, you're probably carrying more diseases than I'd care to think about." Tyler grunted as another blow landed on her.

Dejanna's eyes narrowed, and with a motion, completely severed Tyler's bond. "I just decided," she said as Tyler screamed in agony, "that you're too much hassle to even put a spell on. I'd rather wait for the next Gemborn to be born." She motioned, and Tommy and Adam dropped Tyler to the ground. The Purple Gemborn convulsed a few times, and then laid still.

"Leave her alone!" Jason bellowed, and Dejanna turned to see the rangers behind her. She snorted at seeing them.

"Please. You have no power, my Gemborn could break you like that!" Dejanna said, snapping her fingers.

"But what about me?" a voice asked, causing everyone to turn. The Pink Ranger crossed her arms, and asked, "You're not going to find ME so easy, Dejanna." The sorceress motioned, and Rocky and Adam attacked the ranger.

Tyler, unnoticed on the ground, opened one eye. :Damn, that hurt,: she thought to herself. :What happened?:

Dejanna severed the bond that she forged between us, but the new one sustained you, the Gem told her. Ready for action?

:Hell, yeah!,: Tyler thought back. She opened her eyes, and saw that Tommy was still standing beside her. Her arm reached out, and yanked the Red Gemborn's feet from under him. Tyler jump to her feet as everyone turned to stare at her, and she said, "Next time, make sure I'm dead, Dejanna! It's morphin' time!" She was wrapped in a purple light, and the new armor appeared. She blocked a blow from Tommy, and then rolled back from a kick from the bespelled Gemborn.

Tyler almost laughed at Dejanna's stunned expression. "What the hell?" it shouted to the world. "You're dead!" Dejanna snarled.

Tyler spun Tommy away from her, and she said, "Really? It doesn't fell like it! I have a new bond with my Gem, even stronger than the one you forged, Dejanna. Never again will you control me through my bond! Now get the hell out of here." She took a menacing step towards the sorceress, and Zedd's stepsister disappeared with her Gemborn.

Just as the last of Dejanna's black light disappeared, Tyler staggered, and was caught by Jason and the Pink Ranger as they ran up. Tyler powered down, and her knees gave out. The Pink ranger supported her weight, and Jason said, "Let's get her to the Command Center." Looking at the Pink Ranger, he added, "You're invited along." The Pink Ranger nodded, and they teleported out.

* * *

The rangers landing in the Command Center immediately turned to the strange Pink Ranger as she eased Tyler onto a cot laid out for the Gemborn. "Not that we didn't appreciate your help," Jason told her, "but just who are you?"

The Pink Ranger, who hadn't taken off her helmet, slowly turned to face the White Ranger, and then reached up. She undid the snaps that sealed the helmet, and eased off the helmet. Fine, blonde hair tumbled to her shoulders, and Kat eased the helmet away from her face.

"Kat?"

"Hey, guys," Kat said softly.

"How did you get the Pink Morpher?" Zack asked.

Kat shrugged. "Something told me to go to the park when the girl in purple went after Kimberley. I saw her rip the morpher from the Pink Ranger, see the ranger demorph into your friend, Kimberley, and the Tyler threw the morpher almost right at my feet. I picked it up, and I saw that you were in trouble, so I... morphed. Something told me what to do."

"But... you aren't surprised at who the Power Rangers are?" Billy asked.

Kat shrugged sheepishly. "I've... kinda known for a while."

"WHAT!?"

Kat sighed. "It all started back in Australia. An old woman in this weird gown appeared before me, and then the bird creatures grabbed my arms. The woman pointed her staff at me, and then blackness swallowed me. When I woke up, the world seemed different, and then I found out why. I was in the form of a housecat. And my mind was being controlled by the woman, who turned out to be-"

"Rita," several voices said at once.

"Yes," Kat said, nodding. "She made it so that my parents moved to Angel Grove. But a little over a week ago, shortly before I met you, the compulsions stopped, and I could think for myself. I could still turn into a cat, but I was myself in every other way. And by then, I already knew who the Power Rangers are."

"Alpha, begin a scan on Kat," Jason ordered. Turning to the Australian, he said, "It's not that I don't believe that you're free, but we should check on whatever controls Rita put on you."

Kat smiled with gratitude and relief at the White Ranger. "I'd have asked for one anyways. I don't EVER want to be controlled by evil again."

* * *

Tyler was back in the garden, back in Tyseria, and her friends were around her again. She was laughing at a joke Zack had told, and then an alarm suddenly blared. The garden vanished, revealing the group to be in a grid-lined room. "Computer, report," Tomias snapped.

"Ship is under attack by unidentified fighters," a female monotone voice intoned. “All nonvital systems have been powered down to reroute their power to the shields.

"Red alert!" Tomias said, and everyone left the room. The two groups separated out in the hall, and Ashia said, "Sorry about the party, Ty," as their group headed for an elevator.

"Hey, duty calls," Tyseria said. "It's all part of the Space Corps. At least you remembered!" This was said as the elevator opened onto a bridge, and Tyseria took a seat before what looked like radar screens. She slipped on a headset, and called, "Fighters, this is Mothership Bridge. Call in."

Tyseria listened in as several voices gave their status, and turned to Tomias. "Flights one, four and five are read to go, and two and three will be ready in a few more minutes."

"Launch one, four and five. Flight one is to protect the ship and will be backed up by two and three. Flights four and five go after the fighters," Tomias commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Tyseria said, and turned back to her console. She relayed the orders. She watched as fifteen green blips appeared on the screen, and ten broke off to engage the enemy fighters marked in red.

"Sensors can't pick up enemy mothership, sir," Adam informed. "If they have one, they've been abandoned."

"Or really good cloaking technology," the Oriental girl said.

"Sir, we've lost a fighter to the enemy," Tyseria said.

"Tactical screen," Tomias snapped, and the main screen became the same as what Tyseria had before her. The green blips were down to nine, while the fighters were still at ten. "Damn it!" Tomias swore as green blip after green blip disappeared. "This isn't good. They're as good if not better than our own fighters."

"Flights two and three are ready to launch," Tyseria said.

"Cancel that, and call in flight one," Tomias ordered, but it was already too late. The enemy blips attacked the last five green blips on the screen. One of their fighters rammed into an enemy ship, knocking it into a collision course with the mothership. "Brace for impact!" Tomias ordered, and the ship was rocked by the fighter's impact.

Tyseria was thrown from her chair, and her head hit the floor of the bridge.

* * *

Tyler sat up with a gasp, and immediately recognized the Command Center. "What?" she asked herself. Then she remembered the events on the beach.

"How are you feeling?" Tanya asked, and Tyler turned to face her.

"Tired, I guess," Tyler said with a sigh. "I keep having the weirdest dreams." She massaged her head where she remembered Tyseria hitting her head.

"What happened?" Tanya asked. "I thought that Dejanna severed your bond to your gem. Or at least that's what looks like happened."

"She did, but I had forged another, even stronger, bond to my Gem before she appeared," Tyler said. "It allowed me to survive the shock of having the original bond severed." She grimaced and rubbed her chest. "But, damn, that hurt!"

Tanya smiled, and said, "You sound better."

"I- I feel better," Tyler said honestly. "I mean, there's still some guilt, but..., I dunno, it's like it was pared down to the bare essential." Tyler shrugged. "Maybe it got shrunk in the wash."

Tanya laughed, and the Purple Gemborn smiled at her. But the smile faltered, and then Tyler said, "It's my fault the rangers lost their powers, Tanya. Now how are we going to rescue them?"

"That's easy," Tanya said. "My tribe's shaman, Ishala, told me to take the tribe's talisman with me. The Zeo crystal."

"WHAT!? You have the Zeo crystal? The five main shards, I mean?" Tyler asked, surprised. "The book said that they had been lost."

Tanya shrugged. "My tribe has had them for a long, long time. Maybe the author of the book didn't look on Earth?"

"Considering that this planet is considered the galactic boondocks? It's possible," Tyler said. She smiled, and relaxed. :Maybe there IS some way outta this mess,: she thought to herself. "Come on," she said to Tanya. "Wasn't there some people I haven't met before?"

Tanya helped the Purple Gemborn, and said, "C'mon, then, Gemborn. It's time you met them." Tyler smiled, and the two friends left the room. The purple Gem, left behind on the cot, pulsed with an inner light, and then disappeared.

* * *

Tanya pulled out the box holding the Zeo crystals, and studied the shards nestled within. Something wasn't right. She didn't know what it was, but something about the Pink Ranger's kidnapping was bothering her. "Tanya?" The girl looked up to see the Yellow Ranger, Aisha.

"Yes?" Tanya asked.

"What's wrong?"

"That's just it," Tanya said. "I don't know. Something about Kim's kidnapping is bothering me, and I don't know what it is."

"It's not about Kat, is it?" Aisha asked.

"No, it's not her. It's... I don't know," Tanya said, and massaged her temple. She stopped, and looked up at Aisha. "How easy is it to rip your armor?"

"Not very easy, even when morphed," Aisha answered. "It may look like Spandex, but it's a lot stronger. Why?"

"Something about Kat's story just hit me. Tyler just tore off Kim's morpher, tearing it from the... 'Spandex'? Anyways, if it isn't that easy to tear, then how did Tyler do it?"

Aisha's eyes widened, and she walked over to the others. "Guys, Tanya brought up a good point. How did Tyler just tear off the morpher from Kim's uniform?"

Jason stared at the Yellow Ranger, and then said, "Alpha, did you manage to record the last fight? We need to see it."

"Coming right up, Jason," Alpha said, and the rangers turned to the Viewing Globe.