"Science was fine, I guess," Karla sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"We have a huge project coming up and I don't know what to do it on."
"Are you sure that's all?" Trini gave her a searching, speculative look.
Karla smiled, sometimes it was good to have a perceptive best friend. "No. I still don't know anything about the gap in my memory."
Trini glanced at the floor and then at her friend, "You'll find out someday." Karla had a memory loss from her birth until the age of six. She couldn't remember anything about those six years. She'd tried to talk to her foster parents about it, but they didn't know anything either.
"Do you feel like going to the Gym?" Trini asked changing the subject.
"Why not?" They jogged to the gym.
Jason and Zack sparred as Kimberly flipped off the balance beam. "Guess what?" she shrieked.
Trini smiled, "What is it, Kimberly?"
"Tommy's coming at five. He's finishing unpacking. He didn't have alot of time last week to do it." Trini and Kimberly knew why. Last week Tommy Oliver had been the Evil Green Ranger. Thanks to Jason, the spell over Tommy had been broken.
"I'd say you like Tommy," Karla teased.
Kimberly blushed. Trini and Karla laughed.
At five, Tommy came and the seven of them walked to the park."It's such a beautiful day!" Kimberly exclaimed.
"No argument there," Tommy responded.
"Let's go to the B- ball court!" Zack said enthusiastically.
At the court the seven friends played a friendly game of basket ball. Jason threw the ball to Trini and she slam dunked it into the hoop, scoring the winning point. Trini, Jason, Karla and Billy cheered in victory.
"Stupendous shot, Trini," Billy complimented.
"Thanks, Billy. Thanks for the pass, Jason."
"No problem."
"Great game guys. I'm going to go get some water," Karla said.
Karla went to get some water from her bag when she spotted a tall golden armored monster lurking in the shadows of the trees near them. "Guys, there's something over there hiding."
Suddenly and explosion blasted from the ground near them and dozens of gray men with three tiger stripes on each side of their bodies surrounded them.
"What was that?" Trini cried.
"Putties!" Jason yelled.
Kimberly screamed as three of them grabbed her. "Let go of me!"
Zack did some fast dance steps to distract his opponents, blocked punches, and side kicked one away from him.
Billy flipped over one and kicked it away as two putties picked him up and tossed him to the ground.
Kimberly side kicked one, but the other one pushed her to the ground where Billy had just landed.
Two putties grabbed Zack and threw him next to his fallen friends.
Trini blocked punches and shoved a gray man away, but another caught her hand and she fell into the pile.
Karla ducked and kicked her opponent. She flipped over another and spin kicked it to the ground. She blocked a punch and tossed a putty away from her.
Jason kicked one in the head, but the two putties that held him shoved him to the ground and held him there. Tommy jump- kicked one of his opponents and spin- kicked another enemy. A putty sweeped him. As he fell to the ground, he was grabbed.
The Putties grabbed Tommy, and Jason as they vanished. "Tommy! What do we do now?" Kimberly asked fearfully.
"The Power Rangers will save them," Billy said indicating that Karla was still with them.
"We should all go home and get some rest," Trini suggested.
"I guess. There's nothing we can do," Karla said as she walked away. The four Rangers teleported to the Command Center.
"I am aware of the situation, Rangers. Unfortunately, we cannot get a lock on Jason or Tommy. Go back to Angel Grove, we will contact you if anything should arise," Zordon instructed.
Karla could feel the cool breeze whip against her light skin. She could smell the salt of the ocean below her. Then a storm lashed out it's awesome fury upon the sea. She saw the torn sails flail in the wind. The waves attacked the boat, rocking it violently. Then she saw a tall woman, who had the same hair and eyes as Karla. The woman struggled to tie rope around a pole to control the sails. She cried out, "Thor, why do you bring this storm upon us?" The words were in another language, but somehow Karla could understand them. Karla spotted a little girl about the age of six, crying as she clung to her mother's leg. Karla gasped as she saw a man with blond hair crushed beneath a pole. The woman released the rope and picked up the child. She gave the little girl a rectangular object with a circular center. The woman talked so quickly, it was hard for Karla to translate. The mother yelled some instructions. As she tossed her daughter into the sea, purple light enveloped her as she splashed into the ocean. The child turned to look back at the ship as it exploded from a crack of lightning.
Karla sat up, screaming. Her body was wet with sweat and tears stung her eyes. She breathed gasps of air as she tried to calm herself; she clutched her bed sheets, to try to slow her rapid heart beat. She scrambled out of bed and switched on her desk lamp. She took out some keys from a drawer and unlocked another drawer with them. Karla picked up a rectangular object with a coin in the center. Engraved on the coin was the head of a bird, the body of a lion, the tail of a serpent and colorful wings. She glanced at her clock; it was six forty five. She showered, dressed and ate breakfast. She drove to the Angel Grove Library. Inside the building, she piled all the books about birds or unusual animals she could find, but none of them matched the engraving. Then she remembered her dream, thinking there was something she missed. Thor. She had cried out to Thor. She asked him why he made the storm come? She looked up Thor in an encyclopedia.
Karla read, "Thor, the Norse god of thunder and storms." She frowned, puzzled. =D2 No one has believed in the Old Norse gods for centuries. Who was she? Where did she come from? If she had been my mother, why would she believe in something so ancient?" Karla looked at the object and recalled the dream. The mother had given it to her child and powerful energy had saved her life. Karla envisioned the object she held in her hand. They were the same. That dream was apart of the memory gap. Her mother had saved her before she died. She='d remembered her mother's death.
Karla checked out all the Norse Mythology and Old Religion books that she could get her hands on. Then she went home and cried for her mother. Karla picked up the extension and dialed Trini's number. "Trini?"
"Hey, Karla."
"I ....I had a dream last night."
"And?"
"I think it's a part of a memory."
"Karla-"
"No listen, Trini. I saw a woman on a ship who gave her daughter a weird object and she threw her into the sea. The ship exploded from lightning."
"Okay....."
"The object that the mother gave her looked exactly like the object the orphanage found me with."
"Oh. You never told me they found you with something. Do you know what the thing is?"
"No. It looks weird, alien like."
"Want me to come over and take a look at it?"
"Ok. Sure." Trini drove over to Karla's house. Her communicator sounded and she parked her car on the side of the rode behind a cluster of bushes.
"Yes, Zordon?"
"Teleport to the Command Center. The others are here waiting for you."
Trini teleported to the Command Center as Alpha exclaimed, "Ayi, yi, yi, yi! Look at the Viewing Globe!" In the sphere they saw Jason and Tommy chained behind a force field; hordes of putties surrounded them and filtered throughout the cave. Then they saw Goldar laughing at the two Rangers. The picture turned to static.
Zack asked, "Now what?"
Trini said, "Jason's not here to lead us."
Alpha explained, "I can't get a lock on them. I am tracing their signatures in the Caves of Dread."
Zordon warned, "The Caves of Dread are really many caves linked together. You must enter with caution." The alarm sounded and red lights flickered. They looked at the Viewing Globe, but no picture appeared.
"I am BattyRat! Give me the Morpher!" A monster yelled at Karla.
"I don't think so!" Karla kicked and punched some putties out of her way. She climbed out the window and descended down the tree. Karla ran thinking furiously, Don't panic, Karla. Just think about how you activated this thing before! Suddenly she was surrounded by Putties. She spinned, kicked and twirled several putties to the ground. She leapt and kicked BattyRat in the head. He tumbled to the ground, rolling on the grass.
At the Command Center, the Viewing Globe flickered on as Billy tapped some controls.
"Omigosh! It's Karla. She's being attacked by a monster!" Kimberly cried, her face expressed concern and surprise, "And she's winning!"
"Teleport her here, Alpha."
"But, Zordon that would reveal who we are!"
"Alpha, we must save her."
"Teleporting now." A purple beam revealed Karla.
"Where am I?"
"You are in the Command Center. I am Zordon. This is the base for the Power Rangers."
"Hi." Karla turned and saw her friends.
"Hey, I should've known! No wonder the Putties attack you guys all the time! Why am I here? Wait. I think I know the answer." She pulled out her Morpher. "This is what they were after."
"How did you get that?" Zack asked.
"The people who found me on the beach said they'd found it next to me."
"We had another Ranger all along and we didn't even know it!" Trini cried.
"Huh?"
"Power Morpher, Power Ranger, get it?" Kimberly teased.
"Got it."
Zordon explained, "Karla, your family has been the only beings in the Universe to earn the Purple Power Coin. Your mother was an excellent leader and fighter. The dream you have been having is a memory. You were placed under a Forget Spell so that when the time is right you will start to remember other occurrences. The reason this spell was cast we do not know.
"Hold your Morpher to the sky and call upon the Griffin when necessary. There are three rules that must be followed, Never use your power for personal gain. Never escalate a battle unless Rita forces you, and Always keep your identities secret. Are you willing to join our team?"
"Yes."
"Then Karla, you are the Purple Ranger, with the unyielding and bright power of the Griffinzord."
"Thanks, Zordon. So what=D5s the situation?" Karla asked turning to her friends. Alpha showed them the printout. "Alpha, can you get me to the back entrance of the cave?"
"Yes, why?"
"I have a plan." Karla told them her plan.
"No way, Karla. You're putting yourself at too much of a risk," Zack argued.
"I have to, Zack. The reason the Putties attacked was to capture me, not Tommy or Jason. I owe them." Her voice was full of determination; her face was hard stubborn stone. They knew there was no stopping her.
"Good luck, Karla," Trini said.
"You too, guys." They looked at her as if they expected her to call their battle cry. Trini whispered in her ear. "It's Morphin' Time!"
"Mastodon!" Zack yelled.
"Pterodactyl!" Kimberly screamed.
"Triceratops!" Billy shouted.
"Saber tooth tiger!" Trini cried.
"Griffin!" Karla cried. All of their outfits looked the same except for the different colors and helmet designs. They teleported to the cave.
"Ok, guys. Go!" Zack was the first to run and fight the Putties. The others followed. Karla teleported to the back entrance in purple light.
"Hiyaa!" Trini yelled as she knocked a putty down with lightning fast hands.
Zack spun and knocked two putties to the ground.
Billy side kicked an opponent away from him. He spin kicked another.
Kimberly punched and flipped over the putties around her. They fought for about fifteen minutes and then entered the cave.
"So, you finally decided to join us?" Goldar quipped.
"Guys!" Jason yelled, "It's a trap! Get out!" A force field surrounded the four Rangers.
"I have done it, Mistress! I have captured all of the Power Rangers!"
"Not quite, Gold Breath!" Karla retorted. She leapt out of the shadows and kicked Goldar; the force of her kick sent him flying to the other side of the cave. She whipped out her Power Blaster and fired at the machine, and then at the chains. Both force fields disintegrated.
"Huh? Another Ranger?" Goldar said surprised.
Karla grabbed the Morphers and threw them to Jason and Tommy.
Jason shouted, "It's Morphing Time!"
"Dragonzord!" Tommy blurted.
"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason bellowed.
"Who are you?" the Red Ranger asked.
"I'm Karla, the Purple Ranger. Nice to see you guys are okay."
"Karla, how-" Tommy began. The Rangers felt the ground beneath them shake.
"Long story, guys. We don't have time. Rita just made Goldar and BattyRat grow!" Kimberly blurted.
"Power Rangers!!!" The heroes cried as they ran outside.
A winged golden monkey stood proudly, "Attack!" They raised they're hands to the sky. "Dinozord Power!" Jason yelled.
"Time for Dragonzord Power!" Tommy's flute sounded as the Dragonzord emerged from the sea.
"Griffinzord Power!" They teleported to their Zords. The Saber tooth Tiger's claw lashed out at Goldar and sent him to the ground. BattyRat kicked the Zord and it fell onto Tommy's Zord. "I need backup!"
The other Zords were being hit with Bat bombs.
Karla's Zord ran on the ground with it's lion's feet. She pushed a few buttons and the rainbow - purple, green, blue and brown wings flapped; they flew in the clear sky toward the battle field. "I've got you covered, Trini!" The Griffin leapt and landed on top of BattyRat as if a cat had pounced it's prey. The Zord roared loudly. BattyRat's eyes opened wide with fear. Genuine fear. The monster couldn't move. Goldar ran and slashed the Griffin with his sword. Karla's Zord staggered and then took off. The Griffin screeched and dove for Goldar. Her serpent tail struck him forcefully.
"Hey, Zack. You think you can freeze him?"
"Sure thing." The Mastodon's tusks spewed out icy air and froze Goldar's feet. He roared in rage.
"Form the Megazord!" Jason ordered gasping. The five Dinozords came together. The Dragonzord crashed to the ground after being thrown by BattyRat. The Megazord punched Goldar while the Griffin lashed at BattyRat with it's tail.
"Oh!" Karla said as BattyRat punched her Zord. "Man, I never thought a bat and a rat could work together!" Then it hit her. They can't. Logic will beat the magic of this animal twist. "Hey Batty! I hope you know you're working with a rat! A delicious, succulent, juicy, fat rat!" The bat wings began to squeeze the rat body. It exploded. Goldar whimpering, teleported to the moon.
At the Command Center, Zack explained the story to Jason and Tommy. Jason nodded impressed with her job. Jason shook her hand. "Welcome to the team, Karla."
"Thanks." She beamed. Jason looked at Zack. His friend nodded. "Karla, we were wondering if you would accept the position of second in command."
Karla was baffled, "I'm not experienced enough. And-" She glanced at all her friends.
"Karla, you fought BattyRat and putties unmorphed and won, you came up with the plan to get Jason and Tommy free, you ordered us in the beginning of the fight, you rescued all six of us from Rita, and you found out how to destroy BattyRat, all in one day!" Trini exclaimed, "I'd say you're experienced enough!"
Karla laughed, "Ok, you win. I'll do it."
Tommy asked, "Karla, how did you destroy BattyRat?"
"Bats and rats are natural enemies. See, when Rita mixes animals the brain of the monster has to have the brains of the animals in order for it to move. I just tapped in a little deeper."
Kimberly shrieked, "Yes!"
Zordon said, "Karla, you are the Purple Ranger, second in command of the Power Rangers. Your mother would have been proud."
"Thank you, Zordon." She felt her eyes water, but forced herself not to cry.
They all joined hands in a circle, jumped and yelled "Power Rangers!"