The Astro Megaship limps slowly homeward. The scorched gouges on its hull and the smoke bellowing from one exhaust port are the only indication of the great battle she has just fought.

Having gone as far as it can in its present condition, the great craft shudders violently...then simply stops. Dead in space.

On the Bridge, five of the six Power Rangers are involved with varied tasks as Damon Henderson enters. "Oh Man," he says exasperated, "You guys won't believe this!"

John looks up from strumming his guitar and looks Damon over. As usual his mechanic friend has oil and greasy splotches all over his clothes, head, and hands.

"You just discovered the existence of soap?" John cracks.

Damon decides at first to let the good-natured joke pass, but on second thought, he walks over and gives John a big clap on the shoulder, soiling his clean white T-shirt.

"Man!" John complains examining the handprint on his shoulder.

Repressing a smile, Leo interrupts Damon and Johns playful bickering. "What's up, Damon. Did you get the engine running?" he asks.

Damon shakes his head in defeat. "That last volley from the Scorpion Stinger completely shorted the Mega-Accelerator! On top of that," he continues bitterly, "the impulse engines are flooded with Tetrion particles, and we threw a Sub-Ion panel! The damage control systems are workin' the trouble spots, but God knows how long they'll be."

"So we're stuck?" Leo asks.

"Didn't I just say that?" Damon snaps.

Ignoring her comrades, Kendrix addresses DECA's camera, "DECA, how long will repairs to the engines take?" she inquires.

Within seconds Kendrix' answer comes in the form of DECA's dead pan voice. "Automated repairs will be completed in approximately twenty four point eight hours."

"Oh, perfect!" Kai complains from the navigation console, "Stuck in space for a whole day."

"No way, man," Damon assures him, "I can cut that repair time in half."

Hold it, Guys," Leo says his hand on Damon's shoulder, "Maybe we don't need to hurry repairs."

"What are you getting at, Leo?" John asks from his seat.

"Guys!" Leo says as if the answer were obvious, "Let's take an off-day."

Kai shakes his head as if he can't believe his ears. "You wanna play hooky!?!"

No, Kai, he's right," John says. "We've earned this!"

Standing, John walks over to join the Rangers who have now congregated around Leo. "How much crap have we gone through, just since I became a Ranger?"

John points to the group. "It was barely a month ago that you guys were abducted by Scorpius," he says. "Not to mention," he continues, "fighting off Battobass, Ape-a-Saur, and Chiron and his Killer Car."

"Don't forget Chiron's demon's," Leo adds.

"Or the fact that most of us died in that battle," Maya says, joining the discussion.

"You guys have a point," Damon concedes. "I haven't had an honest off-day since I joined the GSA."

"So it's decided," John says happily, "We take the day off!"

"Nothing is decided!" Kai snaps. "We have responsibilities to the Station, and as Rangers. What if Scorpius attacks?"

Leo looks at his friend in earnest. "Kai, between Mike, the GSA security forces, and Dulcea, Terra Venture has nothing to worry about. Besides," he says flashing his playful grin, "We just kicked Scorpius' butt. He won't be space worthy for days."

"Come on Kai," Damon says, "they're right. What would bad could one day of rest do?"

For the first time Alpha 6 speaks. "Ay-yi-yi, Kai," he says, "this is a perfect opportunity for rest. Despite the engine trouble, all systems are functioning perfectly, Life Support, the SimuDeck, even the Synthetrons."

John leans in close to Kai's ear and whispers, "Sythetrons, Kai! You won't have to cook."

Kai brightens at the thought of not cooking for once.

"Hey Kai, You're into snow sports, right?" Kendrix asks. You know there is a great snowboarding program on file."

Kai looks at Kendrix in mock disappointment. "You to!?!" he cries.

"KAI!" they all shout together.

"Okay, okay, I'm in. he concedes.

Leo cheerfully turns to Alpha. "Alpha, warm the coffee and hold the calls. The Power Rangers are takin' a break!"

An hour later, the Ranger women enjoy a visit to the MegaShips fully equipped gym.

At the front of the room, Kendrix, in black and pink tights, goes through the intricate movements of an Aikido kata. Each stance and movement an expression of grace, skill, and control.

Across the chamber, Maya practices a gymnastic routine as only she can. Displaying incredible speed and agility, Maya swings, flips, and tumbles through a series of bars protruding from the walls. Over and over the young woman executes maneuvers even the greatest Olympic athlete would shy away from. Finally, she leaps to the floor in a dismount that would surely cripple a normal human.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Maya gazes at the bars some twenty feet overhead. "I was a bit off today," she muses.

Turning toward Kendrix, Maya admires her fellow Ranger's exhibition of martial skill. It reminds her of the dances her own people used to perform on Miranoi, so beautiful, so precise. She wonders if some day Kendrix will teach it to her.

Maya continues watching as Kendrix finishes and wipes her face with a towel. Once again, she wonders if her blonde friend knows exactly how beautiful she is. Maya liked to think of herself as attractive, and if the behavior of her male friends is any indication she's right. But Kendrix...she seems so unaware of her beauty, and yet welcomes the use of the cremes and such that Maya showed her how to make. It's only one of the many ways Kendrix and her fellow humans confound Maya.

But deep down, Maya knows that if she wants to know something, anything, about humans, all she has to do is ask her wise friend. That's why even now she wrestles with a burning question, one that has tortured her for days.

"Kendrix?" Maya asks, "Can I ask you a question."

"You can ask," Kendrix chirps as she puts her glasses on.

"Well its...uh," she takes a deep breath, "can you tell me about men?"

Kendrix' eyebrows arch as a shocked smile crosses her face.

Realizing she hasn't gotten her point across, Maya tries again. "I mean...women and men...that is, uh..."

"Romance?" Kendrix offers.

"Yes exactly!" Maya says happily.

Kendrix lets out a deep sigh of relief. This conversation could have gone a very different way.

"What do you want to know?" Kendrix asks carefully.

"I don't know. So many things you humans do is...different from my people." Maya thinks for a moment before it hits her. "I know," she exclaims, "tell me about you and John."

Kendrix curses silently, she almost wishes the talk had gone the other way.

Sensing her friend's distress, Maya gives her an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back any old pain.

"No, no, It's not that," she tells Maya. "My life with John was really...complicated."

"Do you love him?" Maya asks innocently.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Kendrix decides on a quick subject change. "How do you feel about John?" she says quickly.

Maya smiles as she pictures the young man. "He's sweet, honorable, polite, and has a great body."

Shocked, Kendrix buries her face in a towel to keep from laughing.

"What," Maya asks earnestly, "He's cute. He has the saddest eyes, though.

Kendrix looks up from her towel red-faced. She knew exactly what Maya meant. She herself had spent many hours trying to find the secrets behind those sad eyes.

"And I like the goat on his chin." Maya finishes.

Kendrix snaps back to reality. "What?" she asks. "You mean goatee?"

"Oh yeah," Maya replies slightly embarrassed. "So how did you two meet?" she asks.

Kendrix gets a far away look in her eyes as she begins to recount her story. "It was about three years ago. I had just come from Stone Canyon to attend the GSA academy. I was this scared little science nerd, afraid of her own shadow," Kindrix smiles at the memory.

"We were all put into little groups for orientation. My group was made up of three guys and myself. Mike Corbett, an all-American type who couldn't wait to see the stars. Kai Chen, a boy I knew from school back home. He was sooo desperate to carry on his family's military tradition. And last but not least, Johnny Hunter. He joined with Mike, his best friend. There was something about Johnny, so...unsure of himself. He was as skilled and capable as any man could be, you just couldn't convince him of that," Kendrix smiles a sad smile.

"So you two were just friends?" Maya asks.

"For awhile," Kendrix looks at the floor. "Then as things got more serious, I got scared. Really scared."

Maya gives her a confused look. "Scared, why?" she asks.

The two women seated themselves on the gym floor. Now Kendrix lies back covering her face with her hands, trying to organize her thoughts.

"Oh, that's a tough one," she says.

Rising, Kendrix looks to Maya and continues. "Back then, my job was everything to me. I thought GSA science officer was who I was, not just what I do. If I let him into my life, how could I be that good little scientist anymore?" Kendrix sounds almost angry with herself. "So I told him we needed to go our separate ways. I had my life and he couldn't be part of it." She could feel hot tears well up in her eyes.

"He, uh...he did as I asked," Kendrix says sniffing back a tear. We didn't see each other again till the day we all met at the movie theatre a few weeks back. I did hear when the GSA dropped his commission, but by that time I didn't know what to say to him. I just felt so...helpless.

"So that's why," Maya says.

Kendrix wipes her eyes before replying, "Why what?"

"Why you always try so hard to help everyone else," Maya answers.

Kendrix throws up her hands in mock surrender. "You discovered my secret. As much as it may hurt, I won't let anyone who needs me down. I won't...hurt anyone like..."

"Like you feel you hurt John," Maya finishes.

"Yeah, Like I feel I hurt John."

Maya senses something more in her friend's voice. Some untold secret, but she doesn't pursue it. Kendrix' been hurt enough.

"Let's go get some ice cream," Maya suggests.

"Ice cream?" Kendrix questions.

"Well you seem upset over John, so I thought ice cream might help. Alpha says the Synthetrons can make any flavor you can think of."

Kendrix smiles as she stands to follow Maya towards the door. "Are you sure you're not from Earth?"

Elsewhere on the MegaShip, Leo searches for Johnny in the living quarters. He's never visited this part of the ship. The area had been sealed off since their predecessors left the ship to Angel Grove as a museum.

Now here Leo is, a Ranger himself. Walking the halls once walked by Earth's greatest champions. Leo stands for a moment in silent awe. Is he truly worthy?

Leo is awoken from his daydream by a muffled crash and familiar cursing. He found his quarry.

Walking through a door, Leo finds John, or at least his legs, jutting out from beneath a bed. Silently, Leo sits down in a nearby chair and watches his friend curiously.

"What are you doing?" Leo asks, leaning close to the bed.

"Wha...OWW!!!"

Leo snickers as John, startled, bangs his head on the bed's underside.

"I'm glad you find my pain so amusing," John snaps sliding out from under the bed, still rubbing a spot on the back of his head. "I think I'll name my first concussion after you."

"Sorry," Leo says innocently, "but what are you doing?"

"Al's been after me for the last few days to go through the staterooms. Apparently, some of the Space Rangers left some clothes and stuff behind." John answers. "I thought I might see if I could find anything useful, then donate the rest to Terra Ventures emergency supplies."

Leo nods. "Have you found anything?" he asks.

In answer, John points to a small pile of dusty items, apparently pulled from under the bed. The pile consists of a number of food trays, a few wrinkled slips of paper, an empty bottle of platinum hair dye, and what looked like a folded photograph.

Curious, Leo retrieves the photo from the pile and opens it.

"Sweeet!" Leo says half to himself.

The photo is of a beautiful woman with impossibly blonde hair, wearing what looked like vinyl tights under body armor.

"Who is this?" he asks rhetorically.

Hearing the question, John returns from the closet he has just opened and looks at the photo. "I don't know," he says, "but she's got it goin' on."

"Could she have been a Ranger?" Leo wonders aloud.

"Nah, This is a guy's room. She was probably his girlfriend or lover or something."

John's statement reminds Leo of what brought him there in the first place. "Uh, Johnny?" he asks, I need to talk to you about..."

"About Kendrix?" John finishes for him.

"Well...yeah," Leo says tentatively.

John walks back to the closet before turning back to address Leo again. "Look, If I'm stepping in something you two have going, just let me know. Okay?"

Leo looks at John in surprise. He hadn't been prepared for such honesty. Maybe that was why John had always had the unique ability to surprise him. Especially when Leo believed he had the other man "figured out".

"No, no, it's not that," Leo insists. "I thought we might have had something once, but we're just friends now, I swear."

John doesn't really believe his old friend, but doesn't press the issue. "Then what, Leo? Spit it out."

Leo fidgets for a moment before deciding on the best way to proceed. "Look, you two were really close once, I can see that. But, I can also see that something happened, something painful for both of you."

"What, are you Dr. Ruth now?" John jokes.

"I just don't want to see two of my best friends getting hurt. That's all."

The look of concern on Leo's face is real enough, and John regrets his joke. Dropping the pair of pants he had been folding, he rests his back against the wall. This isn't going to be easy.

"Kendrix and I..." the words come hard for Johnny, "broke up about a month before Terra Venture left Earth. She wanted to concentrate on her work, and I guess I got in the way."

"She dumped you?" Leo asks skeptically.

Johnny shakes his head. "No, she didn't dump me." Once again John searches for the right words. "We both had our lives and plans for the New World all mapped out. Only guess what, we didn't make room for each other. So we had to go."

"And it was that easy?" Leo asks.

"Crap no!" John snaps, kicking at a pile of clothes. "You know Kendrix. She's not just beautiful; she's got this...fire, deep inside. It's enough to keep the whole world warm, and that's exactly what she wanted to do. How could I stand in the way of that!?!" Johnny slowly sinks to the ground, running his fingers through his hair. "I don't know, maybe if she had called me I would have talked to her. Maybe even said the right things. But she never called, never wrote." Johnny looks at his palms as if the answers he seeks might be there. "So I let her go. God, I was so stupid."

"Then you met us, what was it a month or so ago?" Leo says, joining John on the floor.

"Yep, I had just come from another disastrous interview, when I ran into you guys at the movie theatre." John suddenly smiles, "When I first looked into Kendrix' eyes, it was like I had been brought back to the best times she and I ever had. She never said, but I think she felt it to."

"So your back together, an item?" As Leo asks the question, a small part of his heart sinks.

"We are," John begins, "two people who enjoy each others company, a lot. Where that takes us, I don't know." A smile crosses John's face. "But I for one, plan to enjoy the ride."

At that, Leo looks away, and retrieves the hair dye bottle he saw before.

Noticing his friend's reaction, John decides to ask a question of his own. "Does that bother you?" he asks as gently as possible.

Leo fidgets with the dye bottles flip cap for a few seconds.

"No," he lies, "yes...I mean maybe. I don't know! God, I wish I could talk to Mike."

John looks at him curiously. "Why can't you? You guys are the tightest brothers I've ever seen."

Leo shakes his head. "We were, but lately, he seems...well, distant. We still hangout, but its like he's hiding something."

"I think I know how you feel," John tells him. "Ever since I joined the team, he seems like he's avoiding me. At first, I thought he might be...you know, angry because I got the powers after him."

"No way, Hunter. Your Mike's closest friend. He'd never hold that against you," Leo reassures him.

John nods in agreement. "It's just that he's acting so strange." John looks around as if to make sure no one is listening. "You know he has the medi-files from our power transfer triple encrypted?

That made Leo curious. His brother had never been one to keep secrets, at least not from friends and family. "Well, uh...security! Maybe he did it for security." Leo suggests. "You know, detailed files on the nature of a Rangers power would be a great prize for any villain who got their hands on them.

"Maybe," is John's only reply.

Shrugging, Leo reads the label on the dusty plastic bottle he holds. "Hair Dye for Men. Color: Platinum Blonde." Leo looks at John in bewilderment. "Who was this guy?" he asks.

In answer, Johnny produces a metallic silver colored, button dress shirt.

"Good Lord," he says as they eye the garment. "Elton John was a Power Ranger!"

Both men burst into laughter.

It's sometime later when Kai Chen wanders into the Jet Jammer bay carrying a food tray. "Hey, Damon!" he calls.

"You don't have to shout, I'm right here," Damon complains.

Startled by the voice, Kai jumps before noticing the top of a familiar bald head sticking out from under the Green Jet Jammer beside him.

"I thought we were supposed to be on an off-day," Kai scolds.

"I am, but after that last space battle, I had some dings to take out of the old Jet Jammer." Damon replies.

"Well anyway, we had dinner. Maya sent you some food."

Looking at Kai worriedly, Damon asks, "She didn't cook it, did she?"

"Relax, its from the Synthetron," Kai says.

Damon wipes his hand with a white rag before taking a bite of the sandwich on Kai's tray. Grimacing, Damon looks at the sandwich closely. "Maybe she should've cooked."

Kai just laughs. "Hey, Damon, You got a minute?" he finally asks.

Damon places the sandwich on the tray as if it might explode. "If it'll keep me away from that sandwich, I'll give you all night!"

Kai shakes his head. "I was just wondering why we never talk."

"What!?!" Damon asks.

Kai rubs the back of his neck looking vaguely uncomfortable. "Well we...we don't talk much. I mean we talk about Ranger stuff and GSA business, but we never talk."

"Well let's face it Kai, We don't have much in common," Damon tells him.

"Now see, that's what I'm talking about. How do we know what we have in common if we don't talk?"

"Oh, we've been living in the same apartment almost a year, and this just now bothers you?" Damon asks.

Kai shrugs. "Welllll,"

"Kendrix put you up to this didn't she?" Damon accuses.

"No, I just wanted to..."

"Kai," Damon interrupts.

"Okay fine!" he concedes, "Kendrix and Maya thought we should all get to know each other. So they sent me here."

"Or," Damon presses.

Kai throws up his arms in defeat. "Or," he answers loudly, "they'll tell Hannah..." the rest of Kai's sentence is a mumble.

"What was that?" Damon asks, suddenly very amused. "Speak up, Kai."

Looking around to insure their privacy, Kai leans close to Damon and whispers into his ear.

Damon laughs out loud. "Oh man, that's cold!" he shouts.

Kai, wanting very much to crawl under a Jet Jammer himself, gives Damon a stern look. "Do you want to talk or not?" he snaps.

"Okay, okay, let's talk," Damon says, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

After several minutes of tortured silence, Kai finally jumps in. "So...uh, tell me about your...uh..."

"Look," Damon interrupts, "Kendrix is right, friends should know each other, but friends don't have to know each others life stories."

Kai brightens at that thought. "Hey! You're right. It's enough that we know we're there for each other. You're an amateur boxer turned mechanic, who tells jokes..." Kai begins.

"And you come from a military family, and want to be a big Army hero." Damon finishes.

Both men smile as they shake hands.

"Hello, Mr. Henderson. I'm Kai Chen."

"Hello, Mr. Chen. I'm Damon Henderson."

Turning their separate ways, neither man sees the huge sigh of relief the other man breathes.

A few moments later, Maya is walking the halls of the MegaShip. She's confused, following a scent and faint noises that shouldn't, couldn't be there.

Following the mystery scent, Maya steps through a doorway and into...a forest? How could this be? A forest complete with animals and a blue sky, here, on a space ship.

Her heart races. The dense woodland reminds her of her home so far away. Who could have made such a beautiful place?

"Hello Maya."

Maya jumps, surprised by the voice behind her.

"Leo?" Maya asks. Sure enough, Leo sits under a tall shady tree almost completely hidden from view. "What are you doing?" she asks.

"John's taking my monitor duty tonight," Leo says, "so I came to the SimuDeck to unwind a little."

"Did you make, this?" Maya asks in awe, gesturing to the forest around her.

Leo steps out from behind the tree smiling. "Nah, I never really learned how to write holographic computer programs," he laughs. "Alpha made this for me."

"Its beautiful," Maya whispers, "it looks so much like home."

"It is home," Leo tells her, "mine that is."

"This is Earth?" Maya says.

"Yes it is, the Mountains of California to be exact. I was born not to far from here." Leo points off toward the horizon, as memories of home wash over him.

"Do you ever miss it? Maya asks, misty eyed, "home I mean."

"Of course I do," Leo tells her. "I was born here, I grew up here. Where ever I go a piece of this place goes with me."

Maya picks a small flower and sniffs it. "That's how I feel about Miranoi. I want to go back so bad, but I know I can't. Ever." A single tear rolls down Maya's face. Once again she feels lost and alone.

Leo puts a reassuring hand on Maya's shoulder. "What kinda talk is that?" he says. "Miranoi is out there, somewhere. We will find it. And when we do, we're gonna free the planet from Furio's spell. Then your going to introduce me to that Shondra girl you always talk about." Leo points toward a green covered mountain range in the distance. "You'll show me the mountains of your world, and we'll run down their slopes together. The whole word will rejoice. They'll rejoice because their greatest treasure will have returned home!" He smiles at his own melodramatic speech.

Maya suddenly embraces Leo, tears falling from her face. "Your insane," she tells him with a smile on her face.

"Nah," Leo jokes, "Just high strung."

"Do me a favor," Maya asks.

"Sure, what is it," Leo says earnestly.

"Never stop telling me that, please." Maya looks to him with a smile on her face.

"I promise," is Leo's only reply.

John Hunter is a happy man tonight. For the first time in what seems like forever, he is totally at peace, no monsters, demons, aliens, or possessed cars to worry about. He had also gotten to clear the air with Leo. They still had some things to deal with, but right now, life was good.

At the moment John is headed for the Bridge to relieve Kai on monitor duty. It was a boring job, but since becoming Magna Defender, John actually found himself craving boredom. Of handedly, he notices his route is taking him past the ships sleeping quarters. Wishing his friends a silent good night, he heads toward the elevator.

Still in his euphoric mood, John doesn't notice the fuzzy pink projectile that sails past his head. Nor does he notice the quiet hissing noise behind him.

Then he hears it. A voice, almost to quiet to hear, is calling his name. Turning toward the sound, John is struck right between the eyes with a second fuzzy pink projectile. Picking up the soft ball, John realizes it's a wadded up pink sock. Somebody wants his attention.

Looking down the hall, John just barely notices a lone figure standing in a dark doorway.

"Kendrix?" he realizes.

"SSSHHH," is Kendrix only reply.

Straining his eyes, John realizes Kendrix is motioning for him to come into the stateroom with her.

"Yeah, Buddy, life is good," he whispers to himself.

As John enters the room, he doesn't notice Maya standing in her own doorway a few feet away. As Kendrix' door shuts, Maya smiles a happy smile. "It's about time," she whispers, returning to her own room.

Inside Kendrix' room, John notices nervously that she is dressed in the Pink T-shirt and pair of brief pink shorts, she always wears to bed. "Oh boy," he whispers in near panic.

"It's time," she tells him matter-of-factly.

Now all of John's warning bells are going off. "I, uh, shouldn't we, I, oh," John babbles incoherently.

"What are you tal..." Kendrix begins. Suddenly she realizes what John must be thinking, and grabs a pillow.

"You jerk!" With that Kendrix strikes him across the head with the pillow, sending feathers flying in all directions.

Stunned by the turn of events, and the pillow-blow, Johnny can only shake his head as he returns to his senses.

Not knowing what to say, he simply points over his shoulder toward the door. "I'm gonna go now."

"No wait, I'm sorry," Kendrix pleads. "I must have given you the wrong idea."

Looking around the dimly lit room and at the beautiful yet scarcely dressed woman in front of him, John can only nod his head. "Ohhhh, Yeah." He agrees.

Kendrix can't help but smile at the man standing before her. Covered with feathers, his once combed hair now pointing off in the direction of her vicious pillow assault, and a look of complete confusion on his handsome face. All at once she remembers why she loves him.

"Oh god, John," she asks shaking her head, "what are we gonna do."

John shakes his own head. He had been dreading this question since they met again weeks ago. Nevertheless, he knows this talk is way over do.

"I wish I knew, Starlight," John tells Kendrix.

Kendrix looks into his eyes and smiles. "You haven't called me that since the academy. I thought maybe you had forgotten."

John nuzzles close to her, once again bathing in her warmth. "Not in this lifetime," he swears.

Slowly they move even closer, holding each other tighter. John bows his head toward Kendrix', longing for the kiss they had both been cheated of for so long.

Suddenly, John pulls away. He feels hot, and his breathing is heavy. "I can't do this," he says finally. "Not now, not here."

Kendrix, in much the same state as John, goes to his side. "I didn't mean that we were...I'm not..."

"It's not that!" John exclaims. "It's us." Looking toward the ceiling in exasperation, John takes a deep breath.

"What about Leo?" he demands. "You realize he's in love with you."

"Leo and I are just frie..."

"Yeah, friends, I heard that from Leo this afternoon."

"And you don't believe me?" Kendrix asks hurt.

"You yes, Leo no. That is, I think Leo has stronger feelings for you than he knows," John says putting his hands on Kendrix' shoulders.

Kendrix raps her arms around John's midsection, as she rests her head against his chest. "I told you," she repeats, "Leo and I are really good friends. At one time, maybe he wanted to be more. Maybe I wanted more, but the time I spent with Leo only reminded me of how much I missed you." Kendrix looks down before continuing. "And if you can ever forgive me for what I did to you..."

"No," John says, lifting Kendrix' face to look into his own. He notices her tears and realizes he to is crying. "We're not gonna do that. No forgiving, no grudges, no regrets. We just put it all behind us and get back where we belong."

"Where is that?" she asks.

John leans down and kisses her forehead. "Together."

Knowing there is nothing more in his way, John leans in again, this time for the kiss he's been waiting to give Kendrix since their breakup.

"HEY, HUNTER!" Kai's voice booms over John's TransMorpher. "You are supposed to relieve me tonight, and I would like some sleep. Dropping his head with a sigh, John answers as Kendrix giggles. "I'll get right on that Kai," he says, barely masking his exasperation.

John starts to say something to Kindrix, but instead just walks toward the door. "Later," he says.

As the door slides shut, Kendrix just stands there, watching, "Good Night," she whispers.

Suddenly, the door slides open again, and John rushes in. "Forget Later," he says, embracing her.

After nearly a year of waiting, John finally kisses Kendrix full on the lips. Instantly, they both become lost in the wonderful feeling. This was the one moment of their lives they never wanted to end.

"Man, I love being a Ranger," John tells her. Then touching her silky soft cheek, he slowly turns to leave.

As the door closes, a look of despair grips Kendrix beautiful face. "I'm so sorry John," she whispers as hot tears well up in her eyes. Sinking onto her bed she settles in for what would be a long restless night.

Early the next morning, John is on the Bridge once again strumming his guitar. As he plays, he reflects back on the day's events. He had finally come to terms with his and Kendrix' relationship. Leo seemed a little more relaxed than usual after his trip to the SimuDeck. And even Kai and Damon seemed unusually happy.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to think this off-day idea was a winner," he says to himself.

Cutting the silence, DECA's mechanical voice speaks, "Beginning final approach for Terra Venture," the computer states flatly.

"Okay, DECA, you better wake Damon," John instructs. "If anybody but he parks this bus, we'll never hear the end of it."

"Affirmative," DECA replies.

No sooner does the computer go quiet, than a new chime sounds on the Bridge.

"Decoding of Magna Defender medical profile complete," DECA announces.

"GREAT!" John says happily, "put it on main console please.

As John leans his guitar against the console, the medical readout appears on his stations, view screen.

John reads quietly, for a few minutes until he reaches the second page.

His breathing becoming irregular, John continues reading faster and faster. "Oh God, no," he whispers.

Able to take no more, John slams his fist down on the console, deactivating the monitor. Now he stands. Face red, eyes clouded with anger and tears, John looks around desperately. Finally focusing on his musical instrument, John grasps the guitar in shaking hands. Leaning back and fourth, John presses his fore head against the head of the instrument. "How could you," he whispers angrily.

"HOW COULD YOU!!!" Swinging with all his might, John hurls the guitar into the main view screen where it splinters into pieces.

"What's goin' on!" Damon yells as he runs onto the Bridge. He had heard the crash, and hurried to investigate.

Still fuming, John turns toward Damon. "Where's Mike!" John demands.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him lately. What's wrong?" Damon asks again.

"Someone's gonna kill 'im," John says quietly.

Damon is shocked. "Why, when, where," Damon asks confused.

Seeing that John is more intent on leaving than answering questions, Damon grabs him by the arm as John attempts to leave the Bridge.

"John!" Damon demands, "Who is gonna kill Mike!?!"

John looks back at Damon with the most intensely angry eyes the mechanic has ever scene. Then jerking his arm from Damon's grip he answers the question as he storms off.

"ME!"